The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

LIFE OF BACON. xxxv
as it is a part or member of a greater body; culties of his profession, he was entitled, by his
whereof the latter is in degree the greater and the commanding intellect, to possess the power,whieh,
worthier. This double nature of good and the although it had not precedence in his thoughts,
comparative thereof is much more engraven upon followed regularly in the train of his duty; not
man, if he degenerate not, unto whom the conser- the common vulgar power, from ostentation, lovvation of duty to the public ought to be much ingtrivial pomp and city noise; or from ambition,
more precious than the conservation of life and which, like the sealed dove, mounts and mounts
being, according to thatmemorable speech of Pom- because it is unable to look about it; but power
peius Magnus, when being in commission of pur- to advance science and promote merit, according
veyance for a famine at Rome, and being dissuaded to his maxim and in the spirit of his own words
with great vehemency and instance by his friends "detur digniori."' Power to do good is the true
about him, that he should not hazard himself to and lawful end of aspiring; for good thoughts,
sea in an extremity of weather, he said only to though God accept them, yet towards men are
themn, Necesse est ut eam non ut vivam.' " And little better than good dreams, except they be put
when Essex proffered him assistance, he, weigh- in act; and that cannot be without power and
inc these duties, admonished his friend that this place, as the vantage and commanding ground."
was not to interfere with his duty to his sovereign. With these prospects before him, he could not be
His words were,,s I must and will ever acknow- so weak as hastily to abandon them, by yielding
ledge my lord's love, trust, and favour towards to that generous illusion by which the noblest
me, after the queen had denied me the solicitor's minds are often raised in their own esteem by
place, when he said, You have spent your time imagined disinterestedness.
and thoughts in my matters; I die, these were With respect to his professional duties, he was
his very words, if I do not somewhat towards in less difficulty. He knew that his conduct would
your fortune. My answer, I remember, was that be subject 6" to envy and peril," but knowing also
for my fortune it was no great matter; but that that these aspersions would originate in good
his lordship's offer (which was of a piece of land feeling, in the supposition of ingratitude and disworth about ~1800) made me call to mind what regard of truth, he could not be alarmed at the
was wont to be said when I was in France of the clamours of those who knew not what they did.
Duke of Guise, that he was the greatest usurer in To consider every suggestion, in favour and in
France, because he had turned all his estate into opposition to any opinion, is, according to his docobligations. He bad me take no care for that, trine in the Novum Organum, the only solid
and pressed it; whereupon I said, "My lord, I foundation upon which any judgment, even in the
see I must be your homager, and hold land of calm inquiries of philosophy, can be formed. In
your gift; but do you know the manner of doing public assemblies, therefore, agitated by passions
homage in law? Always it is with a saving of by which the progress of truth is disturbed, he of all
his faith to the king and his other lords."' men knew and admired the wise constitution of our
His considerations were not, however, confined courts, in which it has been deemed expedient,
to his duties to the queen and to Essex, but ex- that, to elicit truth, the judge should hear the optended to the peculiar situation in which, with posite statements of the same or of different powrespect to his own worldly prospects, he was erful disinterested minds, who may be more able
placed. He saw that, if he did not plead against than the suitors to do justice to the causes upon
Essex, all his hopes of advancement might, with- which their interests depend. A more efficacious
out any benefit to his friend, be destroyed; and mode to disentangle difficulty, to expose falsethat if he did plead against him, he should be ex- hood, and discover truth, was, perhaps, never deposed to obloquy and misrepresentation. The vised. It prevents the influence of passions by
consideration of his worldly prospects were to him which truth may be impeded, and calls in aid every
and to the community of great importance. intellectual power by which justice may be adIt is, perhaps, to be lamented that, formed for vanced. He was not likely, therefore, to be moved
contemplation, he wis induced, either by his ne- by the censures of those who, ignorant of the princessities, or any erroneous notion of the virtue of ciples upon which this practice is founded, imaactivity, to engage in public life; but he was al- gine advocates to be indiscriminate defenders of
ways unskilful to note the card of prudent lore, right and wrong, instead of being officers assistand it was his favourite opinion that, to dignify ing in the administration of justice, and acting
and exalt knowledge, contemplation and action under the impression that truth is best discovered
should be nearly and strongly conjoined and united by powerful statements on.both sides of the questogether: a conjunction like unto that of the two tion. He was not likely to be moved by that ig
highest planets, Saturn, the planet of rest and norant censure which mixes the counsel with his
contemplation, and Jupiter, the planet of civil so- client, instead of knowing that the advocate is inciety and action. different on which side he pleads, whether for the
Having engagred and encountered all the diffi- most unfortunate or the most prosperous, for the
t Baconl's Apology. most virtuous or the most abandoned menmber of
I Bacon's Apology.