NOTICE.

THIS volume has been delayed for some weeks, from the expectation that the Engraver would be able to complete, from a beautiful Miniature by Hilliard, a Portrait of Lord Bacon when he was between seventeen and eighteen years of age: but as a month must yet elapse before the Engraver can venture to submit his Work to public inspection, I have thought it right to publish this volume, with the assurance that this Portrait will appear in the next volume. In the course of the Work there will also be Portraits of Lord Bacon when he was twelve years of age-when he was Lord Chancellor-when he was sixty-five years of ageand an Engraving from his Monument in St Michael's Church.

PREFACE.

THE Advancement of Learning was published in the year 1605. It is entitled

THE

TVVOO BOOKES OF

FRANCIS BACON,

Of the proficience and aduancement of Learning diuine and humane.

TO THE KING.

AT LONDON,

¶Printed for Henri Tomes, and are to be sould at his shop in Graies Inne Gate in Holborne. 1605. It is a small thin quarto, of 119 pages, somewhat incorrectly printed, the subjects being distinguished by capitals and italics introduced into the text, with a few marginal notes in Latin. The following is an exact specimen :

HISTORY IS NATVRALL, CIVILE, ECCLESIASTICALL & LITERARY, whereof the three first I allow as extant, the fourth I note as deficient. For no man hath propounded to himselfe the generall state of learning to bee described and represented from age to age, as many haue done the works of nature, & the State ciuile and Ecclesiastical; without which

the History of the world seemeth to me, to be as the Statua of Polyphemus with his eye out, that part being wanting, which doth most shew the spirit, and life of the person.

Of this work he sent a copy, with a letter, to the King; to the university of Cambridge; to Trinity college, Cambridge; to the university of Oxford; to Sir Thomas Bodley; to Lord Chancellor Egerton; to the Earl of Salisbury; to the Lord Treasurer Buckhurst and to Mr. Matthews. From these letters, which are all in existence, the letter to the Lord Chancellor, as a favourable specimen, is annexed:

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"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

"I humbly present your lordship with a work, wherein, as you have much commandment over the author, so your lordship hath great interest in "the argument: For to speak without flattery, few "have like use of learning or like judgment in "learning, as I have observed in your lordship. And

again, your lordship hath been a great planter "of learning, not only in those places in the "church which have been in your own gift, but "also in your commendatory vote, no man hath "more constantly held; let it be given to the most deserving, detur digniori: And therefore, both your lordship is beholding to learning and learn

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ing beholding to you; which maketh me presume "with good assurance that your lordship will accept