BACON. 
study of the common law, at Gray’s-Inn. His 
merit at length raised him to the highest dig- 
nities in his profession, viz. of Attorney-gene- 
ral, and Lord High Chancellor. But being 
of an easy and liberal disposition, his servants 
took advantage of that temper, and their 
situation under him, by accepting presents 
in the line of his profession. Being aban- 
doned by the king, he was tried by the house 
of lords for bribery and corruption, and by 
them sentenced to pay a fine of 40,0001. and 
to remain prisoner in the Tower during the 
king’s pleasure. The king, however, soon 
after remitted the fine and imprisonment : 
but his misfortunes had given him a distaste 
for public affairs, and he afterwards mostly 
lived a retired life, closely pursuing his phi- 
losophical studies and amusements, in which 
time he composed the greatest part of his 
English and Latin works. Though even in 
the midst of his honours and employments 
he forgot not his philosophy, but in 1620 
published his great work “ N ovumOrganum.” 
After some years spent in philosophical 
retirement, he was suddenly seized with 
pains in his head and stomach as he was 
travelling into the country. These obliged 
him to stop at Highgate, at the Earl of 
Arundel’s, where he expired on the 9th of 
April, in the 66th year of his age. No me- 
morial remains of his last hours, excepting a 
letter addressed to the nobleman in whose 
house he died, in which he compares him- 
self to Pliny, who lost his life by approach- 
ing too near Vesuvius during an eruption. 
He was buried at St. Albans. 
To Bacon unquestionably belonged a 
most commanding genius, capable of in vent- 
ing, methodizing, and carrying forward to 
considerable maturity, a general plan for the 
improvement of natural science, by the only 
sure method of experiment. With a mind 
prompt in invention, patient in inquiry, and 
subtle in discrimination, neither afifecting 
nos idolizing antiquity, he formed, and in a 
great measure executed, his great plan, 
“ The Instauration of Sciences,” in six parts. 
Of these the first is entitled “ The Advance- 
ment of Learning:” the second is the “ No- 
vum Organum,” or new method of employ- 
ing the reasoning faculties in the pursuit of 
truth : the “ Sylva Sylvarum,” or History of 
Nature, is the third part; the fourth is en- 
titled “ Scala Intellectus;’’ a series of steps 
is pointed out, by which the understanding 
may regularly ascend in its philosophical in- 
quiries: the fifth part is ‘‘ Anticipationes 
Philosophic*,” intended as philosophical 
hints and suggestions; the sixth part, in 
which the universal principles of natural 
knowledge, drawn from experiments, should 
be exhibited in a regular and complete sys- 
tem, the author did not attempt to accomplish. 
The grand edifice, of which he laid the foun- 
dation only, he left to be finished by the 
united labours of philosophers of future ages. 
With confidence in the merit of his own 
works, and depending on posthumous cele- 
brity, Bacon begins his last testament with 
“ My name and memory I leave to foreign 
nations : and to mine own countrymen, after 
some time is passed over.” Upon the su- 
perstructure that has been raised on the 
foundation of experimental philosophy he 
established will be read by distant ages 
“ Bacon, the father of experimental philo- 
sophy.” 
Bacon, (John) in biography, a cele- 
brated sculptor, descended from an ancient 
family in Somersetshire, was born in South- 
wark, Nov. 24, 1740, where his father, 
Thomas Bacon, a cloth-worker, resided. 
When very young, Mr. Bacon discovered a 
great inclination for drawing, common to 
children ; but not being particularly en- 
couraged in it he never made much profi- 
ciency in the art. At the age of 14 he was 
bound apprentice to Mr. Crispe of Bow 
Church Yard, where he was employed in 
painting on porcelain. He occasionally 
assisted in the manufactory cf china at Lam- 
beth, particularly in forming small ornamen- 
tal pieces, which he executed with so much 
taste as to indicate no ordinary powers. To : 
his honour be it mentioned, that by the en- 
couragement he met with, he was able, prin- 
cipally, to support his aged parents, reduced 
in their circumstances, though by such an 
exertion he was obliged to abridge himself 
of the necessaries of life. At the manufac- 
tory at Lambeth he had an opportunity of 
observing models of different sculptors, 
which were sent to a pottery on the same 
premises to be burnt. From the sight of 
these he immediately conceived a strong 
inclination for his future profession. Hav- 
ing once made his choice he was unremit- 
ting in his diligence, and it is said that his 
progress was as rapid as his turn was sudden 
and unpremeditated. During this young 
man’s apprenticeship he. formed a design 
of making statues in artificial stone ; and 
to his exertions is to be attributed the 
flourishing state of Coade’s manufactory. In 
1763, Mr. Bacon attempted to work in 
marble, and having never seen the operation 
performed he was led to invent an instru- 
ment for transferring the form of the model 
