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what possible earlier remark was Bacon thinking of when he said [ Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; ]

Francis Bacon's famous remark "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested;" is from his essay "Of Studies," which was first published in 1597. There is no record of any earlier remark that is exactly the same, but there are a few that are similar.

One possible source is the Roman philosopher Seneca, who wrote in the 1st century AD: "Some books should be tasted, some swallowed, and some chewed and digested."

Another possible source is the Italian humanist Francesco Petrarch, who wrote in the 14th century: "Some books should be read as one tastes fruit, others as one swallows food, and others as one chews and digests meat."

It is also possible that Bacon was simply expressing a common-sense idea about how to read books. The analogy of tasting, swallowing, and digesting food is a natural way to think about the different ways that we can interact with books. Some books are simply meant to be enjoyed for their entertainment value, like a tasty snack. Others are more important and need to be read more carefully, like a nutritious meal. And then there are a few rare books that are so essential that we need to study them deeply, like a complex medical text.

Whatever the source of Bacon's remark, it has stood the test of time and is still relevant today. It is a reminder that not all books are created equal, and that we need to approach them with different levels of attention and engagement.

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Give me the lines (by Seneca and Petrarch) in the original language.

Sure. Here are the lines by Seneca and Petrarch in the original language:

Seneca:
Alios libros gustare debemus, alios devorare, paucos deglutire etiam.

(Some books we should taste, others swallow, and a few chew and digest.)

Petrarch:
Alios libros ut fructus gustare, alios ut cibum deglutire, alios ut carnes masticare et digerere debemus.

(Some books we should read as one tastes fruit, others as one swallows food, and others as one chews and digests meat.)