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"from the same Shepherd [of the Flock of Israel."] And of this tranlation, Bacon speaks in the following

letter.

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"To Mr. TOBIE MATTHEW."

"It is true, my labours are now most set to have "those works, which I had formerly published, as "that of Advancement of Learning, that of Hen. VII. "that of the Essays, being retractate, and made "more perfect, well translated into Latin by the help of some good pens, which forsake me not. "For these modern languages will, at one time or "other, play the bankrupt with books: and since I "have lost much time with this age, I would be glad, as God shall give me leave, to recover it with " posterity.

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"For the Essay of Friendship, while I took your speech of it for a cursory request, I took my pro"mise for a compliment. But since you call for it, "I shall perform it.

In his letter to Father Fulgentio giving some account of his writings, he says, "The Novum Or66 ganum should immediately follow, but my Moral "and Political writings step in between as being "more finished. These are the History of King Henry the Seventh, and the small Book, which in your language you have called Saggi Morali, but I give it a graver title, that of Sermones Fideles, "or Interiora Rerum, and these Essays will not

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only be enlarged in number but still more in "substance."

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I have annexed an Appendix containing "A fragment of an Essay of Fame," which was published by Dr. Rawley in his Resuscitatio: and "Of a

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King,"+ which was published in 1648, in a volume entitled "Remains," which also contains an Essay "On Death." This Essay I have inserted in page 432 of this volume.‡

During the life of Bacon, various editions of the Essays were published and in different languages, in 1618, in Italian:§ in 1619, in French :|| in 1621, in Italian,¶ and in French. **

Since Lord Bacon's death, the press has abounded with editions. In some of these editions the editors have substituted their own translations of the Latin for the beautiful English by Lord Bacon.

⚫ Page 154.

There is a manuscript of this Essay in the Lansdown Collection, B. Museum 135, 6. In Blackburn's edition of Bacon's Works, published in 1640, he says, "I have inserted "from the Remains, an Essay of a King: and my reason is, it "is so collated and corrected by Archbishop Sancroft's well "known hand, that it appears to be a new work; and though "it consists of short propositions mostly, yet I will be so pre"sumptuous as to say, that I think it now breathes the true spirit of our author; and there seems to be an obvious reason why it was omitted before."

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There is a MS. of this in the Harleiam MS. Vol. II. P. 196.
Essays, Italice, 8vo. B. Museum and Oxford.

Essays Moraux, par Gorges. B. Museum and Oxford.

¶ Saggi Morali, opera nuova de F. Bacon corretta a data en luce dal. Sig. Andr: Croli et un tributo, 24mo. B. Museum.

** Essais trad. en Francois, par Bandouin, 16mo. Paris. B. Museum.

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How well they have succeeded the reader may judge by the following specimens. In a translation published by William H. Willymott, L. L. D. A. D. 1720, he says, "Wanting an English Book for my Scholars "to Translate, which might improve them in Sense "and Latin at once, (Two Things which should "never be divided in Teaching) I thought nothing more proper for that purpose than Bacon's Essays, provided the English, which is in some Places grown obsolete; were a little reformed, and made "more fashionable. Accordingly having by me his Lordship's Latin Volume of the Essays, (which as it was a later, so seems to be a perfecter Book) I "fell to Translating it, not tying myself strictly to "the Latin, but comparing both Languages toge"ther, and setting down that Sense (where there "was any Difference) that seem'd the fullest and plainest."

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Triumphant ones."

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you shall hear as many "herse-like airs as ca"rols."

So too Shaw has made a similar attempt, of which the following is a specimen from the Essay "Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature."

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Dr. Shaw.

"There are several

parts and signs of good

ness. If a man be civil "and courteous to stran

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gers, it shews him a "citizen of the world, "whose heart is no island "cut off from other lands, "but a continent that

"joins them. If he be "compassionate to the "afflicted, it shews a "noble soul, like the "tree which is wounded

"when it gives the balm. "If he easily pardons "and forgives offences, it

"mits offences, it shews "that his mind is planted "above injuries, so that " he cannot be shot; if he "be thankful for small

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benefits, it shews that "he weighs men's minds,

" and not their trash."

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"shews a mind perched "above the reach of inju"ries. If he be thankful "for small benefits, it "shews he values men's "minds before their trea66 sure."

MEDITATIONES SACRÆ.

The first and, I believe, the only edition of this tract which was published in Latin by Lord Bacon, appeared in 1597. During his life, and since his death, it has been frequently reprinted. If the reader will compare the Meditation upon Atheism, in page 215, with the Essay on Atheism, page 53, and his observation upon Atheism, in page 13 of vol. 2, he will see that these Meditations are but the seeds of his opinions upon this important subject. The sentiments and the very words are similar. In the Meditations, he says, "This I dare affirm in knowledge "of nature, that a little natural philosophy, and "the first entrance into it, doth dispose the opinion. "to atheism; but on the other side, much natural philosophy and wading deep into it will bring about "men's minds to religion; wherefore atheism every way seems to be joined and combined with folly " and ignorance, seeing nothing can be more justly "allotted to be the saying of fools, than this, 'There " is no God.""

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In the Advancement of Learning, he says,

"It

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