vi INTRODUCTION. 



these forth into the world was. apparently, to prepare men s 

 minds for the ureat work, whoso object and character were so 

 unlike what was ordinarily taught in those days, that he 

 deemed it necessary not to produce it too suddenly or boldly. 

 As it was. the Noyuni Organon was not well received at the 

 first. The king made a joke on it. as jokes were then wont to 

 be made, rather witty and very profane : sir K. Coke made 

 bad rhymes against it : even sir T. Bodley censured it ; people 

 generally seemed to suppose it was something to admire, some 

 thing very deep ; and in an awkward way they tried to ad 

 mire : as indeed they have gone on dointr till within the last 

 half centnry. It was the fashion to acquiesce in Bacon s 

 greatnes&amp;gt;. but it was anything but the custom to verify bis 

 reputation by the study of his works. The book had at first 

 more honour abroad than at home; and. as so often happens 

 when men s minds are not ecjual to that which is set be 

 fore them, the illustration of the .Method (vi/. Nov. ( )r&amp;lt;r. II. 

 I 1-20) attracted infinitely more attention than the Method 

 itself, and than those noble jewels of thought which lie scat 

 tered thickly over the surface of the earlier portion of the 

 work. The discussion of the Form of Heat was reprinted 

 separately : and the cumbrous system of Tables there pour- 

 t rayed, together with the vague conclusions arrived at. were 

 held up to universal admiration. A more intelligent respect 

 for Bacon is gradually taking the place of this faulty and blind 

 reverence ; and while men criticise the Haws in the structure 

 of that noble mind, they also, let us hope, (jfive all the more 

 hearty praise to the marvellous excellences which it displays. 



The Xovinn Organon was but a little fragment. In it, 

 indeed, are contained those principles and thoughts which 

 occupied Bacon s mind all his life through : and we cannot 

 be far wronu in considering the rst book and the opening of 

 the 2nd as the most important of all his philosophical writings. 

 They certainly lift the veil which lianas over his conception of 

 the realm of knowledge, and. though it is but a description of 



