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lefs, Bacon, doubtlefs, firft marked the path 
to true philofophy, which Newton after- 
wards purfued. 
"Alas ! " exclaims Mr. Walpole t that 
he who could command immortality, (hould 
have (looped to the little ambition of power ! " 
This exclamation founds well: but there 
are readers, who, after a little analytical re- 
flexion, might alk, whether a man of fupe- 
rior talents might not rationally prefer the 
little ambition of power, to the great ambition 
of immortal fame? a reality to a phantom. 
A man of Bacon's talents might have wiflied 
for power for the fake of his country. Pro- 
bably a conftitutional indolence was the 
caufe of his inattention to the cuftomary 
venality of his dependents : yet perhaps not 
indolence, but a predominant propenfity to 
philofophical thinking. That in winking 
at the venality of his fervants, he did not 
act from principle, may, I think, be juftly 
inferred from the following paflage in his 
Eflay on Judicature. 
" For that which concerns Clerks, and 
Minifters : the place of Juftice is an hallow- 
ed place, and therefore not only the bench, 
but the foot-pace, and precincts, and pur- 
prife 
