P. 25.--Of this piece of carelessness--for which I do not the less feel
that I deserved a rebuke because L. has not administered it--I had already
been made aware by the kindness of a friend. I confess I had never heard of
Osorius, which is perhaps no great matter for wonder; but I looked for his
name both in Bayle and the catalogue of the library of the British Museum,
and by some oversight missed it. I have since found it in both. I cannot
help, however, remarking that this is a good example of the advantage of
noting _every_ deviation from the received text. Had I tacitly transposed
three letters of the word in question (a small liberty compared with some
that my predecessors have taken), my corruption of the text might have
passed unnoticed. I have not had much experience in these things; but if
the works of English writers in general have been tampered with by editors
as much as I have found the _Advancement_ and _Essays_ of Lord Bacon to be,
I fear they must have suffered great mutilation. I rather incline to think
it is the case, for I have had occasion lately to compare two editions of
Paley's _Horae Paulinae_, and I find great differences in the text. All this
looks suspicious.
P. 34.--I spent some time in searching for this passage in Aristotle, but I
could not discover it. I did not look elsewhere.
P. 60.--In the forthcoming edition of the _Essays_ I have referred to
Plutarch, _Gryll._, 1., which I incline to think is the passage Bacon had
in his mind. The passage quoted from Cicero I merely meant to point out for
comparison.
P. 146.--The passage quoted is from Sen. _ad Lucil._, 52.
P. 147.--_Ad Lucil._, 53.
P. 159.--_Ad Lucil._, 71.
Two or three other passages from Seneca will be found without any
reference. One of them, p. 13., "Quidam sunt tam umbratiles ut putent in
turbido esse quicquid in luce est," I have taken some pains to hunt for,
but hitherto without success. Another noticeable one, "Vita sine proposito
languida et vaga est," is from _Ep. ad Lucil._, 95.
For the reference to Aristotle I am much obliged. I was anxious to trace
all the quotations from Aristotle, but could not find this one.
P. 165.--I cannot answer this question. Is it possible that he was thinking
of St. Augustine? In the _Confessions_, i. 25., we kind the expression
_vinum erroris_.
P. 177.--No doubt Bacon had read the treatise of Sallust quoted, but my
impression is that he thought the proverb had grown out of the line in
Plautus.
P. 180.--I have searched again for "alimenta socordiae," as it is quoted in
the _Colours of Good and Evil_, but cannot fix upon any passage from which
I can say it was taken, though there are many which might have suggested
it. One at p. 19. of the _Advancement_, which I missed at first, I have
since met with. It is from the _Cherson._, p. 106.