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BACON’S  ESSAYS
AND
WISDOM  OF  THE ANCIENTS

WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE BY A. SPIERS
PREFACE BY B. MONTAGU, AND NOTES
BY DIFFERENT WRITERS

BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

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Copyright, 1884,
By Little, Brown, and Company.

The University Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A.

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ADVERTISEMENT.

In preparing the present volume for the press, usehas been freely made of several publications which haverecently appeared in England. The Biographical Noticeof the author is taken from an edition of the Essays, byA. Spiers, Ph. D. To this has been added the Prefaceto Pickering’s edition of the Essays and Wisdom of theAncients, by Basil Montagu, Esq. Parker’s edition, byThomas Markby, M. A., has furnished the arrangementof the Table prefixed to the Essays, and also “thereferences to the most important quotations.” TheNotes, including the translations of the Latin, arechiefly copied from Bohn’s edition, prepared by JosephDevey, M. A. We have given the modern translationof the Wisdom of the Ancients contained in Bohn’sedition, in preference to that “done by Sir ArthurGorges,” although the last mentioned has a claim uponregard, as having been made by a contemporary of LordBacon, and published in his lifetime. Its language isin the style of English current in the author’s age, andfor this reason may resemble more nearly what the philosopherhimself would have used, had he composed thework in his own tongue instead of Latin.

CONTENTS.