IV. Francis Bacon

　　1. 一般識記Brief Introduction

　　English Renaissance philosopher， essayist， statesman， born in London， England， Jan 22，1561 and died in London， April 9 1626.

　　One of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance， Bacon made important contributions to several fields. His chief interest were science philosophy， but he was also a distinguished man of letters & held several high governmental positions during the reign of king JamesⅠ。 He was one of the earliest & most eloquent spokesmen for experimental science. He lays the foundation for modern science with his insistence on scientific way of thinking & fresh observation rather than authority as a basis for obtaining knowledge.

　　2. 識記His works

　　As an author， Bacon is most famous for his Essays， which deal with such subjects as honor， friendship， love， & riches. Written in a terse， polished style， with many learned allusions & metaphors， the essays rank with the finest in English literature.

　　Bacon's other important literary works include The New Atlantis， an account of an ideal society & an imaginary voyage， & The History of the Reign of King Henry Ⅶ， a perceptive psychological study of Henry's mind & characters.

　　His works can be spanided into three groups：

　　First group： The Advancement of Learning （1605）

　　Novum Organum （1620） （Latin version）

　　Second group： Essays

　　Apophthagmes New & Old （1605）

　　The History of the Reign of Henry Ⅶ （1622）

　　The New Atlantis （unfinished）

　　Third group： Maxims of Law

　　The Learned Reading upon the Stature of Uses （1642）

　　3. 領會 His Major Works

　　Essays The term "essay" was borrowed from Montaigne's Essais， which appeared from 1580 to 1588. Bacon learned from Montaigne， the first great modern essayist