Thisisnolongerthecase。Allpoliticalandreligiouscontroversyisnowconductedinthemodernlanguages。Theancienttonguesareusedonlyincommentsontheancientwriters。ThegreatproductionsofAthenianandRomangeniusareindeedstillwhattheywere。Butthoughtheirpositivevalueisunchanged，theirrelativevalue，whencomparedwiththewholemassofmentalwealthpossessedbymankind，hasbeenconstantlyfalling。Theyweretheintellectualallofourancestors。Theyarebutapartofourtreasures。OverwhattragedycouldLadyJaneGreyhavewept，overwhatcomedycouldshehavesmiled，iftheancientdramatistshadnotbeeninherlibrary？AmodernreadercanmakeshiftwithoutOedipusandMedea，whilehepossessesOthelloandHamlet。IfheknowsnothingofPyrgopolynicesandThraso，heisfamiliarwithBobadil，andBessus，andPistol，andParolles。IfhecannotenjoythedeliciousironyofPlato，hemayfindsomecompensationinthatofPascal。IfheisshutoutfromNephelococcygia，hemaytakerefugeinLilliput。Weareguilty，wehope，ofnoirreverencetowardsthosegreatnationstowhichthehumanraceowesart，science，taste，civilandintellectualfreedom，whenwesay，thatthestockbequeathedbythemtoushasbeensocarefullyimprovedthattheaccumulatedinterestnowexceedstheprincipal。WebelievethatthebookswhichhavebeenwritteninthelanguagesofwesternEurope，duringthelasttwohundredandfiftyyears，——translationsfromtheancientlanguagesofcourseincluded，——areofgreatervaluethanallthebookswhichatthebeginningofthatperiodwereextantintheworld。
WiththemodernlanguagesofEuropeEnglishwomenareatleastaswellacquaintedasEnglishmen。When，therefore，wecomparetheacquirementsofLadyJaneGrey。withthoseofanaccomplishedyoungwomanofourowntime，wehavenohesitationinawardingthesuperioritytothelatter。Wehopethatourreaderswillpardonupthisdigression。Itislong;butitcanhardlybecalledunseasonable，ifittendstoconvincethemthattheyaremistakeninthinkingthatthegreat—great—grandmothersoftheirgreat—great—grandmothersweresuperiorwomentotheirsistersandtheirwives。
FrancisBacon，theyoungestsonofSirNicholas，wasbornatYorkHouse，hisfather’sresidenceintheStrand，onthetwenty—secondofJanuary1561。ThehealthofFranciswasverydelicate;andtothiscircumstancemaybepartlyattributedthatgravityofcarriage，andthatloveofsedentarypursuitswhichdistinguishedhimfromotherboys。EverybodyknowshowmuchsobrietyofdeportmentandhisprematurereadinessofwitamusedtheQueen，andhowsheusedtocallhimheryoungLordKeeper。Wearetoldthat，whilestillamerechild，hestoleawayfromhisplayfellowstoavaultinSt。James’sFields，forthepurposeofinvestigatingthecauseofasingularechowhichhehadobservedthere。Itiscertainthat，atonlytwelve，hebusiedhimselfwithveryingeniousspeculationsontheartoflegerdemain;asubjectwhich，asProfessorDugaldStewarthasmostjustlyobserved，meritsmuchmoreattentionfromphilosophersthanithaseverreceived。Thesearetrifles。ButtheeminencewhichBaconafterwardsattainedmakestheminteresting。
InthethirteenthyearofhisagehewasenteredatTrinityCollege，Cambridge。ThatcelebratedschooloflearningenjoyedthepeculiarfavouroftheLordTreasurerandtheLordKeeper，andacknowledgedtheadvantageswhichitderivedfromtheirpatronageinapublicletterwhichbearsdatejustamonthaftertheadmissionofFrancisBacon。ThemasterwasWhitgift，afterwardsArchbishopofCanterbury，anarrowminded，mean，andtyrannicalpriest，whogainedpowerbyservilityandadulation，andemployeditinpersecutingboththosewhoagreedwithCalvinaboutchurch—government，andthosewhodifferedfromCalvintouchingthedoctrineofReprobation。Hewasnowinachrysalisstate，puttingofftheworm，andputtingonthedragon—fly，akindofintermediategrubbetweensycophantandoppressor。HewasindemnifyinghimselfforthecourtwhichhefounditexpedienttopaytotheMinistersbyexercisingmuchpettytyrannywithinhisowncollege。Itwouldbeunjust，however，todenyhimthepraiseofhavingrenderedaboutthistimeoneimportantservicetoletters。HestoodupmanfullyagainstthosewhowishedtomakeTrinityCollegeamereappendagetoWestminsterschool;andbythisact，theonlygoodact，asfarasweremember，ofhislongpubliclife，hesavedthenoblestplaceofeducationinEnglandfromthedegradingfateofKing’sCollegeandNewCollege。
