<p>Bacon and the&nbsp;Hermetic Tradition in&nbsp;Medieval Science <br>Roger </p><p>GEORGE MOLLAND </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Bacon would no </li><li style="flex:1">have </li><li style="flex:1">to be called&nbsp;a </li><li style="flex:1">Hermeticist </li><li style="flex:1">more </li><li style="flex:1">wished </li></ul><p>Roger </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">to </li><li style="flex:1">a</li><li style="flex:1">its </li><li style="flex:1">nature </li></ul><p>very </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">than </li><li style="flex:1">be called </li><li style="flex:1">For him </li><li style="flex:1">was </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">by </li><li style="flex:1">magician. </li></ul><p>him from magic </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">but this did not </li><li style="flex:1">beliefs and </li><li style="flex:1">that </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">bad, </li><li style="flex:1">stop </li></ul><p>magical. Similarly, although of </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">practices </li><li style="flex:1">indulging </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">he had&nbsp;no </li><li style="flex:1">or </li><li style="flex:1">bordered on </li></ul><p>great </p><p>are very his </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">favourable </li><li style="flex:1">Hermes </li><li style="flex:1">infused </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">image </li><li style="flex:1">Trismegistus, </li><li style="flex:1">writings </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">a</li><li style="flex:1">in a </li></ul><p>in </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">term have </li><li style="flex:1">with </li></ul><p>been called Hermetic&nbsp;trends </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">akin to&nbsp;what </li><li style="flex:1">loose </li><li style="flex:1">the </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">understanding </li><li style="flex:1">spirit </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Renaissance </li><li style="flex:1">and </li></ul><p>1to thought, </p><p>Science" .1 especially the ` `Hermetic </p><p>In </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Tradition </li><li style="flex:1">in Renaissance </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">back some </li><li style="flex:1">and </li><li style="flex:1">a</li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">more, </li><li style="flex:1">exciting scholarship </li><li style="flex:1">thirty years </li></ul><p>associated with&nbsp;the dating </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">some </li><li style="flex:1">Institute </li></ul><p>scholars, </p><p>demonstrated traditions attributed and closely the </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Warburg </li><li style="flex:1">group </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in </li><li style="flex:1">in </li><li style="flex:1">Renaissance </li></ul><p>rather of </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">London, </li><li style="flex:1">vitality </li><li style="flex:1">thought </li><li style="flex:1">quasi- </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">associated </li><li style="flex:1">with </li></ul><p>Hermes sage magical writings Trismegistus, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">(sometimes </li><li style="flex:1">remotely) </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">to the </li><li style="flex:1">ancient </li></ul><p>supposed </p><p>their <br>Egyptian </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">for </li><li style="flex:1">a</li><li style="flex:1">historical </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">importance </li><li style="flex:1">proper </li><li style="flex:1">urged </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">assessment of&nbsp;the nascent </li><li style="flex:1">The </li><li style="flex:1">made </li><li style="flex:1">Scientific Revolution.2 </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">impact </li><li style="flex:1">by </li></ul><p>these studies&nbsp;has produced </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">that "Hermetic" </li></ul><p>influences impression </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">science were in&nbsp;essence a&nbsp;Renaissance </li><li style="flex:1">and had </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">upon </li><li style="flex:1">phenomenon </li></ul><p>Iis from </p><p>in: <br>Baltimore </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">A. </li><li style="flex:1">in </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">The </li><li style="flex:1">Frances </li><li style="flex:1">Yates' oft-cited </li><li style="flex:1">The HermeticTradition </li></ul><p>ed. Charles S. <br>Renaissance, article, the phrase in <br>Renaissance Singleton, North </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">and </li><li style="flex:1">Science, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Science, </li><li style="flex:1">Art, </li></ul><p>1968, 255-74, <br>History </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in F. A. </li><li style="flex:1">Ideas and </li><li style="flex:1">in the </li></ul><p>Ideals </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Yates, </li><li style="flex:1">reprinted </li></ul><p></p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Volume </li><li style="flex:1">Renaissance.C- ollected </li></ul><p>European Essays, <br>London with some more critical of Tradition, and <br>Slbiritual <br>227-46. </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">III, </li><li style="flex:1">1984, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in this </li><li style="flex:1">I</li></ul><p>it, </p><p>The </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">2 Among&nbsp;important writings </li><li style="flex:1">genre, together </li></ul><p>cite here: F. A. Rosicrucian </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">GiordanoBrunoand