fowes flesh salted and dried in the chimney.—Old historians and law-writers speak of the service of the bacon, a custom in the manor of Whichenacre in Staffordshire, and priory of Dunmore in Essex; in the former of which places, by an ancient grant of the lord, a flitch of bacon, with half a quarter of wheat, was to be given to every married couple who could swear, that, having been married a year and a day, they would never within that time have once exchanged their mate for any other person on earth, however richer, fairer, or the like. But they were to bring two of their neighbours to swear with them that they believed they swore the truth. On this the lord of another neighbouring manor, of Rudlow, was to find a horse saddled, and a pack to carry the bounty in, with drums and trumpets, as far as a day's journey out of the manor: all the tenants of the manor being summoned to attend, and pay service to the bacon. The bacon of Dunmore, first erected under Henry III. was on much the same footing; only the tenor of the oath was, that the parties had never once repented, or wished themselves unmarried again.

(Roger), a Franciscan friar of amazing 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 so rapid a progress in the sciences, that he was esteemed the glory of that university, and was much cared for by several of his countrymen, particularly by Robert Grouthead, afterwards bishop of Lincoln, his singular friend and patron. 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 in scarce books, he tells us, he spent, in the space of 20 years, no less than L. 2000; which, it seems, was given him by some of the heads of the university, to enable him to prosecute his noble inquiries. By 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, could not fail to excite the envy and malice of his illiterate fraternity; who found no difficulty of professing the vulgar with the notion of Bacon's dealing with the devil. Under this pretence, he was restrained from reading lectures; his writings were confined to his convent; and finally, in 1278, he himself was imprisoned in his cell. At this time he was 64 years of age. Nevertheless, being permitted the use of his books, he went on in the rational pursuit of knowledge, corrected his former labours, and wrote several curious pieces. When he had been 10 years in confinement, Jerome de Alcoli being elected pope, Bacon solicited his holiness to be released; in which, it seems, he did not immediately succeed. 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 in the year 1294, in the 80th year of his age, and was buried in the Franciscan church. Such are the few particulars which the most diligent researches have been able to discover concerning this very great man; who, like a single bright star in a dark hemisphere, shone forth the glory of his country, and the pride of human nature. His works are, 1. Epistolae fratris Rogeri Baconis de secretis operibus artis et naturae, et de nullitate magiae. Paris, 1542, 4to. Basil, 1593, 8vo. 2. Opus majus. Lon. 1733, fol. published by Dr. Jebb. 3. Theatrum chemicum. Francf. 1603, 1620. This was probably the editor's title; but it contains several of our author's treatises on this subject. These printed works of Bacon contain a considerable number of essays, which, in the catalogue of his writings by Bale; Pits, &c. have been considered as distinct books; but there remain in different libraries several manuscripts not yet published. By an attentive perusal of his works, the reader will be astonished to find, that this great luminary of the 13th century 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, and the art of making them; that the camera obscura, burning-glasses, and the power of the telescope, were known to him; that he was well versed 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 an adept in chemistry, and was really the inventor of gun-powder; that he possessed great knowledge in the medical art; that he was an able mathematician, logician, metaphysician, and theologian.

