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Harvard Classics Volume 3: Essays, Civil and Moral, and New Atlantis; Areopagitica and Tractate of Education; Religio Medici
Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."
Volume 3 of the set contains 5 works (from 3 authors):
Essays, Civil and Moral, and New Atlantis, by Sir Francis Bacon
Areopagitica and Tractate of Education, by John Milton
Religio Medici, by Sir Thomas Browne
Volume 3 of the set contains 5 works (from 3 authors):
Essays, Civil and Moral, and New Atlantis, by Sir Francis Bacon
Areopagitica and Tractate of Education, by John Milton
Religio Medici, by Sir Thomas Browne
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1909
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About the author
Charles William Eliot
433 books82 followersCharles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university. Eliot served the longest term as president in the university's history.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 6, 2023
The third volume of the Harvard Classics contains a broad sample of the works of older English authors. As a result, the writing styles did not at times lend themselves to easy interpretation. Puzzling through the various sentences, however, revealed a style of English at once nuanced and beautifully precise.
The volume begins with Sir Francis Bacon's Essays or Counsels, Civil and Moral, a collection of essays the subjects of which are well encapsulated in the title. Some of the essays are ruthlessly practical; others more esoteric. Bacon's musings on ideal humanity are continued in his other work in the volume, The New Atlantis, which is a distinctly Baconian version of Thomas More's Utopia. The narrative is set in the first person, describing the discovery by Europeans of Bensalem, an ideal commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean. Through the frame of the story, Bacon describes the island's history, conversion to Christianity, and cultural traditions. Regardless of the extent to which he got them "right", Bacon's political and religious ideals lend themselves well to thoughtful discussion.
The writings of the next author cemented him, for me, as one of the most capable masters of the English language of the past several centuries. I am referring, of course, to John Milton, two of whose prose works feature in this volume: Areopagitica and Tractate on Education. The former is an impassioned defense of freedom of the press to the Lords and Commons, who had passed a law requiring printed books to be licensed and approved. In fifty pages of brilliant English composition, Milton systematically exposes the weaknesses of the licensing law and defends the necessity of a free press. Though his speech did little to change the law (which lapsed many decades later and was not renewed), it leaves us with a fascinating portrait of Milton's thought. This portrait is extended in his Tractate on Education, which describes the ideal education that a youth should receive from the age of 12 to the age of 21. As one might well expect from a man as educated as the author, this is no trivial education. Indeed, if a nation, in the education and upbringing of its youth, were to scrupulously follow Milton's regimen of multilingualism and historical literacy, it would never want of educated individuals.
Concluding the volume is Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, correctly described by some as a psychological self-portrait. Here are the musings of an eccentric man. He describes with no pretense of euphemism his deliberations about faith, reason, religion, and virtue, in paragraphs ranging from the provokingly direct to the blissfully unaware (this latter is perhaps best seen in Browne's expenditure of an entire page in defense of his humility). While not as edifying as Bacon and Milton, Browne's contribution provides a stimulating perspective on questions of ultimate importance.
Volume 3 of the Harvard Classics, in my humble opinion, slightly edges Volume 1 in terms of quality, both of which exceed Volume 2. Whether one agrees with this assessment or not, scrutinizing the works of Bacon, Milton, and Browne provides both an illuminating picture of intellectual life in 17th-century England and a set of intriguing perspectives on topics of life, religion, and liberty.
The volume begins with Sir Francis Bacon's Essays or Counsels, Civil and Moral, a collection of essays the subjects of which are well encapsulated in the title. Some of the essays are ruthlessly practical; others more esoteric. Bacon's musings on ideal humanity are continued in his other work in the volume, The New Atlantis, which is a distinctly Baconian version of Thomas More's Utopia. The narrative is set in the first person, describing the discovery by Europeans of Bensalem, an ideal commonwealth in the Pacific Ocean. Through the frame of the story, Bacon describes the island's history, conversion to Christianity, and cultural traditions. Regardless of the extent to which he got them "right", Bacon's political and religious ideals lend themselves well to thoughtful discussion.
