ft/* the Mo7ih Tloger 'Bactn. 33 1 



of tVie earth, when its courfe became direfted with happier 

 fuccefs, and under more fortunate aufpiceS; by the energy 

 and fpirit of another Bacon, the great lord St. Albans, who, 

 although perhaps an original alio, was a fecond and more 

 fortvmate one; vet even not generally known and acknow- 

 ledged as fuch till near half a century w-as clapfed from the 

 time in which he w-rotc. 



Although Sir Ifaac Newton had made the chief part of 

 his difcoveries on light and colours, and had written the firft 

 parts of his Treatii'e on Optics, and, " at the defire of fe- 

 veral gentlemen of the Roval Society, fent them to the fe- 

 crctarv of that fociety, where thev were read in 16"]^', and 

 although the other parts were added about 12 years after; 

 yet to avoid, as he lavs, being engaged in difputes about 

 thefe matters, he delayed the printing and publidiing of them 

 to 1704; and would (lill have delayed, had not the impor- 

 tunity of fome friends overcome the reprcflion which he ex- 

 perienced from the jealoufy of fome authoritative leaders.'* 

 Such is the invariable ipirit and temper of man even in an. 

 enlightened age, and fuch is the unavoidable fate of thofewho 

 wonki enlighten and alhft the knowledge of the world. Such, 

 at leaf!, were the feelings of this great and humble fpirit; 

 fuch was his conviftion, that the age in which he firft made 

 his difcoveries was neither willing to receive nor capable of 

 polfelling them, to the purpofeof truth, that the world might 

 have been deprived of them for ever, as in fad it is at this 

 moment of Ibme difcoveries which he had in view and in pur- 

 fuit, but which he ceafed to follow up, and has fugccfted 

 onlv in queries. What a lofs to mankind that thele fug- 

 geflion-, except in fome particular in fiances, have not been 

 purfuod ! For, whatever and howfoever great the difcoveries 

 which have been brought forward by the new j)hilofophic 

 chcmifts may be, yet thefe important fuggcdious would, as 

 they have done in fonjc inftances where they have been taken 

 up, liftve led to great and interciting philofophic fii6ls hardly 

 at prejem conceivable. 



It was from the fame opinion of the temper and want of 

 nualification in that age, perhaps alfo from an opprcftion of 

 Ipirit which he felt, that on another occafiop, when con- 

 lulted by Dr. Hrntlcv, at the time of his being appointed 

 to preach the Ijovlf's Icdfures, Sir Ifaac fays in hi? letter, 

 " '["here i-; yet another argument in proof of the Deity, which 

 I lake to be a vcrv llrong one; but until the principles on 

 which it is cro'inded are better received, I think it more ad- 

 vilcahle to lit it deep." Such has ever l<een the fate of know- 

 ledge, both to the difcovtrers and U\ trutlj itfelf, on its firfl 



appcaianccs 



