vi The Advancement of Learning 



and who should labour in broad fields of Poetry, which had 

 never yet been touched by mortal hand. In these and 

 other subjects the book is defective enough; yet, remem- 

 bering all things, we must marvel at the extraordinary 

 breadth of knowledge and reading; the fertility of thought, 

 and happiness of expression; the complete arrangement of 

 subjects, and lucid order of the work, which show them- 

 selves throughout. Nor did Bacon himself fail to see the 

 importance of his pioneer-book — otherwise he would not 

 have expanded it so fully as he has done in the Latin — 

 translating it into that tongue that it might the more readily 

 gain access to all lands, and be read by the learned in every 

 place; and carefully expunging all passages which might 

 be distasteful abroad, lest the Roman Church should be 

 offended with the accidents, and so neglect the essence of 

 his writings. 



The frontispiece of the original edition of the Novum 

 Org-anuw- expresses his feeling respecting the Advancement. 

 Between two pillars, the pillars of Hercules, the ship of 

 learning sails forth upon a tossed sea, bound for lands as yet 

 unvisited, to bring thence goodly store of new and precious 

 merchandise. Behind her lie all those well-known shores 

 of knowledge, of which the Advancement gives the map and 

 chart. They were, if we may so speak, those Mediterranean 

 lands which were the heart of the fourth or Roman Empire 

 — trodden by every foot of learned men: familiar even to 

 children in knowledge. But beyond the straits is the great 

 outer sea, and continents as yet unknown, to be explored 

 by painful daring, and destined to increase the wealth of the 

 world in a million ways. The old empire should give place 

 to the new: just as the Mediterranean ceased to be all- 

 important, when once the boldness of Bartholomew Diaz 

 had shown an easier pathway to the wealth of India; and 

 the inspired dreams of Columbus had been realised by the 

 discovery of new continents across the main. 



The Advancement of Learning was, therefore, the first 

 work in Bacon's great series. That series he styled the 

 " Instauratio Magna," and under the first head of " Parti- 

 tiones Scientiarum " he placed this book. It was to be a 

 chart of the lands already discovered and known ; so as to 

 direct the attention of the adventurer without loss of time 

 or labour to those parts which had not yet been explored. 

 Then came the Novum Organum ; a " Method " or instru- 



