On Delaying the Effects of Old Age

INTRODUCTION

PART I

i. The edition of 1590. ii. Manuscripts collated for the present edition.
iii. Manuscripts not collated in this edition. iv. Relations of the manu-
scripts. v. Authenticity of the treatises here printed. vi. Origin of the
various treatises. vii. Notes on the methods adopted in this edition.
viii. Appendix.

i. THE EDITION OF 1590.

An edition of part of the contents of this volume was published at Oxford in 1590 under the title: Small Book of Roger Bacon, the Englishman, Most Learned Mathematician and Physician, On Delaying the Accidents of Old Age and on Preserving the Senses original: "Libellus Rogerii Baconi Angli, Doctissimi Mathematici et medici, De retardandis senectutis accidentibus et de sensibus conservandis" with another treatise, illustrated and corrected by notes added to the margin, through the work of John Williams of Oxford. Printed at Oxford from the Printing Office of Joseph Barnes, in the year of our Lord 1590.

After a dedication to Sir Christopher Hatton, Chancellor of the University, John Williams explains his method in an address to the reader original: "ad lectorem":

When I encountered certain small mathematical and medical works of the most learned Roger Bacon, an Englishman, in Kent The Latin "Cantriae" likely refers to the county of Kent, though it is an unusual spelling for Cantia. four years ago, I read them eagerly. They pleased me. I compared some with other copies, and they matched. I showed them to certain learned academics, who suggested that they should be printed by my labor. From among the rest, I chose this booklet on delaying old age. God willing, I intend to illustrate his work on Perspectives Bacon's "Perspectiva" is his major work on optics and the physics of light. with a small commentary later. I collected several copies from various places. In all of them, the meaning was the same, though the wording was not exactly identical. I preferred the copy that showed the least difference in style from his other published works. Some useless repetitions and grammatical errors had crept in, so I removed them. Many testimonies from ancient authors were scattered throughout the text. I placed most of these in the margin. I took nothing away from the meaning, nor did I add anything. I changed very few words, only those that seemed unworthy of philosophy or such a great philosopher. original: "Cum ante quadriennium in quaedam mathematica et medica Rogerij Baconi Angli doctissimi opuscula Cantriae incidissem, ea avide pervolvi, placuerunt: cum alijs exemplaribus quaedam contuli, convenerunt: doctis quibusdam Academicis ostendi, suasurunt vt mea opera excuderentur. Inter reliqua, hunc de retardanda senectute libellum (eius Perspectiva annuente Deo, commentariolo illustraturus) selegi, nonnulla exemplaria hinc inde coacervavi; in omnibus idem fuit sensus, quamvis non idem penitus sermo. Illud exemplar magis placuit, in quo minor fuit cum alijs quibusdam eius operibus in lucem aeditis styli dissimilitudo. Quaedam ociosae repetitiones et soloecismi irrepserunt, expunxi; plurima antiquorum testimonia passim spargebantur, pleraque ad marginem affixi: de sensu nihil abstuli, nihil addidi: paucissima in dictione, eaque quae nec philosophia, nec tanto philosopho digna videbantur, mutavi."

He divides the treatise into sixteen chapters, and gives the sense of the original with fidelity. In thirty-one closely printed pages he gives the substance of what is contained in pages 1 to 80 and 87 to 99 of the present edition. Parts are very freely abbreviated. Thus pages