genious views on optics, particularly on refraction; on the apparent magnitude of objects; and on the apparent increase in the size of the sun and moon at the horizon. He found that with sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal, a substance (now known as gunpowder) could be produced that would imitate lightning and cause explosions. The previous use of gunpowder by the Arabs, however, has since been shown. Bacon considered mathematics, together with experimentation, the only means of arriving at a knowledge of nature. He studied several languages and wrote Latin with great elegance and clarity. Because of his extensive knowledge he was known as Doctor Admirabilis. Six of his works were printed between 1485 and 1614, and in 1733 the Opus Majus was edited and published....
