BACON’S PHILOSOPHY AND ITS END

BY

Muhammad Yousaf Gabriel

Oqasaorg@gmail.com

 And so Bacon did neither succeed in obtaining the wealth and leisure that accrued from the post of Attorney Generalship, as was he successful in  obtaining moderate wealth and greater leisure that would have resulted from his selling the reversion of his property, and purchasing an annuity, and abandoning the legal profession and living as student. Bacon as a full-time student in moderate circumstances is a postulate that deserves the attention of every thinking being. Could Bacon have strayed in moderate circumstances for long like Plato or Aristotle? And what could have been the resultant form of a philosophy emanating from the mind of a Bacon contended with a moderate life. It appears to be a priori very unlikely that a Bacon content with a moderate life would have gone to such extremes in his philosophical views. The hand of providence was strong enough to relieve the thinking beings of any necessity of contemplating any such postulates. Bacon was left suspended among his hopes for some lucrative place. Bacon’s intense love for opulence and ostentation perhaps might not have allowed him to continue long in forced solitude, poverty and obscurity. Providence selected for Bacon a life as the best of all the possible lives on the pattern of Leibniz’s best of all the possible worlds.

            By the appointment of Sir Edward Coke to Attorney Generalship, the post of Solicitor-General became vacant. Essex again pressed the Queen to make Bacon solicitor-General, and on this occasion, the old Lord Treasurer Professed himself not unfavourable to his nephew's   pretentions. But after a contest which lasted more than a year and a half, and in which Essex, to use his own words, "Spent all his power, might, authority, and amity”, the place was given to another. Essex felt this disappointment keenly, but found consolation in the most munificent and delicate liberality. He presented Bacon with an estate worth near two thousand pounds, situated at Twichenham; and this, as Bacon owned many years after, “ With so kind and noble circumstances  the manner was worth more than the matter”. Although the old Lord treasurer professed himself not unfavourable to Bacon's obtaining the Solicitor-Generalship, yet the Queen expressing her opinion about Bacon said, “ Bacon hath a great wit and much learning, but in law showeth to the uttermost of his knowledge and is not deep". And indeed Bacon unfortunately was not deep enough to discern the deeper truth of religion regarding the futility of this life of the world from the view-point of its wealth. That is but transient, and is fleeting, and brings but vain deluding joys.

            On the 30th of April, 1596, the mastership of the Roll’s became vacant by the death of Lord Keeper Puckering, and the promotion of Egerton to his place. For this post again Bacon was a candidate. Essex as before supported his claim but with the same result. Suspense and ultimate disappointment. Burleigh’s influence was exerted with no better success. He had endeavoured to procure the solicitorship for his nephew, and failing that, “ the place of the wards". But all came to nothing. Some very powerful yet unseen had was there at the same time exerting its power, might, authority and amity to ensure Bacon’s stay in suspense, and wanted Bacon to remain in hope and professional drudgery, with constant fear of want and with perpetual hope for a lucrative place. And who could this mysterious had be, but the accumulated and collective force of the  worldly desires and pinings of the people of the West, who disgusted with their church and pining after the feast of nature hissed, and sighed, and prayed. Nearly the same could be said of the rest of the world.

            Amidst these recurring disappointments, Bacon contemplated the possibility of a break in another line. He thought of making his fortune by marriage, and had begun to pay court to the wealthy widow of Sir William Hatton. Essex pleaded the causes of his friend with his usual ardour. The letter which he addressed to Lady Hatton and to her mother are still extant, and are highly honourable to him, “If”, he wrote, “She were my sister or my daughter, I protest I would as confidently resolve to further it as I now persuade you”, and again, “ If my faith be anything, I protest if I had one as near me as she is to you I had rather match her with him,  than with men of far greater titles. The suit happily for Bacon, was unsuccessful. The mysterious hand again had prevailed against the protestations of Essex. The lady in question had by her eccentric manners and violent temper made herself a disgrace and a torment to her connections but Bacon was either not aware of her faults or was disposed to overlook them for the sake of her ample fortune. But she was kind to Bacon in more ways than one. She rejected him and accepted his enemy. She married that narrow minded, bad-hearted pedant, Sir Edward Coke, and did her best to make him as miserable as he deserved to be. And again we find ourselves faced with postulates, namely that whether if the Lady had accepted Bacon---Bacon and the lady could have stayed together. And further, that if the lady had accepted Bacon, whether she could have exorcised the devil of philosophy out of his mind. And again we are saved the trouble of answering these questions by the hand of providence which did not allow the union.

