3-4.] NOTES. 73 



to philosophy the attractions of a religious and inspired character. 

 For invested of, we should now say invested with. 



1. 36. propriety, see on p. 1, 1. 10. Bacon means that it must 

 not be left unrecorded that James occupied an exceptional posi 

 tion among kings as an original thinker and teacher. The Latin 

 translation has 'it is right that it should be engraved on some such 

 solid work as will express the power of a great king, and recall 

 the image of a king so eminently learned. ' 



Page 4, 1. 5. character or signature, i.e., a stamp or impression. 



The word ' character ' is here used in its literal sense to denote 



* an impression. ' The Queen's head on a coin is properly called 



' a character.' Shakespeare uses ' to character,' for 'to impress' 



' And these few precepts in thy memory 



See thou character.' Hamlet, i. 3. 57. 



1. 6. difference means a distinguishing mark. It is a term used 

 in heraldry to signify "a figure added to a coat of arms to dis 

 tinguish the persons or families who bear the same arms, and to 

 indicate their nearness to the original bearer." Webxter. The 

 words used by Bacon show that he has in his mind the habit of 

 blazoning arms upon monuments. 



1. 16. undervalues, i.e., shortcomings. 



1. 19. framed particulars, a scheme complete in all details. 



1. 21. for this purpose, the Latin translation has to extend the 

 bounds of arts and sciences.' 



Pages 4-9. Before proceeding to set forth the dignity of 

 learning, Bacon wishes to cle>ir the way by showing that the 

 objections which have been raised against learning are based 

 upon ignorance. He deals first with the objections raised by 



Theologians quote Scripture to prove that the desire of know 

 ledge was the* cause of original sin, that it puff s up the mind, as 

 the serpenfs poison causes the body to swell, and that it is pro- ' 

 ductive only of anxiety. They assert, moreover, that knowledge 

 *+ draws men away from God. In reply Bacon says thai it was 

 not the knowledge of the properties of natural objects which was 

 the cause of the fall, but the desire of man to learn the distinc 

 tion between good and evil with a view to emancipating himself 

 from the divine authority, and becoming a law to himself. As 

 for knowledge puffing up the mind, there is, in reality^no sub 

 ject which is too great for the mind, except God himself. Bacon 

 quotes Scripture to prove that the human mind is so constituted 

 as to be capable of attaining to the knowledge of all phenomena, 

 and of the laws ~of their operation. If certain accidental hin 

 drances were removed, the mind might even attain to the know- 



