The Winged Self

The Winged Self

by Francis Bacon

Lord God of heaven and earth,

Thou hast vouchsafed of Thy grace,

to those of our order, to know Thy works of creation,

and secrets of them...

I do here acknowledge and testify before this people,

that the thing which we now see before our eyes is Thy finger,

and a true miracle,

The Winged Self!And for as much as we learn in our books that Thou workest miracles

but to a divine and excellent end,

we most humbly beseech Thee to prosper this great sign,

and to give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy;

which Thou didst in some part secretly promise,

by sending it unto us.

- Francis Bacon from The New Atlantis