            Bacon, however, later on married Alice Barnham, the daughter of Elderman Benedict Barnham. This marriage took place in 1606,that is seven months after the publication of Bacon’s “Advancement of Learning”. It might be amusing to observe that whereas Bacon sought a lucrative place in order to write his philosophy in ease, he desired to be knighted in order to find it easy to marry. Bacon in fact had two reasons to be solicitous for knighthood. Both appear somewhat amusing, but both are in keeping with Bacon’s character. The king had already dubbed half London, and Bacon found himself the only untitled person in his mess at Gary's inn. This was not very agreeable to him. He also, to quote his own words, “Found an Elderman’s daughter, a handsome maid, to his liking”. On both these grounds, he begged his cousin Robert Cecil, “If it might please his good Lordship, to use his interest on his behalf”. The application was successful. Bacon was one of three hundred gentlemen who, on the coronation day, received the honour, if it is to be so called, of knighthood. The handsome maiden soon after consented to become Sir Francis's lady. Unfortunately, however, for Bacon, it seems that the marriage proved not very happy one. From a sentence of Bacon’s will it may be learned, that she had given him some grievous cause of offence. We feel sorry for Bacon in his conjugal discomforts, but alas, the pursuit of philosophy, particularly the writing of an original philosophy, it seems would not go hand in hand with conjugal comforts, nor perhaps, generally speaking, a philosopher husband would prove as an ideal husband to a  particular type of ladies.

            By far the greatest event in Bacon‘s life is the publication of his “ Proficience and Advancement of Learning Divine and Human”, in October 1605, and seven months before his marriage to Alice Barnham. Thus it was that double felicity fell to Bacon's lot, the achievement of two of his life-long ambitions. Bacon applied to Dr. Playfer Margaret, Professor of Divinity at Cambridge to translate the book into Latin, but the specimen of his version was too ornate for Bacon’s taste and it was never completed. In the year 1623, however, the book was issued by Bacon in its Latin form under the tittle of “De Augmentis Scientiarum".

            On the 25th June, 1607, at last the longed-for moon appeared on the dark horizon of Bacon, to wit, that he was made Solicitor General. He had no longer to fear that, either want would steal upon him as a wayfaring man or assault him as an unarmed man. There was no fear now of being put to shame, publicly by being arrested in the street at the suit of a goldsmith for a debt of three hundred pounds, and being carried to a spunging house in Coleman street, as in September 1598 he had been. Next year that is in 1608, the clerkship of the star chamber for which Bacon had to wait for about twenty years, eventually fell to him on the 16th July by the death of William Mill.

            Another part of Bacon’s mind needs a mention, namely, his abilities as a parliamentarian Bacon took a prominent part in the parliament, and proved his eminence as a debator. His thought of a lucrative place in reference to his thought of proposed philosophy, and his ardent, unabating love of wealth, power and ostentation could never be lost sight of whether in a court or in a parliament. He was neither a Budha to renounce his palace, his family, his world and all in the quest of truth, nor was he a Socrates to live in self-imposed poverty for the love of philosophy. Here we see a Mammon in the form of Bacon, seeking for himself the wealth of this world and desiring to impart his own view to the mankind in general. His activities in the parliament could not possibly be disassociated from his basic nature.

            In 1584, he took his seat in the House of Commons as member for Melcombe regions, in Devonshire. In the next parliament which met October 29, 1586, he sat for Taunton. The ninth parliament of Elizabeth met on 24th of October 1597 and Bacon sat as Member of Ipswich. In the last parliament of Elizabeth which met on the 27th of October 1601, Bacon was returned both by Ipsuich and St. Allans the first parliament of the new reign of King James met on the 19th of March 1603, and Bacon was again returned both by Ipswich and St. Allans. And so on so forth. This appears to be a glorious record of parliamentary activities.

