xviii

INTRODUCTION

“one of the chief things that I have written.” Apart from Bacon’s opinion of the comparative value of the treatise, this is an accurate description of the contents of the Astrology original: "Astrologia": it does not describe the contents of the much longer treatise On the Heavens¹ original: "De Coelestibus" which forms the second book of the General Principles of Natural Philosophy original: "Communia Naturalium", with which Professor Duhem (p. 59) wishes to identify the treatise on celestial bodies contained in the Lesser Work original: "Opus Minus".

Some portions of the newly discovered fragment have reference not to the treatise on Astrology original: "Astrologia" but to that called Judgments of Astronomy original: "Judicia Astronomiae." This refers to judicial astrology, the practice of predicting human affairs or earthly events based on the movements of the stars. (Bridges, I., 238-69). In The Third Work original: "Opus Tertium" chapter 65 (Brewer, pp. 268-70) Bacon alludes only to the opening passages of this section, referring the Pope for further information to the separate “fuller treatises” on judicial astronomy “which John has.” John was a favorite pupil of Bacon who often carried his manuscripts to the Pope. It may therefore be asked whether the bulk of the section on the Judgments of Astronomy was this separate treatise (as The Third Work, chapter 65, seems to suggest) or whether it was incorporated in the Lesser Work (as one might infer from the passage of the new fragment just quoted). But neither of these suggestions is tenable. The treatise contains an explanation of the astrological terms, house, exaltation, triplicity, etc.: and for this in the new fragment of the Third Work (p. 6 below) Bacon refers explicitly to the Greater Work original: "Opus Majus"; while in the earlier part of the Third Work (Brewer, p. 27) he speaks of the fourth part of the Greater Work, “where a special discussion of the judgments of astronomy is made.” original: "ubi de judiciis astronomia fit sermo specialis"

The passage of the new fragment quoted above (p. xvii) continues: “After this I added the works of geometry, arithmetic and music, which are also among the greatest secrets of nature and the noble arts, and in them is nothing magical in reality but only in appearance”: and he goes on to refer to burning glasses, flying machines, ships and chariots which are propelled without any apparent cause, etc.,² in words which closely resemble those used in the Letter on Secret Works original: "Epistola de secretis operibus".

Mr. Robert Steele, a prominent medieval scholar, allowed the editor to see his early drafts of the treatise "On the Heavens."
According to the Tanner Manuscript, a document held at the Bodleian Library, the subject of musical instruments was discussed in this section of Bacon's text.