BACON, Roger, a Franciscan friar of great genius and learning, was born near Ilchester in Somersetshire in the year 1214. He began his studies at Oxford, but in what school or college is uncertain. Thence he removed to the university of Paris, which in those times was esteemed the centre of literature. Here, we are told, he made such rapid progress in the sciences, that he was esteemed the glory of that university, and was much honoured by several of his countrymen, particularly by his friend and patron, Robert Greathead, afterwards bishop of Lincoln. About the year 1240 he returned to Oxford, and, assuming the Franciscan habit, prosecuted his favourite study of experimental philosophy with unremitting ardour and assiduity. In this pursuit, in experiments, instruments, and scarce books, he tells us he spent, in the space of twenty years, no less than £2000, which, it seems, was given him by some of the heads of the university to enable him to continue his interesting inquiries. But such extraordinary talents, and astonishing progress in sciences which, in that ignorant age, were totally unknown to the rest of mankind, whilst they raised the admiration of the more intelligent few, failed not to excite the envy and malice of his illiterate fraternity, who found no difficulty in possessing the vulgar with the notion that Bacon dealt in the magic art. Under this pretence he was restrained from reading his lectures; his writings were confined to his convent; and, finally, in 1278, he was himself imprisoned in his cell. At this time he was sixty-four years of age. Nevertheless, being permitted the use of his books, he persevered in the rational pursuit of knowledge, corrected his former labours, and wrote several curious essays. When he had been ten years in confinement, Jerome de Ascoli being elected pope, Bacon solicited his holiness for release, but did not immediately succeed in his object. However, towards the latter end of that pope's reign he obtained his liberty, and spent the remainder of his life in the college of his order, where he died, according to Anthony à Wood, in 1292, and was buried in the Franciscan church. Bale and others have enumerated a large list of works as written by Bacon, and existing in manuscript in various collections. Several of his tracts were published in the work entitled Epistolæ Fratris Rogeri Baconis de Secretis Operibus Artis et Natura, et de Nulleitate Magie. Paris, 1542, 4to; Basil, 1593, 8vo. His Opus Majus, which forms a sort of digest of his preceding writings, was first published in 1733, in a handsome folio volume by Dr Jebb. Some of his chemical tracts may be found in the Thesaurus Chemicus, published at Frankfort in 1603 and 1620. By an attentive perusal of his works the reader will find that Roger Bacon was a great linguist and a skilful grammarian; that he was well versed in the theory and practice of perspective; that he understood the use of convex and concave glasses, the camera obscura, burning-glasses, &c.; that he was conversant in geography and astronomy; that he knew the great error in the calendar, assigned the cause, and proposed the remedy; that he understood chronology well; that he was in all probability the inventor of gunpowder; that he possessed considerable knowledge in the medical art; and that he was an able mathematician, logician, and theologist.