FrancisBacon1561-1626Bacon’sWife:AliceBarnhamBaconFrancisBacon(1561–1626)“FatherofEnglishEssaysHewasachieffigureinEnglishproseintheearly17thcenturyandhisessaysbeganthelongtraditionoftheEnglishessaysinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.Aboutlife•FrancisBaconwasborninJanuary1561inElizabethanEngland.Hisfather,SirNicholasBacon,heldthehighestjudicialofficeofState,theLordKeeperoftheGreatSeal,atthecourtofElizabethI.Hismother,Anne,wasthedaughterofEdwardVI'stutor,andAnne'ssisterwasmarriedtotheLordTreasurer.Bornintothishighlypoliticalfamily,thefirstloveofFrancisBacon,itseems,waspalacepolitics.AfterfinishinghiseducationatTrinityCollege,Cambridge,attheearlyageofsixteen,hewasadmittedtoGray'sInn,whichheleftin1576forFrance.HelivedthereforafewyearsunderthecareoftheQueen'sambassadortotheFrenchCourt.HereturnedtoEnglandforgoodinFebruary1579,resumedhisstudiesandthenpursuedacareerinlawandpolitics•Itissaidthathewasadeptatpalaceintrigue,flatteryofthepowerful,andconspiringagainstfriends.Hedidprosecuteapersonalbenefactor,theEarlofEssex,andthen,aftertheexecutionoftheEarl,hewroteapamphletcondemninghim,allegedlytocurryfavourwiththeQueen.Aidedbysuchmeans,herose,slowly,tothepositionofLordKeeper(laterdesignatedLordChancellor)thathisfatherhadhad.HealsoobtainedthetitleofBaronVerulam,andlaterthatofViscountStAlbans.LordBaconinhisjudicialofficeisknowntohavemisusedhisauthoritytotortureprisonersandtoissueinjudiciousmonopoliestopleasehissuperiorsatcourt.HeacceptedbribesfromlitigantswhileoccupyingthehighestjudicialchairinEngland.ForthishewasimpeachedbytheHouseofCommonsandsentencedbytheHouseofLordsin1626toalargefine,imprisonmentatthepleasureoftheKing,andbanishmentfromcourtforlife.ThesentencewasnotfullyexecutedasLordBacondiedin1626.1弗朗西斯·培根(FrancisBacon,1561-1626)于1561年出生于伦敦一个官宦世家,父亲尼古拉·培根是伊丽莎白女王的掌玺大臣,思想倾向进步,信奉英国国教,反对教皇干涉英国内政;母亲安妮·培根是一位颇有名气的才女,她精通希腊文和拉丁文,是加尔文教派的信徒。良好的家庭教育使培根各方面都表现出异乎寻常的才智。1573年,年仅12岁的培根被送入剑桥大学三一学院深造,大学中的学习是他对传统观念和信仰产生了怀疑,开始独自思考社会和人生的真谛。培根纪念碑三年后,培根作为英国驻法大使的随员旅居巴黎。短短两年半的时间里,他几乎走遍里整个法国,这使他接触到不少新的事物,汲取了许多新的思想,并且对其世界观的转变产生了极大的影响。1579年,父亲突然病逝,培根不得不回到伦敦。由于生活开始陷入贫困,培根进入了葛雷法学院,一面攻读法律,一面四处谋职。1582年,21岁的培根取得了律师资格,此时,培根在思想上更为成熟了,他决心把脱离实际,脱离自然的一切知识加以改革,并且把经验和实践引入认识论。这是他“复兴科学”的伟大抱负,也是他为之奋斗一生的志向。1602年伊丽莎白去世,詹姆士一世继位。由于培根曾力主苏格兰与英格兰的合并,受到詹姆士的大力赞赏。培根因此平步青云,扶摇直上。1602年受封为爵士,1604年被任命为詹姆士的顾问,1607年被任命为副检察长,1613年被委任为首席检察官,1616年被任命为枢密院顾问,1617年提升为掌玺大臣,1618年晋升为英格兰的大陆官,授封为维鲁兰男爵,1621年又授封为奥尔本斯子爵。但培根的才能和志趣不在国务活动上,而存在与对科学真理的探求上。这一时期,他在学术研究上取得了巨大的成果。并出版了多部著作。1621年培根被国会指控贪污受贿,被高级法庭判处罚金四万磅,监禁于伦敦塔内,终生逐出宫廷,不得任议员和官职。