Judgements upon 



in the Epiftle to his l ranflation of a Part of this Work, gives our 

 Author this Tertimony. 



Amor7gji whom every one knows that Sir Francis Bacon, by ntatiy de- 

 grees o§\ holds the firfi rank^ , both for the vivacity of his Spirit, 

 eminency of his Learnings Elegancy of his Jiilc. I have jitidied with 

 diligence all his writings j andpreftme I may do a performance offomc 

 merit and acceptation^ in prefenting to my Country his Bookj of the Ad- 

 vancement of Learning, a Work, hafh not becnfeen in our Language. 

 This is the Book vphkh I have caufcd topafsthe Seas 5 not as jjje gold 

 of the Indies, to cherifl) vice^ and corrupt our Manners 3 but-gs a fo- 

 veraign Plant offingular vertue, to cure the tpounds which ignorance 

 and Pedant ifm have given humane Sciences. 



Mr. Peirre D' Ambois. S* de la Magdelaine , in his juft and 

 elegant difcourfe upon the life of our Author^ delivers his cenfure 

 thus: 



Judgement and Memory never met in any man in that height and mea- 

 fure they met in him •■, fo as in port time he became Matter of all thofs 

 Knowledges which are learnt in Schools. 



A page after 5 but as he ever valued himfelf^ rather born for other 

 men, than himfelf-, now that he could not y for want ofimployment, any 

 longer endow the publick, vcith his Adive perfeftions ; he was dejirous 

 at leaji to become profitable in a Contemplative way, by his writings and 

 by his books, monuments certainly meriting to find entertainment in all 

 the Libraries of the world 3 and which deferve to be ranged with the 

 fairejiworkj of Antiquity. 



The fame noble French-man in his Advertifement to our Authors 

 Nat. H/^tfry thus exprefles him. 



For this Natural Hiftory, where the quality of Metals^ the Nature of 

 Elements^ the Canfes of Generation and Corruption, the divers a& ions of 

 Bodies one upon another, andjuch like imprej/ions, are difcourfed with 

 fuch life and light, that he mayfeem to have learn'dhis knowledge even 

 in the School of the Firft Man. And though herein he may be thought 

 to have pafd upon the breaches o/ Ariftotle, Pliny and Cardan; yet 

 fiotwithllanding he borrows nothingfrom them : as if he had a dejign 

 to make it appear, that thofe great men have not fo entirely p off eji them- 

 felves of this fubjeB, but that there remains much to be dijcover'd. For 

 my part, though it be far from my intention, to raife the reputation of this 

 Author upon the ruins of Antiquity :, yet I think, it may be avouched 

 upon the grounds of reafon, that in thisprefent Argument he hath fame 

 advantage of them : being that the moji of the Ancients which have 

 written of things Natural, have fatisfed themfelves in reporting things^ 

 as the information of others hath given them intelligence j andconjider' 

 ing , that oftentimes that which is deliver d them for Hiftory, is far 

 ejhign'dfrom all verity 5 they have chofen rather, by reajons to confirm 

 the refohitions of another, than to make an exa^ enquiry, and difcove- 

 ry themfelves. But Monfieur Bacon not relying upon the meer word 

 and credit of fuch as went before him, will have F.'x.pei'lencejoyn'd with 

 Reafon , and examines the rcceivd principles of the Schools, by the 

 ejfeds of Nature 3 the jpccuUt ions of the Intclledual Globe, by the 



operation 



