PREFACE. XXV11 



authentic in an edition of the Remains of Lord Veru- 

 lam, printed in 1648, and though examined, cor 

 rected, and prepared for the press by Archbishop 

 Sancroft among the other unquestionable writings 

 of Bacon. Among those fragments are the Cha 

 racters of a believing Christian, in paradoxes and 

 seeming contradictions, compared with the copy 

 printed Lond. 1645. The paradoxes are thirty-four ; 

 but it is sufficient for my purpose to quote the 2d 

 and 3d. After frequent and most attentive perusal, 

 I am convinced that these Fragments were written 

 by Bacon, and intended only for a trial of his skill 

 in putting together propositions, which appear irre- 

 concileable, and that we ought to be very wary in 

 drawing from such a work any positive conclusions 

 upon the real and settled faith of Lord Bacon. 

 Bacon perhaps was sincere, when he said, I had 

 rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the 

 Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal 

 frame is without a mind. But to many parts of the 

 paradoxes we may apply his remark upon the fool, 

 who said in his heart, but did not think f There is 

 no God. He rather said these things for a trial of 

 skill, as the fool talked by rote, than that he really 

 believed them, or was persuaded of them, (a) 



(a) See Bacon s Essay on Atheism, vol. 1, p. 53. 



Dr. Parr does not speak with as much confidence in a letter 

 to Mr. C. Butler, published in the second volume of Butler s 

 Reminiscences, page 233, where he says, &quot; But now comes a real 

 difficulty. What shall we say to the Character of a believing 

 Christian in paradoxes and seeming contradictions ? Here I 



