Francis Bacon and His Works
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon(1561—1626)was one of the leading figures in natural philosophy and in the field of scientific methodology in the period of transition from the Renaissance to the early modern era.
He studied at Cambridge (Trinity College) and Gray's Inn, entered Parliament, and gradually established his reputation, but made little progress during Elizabeth's reign.
Works
Francis Bacon left vast and varied writings, which might be divided into three great branches:
Scientifical works — in which his ideas for an universal reform of knowledge, scientific method and the improvement of mankind's state are presented.
Religious/literary works — in which he presents his moral philosophy and theological meditations. Juridical works — in which his reforms in Law are proposed.
Contributions
Francis Bacon had made great contributions on Literature, Philosophy, Science, law and art.
Literature:
Francis Bacon’s literatural work mostly are proses and essays. There are some features of Bacon's essays: ①the language is very neat, pretty and weighty. ②the sentences are very short. Bacon also likes to use more co-ordinate conjunctions than the subordinated ones, such as \③the devices are parallelism, epigrams(警句), metaphor,and simile.
And his most important work is Essay, which was regarded as one of the greatest prose works in the world for its brevity, compactness and powerfulness. Essay covers a wide variety of subjects, such as love, truth, friendship, politics, economy, religion, beauty, studies, and marriage.
Of Truth
Ⅰ Brief Introduction
? First published in 1625
? Francis Bacon declares that truth in the philosophical and theological sense, as well as honesty in the
civil business sense, are the \
Ⅱ Background Information
“What is truth?” said jesting Pilate (Full name: Pontius Pilate)
? According to the new testament scripture, at first, Pilate thinks Jesus is innocent, for he had questioned
Jesus for many times. But under the pressure of the jewish religious leaders, Jesus was sentenced to death.
? In the conversation between Pilate and Jesus, Pilate asked,''what have you done?'' Then, Pilate
asked:“What is truth?”
? Actually Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but he still asked , “What is truth” . At that time a lot of people
like Pilate, they do know what is truth but they pretend they don’t know .
? Bacon uses this Bible story to introduce his topic——truth. He wants to tell people what is truth and
what attitude should we take towards truth.
Ⅲ Topic
The inquiry of truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it, the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature.
Ⅳ Sentences Analysis
1. “But it is not only the difficulty and labor, which men take in finding out of truth, nor again, that when it is found, it imposeth upon men's thoughts, that doth bring lies in favor; but a natural though corrupt love, of the lie itself.”
? Up to this point Bacon is saying there are few philosophical skeptics left but humans still prefer the
freedom to choose their own views over the hard work of pursuing truth especially since they consider truth constricting. 2. No advantage
Bacon writes “One of the later school of the Grecians, examineth the matter, and is at a stand, to think what should be in it, that men should love lies; where neither they make for pleasure, as with poets, nor for advantage, as with the merchant; but for the lie's sake.” 3. Advantages
Bacon writes “A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. Doth any man doubt, that if there were taken out of men's minds, vain opinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as one would, and the like”
1
4. Disadvantages
Bacon writes “but it would leave the minds, of a number of men, poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition, and unpleasing to themselves?”
5. “truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making, or wooing of it,”
? “yet truth, which only doth judge itself” means that “that truth seeking faculty is the sole judge of truth.” ? In “the love-making, or wooing of it” Bacon means the happy match between the mind of man and the
nature of things.”
6. “The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense; the last, was the light of reason.”
? Bacon believed that God gave us our senses to determine truth be he also believed God gave us the
ability to reason to determine truth.
Ⅴ Beautiful Sentences
1.But I cannot tell; this same truth, is a naked, and open day-light, that doth not show the masks, and mummeries, and triumphs, of the world, half so stately and daintily as candle-lights.
余亦难言究竟，唯思真理犹如白日无遮之光，直照人世之歌舞庆典，不如烛光掩映，反能显其堂皇之美。
2.Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that showeth best by day; but it will not rise to the price of a diamond, or carbuncle, that showeth best in varied lights.
真理之价，有似珍珠，白昼最见其长，而不如钻石，弱光始露其妙。
3.It is a pleasure, to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea; a pleasure, to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle, and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth (a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene), and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below; so always that this prospect be with pity, and not with swelling, or pride.
立岸上见浪催船行，一乐也；立城堡孔后看战斗进退，一乐也；然皆不足以比 身居真理高地之乐也；真理之峰高不可及，可吸纯洁之气，可瞰谷下侧行、了徨、迷雾、风暴之变。景象如此，但须临之以怜世之心，而不可妄自尊大也。
4.And therefore Montaigne saith prettily, when he inquired the reason, why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace, and such an odious charge? Saith he, If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth, is as much to say, as that he is brave towards God, and a coward towards men. For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man. 谎言之为奇耻大辱也，蒙田探究真理，曾云：“如深究此事，指人说谎犹言此人 对上帝勇而对人怯也，该说谎者敢于面对上帝，而畏避世人。
Of study
“Study” itself includes a variety of meanings, such as reading, learning and studying. Different ways of studies may exert different influences over human characters. This essay makes a fantastic conclusion of studies in goals and methods, which can have an active effect on guiding us to a way of loving reading, reading good books and being good at reading.
1. Nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises.
(You may cultivate your own temperament while reading. However, there may be obvious difficulty or disadvantages in your mind. You may solve this problem by proper reading. Just like doing physical exercises could get rid of the diseases. They are the same.)
2. Bowling is good for the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head, and the like.
(Playing bowling strengthens your stone and kidney. Shooting strengthens your lung and breast. Gentle
walking strengthens your stomach. Riding strengthens your head and brain. They are in the same rule.) 3. So if a man's wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin again.
(Therefore, if a man can’t concentrate his mind, let him study the mathematics. He should pay great attention during the process. Once his attention runs miles away, he’ll have to restart.)
4. If his wit be not apt to distinguish or find differences, let him study the schoolmen, for they are Cymini sectors. If he be not apt to beat over matters and to call up one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyer’s cases. So every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.
2
Theme
Analysis
(If he is not proper to find out the differences, let him learn from the philosophers and divines of the middle Ages, because they are splitters of hairs. If he is not proper to investigate matters, prove things, or make examples, let him dig into the lawyers’ cases. As a result, every disadvantages of mind can have an appropriate solution.)
1. Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privacy and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business.
2. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning (pruning) by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.
3. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation.
4. Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.
5. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshaling of affairs, come best from those that are learned.
6. To spend too much time in studies, is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment only by their rules, and is the humor of a scholar.
7. Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtitle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend: Abeunt studia in mores.
Beautiful Sentences
Writing techniques in the essay
1. Grammatical devices:
1.1 Parallelism and elliptical sentences
In this part, parallelism and ellipsis have also been used. For example:
Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep, moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend. (Bottom line 8)
With these two rhetorical devices, the sentences have become simpler and the important points are highlighted. In such sentences, parallelism and ellipsis bring great help to express Bacon’s strong emotions.
1.2 Analogy(类比）
In Bacon’s essays, analogy is used quite often. For example:
Nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as diseases of the body, may have appropriate exercises. (Bottom line6)
In this example, he made an analogy with the solutions of diseases of the body and the disadvantages in mind. It contains the profound truth in the simple and common-sense examples, and this can help to reduce the difficulty of understanding and avoid being too dull. 1.3 Parallel construction（平行结构） For example:
To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. (line6) 2. Lexical devices
Reiteration(重复): adoption of near-synonyms, super ordinates(上位词), hyponyms (下位词), and general words.
For example: weigh and consider, talk and discourse
taste, swallow, chew, digest
Group 11: Michael, Sky, Sam, Shelly, Grace
3