(Sir Nicholas), lord keeper of the great seal in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, was born at Chislehurst in Kent in 1510, and educated at the university of Cambridge; after which he travelled into France, and made some stay at Paris. On his return, he settled in Gray's inn, and applied himself with such assiduity to the study of the law, that he quickly distinguished him- himself so, that on the dissolution of the monastery of St Edmond's Bury in Suffolk, he had a grant from King Henry VIII. in the 36th year of his reign, of several manors. In the 38th of the same king, he was promoted to the office of attorney in the court of Wards, which was a place both of honour and profit. In this office he was continued by King Edward VI.; and in 1552 he was elected treasurer of Gray's-inn. His great moderation and consummate prudence preserved him through the dangerous reign of Queen Mary. In the very dawn of that of Elizabeth he was knighted; and on the 2nd of December 1558, the great seal of England being taken from Nicholas Heath archbishop of York, was delivered to him with the title of lord keeper, and he was also made one of the Queen's privy council. He had a considerable share in the settling of religion. As a statesman, he was remarkable for a clear head and deep counsels: but his great parts and high preferment were far from raising him in his own opinion, as appears from the modest answer he gave Queen Elizabeth, when she told him his house at Redgrave was too little for him: "Not so, madam, (returned he); but your majesty has made me too great for my house." After having had the great seal more than 20 years, this able statesman and faithful counselor was suddenly removed from this life, as Mr Mallet informs us, by the following accident: he was under the hands of the barber, and thinking the weather warm, had ordered a window before him to be thrown open; but fell asleep as the current of fresh air was blowing in upon him, and awakened some time after distempered all over. He was immediately removed into his bed-chamber, where he died a few days after, on the 26th of February 1578-9, equally lamented by the Queen and her subjects. He was buried in St Paul's, where a monument was erected to him, which was destroyed by the fire of London in 1666. Mr Granger observes, that he was the first lord keeper that ranked as lord chancellor; and that he had much of that penetrating genius, fidelity, and judgment, persuasive eloquence, and comprehensive knowledge of law and equity, which afterwards shone forth with so great a lustre in his son, who was as much inferior to his father in point of prudence and integrity as his father was to him in literary accomplishments.

Bacon (Francis), lord high chancellor of England under King James I., was son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper of the great seal in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by Anne daughter of Sir Anthony Cook, eminent for her skill in the Latin and Greek tongues. He was born in 1561; and showed such marks of genius, that he was particularly taken notice of by Queen Elizabeth when very young. He was educated at Trinity-college, Cambridge; and made such incredible progress in his studies, that before he was 16 he had not only run through the whole circle of the liberal arts as they were then taught, but began to perceive those imperfections in the reigning philosophy, which he afterwards so effectually exposed, and thereby not only overturned that tyranny which prevented the progress of true knowledge, but laid the foundation of that free and useful philosophy which has since opened a way to so many glorious discoveries. On his leaving the university, his father sent him to France; where, before he was 19 years of age, he wrote a general view of the state of Europe: but Sir Nicholas dying, he was obliged suddenly to return to England; when he applied himself to the study of the common law at Gray's inn. At this period the famous Earl of Essex, who could distinguish merit, and who passionately loved it, entered into an intimate friendship with him; zealously attempted, though without success, to procure him the office of Queen's solicitor; and, in order to comfort his friend under the disappointment, conferred on him a present of land to the value of £1000. Bacon, notwithstanding the friendship of so great a person; notwithstanding the number and power of his own relations; and, above all, notwithstanding the early prepossession of her majesty in his favour; met with many obstacles to his preferment during her reign. In particular, his enemies represented him as a speculative man, whose head was filled with philosophical notions, and therefore more likely to perplex than forward public business. It was not without great difficulty that lord treasurer Burleigh obtained for him the reversion of register to the star-chamber, worth about £1000 a-year, which place fell to him about twenty years after. Neither did he obtain any other preferment all this reign; though if obedience to a sovereign in what must be the most disagreeable of all offices, viz. the casting reflections on a deceased friend, intitled him, he might have claimed it. The people were so clamorous even against the Queen herself on the death of Essex, that it was thought necessary to vindicate the conduct of the administration. This was assigned to Bacon, which brought on him universal censure, nay his very life was threatened. Upon the accession of King James, he was soon raised to considerable honours; and wrote in favour of the union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, which the King so passionately desired. In 1616, he was sworn of the