Bacon

In preparing this sketch it is needless to say how deeply I am indebtedto Mr. Spedding and Mr. Ellis, the last editors of Bacon's writings, thevery able and painstaking commentators, the one on Bacon's life, theother on his philosophy. It is impossible to overstate the affectionatecare and high intelligence and honesty with which Mr. Spedding hasbrought together and arranged the materials for an estimate of Bacon'scharacter. In the result, in spite of the force and ingenuity of much ofhis pleading, I find myself most reluctantly obliged to differ from him;it seems to me to be a case where the French saying, cited by Bacon inone of his commonplace books, holds good--"_Par trop se debattre, laverite se perd_."[1] But this does not diminish the debt of gratitudewhich all who are interested about Bacon must owe to Mr. Spedding. Iwish also to acknowledge the assistance which I have received from Mr.Gardiner's _History of England_ and Mr. Fowler's edition of the _NovumOrganum_; and not least