IthasoftenbeensaidthatBacon，whilestillatcollege，plannedthatgreatintellectualrevolutionwithwhichhisnameisinseparablyconnected。Theevidenceonthissubject，however，ishardlysufficienttoprovewhatisinitselfsoimprobableasthatanydefiniteschemeofthatkindshouldhavebeensoearlyformed，evenbysopowerfulandactiveamind。Butitiscertainthat，afteraresidenceofthreeyearsatCambridge，Bacondeparted，carryingwithhimaprofoundcontemptforthecourseofstudypursuedthere，afixedconvictionthatthesystemofacademiceducationinEnglandwasradicallyvicious，ajustscornforthetriflesonwhichthefollowersofAristotlehadwastedtheirpowers，andnogreatreverenceforAristotlehimself。
InhissixteenthyearhevisitedParis，andresidedthereforsometime，underthecareofSirAmiasPaulet，Elizabeth’sMinisterattheFrenchCourt，andoneoftheablestandmostuprightofthemanyvaluableservantswhomsheemployed。Francewasatthattimeinadeplorablestateofagitation。TheHuguenotsandtheCatholicsweremusteringalltheirforceforthefiercestandmostprotractedoftheirmanystruggles;whiletheprince，whosedutyitwastoprotectandtorestrainboth，hadbyhisvicesandfolliesdegradedhimselfsodeeplythathehadnoauthorityovereither。Bacon，however，madeatourthroughseveralprovinces，andappearstohavepassedsometimeatPoitiers。WehaveabundantproofthatduringhisstayontheContinenthedidnotneglectliteraryandscientificpursuits。
Buthisattentionseemstohavebeenchieflydirectedtostatisticsanddiplomacy。ItwasatthistimethathewrotethoseNotesontheStateofEuropewhichareprintedinhisworks。Hestudiedtheprinciplesoftheartofdecipheringwithgreatinterest，andinventedoneciphersoingenious，that，manyyearslater，hethoughtitdeservingofaplaceintheDeAugmentis。InFebruary1580，whileengagedinthesepursuits，hereceivedintelligenceofthealmostsuddendeathofhisfather，andinstantlyreturnedtoEngland。
Hisprospectsweregreatlyovercastbythisevent。Hewasmostdesiroustoobtainaprovisionwhichmightenablehimtodevotehimselftoliteratureandpolitics。HeappliedtotheGovernment;anditseemsstrangethatheshouldhaveappliedinvain。Hiswishesweremoderate。Hishereditaryclaimsontheadministrationweregreat。HehadhimselfbeenfavourablynoticedbytheQueen。HisunclewasPrimeMinister。HisowntalentsweresuchasanyMinistermighthavebeeneagertoenlistinthepublicservice。Buthissolicitationswereunsuccessful。ThetruthisthattheCecilsdislikedhim，anddidallthattheycoulddecentlydotokeephimdown。IthasneverbeenallegedthatBaconhaddoneanythingtomeritthisdislike;norisitatallprobablethatamanwhosetemperwasnaturallymild，whosemannerswerecourteous，who，throughlife，nursedhisfortuneswiththeutmostcare，andwhowasfearfuleventoafaultofoffendingthepowerful，wouldhavegivenanyjustcauseofdispleasuretoakinsmanwhohadthemeansofrenderinghimessentialserviceandofdoinghimirreparableinjury。Therealexplanation，webelieve，isthis。RobertCecil，theTreasurer’ssecondson，wasyoungerbyafewmonthsthanBacon。Hehadbeeneducatedwiththeutmostcare，hadbeeninitiated，whilestillaboy，inthemysteriesofdiplomacyandcourt—intrigue，andwasjustatthistimeabouttobeproducedonthestageofpubliclife。ThewishnearesttoBurleigh’sheartwasthathisowngreatnessmightdescendtothisfavouritechild。ButevenBurleigh’sfatherlypartialitycouldhardlypreventhimfromperceivingthatRobert，withallhisabilitiesandacquirements，wasnomatchforhiscousinFrancis。ThisseemstoustheonlyrationalexplanationoftheTreasurer’sconduct。Mr。Montaguismorecharitable。HesupposesthatBurleighwasinfluencedmerelybyaffectionforhisnephew，andwas"littledisposedtoencouragehimtorelyonothersratherthanonhimself，andtoventureonthequicksandsofpolitics，insteadofthecertainprofessionofthelaw。"IfsuchwereBurleigh’sfeelings，itseemsstrangethatheshouldhavesufferedhissontoventureonthosequicksandsfromwhichhesocarefullypreservedhisnephew。Butthetruthisthat，ifBurleighhadbeensodisposed，hemighteasilyhavesecuredtoBaconacomfortableprovisionwhichshouldhavebeenexposedtonorisk。Anditiscertainthatheshowedaslittledispositiontoenablehisnephewtolivebyaprofessionastoenablehimtolivewithoutaprofession。
