Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

AND HIS SECRET SOCIETY. 371
at all, but endless entanglement. . . . Moreover, I think that
men may take some hope from my own example. Ana tnis 1
say, not by way of boasting, but because it i3 useful to say it. It
there be any that despond, let them look at me, that, being ol
all men of my time the most busied in affairs of state, and a
man of health not very strong (whereby much time is lost), and
in this course altogether a pioneer, . . . have, nevertheless, Irresolutely
entering on the true road, and submitting my mind
to things, advanced these matters, as I suppose, some little
way And then let them consider what may be expected (atter
the way has been thus indicated) from men abounding in leisure
and from association of labours in successive ages: the
rather because it is not a tvaif over which only one man can pass
at a time (as is the case with the way of reasoning), but one in
ivkich the labours and industries of men, especially as regards
the collecting of experience, may with the best effect be distributed,
and then combined. For then only ivill men begin to know their
strength, when, instead of great numbers doing all the same
things, one shall take charge of one thing, and another of
another." 1
Observe that he puts distribution first.
This assumes a distributor,
a head or chief moving spirit, who shall
apportion to
his subordinates the work which he considers them to be capable
of performing. Moreover, look at the phrase in brackets.
Here Bacon hints that he did the reasoning part of the work
himself. That could be deputed to none other. In days
when language was halt and lame, when men's powers of observation
were dimmed, and all other faculties for resolving
high and deep thoughts into beautiful language were ranked
among the deficients, how was it possible that ordinary men
combine in their writings or their speeches the most extensive
learning, the finest reasoning, and the clearest, most cogent, or
charming method of delivery ?
Bacon warns 2 " those who take upon them to lay clown the
law as to the bounds of knowledge — as to what is possible and
what impossible to know or achieve," that they " have done
great injury. For, whether they have spoken in simple assurljKw.
Org. i. cxiii.
2 -Vo '-- 0r 9- Pref-