An Account of the Life and Times of Francis Bacon, Volume 1

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Trübner, 1878
 

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Page 57 - I have taken all knowledge to be my province ; and if I could purge it of two sorts of rovers, whereof the one with frivolous disputations, confutations, and verbosities, the other with blind experiments and auricular traditions and impostures, hath committed so many spoils, I hope I should bring in industrious observations, grounded conclusions, and profitable inventions and discoveries ; the best state of that province. This, whether it be curiosity, or vain glory, or nature, or (if one take it...
Page 365 - Mr. Attorney, — I thought best once for all, to let you know in plainness what I find of you, and what you shall find of me. You take to yourself a liberty to disgrace and disable my law, my experience, my discretion.
Page 670 - Highness's princely affairs nor in regard of my continual service; which is the cause that hath made me choose to write certain brief notes, set down rather significantly than curiously, which I have called Essays. The word is late, but the thing is ancient...
Page 366 - Solicitor together; but either to serve with another upon your remove, or to step into some other course; so as I am more free than ever I was from any occasion of unworthy conforming myself to you, more than general good manners or your particular good usage shall provoke; and if you had not been short-sighted in your own fortune, as I think, you might have had more use of me. But that tide is passed.
Page 169 - My Lord, I see I must be your homager, and hold land of your gift; but do you know the manner of doing homage in law? always it is with a saving of his faith to the King and his other Lords; and therefore, my Lord (said I), I can be no more yours than I was, and it must be with the ancient savings: and if I grow to be a rich man, you will give me leave to give it back to some of your unrewarded followers.
Page 399 - It seems she might have lived if she would have used means ; but she would not be persuaded, and princes must not be forced. Her physicians said she had a body of firm and perfect constitution likely to have lived many years."3 The ncxt day he adds that about three o'clock in the morning she " departed this life mildly, like a lamb : easily like a ripe apple from the tree : cum leni quadam febre, absque gemitu.
Page 56 - My Lord, With as much confidence as mine own honest and faithful devotion unto your service and your honourable correspondence unto me and my poor estate can breed in a man, do I commend myself unto your Lordship. I wax now somewhat ancient; one and thirty years is a great deal of sand in the hour-glass.
Page 54 - I think happeneth rarely among men : for I did not only labour carefully and industriously in that he set me about, whether it were matter of advice or otherwise, but, neglecting the queen's service, mine own fortune, and in a sort my vocation, I did nothing but advise and ruminate with myself, to the best of my understanding, propositions and memorials of any thing that might concern his lordship's honour, fortune, or service.
Page 243 - I did as plainly see his overthrow chained as it were by destiny to that journey, as it is possible for a man to ground a judgment upon future contingents.
Page 339 - To take secret counsel, to execute it, to run together in numbers armed with weapons, — what can be the excuse ? Warned by the Lord Keeper, by a herald, and yet persist ! Will any simple man take this to be less than treason ? The Earl of Essex answered that if he had purposed anything against others than those his private enemies, he would not have stirred with so slender a company.

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