Commentarius Solutus

The Commentarius Solutus is a notebook by Francis Bacon, serving as a "Loose Commentary" or a personal jotting pad. It reveals Bacon's multifaceted concerns, including his finances, service to King James I, philosophical speculations, and even personal health. This work offers insights into his methods for self-improvement and his approach to managing his affairs and studies.1

Bacon's broader literary schemes included the Instauratio Magna (The Great Instauration), an ambitious but incomplete project aiming for a comprehensive understanding of knowledge. Key parts of this included the Advancement of Learning and the Novum Organum, which outlined his method for acquiring natural knowledge. He also categorized sciences based on mental faculties like memory, imagination, and reason, assigning history, "poesy," and philosophy accordingly.23