478
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
intervals he took an early share in the labonn of his father's Impnmerie, repeating as opportunity served, his visits to distant places. Probably with a more particular view of improving him- self in the typographic art, in 1596, he was at Heidelberg, wita Jerome Commelin, an eminent printer there : and from thence, by his father's direction, proceeded to Lyons, to avail himself of the skill and experience of John Tomasins, king's printer of thiat city. That he was some time resident in London, there is no doubt.
The year which followed the decease of Henry, is considered as the first of Paul's typogpraphical career. His professional mark was generally the paternal one, Olivia cum viro adttanU, with the legend. Noli altum tapera : sometimes, cum viro gettieulante, and the words Rami ut ego in- Hterer defiaicti nait. He occasionally aciopted that variety of the mark, which had been used by his uncle, the second Francis ; and in some instances added embellishments of his own in- vention. He died at about seventy years of age.
Paul became an author at an early age. Uis father Henry, himself an indifferent though pro- lific Latin poet, was particularly solicitous that his son should become a proficient in that species of composition. Mention is made with com- mendation of Pauli Stephani venionet epigram- nuHcum Greecorum Anthologia Latinit vertihut, and ejuidem Juvenilia. Genvee, 1593, ap. Fran- dscam le Preux. Perhaps the most interesting, and one of the most successful of his poetical efforts, is the monody on the death of his father, prefixed to the Concordantite Gnee. Nov. Teita- menti, anni. 1600.
1626, April 9. Died, Francis Bacon, viscount St. Albans, and lord chancellor of England. Of the advancement and ruin of this great philoso- pher, lawyer, and politician, the space allotted the brief notices of this work will not admit of amplification. He was born in London, January 22, 1661, and-educated at Cambridge. At the age of sixteen he went to France, in the suite of sir Amias Pawlet, ambassador to that court. During his residence there he wrote an acute piece on the state of Europe, which displayed great observation, though he was then but nine- teen years of age. On his return to England he entered Giay's inn, and at the age of twenty- eight was appointed one of the queen's counsel- lors. But by his attachment to the earl of Essex, who was at enmity with Cecil, Bacon lost those advantages at court which he might otherwise have expected. In 1593 he was cho- sen member of parliament for Middlesex. On the accession of James I. he obtained the honour of knighthood, and in 1604 was appointed one of the king's council, with a pension. In 1617 he was made lord keeper of the great seal ; and two years after constituted high chancellor of Great Britain, at which time he was advanced to the peerage, by the title of baron of Verulum, and the year following was created viscount St. Albans. In 1 620 he published the most elaborate of all his works, the Novum Organon Scienli- arum, (page 467, ante,) shewing a perfect
method of exercising the faculty of The year following he was accosed in parlia- ment of bribery and corruption in his high office, which heavy charge being admitted by his own confession, he was sentenced to pay a fine of i!40,000, to be imprisoned during' the king's pleasure, and for ever rendered incapable of holding any office. He was soon restored to liberty, had his fine remitted, and was sammoned to the first parliament of king Charles. After this disgrace, he went into retirement, where he devoted himself to his studies. Notwithstanding his pension of £1800 &> year, and his patem^ estate, which was worth Jb700 a year, his libocal- ity was so great, that at his death his debts amounted to JC22,000. His remains were in- terred in St. Michael's church, at St. Albans. His writings are an inestimable treasure <^ sound wisdom. It was the opinion of Bacoa, that knowledge was the same as power. His own life unfortunately showed that there might be great knowledge without power. Subsequent philosophers have agreed that knowledge is what Bacon described it, only when combined with moral excellence, wUch , though apt to be favoured and improved by knowledge, is not always found in its company. I«rd Bacon, speaking of books, says, " the opinion of plenty is among the causes of want ; and the great quantity of bM)ks maketb a show rather of superfluity than lack; which surcharge, nevertheless, is not to be remedied by making no more books, but by making more good books, which, as the serpent of Moses, might devour the serpents of tiie enchanters." 1626, Dec. 7. Died, Sir John DAviEs.apoet and judge, who was born at Chisgrove, in Wilt- shire, and educated at Oxford, and from thence removed to the Inner Temple, and was called to the bar. James I. conferred on him the honour of knighthood, and made him attomey-Keneral for Ireland. In 1626 he was appointed chief justice of the king's bench, in London, but died shortly after of an apoplexy. He wrote a valu- able book on the state of Ireland, 1612, which has been several times reprinted. His poetical works, of which that entitled Notce Teiptum is the principal, were collected and published in 1773, 12mo. Among bis works, are twenty-six short poems entitled Hymns to Astreaa, each of which is an acrostic* on the words Elizabetka Regina, and are perhaps the most elegant com- positions of this descnption in any language. His prose works were printed in one volume
- A Greek term, slgniiytng; lltenlljr the beKinninK of a
line or verse. An acrostic is a number of verses so con. txived, tbat the first letters of each being read in the order in which they stand, shall form some name or other word. According to some authorities, a writer named Porphyrios Optatianus, who floorished in the fbnrth century, has the credit of being the inventor of the acrostic (see page 399 ante). The acrostic being addressed merely to the eye, and conveying no pleasure either to the imagination or to the ear, cannot of course add to the poetical effect of the lines which it ornaments, any more than would the printing of the initial letters In a dllTeient coloured ink. Bat it is sometimes useful, as an aid to tlie memory, in recollecting such verses as are composed only to be got by heart, for the sake of the facts, of which fhey form a summary.