privy-council. He then applied himself to the reducing and recomposing the laws of England. He distinguished himself when attorney-general by his endeavours to restrain the custom of duels, then very frequent. In 1617, he was appointed lord keeper of the great seal. In 1618, he was made lord chancellor of England, and created Lord Verulam. In the midst of these honours and applause, and multiplicity of business, he forgot not his philosophy, but in 1620 published his great work intitled Novum Organum. We find, by several letters of his, that he thought convening of parliaments was the best expedient for the king and people. In 1621, he was advanced to the dignity of Viscount St Albans, and appeared with the greatest splendour at the opening of the session of parliament. But he was soon after surprised with a melancholy reverse of fortune. For, about the 12th of March, a committee of the house of commons was appointed to inspect the abuses of the courts of justice. The first thing they fell upon was bribery and corruption, of which the lord chancellor was accused. For that very year complaints being made to the house of commons of his lordship's having received bribes, those complaints were sent up to the house of lords; and new ones being daily made of a like nature, things soon grew too high to be got over. The King found it was impossible to save both his chancellor, who was openly accused of corruption, and Buckingham his favourite, who was secretly and therefore more dangerously attacked as the encourager of whatever whatever was deemed most illegal and oppressive; he therefore forced the former to abandon his defence, giving him positive advice to submit himself to his peers, and promising upon his princely word to screen him in the last determination, or, if that could not be, to reward him afterwards with ample retribution of favour. The chancellor, though he foresaw his approaching ruin if he did not plead for himself, resolved to obey; and the house of peers, on the 3d of May 1621, gave judgment against him, "That he should be fined 40,000l. and remain prisoner in the tower during the King's pleasure; that he should forever be incapable of any office, place, or employment, in the state or commonwealth; and that he should never sit in parliament, or come within the verge of the court." The fault which, next to his ingratitude to Essex, thus tarnished the glory of this illustrious man, is said to have principally proceeded from his indulgence to his servants, who made a corrupt use of it. One day, during his trial, passing through a room where several of his domestics were fitting, upon their rising up to salute him, he said, "Sit down, my masters; your rife hath been my fall." Stephens, p. 54. And we are told by Ruthworth in his historical collections, "That he treasured up nothing for himself or family, but was over-indulgent to his servants, and connived at their takings, and their ways betrayed him to that error; they were profuse and expensive, and had at their command whatever he was master of. The gifts taken were for the most part for interlocutory orders; his decrees were generally made with so much equity, that though gifts rendered him suspected for injustice, yet never any decree made by him was reversed as unjust." It was peculiar to this great man (says the authors of the Biogr. Brit.) to have nothing narrow and selfish in his composition: he gave away without concern whatever he possessed; and believing other men of the same mould, he received with as little consideration. He retired, after a short imprisonment, from the engagements of an active life, to which he had been called much against his genius, to the shade of a contemplative one, which he had always loved. The King remitted his fine, and he was summoned to parliament in the first year of King Charles I. It appears from the works composed during his retirement, that his thoughts were still free, vigorous, and noble. The last five years of his life he devoted wholly to his studies. In his recels he composed the greatest part of his English and Latin works. He expired on the 9th of April, 1626; and was buried in St Michael's church at St Albans, according to the direction of his last will, where a monument of white marble was erected to him by Sir Thomas Meautys formerly his secretary, and afterward clerk of the privy council under two kings. A complete edition of this great man's works was published at London in the year 1740.—Addison has said of him, That he had the sound, distinct, comprehensive knowledge of Aristotle, with all the beautiful light graces and embellishments of Cicero. The honourable Mr Walpole calls him the Prophet of Arts which Newton was afterwards to reveal; and adds, that his genius and his works will be universally admired as long as science exists. "As long as ingratitude and adulation are desppicable, so long shall we lament the depravity of this great man's heart. Alas! that he who could command immortal fame, should have stooped to the little ambition of power."

(Sir Nathaniel), knight of the bath, and an excellent painter, was a younger son of the lord keeper, and half brother to the great Sir Francis. He travelled into Italy, and studied painting there; but his manner and colouring approaches nearer to the style of the Flemish school. Mr Walpole observes, that at Culford, where he lived, are preserved some of his works; and at Gorhambury, his father's seat, is a large picture by him in oil, of a cook-maid with a dead fowl, admirably painted, with great nature, neatness, and lustre of colouring. In the same house is a whole length of him, by himself, drawing on a paper, his sword and pallet hung up, and a half length of his mother by him.