BACON Roger

From Agepedia

BACON, Roger, an English monk, who, by the power of his genius, raised himself above his time, made astonishing discoveries in several sciences, and contributed much to the extension of real knowledge. He was born in 1214, near Ilchester, in the county of Somerset, of an old and respectable family. Following the impulse of an inquisitive spirit, he overcame all the obstacles opposed to his progress by ignorance and superstition. He first entered the university of Oxford, and went afterwards to that of Paris, then much frequented, where he distinguished himself much by successful study, and received the degree of doctor of theology. In 1240, he returned to England, where he entered the order of Franciscans, and fixed his abode at Oxford. Natural philosophy seems then to have been the chief object of his labors ; but this study required expenditures beyond his means. He met, however, with generous friends of science, whose contributions enabled him to purchase books, to prepare instruments, and to make the necessary experiments. In examining the secrets of nature, he made discoveries, and deduced results, which gained him the admiration of the enlightened, who comprehended their natural connexion; but which appeared so extraordinary to the ignorant, that they were believed to be works of magic. This opinion was countenanced by the jealousy and hatred of the monks of his fraternity. He himself loudly blamed the ignorance and corruption of the clergy, and in particular of the monks, and even wrote a letter to the pope, representing the necessity of reform. In revenge, they denounced to the court of Rome his dangerous opinions and astonishing operations, which they attributed to the agency of the devil. The pope forbade him to teach at the university. He was soon afterwards thrown into prison, prevented from holding communication with any person, and even deprived of necessary food. Among the few enlightened individuals, who admired his genius and pitied his misfortunes, was the cardinal bishop of Sabina, papal legate in England, who no sooner ascended the papal chair, under the name of Clement IV, than he liberated him, and took him under his protection. Clement demanded a collection of all his works; upon which B. wrote that work, which was afterwards printed, under the title of Opus Majus, and sent it to him by his favorite disciple, John of Paris, in 1267. Under Clement's successor, Nicholas III, the general of the Franciscans, Hieronymus ab Esculo, declared himself against B., forbade the reading of his writings, and issued an order for his imprisonment, which was confirmed by the pope. This new confinement lasted 10 years; and when Hieronymus ab Esculo was elected pope, under the name of Nicholas IV, B. vainly endeavored to convince him of the innocence and utility of his labors, by sending him a treatise On the Means of avoiding the Infirmities of Old Age. After the death of Nicholas IV, he regained his "liberty by the intercession of some distinguished Englishmen, and returned to Oxford, where he wrote a Compendium of Theology, and died soon afterwards, according to some, in 1292, or, as others think, in 1294. Though an extraordinary man, B. could not entirely free himself from the prejudices of his time. He believed in the philosopher's stone and in astrology. There are to be found in his writings new and ingenious views on optics, e. g., on the refraction of light, on the apparent magnitude of objects, on the magnified appearance of the sun and moon when in the horizon, &c. He describes veiy exactly the nature and effects of convex and concave lenses, and speaks of their application to the purposes of reading, and of viewing distant objects, both terrestrial and celestial; and it is easy to prove from his writings, that he was either the inventor or improver of the telescope. He also gives descriptions of the camera obscura, and of the burningglass. He made, too, several chemical discoveries. In one place he speaks of an inextinguishable fire, which was probably a kind of phosphorus: in another he says that an artificial fire could be prepared with saltpetre and other ingredients, which would burn at the greatest distance, and by means of which thunder and lightning could be imitated: a portion of this mixture, of the size of an inch, properly prepared, would destroy a whole army, and even a city, with a tremendous explosion, accompanied by a brilliant light: and, in another place, he says decidedly, that thunder and lightning could be imitated by means of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal. Hence he had already an idea of gunpowder. He was so well versed in Greek and Hebrew, and wrote Latin with such elegance and clearness, that his acquirements in these respects would alone secure him a high characterHe was intimately acquainted with geography and astronomy, as appears by his discovery of the errors of the calendar, and their causes, and by his proposals for correcting them, in which he approached very near to truth. He himself made a corrected calendar, of which there is a copy in the Bodleian library. Even in moral philosophy, B. has laid down some excellent precepts for the conduct of life, and is, in every respect, entitled to remembrance as a great philosopher and a wonderful man.