虽然后来罚金和监禁皆被豁免,但培根却因此而身败名裂。从此培根不理政事,开始专心从事理论著述。1626年3月底,培根坐车经守伦敦北郊。当时他正在潜心研究冷热理论及其实际应用问题。当路过一片雪地时,他突然想作一次实验,他宰了一只鸡,把雪填进鸡肚,以便观察冷冻在防腐上的作用。但由于他身体孱弱,经受不住风寒的侵袭,支气管炎复发,病情恶化,于1626年4月9日清晨病逝概括英国文艺复兴时期最重要的散作家、哲学家。他不但在文学、哲学上多有建树,在自然科学领域里,也取得了重大成就。培根是一位经历了诸多磨难的贵族子弟,复杂多变的生活经历丰富了他的阅历,随之而来的,他的思想成熟,言论深邃,富含哲理。他的整个世界观是现世的而不是宗教的(虽然他坚信上帝)。他是一位理性主义者而不是迷信的崇拜者,是一位经验论者而不是诡辩学者。在政治上,他是一位现实主义者而不是理论家。Bacon’sReputationBacon’schiefcontributiontoposterityliesinhisroleasthefounderofmaterialisminphilosophyandscienceinEngland.AccordingtoMarx,“TherealprogenitorofEnglishmaterialismisBacon.Tohimnaturalphilosophyisthetruephilosophy,andphysicsbasedupontheexperiencesofthesensesisthecorepartofnaturalphilosophy.Bacon’sWorksBacon’sworkscanbedividedintothreeclasses:1.Thephilosophical:theAdvancementofLearning(1605);(TheNewInstrument1620)2.Theliteraryworks:Essays(“ofTruth”,“ofDeath”,“ofStudies”,“ofFriendship”etc)3.TheProfessionalworks:MaximsoftheLawandReadingontheStatueofUsesBacon’sWritings&SubjectsHisessaysispractical,givingadvicehowtobehave.HisSubjectsareabouttruth,death,love,beauty,marriage,garden,man&manners,etc.TheLanguageisconversationisalandrevealstruthaboutman&mannersFeaturesofBacon’sessays1.Thelanguageisveryneat,prettyandweighty.2.Thesentencesareveryshort.Baconalsolikestousemoreco-ordinateconjunctionsthanthesubordinatedones,suchas“as,since,because”.3.Parallelism,epigrams(警句),metaphorandsimile4.Bacon’sessaysarefamousfortheirbrevity,compactnessandpowerfulness.Quotesweknowfrombacon’swork1.Studiesservefordelight,forornament,andforability.王佐良译文:读书足以怡情,足以博彩,足以长才。2.Historiesmakemenwise;poetswitty;themathematicssubtle;naturalphilosophydeep;moralgrave'logicalandrhetoricabletocontend.Abeuntstudiainmores.陈毅平译文:历史使人明智,诗歌使人灵慧,数学使人缜密,物理使人深刻,伦理学使人庄重,逻辑学则使人善辩,正如古人云:学皆成性。3.Somebooksaretobetasted,otherstobeswallowed,andsomefewtobechewedanddigested;thatis,somebooksaretobereadonlyinparts;otherstoberead,butnotcuriously;andsomefewtobereadwholly,andwithdiligenceandattention.曹明伦译文:有些书可以浅尝辄止,有些书可以囫囵吞枣,而只有少部分书需要细嚼慢咽,慢慢消化;换言之,有些书只读其章节,有些书可大致浏览,有些书则须通篇细读并认真领悟。OfBeauty1.Virtueislikearichstone,bestplainset;andsurelyvirtueisbestinabodythatiscomely,thoughnotofdelicatefeatures;andthathathratherdignityofpresencethanbeautyofaspect.王佐良译文:德行犹如宝石,朴素最美;其于人也:则有德者但须形体悦目,不必面貌俊秀,与其貌美,不若气度恢宏。2.Inbeauty,thatoffavorismorethanofcolor;andthatofdecentandgraciousmotionmorethanthatoffavor.王佐良译文:美不在颜色艳丽而在面目端正,又不尽在面目端正而在举止优雅合度。3.Beautyisassummerfruits,whichareeasytocorrupt,andcannotlast;andforthemostpartitmakesadissoluteyouth,andanageali