[PAGE L] NOTES. 69 



exaggerated panegyric without a smile. Bacon, however, cer 

 tainly understood what would please the king better than we can 

 do, and we must attribute his compliments to his earnest desire 

 to attract the attention and obtain the patronage of James. 

 Bacon's great object was to abolish the old learning altogether, 

 and to institute the study of experimental philosophy in its place. 

 This was a project which the king, trained as he was in the old 

 learning, could hardly be expected to favour. But a survey of 

 the existing stock of knowledge, which is given in the Advance 

 ment, was a necessary preliminary to reform, and might be 

 expected to interest the king very much. Ultimately, no doubt, 

 Bacon hoped to enlist James's sympathy in favour of the larger 

 schemes which he was meditating. See Spedding's Francis 

 Bacon and his Times, 1 426. Bacon had also another motive 

 for flattering and conciliating the king. He hoped to obtain 

 from him the promotion for which he had striven with such 

 small success under Elizabeth. Perhaps the best known picture 

 of King James is that drawn by Sir Walter Scott in his Fortunes 

 of Nigel. 



Page 1, 1. 2. proceeding upon ordinary observance, "These 

 things ye shall do unto the Lord in your set feasts, beside your 

 vows and your freewill offerings." Numbers xxix. 30. Pro 

 ceeding upon means resulting from. 



1. 5. In the former, etc. , I hope that, as long as I live, I shall 

 never fail to do my duty in any position in which it may please 

 you to place me. 



1. 9. respective, appropriate, oblation, offering. 



1. 10. propriety, peculiarity. It is the same as the logical 

 term property, and is derived from the Latin adjective proprius, 

 which signifies what belongs to a thing in its own right. Bacon 

 wishes to adapt his gift to the personal tastes of King James, not 

 to his official position. 



1. 12. representing, lit. bringing before the mind. Cf. "calling 

 to view," Bk. 2, p. 73. 



1. 15. is inscrutable, Prov. xxv. 3. Cf. Bacon's 19th Essay. 

 " It is a miserable state of mind to have few things to desire and 

 many things to fear. And yet that commonly is the case of 

 kings : who, being at the highest, want matter of desire, which 

 makes their minds more languishing : and have many repre 

 sentations of perils and shadows, which makes their minds the 

 less clear. And this is one reason also of that effect, which the 

 Scripture speaketh of : that the king's heart is inscrutable. For 

 multitude of jealousies and lack of some predominant desire, that 

 should marshal and put in order all the rest, maketh any man's 

 heart hard to find or sound," etc. 



1. 16. your virtue and fortune, see note on p. 2, 1. 36. Notice 



