INTRODUCTION. xiii 



in the Library of Useful Knowledge, which, though scarcely 

 correct in its divisions of the work, &c., is still worthy of being 

 consulted. But no student should neglect Dugald Stewart s 

 Philosophy of the Human Mind. No philosophical writer has 

 over studied Bacon with greater profit : he was among the first 

 who raised the minds of men, and led them to look into Bacon s 

 writings, and to judge for themselves, and to profit from them. 

 They whose turn of mind leads them that way, will find 

 that Sir I. Newton s writings are those of a man who was well 

 acquainted with the mind and phraseology of Bacon. Nor 

 may we omit Bp. Butler s Sermons a grand application of 

 the Inductive principles of observation to the study of man s 

 moral nature. 



I mention these works, because in the Notes subjoined to 

 this volume I have illustrated chiefly from them ; thinking- 

 it better to do so, as they are likely to be in most stu 

 dents reach. In those notes I have endeavoured simply to 

 explain and illustrate the meaning of the Author, and to 

 point out some of the lines of thought which he suggests ; 

 and this I have done specially with a view to those branches of 

 education which are chiefly followed at Oxford. From Ger 

 man metaphysicians I have taken nothing ; partly because I 

 am but scantily acquainted with them ; but still more because it 

 does not seem to me that their mind and way of thought have 

 anything really in common with Bacon s. And I trust that 

 wherever error may be noticed, allowance will be made ; for 

 a first attempt at illustrating so varied and so profound an 

 Author must be both defective arid liable to mistakes. It is a 

 matter of astonishment to me that no extensive collection of 

 notes should have hitherto been made on the Novum Orga- 

 non, or indeed on any part of Bacon s writings. Let me hope 

 that, having made the attempt, I may thereby induce others 

 to go on with it. 



This edition was undertaken principally at the request, and 

 with the advice of one to whom I had hoped to have submitted 