theHermetic </li><li style="flex:1">London </li></ul><p>Yates, </p><p>Enlightenment, <br>1964; id., </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Demonic </li><li style="flex:1">London </li><li style="flex:1">D. P. </li></ul><p>The Ancient London </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1972; </li><li style="flex:1">Walker, </li></ul><p>Theology: <br>C. B. <br>Magic,from <br>Ficinoto </p><p>from ophy: fromAgostino 32, in </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">London </li><li style="flex:1">Studies ChristianPlatonism </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1958; id., </li><li style="flex:1">Campanella, </li></ul><p></p><p>Fifteenth </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">to the </li><li style="flex:1">PerennialPhilos- </li></ul><p>1972; </p><p>of the <br>Schmitt, Ideas, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Century, </li><li style="flex:1">Eighteenth </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Steucoto </li><li style="flex:1">in: </li><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">505- </li></ul><p>P. <br>(originally </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">27 </li><li style="flex:1">Leibniz, </li></ul><p>History </p><p>and </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Journal </li><li style="flex:1">(1966), </li></ul><p>in Bacon: in </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Studies Renaissance </li><li style="flex:1">London </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Schmitt, </li><li style="flex:1">Science, </li><li style="flex:1">Philosophy </li></ul><p>tr. S.&nbsp;London 1968 <br>Rabinovitch, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1981 ; </li><li style="flex:1">reprinted </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Francis </li><li style="flex:1">From </li><li style="flex:1">to </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Science, </li><li style="flex:1">Magic </li><li style="flex:1">Rossi, </li></ul><p>The </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in Italian </li><li style="flex:1">P. </li><li style="flex:1">Dee: </li><li style="flex:1">World an&nbsp;Elizabethan </li></ul><p>BetweenScienceand </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">French, </li><li style="flex:1">published </li></ul><p>London London and J. </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1957); J. </li><li style="flex:1">John </li><li style="flex:1">of Magus, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">N. H. </li><li style="flex:1">Dee'sNatural </li></ul><p>1972; </p><p>1988; </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Clulee, </li><li style="flex:1">Religion, </li><li style="flex:1">John </li><li style="flex:1">Philosophy: </li></ul><p>M. of <br>E. McGuire&nbsp;&amp;P. the </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Newtonand the </li><li style="flex:1">in: Notes </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Rattansi, </li><li style="flex:1">J. </li><li style="flex:1">'Pipesof Pan', </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">S. </li><li style="flex:1">R. </li></ul><p>108-43; </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">&amp;</li><li style="flex:1">Records </li></ul><p>E. </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">21 </li><li style="flex:1">Westman </li></ul><p>1977. <br>London, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Royal Society </li><li style="flex:1">(1968), </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Hermeticismand the </li><li style="flex:1">Los </li></ul><p>Angeles </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">McGuire, </li><li style="flex:1">Revolution, </li></ul><p>Scientific </p><p>140 <br>The while </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">of the </li><li style="flex:1">article is </li></ul><p>medieval the </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">aim </li><li style="flex:1">to </li></ul><p>as </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">negligible </li><li style="flex:1">precedents. </li></ul><p>and, that <br>Renaissance, consider present </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">redress </li><li style="flex:1">no means </li><li style="flex:1">Renaissance </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">balance, </li><li style="flex:1">help </li><li style="flex:1">by </li><li style="flex:1">denying </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">show </li><li style="flex:1">now often </li><li style="flex:1">ideas </li></ul><p>much to </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">originality, </li><li style="flex:1">important </li></ul><p>were regarded the Middle alive in very </p><p>two characteristically </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">I</li><li style="flex:1">facets of&nbsp;the work&nbsp;of </li></ul><p>or <br>To this end role that he ascribed his to&nbsp;naturalise shall <br>Roger </p><p>ancient <br>Ages. </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Bacon: </li><li style="flex:1">to </li><li style="flex:1">the </li></ul><p>and auctoritas, prisca </p><p>some apparently magical&nbsp;prac- </p><p>of </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">authority, </li><li style="flex:1">attempt </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">of </li></ul><p>multiplication </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">tices </li><li style="flex:1">means of </li><li style="flex:1">doctrine </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">species. </li><li style="flex:1">by </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1. </li><li style="flex:1">Auctoritas </li><li style="flex:1">Prisca </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">The </li><li style="flex:1">role </li><li style="flex:1">to this </li><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">ancient-I </li><li style="flex:1">adhere </li><li style="flex:1">translation </li></ul><p>thought </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">things </li><li style="flex:1">against </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">has been </li><li style="flex:1">Schmitt's </li><li style="flex:1">"venerable" -in </li><li style="flex:1">Renaissance </li></ul><p>preferred </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">well summarised </li><li style="flex:1">the late Charles&nbsp;B. Schmitt&nbsp;in an article&nbsp;centred </li></ul><p>by </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">on </li><li style="flex:1">Steuco: </li></ul><p>Agonisto </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">as </li><li style="flex:1">is one which </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">recurs </li><li style="flex:1">The word </li><li style="flex:1">best translated </li></ul><p>"venerable", </p><p>in former priscus, probably </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">He </li><li style="flex:1">often in Steuco. </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">saeculis, </li><li style="flex:1">centuries, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">prisci philosophi, </li><li style="flex:1">speaks of priscis </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">and </li><li style="flex:1">to "the&nbsp;venerable </li><li style="flex:1">and </li></ul><p>alone, prisca theologians". </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">philosophers </li><li style="flex:1">philosophia, </li><li style="flex:1">firisci </li><li style="flex:1">referring </li></ul><p>Truth </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in various </li><li style="flex:1">forms. </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">None of this is accidental. </li><li style="flex:1">flows from&nbsp;a </li><li style="flex:1">as </li></ul><p>fountain, single </p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">it </li><li style="flex:1">revelation of </li><li style="flex:1">but is manifested </li><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">truth </li></ul><p>and we can find truth saecula, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">were, </li><li style="flex:1">Moreover, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">dates back to the most ancient </li><li style="flex:1">to the </li></ul><p>times, </p><p>this centuries, prisca </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">wisdom of earliest times is then </li><li style="flex:1">The </li><li style="flex:1">in the </li><li style="flex:1">derived </li><li style="flex:1">from </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">period. </li><li style="flex:1">writings </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">as </li><li style="flex:1">man </li><li style="flex:1">transmitted to&nbsp;the later </li></ul><p>himself.3 </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">truth and wisdom </li><li style="flex:1">as old </li></ul><p>being <br>3</p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">for all its other </li><li style="flex:1">Schmitt's </li><li style="flex:1">article </li><li style="flex:1">scant attention&nbsp;to </li></ul><p>But, </p><p>the </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">virtues, </li><li style="flex:1">paid </li></ul><p></p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">after </li><li style="flex:1">In like vein&nbsp;D.P. </li></ul><p>called Ancient </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">the for- </li><li style="flex:1">Middle </li></ul><p>Ages. </p><p>tunes of&nbsp;what he <br>Walker, Theology <br>"When in&nbsp;the Renaissance discussing </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">in </li><li style="flex:1">Christian </li><li style="flex:1">the </li></ul><p>early </p><p>the Ancient scholars were continued, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">period, </li><li style="flex:1">Theology </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">was </li><li style="flex:1">It is&nbsp;as if&nbsp;Renaissance </li><li style="flex:1">a</li><li style="flex:1">revived... "4 </li></ul><p>launching </p><p>which would have and in this less counter-attack antedated to the&nbsp;"revolt of&nbsp;the medievalists"5 of the&nbsp;Renaissance's or rather more traditional rebirth, <br>But here virtues, many </p><p>a claim&nbsp;for genuine </p><p>territory. the </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">staking </li><li style="flex:1">originality, </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">familiar and </li><li style="flex:1">rather "irrational" </li></ul><p>prima facie </p><p>be again </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">their claim </li><li style="flex:1">as I </li><li style="flex:1">of </li><li style="flex:1">must </li><li style="flex:1">that </li></ul><p>modified, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">hope </li><li style="flex:1">example </li><li style="flex:1">Roger </li></ul><p>Bacon will&nbsp;demonstrate. </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">The </li><li style="flex:1">occurs in </li><li style="flex:1">auctoritas </li><li style="flex:1">the </li><li style="flex:1">of </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">phrase prisca </li><li style="flex:1">opening </li><li style="flex:1">passage </li></ul><p>345</p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Perennial </li><li style="flex:1">520. </li></ul><p>Schmitt, </p><p>Walker, <br>Philosophy, </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Ancient </li><li style="flex:1">2. </li></ul><p>Theology, </p><p>of </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">To use the </li><li style="flex:1">Wallace K. </li><li style="flex:1">in </li><li style="flex:1">The Renaissance&nbsp;Historical </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Ferguson, </li><li style="flex:1">phrase </li></ul><p>MA <br>Thought, <br>141 </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">ch. </li><li style="flex:1">11. </li></ul><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">1948, </li><li style="flex:1">Cambridge, </li></ul><p></p>