The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

PHYSIOLOGICAL REMAINS. 463
so as that within the water shall be stone, and I majesty and your lordships, is no more than a
that above the water continue wood. gracious act of this present parliament to authorize
The slime about the reins and bladder in man's them herein, adding a mercy to a munificence,
body, turns into stone: and stone is likewise which is, the persons of such strong and able
found often in the gall; and sometimes, though petty felons, who, in true penitence for their
rarely, in 1" vena porta." crimes, shall implore his majesty's mercy and
Query, what time the substance of earth in permission to expiate their offences by their assiquarries asketh to be turned into stone! duous labours in so innocent and hopeful a work.
Water, as it seems, turneth into crystal, as is For by this unchargeable way, my lords, have
seen in divers caves, where the crystal hangs "1 in I proposed to erect the academical fabric of this
stillicidiis."' island's Solomon's House, modelled in my New
Try wood, or the stalk of herbs, buried in Atlantis. And I can hope, my lords, that my
qluicksilver, whether it will not grow hard and midnight studies, to make our countries flourish
stony. and outvie European neighbours in mysterious
They speak of a stone engendered in a toad's and beneficent arts, have not so ungratefully
head. affected your noble intellects, that you will delay
There was a gentleman, digging in his moat, or resist his majesty's desires, and my humble
found an egg turned into stone, the white and the petition in this benevolent, yea, magnificent
yolk keeping their colour, and the shell glistering affair; since your honourable posterities may be
likie a stone cut with corners. enriched thereby, and my ends are only to make
Try some things put into the bottom of a well; the world my heir, and the learned fathers of my
as wood, or some soft substance: but let it not Solomon's House, the successive and sworn
touch the water, because it may not putrefy. trustees in the dispensation of this great service,
They speak, that the white of an egg, with for God's glory, my prince's magnificence, this
lying long in the sun, will turn stone. parliament's honour, our country's general good,
Mlud in water turns into shells of fishes, as in and the propagation of my own memory.
horse-mussels, in fresh ponds, old and overgrown. And I may assure your lordships, that all my
And the substance is a wondrous fine substance, proposals in order to this great archetype, seemed
light and shining. so rational and feasible to my royal sovereign, our
Christian Solomon, that I thereby prevailed with
his majesty to call this honourable parliament, to
confirm and impower me in my own way of
A SPEECH TOUCHING THE RECOVERING mining, by an act of the same, after his majesty's
OF DROWNED MINERAL WORKS. more weighty affairs were considered in your
Preparedfor the parliament (as MrJ. Bushel affirm- wisdoms; both which he desires your lordships,
ed) by the Viscounmt of St. Albans, then Lord High and you gentlemen that are chosen as the patriots
Chancellor of England.* of your respective countries, to take speedy care
MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, of: which done, I shall not then doubt the happy
The king my royal master, was lately gra- issue of my undertakings in this design, whereby
ciously pleased to move some discourse to me concealed treasures, which now seem utterly lost
concerning Mr. Sutton's hospital, and such like to mankind, shall be confined to so universal a
worthy foundations of memorable piety: which, piety, and brought into use by the industry of
humbly seconded by myself, drew his majesty converted penitents, whose wretched carcasses the
into a serious consideration of the mineral trea- impartial laws have, or shall dedicate, as untimely
sures of his own territories, and the practical dis- feasts, to the worms of the earth, in whose womb
coveries of them by way of my philosophical those deserted mineral riches must ever lie buried
i -ory: which he then so well resented, that as lost abortments, unless those be made the.erwards, upon a mature digestion of my whole active midwives to deliver them. For, my lords,'.sign, lie commanded me to let your lordships I humbly conceive them to be the fittest of all
understand, how great an inclination he hath to men to effect this great work, for the ends and
further so hopeful a work, for the honour of his causes which I have before expressed.
dominions, as the most probable means to relieve All which, my lords, I humbly refer to your
all the poor thereof, without any other stock or grave and solid judgments to conclude of, together
benevolence, than that which divine bounty with such other assistances to this frame, as your
should confer on their own industries and honest own oraculous wisdom shall intimate, for the
labours, in recovering all such drowned mineral magnifying our Creator in his inscrutable proviworks as have been, or shall be therefore de- dence, and admirable works of nature.
serted.. Certain experiments made by the Lord BAcoN about
And, my lords, all that is now desired of his weight in air asd water.
* Sce Mr. B.'s extract, p. 18, 19. A new sovereign of equal weight in the air to