            About Bacon's eloquence, Ben Jonson, a most unexceptionable Judge said, "There happened to be in my time one noble speaker who was full of gravity in his speaking. His language, where he could spare or pass by a jest, was nobly censorious. No man ever spoke more neatly, more pressly, more weightily, or suffered less emptiness, less idleness, in what he uttered. No member of his speech but consisted of his own graces. His hearers could not cough or look aside from him without loss. He commanded where he spoke, and had his judges angry and pleased at his devotion. No man had their affections more in his power. The fear of every man that heard him was lest he should make an end".

            (Literary Essays of Lord Macaulay page 221).

            Bacon tried to play a very difficult game in politics. He wished to be at once a favourite at court and popular with the multitude. If any man could have succeeded in this attempt, a man of talents so rare, of judgement so prematurely ripe, of temper so calm, and of manners so plausible, might have been expected to succeed. Nor indeed did he wholly fail. Once, however, he indulged in a burst of patriotism which cost him a long and bitter remorse, and which he never ventured to repeat. The court asked for large subsidies and for speedy payment. The remains of Bacon’s speech breath all the spirit of the long parliament. “The Gentlemen”, said he,  "must sell their plate, and the farmers their brass pots ere this will be paid; and for us, we are here to search the wounds of the realm, and not to skim them over. The dangers are these. First, we shall breed discontent and endanger her Majesty's safety, which must consist more in the love of the people than their wealth. Secondly, this being granted in this sort, other princes hereafter will look for the like;  so that we shall put an evil precedent on ourselves and our posterity; and in histories, it is to be observed, of all the nations the English are not to be subject, base, or taxable”. The Queen and her ministers resented this outbreak of public spirit in the highest manner. Indeed many an honest member of the house of commons had, for a much smaller matter, been sent to the tower by the proud and hot-blooded Tudors. The young patriot condescended to make the most abject apologies. He adjured the Lord treasurer to show some favour to his poor servant and ally. He bemoaned himself to the Lord keeper, in a letter which may keep in countenance the most unmanly of the epistles which Cicero wrote during his Banishment. The lesson was not thrown away. Bacon never offended in the same manner again.

            The point of note, however, here is, that whatever the distinctions of Bacon in the parliament, nothing proved of any avail to him in obtaining some lucrative place to relieve him of the fear of want, and to provide him leisure, until his philosophy had been formulated and his first book published. Nor was ever his hope allowed to die out completely. Bacon, no doubt, remained ignorant of this peculiar policy of the mysterious hand to his last day. Nor has this point been raised by any of his biographers hitherto. But now that the moment of resurrection and judgement both of Bacon and his philosophy has approached, let the mysteries be revealed. The whole situation now is fast assuming clarity.

            Bacon’s hatred of the barren and unfruitful philosophy of Aristotle, and his innate and ardent desire of giving this world a philosophy of fruit and utility against Aristotle's philosophy of fruit and utility was fixed in his mind since his younger days. But judging from the proposed plan of his father regarding his career, that was in the line of diplomacy, it appears really doubtful that Bacon could have been able to achieve the desire of his heart in case his father was alive to direct and supervise his course, for in that case such activities only would have been preferred as were deemed useful to the attainment of that goal which was set for Bacon by his father. Activities like composing poetry, or the philosophic engrossment in writing a new philosophy might have been regarded not only superfluous but even detrimental to the occupation of a diplomat or a statesman endeavouring to reach the seat of a minister or a lord keeper. But the death of his father left Bacon to his own way, and involved in a special set of circumstances, and the end of independent journey was to appear in the form of the new philosophy, a philosophy of fruit and utility that Bacon had cherished since his child-hood. A philosophy of the lucrative place or the philosophy of a lord chancellor, as William Harvey called it, and the philosophy of an anti-Christ as Blake called it, and the seed of atomic hell as we have found it  to be. No doubt the origin of atomic hell may be traced to Bacon’s philosophy of modern atomism. It was Bacon who planted the seed of modern atomism that gradually grew into a blazing, braying and bursting atomic hell.