BACON Francis

From Agepedia

BACON, Francis, baron of Verulam ; one of the most remarkable men of whom any age can boast; a reformer of philosophy, by founding it on the observation of nature, after it had consisted, for so many centuries, of scholastic subtilties and barren dialectics. He was born at London, in 1561, and displayed, from his earliest childhood, proofs of a superior mind. In nis 33th year, he entered the university of Cambridge, where he made astonishing progress in all the sciences there taught. He had not completed his 16th year, when he wrote against the Aristotelian philosophy, which seemed to him more calculated to perpetuate disputes than to enlighten the mind. It was then the custom, in England, to send abroad, particularly to France, those young men who were destined for public life. Young B. went to Paris in the suite of sir Amias Pallet, who soon after sent him to England with an important message. He discharged it to the satisfaction of the queen (Elizabeth), returned to France, and travelled through several provinces of that country, to study its manners and laws. When 19 years old, he wrote a work, entitled, Of the State of Europe, in which he gave the most astonishing proofs of the early maturity of his judgment. The death of his father called him back to England, where, in order to be enabled to live suitably to his rank, he devoted himself to jurisprudence, and pursued the study of the law with so much success, that he was made counsel extraordinary to the queen before he was 28 years old. His professional labors did not, however, make him lose sight of the idea, which he had early conceived, of reforming the plan of scholastic studies agreeably to sound philosophy. His place was more honorable than lucrative. B.'s talents, and his connexion with the lord treasurer Burleigh, and his son sir Robert Cecil, first secretary of state, seemed to promise him the highest promotion; but the enmity between the latter and the earl of Essex, likewise a friend and protector of B., prevented his advancement. Essex endeav ored to indemnify him by the donation of an estate in land. B., however, soon forgot his obligations to this generous benefactor, and not only abandoned him as soon as he had fallen into disgrace, but, without being obliged, took part against him on his trial. Against this ingratitude the public voice was raised, and, whatever B. might say in his justification, he remained at court the object of hatred to one party and of jealousy to the other, and the queen did not appear inclined to do any thing in his favor. In parliament, he conducted, for some time, with dignity and independence. He had been chosen member for the county of Middlesex, in 1593, and voted with the popular party against the measures of the ministers, though he continued in the service of the crown. But, towards the end of Elizabeth's reign, his parliamentary conduct became more servile. If any thing can excuse him, it is his poverty, which was so great that he was twice arrested for debt. The reign of James I was more favorable to him. This prince, who was ambitious of being considered a patron of letters, conferred upon him, in 1603, the order of knighthood. Having been commissioned to make a solen in representation of the oppressions committed by the royal purveyors in the king's name, he executed the task with so much address as to satisfy both the king and the parliament. The house of commons voted him the public thanks, and James made him one of the king's counsel, with a pension of 40£, which was soon followed by another of 60£. His situation now continually improved: he contracted an advantageous marriage; in 1617, was made lord keeper of the seals; in 1619, lord high chancellor of England and baron of Verulam, and, in the following year, viscount St. Alban's. He might now have lived with splendor, without degrading his character by those acts which have stained his reputation. Nevertheless, great complaints were made against him He was accused, before the house of lords, of having received money for grants of offices and privileges under the seal of state. He was unable to justify himself, and, desiring to avoid the mortification of a trial, confessed his crimes, and threw himself on the mercy of the peers, beseeching them to limit his punishment to the loss of the high office which he had dishonored. After he had acknowledged, by an explicit confession, the truth of almost all the charges, notwithstanding the intercession of the king, and the interest which they themselves took in one of their most distinguished members, the lords sentenced him to pay a fine of 40,000£, and to be imprisoned in the Tower during the pleasure of the king. He was also declared forever incapable of place or employment, and forbidden to sit in parliament, or to appear within the vevge of the court. This severe sentence was doubtless just; yet it must be allowed, that he was actuated neither by avarice nor corruption of heart, but that his errors are rather to be attributed to a weakness of character, which was abused by others. Traits of generosity and independence, which his life also displays, show clearly that he knew and valued virtue. He was unfaithful to it because he had not sufficient firmness to refuse the unjust demands of others. His sentence was not rigorously executed; he was soon released from the Tower, and the rest of his punishment was, by degrees, remitted entirely. He survived his fall only a few years, and died in 1626.All the studies and efforts of this great man aimed at a reform in the system of human knowledge. He examined the whole circle of the sciences, investigated their relations, and attempted to arrange them according to the different faculties of the human mind, to which each belongs. In this, however, he could not succeed, for want of a wellfounded and natural division of the powers of the mind ; for he divided the sciences into those of the memory, of the understanding and of the imagination. This he explains in his Instauratio Magna, under the head De Dignitate et Augmentis Scientiarum. B. further perceived that, in all the branches of natural science, the only way to truth is by the observation of nature. How this observation is to be directed, and how nature is to be examined, is illustrated in several places. He explained his ideas on this subject in the abovementioned treatise {De Dignitate, &c), and in the Novum Organum Scientiarum. His universal genius had attended to all the sciences; he perceived to what point each of them had advanced, what false directions they had taken, and how they were to be brought back to truth. As a metaphysician, he displays no less penetration than profoundness in his views of the operations of the mind, of the association of ideas, and of the prejudices which surround us from our cradle, and prevent the free exercise of reason. As a natural philosopher, he brought forward very ingenious views, and was on the route to several impor tant discoveries. He invented a kind of pneumatic machine, by his experiments with which he was led to suspect the elasticity and gravity of the air, which Galileo and Torricelli afterwards discovered. He clearly indicated the attraction of gravitation, which