277FRANCIS Lord BACON.
Fruits and Productions, of his laſt five years.
His Lord-
ſhip alſo deſigned upon the Motion and Invitation of his late
Majeſty; To have written the Reign of King Henry the
Eighth; But that Work Perifhed in the Deſignation meer-
ly; God not lending him Life, to proceed further upon it, then
only in one Mornings Work: whereof there is Extant, An,
Ex Ungue Leonem, already Printed, in his Lordſhips Miſ-
cellany Works.
ſhip alſo deſigned upon the Motion and Invitation of his late
Majeſty; To have written the Reign of King Henry the
Eighth; But that Work Perifhed in the Deſignation meer-
ly; God not lending him Life, to proceed further upon it, then
only in one Mornings Work: whereof there is Extant, An,
Ex Ungue Leonem, already Printed, in his Lordſhips Miſ-
cellany Works.
There is a Commemoration due;
As well, to his Abilities,
and Vertues, as to the Courſe of his Life. Thoſe Abilities,
which commonly go ſingle in other Men, though of prime, and
Obſerveable Parts, were all conjoyned, and met in Him.
Thoſe are, Sharpneſs of Wit, Memory, Judgment, and
Elocution. For the Former Three, his Books do abun-
dantly ſpeak them; which, with what Sufficiency he wrote, let
the World judge; But with what Celerity he wrote them,
I can beſt teſtifie. But for the Fourth, his Elocution; I will
onlyſet down, what I heard, Sir Walter Rawleigh, once ſpeak of
him, by way of Compariſon; (whoſe Judgment may well be
truſted;) That the Earl of Saliſbury, was an excellent
Speaker, but no good Pen-man; That the Earl of North-
ampton, (the Lord Henry Howard,) was an excellent
Pen-man, but no good speaker; But that Sir Francis
Bacon, was Eminentin both.
and Vertues, as to the Courſe of his Life. Thoſe Abilities,
which commonly go ſingle in other Men, though of prime, and
Obſerveable Parts, were all conjoyned, and met in Him.
Thoſe are, Sharpneſs of Wit, Memory, Judgment, and
Elocution. For the Former Three, his Books do abun-
dantly ſpeak them; which, with what Sufficiency he wrote, let
the World judge; But with what Celerity he wrote them,
I can beſt teſtifie. But for the Fourth, his Elocution; I will
onlyſet down, what I heard, Sir Walter Rawleigh, once ſpeak of
him, by way of Compariſon; (whoſe Judgment may well be
truſted;) That the Earl of Saliſbury, was an excellent
Speaker, but no good Pen-man; That the Earl of North-
ampton, (the Lord Henry Howard,) was an excellent
Pen-man, but no good speaker; But that Sir Francis
Bacon, was Eminentin both.
I have been enduced to think;
That if there were, a
Beam of Knowledge derived from God upon any
Man, in theſe Modern Times, it was upon Him. For
though he was a great Reader of Books; yet he had
3939[Handwritten note 39] not his Knowledge from Books; But from ſome Grounds,
and Notions from within Himſelf. Which notwith-
ſtanding, he vented with great Caution and Circum-
ſpection. His Book, of Inſtauration Magna, (which,
in his own Account, was the chiefeſt of his Works,) was no
Slight Imagination, ar Fancy, of his brain; but a setled,
and Concocted Notion; The Production of many years,
Labour, and Travel. I my Self, have ſeen, at the lest,
Twelve Coppies, of the Inſtauration; Reviſed, year by
year, one after another; And every year altered, and
Beam of Knowledge derived from God upon any
Man, in theſe Modern Times, it was upon Him. For
though he was a great Reader of Books; yet he had
3939[Handwritten note 39] not his Knowledge from Books; But from ſome Grounds,
and Notions from within Himſelf. Which notwith-
ſtanding, he vented with great Caution and Circum-
ſpection. His Book, of Inſtauration Magna, (which,
in his own Account, was the chiefeſt of his Works,) was no
Slight Imagination, ar Fancy, of his brain; but a setled,
and Concocted Notion; The Production of many years,
Labour, and Travel. I my Self, have ſeen, at the lest,
Twelve Coppies, of the Inſtauration; Reviſed, year by
year, one after another; And every year altered, and