The writings of the next author cemented him, for me, as one of the most capable masters of the English language of the past several centuries. I am referring, of course, to John Milton, two of whose prose works feature in this volume: Areopagitica and Tractate on Education. The former is an impassioned defense of freedom of the press to the Lords and Commons, who had passed a law requiring printed books to be licensed and approved. In fifty pages of brilliant English composition, Milton systematically exposes the weaknesses of the licensing law and defends the necessity of a free press. Though his speech did little to change the law (which lapsed many decades later and was not renewed), it leaves us with a fascinating portrait of Milton's thought. This portrait is extended in his Tractate on Education, which describes the ideal education that a youth should receive from the age of 12 to the age of 21. As one might well expect from a man as educated as the author, this is no trivial education. Indeed, if a nation, in the education and upbringing of its youth, were to scrupulously follow Milton's regimen of multilingualism and historical literacy, it would never want of educated individuals.
Concluding the volume is Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, correctly described by some as a psychological self-portrait. Here are the musings of an eccentric man. He describes with no pretense of euphemism his deliberations about faith, reason, religion, and virtue, in paragraphs ranging from the provokingly direct to the blissfully unaware (this latter is perhaps best seen in Browne's expenditure of an entire page in defense of his humility). While not as edifying as Bacon and Milton, Browne's contribution provides a stimulating perspective on questions of ultimate importance.
Volume 3 of the Harvard Classics, in my humble opinion, slightly edges Volume 1 in terms of quality, both of which exceed Volume 2. Whether one agrees with this assessment or not, scrutinizing the works of Bacon, Milton, and Browne provides both an illuminating picture of intellectual life in 17th-century England and a set of intriguing perspectives on topics of life, religion, and liberty.
May 31, 2021
This volume had less unity of theme than the prior volume on the stoics. I had not read Areopagitica since college. I enjoyed fishing out my Milton textbook (which I won on the first day of class by knowing that Donald Sutherland was the Milton professor in /Animal House/) to look at my notes from then. In a time of fake news and discussions about cancel culture and censorship, it remains the definitive defense of the State staying out of limitations on publishing.
Milton when writing in anger,
Can summon up lexical clangor,
And take up his pen,
To not only win,
But crank out an absolute banger.
Milton when writing in anger,
Can summon up lexical clangor,
And take up his pen,
To not only win,
But crank out an absolute banger.
February 10, 2025
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. "
"In the youth of a state, arms do flourish; in the middle age of a state, learning; and then both of them together for a time; in the declining age of a state, mechanical arts and merchandize."
"In the youth of a state, arms do flourish; in the middle age of a state, learning; and then both of them together for a time; in the declining age of a state, mechanical arts and merchandize."
September 9, 2024
Words of Wisdom
October 3, 2016
The book has some 59 essays of Francis Bacon covering just about every topic. While he apparently had little knowledge of many of these topics, Bacon was not reluctant to write of them. In addition, the state of intellectual inquiry at the time makes for incredible accounts of some topics, religion and the nature of the universe being such topics. I was quite impressed with Bacon's writings on interactions among people and in communities. Although written from the perspective of a government of kings, princes and noblemen, his insights are well worth the effort of finding them among the other trivia of these essays. Second to interpersonal relationships was his description of a garden fit for a prince or nobleman, which should be at least 30 acres of horticulture with different portions in constant bloom. Still, the reading was tedious and difficult for one living in the 21st century.
Bacon's story of The New Atlantis was somewhat interesting, although generally a far fetched fiction.
The selections chosen to represent Milton included his treatise on an English law limiting publication and printing to only material licensed by Parliament. While there were many good arguments put forth, those arguments were presented with various digressions so that each was almost lost in the presentation of insignificant detail. In criticizing this work, I would point to two problems: a grammatical issue in that many paragraphs went on for multiple pages, with more and more examples and detail that it became absurd; then there is the death of a thousand swords that backfires on Milton, where he presents so many arguments (with the aforementioned absurd detail) that the entire essay becomes absurd in itself. In my opinion, partly as a difference in the style of my contemporaries, I believe a much more concise presentation of only the most significant arguments might have convinced Parliament to repeal the law rather than keep it place for the next fifty years.