ThatBaconhimselfattributedtheconductofhisrelativestojealousyofhissuperiortalents，wehavenotthesmallestdoubt。
InaletterwrittenmanyyearslatertoVilliers，heexpresseshimselfthus:"Countenance，encourage，andadvanceablemeninallkinds，degrees，andprofessions。ForinthetimeoftheCecils，thefatherandtheson，ablemenwerebydesignandofpurposesuppressed。"
WhateverBurleigh’smotivesmightbe，hispurposewasunalterable。ThesupplicationswhichFrancisaddressedtohisuncleandauntwereearnest，humble，andalmostservile。Hewasthemostpromisingandaccomplishedyoungmanofhistime。Hisfatherhadbeenthebrother—in—law，themostusefulcolleague，thenearestfriendoftheMinister。ButallthisavailedpoorFrancisnothing。Hewasforced，muchagainsthiswill，tobetakehimselftothestudyofthelaw。HewasadmittedatGray’sInn;
andduringsomeyears，helabouredthereinobscurity。
Whattheextentofhislegalattainmentsmayhavebeenitisdifficulttosay。Itwasnothardforamanofhispowerstoacquirethatverymoderateportionoftechnicalknowledgewhich，whenjoinedtoquickness，tact，wit，ingenuity，eloquence，andknowledgeoftheworld，issufficienttoraiseanadvocatetothehighestprofessionaleminence。ThegeneralopinionappearstohavebeenthatwhichwasononeoccasionexpressedbyElizabeth。
"Bacon，"saidshe，"hathagreatwitandmuchlearning;butinlawshowethtotheutmostofhisknowledge，andisnotdeep。"TheCecils，wesuspect，didtheirbesttospreadthisopinionbywhispersandinsinuations。Cokeopenlyproclaimeditwiththatrancorousinsolencewhichwashabitualtohim。Noreportsaremorereadilybelievedthanthosewhichdisparagegenius，andsoothetheenvyofconsciousmediocrity。Itmusthavebeeninexpressiblyconsolingtoastupidsergeant，theforerunnerofhimwho，ahundredandfiftyyearslater，"shookhisheadatMurrayasawit，"toknowthatthemostprofoundthinkerandthemostaccomplishedoratoroftheagewasveryimperfectlyacquaintedwiththelawtouchingbastardeigneandmulierpuisne，andconfoundedtherightoffreefisherywiththatofcommonpiscary。
Itiscertainthatnomaninthatage，orindeedduringthecenturyandahalfwhichfollowed，wasbetteracquaintedthanBaconwiththephilosophyoflaw。Histechnicalknowledgewasquitesufficient，withthehelpofhisadmirabletalentsandofhisinsinuatingaddress，toprocureclients。Heroseveryrapidlyintobusiness，andsoonentertainedhopesofbeingcalledwithinthebar。HeappliedtoLordBurleighforthatpurpose，butreceivedatestyrefusal。Ofthegroundsofthatrefusalwecan，insomemeasure，judgebyBacon’sanswer，whichisstillextant。
ItseemsthattheoldLord，whosetemper，ageandgouthadbynomeansalteredforthebetter，andwholovedtomarkhisdislikeoftheshowy，quick—wittedyoungmenoftherisinggeneration，tookthisopportunitytoreadFrancisaverysharplectureonhisvanityandwantofrespectforhisbetters。Francisreturnedamostsubmissivereply，thankedtheTreasurerfortheadmonition，andpromisedtoprofitbyit。Strangersmeanwhilewerelessunjusttotheyoungbarristerthanhisnearestkinsmanhadbeen。
Inhistwenty—sixthyearhebecameabencherofhisInn;andtwoyearslaterhewasappointedLentreader。Atlength，in1590，heobtainedforthefirsttimesomeshowoffavourfromtheCourt。
HewassworninQueen’sCounselextraordinary。Butthismarkofhonourwasnotaccompaniedbyanypecuniaryemolument。
Hecontinued，therefore，tosolicithispowerfulrelativesforsomeprovisionwhichmightenablehimtolivewithoutdrudgingathisprofession。Hebore，withapatienceandserenitywhich，wefear，borderedonmeanness，themorosehumoursofhisuncle，andthesneeringreflectionswhichhiscousincastonspeculativemen，lostinphilosophicaldreams，andtoowisetobecapableoftransactingpublicbusiness。AtlengththeCecilsweregenerousenoughtoprocureforhimthereversionoftheRegistrarshipoftheStar—Chamber。Thiswasalucrativeplace;but，asmanyyearselapsedbeforeitfellin，hewasstillunderthenecessityoflabouringforhisdailybread。
IntheParliamentwhichwascalledin1593hesatasmemberforthecountyofMiddlesex，andsoonattainedeminenceasadebater。
Itiseasytoperceivefromthescantyremainsofhisoratorythatthesamecompactnessofexpressionandrichnessoffancywhichappearinhiswritingscharacterisedhisspeeches;andthathisextensiveacquaintancewithliteratureandhistoryenabledhimtoentertainhisaudiencewithavastvarietyofillustrationsandallusionswhichweregenerallyhappyandapposite，butwhichwereprobablynotleastpleasingtothetasteofthatagewhentheyweresuchaswouldnowbethoughtchildishorpedantic。Itisevidentalsothathewas，asindeedmighthavebeenexpected，perfectlyfreefromthosefaultswhicharegenerallyfoundinanadvocatewho，afterhavingrisentoeminenceatthebar，enterstheHouseofCommons;thatitwashishabittodealwitheverygreatquestion，notinsmalldetachedportions，butasawhole;thatherefinedlittle，andthathisreasoningswerethoseofacapaciousratherthanasubtlemind。
BenJonson，amostunexceptionablejudge，hasdescribedBacon’seloquenceinwords，which，thoughoftenquoted，willbeartobequotedagain。"Therehappenedinmytimeonenoblespeakerwhowasfullofgravityinhisspeaking。Hislanguage，wherehecouldspareorpassbyajest，wasnoblycensorious。Nomaneverspokemoreneatly，morepressly，moreweightily，orsufferedlessemptiness，lessidleness，inwhatheuttered。Nomemberofhisspeechbutconsistedofhisowngraces。Hishearerscouldnotcoughorlookasidefromhimwithoutloss。Hecommandedwherehespoke，andhadhisjudgesangryandpleasedathisdevotion。Nomanhadtheiraffectionsmoreinhispower。Thefearofeverymanthatheardhimwaslestheshouldmakeanend。"Fromthementionwhichismadeofjudges，itwouldseemthatJonsonhadheardBacononlyattheBar。IndeedweimaginethattheHouseofCommonswasthenalmostinaccessibletostrangers。ItisnotprobablethatamanofBacon’sniceobservationwouldspeakinParliamentexactlyashespokeintheCourtofQueen’sBench。Butthegracesofmannerandlanguagemust，toagreatextent，havebeencommonbetweentheQueen’sCounselandtheKnightoftheShire。
Bacontriedtoplayaverydifficultgameinpolitics。HewishedtobeatonceafavouriteatCourtandpopularwiththemultitude。Ifanymancouldhavesucceededinthisattempt，amanoftalentssorare，ofjudgmentsoprematurelyripe，oftempersocalm，andofmannerssoplausible，mighthavebeenexpectedtosucceed。Norindeeddidhewhollyfail。Once，however，heindulgedinaburstofpatriotismwhichcosthimalongandbitterremorse，andwhichheneverventuredtorepeat。TheCourtaskedforlargesubsidiesandforspeedypayment。TheremainsofBacon’sspeechbreatheallthespiritoftheLongParliament。
"Thegentlemen，"saidhe，"mustselltheirplate，andthefarmerstheirbrasspots，erethiswillbepaid;andforus，weareheretosearchthewoundsoftherealm，andnottoskimthemover。Thedangersarethese。First，weshallbreeddiscontentandendangerherMajesty’ssafety，whichmustconsistmoreintheloveofthepeoplethantheirwealth。Secondly，thisbeinggrantedinthissort，otherprinceshereafterwilllookforthelike;sothatweshallputanevilprecedentonourselvesandourposterity;andinhistories，itistobeobserved，ofallnationstheEnglisharenottobesubject，base，ortaxable。"TheQueenandherMinistersresentedthisoutbreakofpublicspiritinthehighestmanner。Indeed，manyanhonestmemberoftheHouseofCommonshad，foramuchsmallermatter，beensenttotheTowerbytheproudandhot—bloodedTudors。Theyoungpatriotcondescendedtomakethemostabjectapologies。HeadjuredtheLordTreasurertoshowsomefavourtohispoorservantandally。HebemoanedhimselftotheLordKeeper，inaletterwhichmaykeepincountenancethemost...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看：