Newton afterwards proved. He wanted only experiments in order to demonstrate the principles of this power. He treated also of natural history, but only in an abridged manner, in his work* Sylva Sylvarum, &c. He wrote several treatises on medicine; among others, one on life and death. But physiology and chemistry were then so imperfectly understood, that he could not avoid falling into great errors. The science of law he treated not merely as a lawyer, but as a legislator and philosopher. His aphorisms are not less remarkable for profound views than for vigor and precision of expression. Morals are the subject of one of his finest works, entitled Essays, or Sermones Fidelesa treasure of the most profound knowledge of man and of human relations, delivered in an eloquent and vigorous style. As a historian he is less distinguished ; he wrote a history of Henry VII. Of his knowledge of antiquity, his work On the Wisdom of the Ancients bears witness, in which he explains the ancient fables by ingenious allegories. v B. possessed a less profound knowledge of mathematics, and to this it is to be ascribed, that he who so generally discovered the errors of the human mind, and pointed out the truth, opposed the Copernican system. In this point alone he remained behind some enlightened men of his time. In other departments of human investigation, he soared to such a height, that his contemporaries could not fully estimate the extent of his genius, the justness of his views, and the importance of his labors. He himself was his only judge, and, with a just pride, he says, in his will, " My name and memory I bequeath to foreign nations and to my own countrymen, after some time be passed over." Gothe says of B., " He drew a sponge over the table of human knowledge." The best edition of all his works appeared in London, in 1765, in 5 vols, quarto. They are partly in English, partly in Latin. The Library of Useful Knowledge contains a popular treatise on the Novum Organum, BACON, Nathaniel, a leader of insurgents in Virginia, while under the royal government, was educated in England, where he engaged in the profession of the law. About the year 1675, he came to Virginia, bringing with him a. high reputation for talent and legal erudition, which soon rendered him conspicuous, and obtained him a seat in the provincial council. At the time of his arrival, the people of the colony were in a state of great exasperation against the English government, in consequence of various obnoxious proceedings, and, shortly after, took up arms. The commanding person and lofty character of B. attracted the attention of the multitude, who made him their leader. He immediately set about confirming the spirit of the people, and making preparations for an inroad upon the savages. Affecting to consider himself as acting in submission to the proper authorities, he requested the governor of the colony, sir William Berkeley, to grant him a commission confirming his appointment by the people. This was refused, and a proclamation issued, commanding the mutineers and their leader to surrender, under penalty of treason. This proclamation, however, was of no avail, as the revolt had become general. The governor was obliged to descend to concessions, and dismantle the forts, dissolve the old assembly, and issue writs for a new election, which, of course, terminated in favor of the malcontents, and reinstated B. in the council.Whilst these events were passing at the capital, B. had attacked some of the Indian settlements, and taken a considerable number of captives. On his return to Jamestown, having embarked in a sloop with only 40 men, he was made prisoner by the English vessels which covered the river, and sent to the city. The governor, deeming this a favorable opportunity to conciliate the disaffected by an act of clemency, immediately reversed his attainder, and admitted him to his seat in the council. B. soon after returned to his army, and charged the governor with duplicity in withholding his commission, which, he said, had been promised to him at the time when he was set at liberty, and with obstinacy in not according the redress due to their courage and sufferings. By these means he so inflamed their minds, that they demanded to be led to Jamestown. He complied with their wishes, and, by means of their presence, and the solicitations of a majority of the assembly, he procured the governor's signature to an act of indemnity, and a commission of general for himself. He then left the city, and led his soldiers towards the frontiers.During his absence, the governor dissolved the ass&nbly, issued a second proclamation declaring B. a rebel, and raised his standard in Gloucester county, the inhabitants of which remained faithful to him. Receiving intelligence of these occurrences, B. immediately retraced his steps. On his approach, the governor hastily withdrew, with a few friends, to Accomac, which, though properly under the jurisdiction of the colony, was nominally a distinct territory. Pretending that, by retiring to this place, the governor had abdicated his authority, B. assembled a number of the most influential men of the colony, who expressed the same opinion. Upon this he called an assembly, by writs with his signature and those of four other members of the council. Having now procured a shadow of authority for his measures, B. renewed his Indian ex^ pedition. Several savage tribes had confederated on the frontiers since his departure, and committed numerous depredations. He came up with their army near a stream, since called the Bloody run, from the sanguinary conflict which took place on its margin, and defeated it with great slaughter.In the interim, the governor had collected a body of troops, to the number of 600, and regained possession of Jamestown. B. received the account of this revolution during his return, and, although his army was reduced to 300 men, immediately marched towards the city. When arrived near it, he caused his men to erect a breastwork, under cover of which they might repose in safety. Here they were attacked by the governor, but unsuccessfully. Finally, the governor was obliged to abandon the town, and retreat to the vessels on the river, in consequence of the numerous desertions from his army, and the daily increase of his adveisaries.When B. recovered the capital, perceiving that every article likely to be useful to his army had been carried off or destroyed, and that it was not susceptible of defence against regular approaches, he caused it to be burnt. He then proceeded to organize the new government, which he did on the most popular footing, and established the seat of his administration at Middle Plantation. But death soon put an end to his career. In the trenches before Jamestown, he had caught a cold, which settled into a diarrhoea, that exhausted his constitution, but could not check his efforts. At length he sunk under it, and died, at the residence of a doctor Pate, in Gloucester county, in the year 1677.B. was a man of a sanguine temper, much courage, promptness, decision and presence of mind.After his death, the insur gents gradually relaxed their exertions, and the province soon returned to its allegiance. This rebellion cost the colony 100,000£.