PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS OF LORD BACON. 415 



The same writer admits, that Bacon's example may have been 

 of some use to his French rival ; inasmuch as it was calculated 

 to encourage him in his design, to abjure the authority of the 

 ancients, and to re-establish the sciences upon a new founda- 

 tion *. He farther observes, that Descartes thought Bacon's 

 method very well suited to the views of those who were willing 

 to incur the expence and trouble of instituting experiments f. 

 In making this observation, he refers to some remarkable 

 passages in Descartes's letters to Father Mersenne ; one 

 of which is as follows : " You formerly wrote me, that you 

 " knew persons, who were willing to labour for the advance- 

 " ment of the sciences, at the cost of all sorts of observations 

 " and experiments ; now, if any one who is inclined this way, 

 " could be prevailed upon to undertake a history of the ap- 

 " pearances of the Heavenly Bodies, to be drawn up accord- 

 " ing to the Verulamian method, without the admixture of hypo- 

 " thesis ; such a work as this would prove of great utility, and 

 " would save me a great deal of trouble in the prosecution 

 " of my inquiries J." 



Thus, 



* La Vie de M. Descartes, torn. i. p. 148. — Descartes was about thirty years of 

 age at Bacon's death, and did not publish any of his principal works till several 

 years after that period. 



f Ibid. p. 149. 



\ Lettres de M. Descartes, torn. iv. p. 210. Paris edit. 1724. — It appears from 

 the following passage in one of Sir Kenelm Digby's letters to Fermat, the rival 

 of Descartes in mathematical science, that this eminent geometer was a great 

 admirer of the works of Bacon : " Je ne scaurois m'empecher de vous envoyer 

 quelques vers que 1e plus grand genie de notre Isle pour les Muses ecrivit au Chan- 

 celier Bacon, qui etoit son grand ami, et que vous temoignez etre fort le votre 

 en le citant souvent." 13. Fev. 1658. — Lettres de M. Fermat, p. 198. annexed 

 to his Opera Mathematica. 