On Browne, he was able to present a moderate regard for the multitude of diverse Christian religions. I will say nothing more, as the rest did not interest me. In jest, I say if onely Browne could have been perswaded to spell in the modern way, he may have also learnt to think rationally.
Bacon's story of The New Atlantis was somewhat interesting, although generally a far fetched fiction.
The selections chosen to represent Milton included his treatise on an English law limiting publication and printing to only material licensed by Parliament. While there were many good arguments put forth, those arguments were presented with various digressions so that each was almost lost in the presentation of insignificant detail. In criticizing this work, I would point to two problems: a grammatical issue in that many paragraphs went on for multiple pages, with more and more examples and detail that it became absurd; then there is the death of a thousand swords that backfires on Milton, where he presents so many arguments (with the aforementioned absurd detail) that the entire essay becomes absurd in itself. In my opinion, partly as a difference in the style of my contemporaries, I believe a much more concise presentation of only the most significant arguments might have convinced Parliament to repeal the law rather than keep it place for the next fifty years.
On Browne, he was able to present a moderate regard for the multitude of diverse Christian religions. I will say nothing more, as the rest did not interest me. In jest, I say if onely Browne could have been perswaded to spell in the modern way, he may have also learnt to think rationally.
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May 27, 2020Review of The New Atlantis: The New Atlantis is short, about 40 pages. It was unfinished, and it feels unfinished. A ship on which the anonymous author is a passenger sails from Peru and is blown far off course, until it happens upon the island of Bensalem, which may not be a Utopian society as we might imagine one today, but that's to be expected, as it was written by a very smart and well-educated Englishman in 1623. The inhabitants of Bensalem deliberately isolate themselves from the rest of the world; nevertheless, they have plenty to say about the rest of the world, including the Americans (by which Bacon meant the Native Americans), because they travel throughout the known world incognito, gathering information which they bring back home. It makes for intriguing reading because it reflects the author's attempt not merely to imagine a society according to his notions about society, but also to see the rest of the world through the eyes of his imaginary ideal commonwealth. The last 7 pages or so are the most amazing: In them, Bacon describes Bensalem's scientific and technological achievements; and no reader can fail to be struck by the numerous astonishingly good guesses made by Bacon about the discoveries and inventions of later ages.
May 2, 2023
Wonderful entry to the Harvard Classics series. Covers Francis Bacon's Essays, his New Atlantis madcap stoical utopian fantasy all from the Stuart period, John Milton's unparallelled Areopagitica in defense of freedom of publication and his On Education which is frankly nutty in practical terms but interesting to compare to ostensible actual practice for which it was written as a "tonic". Milton of course is the intellectual brilliant light of the Protectorate. The Bacon is often excerpted in the modern Academy, and the Milton often taught more deeply but without much reference to the Revolution or Cromwell. But also included is the delightful Religio Medici of Thomas Browne of the Restoration period: in many ways a subversive text even by the Restoration's standards. The Browne is not often handled, which is a shame as it is both the most "modern" and the most indirectly informative of the entries here. Recommend all these texts in this or any other iteration. Bravo!
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March 9, 2016I didn't read this whole thing - I skipped through and skimmed several of Bacon's essays until I got to John Milton's Tractate on Education, which I read in its entirety, and was the reason I checked this book out from the library.
May 22, 2012
Essays, Civil & Moral and The New Atlantis by Francis Bacon; Areopagitica and Tractate on Education by John Milton; Religio Medici by Sir Thomas Browne.
August 23, 2020
More to be studied rather than merely read, there is great wisdom in all three writers.
January 26, 2021
Enjoyed Milton & Browne, quite did not enjoy Bacon
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews