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BACON'S    ESSAYS. 


HUNTER'S    ANNOTATED    SHAKESPEARE. 


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THE 


ESSAYS    OF   LORD    BACON: 


WITH 


CRITICAL    AND    ILLUSTRATIVE    NOTES, 

AND     AN     EXAMPLE,     WITH     ANSWERS, 

OF   A 

ONIVERSITY    MIDDLE-CLASS    EXAMINATION    PAPER    ON    THE    ESSAYS. 

By  the  Rev.  John  Hunter,  M.A. 
new  edition. 


LONGMANS,     GREEN,     AND     CO. 

39    PATERNOSTER    ROW,     LONDON 
NEW  YORK  AND  BOMBAY 
1S97 

AU    rightt    rtstrvtd 


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PREFACE. 


'The  word  Essay,'  says  Archbishop  Whately,  'has 
been  considerably  changed  in  its  application  since 
the  days  of  Bacon.  By  an  Essay  was  originally 
meant — according  to  the  obvious  and  natural  sense 
of  the  word — a  slight  sketch,  to  be  filled  up  by  the 
reader  ;  brief  hints,  designed  to  be  followed  out ; 
loose  thoughts  on  some  subject,  thrown  out  without 
much  regularity,  but  sufficient  to  suggest  further  in- 
quiries and  reflections.  Any  more  elaborate,  regular, 
and  finished  composition,  such  as  in  our  days  often 
bears  the  title  of  an  Essay,  our  ancestors  called  a 
treatise,  tractate,  dissertation,  or  discourse! 

It  was,  indeed,  evidently  a  main  purpose  of  Bacon's 
Essays  '  to  suggest  further  inquiries  and  reflections.' 
In  a  Dedication  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  which  he 
intended  to  prefix  to  the  edition  of  1612,  but  with- 
drew on  account  of  the  Prince's  death,  he  calls  them 
'  certain  brief  notes,  set  down  rather  significantly  than 
curiously : '  '  dispersed  meditations  : '  '  grains  of  salt, 
that  will  rather  give  you  an  appetite,  than  ofiend  you 


vi  Preface. 

with  satiety.'  In  the  edition  of  1625  we  meet  with 
many  things  culled  from  his  other  writings  ;  and,  in  his 
Dedication  of  that  edition  to  the  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham, he  describes  the  Essays  as  *  being  of  the  best 
/ruits  that,  by  the  good  increase  which  God  gives  to 
my  pen  and  labours,  I  could  yield.'  The  original 
edition  in  1597,  consisting  of  only  ten  Essays,  was 
the  author's  earliest  publication :  the  edition  of  1625 
was  his  last  In  the  interval  the  Essays  had  been 
growing  both  in  number  and  length.  In  161 2  they 
were  increased  to  thirty-eight;  in  1625  to  fifty-eight. 
The  illustrious  writer  died  in  the  following  year. 

In  Bacon's  life-time,  the  Essays  were  the  most 
popular  of  his  writings,  and  he  judged  rightly  that 
they  would  ever  be  so,  and  took  much  pains  to  render 
them  more  and  more  worthy  of  acceptance.  In  the 
Dedication  of  1625  he  writes  :  '  I  do  now  publish  my 
Essays,  which  of  all  my  other  works  have  been  most 
current :  for  that,  as  it  seems,  they  come  home  to  men's 
business  and  bosoms.  I  have^  enlarged  them,  both  in 
number  and  weight,  so  that  they  are  indeed  a  new 

work I  do  conceive  that  the  Latin  volume  of 

them  (being  in  the  universal  language)  may  last  as 
long  as  books  last.' 

The  Latin  translation  of  the  Essays  was  not  by 
Bacon  himself,  but  was  executed  under  his  general 
supervision  by  other  hands.  Dr.  Racket,  Bishop  of 
Lichfield,  Ben  Jonson,  and  Thomas  Hobbes  of 
Malmesbury,  are  the  only  persons  known  with  any 


Preface.  vU 

certainty  to  have  been  engaged  in  this  work.  The 
Latin  version  is  characterised  by  general  elegance, 
and  occasional  ingenuity  ;  but  as  it  frequently  takes 
liberties  with  the  original,  in  expunging,  interpolating, 
and  otherwise  altering  (though  in  some  few  of  these 
instances  Bacon  himself  may  have  been  the  innovator), 
and  also  in  several  places  misinterprets  Bacon's 
meaning,  we  cannot  think  that  he  revised  it  ver>^ 
carefully.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  very  great  help 
in  enabling  us  to  apprehend  the  sense  in  which  many 
phrases  and  forms  of  expression  were  understood  in 
Bacon's  time  ;  and  on  this  account  I  have,  in  the 
present  volume,  made  frequent  reference  to  it  The 
title  which  he  gave  to  it  is — Sermones  Fideles,  sive 
Interiora  Rcrum. 

On  the  merits  of  Bacon's  Essays,  Mr.  Singer  quotes 
Dugald  Stewart  as  thus  speaking  of  them,  in  1815  : 
'  Under  the  same  head  of  Ethics,  may  be  mentioned 
the  small  volume  to  which  Bacon  has  given  the  title 
of  Essays :  the  best  knowp  and  most  popular  of  his 
works.  It  is  also  one  of  those  where  the  superiority 
of  his  genius  appears  to  the  greatest  advantage ;  the 
novelty  and  depth  of  his  reflections  often  receiving  a 
strong  relief  from  the  triteness  of  his  subject.  It  may 
be  read  from  beginning  to  end  in  a  few  hours  ;  and 
yet,  after  the  twentieth  perusal,  one  seldom  fails  to 
remark  in  it  something  overlooked  before.  This, 
indeed,  is  a  characteristic  of  all  Bacon's  writings,  and 
is  only  to   be   accounted    for   by  the   inexhaustible 


vili  Preface. 

aliment  they  furnish  to  our  own  thoughts,  and  the 
sympathetic  activity  they  impart  to  our  torpid  facul- 
ties.' 

The  design  of  the  present  edition  of  the  Essays  is 
not  to  be  regarded  as  implying  an  entire  dissent  from 
the  opinion  of  Archbishop  Whately,  who,  after  re- 
marking that  Bacon  is,  '  especially  in  his  Essays,  the 
most  suggestive  author  that  ever  wrote,'  says  that 
'the  cultivated  readers  of  Bacon  do  not  want  expan- 
sions of  an  author  whose  compactness  and  fulness  are 
his  greatest  charms  ;  and  that  it  is  doing  mischief  to 
those  who  would  find  in  this  suggestiveness,  if  left 
to  themselves,  a  valuable  mental  discipline.'  It  has 
not  been  my  aim  to  make  expansion  of  Bacon's 
suggestive  compactness,  but  chiefly  to  secure  many  of 
his  terms  and  phrases  from  being  misunderstood,  to 
explain  his  less  obvious  or  less  familiar  allusions,  to  in- 
dicate the  authorities  quoted  by  him,  and  to  give  such 
general  illustrations  as  are  likely  to  interest  the 
student,  without  lessening  the  reflective  exercise  of 
his  mind.  The  Essays  still  remain,  and  are  intended 
to  remain,  a  study,  after  all  the  aid  I  have  here 
given.  Only  I  have  sought  to  arrest,  now  and  then, 
and  prompt  young  readers,  who  may  too  easily  sup- 
pose that  they  understand  the  terms  in  which  Bacon 
expresses  himself,  and  who  may  thus  be  led  to  mis- 
interpret his  thought,  or  to  dig  in  a  direction  that  will 
fail  to  find  it. 

I  have  been  particularly  careful  to  avoid  inaccuracy 


Preface.  fx 

ill  the  text  of  the  Essays,  several  modern  editions 
being  faulty  in  this  respect.  I  have  followed  the 
original  copies,  modernizing,  however,  the  spelling, 
and,  what  was  very  much  wanted,  rectifying  the 
punctuation.  No  such  liberty  has  been  taken  as  that 
of  substituting  beholden  for  beholding,  interested  for 
ititeressed,  its  for  his,  &c.  The  few  archaisms  of  the 
author  should  certainly  be  preserved  as  characteristics 
of  his  time  and  style.  Nor  has  any  attempt  been 
made  to  correct  the  grammar  of  the  '  loose  thoughts, 
thrown  out  without  much  regularity.'  Wherever  we 
find  *  Priscian  a  little  scratched,  'twill  serve'*  to 
convey  the  author's  meaning  perspicuously  enough, 
sometimes,  indeed,  the  more  perspicuously. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  to  state  that  my  thanks  are 
due  to  an  accomplished  scholar,  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Cox, 
for  his  kind  revision  of  this  work  before  it  was  passed 
fo;  press,  and  for  several  suggestions  by  which  I  was 
enabled  to  improve  my  own  performance. 

J.  Hunter. 

London  :  Sc/>i.  9,  1873. 

*  Lov^s  Lab.  Lost,  v.  I. 


THE    EPISTLE    DEDICATORIE 

TO  M.  ANTHONY  BACON, 

HIS  DEAR.B  BROTHER. 

LouiNG  and  beloued  brother,  I  doe  nowe  like  some  that  haue 
an  orcharde  ill  neighbored,  that  gather  their  fruit  before  it  is 
ripe,  to  preuent  stealing.  These  fragments  of  ray  conceite 
were  going  to  print :  to  labour  the  staie  of  them  had  bin 
troublesome,  and  subject  to  interpretation:  to  let  them  passe 
had  beene  to  adventure  the  wrong  they  mought  receive  by 
vntrue  coppies,  or  by  some  garnishment  which  it  mought 
please  any  one  that  should  set  them  forth  to  bestow  vpon 
them  ;  therefore  I  held  it  best  discreation  to  publish  them 
my  selfe,  as  they  passed  long  agoe  from  my  pen,  without  any 
further  disgrace  then  the  weaknesse  of  the  Author.  And  as  I 
did  euer  hold,  there  mought  be  as  great  a  vanitie  in  retiring  and 
withdrawing  men's  conceites  (except  they  bee  of  some  nature) 
from  the  world,  as  in  obtruding  them :  so  in  these  particulars  I 
have  played  my  selfe  the  inquisitor,  and  find  nothing  to  my 
vnderstanding  in  them  contrarie  or  infectious  to  the  state  ot 
Religion  or  manners,  but  rather  (as  1  suppose)  medicinable. 
Only  I  disliked  now  to  put  them  out,  because  they  will  bee 
like  the  late  new  halfe-pence,  which  though  the  siluer  were  good, 
yet  the  peeces  were  small.  But  since  they  would  not  stay 
with  their  Master,  but  would  needes  trauaile  abroade,  I  haue 


xii  Prefatory  Epistles. 

preferred  them  to  you  that  are  next  my  selfe  ;  Dedicating  them, 
such  as  they  are,  to  our  loue,  in  the  depth  whereof  (I  assure 
you)  I  sometimes  wish  your  infirmities  translated  vpon  my  selfe, 
that  her  Majestie  mought  haue  the  seruice  of  so  actiue  and  able 
a  mind;  and  I  mought  be  with  excuse  confined  to  these  con- 
templations and  studies,  for  which  I  am  fittest:  so  commend  I 
you  to  the  preseruation  of  the  Divine  Majestie.  From  my 
Chamber  at  Graies  Inne,  this  30.  of  Januarie.  1597. 

Your  entire  louing  brother, 

Fran.  Bacon. 


TO  MY  LOUING  BROTHER, 

SIR  JOHN  CONSTABLE,   KNIGHT. 

My  last  Essaies  I  dedicated  to  my  deare  brother  Master  An- 
iJwny  Bacon,  who  is  with  God.  Looking  amongst  my  papers 
this  vacation,  I  found  others  of  the  same  nature:  which  if  I 
my  selfe  shall  not  suffer  to  be  lost,  it  seemeth  the  world  will  not ; 
by  the  often  printing  of  the  former.  Missing  my  brother,  I 
found  you  next;  in  respect  of  bond,  both  of  neare  alliance,  and 
of  straight  friendship  and  societie,  and  particularly  of  com- 
munication in  studies  ;  wherein  I  must  acknowledge  my  selfe 
beholding  to  you.  For  as  my  business  found  rest  in  my  con- 
templations, so  my  contemplations  euer  found  rest  in  your  louing 
conference  and  judgement.     So  wishing  you  all  good,  I  remaine 

Your  louing  brother  and  friend, 

Fra.  Bacon. 
1612. 


Prefatory  Epistles.  xiii 

TO   THE 

RIGHT  HONORABLE  MY  VERY  GOOD   LO. 

THE     DUKE     OF     BUCKINGHAM 

HIS  GRACE, 

LO.  HIGH  ADMIRAL  OF  ENGLAND. 

Excellent  Lo. 

Salomon  saies,  a  good  name  is  as  a  precious  oyntment;  and 
I  assure  myselfe  such  wil  your  Graces  name  bee  with  Pos- 
teritie.  For  your  Fortune  and  Merit  both  haue  been  Eminent. 
And  you  haue  planted  Things  that  are  like  to  last.  I  doe  now 
publish  my  Essayes;  which  of  all  my  other  workes,  haue  beene 
most  Currant ;  for  that,  as  it  seemes,  they  come  home  to  Mens 
Businesse  and  Bosomes.  I  haue  enlarged  them  both  in  num- 
ber and  weight,  so  that  they  are  indeed  a  New  Worke.  I 
thought  it,  therefore,  agreeable  to  my  Affection,  and  Obligation 
to  your  Grace,  to  prefix  your  name  before  them  both  in  English 
and  in  Latine.  For  I  doe  conceiue,  that  the  Latine  Volume  of 
them  (being  in  the  Vniuersall  Language)  may  last  as  long  as> 
Bookes  last.  My  Instauration  I  dedicated  to  the  King;  my 
Historic  of  Henry  the  Seuenth  (which  I  haue  now  also  translated 
into  Latine)  and  my  Portions  of  Naturall  History,  to  the  Prince; 
and  these  I  dedicate  to  your  Grace;  Being  of  the  best  Fruits, 
that,  by  the  good  Encrease  which  God  giues  to  my  Pen  and 
Labours,  I  could  yeeld.     GodX^zA^  your  Grace  by  the  Hand. 

Your  Graces  most  obliged  andfaithfull  Seruanty 

Fr.  St.  Alban. 
1625. 


THE   TABLE. 


rAGT 

L  Of  Truth 1625 I 

II.  Of  Death l6i2  ;  enlarged  1625 6 

III.  Of  Unity  in   Religion Of  Religion,    l6l2 ;  re- 

written  1625  9 

IV.  Of  Revenge 1625 17 

V.  Of  Adversity 1625 19 

VI.  Of  Simulation  and  Dissimulation 1625 21 

VII.  Of  Parents  and  Children...  161 2;  enlarged  1625 26 

VIII.  Of  Marriage  and  Single  Life.. .1612  ;    slightly   en- 
larged 1625 28 

IX.   Of  Envy 1625 31 

X.   Of  Love 161 2  ;  rewritten  1625 37 

XI.  Of  Great  Place 1612;  slightly  enlarged  1625...  40 

Xn.  Of  Boldness 1625 45 

XIII.  Of  Goodness  and  Goodness  of  Nature.. .1612  ;  en- 

larged 1625 48 

XIV.  Of  Nobility 1612  ;  rewritten  1625 51 

XV.  Of  Seditions  and  Troubles...  1625 53 

XVI.   Of  Atheism 1612  ;  slightly  enlarged  1625 63 

XVII.  Of  Superstition 1612;  slightly  enlarged  1625 68 

XVIIL  Of  Travel 1625 71 

XIX.  Of  Empire 1612  ;  much  enlarged   1625 74 

XX.  OfCounsel 161 2  ;  enlarged  1625 82 

XXL  Of  Delays 1625 89 

XXIL  Of  Cunning  161 2  ;  rewritten  1625 90 

XXIII.  Of  Wisdom  for  a  Man's  Self.. .1612  ;  enlarged  1625...  97 

XXIV.  Of  Innovations 1625 99 

XXV.  Of  Despatch 1612 loi 

XXVI.  Of  Seeming  Wise  ...1612 103 

XXVII.  Of  Friendship  1612  ;  rewritten  1625 105 

XXVIII.  Of  Expense  1597  ;  enlarged  i6ia  ;  and  again 

1625 117 


xvi  The  Table. 


PACK 


XXIX.  Of  the  true  Greatness  of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.. .1612  ; 

enlarged  1625 1 18 

XXX.  Of  Regimen  of  Health...  1597  ;  enlarged  1612  ;  again 

1625 132 

XXXI.   Of  Suspicion 1625 134 

XXXII.  Of  Discourse ^597;  slightly  enlarged    1612  ; 

again   X625  136 

XXXIII.  Of  Plantations 1625 138 

XXXIV.  Of  Riches 1612  ;  much  enlarged   1625 142 

XXXV.   Of  Prophecies 1625 148 

XXXVI.  Of  Ambition 1612  ;  enlarged  1625 152 

XXXVII.  Of  Masques  and  Triumphs.. .1625 155 

XXXVIII.   Of  Nature  in  Men  1612  ;  enlarged  1625 158 

XXXIX.  Of  Custom  and  Education.. .1612  ;  enlarged  1625 160 

XL.   Of  Fortune  1612  ;  slightly  enlarged  1625 163 

XLI.  Of  Usury 1625 166 

XLII.  Of  Youth  and  Age..i6i2  ;  slightly  enlarged  1625 171 

XLIII.   OfBeauty 1 612  ;  slightly  enlarged  1625 173 

XLIV.  Of  Deformity 1612  ;  somewhat  altered  1625...  175 

XLV.   Of  Building 1625 177 

XLVI.   Of  Gardens 1625 ..  182 

XLVII.  Of    Negotiating  1597;    enlarged    1612 ;    veiy 

slightly  altered  1625 190 

XLVIII.   Of  Followers  and  Friends. ..1597  ;  slightly  enlarged 

1625 192 

XLIX.  Of  Suitors I597;  enlarged  1625 194 

L.  Of  Studies  1597;   slightly  enlarged  1612; 

and  again   1625 197 

LI.   Of  Faction 1597;  much  enlarged   1625 199 

LII.   Of  Ceremonies  and  Respects... 1 597  ;  enlarged  1625...  201 

LIII.  Of  Praise 1612  ;  enlarged  1625 204 

LIV.   Of  Vain  Glory 1612 206 

LV.  Of  Honour  and   Reputation... 1 597  ;    omitted   1612  ; 

republished    1625  208 

LVI,  Of  Judicature 1612 211 

LVIL  Of  Anger 1625 216 

LVIIL  Of  Vicissitude  of  Things.. .1625 218 

A  P'ragment  of  an  Essay  of  Fame    225 

Examination  Paper,  with  Answers 229 


ESSAYS. 


I.   OF  TRUTH. 

What  is  truth?  said  jesting'  Pilate,  and  would  not  stay 
for  an  answer. ^  Certainly  there  be  that  delight  in  giddi- 
ness, and  count  it  a  bondage  to  fix  a  belief;  affecting' 
free-will  in  thinking  as  well  as  in  acting.  And  though 
the  sects  of  philosophers  of  that  kind*  be  gone,  yet  there 
remain   certain   discoursing  wits,*   which  are  of  the  same 


'  Jesting\     In  derision.     Lat.  derisor,  as  a  mocker. 

*  A 7td  would  not  stay,  ^c.^  John  xviii.  38,  '  Pilate  saith  nnto  him, 
What  is  truth  ?     And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went  out,'  &c. 

'  Affecting]     Having  a  liking  for. 

*  The  sects,  &'c.']  The  Pyrrhonists,  or  Sceptics,  and  the  disciples  of 
their  historian  Sextus  Empiricus. 

*  Certain  discoursing  wits]  Individual  arguing  minds.  Discourse 
often  signified  the  power,  or  process,  of  deriving  knowledge  by  con- 
clusion from  premises,  as  distinguished  from  intuition.  Hence  Milton, 
P.  L.  V.  487-9,  speaks  of  'Reason  discursive  or  intuitive.'  Bishop 
Reynolds,  in  his  treatise  On  the  Passions  (1640),  ch.  xxxvii.,  speaking 
of  different  means  and  powers  of  knowing,  says,  '  In  regard  of  perfection, 
[there  is]  Intuitive  knowledge,  as  that  of  angels,  whereby  they  know 
things  by  the  view,  and  Discursive,  as  that  of  men,  whereby  we  know 
things  by  ratiocination.'  Again,  ch.  xl.,  *As  it  [the  will]  hath  not 
judgment  to  discover  an  end,  so  neither  hath  it  discourse  to  judge  of  the 
right  means  whereby  that  may  be  attained.'  Compare  Shakspeare, 
Hamlet,  iv.  4,  '  Sure,  He  that  made  us  M-ith  such  large  discourst, 
looking  before  anl  after  ;'  and  Chill ingworth's  Religion  of  Protestants. 


2  Essays 

veins,'  though  there  be  not  so  much  blood  in  them  as  was  in 
those  of  the  ancients.  But  it  is  not  only  the  difficulty  and 
labour  which  men  take  in  finding  out  of  truth,  nor  again,  that 
when  it  is  found,  it  imposeth  upon^  men's  thoughts,  that  doth 
bring  lies  in  favour ;  but  a  natural,  though  cornipt,  love  of  the 
lie  itself^  One  of  the  later  school  of  the  Grecians^  examineth 
the  matter,  and  is  at  a  stand  to  think  what  should  be  in  it, 
that  men  should  love  lies,  where  neither  they  make  for 
pleasure,  as  with  poets  ;  nor  for  advantage,  as  with  the 
merchant ;  but  for  the  lie's  sake.     But  I  cannot  tell  -.^  this 


Pref.  3,  'An  underetanding  man,  and  one  that  can  distinguish  between 
discourse  and  sophistry ;'  and  again,  12,  'What  is  discourse,  but  drawing 
concUisions  out  of  premises  by  good  consequence?'  So  in  Ford's 
Lady's  Trial,,  iii.  3,  '  We  through  madness  frame  strange  conceits  in 
our  discoursing  brains.'  Discourse  of  reason  was  a  familiar  phrase. 
Thus,  in  Massinger's  Unnatural  Combat,  ii.  I,  'It  adds  to  my  calamity 
that  I  have  discourse  of  reason.'  So  Bacon  himself,  in  the  Advance- 
ment,  I.,  'Martin  Luther,  conducted,  no  doubt,  by  a  higher  providence, 
but  in  discourse  of  reason,  finding,' &c.  ;  and  Shakspeare — 

'  O  Heaven  !  a  beast,  that  wants  discourse  of  reason. 
Would  have  mourned  longer.' — Ha"i.  i.  2. 

'  Of  the  same  veins'\  Of  the  same  humour  or  disposition.  The  vena 
ingenii  of  Horace  suggested  this,  Od.  ii.  18,  '  Ingeni  benigua  vena.' 
So  in  Ai-t.  Pod.,  409 — 

'  Ego  nee  studium,  sine  divite  vena, 
Nee  rude  quid  possit,  video,  ingenium.' 

*  Imposeth  u/>on'\     Lays  restraint  upon. 

"  Love  of  t/ie  lie  itself~[  Rev.  xxii.  15,  '  And  w  hosoever  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie.'  Jerem.  v.  31,  'The  prophets  prophesy  falsely,  and  the 
priests  bear  rule  by  their  means,  and  my  people  love  to  have  it  so.' 

*  One  of  the  later  sclwol,  &'c.'\  Lucian,  in  his  Philopseiides,  makes 
TychJades  say,  '  I  speak  of  them  who,  without  any  necessity,  pre- 
fer falsehood  before  truth,  being  delighted  therewith.  I  would  fain 
know  what  it  is  that  induceth  them  to  such  affection.' — Translation, 
tdited  by  Dryden,  1711. 

*  J cani'M  teU.'\    Lat  A^escio  quomodo.    So  Shaksp.  Rich.  III.  i.  3-- 


Of  Truth.  3 

snnie  truth  is  a  naked  and  open  day-light,  that  doth  not 
sliow  the  masques,  and  mummeries,  and  triumphs'  of  the 
world  half  so  stately  and  daintily ^  as  candle-lights.  Truth 
may  perhaps  come  to  the  price  of  a  pearl,  that  showeth  bes<- 
by  day ;  but  it  will  not  rise  to  the  price  of  a  diamond  or 
carbuncle,  that  showeth  best  in  varied  lights.  A  mixture  of 
a  lie  doth  ever  add  pleasure.  Doth  any  man  doubt,  that  if 
there  were  taken  out  of  men's  minds  vain  opinions,  flattering 
hopes,  false  valuations,  imaginations  as  one  would,^  and  the 
like,  but  it  would  leave  the  minds  of  a  number  of  men  pool 
shrunken  things,  full  of  melancholy  and  indisposition,  and 
unpleasing  to  themselves?  One  of  the  Fathers,  in  great 
severity,  called  poesy  vinum  dcemonum,^  because  it  fiileth 
the  imagination,  and  yet  it  is  but  with  the  shadow  of  a  lie. 
But  it  is  not  the  lie  that  passeth  through  the  mind,  but  the 
lie  that  sinketh  in  and  settleth  in  it,  that  doth  the  hurt,  such 
as  we  spake  of  before.  But  howsoever  *  these  things  are 
thus  in  men's  depraved  judgments  and  affections,  yet  tnith, 


*  I  cannot  tell  : — the  world  is  grown  so  bad 
That  wrens  make  prey  where  eagles  dare  not  perch.' 

'  Triuviphs\  This  word  denoted  processional  pageants  and  other 
festal  shows  exhibited  by  torchlight.  In  Shakspeare's  I  K.  Henry  IV. 
iii.  3,  Falstaff,  referring  to  the  red  nose  of  Bardolph,  says  to  him,  '  O, 
thou  art  a  perpetual  triumph,  an  everlasting  bonlire-liglit !'  The  title 
of  Bacon's  37lh  Essay  is  '  Of  Masques  and  Triumphs.' 

^  Dainiily]     Nicely  ;  prettily. 

^  As  one  would\     According  to  one's  wishes. 

*  One  of  the  Falliers^  6-=^.]  Bacon  very  often  quoted  from  memory, 
and  his  verbal  memory  was  often  at  fault.  It  has  not  been  ascertained 
that  any  of  the  Fathers  calls  poetry  vintim  da:vionum,  the  wine  of  devils ; 
but  Jerome,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Damasus,  says,  '  Dccmonum  cibus 
est  cai-mina  poetaium,'  and  Augustine,  in  his  Confessions,  i,  l6,  calls 
poetry  'vinum  erroris.^  In  the  Adxancevicnt,  II.,  our  author  says, 
'  Did  not  one  of  the  Fathers,  in  great  indignation,  call  poesy  vinum 
■Lcimnttm,  because  it  increaseth  temptations,  perturbations,  and  vain 
opinions  ? ' 

*  Jl<msoever\     Howsoever  it  be  that. 

It  a 


4  Essays. 

which  only  doth  judge  itself,'  teaclieth,  that  the  inquiry  of 
truth,  which  is  tlie  love-making  or  wooing  of  it,  the  know- 
ledge of  tmth,  which  is  the  presence  of  it,  and  the  belief  of 
truth,  which  is  the  enjoying  of  it, — is  the  sovereign  good  of 
human  nature.^ 

The  first  creature  of  God,  in  the  works  of  the  days,  was 
the  light  of  the  sense  ;  the  last  was  the  light  of  reason ;  and 
his  sabbath  work  ever  since  is  the  illumination  of  his  Spirit 
First  he  breathed  light  upon  the  face  of  the  matter,  or 
chaos;  then  he  breathed  light  into  the  face  of  man  ;  and 
still  he  breatheth  and  inspireth  light  ^  into  the  face  of  his 
chosen.  Tlie  poet  that  beautified  the  sect  that  was  other- 
wise inferior  to  the  rest,*  saith  yet  excellently  well,  //  is  a 
pleasure  to  stand  upon  the  s/wre,  and  to  see  ships  tossed 
upon  the  sea ;  a  pleasure  to  stand  in  tJie  window  of  a  castle, 
and  to  see  a  battle  and  the  adve?itures  thereof  below :  but 
no  pleasure  is  comparable  to  the  standing  upon  the  vantage- 
ground  of  truth  (a  hill  not  to  be  commanded,  and  where  the 
air  is  always  clear  and  serene),  and  to  see  the  errors,  and 
wanderings,   and   mists,  and  tempests,  in   the  vale  below  :^ 


'  Only  doth  judge  itself "[     Is  the  only  judge  of  its  own  merit. 

»  Teacheth,  is'c.^  The  Truth,  which  is  the  Word  of  God,  teaches 
that  seeking  after  Tmth,  finding  it,  and  having  our  thoughts,  words, 
and  deeds  as  the  offspring  of  our  love  of  it,  is  the  '  summum  bonum,'  or 
supreme  good,  of  man. 

»  Inspireth  light]     That  is,  the  light  of  Truth. 

*  Tlu poet,  &'c.'\  The  poet  here  meant  is  Lucretius,  and  the  sect  of 
which  he  was  an  ornament  is  that  of  Epicurus,  a  Greek  philosopher, 
who  taught  that  pleasure  is  the  *  summum  bonum '  of  human  nature. 

*  //  is  a  pleasure,  &'c,\  This  is  from  Lucretius,  De  Jierum  Naturd, 
ii.  I,  but  is  a  very  loose  paraphrase  of  the  original.  Towards  the 
close  of  Bk.  I.  of  the  Advancement  there  is  another  adaptation  of  the 
passage.     The  following  are  the  words  of  Lucretius : — 

*  Suave  mari  magno,  turbantibus  aequora  ventis, 
E  terrd  magnum  alterius  spectare  laborem  ;  .  .  , 
Suave  etiam  belli  certamina  magna  iuc»i, 


Of  Truth.  5 

30 '  always  that  this  prospect  be  with  pity,  and  not  with 
swelling  or  pride.  Certainly  it  is  heaven  upon  earth  to  have 
a  man's  mind  move  in  charity,  rest  in  Providence,  and  turn 
upon  the  poles  of  truth. 

To  pass  from  theological  and  philosophical  truth  to  the 
truth  of  civil  business  :  It  will  be  acknowledged,  even  by 
those  that  practise  'it  not,  that  clear  and  round  dealing'  is 
the  honour  of  man's  nature,  and  that  mixture  of  falsehood 
is  like  alloy  in  coin  of  gold  and  silver,  which  may  make  the 
metal  work  the  better,  but  it  embaseth  it :  for  these  winding 
and  crooked  courses  are  the  goings  of  the  serpent ;  which 
goeth  basely  upon  the  belly,  and  not  upon  the  feet.  There 
is  no  vice  that  doth  so  cover  a  man  with  shame,  as  to  be 
found  false  and  perfidious  ;  and  therefore  Montaigne'  saith 
prettily,  when  he  inquired  the  reason  why  the  word  of  tJit 
lie^  should  be  such  a  disgrace,  and  such  an  odious  charge  : 


Per  campos  instructa,  tua  sine  parte  pericli ; 
Sed  nil  dulcius  est,  bene  quam  munita  tenere, 
Edita  doctrina  sapientum,  templa  serena, 
Despicere  unde  queas  alios,  passimque  videre 
Errare  atque  viam  palantes  quaerere  vitre. ' 

The  passage  may  be  thus  translated  : — It  is  pleasant  to  behold  from  the 
land  the  arduous  struggling  of  another  upon  the  great  deep,  when  the 
winds  are  tossing  the  waves  ;  ...  it  is  also  pleasant  to  behold  the 
great  conflicts  of  war  between  marshalled  hosts  on  the  plains,  yourself 
having  no  share  in  the  danger.  But  nothing  is  more  delightful  than  to 
occupy  the  well-fortified  and  quiet  temples  reared  by  the  learning  of  the 
wise,  from  whence  you  can  look  down  on  others,  and  see  them  straying 
in  every  direction,  and  wandering  about  to  find  the  path  of  life. 

•  Sd\  Provided.  So  was  often  used  for  if  or  provided ;  thus,  Shak- 
Rpeare,  Tam.  of  Shrew,  iv.  3,  '  I  care  not  what,  so  it  be  wholesome 
food.' 

'  Round  dealing]     Direct,  straight-for\vard  dealing. 

'  Montaigne]     A  celebrated  French  Essayist,  who  died  in  1592. 

*  The  word  of  Hie  lie]  Charging  with  falsehood  was  called  giving  the 
lit,  and  was  sometimes  accompjinied  with  smiting  on  the  mouth.  {Set 
Acts  xxiii.  2.) 


6  Essays.  ' 

tSaith  he,  7/  it  be  well  weighed,  to  say  that  a  man  lieth,  is  as 
tituch  as  to  say,  that  he  is  brave  toT-uards  God,  and  a  coT.uard 
towards  men}  For  a  lie  faces  God,  and  shrinks  from  man. 
Surely  the  wickedness  of  falsehood  and  breach  of  faith 
cannot  possibly  bt  so  highly  expressed,  as  in  that  it  shall  be 
the  last  peal  to  call  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  gene- 
rations of  men  :  it  being  foretold  that,  when  Christ  cometh, 
he  shall  7iot  find  Faith  upon  the  earth^^ 


II.    OF  DEATH. 

Men  fear  death  as  children  fear  to  go  in  the  dark  :  and 
as  that  natural  fear  in  children  is  increased  with  tales,  so  is 
the  other.  Certainly,  the  contemplation  of  death,  as  the 
wages  of  sin  and  passage  to  another  world,  is  holy  and 
religious  ;  but  the  fear  of  it,  as  a  tribute  due  unto  nature, 
is  weak.  Yet  in  religious  meditations  there  is  sometimes 
mixture  of  vanity  and  of  superstition.  You  shall  read  in 
some  of  the  friars'  books  of  mortification,  that  a  man  should 


'  To  say  that  a  niatt  lieth,  dr'r.]  Montaigne's  words  (Essats,  ii.  i8) — 
'  Que  pent  on  imaginer  plus  vilain  que  d'etre  couard  a  Tendroit  des 
hommes  et  brave  a  I'endroit  de  Dieu  ? ' — were  a  comment  on  a  quota- 
tion he  had  just  made  from  Plutarch's  Lysander,  where,  according  to 
North's  translation,  it  is  said,  '  He  that  deceiveth  his  enemy,  and 
breaketh  his  oath  to  him,  showeth  plainly  that  he  feare'.h  him,  but  that 
he  careth  not  for  God.' 

To  give  one  the  lie  was  to  impute  to  him  a  cowardice  that  was  afraid 
to  speak  truth,  and,  in  a  serious  case,  challenged  him  to  vindicate  his 
reputation  by  the  duello,  as  an  appeal  to  Providence.  Fuller,  in  his 
Profane  State,  ch.  xii. ,  says,  '  He  that  is  called  a  liar  to  his  face  is  also 
called  a  coward  in  the  same  breath,  if  he  swallows  it ;  and  the  party 
charged  doth  conceive  that  if  he  vindicates  his  valour,  his  truth  will  be 
given  him  into  the  bargain.' 

*  When  Christ  cometh,  <b'c.'\  Luke  xviii.  8,  '  Nevertheless,  when 
the  Son  of  Man  cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth  ? ' 


Of  Death.  7 

think  with  himself  what  the  pain  is,  it  lie  have  but  his  finger's 
end  pressed,  or  tortured,  and  thereby  imagine  what  the 
pains  of  death  are,  when  the  whole  body  is  corrupted  and 
dissolved  ;  when '  many  times  death  passeth  with  less  pain 
than  the  torture  of  a  limb  ;  for  the  most  vital  parts  are  not 
the  quickest  of  sense.  And  by  him  that  spake  only  as  a 
philosopher  and  natural  man,  it  was  well  said,  Pompa  mortis 
jfiagis  terret  quam  mors  ipsa."^  Groans,  and  con\ailsions, 
and  a  discoloured  face,  and  friends  weeping,  and  blacks,  and 
obsequies,  and  the  like,  show  death  terrible.'  It  is  worthy 
the  observing,  that  there  is  no  passion  in  the  mind  of  man 
so  weak,  but  it  mates  *  and  masters  the  fear  of  death  :  and 
therefore  death  is  no  such  terrible  enemy,  when  a  man  hath 
so  many  attendants  about  him  that  can  win  the  combat 
of  him.  Revenge  triumphs  over  death  ;  love  slights  it ; 
honour  aspireth  to  it ;  grief  flieth  to  it  ;  fear  pre-occupateth 
it ;  nay,  we  read,  after  Otho  the  emperor  had  slain  himself,' 

'   Wheii\     Whereas  in  point  of  fact. 

-  Pompa  mortis,  <Sr=<-.]  The  parade  of  death  terrifies  more  than 
death  itself.  Bacon  has  been  supposed  to  refer  here  to  Seneca  as  the 
'  Philosopher  and  natural  man  ; '  but  no  such  passage  has  been  traced  to 
that  author.  In  a  sermon  of  Latimer's,  preached  before  King  Edward 
VI.,  I  find  the  words  Horror  mortis gravior  ipsd  morte  introduced  as  a 
familiar  saying  ;  and  j-erhaps  Bacon  quoted  inaccurately. 

'  Groans  and  convulsions,  &'c.'\  This  was  probably  suggested  by  a 
passage  in  Montaigne's  Essays,  i.  19,  '  Je  crois  a  la  verity  que  ce  sonl 
ces  mines  et  appareils  effroyables  de  quoi  nous  I'entourons  qui  nous 
font  plus  de  peur  qu'elle,'  &c. ;  that  is,  I  really  believe  that  it  is  those 
frightful  looks  and  apparatus  with  which  we  surround  death  that  cause 
to  us  greater  fear  than  death  itself,  &c.  Roger  Ascham,  in  his  Toxo- 
philns,  Bk.  I.,  says,  'Fear  is  ever  worse  than  the  thing  feared,  as  is 
partly  proved  by  the  communication  of  Cyrus  and  Tigranes  the  king's 
son  of  AiTOenia,  in  Xenophon.'     [Cyrop.  III.  i.  23.) 

Blacks  means  black  drapery,  hangings,  &c. 

*  Mates'\     Confounds  ;  checkmates. 

*  After  Otho,  6^r.]  Tacitus,  Ilist.  ii.  49.  Otho  stabbed  himself,  when 
the  defeat  of  his  forces  at  Bed  riacum  deprived  him  of  all  hope  of  success. 


^  Essays. 

pity  (which  is '  the  tenderest  of  afifectiorrs)  provoked '  many 
to  die  out  of  mere  compassion  to  their  sovereign,  and  as 
the  truest  sort  of  followers.  Nay,  Seneca ^  adds  niceness 
and  satiety :  Cogita  quamdiu  eadem  fecej-is ;  viori  velle,  non 
taiitum  fortis,  aiit  miser,  sed  etiatr  fustidiostis  potest}  A  man 
would  die,  though  he  were  neither  valiant  nor  miserable, 
only  upon  a  weariness  to  do  the  same  thing  so  oft  over  and 
over.  It  is  no  less  worthy  to  observe,  how  little  alteration 
in  good  spirits  *  the  approaches  of  death  make  ;  for  they 
appear  to  be  the  same  men  till  the  last  instant.  Augustus 
Caesar  died  in  a  compliment,  Livia^  coiijugii  nostri  memor 
vive,  et  vale  :  ^  Tiberius  in  dissimulation,  as  Tacitus  saith  of 
him.  Jam  Ttbcrium  vires  et  corpus,  non  dissimulatio,  dcserebant '? 
Vespasian  in  a  jest,  sitting  upon  the  stool,  Ut puto,Deiis  jio-? 
Galba  with  a  sentence,^  Feri,  si  ex  re  sit popuii Momani,^^ 
holding  forth  his  neck  :  Septimius  Severus  in  despatch, 
Adeste,  si  quid  mihi  restat  agendum  ;  ' '  and  the  like.   Certainly 


'    Which  is\     Though  it  is. 
-  Provohed']     Excited. 

'  Seiieca]  A  celebrated  Roman  philosopher  and  moralist,  who  put 
nimself  to  death  by  the  command  of  Nero,  A.p.  65. 

*  Cogita  quamdiu,  Q^c.^  Seneca,  Epist.  ad  Lucil.  77.  Rellecit 
how  long  you  shall  have  done  the  same  things  over  and  over  again  ;  a 
man  may  wish  to  die  not  only  as  being  brave  or  wretched,  but  even  a* 
l)eing  cloyed  and  weary. 

*  ///  good  spirits\     The  Latin  has  In  auimo  geiieroso  et  forti. 

"  Livia,  coiijugii]  Suetonius,  Aug.  99.  Livia,  live  mindful  of  oui 
union,  and  fare  thee  well. 

'  yatii  Tiberiuin,  &^f.]  Tacitus,  Aiinal.  vi.  50.  Bodily  vigour  and 
life  were  now  forsaking  Tiberius,  but  dissimulation  was  not. 

*  Ul  puto,  (Sr'r.]  Suetonius,  Vesp.  23.  I  am  becoming  a  god,  I  sup- 
pose.    This  was  meant  as  a  rebuke  to  his  flatterers. 

*  A  senteiicc\     A  maxim  or  pithy  saymg  was  called  a  sentence. 

'"  Feri,  si  ex  re,  ^c.\  Tacitus,  Hist.  i.  41.  Strike,  if  it  be  for  the 
advantage  of  the  Roman  people. 

'•'  Adeste,  &'c.'\  Dion  Cassius,  76,  ad  fin.  Come  on,  if  anythmg 
yet  remains  to  be  done  liy  me. 


Of  Unity  in  Religion.  9 

the  Stoics  bestowed  too  much  cost  upon  death,  md  by  their 
great  preparations  made  it  appear  more  fearful.'  Better 
saith  he  qui  finem  vit<z  extremiini  inter  nrnnera ponit  naturce.^ 
It  is  as  natural  to  die  as  to  be  born ;  and  to  a  little  infant, 
perhaps,  the  one  is  as  painful  as  the  other.  He  that  dies  in 
an  earnest  pursuit  is  like  one  that  is  wounded  in  hot  blood  ; 
who,  for  the  time,  scarce  feels  the  hurt ;  and  therefore,  a 
mind  fixed  and  bent  upon  somewhat  that  is  good  doth  avert 
the  dolours  of  death  :  but,  above  all,  believe  it,  the  sweetest 
canticle  is,  Niinc  dimittis,^  when  a  man  hath  obtained  worthy 
ends  and  expectations.  Death  hath  this  also,  that  it  openeth 
the  gate  to  good  fame,  and  extinguisheth  envy  :  Extinctus 
amabitur  ideni.^ 

III.   OF  UNITY  IN  RELIGION. 

Religion  being  the  chief  band  of  human  society,  it  is  a 
happy  thing  when  itself  is  well  contained  within  the  tnie 


'  The  Stoics  bestmveJ,  dr'f.]  Compare  the  Advancement,  II.  '  It 
secmeth  to  me,  that  most  of  the  doctrines  of  the  philosophers  are  more 
fearful  and  cautionary  than  the  nature  of  things  requireth.  So  have  they 
increased  the  fear  of  death  in  offering  to  cure  it.  For  when  they  would 
nave  a  man's  whole  life  to  be  but  a  discipline  or  preparation  to  die,  they 
must  needs  make  men  think  that  it  is  a  terrible  enemy,  against  whom 
there  is  no  end  of  pieparing.'  The  sect  of  the  Stoics  was  founded  by 
Zeno,  and  was  so  called  from  the  Stoa,  or  porch,  at  Athens,  in  which 
he  taught.  The  Stoics  aimed  at  the  ascertainment  and  enjoyment  of 
•virtue,  and  inculcated  indifference  to  outward  sources  of  pleasure  and 
pain. 

'  Better  saith  he,  &'c.'\  The  sequel  of  the  above  quotation  from  the 
Advancement  is,  'Better  saith  the  poet,  Qui  spatium  vita  extremum 
inter  munera  ponit  natura.^  Tltis  is  from  Juvenal,  Sat.  x.  357.  Bacon 
here  uses  the  pronoun  he  as  the  antecedent  to  the  Latin  relative :  Better 
saith  he  who  reckons  the  close  of  life  among  the  boons  of  nature.  In 
Juvenal  the  antecedent  is  Fortem  animum,  and  the  verb  is  ponat. 

'  Nunc  dimittis'\     The  song  of  Simeon  :  Luke  ii.  29. 

*  Extinctus,  6-v.]  Horace,  Ep.  II.  i.  14.  He  shall  even  be  beloved 
when  dead 


10  Essays. 

band  of  unity.'  The  quarrels  and  divisions  about  religion 
were  evils  unknown  to  the  heathen.  The  reason  was, 
because  the  religion  of  the  heathen  consisted  rather  in  rites 
and  ceremonies  than  in  any  constant  belief :  for  you  may 
imagine  what  kind  of  faith  theirs  was,  when  the  chief  Doctors^ 
and  Fathers  of  their  church  were  the  poets.  But  the  true 
God  hath  this  attribute,  that  he  is  a  jealous  God;  and  there- 
fore his  worship  and  religion  will  endure  no  mixture  nor 
partner.'  We  shall  therefore  speak  a  few  words  concerning 
the  unity  of  the  church  :  what  are  the  fruits  thereof ;  what 
the  bounds  ;  and  what  the  means. 

The  fruits  of  unity  (next  unto  the  well  pleasing  of  God, 
which  is  all  in  all)  are  two  :  the  one,  towards  those  that  are 
without  the  church,  the  other,  towards  those  that  are  within. 
For  the  former :  it  is  certain  that  heresies  and  schisms  are 
of  all  others  the  greatest ''  scandals  ;  yea,  more  than  corrup- 
tion of  manners.  For  as  in  the  natural  body  a  wound  or 
solution  of  continuity  is  worse  than  a  corrupt  humour,  so  in 
the  spiritual.  So  that  nothmg  doth  so  much  keep  men  out 
of  the  church,  and  drive  men  out  of  the  church,  as  breach 
of  unity  ;  and,  therefore,  whensoever  it  cometh  to  pass  that 
one  saith,  ecce  in  deserto,  another  saith,  ecce  in  pendralibiis  ;  * 


'   The  true  band  of  unit y\     Lat.   Vera  unitatis  et  charitatis  vinculis. 

*  Doctors\     Teacliers. 

"  He  is  a  Jealous  God,  &'c.'\  Exod.  xx.  5  ;  Isai.  xlii.  8,  '  I  am  the 
lx)rd  :  that  is  my  name  ;  and  my  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another.'        ^ 

*  0/ all  others  the greates(\  So  in  the  Advancement,  Bk.  I.,  and  also 
m  Shakspeare's  Mids.  N.  Dream,  v.  I,  we  have  'The  greatest  error  of 
all  the  rest.'  In  such  expressions  of  does  not  mean  out  of,  but  as  com- 
pared loith ;  so  that  Milton's  well-kno/vn  comparison  l.ietween  our  first 
parents  and  their  descendants,  '  Adam,  the  goodliest  man  of  men  since 
bom,'  &c.  {P.  L.  iv.  323),  does  not  involve  so  great  a  licence  of  speech 
as  has  often  been  supposed. 

*  Ecce  in  deserto,  &'c.\  Matt.  xxiv.  26,  '  If  they  shall  say  unto  you. 
Behold,  he  is  in  the  desert :  go  not  forth  ;  Behold,  he  is  in  the  secret 
chambers  :  believe  it  not.'     Bacon  quoted  from  the  Vulgate. 


Of  Unity  in  Religion.  It 

that  is,  when  some  men  seek  Christ  in  the  conventicles  of 
lieretics,  and  others  in  an  outward  i'ace  of  a  church,  that 
voice  had  need  continually  to  sound  in  men's  ears,  nolite 
exire,  go  not  out.  The  doctor  of  the  Gentiles'  (the  propriety 
of  whose  vocation  drew  him  to  have  a  special  care  of  those 
without)^  saith,  If  an  heathen  come  m,  and  hear  you  speak 
with  several  tongues,  will  he  not  say  that  you  are  niadt^ 
And  certainly  it  is  little  better,  when  atheists  and  profane 
persons  do  hear  of  so  many  discordant  and  contrary  opinions 
in  religion :  it  doth  avert  them  from  the  church,  and  maketh 
them  to  sit  dotvn  in  the  chair  of  the  scorjiers*  It  is  but  a 
light  thing*  to  be  vouched^  in  so  serious  a  matter,  but  yet  it 
expresseth  well  the  deformity :  there  is  a  master  of  scoffing,'' 
that,  in  his  catalogue  of  books  of  a  feigned  library,  sets 
down  this  title  of  a  book,  The  Morris  Dance  of  Heretics.* 


'  The  doctor  of  the  Gentiles]  St.  Paul.  —  i  Tim.  ii.  7,  'A  teacher  of 
the  Gentiles  in  faith  and  verity.'     See  also  2  Tim.  i.  11. 

■'  The  propriety,  &'c.']  The  special  nature,  &c.  Gal.  ii.  7,  'The 
gospel  of  the  uncircumcision  was  committed  unto  me,  as  the  gospel  of 
the  circumcision  was  unto  Peter.' 

'  If  an  heathen  come  in,  &'c.']  I  Cor.  xiv.  23,  '  If  therefore  the 
whole  church  be  come  together  into  one  place,  and  all  speak  with 
tongues,  and  there  come  in  those  that  are  unlearned,  or  unbelievers,  will 
they  not  say  that  ye  are  mad  ? ' 

*  To  sit  iio7un,  &'c.'\     Ps.  i.,  '  Nor  sitteth  in  the  scat  of  the  scornful. 

*  //  is  but  a  light  thing\  Viz.  the  circumstance  he  is  about  to  mention 
respecting  the  title  of  a  book.  Compare  the  beginning  of  the  12th 
Essay. 

'^   To  be  vouched]     To  be  referred  to.     Lat.  Ut  citeiur. 
'  A  master  of  scoffing]     Rabelais,  the  most  distinguished  of  French 
humorists.     1483-1553. 

*  The  Morris-dance  of  Heretics]  The  reference  is  to  the  catalc^e  of 
the  books  of  the  library  of  St.  Victor,  in  Rabelais'  satirical  romance  of 
Pantagruel,  ii.  7.  In  the  name  Morris-dance,  as  in  Morris-pike,  the 
word  Morris  is  a  corruption  of  Moorish.  The  Morris,  or  Morisco, 
dance  was  characterised  by  ludicrous  postures  and  extravagant  gesticu- 
lations. In  Shakspeaie's  2  Hen.  VI.  iii.  1,  York  says,  •  I  have  seen 
him  caper  upright  like  a  wild  Morisco.' 


12  Essays. 

For,  indeed,  every  sect  of  them  hath  a  diverse  posture,  or 
cringe,'  by  themselves,  which  cannot  but  move  derision  in 
worldlings  and  depraved  politics,*  who  are  apt  to  contemn 
holy  things. 

As  for  the  fruit  towards  those  that  are  within  :  it  is  peace  • 
which  containeth  infinite  blessing;, :  It  establisheth  faith ;  it 
kindleth  charity.  The  outward  peace  of  the  church  distilleth 
into  peace  of  conscience  ;  and  it  tumeth  the  labours  of 
writing  and  reading  of  controversies  into  treatises  of  mortifi- 
cation and  devotion. 

Concerning  the  bounds  o»  unity :  the  true  placing  of  them 
importeth  exceedingly.^  There  appear  to  be  two  extremes. 
For  to  certain  zealants  ■*  all  speech  of  pacification  is  odious. 
Is  it  peace,  y^e/m  1 —  What  hast  thou  to  do  with  peace  ?  turti 
tJiee  behind  ine.^  Peace  is  not  the  matter,  but  following  and 
party.  Contrariwise,  certain  Laodiceans  and  lukewarm 
persons^  think  they  may  accommodate  points  of  religion 
by  middle  ways,  and  taking  part  of  both,  and  witty" reconcile- 
ments ;  as  if  they  would  make  an  arbitrement  between  God 
and  man.  Both  these  extremes  are  to  be  avoided  ;  which 
will  be  done,  if  the  league  of  Christians,  penned  by  our 
Saviour  himself,  were,  in  the  two  cross  clauses  thereof, 
soundly  and  plainly  expounded  :  He  that  is  not  with  tis  is 
against  us ;  and  again.  He  that  is  not  against  us  is  with  us;^ 
that   is,   if  the  points  fundamental   and  of  substance^   in 


'  Cringe]     Lat.  Gest/ls  defonnitatem. 

'  Depraved  politics]   Depraved  politicians,  or  men  of  depraved  policy. 
Lat.  politici  degeneres. 

*  Importeth  exceedingly]     Is  exceedingly  important 

*  Zealants]     Zealots. 

*  Is  it  peace,  ^t'c]     2  Kings  ix.  i8. 

*  Laodiceans,  dfr.]     See  Rev.  iii.  14-16. 

*  Witty]     Ingenious. 

»  He  that  is  not,  iS^c]     Matt.  xii.  30,  *  He  that  is  not  v\itli  me  is 
against  me.'     Luke  ix.  50,  '  He  that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us.* 

*  0/  substance]     Essential. 


Of  Unity  in  Religion.  13 

religion,  were  truly  discerned  and  distinguished  from  points 
not  merely  of  faith,'  but  of  opinion,  order,  or  good  intention. 
This  is  a  thing  may  seem^  to  many  a  matter  trivial,  and 
done  already  ;'  but  if  it  were  done  less  partially,*  it  would 
be  embraced  more  generally. 

Of  this  I  may  give  only  this  advice,  according  to  my  small 
model :  ^  Men  ought  to  take  heed  of  rending  God's  church 
by  two  kinds  of  controversies.  The  one  is,  when  the  matter 
of  the  point  controverted  is  too  small  and  light,  not  worth 
the  heat  and  strife  about  it,  kindled  only  by  contradiction  ; 
for,  as  it  is  noted  by  one  of  the  Fathers,^  Christ's  coat  indeed 
had  no  seam,  but  the  church's  vesture  was  of  divers  colours ; 
whereupon  he  saith,  in  vcste  varietas  sit,  scissura  non  sit ;  "^ 

•  Not  vierely  of  faith']  Which  are  not  purely  of  faith.  Compare  tlie 
Advancetnent,  II.  '  Of  the  fundamental  points,  our  Saviour  penneth 
the  league  thus  :  He  that  is  not  with  us  is  against  us  ;  but  of  points  not 
fundamental,  thus  :  He  that  is  not  against  us  is  with  us. ' 

-  May  seem]  That  may  seem.  The  suppression  of  a  relative  subject 
is  not  now  approved.     In  Bacon  and  Shakspeare  it  is  very  common. 

'  Done  already]  Lat.  /;/  quo  quis  actittu  agat,  that  is,  in  which  one 
would  take  needless  pains. 

*  Less  partially]     Lat.  Minore  partium  studio, 

'  Model]      Measure  or  capacity.     Lat.  Captfis. 

•  As  it  is  noted,  ^'c]  The  Father  here  referrred  to  is  St.  Bernard, 
Ad  Guillel.  Abbat.  Apologia :  '  And  thus  it  will  be  thought  that  there 
is  no  peace,  no  agreement  whatever,  in  the  Church  as  a  whole,  which 
indeed  is  diversified  by  so  many  dissimilar  observances,  as  being  that 
queen  which  in  the  Psalm  (xlv.)  is  said  to  be  wrapped  round  with 
varieties.'  (Circumamicta  vanetatibus  is  the  expression  of  St.  Bernard. 
and  also  that  in  the  Vulgate.  The  Psalter,  ver.  lo,  has  'The  queen  in 
a  vesture  of  gold  wrought  about  with  divers  colours.)  Farther  on  St. 
Bernard  says,  'Christ  left,  as  a  token  of  inheritance  to  His  Church,  His 
own  coat,  namely  the  coat  of  many  threads,  without  seam,  woven  from 
the  top  throughout.'  See  John  xix.  23.  Compare  the  Advancement, 
II.  '  We  see  the  coat  of  our  Saviour  was  entire  without  seam,  and  so 
is  the  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures  in  itself;  but  the  garment  of  the  Church 
was  of  diverse  colours,  and  yet  not  divided.' 

*  In  veste  varietas,  &=€.]  In  the  vesture  there  may  be  various  colours, 
but  let  there  be  no  rending  of  it.     Bacon  often  quoted  this  sentiment. 


14  Essays. 

they  be  two  things,'  unity  and  uniformity.  The  other  is, 
when  the  matter  of  the  point  controverted  is  great,  but  it  is 
driven  to  an  over  great  subtility  and  obscurity,  so  that  it 
becometh  a  thing  rather  ingenious  than  substantial.  A 
man  that  is  of  judgment  and  understanding  shall  sometimes 
hear  ignorant  men  differ,  and  know  well  within  himself,  that 
those  which  so  differ  mean  one  thing,  and  yet  they  them- 
selves would  never  agree.  And  if  it  come  so  to  pass  in  that 
distance  of  judgment  ^  which  is  between  man  and  man, 
shall  we  not  think  that  God  above,  that  knows  the  heart, 
doth  not  discern'  that  frail  men,  in  some  of  their  contra- 
dictions, intend  the  same  thing,  and  accepteth  of  both  ? 
The  nature  of  such  controversies  is  excellently  expressed 
by  St  Paul,  in  the  warning  and  precept  that  he  giveth  con- 
cerning the  same,  Devita  profanas  vocwn  rim'iiates,  et  opposi- 
tiones  falsi  nominis  scientice*  Men  create  oppositions  which 
are  not,  and  put  them  into  new  terms  so  fixed,  as  whereas 
the  meaning  ought  to  govern  the  term,  the  term  in  effect 
govemeth  the  meaning.'*  There  be  also  two  false  peaces, 
or  unities :  the  one,  when  the  peace  is  grounded  but  upon 
an  implicit  ignorance  ;  for  all  colours  will  agree  in  the  dark  : 
the  other,  when  it  is  pieced  up  upon  a  direct  admission  of 
contraries  in  fundamental  points.     For  truth  and  falsehood, 


'  They  be  two  things\     They  are  two  distinct  things. 

-  That  distance  ofjudgtneni\  That  comparatively  small  difference  of 
intellectual  power. 

'  Doth  not  discern\  This  .should  be  doth  discern.  Lat.  D.'tiin  satis 
peispicere. 

*  Devita  profanas,  &'c.'\  Avoid  profane  verbal  novelties,  and  oppo- 
sitions of  science  falsely  so  called  (i  Tim.  vi.  20).  Bacon,  commenting 
on  this  in  the  Advancematt,  I.,  says  St.  Paul  'assigneth  two  marks 
and  badges  of  suspected  and  falsified  science  :  the  one,  the  novelty  and 
strangeness  of  terms;  the  other,  Ihe  strictness  of  positions,  which  of 
iKCissity  doth  induce  oppositions,  and  so  questions  and  altercations.' 

*  Mai  create  oppositions,  &°c.'\     He  refers  chiefly  to  the  Schoolmen. 


Of  Unity  in  Rdigion.  \  ^ 

in  such  tilings,  are  like  the  iron  and  clay  in  the  loes  oJ 
Nebuchadnezzar's  image;'  they  may  cleave,  but  they  will 
not  incorporate. 

Concerning  the  means  of  procuring  unity :  men  must 
beware  that  in  the  procuring  or  muniting  of  religious  unity, 
they  do  not  dissolve  and  deface  the  laws  of  charity  and  of 
human  society.  There  be  two  swords  amongst  Christians, 
the  spiritual  and  temporal ;  and  both  have  their  due 
office  and  place  in  the  maintenance  of  religion.  But  we 
may  not  take  up  the  third  sword,  which  is  Mahomet's  sword, 
or  like  unto  it :  that  is,  to  propagate  religion  by  wars,  or  by 
sanguinary  persecutions  to  force  consciences ;  except  it  be 
in  cases  of  overt  scandal,  blasphemy,  or  intermixture  of 
practice^  against  the  State  :  much  less  to  nourish  seditions; 
to  autliorise  conspiracies  and  rebellions  ;  to  put  the  swbrd 
into  the  people's  hands,  and  the  like;  tending  to  the  sub- 
version of  all  government,  whicn  is  tne  ordmanct  of  God  ' 
For  this  is  but  to  dash  the  First  Table*  against  the  Second ; 
and  so  to  consider  men  as  Christians,  as  we  forget*  that 
they  are  men.  Lucretius  the  poet,  when  he  beheld  the  act 
of  Agamemnon,  that  could  endure  the  sacrificing  of  his  own 
daughter,  exclaimed :  Tautinn  reli^io  potiiit  suadcre  ma- 
lontmS'  What  would  he  have  said,  if  he  had  known  of 
the  massacre  in  France,^  or  the  powder  treason  of  England  ? 


'  Nebuchadnezzar' s  iiiioi^e\     Dan.  ii.  33. 

^  Practice']  Plotting ;  machination.  Formerly  a  common  meaning 
of  the  term. 

'  The  ordinance  of  God]  Rom.  xiii.  i,  'Thepowere  that  be  are 
ordained  of  God.' 

*  The  First  Table]    The  Table  of  the  first  four  Commandments. 

*  As  we  forget]     That  we  forget ;  as  to  forget. 

*  Tantitm  reiigio,  &'c.]  Lucretius,  i.  95.  Could  religion  prompt 
such  wicked  deeds?  Iphigenia  was  given  up  by  her  father  as  a  sacrifice 
to  appease  the  wrath  of  Diana  ;  but  the  relenting  goddess  rescued  her. 

'  The  inassacrc  in  France]  The  massacre  of  the  Huguenots  on  St. 
Bartholomew's  day,  Aug\ist  24th,  1572,  by  order  of  Charles  IX. 


1 6  Essays. 

He  would  have  been  seven  times  more  epicure  *  and  atheist 
than  he  was.  For  as  the  temporal  sword  is  to  be  drawn 
with  great  circumspection  in  cases  of  religion,  so  it  is  a  thing 
monstrous  to  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the  common  people  , 
let  that  be  left  unto  the  anabaptists'  and  other  furies.  It 
was  great  blasphemy,  when  the  devil  said,  /  7viil  ascend  atid 
he  like  the  Highest ;'^  but  it  is  greater  blasphemy  to  personate 
God,  and  bring  him  in  saying,  /  will  descend  and  be  like  t/ie 
Prince  of  darkness.  And  what  is  it  better,  to  make  the  cause 
of  religion  to  descend  to  the  cruel  and  execrable  actions  of 
murdering  princes,  butchery  of  people,  and  subversion  of 
States  and  Governments  ?  Surely  this  is  to  bring  down  the 
Holy  Ghost,  instead  of  the  likeness  of  a  dove,  in  the  shape 
of  a  vulture  or  raven  ;  and  to  set  out  of*  the  bark  of  a 
Christian  church  a  flag  of  a  bark  of  pirates  and  assassins.* 
Therefore  it  is  most  necessary  that  the  church  by  doctrine 
and  decree,  princes  by  their  sword,  and  all  learnings,  both 
Christian  and  moral,  as  by  their  Mercury  rod,^  do  damn, 


'  Epicure]     Epicurean. 

'  The  anabaptists]  He  alludes  to  the  insurrectionary  conduct  of  t)ie 
anabaptists  in  Saxony  and  Westphalia,  in  1525  and  1532.  They  were 
so  named  from  being  re-baptizers  of  persons  who  had  been  baptized  in 
infancy.  At  the  periods  referred  to,  these  fanatics,  political  as  well  as 
reUgious,  rose  in  rebellion  against  the  government,  asserting  the  un- 
warrantableness  of  all  civil  nile,  and  of  all  taxation,  and  committed  the 
most  violent  atrocities. 

*  J  ■will  ascend,  &'c.]     Isai.  xiv.  14. 

'  To  set  out  of]  To  set  up  from  ;  to  raise  or  hoist  from.  Gosson. 
in  his  School  of  Abuse,  says  '  I  have  set  out  the  flag  of  defiance.' 

'  Assassins]  The  Assassins  were  a  secret  military  and  religious 
order,  called  also  Ismaelites,  which  was  formed  in  Persia  in  the  eleventh 
century.  What  we  now  call  assassination  v/as  so  expressly  allowed,  and 
so  commonly  practised  by  them,  that  the  Crusaders  introduced  the  name 
assassin  into  Europe,  as  a  general  appellative  for  a  secret  murderer. 

*  As  by  their  Mercury  rod]  This  alludes  to  the  caduceus  with 
which  Mercury  summoned  the  souls  of  the  dead  to  the  infernal  regionj. 
He  was  the  god  of  eloquence  and  the  patron  of  leamioi;. 


Of  Revenge.  17 

and  send  to  hell  for  ever,  those  facts '  and  opinions  tending 
to  the  support  of  the  same,  as  hath  been  already  in  good 
part  done.  Surely  in  counsels  concerning  rehgion,  that 
counsel  of  the  apostle  would  be  prefixed,'*  Ira  hominis  nan 
ijtiplet  justitiam  JDei.^  And  it  was  a  notable  observation  of 
a  wise  Father,  and  no  less  ingenuously  confessed,  that  those 
which  held  and  persuaded  "^  pressure  of  consciences,  were 
cximmonly  interessed'*  therein  themselves  for  their  own  ends. 


IV.    OF  REVENGE. 

Revenge  is  a  kind  of  wild  justice,^  which  the  more  man's 
nature  runs  to,  the  more  ought  law  to  weed  it  out  For  as 
for  the  first  wrong,  it  doth  but  offend  the  law;  but  the 
revenge    of   that    wrong    putteth  the  law  out  of   office. 


'  /izr/j-j  Deeds.  Formerly  a  common  meaning.  So  Milton,  P.  L. 
ii.  124,  '  lie  who  most  excels  in  fact  of  arms  ;'  ix.  928,  '  Perhaps  the 
fact  is  not  so  heinous  now ;'  xi.  457,  'The  bloody  fact  will  be  avenged.' 
The  term  was  generally  applied  to  evil  deeds,  in  Shakspeare's  Mac- 
beth, iii.  6,  the  murder  of  Duncan  is  called  '  damned  fact.' 

*  IVotild  be  frefixed\  Ought  to  have  the  first  place.  Would  be,  for 
should  be,  or  requires  to  be,  is  often  met  with  in  our  older  literature. 
There  are  several  other  examples  of  it  in  these  Essays.    See\t.  70,  note  4. 

*  Ira  hominis,  &'c.\  The  wrath  of  man  does  not  fulfil  the  righteous- 
ness of  God.     (James  i.  20.) 

*  Pcrsuadcd'\  Urged,  or  advised.  Compare  2  Cor.  v.  11, 
'  Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men.'  So 
Shakspeare,  Two  Gent  i.  i,  'Cease  to  persuade,  my  loving  Proteus  ; ' 
Merry  Wives,  i.  i,  '  Sir  Hugh,  persuade  me  not ;'  Meas.  for  Meas.  v. 
I ,     How  I  persuaded,  how  I  prayed  and  kneeled. ' 

*  Interessed^  This  is  from  the  French  intt'resser ;  it  often  occurs  in 
old  authors.  Shirley  has  it  in  The  Maid^s  Revenge,  i.  i,  '  Where 
such  a  noble  count  is  interessed  ;  *  and  Shakspeare  in  JC.  Lear,  i.  i  — 

'  The  vines  of  France  and  milk  of  Burgundy 
Strive  to  be  interessed.' 

»  Wild  Justice]    The  metaphor  here  is  from  wild  fiowers. 

C 


F  S  ii'ssays. 

Certainly,  in  taking  revenge,  a  man  is  but  even  with  his 
enemy ;  but  in  passing  it  over  he  is  superior :  for  it  is  a 
prince's  part  to  pardon.  And  Solomon,  I  am  sure,  saith,  // 
is  the  glory  of  a  VI a7i  to  pass  by  an  offence}  That  which  is 
past  is  gone  and  irrevocable  ;  and  wise  men  have  enough  to 
do  with  things  present  and  to  come  :  therefore  they  do  but 
trifle  with  themselves,  that  labour  in  past  matters.  There  is 
no  man  doth*  a  wrong  for  the  wrong's  sake  ;  but  thereby  to 
purchase  himself  profit,  or  pleasure,  or  honour,  or  the  like. 
Therefore  why  should  I  be  angry  with  a  man  for  loving 
himself  better  than  me  ?  And  if  any  man  should  do  wrong 
merely  out  of  ill-nature, — why,  yet  it  is  but  like  the  thorn  or 
brier,  which  prick  and  scratch  because  they  can  do  no  other.^ 
The  most  tolerable*  sort  of  revenge  is  for  those  wrongs 
which  there  is  no  law  to  remedy  :  but  then,  let  a  man  take 
heed  the  revenge  be  such  as  there  is  no  law  to  punish  ;  else 
a  man's  enemy  is  still  beforehand,^  and  it  is  two  for  one.  Some, 
when  they  take  revenge,  are  desirous  the  party  should  know 
whence  it  cometh :  this  is  the  more  generous ;  for  the 
delight  seemeth  to  be,  not  so  much  in  doing  the  hurt,  as  in 
making  the  party  repent :  but  base  and  crafty  cowards  arc 
like  the  arrow  that  flieth  in  the  dark.  Cosmus,  Duke  of 
Florence,^  had  a  desperate"  saying  against  perfidious  or 
neglecting  friends,  as  if  those  wrongs  were  unpardonable. 
You  shall  read,  saith  he,  that  we  are  commanded  to  forgive 
our  enemies ;  but  you  never  read  that  we  are  commanded  to 


'  It  is  tlu glory,  ^c.'\     Prov.  xix.  ii. 
■    *  There  is  no  man  doth]     See  p.  13,  note  2. 

*  Thty  can  do  no  other]  It  is  their  nature  to  do  so.  Lat.  Natiird 
ini6.  utuntur. 

<  Tolerable]     Allowable. 

»  Is  still  beforehand]     Is  still  a  gainer.     Lat.  Lucrum  facit. 

'  Cosmus,  Duke  of  Florence]  Cosmo  de'  Medici,  Duke  of  Florence, 
and  afterwards  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  died  in  1574,  He  was  a  lil)t. 
r.il  patron  of  literature  and  the  fine  arts. 

♦  Vttferate^    Franlic. 


Of  Adversity.  jg 

forgive  our  friends.  But  yet  the  spirit  of  Job  was  in  a  better 
tune.  Shall  we ^  saith  he,  take  good  at  God's  hands,  and  not 
be  content  to  take  evil  also?^  and  so  of  friends  in  a  proportion. 
This  is  certain,  that  a  man  that  studieth  revenge,  keeps  his 
own  wounds  green,  which  otherwise  would  heal  and  do  well. 
Public  revenges''  are  for  the  most  part  fortunate ;  as  that 
fv)r  the  death  of  Caesar  ;'  for  the  death  of  Pertinax  ;*  for  the 
death  of  Henry  the  Third  of  France :'  and  many  more. 
But  in  private  revenges  it  is  not  so ;  nay,  rather  vindictive 
persons  li^-e  the  life  of  witches  ;  who,  as  they  are  mischie- 
"ous,  so  end  they  unfortunate. 


V.   OF  ADVERSITY. 

It  was  a  "high  speech  of  Seneca  (after  the  manner  of  the 
Stoics),  that  the  good  things  which  belong  to  prosperity 
are  to  be  wished;  but  the  good  things  that  belong  to  ad- 
versity are  to  be  admired:^  Bona  rernm  secundarum  optabilia, 
adversarum  mirabilia.'^     Certainly,  if  miracles  be  the  com- 


•  Shall  we,  &'c.'\    Job  ii.  lo. 

'  Public  revenges]     Penalties  legally  decreed  by  the  state. 
'  That  for  the  death  of  Cesar]     He  alludes  to  the  issue  of  the  battk 
at  Philippi,  and  the  accession  of  Augixstus  to  sovereign  power. 

•  The  death  of  Pertinax]  Pertinax  was  the  successor  of  the  emperor 
Commodus,  but  reigned  only  about  three  months.  He  was  murdered 
by  some  of  the  turbulent  Praetorians,  A.D.  193.    Severus  afterwards  put 

"the  murderers  to  death,  and  disarmed  and  banished  the  Praetorians. 

'  The  death  of  Henry  the  Third,  ^c.]  The  Latin  has  Cedem  Hen- 
rici  Quarti,  tnagni  illius  Gallia  regis.  Henry  III.  of  France  was 
assassinated,  in  1589,  by  Jacques  Clement,  a  fanatical  Jacobin  monk. 
His  successor,  Henry  IV.,  not,  however,  generally  acknowledged  king 
1  11  1598,  was  stabbed  to  death,  in  his  carriage,  by  Ravaillac,  in  1610. 
Henry  IV.  was  as  remarkable  for  good  qualities  as  his  predecessor  for 
tyranny  and  profligacy. 

•  Admired]  Wondered  at.  The  verb  to  admire  formerly  signified 
to  wonder  at,  whether  approvingly  or  otherwise. 

'  Bona  renim,  d-r.  |     Ad  Lucil.  66. 
C  i 


20  Essays. 

mand  over  nature,  they  appear  most  in  adversity.  It  is  yet 
a.  higher  speech  of  his  than  the  other  (much  too  high  for  a 
heathen) :  it  is  true  greatness  to  have  in  one  *  the  frailty  of  a 
man,  and  the  security  of  a  God  :  Vere  magnum,  haba-efra- 
gilitatem  hominis,  seciiritatem  Dei."^  This  would  have  done 
better  in  poesy,  where  transcendences  are  more  allowed. 
And  the  poets,  indeed,  have  been  busy  with  it  ;  for  it  is,  in 
effect,  the  thing  which  is  figured  in  that  strange  fiction  of  the 
ancient  poets,-"*  which  seemeth  not  to  be  without  mystery  ; 
nay,  and  to  have  some  approach  to  the  state  of  a  Christian  : 
that  Hercules,  when  he  went  to  unbind  Prometheus  (by 
whom  human  nature  is  represented),  sailed  the  length  of  llie 
great  ocean  in  an  earthen  pot  or  pitcher  :  lively  describing 
Christian  resolution,  that  saileth  in  the  frail  bark  of  the 
flesh  thorough  the  waves  of  the  world.*  But  to  speak  in  a 
mean :  ^  the  virtue  of  prosperity  is  temperance  ;  the  virtue  of 
adversity  is  fortitude :  which  in  morals  is  the  more  heroical 
virtue.  Prosperity  is  the  blessing  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
adversity  is  the  blessing  of  the  New:®  which  carrieth  the 
greater  benediction,  and  the  clearer  revelation  of  God's 
favoiu".     Yet  even  in  the  Old  Testament,  if  you  listen  to 


*  In  one\    At  once  ;  together. 

*  Vere  magnum^  &'c.'\  Ad  Lucil.  53.  Bacon  omits  simul  after 
habere ;  but,  in  his  translation,  represents  it  by  the  expression  '  in  one. ' 

*  The  ancient  poeis]     Apollodorus,  Stesichorus,  &c. 

*  Hercules,  when  he  -wait,  S^^-.]  Compare  our  author's  Wisdom  of 
the  Ancients  {^Prometheus)  :  '  It  is  elegantly  added,  for  the  consolation 
and  confirmation  of  men's  minds,  that  this  noble  hero  crossed  the  ocean 
in  a  cup  or  pan,  lest,  peradventure,  they  might  too  much  fear  that  the 
straits  and  frailty  of  their  nature  will  not  be  capable  of  this  fortitude  and 
constancy.  Of  which  very  thing  Seneca  well  conceived,  when  he  iavd. 
Magnum  est  habere  simul  fragilitatem  hominis  et  securitatetn  Dei.^ 

*  But  to  speak  in  a  meatf\  Lat.  Verum  ut  a  granditate  I'erborum  ad 
viediocritatem  deicendamus, 

•=  rrospe-.-ity  is  the  blessing,  <Sr-v.]  Compare  Dcut  xxviii.  I -13,  with 
Nfatt.  V.  I- 1 2. 


Of  Simulation  and  Dissimulation.  2 1 

David's  harp,  you  shall  hear  as  many  hearselike'  airs  as 
carols :  and  the  pencil  of  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  laboured  more 
in  describing  the  afflictions  of  Job  than  the  felicities  of 
Solomon.  Prosperity  is  not  without  many  fears  and  dis- 
tastes ;  and  adversity  is  not  without  comforts  and  hopes. 
We  see  in  needle-works  and  embroideries,  it  is  more  pleasing 
to  have  a  lively  work  upon  a  sad^  and  solemn  ground,  than 
to  have  a  dark  and  melancholy  work  upon  a  lightsome 
ground  :  judge,  therefore,  of  the  pleasure  of  the  heart  by  the 
pleasure  of  the  eye.  Certainly  virtue  is  like  precious  odours, 
most  fragrant  where  they  are  incensed,'  or  crushed ;  for 
prosperity  doth  best  discover*  vice,  but  adversity  doth  best 
discover  virtue. 


VI.    OF  SIMULATION  AND  DISSIMULATION. 

Dissimulation  is  but  a  faint  kind  of  policy,  or  wisdom  ;  for 
it  asketh'  a  strong  wit  and  a  strong  heart  to  know  when  to 
tell  truth,  and  to  do  it :  therefore  it  is  the  weaker  sort  of 
politics  *»  that  are  the  great  dissemblers. 

Tacitus  saith,  Livia  sorted  well  ^  with  the  arts  of  her  hus- 


'  Hearse-like]    Funereal.  «  Sad]     Dull, 

*  Iiuensed]     Burnt ;  made  to  exhale  perfume  by  burning. 

*  Discover]  Show.  The  concluding  portion  of  this  Essay,  from 
'  Prosperity  is  the  blessing,'  was  added  in  1625,  when  the  author  was 
in  his  65th  year,  and  is  referred  to  by  Macaulay  as  a  proof  that  Bacon's 
fancy  did  not  decay  with  the  approach  of  old  age. 

*  It  asketh]  It  requires.  So  used  again  in  the  loth  and  33rd  Essays. 
Compare  Milton's  Sams.  Agon.  65,  '  Each  apart  would  ask  a  life  to 
wail ; '  Shakspeare's  Alids.  N.  Dr.  i.  2,  '  That  will  ask  some  tears  in  the 
true  performing  of  it ; '  Chaucer's  Merchants  Tale,  '  And  all  this  asketh 
leisure  to  enquere.' 

'  Politics]     Politicians.     Ft.  politiques. 

*  Livia  sorted  well,  &'c.]  Tacitus,  Ann.  v.  I,  'Cum  artibus  mariti 
(imulaUone  filii  here  composita,'    Sorted  is  suited. 


22  Essays. 

band,  ajid  dissimulation  of  her  son;  attributing  arts  or  policy 
to  Augustus,  and  dissimulation  to  Tiberius.  And  again, 
when  Mucianus  encourageth  Vespasian  to  take  arms  against 
Vitellius,  he  saith,  We  rise  not  against  the  piercing  judgmait 
of  Augustus,  nor  the  extreme  caution  or  closeness  of  Tiberius} 
These  properties  of  arts  or  policy,  and  dissimulation  or 
closeness,  are,  indeed,  habits  and  faculties  several,'*  and  tc> 
be  distinguished.  For  if  a  man  have  that  penetration  of 
judgment,  as^  he  can  discern  what  things  are  to  be  laid  open, 
and  what  to  be  secreted,  and  what  to  be  showed  at  half 
lights,  and  to  whom,  and  when  (which,  indeed,  are  arts  of 
State,  and  arts  of  life,  as  Tacitus  well  calleth  them),^  to  him 
a  habit  of  dissimulation  is  a  hindrance  a^d  a  poorness. 
But  if  a  man  cannot  obtain  to®  that  judgment,  then  it  is  left 
to  him  generally  to  be  close,  and  a  dissembler.  For  where 
a  man  cannot  choose  or  vary  in  particulars,  there  it  is  good 
to  take  the  safest  and  wariest  way  in  general ;  like  the  going 
softly  by^  one  that  cannot  well  see.  Certainly  the  ablest 
men  that  ever  were,  have  had  all  an  openness  and  frankness 
of  dealing,  and  a  name  of  certainty  ^  and  veracity  ;  but  then 
they  were  like  horses  well  managed ;  *  for  they  could  tell 


'  We  rise  not,  &'c.\  Tacitus,  Hist.  ii.  76,  'Non  adversus  divi 
Augusti  acerrimam  mentem,  nee  adversus  Tiberii  cautissimam  senectu- 
tem.' 

'  Several'\     Of  different  minds.  *  As^     That,  or  as  that. 

*  As  Tacitus  well  calleth  theni\  Ann.  iii.  70.  '  Egregium  publicum 
et  bonas  domi  artes. ' 

*  Obtain  to]  Attain  to.  So  in  the  Advancement,  I.,  *  In  the  degrees 
of  human  honour  amongst  the  heathen,  it  was  the  highest  to  obtain  to  a 
veneration  and  adoration  as  a  God  ; '  and  Sir  Ph.  Sydney,  in  his 
Apology  for  Poetry,  says,  '  The  poets  have  obtained  to  the  high  top  of 
their  profession.' 

*  By!\     Past. 

'  A  name  of  certainty']     The  credit  of  sincerity. 

*  Well  managed]  Well  trained.  From  the  Fr.  mavegr^  a  riding- 
bouse.     Lat.  Bene  docti  et  domiti. 


Of  Simulation  and  Dissimuiativn.  23 

passing  well  *  when  to  stop  or  turn  :  and  at  such  times  when 
they  thought  the  case  indeed  required  dissimulation,  if  then 
they  used  it,  it  came  to  pass  that  the  former  opinion  spread 
abroad  of  their  good  faith  and  clearness  of  dealing  made 
them  almost  invisible. 

There  be  three  degrees  of  this  hiding  and  veiling  of  a 
man's  self.  The  first,  closeness,  reservation,  and  secrecy ; 
when  a  man  leaveth  himself  without  observation,  or  without 
hold  to  be  taken,  what  he  is.'*  The  second,  dissimulation 
in  the  negative  :  when  a  man  lets  fall  signs  and  arguments,' 
that  he  is  not  that  he  is.  And  the  third,  simulation  in  the 
affirmative;  when  a  man  industriously*  and  expressly  feigns 
and  pretends  to  be  that  he  is  not. 

For  the  first  of  these,  secrecy:  It  is  indeed  the  virtue  of  a 
confessor ;  and  assuredly  the  secret  man  heareth  many  con- 
fessions ;  for  who  will  open  himself  to  a  blab  or  a  babbler  ? 
But  if  a  man  be  thought  secret,  it  inviteth  discovery  ;*  as  the 
more  close  air  sucketh  in  the  more  open  :  and  as,  in  confes- 
sion, the  revealing  is  not  for  worldly  use,  but  i(y  the  ease  of 
a  man's  heart ;  so  secret  men  come  to  the  knowledge  ot 
many  things  in  that  kind  ;  while  men  rather  discharge^  their 
minds  than  impart  their  minds.  In  few  words,  mysteries 
are  due  to  secrecy.  Besides  (to  say  truth)  nakedness  is 
uncomely,  as  well  in  mind  as  body  ;  and  it  addeth  no  small 
reverence  to  men's   manners  and  actions,  if  they  be  not 


'  Passing  welll  Surpassingly  or  exceedingly  well ;  very  readily. 
.So  Shakspeare,  Tivo  Gent,  iv,  4,  '  Is  she  not  passing  fair?'  0th.  i.  3, 
'  'T  was  passing  strange ; '  Ham.  ii.  2,  '  The  which  he  loved  passing 
well. ' 

■''  IVit/iout  observation,  &'c.^  Without  anything  for  observation,  or 
without  anything  tangible  as  to  what  he  is. 

*  Arguments^     Indications. 

*  Jndusti-iously\     Laboriously  ;  with  painstaking. 

*  Inviteth  discovery]  Encourages  disclosure.  To  discover  formerly 
jften  meant  to  reveal  or  show. 

*  Discluirgc]  .   Disburden  ;  exonerate. 


24  •    assays. 

altogether  open.  As  for  talkers,  and  futile  persons,  they  are 
commonly  vain '  and  credulous  withal.  For  he  that  talketh 
what  he  knoweth  will  also  talk  what  he  knoweth  not. 
Therefore  set  it  down,  that  a  habit  of  secrecy  is  both  politic 
and  moral.^  And  in  this  part  it  is  good  that  a  man's  face 
give  his  tongue  leave  to  speak.-*  For  the  discover}'-  of  a 
man's  self  by  the  tracts  of  his  countenance,  is  a  great  weak- 
ness and  betrajing  ;  by  how  much  it  is,  many  times,  more 
marked  and  believed  than  a  man's  words.* 

For  the  second,  which  is  dissimulation  ;  it  followeth  many 
times  upon  secrecy  by  a  necessity  :  so  that  he  that  will  be 
secret  must  be  a  dissembler  in  some  degree.  For  men  are 
too  cunning  to  suffer  a  man  to  keep  an  indifferent  carriage 
between  both,  and  to  be  secret,  wthout  swaying  the  balance 
on  either  side.  They  will  so  beset  a  man  with  questions, 
and  draw  him  on,  and  pick  it  out  of  him,  that,  without  an 
absurd  silence,  he  must  show  an  inclination  one  way  ;  or  if 
he  do  not,  they  will  gather  as  much  by  his  silence  as  by  his 
speech.     As  for  equivocations,  or  oraculous  speeches,*  they 


•  Vaiit]     Light  ;  silly.  *  Moral]     Right. 

*  Give  his  tongue,  &'c.'\  Let  speaking  be  reserved  for  his  tongue 
only.     Lat.  Ut  vultus  suus  lingum  officium  iio7i  prceripiat. 

■*  The  discovery,  tS^f.]  The  revealing  of  a  man's  self  by  the  traits  or 
features  of  his  countenance,  &c.  This  reminds  us  of  the  maxim  in  Sir 
Henry  Wooton's  Letter  to  the  author  of  Comus  :  '  I pensk'ri  stretti  ct  il 
'ciso  scioUo  *  w'lW  go  safely  over  the  whole  world.'  Compare  the  Ad- 
vancement,  II.,  'That  more  trust  be  given  to  countenances  and  deeds 
I  ban  to  words  :  and,  in  words,  rather  to  sudden  passages  and  surpriseii 
words  than  to  set  and  purposed  words.  Neither  let  that  be  feared 
which  is  ^\A,  fronti  nulla  fides  (Juvenal,  Sat.  ii.  8)  ;  which  is  meant  of 
a  general  outward  behaviour,  and  not  of  the  private  and  subtile  motions 
and  labours  of  the  countenance  and  gesture. ' 

^  Oraculous  speeches]  Aml^iguous  speeches,  as  the  oracular  responses 
often  were  :  ex.  gr.  that  given  to  Pyrrhus,  Aio  te,  Aiacida,  Romaiws 
vincere posse,  I  say  that  you,  grandson  of  yEacus,  the  Romans  are  able 


*  The  tiiourhts  close  and  th<.  roumenance  loose. 


Of  Simulation  and  Dissimulation.  25 

cannot  hold  out  long.  So  that  no  man  can  be  secret,  except 
he  give  himself  a  little  scope  of  dissimulation,  which  is,  as  it 
were,  but  the  skirts  or  train  of  secrecy. 

But  for  the  third  degree,  which  is  simulation  and  folse 
profession,  that  I  hold  more  culpable,  and  less  politic,  except 
it  be  in  great  and  rare  matters.  And,  therefore,  a  general 
custom  of  simulation  (which  is  this  last  degree)  is  a  vice 
rising  either  of  a  natural  falseness,  or  fearfulness,  or  of  a 
inind  that  hath  some  main  faults  ;  which  because  a  man 
must  needs  disguise,  it  maketh  him  practise  simulation  in 
other  things,  lest  his  hand  should  be  out  of  ure.' 

The  advantages  of  simulation  and  dissimulation  are  three. 
First,  to  lay  asleep  opposition,  and  to  surprise.  For  where 
a  man's  intentions  are  published,  it  is  an  alarum  to  call  up 
all  that  are  against  thein.  The  second  is,  to  reserve  to  a 
man's  self  a  fair  retreat :  for  if  a  man  engage  himself  by  a 
manifest  declaration,  he  must  go  through,  or  take  a  fall. 
The  third  is,  the  better  to  discover  the  mind  of  another. 
For  to  him  that  opens  himself,  men  will  hardly  show  them- 
selves adverse  ;  but  will  (fair)  let  him  go  on,'  and  turn  their 
freedom  of  speech  to  freedom  of  thought.  And,  therefore, 
it  is  a  good  shrewd  proverb'  of  the  Spaniard,  Tell  a  lie,  and 


to  conquer.  So  Croesus  was  encouraged  to  pass  the  river  Halys,  when 
he  was  told  that  he  would  thereby  destroy  a  great  empire.  He  supposed 
Pereia  to  be  meant ;  but  the  empire  which  he  destroyed  was  his  own. 

'  Out  of  ure]  Out  of  practice.  Ure  is  from  the  Fr.  cmvrc,  as 
manure  is  from  mamvuvre.  Hence  our  verb  to  inure.  So  in  the  Ad. 
vancement,  II.,  *  No  other  method  than  that  which  brute  beasts  are 
capable  of,  and  do  put  in  ure  ; '  in  North's  Plutarch,  '  Lycurgus  taking 
singular  pleasure  and  delight  in  his  mind  to  see  his  notable  laws  put  in 
ure  ; '  in  Gosson's  School  of  Abuse,  '  To  sweep  motes  from  their  kirtles, 
to  keep  their  fingers  in  ure  ; '  and  again,  '  Oftentimes  he  slew  one  or 
other  at  home,  to  keep  his  fingers  in  ure.' 

*  I'Vill  {fair)  let  him  go  on\     IjoX..  Assetttabitur  potius. 

■  A  good  shrewd prcfverb^    A  very  shrewd  or  mischievous  proverb. 


26  Essays. 

find  a  troth  :  ^  as  if  there  were  no  way  of  discover}-  but  by 
simulation.  There  be  also  three  disadvantages  to  set  u 
even.'  The  first,  that  simulation  and  dissimulation  com- 
monly carry  with  them  a  show  of  fearfulness,  which,  in  any 
business,  doth  spoil  the  feathers  of  round  flying  up  to  the 
mark.'  The  second,  that  it  puzzleth  and  perplexeth  the 
conceits*  of  many  that,  perhaps,  would  otherwise  co-operate 
with  him;  and  makes  a  man  walk  almost  alone  to  his  own 
ends.  The  third  and  greatest  is,  that  it  depriveth  a  man  of 
one  of  the  most  principal  instruments  for  action,  which  is 
trust  and  belief.  The  best  composition  and  temperature* 
is  :  to  have  openness  in  fame  and  opinion  j*'  secrecy  in  habit ; 
dissimulation  in  seasonable  use ;  and  a  power  to  feign,  if 
there  be  no  remedy. 


VII.    OF  PARENTS  AND   CHILDREN. 

The  joys  of  parents  are  secret,  and  so  are  their  griefs 
and  fears;  they  cannot  utter  the  one,  nor  they  will  not^ 
utter  the  other.  Children  sweeten  labours  ;  but  they  make 
misfortunes  more  bitter :  they  increase  the  cares  of  life  ;  but 


'  Find  a  trotli^  Bring  out  a  tnith.  Compare  ihe  Advancement,  II., 
'  They  open  themselves  ;  especially  if  they  be  put  to  it  with  a  counter- 
dissimulation,  according  to  the  proverb  of  Spain,  Di  tiieulira,  y  sacaras 
verdad.^  Singer  says,  'The  Spanish  proverb  is  Decir  nientira  para 
sacar  verdad,  and  is  applied  to  those  who  simulate  to  know  ihings  of 
which  they  are  ignorant.' 

*  To  set  it  even]     To  make  an  equipoise  for  it. 

*  Dot  A  spoil  the  feathers,  &!'c.'\  Spoils  the  feathers  for  flying  directly 
up  to  the  mark.     An  allusion  to  archery.     See  p.  5,  note  2. 

*  Conceits]     Conceptions. 

*  Temperature]     Temperament.  *  Opinion]     Reputation. 

^  Nor  tltey  ■mill  not]  Such  double  negation  is  often  met  with  in  old 
writers.  Thus  in  Shakspeare's  Merck,  of  Ven.  iv.  I,  '  So  can  I  give  \w 
reason,  nor  I  will  not ; '  K.  John,  v.  7,  '  This  England  never  did,  njr 
never  shalL' 


Of  Parents  and  Children.  27 

they  mitigate  the  remembrance  of  death.'  The  perpetuity 
by  generation  is  common  to  beasts  ;  but  memory,  merit, 
and  noble  works  are  proper  to  men :  and  surely  a  man  shall 
see  the  noblest  works  and  foundations  have  proceeded  from 
childless  men,  which  have  sought  to  express  the  images  of 
their  minds,  where  those  of  their  bodies  have  failed  :  so  the 
care  of  posterity  is  most  in  them  that  have  no  posterity. 
They  that  are  the  first  raisers  of  their  houses  are  most 
indulgent  towards  their  children  ;  beholding  them  as  the 
continuance,  not  only  of  their  kind,  but  of  their  work ;  and 
so  both  children  and  creatures.' 

The  difference  in  aftection  of  parents  towards  their  several 
children,  is  many  times  unequal,  and  sometimes  unworthy  ; 
especially  in  the  mother ;  as  Solomon  saith,  A  wise  son 
rejoiceth  the  father,  but  an  ungracious  son  shames  the  mother^ 
A  man  shall  see,  where  there  is  a  house  full  of  children,  one 
or  two  of  the  eldest  respected,  and  the  youngest  made 
wantons  ;  *  but  in  the  midst,  some  that  are,  as  it  were,  for- 
gotten, who  many  times  nevertlieless  prove  the  best.  The 
illiberality  of  parents,  in  allowance  towards  their  children, 
is  a  harmful  error ;  makes  them  base  ;  acquaints  them  with 
shifts ;  makes  them  sort  with  mean  company ;  and  makes 
them  surfeit  more  when  they  come  to  plenty  :  and  therefore 
the  proof  is  best  when  men  keep  their  authority  towards  * 
their  children,  but  not  their  purse.  Men  have  a  foolish 
manner  (both  parents,  and  schoolmasters,  and  servants),  in 


'   They  mitigate  the  remembrance  of  dcath^     See  p.  29,  note  I. 

*  Creatures]     Things  created  ;  persons  made  by  them. 

'  A  wise  son,  &'c.'\  Prov.  x.  i,  'A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father, 
but  a  foolish  son  is  the  heaviness  of  his  mother.'  Bacon's  comment  on 
this  in  the  Advancement,  II.,  is  :  '  Here  is  distinguished,  that  fathers 
have  most  comfort  of  the  good  proof  of  their  sons  ;  but  mothers  have 
most  discomfort  of  their  ill  proof,  because  women  have  little  discerning 
of  virtue,  but  of  fortune.' 

*  Made  wantons]     Made  play- things  ;  petted. 

*  Towards]    With  respect  to. 


2S  Essays. 

creating  and  breeding  an  emulation  between  brothers  during 
childhood,  which  many  times  sorteth '  to  discord  when  they 
are  men,  and  disturbeth  families.  The  Italians  make  little 
difference  between  children  and  nephews,  or  near  kinsfolk , 
but  so'^  they  be  of  the  lump,  they  care  not  though  they  pass 
not  through  their  owti  body.  And,  to  say  truth,  in  nature 
it  is  much  a  like  matter ;  insomuch  that  we  see  a  nephew 
sometimes  resembleth  an  uncle,  or  a  kinsman,  more  than 
his  own  parent,  as  the  blood  happens.  Let  parents  choose 
betimes  the  vocations  and  courses  they  mean  their  children 
should  take ;  for  then  they  are  most  flexible  :  and  let  them 
not  too  much  apply  themselves  to  the  disposition'  of  their 
children,  as  thinking  they  will  take  best  to  that  which  they 
have  most  mind  to.  It  is  true,  that  if  the  affection  or  aptness 
of  the  children  be  extraordinary,  then  it  is  good  not  to  cross 
it ;  but  generally  the  precept  is  good,  optimiini  elige,  suave  et 
facile  illud  faciei  consuetude*  Younger  brothers  are  commonly 
fortiuiate  ;  but  seldom  or  never  where  the  elder  are  disin- 
herited. 


VIII.    OF  MARRIAGE  AND  SINGLE  LIFE. 

He  that  hath  wife  and  children  hath  given  hostages  to 
fortune ;  for  they  are  impediments  to  great  enterprises, 
either  of  virtue  or  mischief  Certainly  the  best  works,  and 
of  greatest  merit  for  the  public,  have  proceeded  from  the 
unmarried  or  childless  men  ;  which,  both  in  affection  and 


*  Sortethi     Conduces.  ^  So]     Provided.     See -p.  5,  note  i. 

*  Apply  themselves,  tS^f.]  Accommodate  themselves  to,  or  study,  the 
disposition.  So  in  the  Advancement,  I.,  it  is  said  of  learned  men  '  that 
they  fail  sometimes  in  applying  themselves  to  particular  persons  ; '  and 
attain  :  '  Not  that  I  can  tax  cr  condemn  the  niorigeration  or  application 
of  learned  men  to  men  in  fortune.' 

*  Optimum  elige,  &'c.'\  Choose  what  is  most  advantageous,  habit  will 
make  it  agreeable  and  easy.     This  was  a  maxim  of  Pythagoras. 


Of  Marriage  and  Single  L  ifc.  2Q 

means,  have  married  and  endowed  the  public  Yet  it  were 
great  reason  that  those  that  have  children  should  have 
greatest  care  of  future  times  ;  unto  which  they  know  they 
must  transmit  their  dearest  pledges.*  Some  there  are,  who 
though  they  lead  a  single  life,  yet  their  thoughts  do  end 
with  themselves,  and  account  future  times  impertinences.' 
jVay,  there  are  some  other,  that  account  wife  and  children 
but  as  bills  of  charges.  Nay  more,  there  are  some  foolish 
rich  covetous  men,  that  take  a  pride  in  having  no  children, 
because  they  may  be  thought  so  much  the  richer.  For, 
perhaps,  they  have  heard  some  talk,  Such  a  one  is  a  great 
rich  man  ;  and  another  except  to  it,  Yea,  but  he  hath  a  great 
charge  of  children :  as  if  it  were  an  abatement  to  his  riches. 
But  the  most  ordinary  cause  of  a  single  life  is  liberty  ; 
especially  in  certain  self-pleasing  and  humorous  minds,' 
which  are  so  sensible  of  every  restraint,  as^  they  'vvill  go 
near  to  think  their  girdles  and  garters  to  be  bonds  and 
shackles.  Unmarried  men  are  best  friends,  best  masters, 
best  servants  ;  but  not  always  best  subjects ;  for  they  are 
light  to  run  away  ;  and  almost  all  fugitives  are  of  that 
condition.     A  single  life  doth  well  with  churchmen  ;*  for 


'  Yet  it  were,  &'c.\  Compare  the  Advancenunt,  beginning  of  Bk. 
II.  'Those  which  are  fruitful  in  their  generations,  and  have  in  them- 
selves the  foresight  of  immortality  in  their  descendants,  should  likewise 
be  more  careful  of  the  good  estate  of  future  times,  unto  which  they  know 
they  must  transmit  and  commend  over  their  dearest  pledges.'  (See 
Cicero's  Tusc.  QuiBst.  i.  38.) 

*  Impertinences]     Not  pertaining  to  them  ;  no  concern  of  theirs. 

'  Humorous  minds]  Minds  swayed  by  a  predominating  humour. 
The  human  disposition  was  supposed  to  be  constituted  by  the  four  tem- 
peraments or  complexions,  phlegm,  blood,  choler,  and  melancholy, 
variously  compounded  of  the  four  elements.  A  person  in  whom  some 
mood  predominated  was  called  humorous.  Thus  in  Shaksp.  K.  Johtt, 
\\\.  I,  Fortune  is  called  *  her  humorous  ladyship  \^  vn  As  You  Like  It,  i.  2, 
'The  duke  is  hunioruu^'  that  is,  moody,  or  ill-natured. 

*  As\     That.  *  Churchmen]     Clergymen. 


30  Essays. 

charity  will  hardly  water  the  ground  where  it  must  first  fill  a 
pool.  It  is  indifferent  for  judges  and  magistrates  :  for  if 
they  be  facile  and  corrupt,  you  shall  have  a  servant  five 
times  worse  than  a  wife.  For  soldiers,  I  find  the  generals 
commonly,  in  their  hortatives,  put  men  in  mind  of  their 
wives  and  children.  And  I  think  the  despising  of  marriage 
amongst  the  Turks  maketh  the  vulgar  soldier '  more  base. 
Certainly,  wife  and  children  are  a  kind  of  discipline  of 
humanity;  and  single  men,  though  they  be  many  times 
more  charitable,  because  their  means  are  less  exhaust ;  yet, 
on  the  other  side,  they  are  more  cruel  and  hard-hearted 
(good  to  make  severe  inquisitors),  because  their  tenderness 
is  not  so  oft  called  upon.  Grave  natures,  led  by  custom, 
and  therefore  constant,  are  commonly  loving  husbands  ;  as 
was  said  of  Ulysses,  vetulavi  siiam  prcBtiilit  immortalitati? 
Chaste  women  are  often  proud  and  froward,  as  presuming 
upon  the  merit  of  their  chastity.  It  is  one  of  the  best  bonds 
both  of  chastity  and  obedience  in  the  wife,  if  she  think  her 
husband  wise  ;  which  she  will  never  do  if  she  find  him 
jealous.  Wives  are  young  men's  mistresses;  companions 
for  middle  age  ;  and  old  men's  nurses.  So  as  a  man  may 
have  a  quarrel  to  marry  when  he  will.^  But  yet  he  was 
rt.'puted  one  of  the  wise  men,  that  made  answer  to  the 
question,  when  a  man  should  marry  : — A  young  man  twt  yet, 


'   Vulgar  soldkr\     Common  soldier. 

^  Vetulam  suam,  &r'c.'\  He  preferred  his  old  spouse  to  a  condition 
if  immortality.  Cicero  says  it  was  Ithaca  which  Ulysses  preferred  to 
tne  immortality  offered  by  Calypso.     {De  Oral.  i.  44). 

*  So  as  a  man,  &'c.'\  So  that  a  man  may  have  a  cause,  or  plea,  &c. 
The  noun  qttarrd  was  sometimes  used  for  cause.  In  Shaksp.  Macb.  i. 
?,  we  have  '  And  Fortune  on  his  damned  quarrel  smiling  ; '  in  Latimer's 
Sermons  there  are  several  instances,  as  in  the  Serin,  for  Christmas  Day, 
To  live  and  die  in  God's  quarrel. '  For  quarrel  the  Lat.  has  ansa, 
that  is,  a  handle,  figuratively,  an  occasion.  In  Coles's  Latin  Dictionary 
we  have  Quarrel—  Causa,  Lis 


Of  Envy.  ii 

an  elder  man  not  at  all}  It  is  often  seen,  that  bad  husbands 
have  very  good  wives  :  whether  it  be  that  it  raiseth  the 
price  of  their  husbands'  kindness  when  it  comes  ;  or  that 
the  wives  take  a  pride  in  their  patience.  But  this'  never 
fails,  if  the  bad  husbands  were  of  their  own  choosing,  against 
their  friends'  consent ;  for  then  they  will  be  sure  to  make 
good'  their  own  folly. 


IX.   OF  ENVY. 

There  be  none  of  the  affections  which  have  been  noted 
to  fascinate,  or  bewitch,  but  love  and  envy.  They  both 
have  vehement  wishes  ;  they  frame  themselves  readily  into 
imaginations  and  suggestions ;  and  they  come  easily  into 
the  eye,  especially  upon  the  presence  of  the  objects  :  which 
are  the  points  that  conduce  to  fascination,  if  any  such  thing 
there  be.  We  see  likewise,  the  Scripture  calleth  envy  an 
evil  eye  ;*  and  the  astrologers  call  the  evil  influences  of  the 
stars  evil  aspects  :  so  that  still  there  seemeth  to  be  acknow- 
ledged, in  the  act  of  envy,  an  ejaculation,'  or  irradiation  of 
the  eye.  Nay,  some  have  been  so  curious  as  to  note,  that 
the  times  when  the  stroke  or  percussion  of  an  envious  eye 
doth  most  hurt,  are,  when  the  party  envied  is  beheld  in 


'  A  young  man,  6^f.]  Thales  of  Miletus,  one  of  the  seven  wise 
men  of  Greece,  when  first  urged  by  his  mother  to  marry,  said,  *  It  is 
too  soon  for  me  ; '  when  he  was  older  she  renewed  the  entreaty,  and 
he  answered,  *It  is  now  too  late.'  The  other  sages  were  Solon  of 
Athens,  Bias  of  Priene,  Chilo  of  Sparta,  Pittacus  of  Mitylene,  Cleobulus 
of  Rhodes,  and  Periander  of  Corinth. 

*  This\     This  patience. 

•  Make  good]    Maintain,  or  bear  out ;  avoid  seeming  to  repent. 

*  An  evil  eye]  Envy,  from  the  Lat.  invidia,  denotes  a  looking  y/'xth. 
jealous  ill-will  on  some  superiority  in  another.  Matth.  xx.  15,  'Is 
thine  eye  e\nl  because  I  am  good  ?  ' 

•  An  ejaculation]    A  darting  glance. 


32  jfssays. 

glory  or  triumph  ;  for  that  sets  an  edge  upon  envy  :  and 
besides,  at  such  times,  the  spirits '  of  the  person  envied  do 
come  forth  most  into  the  outward  parts,  and  so  meet  the 
blow. 

But  leaving  these  curiosities  (though  not  unworthy  to  be 
thought  on  in  fit  place),  we  will  handle,  what  persons  are 
apt  to  envy  others  ;  what  persons  are  most  subject  to  be 
envied  themselves;  and  what  is  the  difference  between 
public  and  private  envy. 

A  man  that  hath  no  virtue  in  himself,  ever  envieth  virtue 
in  others.  For  men's  minds  will  either  feed  upon  their  own 
good,  or  upon  others'  evil ;  and  who  wanteth  the  one,  will 
prey  upon  the  other  :  and  whoso  is  out  of  hope  to  attain  to 
another's  virtue,  will  seek  to  come  at  even  hand^  by  de- 
pressing another's  fortime. 

A  man  that  is  busy  and  inquisitive  is  commonly  envious  : 
for  to  know  much  of  other  men's  matters  cannot  be  because 
all  that  ado  may  concern  his  own  estate  :  therefore  it  must 
needs  be  that  he  taketh  a  kind  of  play  pleasure'  in  looking 
upon  the  fortunes  of  others  ;  neither  can  he  that  mindeth 
but  his  own  business  find  much  matter  for  envy.  For  envy 
is  a  gadding  passion,  and  walketh  the  streets,  and  doth  not 
keep  home  :  JVon  est  curiosus,  quin  idem  sit  malevoliis.^ 

Men  of  noble  birth  are  noted  to  be  envious  towards  new 
men^  when  they  rise,  for  the  distance  is  altered;  and  it  is 


'  Tlie  spirits]  Bacon  entertained  the  medical  opinion  of  his  day,  that 
the  arteries  were  used  for  the  transmission  of  the  vital  spirits.  Shaksp. 
Love's  Lab.  Lost,  iv.  3,  says,  '  Universal  plodding  prisoas  up  the  nimble 
spirits  in  the  arteries.' 

*  To  come  at  even  hand\    To  be  even;  to  make  up  for  it. 

*  Play -pleasure]     Pleasure  like  that  of  seeing  a  play. 

*  Non  est  curiostis,  Qfc.  ]  No  one  is  a  busybody  without  being  male- 
volent.    The  passage  is  from  the  Stichus  of  Plautus. 

'  New  men]  Among  the  Romans  novus  homo  denoted  a  aian  lateijr 
ennobled,  not  being  of  a  noble  family. 


Of  Envy.  33 

like  a  deceit  of  the  eye,  that  when  others  come  on  they 
think  themselves  go  back. 

Deformed  persons,  and  eunuchs,  and  old  men,  and 
bastards,  are  envious  :  for  he  that  cannot  possibly  mend  his 
own  case,  will  do  what  he  can  to  impair  another's  ;  except 
these  defects  light  upon  a  very  brave  and  heroical- nature, 
which  thinketh  to  make  his  natural  wants  part  of  his  honour: 
in  that  it  should  be  said,  that  a  eunuch,  or  a  lame  man,  did 
such  great  matters  ;  affecting'  the  honour  of  a  miracle:  as 
I't  was  in  Narses^  the  eunuch,  and  Agesilaus'  and  Tamer- 
lane,* that  were  lame  men. 

The  same  is  the  case  of  men  who  rise  after  calamitici 
and  misfortunes ;  for  they  are  as  men  fallen  out  with  the 
times,  and  think  other  men's  harms  a  redemption  of  their 
own  sufferings. 

They  that  desire  to  excel  in  too  many  matters,  out  of 
levity  and  vain  glory,  are  ever  envious ;  for  they  cannot 
want  work ;  it  being  impossible  but  many,  in  some  one  of 
those  things,  should  surpass  them  :  Which  was  the  charac- 
ter of  Adrian  the  emperor,  that  mortally  envied  poets  and 
painters,  and  artificers  in  works  wherein  he  had  a  vein  "  to 
excel. 

Lastly,  near  kinsfolks  and  fellows  in  office,  and  those  that 
have  been  bred  together,  are  more  apt  to  envy  their  equals 


'  Affecting\    Desiring  ;  aiming  at. 

*  Narses\  By  order  of  the  emperor  Justinian,  Narses  superseded 
Belisarius  in  the  command  of  the  armies  of  Italy,  He  defeated  Totila, 
king  of  the  Goths. 

'  Agesilaus]  King  of  Sparta.  In  North's  Plutarch  we  read  that 
'  his  life  and  courage  was  the  more  commendable  in  him,  for  that 
men  saw  that  notwithstanding  his  lameness  he  refused  no  pain  nor 
labour.' 

*  Tamerlatte]  Tamerlane,  or  Timour,  ruler  of  Turkestan,  died  ii» 
1405.     His  capital  was  Samaicand. 

*  A  veiit]    A  humour,  or  liking. 

T) 


34  Essays. 

when  they  are  raised.  For  it  doth  upbraid  unto  them  their 
own  fortunes,  and  pointeth  at  them,  and  cometh  oftener 
into  their  remembrance,  and  incurreth  likewise  more  into 
the  note  of  others  ; '  and  envy  ever  redoubleth  from  speech 
and  fame.  Cain's  envy  was  the  more  vile  and  malignant 
towards  fiis  brother  Abel,  because,  when  his  sacrifice  was 
better  accepted,  there  was  nobody  to  look  on.  Thus  much 
for  those  that  are  apt  to  envy. 

Concerning  those  that  are  more  or  less  subject  to  envy : 
First,  persons  of  eminent  virtue,  when  they  are  advanced, 
are  less  envied.  For  their  fortune  seemeth  but  due  unto 
them ;  and  no  man  envieth  the  payment  of  a  debt,  but 
rewards  and  liberality  rather.  Again,  envy  is  ever  joined 
with  the  comparing  of  a  man's  self ;  and  where  there  is  no 
comparison,  no  envy  ;  and  therefore  kings  are  not  envied 
but  by  kings.  Nevertheless,  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  unworthy 
persons  are  most  envied  at  their  first  coming  in,  and  after- 
wards overcome  it  better  ;  whereas,  contrariwise,  persons  of 
worth  and  merit  are  most  envied  when  their  fortune  conti- 
nueth  long.  For  by  that  time,  though  their  virtue  be  the 
same,  yet  it  hath  not  the  same  lustre  ;  for  fresh  men  grow 
up  that  darken  it. 

Persons  of  noble  blood  are  less  envied  in  their  rising ;  for 
it  seemeth  but  right  done  to  their  birth.  Besides,  there 
seemeth  not  so  much  added  to  their  fortune ;  and  envy  is  as 
the  sun-beams,  that  beat  hotter  upon  a  bank  or  steep  rising 
ground  than  upon  a  flat.  And,  for  the  same  reason,  those 
that  are  advanced  by  degrees  are  less  envied,  than  those 
that  are  advanced  suddenly,  and/(?r  saltiirn.^ 

Those  that  have  joined  with  their  honour  great  travails, 
cares,  or  perils,  are  less  subject  to  envy  :  for  men  think  that 
they  earn  their  honours  hardly,  and  pity  them  sometimes  ; 
and  pity  ever  healeth  envy  :  wherefore  you  shall  observe, 
that  the  more  deep  and  sober  sort  of  politic  persons,  in 

•  Iiuurreth,  6^^.]     Also  comes  more  under  the  notice  of  others. 
■  Pet-  saUum'\     By  a  leap  (over  the  heads  of  others). 


Of  Envy.  35 

their  greatness,  are  ever  bemoaning  themselves  what  a  life 
they  lead,  chanting  a  quanta pathmir  \^  not  that  they  feel  it 
so,  but  only  to  abate  the  edge*  of  envy.  But  this  is  to  be 
understood  of  business  that  is  laid  upon  men,  and  not  such 
as  they  call  unto  themselves.  For  nothing  increaseth  envy 
more,  than  an  unnecessary  and  ambitious  engrossing  of 
business  :  and  nothing  doth  extinguish  envy  more,  than  for 
a  great  person  to  preserve  all  other  inferior  officers  in  their 
full  rights  and  pre-eminences  of  their  places  :  for,  by  that 
means,  there  be  so  many  screens  between  him  and  envy. 

Above  all,  those  are  most  subject  to  envy  which  carry  the 
greatness  of  their  fortunes  in  an  insolent  and  proud  manner: 
being  never  well  but  while  they  are  showing  how  great  they 
are,  either  by  outward  pomp,  or  by  triumphing  over  all 
opposition  or  competition  ;  whereas  wise  men  will  rather  do 
sacrifice'  to  envy,  in  suffering  themselves,  sometimes  of 
purpose,  to  be  crossed  and  overborne  in  things  that  do  not 
much  concern  them.  Notwithstanding,  so  much  is  true: 
that  the  carriage  of  greatness  in  a  plain  and  open  manner 
(so-*  it  be  without  arrogancy  and  vain-glory),  doth  draw  less 
envy  than  if  it  be  in  a  more  crafty  and  cunning  fashion. 
For  in  that  course  a  man  doth  but  disavow  fortune,  and 
seemeth  to  be  conscious  of  his  own  want  in  worth,  and  doth 
but  teach  others  to  envy  him. 

Lastly,  to  conclude  this  part :  As  we  said  in  the  beginning, 
that  the  act  of  envy  had  somewhat  in  it  of  witchcraft ;  so 
there  is  no  other  cure  of  envy  but  the  cure  of  witchcraft : 


•  Quanta  patimur'\     How  great  our  troubles  are. 

'  Abate  the  edge^  Blunt  the  edge,  Kit.  acietn  retundatit.  To  bate, 
or  rebate,  Fr.  battre,  to  beat  down,  often  signifies,  in  old  authors  to 
make  blunt  the  edge  or  point  of  a  weapon.  Compare  Shakspeare, 
Ilani.  iv.  7,  '  You  may  choose  a  sword  unbated  ; '  Love's  iMlh.  Lost, 
i.  I,  '  Honour  which  shall  bate  his  scythe's  keen  edge  ;'  and  Meas.for 
Meas.  i.  4,  '  Rebate  and  blunt  his  natural  edge.' 

"  Do  sacrifice\     Make  some  sacrifice, 

*  Sd\     Trovidcd.     See  ^.  5,  note  1. 

02 


^6  Essays. 

and  tliat  is,  to  remove  the  lot'  (as  they  call  it),  and  to  lay  u 
upon  another.  For  which  purpose,  the  wiser  sort  of  great 
persons  bring  in  ever  upon  the  stage '^  somebody  upon  whom 
to  derive  the  envy  that  would  come  upon  themselves : 
sometimes  upon  ministers  and  servants,  sometimes  upon 
colleagues  and  associates,  and  the  like  :  and,  for  that  tum,^ 
there  are  never  wanting  some  persons  of  violent  and  under- 
taking* natures,  who,  so  they  may  have  power  and  business, 
will  take  it  at  any  cost. 

Now,  to  speak  of  public  envy  :  There  is  yet  some  good  in 
public  envy,  whereas  in  private  there  is  none.  For  public 
envy  is  as  an  ostracism,  that  eclipseth  men  when  they  grow 
too  great ;  and  therefore  it  is  a  bridle  also  to  great  ones  to 
keep  them  within  bounds. 

This  envy,  being  in  the  Latin  word  tnvidta,  goeth  in  the 
modem  languages  by  the  name  of  discontentment ;  of  which 
we  shall  speak  in  handling  sedition.  It  is  a  disease  in  a 
State  like  to  infection  ;  for  as  infection  spreadeth  upon 
that  which  is  sound,  and  tainteth  it,  so,  when  envy  is 
gotten  once  into  a  State,  it  traduceth  even  the  best  actions 
thereof,  and  tunieth  them  into  an  ill  odour.  And  therefore 
there  is  little  won  by  intermingling  of  plausible  actions  :*  for 
that  dotli  argue  but  a  weakness  and  fear  of  envy,  which 
hurteth  so  much  the  more ;  as  it  is  likewise  usual  in  infections, 
which,  if  you  fear  them,  you  call  them  upon  you. 

This  public  envy  seemeth  to  beat  chiefly  upon  principal 
officers  or  ministers,  rather  than  upon  Kings  and  Estates 
themselves.     But  this  is  a  sure  rule,  that  if  the  envy  upon 


'   To  rentffve  the  lot\     An  allusion  to  crossing  spells,  by  which  the 
doom  allotted  by  witchcraft  to  one  person  was  transferred  to  another. 

*  Upon  the  stage"]     Into  public  view. 

•  For  that  turn]     To  ser\'e  that  turn. 

*  Undertaking]     Venturesome.     Lat.  temerarice. 

•  Intermingling,  6^^.]     Intermingling  of  pleasing  and  popular  actioni 
vrith  those  which  have  excited  envy. 


Of  Love.  37 

the  minister  be  great,  when  the  cause  of  it  in  him  is  small ; 
or  if  the  envy  be  general,  in  a  manner,  upon  all  the  ministers 
of  an  Estate  ;  then  the  envy  (though  hidden)  is  truly  upon 
the  State  itself.  And  so  much  of  public  envy  or  discontent- 
ment, and  the  difference  thereof  from  private  envy,  which 
was  handled  in  the  first  place. 

We  will  add  this  in  general,  touching  the  affection  of  envy  : 
that  of  all  other  affections  it  is  the  most  importune'  and 
continual.  For  of  other  affections  there  is  occasion  given 
but  now  and  then ;  and  therefore  it  was  well  said,  Invidia 
festos  dies  non  agit^  for  it  is  ever  working  upon  some  or 
other.  And  it  is  also  noted,  that  love  and  envy  do  make  a 
man  pine,  which  other  affections  do  not,  because  they  are 
not  so  continual.  It  is  also  the  vilest  affection,  and  the 
most  depraved ;  for  which  cause  it  is  the  proper  attribute  of 
the  devil,  who  is  called  the  envious  man,  that  soweth  tares 
amongst  the  wheat  by  night :  ^  as  it  always  cometh  to  pass, 
that  envy  worketh  subtilly,  and  in  the  dark,  and  to  the 
prejudice  of  good  things,  such  as  is  the  wheat 


X.   OF  LOVE. 

The  stage  is  more  beholding*  to  love  than  the  life  of 
man.  For  as  to  the  stage,  love  is  ever  matter  of  comedies, 
and  now  and  then  of  tragedies;  but  in  life  it  doth  much 
mischief;  sometimes  like  a  siren,  sometimes  like  a  fury. 


'  Of  all  other  affections,  &'c.'\  .$"«  p.  lo  note4.  Importune  =  vca^X' 
tunate  ;  common  in  Spenser  ;  see  F.  Q.  II.   x.  15,  and  xi.  7. 

*  Invidia  festos,  dr'c.l     Envy  keeps  no  holidays. 

*  The  envious  man,  (Sr^r.]  Matth.  xiii.  25,  'While  men  slept,  his 
enemy  c»me  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat.' 

*  Beholding\  Held  in  obligation  ;  indebted.  We  now  say  beholden. 
This  is  no  part  of  our  present  verb  to  behold,  but  a  corrupted  form  of 
gehealden,  participle  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  verb  healdan,  to  hold.  The 
form  belwldin^,  for  beholden,  occurs  very  often  in  our  old  literature. 


3S  Essays. 

Vou  may  observe,  that  amongst  all  the  great  and  worthy 
persons  whereof  the  memory  remaineth,  either  ancient  or 
recent,  there  is  not  one  that  hath  been  transported  to  the 
mad  degree  of  love  :  which  shows  that  great  spirits  and 
great  business  do  keep  out  this  weak  passion.  You  must 
except,  nevertheless,  Marcus  Antonius,  the  half-partner  of 
the  empire  of  Rome  ; '  and  Appius  Claudius,  the  decemvir 
and  law-giver ;'  whereof  the  former  was  iiideed  a  voluptuous 
man,  and  inordinate  ;  but  the  latter  was  an  austere  and  wise 
man  :  and  therefore  it  seems  (though  rarely)  that  love  can 
find  entrance,  not  only  into  an  open  heart,  but  also  into  a 
heart  well  fortified,  if  watch  be  not  well  kept.  It  is  a  poor 
saying  of  Epicurus,  Satis  magnum  alter  alteri  tJieatrum 
sjimus  :'^  as  if  man,  made  for  the  contemplation  of  heaven, 
and  all  noble  objects,  should  do  nothing  but  kneel  before  a 
little  idol,  and  make  himself  subject,  though  not  of  the 
mouth*  (as  beasts  are),  yet  of  the  eye,  which  was  given  him 
for  higher  purposes.  It  is  a  strange  thing  to  note  the 
excess  of  this  passion ;  and  how  it  braves '  the  nature  and 
value  of  things ;  by  this,^  that  the  speaking  in  a  perpetual 


'  The  half-partner,  dr't:.]  After  the  death  of  Julius  Cicsar,  a  trium- 
virate was  formed  by  Antony,  Octavianus,  and  Lepidus,  which  was 
soon  reduced  to  a  duumvirate  by  the  retirement  of  Lepidus.  Antony's 
passion  for  Cleopatra  made  him  negligent  of  his  most  important  duties, 
and  ruined  his  fortunes.     He  died  by  suicide  in  Egypt. 

*  Appiiis  Claudius,  &!'c.\  Virginius,  it  is  said,  killed  his  own  daughter 
Virginia,  to  prevent  her  being  dishonoured  by  Claudius.  This  is  the 
alleged  cause  of  the  downfall  of  the  Decemvirs,  who  had  been  employed 
in  framing  the  code  of  laws  afterwards  called  '  The  Laws  of  the  Twelve 
Tables.' 

*  Satis  magnum,  &'c.'\  We  are  to  each  other  a  large  enough  sphere 
of  contemplation.  (Seneca,  Epist.  Moral,  i.  7.)  Bacon  in  the  Ad- 
vancement, Bk.  I.,  calls  this  'a  speech  for  a  lover,  and  not  for  a  wise 
man.' 

<  Of  the  mouthy     To  be  led  or  governed  by  the  mouth. 

*  Braves'\     Sets  at  nought ;  triumphs  over. 

*  By  this\    Lat.  V'J  lu>r  ipso.    Even  in  this ;  insomuch. 


Of  Love.  39 

hyperbole  is  comely  in  nothing  but  in  love.  Neither  is  it 
merely  in  the  phrase  ;  for  whereas  it  hath  been  well  said, 
that  the  arch-flatterer,  with  whom  all  the  petty  flatterers 
have  intelligence,'  is  a  man^s  self^  certainly  the  lover  is 
more.  For  there  was  never  proud  man  thought  so  absurdly 
well  of  himself  as  the  lover  doth  of  the  person  loved  ;  and 
therefore  it  was  well  said,  that  //  is  impossible  to  love  and  bt 
%uise?  Neither  doth  this  weakness  appear  to  others  only, 
and  not  to  the  party  loved,  but  to  the  loved  most  of  all  : 
except  the  love  be  reciproque.  For  it  is  a  true  rule,  that 
love  is  ever  rewarded,  either  with  the  reciproque,  or  with  an 
inward  and  secret  contempt.  By  how  much  the  more  men 
ought  to  beware  of  this  passion,  which  loseth  not  only 
other  things,  but  itself.  As  for  the  other  losses,  the  poet's 
relation  doth  well  figure  them :  that  he  that  preferred  Helena, 
quitted  the  gfts'of  yuno  and  Pall  as  ■}  for  whosoever  esteemeth 
too  much  of  amorous  affection  quitteth  both  riches  and 
wisdom.     This  passion  hath  his*  floods  in  the  very  times  of 


'  Have  intelligence]     Are  in  concert.     Lat.  conspirant. 

^  Is  a  man's  self]  It  was  Plutarch  who  said,  *  Every  man  is  himself 
the  first  and  greatest  flatterer  of  himself .'  So  in  the  27th  Essay,  '  There 
is  no  such  flatterer  as  is  a  man's  self ; '  and  again  in  the  53rd  Essay, 
*IIe  will  follow  the  arch-flatterer,  which  is  a  man's  self.' 

^  It  is  impossible,  5t'c.'\  '  Amare  et  sapere  vix  deo  conceditur,'  is  one 
of  the  apophthegms  of  Publius  Syrus.  In  the  Advancement,  Bk.  II., 
Bacon  says,  *  My  hope  is  that,  if  my  extreme  love  to  learning  carry  me 
too  far,  I  may  obtain  the  excuse  of  affection  ;  for  that  //  is  not  granted 
to  man  to  love  and  to  beivise.''     So  Shakspeare,  Troil.  <Sr*  Cress,  iii.  2 — 

'  For  to  be  wise,  and  love, 
Exceeds  man's  might ;  that  dwells  with  gods  above.' 

*  He  that  preferred,  5t'c.'\  He  refers  to  the  judgment  of  Paris.  Ovid, 
Heroid.  xvi.     The  son  of  Priam,  being  chosen  arbiter  in  a  dispute  as  to 

■  which  of  the  goddesses,  Juno.  Minerva,  and  Venus,  was  the  most  beau- 
tiful, decided  in  favour  of  Venus. 

*  His\  Its.  His  is  the  old  neuter  possessive.  In  the  Bible  its 
occuis  only  once  (Levit.  xxv.  5),  and  that  by  a  misprint. 


40  Essays. 

weakness,  wliich  are,  great  prosperity  and  great  adversity  ; 
though  this  latter  hath  been  less  observed  :  both  which 
times  kindle  love,  and  make  it  more  fervent,  and  therefore 
show  it  to  be  the  child  of  folly.  They  do  best,  who,  if  they 
cannot  but  admit  love,  yet  make  it  keep  quarter,'  and  sever 
it  wholly  from  their  serious  affairs  and  actions  of  life  :  for  if 
it  check 2  once  with  business,  it  troubleth  men's  fortunes, 
and  maketh  men  that  they  can  no  ways  be  true  to  their  own 
ends.  I  know  not  how,  but  martial  men  are  given  to  love  : 
I  think  it  is  but  as^  they  are  given  to  wine  ;  for  perils 
commonly  ask  to  be  paid  in  pleasures.  There  is  in  man's 
nature  a  secret  inclination  and  motion  towards  love  of  others  ; 
which,  if  it  be  not  spent  upon  some  one  or  a  few,  doth 
naturally  spread  itself  towards  many,  and  maketh  men 
become  humane  and  charitable ;  as  it  is  seen  sometime  in 
friars.  Nuptial  love  maketh  mankind  ;  friendly  love  per- 
fecteth  it  j  but  wanton  love  corrupteth  and  imbaseth''  it 


XI.    OF  GREAT  PLACE. 

Men  in  great  Place ^  are  thrice  servants  :  servants  of  the 
Sovereign  or  State  ;  servants  of  fame  ;^  and  servants  of  busi- 
ness. So  as^  they  have  no  freedom,  neither  in  their  persons, 
nor  in  their  actions,  nor   in  their  times.     It  is  a  strange 


•  Make  it  keep  quarter\  That  is,  order.  Lat  In  ordinem  rediguttf. 
Compare  Shaksp.  A',  yohit,  v.  5,  '  Keep  good  quarter  and  good  care 
to-night ; '  0th.  ii.  3,  '  Friends  all  but  now,  even  now  in  quarter ; ' 
Com.  of  Err.  ii.  i,  'So  he  would  keep  fair  quarter  with  his  bed.' 

■■'  C/ieckl  Interfere.  In  the  31st  Essay  he  says  of  suspicions  that 
•  they  check  with  business,  whereby  business  cannot  go  on  currently 
and  constantly.* 

•  But  as]    Just  as.  *  Imbaseth']     Degrades. 

*  /«  great  Place]  Lat.  In  magislratu  collocati.  Place  is  official  dig* 
nity  or  authority. 

•  Fame]    Reputation.  *  So  as]     So  that 


Of  Great  Place.  41 

desire,  to  seek  power,  and  to  lose  liberty  ;  or  to  seek  power 
over  others,  and  to  lose  power  over  a  man's  self.  The 
rising  unto  Place  is  laborious  ;  and  by  pains  men  come  to 
greater  pains  :  and  it  is  sometimes  base,  and  by  indignities 
men  come  to  dignities.  The  standing  is  slippery;  and  the 
regress  is  either  a  downfal,  or  at  least  an  eclipse,  which  is  a 
melancholy  thing.  Cum  non  sis  <jm  fueris,  non  esse  air  velis 
vivere}  Nay,  retire  men  cannot  when  they  would  ;  neither 
will  they  when  it  were  reason,*  but  are  impatient  of  private- 
ness  even  in  age  and  sickness,  which  require  the  shadow  :' 
iiKe  old  townsmen,  that  will  be  still  sitting  at  their  street 
door,  though  thereby  they  offer  age  to  scorn.  Certainly, 
great  persons  had  need  to  borrow  other  men's  opinions*  to 
think  themselves  happy  ;  for  if  they  judge  by  their  own  feel- 
ing, tliey  cannot  find  it :  but  if  they  think  with  themselves 
what  other  men  think  of  them,  and  that  other  men  would 
fain  be  as  they  are,  then  they  are  happy,  as  it  were,  by  re- 
port; when,  perhaps,  they  find  the  contrary  within.  For 
they  are  the  first  that  find  their  own  griefs,  though  they  be 
the  last  that  find  their  own  faults.  Certainly,  men  in  great 
fortunes  are  strangers  to  themselves;  and  while  they  are  in 
the  puzzle  of  business  they  have  no  time  to  tend  their  health 
either  of  body  or  mind. 

Illi  mors  gravis  incubat, 
Qui,  notus  nimis  omnibus, 
Ignotus  mcritur  sibi.* 


*  Cum  non  sis,  ut'c]     Cicero,  £pis^.  Fam.     That  when  you  are  not 
what  you  have  been,  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  wish  to  live. 

-  It  -were  reuji/n]     It  would  be  reasonable.     Compare  in  Scripture, 
Acts  vi.  2,  '  It  is  not  reason  that  we  should  leave,'  &c. 
"  77ic'  s/iaefcnu]     The  shade  ;  a  quiet  retreat. 

*  To  borrow,  &"€.  ]     To  adopt  the  opinions  which  other  men  have 
of  them. 

*  Illi  mors,  dfc."]     Seneca,  Thyest.  ii.  401.     '  Death  presses  heavily 
on  him  who,  very  well  known  to  all  others,  dies  unknown  to  himself.' 


42  Essays. 

In  Place,  thsre  is  licence  to  do  good  and  evil ;  whereof  the 
latter  is  a  curse  ;  for  in  evil  the  best  condition  is  not  to  will, 
the  second  not  to  can.'  But  power  to  do  good  is  the  true 
and  lawful  end  of  aspiring.  For  good  thoughts,  though  God 
accept  them,  yet  towards  men  are  little  better  than  good 
dreams,  except  they  be  put  in  act  ;  and  that  cannot  be  with- 
out power  and  Place,  as  the  vantage  and  commanding  ground. 
Merit  and  good  works  is  the  end  of  man's  motion ;  ^  and 
conscience  ^  of  the  same  is  the  accomplishment  of  man's  rest 
For  if  a  man  can  be  partaker  of  God's  theatre,'*  he  shall  like- 
wise be  partaker  of  God's  rest  £t  conversus  Deus,  ut  ad- 
spiceret  opera  qiuzfecerunt  manus  sucb,  vidit  quod  omnia  essent 
bona  nimis ;  ^  and  then  the  sabbath.^  In  the  discharge  of  thy 
Place  set  before  thee  the  best  examples  ;  for  imitation  is  a 
globe  of  precepts.^  And  after  a  time  set  before  thee  thine 
own  example  ;  and  examine  thyself  strictly  whether  thou 
didst  not  best  at  first  Neglect  not  also  the  examples  of 
those  that  have  carried  themselves  ill  in  the  same  Place :  not 
to  set  off  thyself  by  taxing  their  memory;  but  to  direct  thy- 
self what  to  avoid.     Reform  therefore  without  bravery,**  or 


'  To  can]     To  know  how ;  to  be  able.     A.  S.  Cunnan,  to  know. 

*  T lie  end,  tS-'f.]     The  proper  object  of  man's  labours. 
'  Conscieiue\     Consciousness. 

*  TTieatre\  Contemplation.  See  p.  38,  note  4.  Bacon  refers  to  a 
man  that  can  contemplate  his  own  works,  as  God  did,  and  see  that 
they  are  good.  The  word  tluatre  is  the  Greek  dtarpoy,  from  Oedoixat, 
to  behold. 

*  £i  conversus,  d^c.]  And  God,  having  looked  round  rpon  the 
works  which  his  hands  created,  saw  that  they  all  were  very  good. 
Gen  i.  31. 

*  T/ie  sabbatJi]     The  word  sabbath  signifies  rest. 

'  A  globe  of  precepts']  One  of  the  meanings  of  the  Latin  globus  is  a 
crowd  gathered  round  anything.  Thus  Virgil,  ^-^n.  x.  373,  '  Qua 
globus  ille  virilm  densissimus  urget ;'  and  hence  Milton,  P.  L.  ii.  512, 
'  Him  round  a  globe  of  fiery  Seraphim  enclosed.'  A  globe  of  precepts  is 
a  body  or  collection  of  counsels. 

"  Bravery]     Boasting  ;  ostentation  ;  elation. 


Of  Great  Place.  43 

scandal  of  fonner  times  and  persons  ;  but  yet  set  it  down  *  to 
thyself  as  well  to  create  good  precedents  as  to  follow  them. 
Reduce '^  things  to  the  first  institurion,  and  observe  wherein 
and  how  they  have  degenerate ;  but  yet  ask  counsel  of  both 
times  :  of  the  ancient  time  what  is  best ;  and  of  the  latter 
time  what  is  fittest.  Seek  to  make  thy  course  regular  ;^  that 
men  may  know  beforehand  what  they  may  expect :  but  be 
not  too  positive  and  peremptory;  and  express  thyself  well* 
when  thou  digressest  from  thy  rule.  Preserve  the  right  of 
thy  Place,  but  stir  not  questions  of  jurisdiction  ;  and  rather 
assume  tiiy  right  in  silence,  and  de  fado^  than  voice  it  *  with 
claims  and  challenges.  Preserve  likewise  the  rights  of  in- 
ferior Places ;  and  think  it  more  honour  to  direct  in  chief 
than  to  be  busy  in  all.  Embrace  and  invite  helps  and 
advices  touching  the  execution  of  thy  Place  ;  and  do  not 
drive  away  such  as  bring  thee  infomiation,  as  meddlers,''  but 
accept  of  them  in  good  part.  The  vices  of  authority  are 
cniefly  four  :  delays,  corruption,  roughness,  and  facility. 
For  delays:*  give  easy  access  ;  keep  times  appointed;  go 
through  with  that  which  is  in  hand,  and  interlace  not  busi- 
ness but  of  necessity.  For  corruption  :  do  not  only  bind 
thine  own  hands  or  thy  servant's  hands  from  taking,  but 
bind  the  hands  of  suitors  also  from  offering.  For  integrity 
used  doth  the  one;  but  integrity  professed,  and  with  a 
manifest  detestation  of  bribery,  doth  the  other  :  and  avoid 
not  only  the  fault,  but  the  suspicion.  Whosoever  is  found 
variable,  and  changeth  manifestly  without  manifest  cause, 


'  Set  it  down]     Propose  ;  prescribe.  '  Heduce]     Refer. 

•  Kei{ular\     An  observance  of  rules. 

•  Express  thyself  well]     Lat.  Quid  sit  quod  agas  diligenter  expone. 

•  De  facto]     As  a  matter  of  fact. 

•  Voice  it]     Utter  or  assert  it. 

^  Do  not  drive  away,  &^c.  ]     Do  not.  drive  away,  as  meddlers  or  in- 
trusive persons,  such  as  bring,  &c. 

•  For  delays]    As  regards,  or  with  respect  to,  delays. 


44  Essays. 

giveth  suspicion  of  corruption.  Therefore,  always,  when 
thou  changest  thine  opinion  or  course,  profess  it  plainly,  and 
declare  it,  together  with  the  reasons  that  move  thee  to 
change  ;  and  do  not  think  to  steal  it'  A  servant  or  a 
favourite,  if  he  be  inward,'^  and  no  other  apparent  cause  of 
esteem,  is  commonly  thought  but  a  by-way  to  close  corrup- 
tion. For  roughness:  it  is  a  needless  cause  of  discontent;' 
severity  breedeth  fear,  but  roughness  breedeth  hate.  Even 
reproofs  from  authority  ought  to  be  grave,  and  not  taunting. 
As  for  facility:^  it  is  worse  than  bribery.*  For  bribes  come 
but  now  and  then ;  but  if  importunity  or  idle  respects  lead 
a  man,  he  shall  never  be  without.  As  Solomon  saith  :  To 
respect  persons  is  not  good;  for  such  a  man  will  transgress  for 
apiece  of  bread. ^  It  is  most  true  that  was  anciently  spoken, 
'A  Place  showeth  the  man  ; ''"  and  it  showeth  some  to  the 
better,  and  some  to  the  worse :  Omnium  consensu.,  capax 


'  To  steal  ?V]     That  you  can  do  such  a  thing  stealthily. 

"  Inward^  In  your  counsels  or  confidence ;  intimate  with  you. 
Compare  Shakspeare,  Rich.  III.  iii.  4,  *  Who  is  most  inward  with  the 
noble  duke?'  and  Meas.  for  Meas.  iii.  2,  '  I  was  an  inward  of  his.' 

^  Discontent]     Ill-will. 

*  Facility']     Proneiiess  to  yield  or  comply. 

*  Briheiy]  The  taking  of  bribes.  In  the  Advancenunt,  II. ,  he  says, 
'  A  judge  were  better  be  a  briber  (that  is,  a  taker  of  bribes)  than  a  re- 
specter of  persons  ;  for  a  corrupt  judge  offendeth  not  so  highly  as  a 
facile.'  In  Latimer's  3rd  Serm.  before  Edward  VI.  we  have,  '  All  the 
rulers  are  bribere.' 

*  To  respect  persons,  d^c]     Prov.  xxviii.  2 1. 

'  A  Place  slwweth  t/ie  man]  Lat.  Magistratus  virum  indicat.  The 
saying  originated  with  some  one  of  the  seven  sages  of  Greece.  Epami- 
nondas  quoted  and  enlarged  it,  when  his  enemies  thought  to  degrade 
him  by  making  him  overseer  of  the  customs,  while  others,  inferior  to 
him  in  merit,  were  placed  in  higher  offices.  In  Sir  Thomas  North's 
Fpaviinondas,  added  to  his  translation  of  Plutarch's  Lives,  it  is  said, 
'He  despised  not  this  office,  but  did  discharge  it  very  faithfully;  for, 
v^id  he,  office  or  authority  showeth  not  only  what  the  man  is,  but  also 
the  man  what  the  office  is.'     (Plut.  Preec.  Civ.) 


Of  Boldness.  45 

imperii^  nisi  imperasset,  saith  Tacitus  of  Galba ;  but  of 
Vespasian  he  saith  :  solus  imperantiimi,  Vespasiamis  mutatus 
ill  melius : '  though  the  one  was  meant  of  sufficiency,  the 
other  of  manners  and  aflfection.^  It  is  an  assured  sign  of  a 
worthy  and  generous  spirit,  whom  honour  amends.  For 
honour  is,  or  should  be,  the  Place  of  virtue  ;  and  as  in  nature 
things  move  violently  to  their  place,  and  calmly  in  their 
place,  so  virtue  in  ambition  is  violent,  in  authority  settled 
and  calm.  All  rising  to  great  Place  is  by  a  winding  stair ; 
and  if  there  be  factions,  it  is  good  to  side  a  man's  self  ^  whilst 
he  is  in  the  rising,  and  to  balance  himself  when  he  is  placed. 
Use  the  memory  of  thy  predecessor  fairly  and  tenderly  ;  for 
if  thou  dost  not,  it  is  a  debt  will  sure  be  paid  when  thou  art 
gone.  If  thou  have  colleagues,  respect  them,  and  rather 
call  them  when  they  look  not  for  it,  than  exclude  them  when 
they  have  reason  to  look  to  be  called.  Be  not  too  sensible, 
or  too  remembering,  of  thy  Place,  in  conversation  and  pri- 
vate answers  to  suitors  ;  but  let  it  rather  be  said,  When  he 
sits  in  Place  he  is  another  man. 


XII.   OF  BOLDNESS. 

It  is  a  trivial  grammar-school  text,*  but  yet  worthy  a  wise 
man's  consideration  : — Question  was  asked  of  Demosthenes, 


'  Omnium  consensu,  &'c.'\  It  was  generally  allowed  that  Galba  was 
capable  of  rule,  unless  he  had  ruled.  Compared  with  all  the  preceding 
emperors,  Vespasian  alone  was  changed  for  the  better  by  becoming 
emperor. — Tacitus,  His(.  i.  49,  50. 

*  Affection^     Disposition. 

*  To  sitle  a  man's  self\  This,  perhaps,  means  to  take  the  help  of 
some  side  support.  The  Latin,  however,  is  Alteri parti  ad/urrere ;  but 
Wriglit  says  'here  the  translator  seems  to  have  missed  the  point.' 

*  It  is  a  trivial  grammar-school  text]  Viz.  what  he  is  about  to 
mention.  See  p.  11,  note  5.  Text  here  seems  to  mean  a  suggestive 
saying  or    statement.     The    Latin    has   Tritum  est  dicterium.     (Gr. 

ScJKT'^ptOJ'.) 


4f)  .  Essays. 

what  was  the  chief  part  *  of  an  orator?  he  answered,  action  : 
what  next  ?  action  :  what  next  again  ?  action.  He  said  it 
chat  knew  it  best,  and  had  by  nature  himself  no  advantage 
in  that  he  commended.  A  strange  thing,  that  that  part  Oi 
an  orator  which  is  but  superficial,  and  rather  the  virtue  of  a 
player,  should  be  placed  so  high  above  those  other  noble 
parts  of  invention,  elocution,  and  the  rest:  nay,  almost  alone, 
as  if  it  were  all  in  all.  But  the  reason  is  plain.  There  is  in 
humaji  nature  generally  more  of  the  fool  than  of  the  wise, 
and  therefore  those  faculties  by  which  the  foolish  part  of 
men's  minds  is  taken,  are  most  potent.  Wonderful  like  is 
the  case  of  boldness  in  civil  business :  What  first  ?  boldness  : 
what  second  and  third  ?  boldness.  And  yet  boldness  is  a 
child  of  ignorance  and  baseness,  far  inferior  to  other  parts. 
But,  nevertheless,  it  doth  fascinate,  and  bind  hand  and  foot, 
those  that  are  either  shallow  in  judgment  or  weak  in  courage, 
which  are  the  greatest  part  :  yea,  and  prevaileth  with  wise 
men  at  weak  times  ;  therefore  we  see  it  hath  done  wonders 
in  popular  States,*  but  with  senates  and  princes  less  ;  and 
more  ^  ever  upon  the  first  entrance  of  bold  persons  into 
action,  than  soon  after;  for  boldness  is  an  ill  keeper  of 
promise.  Surely,  as  there  are  mountebanks'*  for  the  natural 
body,  so  are  there  mountebanks  for  the  politic  body :  men 
that  undertake  great  cures,  and  perhaps  have  been  lucky  in 
two  or  three  experiments,  but  want  the  grounds  of  science, 
and  therefore  cannot  hold  out  Nay,  you  shall  see  a  bold 
fellow  many  times  do  Mahomet's  miracle.  Mahomet  made 
the  people  believe  that  he  would  call  a  hill  to  him.  and  from 
ihe  top  of  it  offer  up  his  prayers  for  the  observers  of  his  law. 


'  Part\     Qualification. 

-  Poptdar  States\     Democracies. 
,    *  And  more]     And  prevaileth  more. 

*  Mountebanks]  A  mountebank,  from  the  Italian  montare  and  banco, 
denotes  one  who  mounts  a  bench  or  platform  to  proclaim  the  merits  of 
medicines  which  be  sells. 


Of  Boldness.  47 

The  people  assembled;  Mahomet  called  the  hill  to  come 
to  him  again  and  again :  and  when  the  hill  stood  still,  he 
was  never  a  whit  abashed,  but  said,  '  If  the  hill  will  not 
come  to  Mahomet,  Mahomet  will  go  to  the  hill.'  So  these 
men,  when  they  have  promised  great  matters  and  failed 
most  shamefully,  yet  (if  they  have  the  perfection  of  bold- 
ness), they  will  but  slight  it  over,  and  make  a  turn,  and  no 
more  ado.  Certainly,  to  men  of  great  judgment  bold 
persons  are  a  sport  to  behold  ;  nay,  and  to  the  vulgar  also, 
boldness  hath  somewhat  of  the  ridiculous  :  for  if  absurdity 
be  the  subject  of  laughter,  doubt  you  not  but  great  boldness 
is  seldom  without  some  absurdity  :  especially  it  is  a  sport  to 
see  when  a  bold  fellow  is  out  of  countenance ;  for  that  puts 
his  face  into  a  most  shrunken  and  wooden  posture,'  as  needs 
it  must ;  for  in  bashfulness  the  spirits  do  a  little  go  and 
come  ;  but  with  bold  men,  upon  like  occasion,  they  stand  at 
a  stay,  like  a  stale*  at  chess,  where  it  is  no  mate,  but  yet 
the  game  cannot  stir :  but  this  last  were  fitter  for  a  satire, 
than  for  a  serious  observation.  This  is  well  to  be  weighed, 
that  boldness  is  ever  blind,*  for  it  seeth  not  dangers  and 
inconveniences ;  therefore  it  is  ill  in  counsel,  good  in  exe- 
cution :  so  that  the  right  use  of  bold  persons  is,  that  they 
never  command  in  chief,  but  be  seconds,  and  under  the 
direction  of  others.  For  in  counsel  it  is  good  to  see 
dangers  ;  and  in  execution  not  to  see  them,  except  they  be 
very  great. 


'  Wooden  posture\  Wooden  here  denotes  blockish,  or  like  that  of  a 
blockhead.  So  in  Shakspeare's  I  K.  Hen.  VI.  v.  3,  Suffolk  calls  the 
king  'a  wooden  thing.' 

*  A  staW]  A  stalemate  in  chess  is  the  position  of  the  king  whtn, 
though  not  in  check,  he  cannot  move  without  being  placed  in  check. 

*  Boldness  is  ever  blind]  Kohn,  in  his  Hand-Book  of  Proverbs,  hcs, 
*  Who  so  bold  as  blind  Bayard  ?  'A/xaflK»  \i.\w  Opitros,  Xoyitrfihs  S*  JKvoy 
^//j«« :  Ignorance  breeds  confidence ;  consideration,  slowness  and  wari- 
ness.'   (Thucyd.  II.  40.) 


48  Essay:,. 


XIII.     OF  GOODNESS,  AND  GOODNESS  OF 
NATURE, 

I  take  goodness  in  this  sense,  the  affecting  of  the  weal  of 
men,  which  is  that  the  Grecians  call  Philanthropia  ;  and 
the  word  humanity  (as  it  is  used)  is  a  little  too  light  to  express 
it.  Goodness  I  call  the  habit,  and  goodness  of  nature  the 
inclination.  This,  of  all  virtues  and  dignities  of  the  mind, 
is  the  greatest,  being  the  character  of  the  Deity ;  and  without 
it  man  is  a  busy,  mischievous,  wretched  thing,  no  better 
than  a  kind  of  vemiin.  Goodness  answers  to  the  theological 
virtue  charity,  and  admits  no  excess  but  error.  The  desire 
of  power  in  excess  caused  the  angels  to  fall ;  the  desire  of 
knowledge  in  excess  caused  man  to  fall  :  but  in  charity 
there  is  no  excess  ;  neither  can  angel  or  man  come  in 
danger  by  it.  The  inclination  to  goodness  is  imprinted 
deeply  in  the  nature  of  man  :  insomuch,  that  if  it  issue  not 
towards  men,  it  will  take  unto  other  living  creatures  ;  as  it 
is  seen  in  the  Turks,  a 'cruel  people,  who  nevertheless  are 
kind  to  beasts,  and  give  alms  to  dogs  and  birds  :  insomuch, 
as  Busbechius'  reporteth,  a  Christian  boy  in  Constantinople 
had  like  to  have  been  stoned  for  gagging  in  a  waggishness  a 
long-billed  fowl.^  Errors,  indeed,  in  this  virtue  of  goodness 
or  charity,  may  be  committed.  The  Italians  have  an  un- 
gracious proverb  ;  Tanto  biion  che  val  niente,  so  good,  that 
he  is  good  for  nothing.     And  one  of  the  doctors  of  Italy, 


'  Busbechius\  Busbec,  or  Busbequius,  a  learned  Fleming,  v.as  am- 
bassador of  the  emperor  Ferdinand  to  the  sultan  Solyman  II.   (1554.) 

*  A  Christian  boy,  &'c.'\  Bacon  here  does  not  remember  rightly  the 
story  in  Busbec's  Legationis  Turcics  F.p.  The  Lat.  translation  thus  cor- 
rects him  :  Aurifex  quidam  Venelus,  Byzantii  agens,  vix  furorcm  populi 
effugerit,  quod  avis  cujusdam,  rostii  oblongi,  fauces,  iitserio  bacttlo,  di- 
duxisset :  A  certain  Venetian  goldsmith,  living  at  Constantinople,  with 
difficulty  escaped  the  rage  of  the  people,  for  having  distended,  by  the 
insertion  of  a  stick,  the  jaws  of  some  long-billed  bird. 


Of  Goodness  ^  and  Goodness  of  Nat  tire.  49 

Nicholas  Machiavel,'  had  the  confidence  to  put  in  writing 
almost  in  plain  terms,  That  the  Christian  faith  had  given  up 
t;ood  men  in  prey  to  those  that  are  tyrannical  and  unjust :  ^ 
which  he  spake,  because,  indeed,  there  was  never  law,  01 
sect,  or  opinion,  did  so  much  magnify  goodness  as  the 
Christian  religion  doth.  Therefore,  to  avoid  the  scandal 
and  the  danger  both,  it  is  good  to  take  knowledge  of  the 
errors  of  a  habit  so  excellent.  Seek  the  good  of  other  men ; 
but  be  not  in  bondage  to  their  faces  and  fancies  :  for  that  is 
but  facility  or  softness,  which  taketh  an  honest  mind  pri- 
soiior.  Neither  give  thou  ^sop's  cock  a  gem,  who  would 
be  better  pleased  and  happier  if  he  had  had  a  barley-corn.^ 
The  examjjle  of  God  teacheth  the  lesson  truly :  He  smdeth 
his  rain,  and  maketh  his  sun  to  shine,  upon  the  just  and  unjust;* 
but  he  doth  not  rain  wealth,  nor  shine  honour  and  virtues, 
upon  men  equally.  Common  benefits  are  to  be  commu- 
nicate with  all ;  but  peculiar  benefits  with  choice.  And 
beware  how  in  making  the  portraiture  thou  breakest  the 
pattern  :  for  divinity  maketh  the  love  of  ourselves  the 
pattern,'  the  love  of  our  neighbours  but  the  portraiture. 
Sell  all  thou  hast,  and  give  it  to  the  poor ^  and  fjllo70  me :  ^  but 


'  Macltiavel\  Machiavelli,  a  Florentine  statesman,  died  in  1527. 
His  name  is  most  noted  for  the  policy  of  craft  and  artifice  which  he  re- 
commendetl  in  his  treatise  II  Principe  ('The  Prince ').  The  word 
Machiavdlism  has  come  to  denote  political  cunning,  perfidiousness,  and 
persecution,  in  the  maintenance  of  arbitrary  jiowcr. 

-  That  the  Ckristian  faith,  iSr'r.]  This  is  from  Machiavel's  Discorsi 
sopra  Livio  ('  Discourses  on  the  First  Decade  of  Livy  '),  ii.  2. 

'  Neither  ^ive  thou,  &^c.\  He  al  udes  to  .-Fsop's  fable  of  the  cock 
who,  having  found  a  gem  on  a  dunghill,  said  tiiat  he  would  have  been 
much  better  pleased  if  it  had  been  a  grain  of  barley. 

*  He  sendeth  his  rain,  is'c.^     Matt.  v.  45. 

*  Maketh  the  lave,  iS^r.]  He  here  explains  the  form  of  the  precapt 
*Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself;'  in  which  the  words  as  thy- 
self &x^x^%^  'the  pattern.* 

^  Sell  all  that  thou  hast,  &^c.^     Mark  x    21. 
K 


50         •  Essays. 

sell  not  all  thou  hast,  except  thou  come  and  follow  me  ; 
that  is,  except  thou  have  a  vocation  wherein  thou  mayest  do 
as  much  good  with  little  means  as  with  great :  for  otherwise, 
in  feeding  the  streams,  thou  driest  the  fountain.  Neither  is 
there  only  a  habit  of  goodness  directed  by  right  reason  ;  but 
there  is  in  some  men,  even  in  nature,  a  disposition  towards 
it :  as,  on  the  other  side,  there  is  a  natural  malignity.  For 
there  be  that  in  their  nature  do  not  affect'  the  good  of 
othei-s.  The  lighter  sort  of  malignity  turneth  but  to  a 
crossness,  or  frowardness,  or  aptness  to  oppose,  or  difficile- 
ness,  or  the  like  ;  but  the  deeper  sort  to  envy,  and  mere* 
miscliief.  Such  men  in  other  men's  calamities  are,  as  it 
were,  in  season,^  and  are  ever  on  the  loading  part  :*  not  so 
good  as  the  dogs  that  licked  Lazarus'  sores,  but  like  flies 
that  are  still*  buzzing  upon  any  thing  that  is  raw;  misan- 
thropi,  that  make  it  their  practice  to  bring  men  to  the 
bough,^  and  yet  have  never  a  tree  for  the  purpose  in  their 
gardens,  as  Tiraon  had.'^     Such  dispositions  are  the  very 

'  Affecf]     Have  affecticai  for  ;  seek,  feel  interested  in. 

*  Mere]     Pure  ;  absolute.  *  In  season]     In  vigour. 

*  On  the  loading  part]  On  the  oppressing  side.  Lat.  Easque  {cala^ 
viitates)  semper  aggravant. 

»  StUl\    Ever. 

^  To  the  bough]  To  hang  themselves.  Lat.  Ad  suspendii  rantum. 
There  is  an  old  proverbial  saydng,  '  The  father  to  the  bough  and  the 
son  to  the  plough.' 

'  As  Timon  had]  Timon  of  Athens  was  called  Misanthrope  from 
his  hatred  of  human  society.  His  story  is  the  subject  of  one  of  Lucian's 
Dialogues,  and  he  is  the  hero  of  one  of  Shakspeare's  plays.  His  ad- 
dress to  the  Athenians  is  thus  reported  in  the  Antonius  of  Sir  Thomas 
North's  Plirtarch  :  '  My  lords  of  Athens,  I  have  a  little  yard  at  my 
house  where  there  groweth  .1  fig-tree,  on  the  which  many  citizens  have 
hanged  themselves  ;  and  because  I  meam  to  make  some  building  on  the 
place,  I  thought  good  to  let  you  all  understand  it,  that  before  the  fig- 
tree  be  cut  down,  if  any  of  you  be  desperate,  you  may  there  in  time  go 
h.ang  yourselves.'  See  the  last  speech  but  one  of  Timon  in  Act  v.  Sc  i 
of  Shakspeai!e'«  tTimon  of  Athens. 


Of  Nobility.  5 1 

errors'  of  human  nature,  and  yet  they  are  the  fittest  timber 
lo  make  great  politics  "^  of ;  like  to  knee  timber,'  that  is  good 
for  ships  that  are  ordained  to  be  tossed,  but  not  for  building 
houses  that  shall  stand  firm.  The  parts  and  signs  of 
goodness  are  many.  If  a  man  be  gracious  and  courteous 
to  strangers,  it  shows  he  is  a  citizen  of  the  world,  and  tliat 
his  heart  is  no  island  cut  off  from  other  lands,  but  a  con- 
tinent that  joins  to  them.  If  he  be  compassionate  towards 
the  afflictions  of  others,  it  shows  that  his  heart  is  like  the 
noble  tree  that  is  wounded  itself  when  it  gives  the  balm.* 
If  he  easily  pardons  and  remits  offences,  it  shows  that  his 
mind  is  planted  above  injuries,  so  that  he  cannot  be  shot. 
If  he  be  thankful  for  small  benefits,  it  shows  that  he  weighs 
men's  minds,  and  not  their  trash.  But,  above  all,  if  he 
have  St.  Paul's  perfection,  that  he  would  wish  to  be  an 
anathema  from  Christ,  for  the  salvation  of  his  brethren,*  it 
shows  much  of  a  divine  nature,  and  a  kind  of  conformity 
with  Christ  himself.* 


XIV.     OF  NOBILITY. 

We  vk-uU  speak  of  nobility,  first  as  a  portion  of  an  Estate  ;^ 
then  as  a  condition  of  particular  persons.  A  monarchy 
where  there  is  no  nobility  at  all,  is  ever  a  pure  and  absolute 
yranny  ;  as  that  of  the  Turks  :  for  nobility  attempers  sove- 


'  Errors\     Lat.  Iluntana  natures  voinicas  et  carciiwinata. 

"  Politics]     Politicians. 

'  Knee  timber]     Naturally  crooked  timber. 

*  Is  "wounded  itself^  &'c.'\    He  alludes  to  the  medicinal  juices  obtained 
by  incision  from  the  bark  of  the  myrrh  and  other  balsamic  trees. 

*  An  anat/ieina,  &'€.]     Rom.  ix.  3,  'For  I  could  wish  that  myself 
were  accursed  from  Christ  for  my  brethren.' 

*  Conformity  tvith  Christ  himself]     He  alludes  to  Christ  having  been 
'  made  a  curse  for  us,'  Gal.  iii.  13. 

*  An  Estate^    A  State  or  Commonwealth. 

£2 


52  Essays. 

reignty,'  and  draws  the  eyes  of  the  people  somewhat  aside 
from  the  line  royal.  But  for  democracies  they  need  it  not  ; 
and  they  are  commonly  more  quiet,  and  less  subject  to 
sedition,  than  where  there  are  stirps''  of  nobles  ;  for  men's 
eyes  are  upon  the,  business,  and  not  upon  the  persons  ;  or 
if  upon  the  persons,  it  is  for  the  business'  sake,  as  fittest, 
and  not  for  flags  and  pedigree.  We  see  the  Switzers  last 
well,  notwithstanding  their  diversity  of  religion  and  of 
cantons  ;  for  utility  is  their  bond,  and  not  respects.'  The 
United  Provinces  of  the  Low  Countries^  in  their  government 
excel :  for  where  there  is  an  equality  the  consultations  are 
more  indifferent,"  and  the  payments  and  tributes  more 
cheerful,  A  great  and  potent  nobility  addeth  majesty  to  a 
monarch,  but  diminisheth  power ;  and  putteth  life  and  spirit 
into  the  people,  but  presseth^  their  fortune.  It  is  well  when 
nobles  are  not  too  great  for  sovereignty  nor  for  justice  ;  and 
yet  maintained  in  that  height,  as^  the  insolency  of  inferiors 
may  be  broken  upon  them  before  it  come  on  too  fast  upon 
the  majesty  of  kings.  A  numerous  nobility  causeth  poverty 
and  inconvenience  in  a  state,  for  it  is  a  surcharge  of  expense  ; 
and  besides,  it  being  of  necessity  that  many  of  the  nobility 
fall  in  time  to  be  weak  in  fortune,  it  maketh  a  kind  of  dis- 
proportion between  honour  and  means. 

As  for  nobility  in  particular  persons  :  It  is  a  reverend 
thing  to  see  an  ancient  castle  or  building  not  in  decay ;  or 
to  see  a  fair  timber-tree  sound  and  perfect ;  how  much 
more  to  behold  an  ancient  noble  family,  which  hath  stood 
against  the  waves  and  weathers  of  time.     For  new  nobility 


'  Atleiiipers  sovereignty]     Lat.  Dignitatem  regalem  diluit. 

*  Stirps\     Phual  of  .f/>r/,  a  sf ock  or  race,  from  the  Lat.  stirps. 

*  Respects]     Regard  for  persons. 

*  The  United  Provinces,  ^2^c.]     The  Seven  United  Provinces  of  the 
Netherlands  threw  ofF  the  yoke  of  Spain  in  1579. 

'■'  Indiffere7it\     Impartial ;  without  respect  of  persons. 

•  Presseth]     Depresses,  '  As\     That 


Of  Seditions  and  Troubles.  5  J 

is  but  the  act  of  power  ;  but  ancient  nobility  is  the  act  of 
time.  Those  that  are  first  raised  to  nobihty,  are  commonly 
more  virtuous,'  but  less  innocent,  than  their  descendants  ; 
for  there  is  rarely  any  rising  but  by  a  commixture  of  good 
and  evil  arts.  But  it  is  reason'*  the  memory  of  their  virtues 
remain  to  their  posterity,  and  their  faults  die  with  themselves. 
Nobility  of  birth  commonly  abateth'  industry;  and  he  that 
is  not  industrious,  envieth  him  that  is.  Besides,  noble 
persons  cannot  go  much  higher  ;  and  he  that  standeth  at  a 
stay  when  others  rise,  can  hardly  avoid  motions*  of  envy. 
On  the  other  side,  nobility  extinguisheth  the  passive  envy 
from  others  towards  them,  because  they  are  in  possession  of 
honour.  Certainly,  kings  that  have  able  men  of  their 
nobility  shall  find  ease  in  employing  them,  and  a  better  slide 
into  their  business  ;  for  people  naturally  bend  to  them  as 
bom  in  some  sort  to  command. 


XV.    OF  SEDITIONS  AND   TROUBLES. 

Shepherds  of  people  had  need  know  the  calendars*  of 
tempests  in  State,  which  are  commonly  greatest  when  things 
grow  to  equality  ;  as  natural  tempests  are  greatest  about  the 
Equinoctia.^  And  as  there  are  certain  hollow  blasts  of  wind, 
and  secret  swellings  of  seas,  before  a  tempest,  so  are  there 
in  States : 

Ille  etiam  crecos  instare  tumultus 
Ssepe  monet,  fraudesque  et  operta  tumescere  bella.^ 


'  Are  commonly,  dr'r.]     Have  commonly  higher  virtues.     Lat.  Vir' 
thtum  clarittuiine  plerumque  postei-is  eminent. 

*  //  is  reason]     It  is  reasonable  that.     See  p.  41,  note  2. 

*  Abatet/i]     Blunts.     Compare  Shakspeare,  I/amlct,  i.  3,  '  Borrowing 
tliills  the  edge  of  husbandry  ; '  and  see  p.  35,  note  2. 

*  Motions]     Stirrings.  *  Calemtars]     Prognostics. 

*  Equinoctial     The  Equinoxes.     /Equinoctia  is  a  Latin  plural. 

'  lUe  etiam  carcos,  &'c,}    Virgil,  Gcorg.  i.  465.     He  also  frequently 


54  Essays. 

Libels  and  licentious  discourses  against  the  State,  Avhen 
they  are  frequent  and  open,  and  in  like  sort  false  news 
often  running  up  and  down,  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  State, 
and  hastily  embraced,  are  amongst  the  signs  of  troubles. 
\^irgil,  giving  the  pedigree  of  Fame,  saith  she  was  sister  to 
the  jjiants : 

Illam  Terra  parens,  ira  irritata  Deorum, 
Extremam  (ut  perhibent)  CiBO  Enceladoque  sororem 
Progenuit. ' 

As  if  fames  were  the  relics  of  seditions  past ;  but  they 
are  no  less  indeed  the  preludes  of  seditions  to  come.  How- 
soever, he  noteth  it  right,  that  seditious  tumults  and  seditious 
fames  differ  no  more  but  as  brother  and  sister,  masculine 
and  feminine  ;  especially  if  it  come  to  that,  that  the  best 
actions  of  a  State,  and  the  most  plausible,^  and  which  ought 
to  give  greatest  contentment,  are  taken  in  ill  sense,  and 
traduced :  for  that  shows  the  envy  great,  as  Tacitus  saith, 
coiiflata   magna   iiividia,  sen  bene  seu    male  gesta  preiriuut? 


gives  warning  that  tumults  are  secretly  impending,  and  that  treachery 
and  hidden  hostility  are  ripening  for  an  outbreak. 

'  Illam  Terra  parens,  &'c.\  Virgil,  ^n.  iv.  178.  Mother  Earth, 
as  they  relate,  provoked  by  the  wrath  of  the  gods,  produced  her  as  the 
last  offspring,  a  sister  to  Cceus  and  Enceladus.  In  the  Advancement, 
II.,  Bacon  says,  '  In  heathen  poesy  we  see  the  exposition  of  fables  doth 
fall  out  sometimes  with  great  felicity  ;  as  in  the  fable  that  the  giants 
being  o\erthrown  in  their  war  against  the  gods,  the  Earth,  their  mother, 
in  revenge  thereof  brought  forth  Fame  :  Illam  Terra  parens.  Sec. — e.\- 
pounded  that  when  princes  and  monarchies  have  suppressed  actual  and 
open  rebels,  then  the  malignity  of  people,  which  is  the  mother  of  re- 
bellion, doth  bring  forth  libels,  and  slanders,  and  taxations  of  the 
states,  which  is  of  the  same  kind  with  rebellion,  but  more  feminine.' 

*  Tlausidle]     Praiseworthy. 

"  ConJlat&  Mjond,  <Sr°r.]  Odium  being  once  excited,  his  acts, 
whether  good  or  bad,  are  regarded  as  oppressive.  The  words  of 
Tacitus,  however,  are  '  Inviso  semel  Principe,  seu  bene  seu  male  facta 
nrcmunt : '  The  ruler  beuig  once  hated,  his  acts,  &c     (Hist,  i.  7.) 


Of  Seditions  aytd  Troubles.  55 

Neither  doth  it  follow,  that  because  these  fames  are  a  sign 
of  troubles,  that'  the  suppressing  of  them  with  too  much 
severity  should  be  a  remedy  of  troubles.  For  the  despising 
of  them  many  times  checks  them  best;  and  the  going  about* 
lo  stop  them  doth  but  make  a  wonder  long-lived.  Also  that 
kind  of  obedience  which  Tacitus  speaketh  of  is  to  be  held 
suspected  :  Erant  in  officio^  sed  tamen  qui  umllait  impe- 
rantium  mandata  intcrpretari,  quam  exsequi ; '  disputing, 
excusing,^  cavilling  upon  mandates  and  directions,  is  a  kind 
of  shaking  off  the  yoke,  and  assay  of*  disobedience  :  espe- 
cially if  in  those  disputings  they  which  are  for  the  direction 
speak  fearfully  and  tenderly ;  and  those  that  are  against  it 
audaciously. 

Also,  as  Machiavel  noteth  well,  when  Princes,  that  ouglit 
to  be  common  parents,  make  themselves  as  a  party,  and 
lean  to  a  side,  it  is  as  a  boat  that  is  overthrown  by  uneven 
weight  on  the  one  side  ;  as  was  well  seen  in  the  time  of 
Henry  the  Third  of  France  :  for  first  himself  entered  league 
for  the  extirpation  of  the  Protestants  ;  and  presently  after 
the  same  league  was  turned  upon  himself.^  For  when  the 
authority  of  Princes  is  made  but  an  accessary  to  a  cause, 

'   Thal'\     TTie  conjunction  is  here  redundant 

-  Going  al>out'\  Seei<ing ;  endeavouring.  So,  in  Scripture,  Joh»» 
vii.  19,  *  Why  go  ye  about  to  kill  me? ' 

"  Erant  in  officio,  *S^t.]  They  were  attentive  to  duties,  but  yet  were 
men  who  liked  better  to  discuss  the  commands  of  their  rulers  than  to 
execute  them.  Bacon  here  again  quotes  from  his  memory  ;  the  words 
of  Tacitus  are:  'Miles  alacer;  qui  tamen  jussa  ducum  intcrpretari 
quam  exsequi  mallet.' 

*  Excusing]     Assigning  reasons  against  commands. 

*  Assay  of]     Experimental  attempt  at. 

"  T/te  same  Icagne,  &'c.]  He  alludes  to  the  league  formed  by  the 
Duke  of  Guise  for  the  extirpation  of  the  Protestants.  The  Duke  and 
the  other  chiefs  of  the  league  formed  a  plan  lo  invest  themselves  with 
supreme  authority  and  to  hold  Henry  in  thraldom.  The  King  shortly 
aftfrvvards  caused  the  Duke  of  Guise  and  his  brother,  the  Cardinal  of 
Lorraine,  lo  be  assassinated.     (1588.) 


56  Essays. 

and  that  there  be  other  bands  that  tie  faster  than  the  band 
of  sovereignty,  Kings  begin  to  be  put  almost  out  of  posses- 
sion. 

Also,  when  discords,  and  quarrels,  and  factions  are  carried 
openly  and  audaciously,  it  is  a  sign  the  reverence  of  Govern- 
ment is  lost.  For  the  motions  of  the  greatest  persons  in  a 
Government  ought  to  be  as  the  motions  of  the  planets  under 
primum  mobile}  according  to  the  old  opinion,  which  is,  that 
every  of  them  is  carried  swiftly  by  the  highest  motion,  and 
softly  in  their  own  motion.  And,  therefore,  when  great 
ones  in  their  o\vn  particular  motion  move  violently,  and,  as 
Tacitus  expresseth  it  well,  liberius  quain  nt  imperatitium 
vieminissent^^  it  is  a  sign  the  orbs  are  out  of  frame.  For 
reverence  is  that  wherewith  Princes  are  girt  from  God,  who 
threateneth  the  dissolving  thereof :  solvam  ciiigula  irgitm.^ 

So  when  any  of  the  four  pillars  of  Government  are  mainly 
shaken  or  weakened  (which  are  religion,  justice,  counsel, 
and  treasure),  men  had  need  to  pray  for  fair  weather.  But 
let  us  pass  from  this  part  of  predictions  (concerning  which, 


•  Primum  mobile]  The  primmn  violnle,  or  prime  mover,  in  tlie 
old  astronomy,  was  the  tenth  sphere  or  heaven  ;  the  first  heaven  was 
that  of  the  Moon,  the  second  of  Mercury,  the  third  of  Venus,  the  fourth 
of  the  Sun,  the  fifth  of  Mars,  the  sixth  of  Jupiter,  the  seventh  of  Saturn, 
the  eighth  of  all  the  fixed  stars,  the  ninth  the  crystalline  heaven  -  to 
which  the  Ptolemaics  attributed  a  sort  of  libration  or  shaking,  to  ac- 
count for  certain  irregularities  in  the  motion  of  the  stars— the  tenth,  the 
primum  mobile — of  a  pure,  clear  substance,  without  stars,  revolviiig 
from  east  to  west  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  carrying  with  it  all  the  lower 
spheres,  forcing  them  to  make  their  own  revolutions  from  west  to  east. 

'^  Liberius  quam,  dr'c.'\  More  freely  than  as  though  they  had  been 
mindful  of  their  rulers.  In  Tacitus,  Ann.  iii.  4,  the  words  are 
'  Promptius  apertiusque  quam  ut  meminisse  imperitantium  crederes : ' 
more  forwardly  and  openly  than  would  allow  you  to  think  that  they  re- 
membered their  rulers. 

"  Solvam  cingula,  &'c.'\  I  will  loose  the  girdles  of  kings.  Job  xii. 
18,  ♦  He  looseth  the  bond  of  kings,  and  girdeth  their  loins  with  a  girdle.' 
IsaL  xlv.  I,  '  I  will  loose  the  loins  of  kings.' 


Of  Seditions  and  Troubles.  57 

nevertheless,  more  light  may  be  taken  from  that  which 
followeth),  and  let  us  speak  first  of  the  materials  of  seditions; 
then  of  the  motives  of  them  ;  and  thirdly  of  the  remedies. 

Concerning  the  materials  of  seditions  :  It  is  a  thing  well 
to  be  considered  ;  for  the  surest  way  to  prevent  seditions  (if 
the  times  do  bear  it)  is  to  take  away  the  matter  of  them. 
For  if  there  be  fuel  prepared,  it  is  hard  to  tell  whence  the 
spark  shall  come  that  shall  set  it  on  fire.  The  matter  of 
seditions  is  of  two  kinds  :  much  poverty,  and  much  discon- 
tentment It  is  certain,  so  many  overthrown  estates,  so 
many  votes  for  troubles.'  Lucan^  noteth  well  the  state  of 
Rome  before  the  civil  war  : 

Hinc  usura  vorax,  rapidumque  in  tempore  fcenus  ; 
liinc  concussa  fides,  et  multis  utile  bellum.* 

This  same  multis  utile  helium  is  an  assured  and  infallible 
sign  of  a  state  disposed  to  seditions  and  troubles.  And  if 
this  poverty  and  broken  estate,  in  the  better  sort,  be  joined 
with  a  want  and  necessity  in  the  mean  people,  the  danger 
is  imminent  and  great.  For  the  rebeUions  of  the  belly  are 
the  worst.  As  for  discontentments,  they  are  in  the  politic 
body  like  to  humours  in  the  natural,  which  are  apt  to  gather 
a  preternatural  heat  and  to  inflame.  And  let  no  Prince 
measure  the  danger  of  them  by  this  :  whether  they  be  just 
or  unjust ;  for  that  were  to  imagine  people  to  be  too  reason- 
able ;  who  do  often  spurn  at  their  own  good  ; — nor  yet  by 
this  :    whether  the   griefs   whereupon  they  rise  be  in  fact 


'  So  vinny,  &'c.  ]  That  all  overthrown  fortunes  are  so  many  motives 
for  seeking  troubles. 

■•'  Luian]  A  Roman  poet,  author  of  Pharsalia,  an  account  of  the 
civil  wars  of  Caesar  and  Pompey. 

'  I/iitc  usura,  &'c.^  Hence  voracious  usury,  and  interest  coming 
rajndly  upon  its  time  ;  hence  shaken  credit,  and  war  advantageous  to  a 
great  number.  Phars,  i.  l8i.  Instead  ai  rapidum  Lucan  has  <Tf*i/«»«, 
avariciously  eager. 


58  Essays. 

great  or  small ;  for  they  are  the  most  dangerous  discontent- 
ments where  the  fear  is  greater  than  the  feeling  :  doleiuii 
modus,  timendi  no}i  item}  Besides,  in  great  oppressions,  the 
same  things  that  provoke  the  patience,  do  withal  mate'  the 
coiirage  ;  but  in  fears  it  is  not  so.  Neither  let  any  Prince, 
or  State,  be  secure'  concerning  discontentments,  because 
they  have  been  often,  or  have  been  long,  and  yet  no  peril 
hath  ensued  ;  for  as  it  is  true  that  every  vapour  or  fume 
doth  not  turn  into  a  storm ;  so  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that 
storms,  though  they  blow  over  divers  times,  yet  may  fall  at 
last  ;  and,  as  the  Spanish  proverb  noteth  well.  The  cord 
breaketh  at  the  last  by  the  weakest  pull* 

The  causes  and  motives  of  seditions  are,  innovation  in 
religion,  taxes,  alteration  of  laws  and  customs,  breaking  of 
privileges,  general  oppression,  advancement  of  unworthy 
persons,  strangers,  dearths,  disbanded  soldiers,  factions 
grown  desperate ;  and  whatsoever  in  offending  people 
joineth  and  knitteth  them  in  a  common  cause. 

For  the  remedies  :  There  may  be  some  general  preserva- 
tives, whereof  we  will  speak  ;  as  for  the  just  cure,  it  must 
answer  to  the  particular  disease,  and  so  be  left  to  counsel 
rather  than  rule. 

The  first  remedy,  or  prevention,  is  to  remove,  by  all  means 
possible,  that  material  cause  of  sedition  whereof  we  spake  ; 
which  is,  want  and  poverty  in  the  Estate.  To  which  purpose 
serveth  the  opening  and  well  balancing  of  trade  ;  the  cherish- 
ing of  manufactures  ;  the  banisliing  of  idleness  ;  the  re- 
pressing  of    waste  and   excess   by   sumptuary   laws ;    tlie 


'  Doleiuii,  dr=f.]  The  measure  of  grieving  is  not  also  that  of  fearing. 
Pliny,  Epist.  viii.  17.  *  Mate\     Confound. 

^  Secure]  Easy-minded ;  heedless.  Formerly  a  very  common 
meaning.  Ben  Jonson,  in  his  Fortst,  xi.  says,  '  Men  may  securely  sin, 
but  safely  never.' 

*  T/ie  cord  breaketh,  <^c.\  There  is  a  more  familiar  proverb  of 
similar  imix>rt :  '  It  is  the  last  straw  that  breaks  tne  camel's  back. ' 


Of  Seditions  and  Troubles.  59 

improvement  and  husbanding  of  the  soil  ;  the  regulating  of 
prices  of  things  vendible  ;  the  moderating  of  taxes  and 
tributes  ;  and  the  like.  Generally,  it  is  to  be  foreseen  '  that 
the  population  of  a  kingdom  (especially  if  it  be  not  mown 
down  by  wars)  do  not  exceed  the  stock  of  the  kingdom 
which  should  maintain  them.  Neither  is  the  population  to 
be  reckoned  only  by  number :  for  a  smaller  number  that 
spend  more  and  earn  less,  do  wear  out  an  Estate  sooner 
than  a  greater  number  that  live  lower  and  gather  more  ; 
therefore  the  multiplying  of  nobility,  and  other  degrees  of 
quality,  in  an  over  proportion  to  the  common  people,  doth 
speedily  bring  a  State  to  necessity  :  and  so  doth  likewise  an 
overgrown  clergy  ;  for  they  bring  nothing  to  the  stock  :  and 
in  like  manner,  when  more  are  bred  scholars  than  prefer- 
ments can  take  off. 

It  is  likewise  to  be  remembered,  that,  for  as  much  as  the 
increase  of  any  Estate  must  be  upon  the  foreigner  (for  what- 
soever is  somewhere  gotten,  is  somewhere  lost),  there  be  but 
three  things  which  one  nation  selleth  unto  another  :  the 
commodity  as  nature  yieldeth  it,  the  manufacture,  and  the 
vecture  or  carriage.  So  that  if  these  three  wheels  go, 
wealth  will  flow  as  in  a  spring  tide.  And  it  cometh  many 
times  to  pass,  that  mater iam  siiperabit  opus^^  that  the  work 
and  oirriage  is  worth  more  than  the  material,  and  enricheth 
a  State  more  ;  as  is  notably  seen  in  the  Low-Country  men, 
who  have  the  best  mines  above  ground'  in  the  world. 

Above  all  things,  good  policy  is  to  be  used,  that  the 
treasure  and  moneys  in  a  State  be  not  gathered  into  few 
iiands  :  for,  other\vise,  a  State  may  have  a  great  stock,  and 
yet  starve.     And  money  is  like  muck,  not  good  except  it  be 


'  It  is  to  be  foreseen^     Precaution  is  to  be  used. 
-  Alatei-iam,  ^^r.]     The  work  will  be  worth  more  than  the  matcriai 
Ovid's  words  are  '  Materiam  superabat  opus.'     Mat.  iu  5. 
^  MtKis  obTJt  gronHd\    Manufactures. 


6o  Essays, 

spread.  This  is  done  chiefly  by  suppressing,  or,  at  the  least, 
keeping  a  strait  hand  upon,  the  devouring  trades  of  usury, 
engrossing,'  great  pasturages,  and  the  Uke. 

For  removing  discontentments,  or  at  least  the  danger  of 
them  :  'I'here  is  in  every  State  (as  we  know;  two  portions  of 
subjects,  the  noblesse  and  the  commonalty.  When  one  of 
these  is  discontent,  the  danger  is  not  great ;  for  common 
people  are  of  slow  motion,  if  they  be  not  excited  by  the 
greater  sort ;  and  the  greater  sort  are  of  small  strength, 
except  the  multitude  be  apt  and  ready  to  move  of  themselves. 
'J'hen  is  the  danger,  wlien  the  greater  sort  do  but  wait  for 
the  troubling  of  the  waters  amongst  the  meaner,  that  then 
they  may  declare  themselves.  The  poets  feign  that  the  rest 
of  the  gods  would  have  bound  Jupiter ;  which  he  hearing  of, 
by  the  counsel  of  Pallas  sent  for  Briareus  with  his  hundred 
hands  to  come  in  to  his  aid.  An  emblem,  no  doubt,  to 
show  how  safe  it  is  for  monarchs  to  make  sure  of  the  good 
will  of  common  people. 

To  give  moderate  liberty  for  griefs  and  discontentments 
to  evaporate  (so  it  be  without  too  great  insolency  or  bravery) 
is  a  safe  way.  For  he  that  turneth  the  humours  back,  and 
maketh  the  wound  bleed  inwards,  endangereth*  malign 
ulcers  and  pernicious  imposthumations. 

The  part  of  Epimetheus^  might  well  become  Prometheus, 


'  En^-ossing\     Monopolising.        *  Enda7igen-tJi\     Runs  the  risk  of. 

*  Tlu part  of  Epimethetis\  That  is,  his  shutting  the  lid  of  Pandora's 
I30X.  Prometheus  having  stolen  fire  from  heaven  to  animate  human 
figures  which  he  had  formed  of  clay,  Jupiter  in  revenge  sent  him  Pan- 
dora— so  called  because  the  gods  had  contributed  all  their  gifts  to  make 
her  more  alluring.  Prometheus  rejected  her,  but  his  brother  Epimethcus 
received  and  married  her.  She  had  brought,  as  a  present  to  her  hus- 
band, a  lieautiful  box,  which  Epimetheus  opened;  whereupon  there 
issued  from  it  a  multitude  of  evils,  which  overspread  the  earth  ;  but 
Hope  remamed  at  the  bottom  of  the  box  when  Epimetheus  shut  the 
lid.  What  Bacon  means  by  saying  '  The  part  of  Epimetheus  might 
tvell  liecome  Prometheus'  is,  tliat  the  former,  by  shutting  the  lid,  showed 


Of  Seditions  and  Troubles.  6 1 

in  the  case  of  discontentments  ;  for  there  is  not  a  better 
provision  against  them.  Epimetheus,  when  griefs  and  evils 
flew  abroad,  at  last  shut  the  lid,  and  kept  Hope  in  the 
bottom  of  the  vessel.  Certainly  the  politic  and  artificial 
nourishing  and  entertaining  of  hopes,  and  carrying  men 
from  hopes  to  hopes,'  is  one  of  the  best  antidotes  against 
the  poison  of  discontentments.  And  it  is  a  certain  sign  of  a 
wise  government  and  proceeding,  when  it  can  hold  men's 
hearts  by  hopes,  when  it  cannot  by  satisfaction  :  and  when 
it  can  handle  things  in  such  manner,  as  no  evil  shall  api)ear 
so  peremptory  but  that  it  hath  some  outlet  of  hope :  which 
is  the  less  hard  to  do,  because  both  particular  persons  and 
factions  are  apt  enough  to  flatter  themselves,  or  at  least  to 
brave  that  which  tl-.ey  believe  not. 

Also,  the  foresight  and  prevention  that  there  be  no  likely 
or  fit  head  whereunto  discontented  persons  may  resort, 
and  imder  whom  they  may  join,  is  a  known  but  an  excellent 
point  of  caution.  I  understand  a  fit  head  to  be  one  that 
hath  greatness  and  reputation  ;  that  hath  confidence  with 
the  discontented  party  ;  and  upon  whom  they  turn  their 
eyes ;  and  that  is  thought  discontented  in  his  own  parti- 
cular :*  which  kind  of  persons  are  either  to  be  won  and 
reconciled  to  the  State,  and  that  in  a  fast  and  true  manner, 
or  to  be  fronted  with  some  other  of  the  same  party  that 
may  oppose  tham,  and-so  divide  the  reputation.     Generally, 


a  kind  of  prudence  not  unlike  his  brother's.  Our  author,  however, 
appears  not  to  liavc  discerned  the  sarcastic  import  of  the  old  story  :.'i>out 
sluUting  up  Mope,  where  she  was  ofno  earthly  use.  Prometheus  would 
have  let  her  loose.  Milton,  P.  L.  iv.  716,  calls  Epimetheus  '  the  unwiser 
son  of  Japhet.' 

'  Carrying  men  from  hopes  to  hopes\  Tills  was  familiarly  called 
beanng  men  in  hand. 

"  ///  his  aivn  particular\  For  his  own  part ;  in  his  own  priv.itc 
capacity.  The  phrase  is  of  very  common  occurrence  in  our  ol<l  authors 
The  community  were  called  '  the  general. ' 


62  Essays, 

the  dividing  and  breaking  of  all  factions  and  conibina 
tions  that  are  adverse  to  the  State,  and  setting  them  at 
distance,  or  at  least  distrust,  amongst  themselves,  is  not  one 
of  the  worst  remedies.  For  it  is  a  desperate  case,  if  those 
that  hold  with  the  proceeding  of  the  State  be  full  of  dis- 
cord and  faction,  and  those  that  are  against  it  be  entire  and 
united. 

I  have  noted,  that  some  witty  and  sharp  speeches  which 
have  fallen  from  Princes,  have  given  fire  to  seditions. 
Caesar  did  himself  infinite  hurt  in  that  speech  :  Sylia 
nescivit  liter  as,  non  potuit  didare  ;^  for  it  d!d  utterly  cut  off 
that  hope  which  men  had  entertained,  that  he  would  at  one 
time  or  other  give  over  his  dictatorship.  Galba  undid  him- 
self by  that  speech  :  legi  a  se  miiitem,  non  enii ;^  for  it  put 
the  soldiers  out  of  hope  of  the  donative.  Probus,  likewise, 
by  that  speech  :  si  vixero,  non  opus  erit  amplius  Romano 
imperio  militibus  ;^  a  speech  of  great  despair  for  the  soldiers; 
and  many  the  like.  Surely  Princes  had  need,  in  tender 
matters  and  ticklish  times,  to  beware  what  they  say ;  espe- 
cially in  these  short  speeches,  which  fly  abroad  like  darts, 
and  are  thought  to  be  shot  out  of  their  secret  intentions. 
For  as  for  large  discourses,  they  are  flat  things,  and  not  so 
much  noted. 


'  Sylla  nescivil,  dr»^.]  Sylla  did  not  know  his  letters,  he  could  not 
dictate.  This  is  from  Suetonius,  jhtl.  Cas.  77,  '  Syllam  nescisse  literas, 
qui  Dictaturam  deposuerit'  That  Sylla,  not  knowing  his  letters,  gave 
up  dictating.  Caesar  intended  word-play  with  dictaturam,  which  sig- 
nifies either  a  dictation  lesson  to  pupils,  or  the  office  of  Dictator  ;  and 
the  fact  %vith  which  Caesar  jested  was,  that  Sylla  showed  himself  ig- 
norant by  giving  up  the  Dictatorship,  it  being  more  perilous  to  lay  down 
than  to  assume  such  authority,  for  a  Dictator  might  be  called  to  account 
for  his  conduct  when  he  resigned  his  office. 

*  Legi  a  se,  dr^r.]  That  the  soldiery  were  levied  by  him,  not  bought. 
Tacitus,  Hist.  i.  5  ;  and  Plutarch's  Lives,  Galba. 

'  Si  vixero,  dr»f.]  If  I  live,  the  Roman  empire  shall  cease  to  have 
need  of  soldiers.     Flavius  Vopiscus,  Probus,  20, 


Of  Atheism.  6$ 

Lastly,  let  Princes,  against  all  events,  not  be  without  some 
great  person,  one  or  rather  more,  of  military  valour  near 
unto  them,  for  the  repressing  of  seditions  in  their  beginnings. 
For  without  that,  there  useth  to  be  more  trepidation  in 
court  upon  the  first  breaking  out  of  troubles  than  were  fit. 
And  the  State  runneth  the  danger  of  that  which  Tacitus 
saith  :  atqiie  is  habitus  animorum  fiiit  ut  pessimum  facinus 
audcrait  pauci,  plures  vellent,  omnes  paterentiir}  But  let 
juch  military  persons  be  assured,-  and  well  reputed  of. 
rather  than  factious  and  popular  ;  holding  also  good  corre- 
sjiondence  with  the  other  great  men  in  the  State  ;  or  else 
the  remedy  is  worse  than  the  disease. 


XVI.   OF  ATHEISM. 

I  had  rather  believe  all  the  fables  in  the  Legend,'  and 
tlie  Talmud,-*  and  the  Alcoran,*  than  that  this  universal 
frame  is  without  a  mind.  And,  therefore,  God  never 
wrought  miracle  to  convince^  atheism,  because  his  ordinary 

'  Alque  is  habitus,  &'c.'\  Tacitus,  Hist.  i.  28.  And  such  was  the 
state  of  feeling,  that  a  few  had  the  daring  to  commit  the  most  flagrant 
atrocity,  more  wished  it  done,  and  all  allowed  it. 

*  AssHret{\     Made  sure  of;  certifietl  as  trustworthy. 

'  The  Legeiut]  The  Legenda  Aurca,  or  Golden  Legend,  containing 
accounts  of  the  saints  and  their  miracles,  written  by  Jacobus  de  Voragine, 
a  Dominican  friar,  afterwards  Archbishop  of  Genoa.  He  died  in  1292. 
It  was  translated  out  of  French,  and  printed  by  Caxton,  in  1483.  In 
the  first  speech  of  the  old  play  of  Grim  the  Collier,  St.  Dunstan  says — 

'  But  whoso  looks  into  the  Golden  Legend, 
That  sacred  register  of  holy  saints, 
Shall  find  me  by  the  pope  canonised. ' 

*  The  Talmud]  The  book  containing  the  traditions  aiid  comments 
of  the  Jewish  Rabbins. 

'  Alcoran]    The  Koran,  or  Mohammedan  Scriptures. 

'  Convinee]    Overcome.      Compare    Shakspeare,    Macbeth,    i.    7, 


6|  Essays. 

works  convince  it.  It  is  true,  that  a  little  philosophy 
inclineth  man's  mind  to  atheism ;  but  depth  in  philosophy 
bringeth  men's  minds  about  to  religion  :  for  while  the  mind 
of  man  looketh  upon  second  causes  scattered,  it  may  some- 
times rest  in  them,  and  go  no  further  ;  but  when  it  beholdeth 
the  chain  of  them  confederate  and  linked  together,  it  must 
needs  fly  to  Providence  and  Deity.'  Nay,  even  that  school 
which  is  most  accused  of  atheism,  doth  most  demonstrate 
religion]  that  is,  the  school  of  Leucippus,*  and  Democritus,-' 
and  Epicurus.*  For  it  is  a  thousand  times  more  credible, 
that  four  mutable  elements  and  one  immutable  fifth  essence,-^ 
duly  and  eternally  placed,  need  no  God,  than  that  an  army 
of  infinite  small  portions  or  seeds  unplaced,"  should  have 


'His  two  chamberlains  I  will  with  wine  and  wassail  so  convince  ; '  iv. 
3,  '  Tlieir  malady  convinces  the  great  assay  of  art ; '  Cymbdiiie,  i,  4, 
'Convince  the  honour  of  my  mistress;'  "Spenser's  F.  Q.  III.  ii.  21, 
'  'i'hat  treasons  could  bewray,  or  foes  convince. 

'  Ju>r  -tuhile  the  mind  of  man,  &'c.'\  Compare  the  explanation  in  the 
Advancement,  '  When  the  second  causes,  which  are  next  unto  the 
senses,  do  offer  themselves  to  the  mind  of  man,  if  it  dwell  and  stay  there, 
it  may  induce  some  oblivion  of  the  highest  cause  ;  but  when  a  man 
jiasseth  on  farther,  and  seeth  the  depemlence  of  causes,  and  the  works 
of  Providence,  then,  according  to  the  allegory  of  the  poets,  he  will 
easily  believe  that  the  highest  link  of  nature's  chain  most  needs  be  tied 
to  the  foot  of  Jupiter's  chair.' 

-'  Leudpptis\  A  Grecian  philosopher,  one  of  Zeno's  pupils.  He 
originated  the  atomic  philosophy,  which  was  afterwards  more  fully  ex- 
pcuuded  by  Democritus  and  Epicunis. 

*  Detnoculus\  A  disciple  of  Leucippus.  He  was  called  the  laugh- 
ing philosopher,  from  his  habit  of  laughing  at  the  follies  of  mankind. 

*  Epicurus']     See  p.  4,  note  4. 

*  Fifth  essence]  Aristotle  supposed  that  l)esides  the  four  mutable 
elements  there  was  an  ethereal  and  immutable  quintessence,  out  of  which 
the  stars  and  the  heavens  were  formed.  See  Milton's  F.  L.  iii. 
714-19. 

'  That  an  army,  &'€.]  He  alludes  to  the  notion  of  the  world 
having  been  formed  by  a  fortuitous  concourse  of  atoms,  as  taught  by  the 
forenamed  philosophers. 


Of  AtJiclsm.  65 

produced  this  order  and  beauty  without  a  divine  maishal. 
The  Scripture  saith,  7 he  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart,  There  is 
no  God  :^  it  is  not  said,  The  fool  hath  thought  in  his  heart :  so 
as'  he  rather  saith  it  by  rote  to  himself,  as  that^  he  would 
have,  than  that  he  can  thoioughly  believe  it,  or  be  persuaded 
of  it.  For  none  deny  there  is  a  God  but  those  for  whom  it 
maketh"  that  there  were  no  God.  It  appeareth  in  nothing 
more,  that  atheism  is  rather  in  the  lip  than  in  the  heart  of 
man,  than  by  this  :  that  atheists  will  ever  be  talking  of  that 
their  opinion,''  as  if  they  fainted  in  it  within  themselves,  and 
would  be  glad  to  be  strengthened  by  the  consent  of  others  ; 
nay,  more,  you  shall  have  atheists  strive  to  get  disciples,  as 
it  fareth  ^vith  other  sects ;  and,  which  is  most  of  all,  you 
shall  have  of  them  that  will  suffer  for  atheism,  and  not 
recant ;  whereas,  if  they  did  truly  think  that  there  were  no 
such  thing  as  God,  why  should  they  trouble  themselves? 
,  Epicurus  is  charged,  that  he  did  but  dissemble  for  his 
credit's  sake,  when  he  affirmed  there  were  blessed  natures, 
but  such  as  enjoyed  themselves  without  having  respect  to 
the  government  of  the  world.  Wlierein  they  say  he  did 
temporise,  though  in  secret  he  thought  there  was  no  God. 
But  certainly  he  is  traduced  ;  for  his  words  are  noble  and 
divine  :  Non  deos  vulgi  negare  profanum,  sed  vulgi  opiniones 
diis  applicare  profamivi.^     Plato  ^  could  have  said  no  more. 

'   The  fool  hath  said,  &-<•.]     Psal.  xiv.  I. 

«  As\  That.         »  Thafl  What.         «  It  maketK\    It  is  expedient. 

*  That  their  ofinioii]  We  would  now  say  that  opinion  cf  theirs. 
Compare  Shakspeare,  Ant.  S^  Cleop.  ii.  3,  'That  thy  spirit  which  keeps 
thee  ;'  Jid.  Cces.  v.  5,  'For  that  our  love  of  old.'  The  Prayer  Book 
has  '  That  His  inestimable  benefit.' 

*  Non  deos,  dfc]  Diogenes  Laertius,  x.  123.  It  is  not  profane  to 
deny  the  gods  of  the  vulgar,  but  it  is  profane  to  attribute  to  the  gods 
the  opinions  of  the  vulgar. 

'  Plato]  A  disciple  of  Socrates,  and  the  founder  of  the  Academic 
philosophy.     He  died  347  B.C. 

F 


66  Essays. 

And,  although  he  had  the  confidence  to  deny  the  adminis- 
tration,^ he  had  not  the  power  to  deny  the  nature.*  The 
Indians  of  the  West '  have  names  for  their  particular  gods, 
though  they  have  no  name  for  God  :  as  if  the  heathens 
should  have  had  the  names  Jupiter,  Apollo,  Mars,  &c.,  but 
not  the  word  Deus ;  which  shows  that  even  those  barbarous 
people  have  the  notion,  though  they  have  not  the  latitude 
and  extent  of  it.  So  that  against  atheists  the  very  savages 
take  part  with  the  very  subtlest  philosophers.  The  contem- 
plative atheist  is  rare  :  a  Diagoras,'*  a  Bion,*  a  Lucian  ^  per- 
haps, and  some  others  ;  and  yet  they  seem  to  be  more  than 
they  are ;  for  that  all  that  impugn  a  received  religion,  or 
superstition,  are  by  the  adverse  part  branded  with  the 
name  of  atheists.  But  the  great  atheists  indeed^  are 
hypocrites  ;  which  are  ever  handling  holy  things,  but  with- 
out feeling;  so  as  they  must  needs  be  cauterized  in  the  end.* 
The  causes  of  atheism  are  :  divisions  in  religion,  if  they  be 
many ;  for  any  one  main  division  addeth  zeal  to  both  sides ; 
but  many  divisions  introduce  atheism.     Another  is  scandal 


'  To  deny  tJie  adininistratioii\  Epicurus  represented  the  gods  as 
wholly  engiossed  with  their  own  pleasures,  and  utterly  negligent  of  the 
world's  affairs. 

-  Tlie  nature]     The  existence  of  divine  natures. 

'  T/ie  Indiatis  of  the  West\  The  native  tribes  of  America  and  the 
West  Indies. 

*  Diagoras]  An  Athenian  philosopher,  banished  from  Athens  for 
contemning  the  superstitions  of  the  Greeks.     Died  about  400  B.C. 

*  Bion\  A  sophist  of  Scythia,  noted  for  his  satirical  humour.  Died 
241  B.C. 

*  Ludau]  Lucian  of  Samosata  in  Syria,  a  Greek  humourist  of  the 
second  century.  He  ridiculed  the  ancient  philosophers,  even  Socrates  and 
Plato.  Certain  writings  in  which  he  was  supposed  to  ridicule  Christ 
are  not  believed  to  be  his  ;  and  he  is  now  generally  exempted  from  the 
charge  of  being  an  apostate  from  Christianity. 

'  Jndced\     Lat.  ReverA  ;  that  are  in  reality  atheists. 

*  Be  cauUiisedy  &^r.]     Become  seared  at  last. 


Of  Atheism.  67 

of  priests ;  when  it  is  come  to  that  which  St.  Bernard  *  saith, 
non  est  jam  dicere,  ut  populus  sic  sacerdos ;  quia  nee  sie  populm 
ut  saeerdos.^  A  third  is,  custom  of  profane  scoffing  in  holy 
matters  ;  which  doth  by  little  and  little  deface  the  reverence 
of  religion.  And  lastly,  learned  times,  specially  with  peace 
and  prosperity  :  for  troubles  and  adversities  do  more 
bow  men's  minds  to  religion.  They  that  deny  a  God 
destroy  man's  nobility  :  for  certainly  man  is  of  kin  to  the 
beasts  by  his  body  ;  and,  if  he  be  not  of  kin  to  God  by  his 
spirit,  he  is  a  base  and  ignoble  creature.  It  destroys  like- 
wise magnanimity,  and  the  raising  of  human  nature  :  for 
take  an  example  of  a  dog,  and  mark  what  a  generosity  and 
courage  he  will  put  on  when  he  finds  himself  maintained  by 
a  man  ;  who  to  him  is  instead  of  a  God,  or  melior  natura  ;' 
which  courage  is  manifestly  such  as  that  creature,  without 
that  confidence  of*  a  better  nature  than  his  own,  could 
never  attain.  So  man,  when  he  resteth  and  assureth  himself 
upon  divine  protection  and  favour,  gathereth  a  force  and 
faith,  which  human  nature  in  itself  could  not  obtain.  There- 
fore, as*  atheism  is  in  all  respects  hateful,  so''  in  this,  that  it 
depriveth  human  nature  of  the  means  to  exalt  itself  above 
human  frailty.  As  it  is  in  particular  persons,  so  it  is  in 
nations  :  Never  was  there  such  a  State  for  magnanimity  as 
Rome.  Of  this  State  hear  what  Cicero  saith  :  Quam  voiumus, 
licet,  Patres  Conscripti,  nos  amemus ;  tamen  nee  miniero  His- 
panos,  nee  robore  Gailos,  luc  eallidiiate  Pcenos,  nee  artibus 


'  St.  Bernard^  Abbot  of  Clairvaux,  an  eminent  theologian  of  the 
twelfth  century,  who  vehemently  denounced  the  sins  then  prevalent 
among  the  clergy.     Died  1153. 

*  Non  est  jam,  &'c.\  Senno  ad  Pastores.  It  is  not  for  us  now  to 
sav,  as  are  the  people  so  is  the  priest,  because  as  the  priest  is  so  are 
net  the  people. 

»  Melior  natura\    A  superior  nature. 

♦  Confidence  of\    Belief  in. 

*  As\    While.  •  io]     It  is  especially  so. 

F  2 


68  Essays. 

GrcecoSy  nee  denique  hoc  ipso  hiijus  gentis  d  terra  domestico 
nativoque  sensu  Jtalos  ipsos  et  Latinos ;  sed  pietate,  ac  religio/ie. 
atque  hoc  una  sapiaitia,  quod  Dcorum  inunortalium  numine 
otnnia  regi  gubernariqtie perspeximus,  omnes  gentes,  nationcsqiu 
superavimus} 


XVII.    OF  SUPERSTITION. 

It  were  better  to  have  no  opinion  of  God  at  all,  than  such 
an  opinion  as  is  unworthy  of  him  :  for  the  one  is  unbelief, 
the  other  is  contumely;  and  certainly  superstition  is  the 
reproach  of  the  Deity.  Plutarch  ^  saith  well  to  that  pur- 
])ose  :  Surely,  saith  he,  /  had  rather  a  great  deal  men  should 
say  t/tere  7tras  no  such  man  at  all  as  Plutarch,  than  that  they 
sJwuld  say  that  there  ivas  one  Plutarch  that  would  eat  his 
children  as  soon  as  they  were  born^  as  the  poets  speak  of 
Saturn.*  And,  as  the  contumely  is  greater  towards  God,  so 
the  danger  is  greater  towards  men.  Atheism  leaves  a  man 
to  sense,  to  philosophy,  to  natural  piety,*  to  laws,  to  reputa- 
tion ;  all  which  may  be  guides  to  an  outward  moral  virtue, 


'  Quam  volumus,  &'c.'\  De  Har.  Resp/vn.  Let  us  admire  ourselves, 
Conscript  Fathers,  as  we  please ;  still  we  have  not  excelled  the 
Spaniards  in  number,  nor  the  Gauls  in  bodily  strength,  nor  the  Cartha- 
ginians in  cunning,  nor  the  Grecians  in  arts,  nor,  finally,  the  Italians  and 
Latins  themselves  even  in  this,  the  domestic  and  patriotic  appreciation 
of  this  nation  and  soil ;  but  we  have  excelled  all  races  and  nations  in 
piety,  and  religion,  and  in  this  special  wisdom,  that  we  have  recognised 
all  things  to  be  regulated  and  controlled  by  the  spirit  of  the  immortal 
gods. 

■■'  PlutarcK\     An  illustrious  Greek  biographer  and  moralist. 

*  Surely,  saith  he,  dr'r.]     De  Superstit.  x. 

*  As  the  poets,  ^'c.^  The  poets  feigned  that  Saturn  devoured  his 
children  as  soon  as  they  were  bom,  Jupiter  only,  the  youngest,  ha  ring 
escaped. 

*  Natural  puty]  The  Latin  word  pittas  denoted  sense  of  duty 
towards  parents,  &c.,  as  well  as  towards  God. 


Of  Sutcrstition.  69 

Ihougli  religion  were  not ; '  but  superstition  dismounts  all 
these,  and  erecteth  an  absolute  monarchy  in  the  minds  of 
men.  Therefore  atheism  did  never  perturb  States ;  for  it 
makes  men  wary  of  themselves,  as  looking  no  further:'  and 
we  see  the  times  inclined  to  atheism  (as  the  time  of  Augustus 
Caesar)  were  civil  times.^  But  superstition  hath  been  the 
confusion  of  many  States;  and  bringeth  in  a  ntw primnm 
mobile,^  that  ravisheth  all  the  spheres  of  government.  The 
master  of  superstition  is  the  people;  and  in  all  superstition 
wise  men  follow  fools ;  and  arguments  are  fitted  to  practice 
in  a  reversed  order.®  It  was  gravely  said  by  some  of  the 
prelates  in  the  Council  of  Trent,^  where  the  doctrine  of  the 
Schoolmen  ^  bare  great  sway,  that  the  Schoolmen  were  like 
astronomers,  which  did  feign  eccentrics  and  epicycles,  and 
such  engines  of  orbs,  to  save  the  phenomena,*  though  they 


'   Were  no/]     Lat.  Abesset,  were  absent. 

*  As  looking  no  farther]     As  minding  nothing  but  themselves. 

'  Civil  times]  Times  when  the  thoughts  and  pursuits  of  men  were 
those  of  civilians,  not  of  soldiers.     The  Lat.  has  Tetitpora  trauijuilLi. 

*  J'liinuijt  mobile]     See  p.  56,  note  I. 

*  Arguments  are  fitted,  d^c.]  He  means  that,  by  an  inversion  o( 
rational  order,  arguments  are  made  conformable  to  existing  practice,  in- 
stead of  practice  being  regulated  by  arguments. 

*  The  Council  of  Trent]  Trent  is  a  town  in  the  Tjrrol.  The 
Tridentine  Council  lasted  from  1545  to  1563. 

'  The  Schoolmen]  So  called  because  they  taught  in  the  schools  of 
divinity  established  by  Charlemagne.  They  were  philosophers  and 
divines  of  the  Middle  Ages,  who  adopted  the  principles  of  Aristotle, 
and  spent  much  time  on  points  of  nice  and  abstract  speculation. 

*  Eccentrics  and  epicycles,  6^^-.]  ApoUonius,  a  mathematician,  of 
Perga  in  Pamphylia,  B.C.  242,  was  the  first  who  attempted,  by  means 
of  cycles  and  epicyles,  to  account  for  the  apparent  stoppings  and  retro- 
grade motions  of  the  planets.     Compare  Milton,  F,  L.  viii.  80 — 

'  How  they  will  wield 
The  mighty  frame  ;  how  build,  unbuild,  contrive, 
To  save  appearances  ;  how  gird  the  sphere 
With  centric  and  eccentric  scribbled  o'er, 
Cycle  and  epicycle,  orb  in  orb.' 


;o  Essays. 

knew  there  were  no  such  things  ;  and,  in  like  manner,  that 
the  Schoolmen  had  framed  a  number  of  subtile  and  intricate 
axioms  and  theorems  to  save  the  practice  of  the  Church. 
The  causes  of  superstition  are  :  pleasing  and  sensual '  rites 
and  ceremonies  ;  excess  of  outward  and  pharisaical  holiness ; 
over-great  reverence  of  traditions,  which  cannot  but  load 
the  Church  ;  the  stratagems  of  prelates  for  their  own  ambition 
and  lucre;  the  favouring  too  much  of  good  intentions,  which 
openeth  the  gate  to  conceits'*  and  novelties  ;  the  taking  an 
aim  at  divine  matters  by  human,  which  cannot  but  breed 
mixture  of  imaginations  ;3  and,  lastly,  barbarous  times,  es- 
pecially joined  with  calamities  and  disasters.  Superstition 
without  a  veil  is  a  deformed  thing ;  for,  as  it  addeth  defor- 
mity to  an  ape  to  be  so  like  a  man,  so  the  similitude  ot 
superstition  to  religion  makes  it  the  more  deformed.  And 
as  wholesome  meat  corrupteth  to  little  worms,  so  good  forms 
and  orders  corrupt  into  a  number  of  petty  observances. 
There  is  a  superstition  in  avoiding  superstition,  when  men 
think  to  do  best  if  they  go  furthest  from  the  superstition 
formerly  received  ;  therefore  care  would  be  had,*  that  (as  it 
fareth  in  ill  purgings)  the  good  be  not  taken  away  with  the 
bad ;  which  commonly  is  done  when  the  people  is  the  re- 
former. 


Richardson,  in  Explanatory  N^otes  on  Milton,  ?iarj%,  '  To  save  appearances 
is  to  defend  the  appearances  from  the  attacks  and  objections  which 
would  naturally  arise,  or  to  prevent  their  being  made.  Centric,  or  con- 
centric, are  spheres  whose  centre  is  the  same  with,  and  eccentric  those 
whose  centres  are  different  from,  that  of  the  earth.  Cycle  is  a  circle, 
epicycle  is  a  circle  whose  centre  is  upon  the  circumference  of  another 
circle.  Contrivances,  expedients  of  the  Ptolemaics,  to  save  the  apparent 
difficulties  in  their  system.' 

'  Senst4ar\     Addressed  to  the  senses. 

-  Conceits^  In  the  Lat.  version,  idtXoOpriffKflats,  acts  of  will-worship; 
from  Col.  ii.  23. 

'  Alixture  of  imaginations^  \jsX.  Phantasiarum  male  cohttrentium 
mixturam. 

*  Would  be  Aatf]    Ought  to  be  taken.     See  p.  17,  note  2. 


Of  Travel.  ft 


XVIII.   OF  TRAVEL. 

Travel,  in  the  younger  sort,  is  a  part  of  education  ;  in  the 
elder,  a  part  of  expenence.  He  that  travelleth  into  a 
country,  before  he  hath  some  entrance'  into  the  language, 
goeth  to  school,  and  not  to  travel.  That  young  men  travel 
under  some  tutor,  or  grave  servant,  I  allow  well  ;  ^  so  that 
he  be  such  a  one  that  hath  the  language,  and  hath  been 
in  the  country  before  ;  whereby  he  may  be  able  to  tell  them 
what  things  are  worthy  to  be  seen  in  the  country  where  they 
go,  what  acquaintances-^  they  are  to  seek,  what  exercises  or 
discipline  the  place  yieldeth.  For  else  young  men  shall  go 
hooded,  and  look  abroad  little.  It  is  a  strange  thing  that  in 
sea  voyages,  where  there  is  nothing  to  be  seen  but  sky  and 
sea,  men  should  make  diaries ;  but  in  land  travel,  wherein 
so  much  is  to  be  observed,  for  the  most  part  they  omit  it ;  as 
if  chance  were  fitter  to  be  registered  than  observation.*  Let 
diaries,  therefore,  be  brought  in  use.  '1  he  things  to  be  seen 
and  observed  are  :  the  courts  of  Princes,  specially  when 
they  give  audience  to  ambassadors ;  the  courts  of  justice, 
while  they  sit  and  hear  causes,  and  so  of  consistories  eccle- 
siastic ;  the  churches  and  monasteries,  with  the  monuments 
which  are  therein  extant ;  the  walls  and  fortifications  of  cities 
and  towns,  and  so  the  havens  and  harbours  ;  antiquities  and 
ruins ;  libraries,  colleges ;  disputations  and  lectures,  where 
any  are  ;  shipping  and  navies ;  houses  and  gardens  of 
state*  and  pleasure,  near  great  cities;  armouries,  arsenals, 


*  Hath  some  entrance^     'LsA.  Aliquos  fccerit  progressus. 

'  I nllmv  well]  I  quite  approve.  So  Shakspeare,  2  Henry  IV.  iv. 
2,  '  I  like  them  all,  and  d  d  allow  them  well ; '  0th.  i.  3,  '  A  substitute 
uf  most  allowed  sufficienc).' 

*  Acquaintances]     P'riendships.     Lat.  Ainicitice  et  familiaritates. 

*  Ohsen.iation]  Lat.  Qua:  de  industrid  observantur :  things  that  are 
designedly  observed. 

»  0/ stale]     Stately. 


f2  Essays. 

nagazines,  exchanges,  burses,'  warehouses  ;  exercises  of 
horsemanship,  fencing,  training  of  soldiers,  and  the  hke ; 
comedies,  such  whereunto  the  better  sort  of  persons  do  resort: 
treasuries  of  jewels  and  robes  ;  cabinets  and  rarities  :  and,  to 
conclude,  whatsoever  is  memorable  in  the  places  where  they 
go:  after  all  which  the  tutors  or  servants  ought  to  make  diligent 
inquiry.  As  for  triumphs,'^  masques,  feasts,  weddings,  funerals, 
capital  executions,  and  such  shows,  men  need  not  to  be  put 
in  mind  of  them  :  yet  are  they  not  to  be  neglected.  If  you  will 
have  a  young  man  to  put  his  travel  into  a  little  room,  and  in 
short  time  to  gather  much,  this  you  must  do :  first,  as  was  said, 
he  must  have  some  entrance  into  the  language  before  he  goeth: 
then  he  must  have  such  a  servant,  or  tutor,  as  knoweth  the 
country,  as  was  likewise  said.  Let  him  carry  with  him  also 
some  card,  or  book,  describing  the  country  where  he  travel- 
leth  ;  which  will  be  a  good  key  to  his  inquiry.  Let  him  keep 
also  a  diary.  Let  him  not  stay  long  in  one  city  or  town  ; 
more  or  less  as  the  place  deserveth,  but  not  long  :  nay,  when 
he  stayeth  in  one  city  or  town,  let  him  change  his  lodging 
from  one  end  and  part  of  the  town  to  another,  which  is 
a  great  adamant^  of  acquaintance.  Let  him  sequester  him- 
self from  the  company  of  his  countrymen,  and  diet  in  such 
places  where  there  is  good  company  of  the  nation  where  he 
travelleth.  Let  him,  upon  his  removes  from  one  place  to 
another,  procure  recommendation  to  some  person  of  quality 


'  Burses\     Public  edifices  where  merchants  meet  for  consultation. 

*  Triumphs]     Pageants  or  shows  by  torch-light. 

*  Adamant]  Loadstone  ;  means  of  attraction.  The  word  adamant 
often  denotes  the  magnet  or  loadstone  in  old  authors.  Thus,  in  Cook's 
Greei^s  Tu  Qnoque,  '  As  tnie  to  thee  as  steel  to  adamant  ; '  Shak- 
speare,  Troil.  &^  Cress,  iii.  2,  '  As  true  as  iron  to  adamant ; '  Mids.  N. 
Dream,  ii.  2 — 

'  You  draw  me,  you  hard-hearted  adamant ; 
But  yet  you  draw  not  iron,  for  my  heart 
Is  trae  as  steel.' 


Of  Travel.  73 

residing  in  the  place  whither  he  removeth  ;  that  he  may 
use  his  favour  in  those  things  he  desireth  to  see  or 
know.  Thus  he  may  abridge  his  travel  with  much  profit 
As  for  the  acquaintance  which  is  to  be  sought  in  travel,  that 
which  is  most  of  all  profitable  is  acquaintance  with  the  secre- 
taries and  employed  men '  of  ambassadors ;  for  so  in  travel- 
ling in  one  country  he  shall  suck  the  experience  of  many. 
Let  him  also  see  and  visit  eminent  persons  in  all  kinds 
which  are  of  great  name  abroad,  that  he  may  be  able  to  tell 
liow  the  life^  agreeth  with  the  fame.  For  quarrels,  they  are 
with  care  and  discretion  to  be  avoided  :  they  are  commonly 
for  mistresses,  healths,^  place,  and  words.'*  And  let  a  man 
beware  how  he  keepeth  company  with  choleric  and  quarrel- 
some persons  ;  for  they  will  engage  him  into  their  own 
quarrels.  When  a  traveller  retumeth  home,  let  him  not 
leave  the  countries  where  he  hath  travelled  altogether  behind 
him  ;  but  maintain  a  correspondence  by  letters  with  those 
of  his  acquaintance  which  are  of  most  worth.  And  let  his 
travel  appear  rather  in  his  discourse  than  in  his  apparel 
or  gesture  ;  and  in  his  discourse  let  him  be  rather  advised* 
in  his  answers  than  forward  to  tell  stories  ;  and  let  it 
appear,  that  he  doth  not  change  his  country  manners  for 
those  of  foreign  parts,^  but  only  prick  in  some  flowers  of 


'  Employed  men]     Such  as  we  now  call  attachJs, 

*  The  life]  The  person  himself.  The  Latin  translation  has  Os,  viu- 
tits,  et  corporis  lineavienla  et  viotus. 

'  Healths]     Toasts.     Lat.  compotationes. 

*  Place,  and  ivords]  Lat.  PrcBsideniiavi,  et  verba  contumiliosa  ;  right 
of  presiding,  and  abusive  words.  Timon,  in  Shakspeare's  play,  iii.  6, 
says,  '  Make  not  a  city  feast  of  it,  to  let  the  meat  cool  ere  we  can  agree 
upon  the  first  place.' 

'  Advised]     Heedful ;  discreet. 

*  Change  his  country  manners,  &>c.]  Shakspeare  often  ridiculed  the 
affectation  common  amongst  those  who  had  travelled  on  the  Continent. 
Thus,  in  As  You  Like  It,  iv.  i,  '  Farewell,  monsieur  Traveller.     Look 


74  Essays. 

that^  he  hath  learned  abroad  into  the  customs  of  his  own 
rountry. 


XIX.    OF  EMPIRE. 

It  is  a  miserable  state  of  mind,  to  have  few  things  to  desire 
and  many  things  to  fear ;  and  yet  that  commonly  is  the  case 
of  Kings,  who  being  at  the  highest,  want  matter  of  desire, 
which  makes  their  minds  more  languishing  ;  and  have  many 
representations'  of  perils  and  shadows,  which  makes  their 
minds  the  less  clear.  And  this  is  one  reason  also  of  that 
effect  which  the  Scripture  speaketh  of,  that  the  Kin^s  heart  is 
inscrutable.^  For  multitude  of  jealousies,  and  lack  of  some 
predominant  desire,  that  should  marshal  and  put  in  order 
all  the  rest,  maketh  any  man's  heart  hard  to  find  or  sound. 
Hence  it  comes,  likewise,  that  Princes  many  times  make 
themselves  desires,  and  set  their  hearts  upon  toys  ;■•  some- 
times upon  a  building  ;    sometimes  upon  erecting  of  an 


you  lisp  and  wear  strange  suits ;  disable  all  the  benefits  of  your  own 
country,'  &c. 

>   Tha{\     That  which. 

*  Represe)itations\     Lat.  phantastnata. 

'  The  King^s  heart,  &'c.'\  Prov.  xxv.  3,  'The  heart  of  kings  is  un- 
searchable.' Bacon  was  fond  of  referring  to  this  proverb.  In  Massin- 
^tx\  Emperor  of  the  East,  ii.  i,  Philanax,  finding  that  he  and  others 
had  mistaken  the  Emperor's  nature,  says — 

'  We  had  forgot  'tis  found  in  holy  writ 
That  kings'  hearts  are  inscrutable. ' 

In  the  Advancetnent,  II.,  Bacon  says,  '  Princes  being  at  the  top  of 
human  desires,  they  have  for  the  most  part  no  particular  ends  whereto 
they  aspire,  by  distance  from  which  a  man  might  take  measure  and 
scale  of  the  rest  of  their  actions  and  desires  ;  which  is  one  of  the  causes 
that  maketh  their  hearts  more  inscrutable.' 

•  Toys\    Trifles. 


Of  Empire.  75 

order  ;'  sometimes  upon  the  advancing  of  a  person  ,  some- 
times upon  obtaining  excellence  in  some  art,  or  feat  of  the 
hand  ;  as  Nero  for  playing  on  the  harp  ;'  Domitian  for 
certainty  of  the  hand  with  the  arrow  ;'  Comniodus  for 
playing  at  fence  ;^  Caracalla  for  driving  chariots;''  and  t't;c 
like.  This  seemeth  incredible  unto  those  that  know  not  the 
principle,  that  the  mind  of  man  is  move  cheered  and  refreshed 
by  profiting^  in  small  things,  than  by  standing  at  a  stay  in 
great.  We  see  also  that  Kings  that  have  been  fortunate 
conquerors  in  their  first  years,  it  being  not  possible  for  them 
to  go  forward  infinitely,  but  that  they  must  have  some  check 
or  arrest  in  their  fortunes,  turn  in  their  latter  years  to  be 
superstitious  and  melancholy  :  as  did  Alexander  the  Great,^ 
Diocletian,"  and   in  our  memory  Charles  the  Fifth,^  and 


'  Upon  erecting  of  an  order]  Lat.  Ad  ordinem  aliquem  aut  collegium 
instituendum. 

*  Nero  for  playing,  &'c.'\     Dion  Cassius,  Ixiii.  I. 

*  Domitian  for  certainty,  d^c]     Suetonius,  Domitian,  19. 

*  Commodus  for  playing,  <Sr»f.]     Dion  Cassius,  Ixxii.  10,  22. 
"  Caracalla  for  driving,  <Sr*f.]     Dion  Cassius,  Ixxvii.  10. 

*  Profiting]  Making  progress.  Lat.  progredieiulo.  This  was 
anciently  a  common  meaning  of  the  word.  Thus  Shakspeare,  in  As 
You  Like  It,  i.  I,  '  My  brother  Jaques  he  keeps  at  school,  and  report 
speaks  goldenly  of  his  profit ; '  and  in  the  Tempest,  i.  2,  '  Here  have  I, 
thy  schoolmaster,  made  thee  more  profit  (i.e.  to  profit  more)  than  other 
princes  can.' 

'  As  did  Alexander  the  Great]  '  After  that  Alexander  had  left  his 
trust  and  confidence  in  the  gods,  his  mind  was  so  troubled  and  afraid, 
that  no  strange  thing  happened  unto  him,  how  little  soever  it  was,  but 
he  took  it  straight  for  a  sign  and  prediction  from  the  go<Is  ;  so  that 
his  tent  was  always  full  of  priests  and  soothsayers,  that  did  nothing  but 
sacrifice  and  purify,  and  tend  upon  divinements.' — North's  Plutarch. 

*  Diocletian]  This  Roman  emperor,  after  a  prosperous  reign  of 
twenty-one  years,  abdicated  the  crown,  a.d.  304,  and  retired  to  a  private 
station  at  his  native  town,  Salona,  in  Dalmatia. 

*  Charles  the  Fifth]  Emperor  of  Germany.  After  a  reign  of  thirty- 
Mven  years  he  resigned  the  imperial  crown,  in  1556,  and  retired  to  the 


^6  Essays. 

others  ;  for  he  that  is  used  to  go  forward,  and  findeth  a 
stop,  falleth  out  of  his  ovm  favour,  and  is  not  the  thing 
he  was. 

To  speak  now  of  the  true  temper '  of  empire :  it  is  a  thing 
rare  and  hard  to  keep  ;  for  both  temper  and  distemper  con- 
sist of  contraries  ;  but  it  is  one  thing  to  mingle  contraries, 
another  to  interchange  them.  The  answer  of  Apollonius* 
to  Vespasian  is  full  of  excellent  instruction  :  Vespasian 
asked  him,  what  was  Nero's  overthrow?  He  answered,' 
Nero  could  touch  and  tune  the  harp  well,  but  in  government 
sometimes  he  used  to  Avind  the  pins  too  high,  sometimes  to 
let  them  down  too  low.  And  certain  it  is,  that  nothing 
destroyeth  authority  so  much  as  the  unequal  and  untimely 
interchange  of  power  pressed  too  far,  and  relaxed  too 
much. 

This  is  true,  that  the  wisdom  of  all  these  latter  times  in 
Princes'  affairs,  is  rather  fine  deliveries,'*  and  shiftings  of 
dangers  and  mischiefs,  when  they  are  near,  than  solid  and 
grounded  courses  to  keep  them  aloof  But  this  is  but  to  try 
masteries  with  fortune.  And  let  men  beware  how  they 
neglect  and  suffer  matter  of  trouble  to  be  prepared ;  for  no 
man  can  forbid  the  spark,  nor  tell  whence  it  may  come. 
The  difficulties  in  Princes'  business  are  many  and  great ; 
but  the  greatest  difficulty  is  often  in  their  own  mind.  For 
it  is  common  with  Princes  (saith  Tacitus)  to  will  contradic- 
tories :     Sunt  plerumque  regum  voluiitates  vehementcs,  et  inter 


monastery  of  Yuste  in  Estremadura,  and  there  passed  the  last  two 
years  of  his  life. 

'   Temper\     Commixture  of  qualities. 

■■'  Apollo7iius\  A  Pythagorean  philosopher,  of  Tyana  in  Cappadocia, 
skilled  in  magic. 

*  He  answered,  (Sr'r.]     Philostratus,  Apoll.  Tyan.  v.  28. 

♦  Js  rather  Jim  deliveries\  Lat.  Ut  conquirantur  magis  et  aptentur 
remedia. 


Of  Empire.  77 

se  contraricc. '  For  it  is  the  solecism  of  power  to  think  to 
command  the  end,  and  yet  not  to  endure  the  mean. 

Kings  have  to  deal  with  their  neighbours,'  their  wives, 
their  children,  their  prelates  or  clergy,  their  nobles,  their 
second  nobles  or  gentlemen,  their  merchants,  their  commons, 
and  their  men  of  war ;  and  from  all  these  arise  dangers,  if 
care  and  circumspection  be  not  used. 

First,  for  their  neighbours  :  there  can  no  general  rule  be 
given  (the  occasions  are  so  variable),  save  one,  which  ever 
holdeth,  which  is,  that  Princes  do  keep  due  sentinel,  that 
none  of  their  neighbours  do  overgrow  so  (by  increase  of 
territory,  by  embracing  of  trade,'  by  approaches,'*  or  the 
like),  as*  they  become  more  able  to  annoy  them  than  they 
were.  And  this  is  generally  the  work  of  standing  counsels 
to  foresee  and  to  hinder  it.  During  that  triumvirate  of 
Kings,  King  Henry  the  Eighth  of  England,  Francis  the  First, 
King  of  France,  and  Charles  the  Fifth,  emperor,"  there  was 
such  a  watch  kept  that  none  of  the  three  could  win  a  palm  ^ 
of  ground,  but  the  other  two  would  straightways  balance  it, 
either  by  confederation,  or,  if  need  were,  by  a  war :  and 
would  not  in  any  wise  take  up  "  peace  at  interest.     And  the 


'  Sunt  plerumque,  &'c.'\  The  desires  of  kings  are  commonly  both 
vehement  and  incongruous.  This  is  not  from  Tacitus,  but  from  Sallust, 
Bell.  Jug.  113.  The  passage  is  referred  to  the  right  author  in  the  Ad- 
vancement ,  II. 

''■  Their  neighbours]    Neighbouring  States. 

*  By  embracing  of  trade]     Lat.  Commercium  ad  se  trahendo. 

*  By  approaches]     Lat.  Propius  cucedendo. 
"  As\     That. 

•  Charles  the  Fifth,  emperor]  The  Latin  version  has  Carolo  Quints 
Hispano.  As  King  of  Spain  he  was  Charles  I.  On  the  death  of  Maxi< 
milian  I.,  in  1519,  Francis  and  Charles  became  competitors  for  the 
empire. 

'  A  palm]     A  hand's  breadth  ;  three  inches. 

•  Take  up]     Buy  on  credit.      So  in  Shakspeare,  2  Hen.  IV.  \.  2, 


78  Essays. 

like  was  done  by  that  league '  (which  Guicciardini '  saith  was 
the  security  of  Italy),  made  between  Ferdinando,  King  of 
Naples,  Lorenzius  Medicis,'  and  Ludovicus  Sforza,*  poten- 
tates, the  one  of  Florence,  the  other  of  Milan.  Neither  is 
the  opinion  of  some  of  the  Schoolmen-^  to  be  received,  that 
a  war  cannot  justly  be  made,  but  upon  a  precedent  injury 
or  provocation.  For  there  is  no  question,  but  a  just  fear  of 
an  imminent  danger,  though  there  be  no  blow  given,  is  a 
lawful  cause  of  a  war. 

For  their  wives  :  there  are  cruel  examples  of  them.  Li  via 
is  infamed^  for  the  poisoning  of  her  husband  ;  Roxolana, 
Solyman's  wife,'  was  the  destruction  of  that  renowned 
prince.  Sultan  Mustapha,  and  otherwise  troubled  his  house 


'  If  a  man  is  thorough  with  them  in  honest  taking  up,  then  they  must 
stand  upon  security;'  Much  Ado,  iii.  3,  'We  are  like  to  prove  a  goodly 
commodity,  being  taken  up  of  these  men's  bills ; '  2  He7t.  VI.  iv.  7, 
•  When  shall  we  go  to  Cheapside,  and  take  up  commodities  upon  our 
bills  ? '  In  the  last  two  of  these  passages  word-play  is  intended  between 
legal  bills  or  bonds  and  the  weapons  called  brown  bills. 

'  That  league]  The  league  of  1485,  designed  chiefly  against  the 
growing  power  of  the  Venetians. 

-  Gukciariiini]  A  Florentine  and  an  eminent  statesman,  who  died 
m  1540.  He  wrote  a  History  of  Italy  during  his  own  Time.  Bacon 
here  refers  to  the  beginning  of  the  History. 

*  Lorenzius  Medkis]  Lorenzo  de'  Medici,  styled  the  'Magnificent' 
and  the  '  Father  of  Letters,'  was  chief  of  the  republic  of  Florence,  and 
father  of  John  de'  Medici  (Pope  Leo  X.)  ;  both  were  illustrious  pro- 
moters of  literature  and  the  fine  arts  in  Italy  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

*  Ludovicus  Sforza]  Ludovico  Sforza,  Duke  of  Milan,  died  in  cap- 
tivity in  1508.  He  was  a  man  of  artful  and  crooked  policy,  but  a  liberal 
patron  of  learning  and  the  arts. 

*  T/ie  Schoolmen]     See  p.  69,  note  7. 

*  Infamed]  Regarded  as  infamous.  Livia  was  said  to  have  mur- 
dered Augustus,  to  hasten  the  accession  of  her  son  Tiberius. 

'  Solyman's  wife]  Soliman  the  '  Magnificent'  was  the  most  famous 
of  the  Turkish  sultans.  His  wife  Roxolana  instigated  him  to  put  to 
death  Mustapha  and  all  the  children  of  his  other  wives. 


Of  Empire.  79 

and  succession ;  Edward  the  Second  of  England  his  queen ' 
had  the  principal  hand  in  the  deposing  and  murder  of  her 
husband.  This  kind  of  danger  is  then  to  be  feared  chiefly 
when  tJie  wives  have  plots  for  the  raising  of  their  own 
children,  or  else  that  they  be  advoutresses.* 

For  their  children  :  the  tragedies  likewise  of  dangers  from 
them  have  been  many  :  and  generally  the  entering  of  the 
fathers  into  suspicion  of  their  children  hath  been  eve: 
unfortunate.  The  destruction  of  Mustapha  (that  we  named 
before)  was  so  fatal  to  Solyman's  line,  as  the  succession  of 
the  Turks  from  Solyman  until  this  day  is  suspected  to  be 
untrue,  and  of  strange  blood  ;  for  that  Selymus  the  Second  •'' 
was  thought  to  be  supposititious.  The  destruction  of 
Crispus,*  a  young  prince  of  rare  towardness,  by  Constan- 
tinus  the  Great,  his  father,  was  in  like  manner  fatal  to  his 
house  ;  for  both  Constantinus  and  ConstanS;  his  sons,  died 
violent  deaths;  and  Constantius,  his  other  son,  did  little 
better,  who  died  indeed  of  sickness,  but  after  that  Julianus 
had  taken  arms  against  him.  The  destruction  of  Demetrius,* 
son  to  Philip  the  Second  of  Macedon,  turned  upon  the 
father,  who  died  of  repentance.  And  many  like  examples 
there  are  ;  but  few  or  none  where  the  fathers  had  good  by 


'  Edward  the  Second  of  England  hu  queai]  The  Saxon  genitive 
termination  is  was  for  some  time  erroneously  supposed  to  be  an  abbre- 
viation of  /lis.  In  the  Prayer  Book  we  have  *  for  Jesus  Christ  His 
sake  ;  in  Roger  Ascham's  Toxophilus  (30),  '  'Iheir  excellency  needelh 
no  man  his  praise.'  Shakspeare  has  very  few  examples,  and  in  these 
the  noun  preceding  the  pronoun  generally  ends  in  J ;  as  in  Henry  V.  i. 
2,  'King  Lewis  his  satisfaction.'  So  in  Bacon's  Wisd.  of  the  Atu., 
'  Prometheus  his  scholars.' 

"  Advoutresses\     Adulteresses. 

'  Selymus  the  Second'^     Selim  II.  succeedetl  his  father,    Soliman,  in 

1566. 

*  Crls/>us]  He  was  falsely  accused  of  treason  by  his  stepmother 
Fausta,  and  Constantine  ordered  him  to  be  beheaded,  A.n.  326. 

*  Demetriut]  He  was  falsely  accused  by  his  brother  Perseus  of  an 
attempt  to  dethrone  their  father. 


So  Essays. 

such  ilistrust,  except  it  were  where  the  sons  were  up  In 
open  amis  against  them ;  as  was  Selymus  tlie  First  against 
Bajazet  :  and  the  three  sons  of  Henry  the  Second,  King  of 
England. 

For  their  prelates  :  when  they  are  proud  and  great,  there 
is  also  danger  from  them;  as  it  was  in  the  times  of  Anselmus ' 
and  Thomas  Becket,'^  archbishops  of  Canterbury,  who  with 
their  crosiers  did  almost  try  it  with  the  King's  sword  ;  and 
yet  they  had  to  deal  with  stout'  and  haughty  Kings,  William 
Rufus,  Henry  the  First,  and  Henry  the  Second.  The  danger 
is  not  from  that  state*  but  where  it  hath  a  dependence  of 
foreign  authority  ; '  or  where  the  churchmen  come  in  and 
are  elected,  not  by  the  collation''  of  the  king,  or  particular 
patrons,  but  by  the  people. 

For  their  nobles  :  to  keep  them  at  a  distance  it  is  not 
amiss;  but  to  depress  them  may  make  a  king  more  absolute, 
but  less  safe,  and  less  able  to  j)erform  anything  that  he 
desires.  I  have  noted  it  in  my  History  of  King  Henry  the 
Seventh  of  England,  who  depressed  his  nobility  ;  where- 
upon it  came  to  pass  that  his  times  were  full  of  difficulties 
and  troubles  ;  for  the  nobility,  though  they  continued  loyal 
unto  him,  yet  did  they  not  co-operate  with  him  in  his 
business.  So  that  in  effect  he  was  fain  to  do  all  things 
himself. 

For  their  second  nobles  :  there  is  not  much  danger  from 
them,  being  a  body  dispersed.  They  ma\  sometimes  dis- 
course high,  but  that  doth  little  hurt :  besides,  they  are  a 
counterpoise  to  the  higher  nobility,  that  they  grow  not  too 


*  Anselmus]     Anselm  was  archbishop  during  the  reigns  of  Williair. 
Rufus  and  Henry  I. 

*  Thomas  Becket\     Archbishop  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II. 
'  Stout]     High-minded. 

*  That  state]     That  order  of  men ;  prelacy. 

*  Hath  a  dependence  of,  ^c.]     Is  under  the  authority  of  Rome. 

*  Collation]     Conferring. 


Of  Empire.  8l 

potent :  and,  lastly,  being  the  most  immediate  in  authority 
with  the  common  people,  they  do  best  temper  popular 
commotions. 

For  their  merchants  :  they  are  vena  porta ;^  and  if  they 
flourish  not,  a  kingdom  may  have  good  limbs,  but  will  have 
empty  veins,  and  nourish  little.'  Taxes  and  imposts  upon 
them  do  seldom  good  to  the  King's  revenue  ;  for  that  which 
he  wins  in  the  hundred^  he  leeseth*  in  the  shire;  the  parti- 
cular rates  being  increased,  but  the  total  bulk  of  trading 
rxther  decreased. 

For  their  commons  :  there  is  little  danger  from  them, 
except  it  be  where  they  have  great  and  potent  heads  ;  or 
where  you  meddle  with  the  point  of  religion,  or  their  customs, 
or  means  of  life. 

For  their  men  of  war  :  it  is  a  dangerous  State  where  they 
live  and  remain  in  a  body,  and  are  used  to  donatives,* 
whereof  we  see  examples  in  the  Janizaries®  and  Praetorian 
bands  of  Rome  ;'^  but  trainings  of  men,  and  arming  them  in 
several  places  and  under  several  commanders,  and  without 
donatives,  are  things  of  defence  and  no  danger. 


'  Vena  Porlii]  '  The  great  vessel  that  conveys  the  blood  to  the  liver, 
after  it  has  been  enriched  by  the  absorption  of  nutriment  from  the  in- 
testines.'— Devev.  Bacon,  in  his  History  of  Henrys  VII.,  says  of  that 
monarch,  '  Being  a  king  that  loved  wealth  and  treasure,  he  could  nr>t 
endure  to  have  trade  sick,  nor  any  obstruction  to  continue  in  the  gate 
vein  which  disperseth  that  blrod.' 

■^  Nourish  little]     Have  scanty  growth  ;  get  little  nourishment. 

'  T/ie  hundred]  This  division  of  a  shire  is  supposed  to  have  consisted 
originally  of  a  hundred  families. 

*  Leeseth]    Loseth.  So  Spenser,  in  the  Shepherd^s  Calendar  (Sept) — 

'  Yet  better  leave  off  with  a  little  loss, 
Than  by  much  wrestling  to  leese  the  gross.' 
'  Donatives]     Largesses. 

*  The  yanizaries]     The  body-guards  of  the  Ottoman  sovereigns. 

'  Pratorian  bands  of  Pome]   The  Cohortes  Pnz-toria,  or  bbdy-guaid 
of  the  Roman  emperors.     See  p.  19,  note  4. 

O 


$2  Essays. 

Princes  are  like  to  heavenly  bodies,  which  cause  good  oi 
;vil  times  ;'  and  which  have  much  veneration,  but  no  rest. 
All  precepts  concerning  Kings  are  in  effect  comprehended  in 
those  two  remembrances :  memento  quod  es  homo ;  and 
memento  quod es  Deiis,  or  vice  Dei-J^y\}s\^  one  bridletli  theii 
power,  and  the  other  their  will. 


XX.   OF  COUNSEL. 

The  greatest  trust  between 'man  and  man  is  the  trust  of 
gi\  ing  counsel.  For  in  other^  confidences  men  commit  the 
parts  of  life,  their  lands,  their  goods,  their  children,  their 
credit,  some  particular  affair  ;  but  to  such  as  they  make 
their  counsellors  they  commit  the  whole  :  by  how  much  the 
more  they^  are  obliged  to  all  faith  and  integrity.  The  wisest 
Princes  need  not  think  it  any  diminution  to  their  greatness, 
or  derogation  to  their  sufficiency,  to  rely  upon  counsel. 
God  himself  is  not  without  ;  but  hath  made  it  one  of  the 
great  names  of  his  blessed  Son,  The  ^Cowtselbr.^  Solomon 
hath  pronoimced  that  in  counsel  is  stcibiliiy.^  Things 
will  have  their  first  or  second  agitation  :  if  they  be  not 
tossed  upon  the  arguments  of- counsel,  they  will  be  tossed 
upon  the  waves  of  fortune  ;  and  be  full  of  inconstancy, 
doing  and  ui*ioing,*  like  the  reeling  of  a  drunken  man. 


'  Which  cause,  &'c.'\  An  allusion  to  the  influence  ascribed  to  the 
planets  in  the  old  astrology. 

^  Memento,  ^c.'\  Remember  thou  art  a  man  ;  a,nd  remember  thou 
art  as  God,  or  God's  vicegerent. 

'   They\     That  is,  the  counsellors. 

■•   The  Counsellor\     Isai.  ix.  6. 

'  In  counsel,  ^cJl  Pro\'.  xx.  1 8,  'Every  purpose  is  established  by 
counsel.' 

'  Doing  and  undoing\  Lat.  Modo  texendce  modo-  reUxendce,  sometimes 
to  be  woven,  sometimes  to  be  undone  when  woven :  an  allusion  lo 
Penelope's  web. 


Of  Counsel.  83 

Solomon's  son  found  the  force  of  counsel,  as  his  father 
saw  the  necessity  of  it.  For  the  beloved  kingdom  of 
God  was  first  rent  and  broken  by  ill  counsel ;  upon  which 
counsel  there  are  set  for  our  instruction  the  two  marks 
whereby  bad  counsel  is  for  ever  best  discerned  :  that  it  was 
young  counsel  for  the  persons ;  and  violent  counsel  for  the 
matter.' 

The  ancient  times  do  set  forth  in  figure  both  the  incorpo 
ration  and  inseparable  conjunction  of  counsel  with  Kings, 
and  the  wise  and  politic  use  of  counsel  by  Kings  :  the  one 
in  that  tliey  say  Jupiter  did  marry  Metis,  which  signifieth 
counsel ;  whereby  they  intend  that  sovereignty  is  married 
to  counsel  :  the  other  in  that  which  followeth,  which  was 
thus  :  they  say,  after  Jupiter  was  married  to  Metis,  she 
conceived  by  him  and  was  witli  child  ;  but  Jupiter  suffered 
her  not  to  stay  till  she  brought  forth,  but  eat  her  up  ; 
whereby  he  became  himself  with  child,  and  was  delivered  of 
Pallas  armed  out  of  his  head.  Which  monstrous*  fable 
containeth  a  secret  of  empire  ;  how  Kings  are  to  make  use 
of  their  Council  of  State  :  that  first,  they  ought  to  refer 
matters  unto  them,  which  is  tlie  first  begetting  or  impreg- 
nation ;  but  when  they  are  elaborate,  moulded,  and  shaped 
in  the  womb  of  their  Council,  and  grow  ripe  and  ready  to 
be  brought  forth,  that  then  they  suffer  not  their  Council  to 
go  through  with  the  resolution  and  direction,  a;?  if  it  depended 


'  For  the  beloved  kingdom,  ^c.^  The  kingdom  of  Rehoboam  the  son 
of  Solomon  was  'rent  and  broken'  when  the  majority  of  the  tribes 
made  Jeroboam  king  of  Israel,  two  tribes  only,  viz.  those  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin,  remaining  faithful  to  Rehoboam,  who  was  now  called  king  of 
Judah.  In  i  Kings  xii.  13,  it  is  said  that  Rehoboam  'answered  the 
people  roughly,  and  forsook  the  old  men's  counsel  that  they  gave  him  , 
and  spake  to  them  after  the  counsel  of  the  young  men,  saying,  My 
father  made  your  yoke  heavy,  and  I  will  add  to  your  yoke  ;  my  father 
also  chastised  you  with  whips,  but  I  will  chastise  you  with  scorpions.' 

■^  Monstrous]    'Which  in  its  literal  sense  appears  monstrously  absu'.u. 
Sf^  liis  Wisdom  of  the  Anciettti,  30. 

G  2 


8^  Essays. 

on  thein ;  but  take  the  matter  back  into  their  own  hands, 
and  make  it  appear  to  the  world,  that  the  decrees  and  final 
directions  (which,  because  they  come  forth  with  prudence 
and  power,  are  resembled  to  Pallas  armed)'  proceeded 
from  themselves,  and  not  only  from  their  authority,  but  (the 
more  to  add  reputation  to  themselves)  from  their  head  and 
device. 

Let  us  now  speak  of  the  inconveniences  of  counsel,  and 
of  the  remedies.  The  inconveniences  that  have  been  noted 
in  calling  and  using  counsel  are  three.  First,  the  revealing 
of  affairs,  whereby  they  become  less  secret ;  secondly,  the 
weakening  of  the  authority  of  princes,  as  if  they  were  less 
of  themselves  :  *  thirdly,  the  danger  of  being  unfaithfully 
counselled,  and  more  for  the  good  of  them  that  counsel 
than  of  him  that  is  counselled.  For  which  inconveniences, 
tlve  doctrine  of  Italy,'  and  the  practice  of  France  in  some 
Kings'  times,  hath  introduced  Cabinet  Councils  ;*  a  remedy 
worse  than  the  disease. 

As  to  secrecy :  Princes  are  not  bound  to  communicate 
all  matters  widi  all  counsellors,  but  may  extract  and  select. 
Neither  is  it  necessary,  that  he  that  consulteth  what  he 
should  do,  should  declare  what  he  will  do.  But  let  Princes 
beware  that  the  unsecreting  of  their  affairs  comes  not  from 
themselves.  And,  as  for  Cabinet  Councils,  it  may  be  their 
xwotXo,  plenus  rimariim  sum  .•'  one  futile  person  that  maketh 


'  Pallas  armed]     Minerva  being  the  goddess  of  wisdom. 
-  Were  less  of  Huniselves\     hat.  Minus  ex  se />enderent :  depended  less 
on  themselves. 

'  Of  Italy\     Lat.  Quorundam  ex  Italis. 

*  Cabinet  councils]  Lat.  Consilia  intertora,  qua  viilgo  vocaittur  Cabi- 
netti.''  Singer  says,  '  By  <rrt/^«<^/ ^(?««f//j  Bacon  means  private  meetings 
of  selected  advisers  in  the  privy  chamber  of  the  king.' 

*  Plenus  rimarum  sum]  I  am  full  of  holes.  This  is  from  Terence's 
Eunuchus,  I.  ii.  25,  and  is  part  of  Parmcno's  answer  to  the  question, 
Can  this  fellow  keep  a  secret  t 


Of  Counsel.  85 

,i  his  glory  to  tell  will  do  moie  hurt  than  many  that  know 
It  their  duty  to  conceal.  It  is  true  there  be  some  affairs 
which  require  extreme  secrecy,  which  will  hardly  go  beyond 
one  or  two  persons  besides  the  King:  neither  are  those 
counsels  unprosperous  ;  for,  besides  the  secrecy,  they  com- 
monly go  on  constantly  in  one  spirit  of  direction  without 
distraction.  But  then  it  must  be  a  prudent  King,  such  as 
is  able  to  grind  with  a  hand-mill ;'  and  those  inward'  coun- 
sellors had  need  also  be  wise  men,  and  especially  true  and 
trusty  to  the  King's  ends  ;  as  it  was  with  King  Henry  the 
Seventh  of  England,  who  in  his  greatest  business  imparted 
himself  to  none,  except  it  were  to  Morton  and  Fox.' 

For  weakening  of  authority  :  the  fable  showeth  the 
remedy.  Nay,  the  majesty  of  Kings  is  rather  exalted  than 
diminished  when  they  are  in  the  chair  of  Council ;  neither 
was  there  ever  prince  bereaved  of  his  dependences*  by  his 
Council,  except  where  there  hath  been  either  an  over-great- 
ness in  one  counsellor,  or  an  over-strict  combination  in 
divers ;  which  are  things  soon  found  and  holpen. 

For  the  last  inconvenience,  that  men  will  counsel  with  an 
eye  to  themselves :  certainly,  non  inveniet fidem  super  terram? 


*  Able  to  grind  toUh  a  hand-mill^  Lat.  Propria  Marte  validus :  able 
in  his  own  strength  or  endeavours. 

"^  Inward^     Intimate.     See  p.  44,  note  2. 

'  Morton  and  Fox\  John  Morton  was,  in  i486,  made  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury ;  in  1487,  Lord  Chancellor ;  and,  in  1493,  a  cardinal,  lie 
died  in  1500.  Richard  Fox,  Bishop  of  Winchester  and  Secretary  of 
State,  finding,  shortly  after  the  accession  of  Henry  VIII.,  that  Wolsey 
engrossed  that  monarch's  confidence,  retired  in  disgust  to  his  diocese, 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  works  of  munificence  and  piety.  He 
dietl  in  1528.  Morton  was  Bishop  of  Ely  and  Fox  Bishop  of  Exeter 
when  they  were  first  chosen  privy  councillors  by  Henry  VII. 

*  Bereaved  of  his  dependcnces\  'Lai.  Auctoritate  sud  iminmutum:  im- 
paired in  his  authority. 

*  Non  itn>eiiiet,  ir'c.'\  He  will  not  find  faith  on  the  earth.  An 
allusion  to  Luke  xviii.  8.     See  p.  6,  note  2. 


S6  Essay:^. 

is  meant  of  the  nature'  of  times,  and  not  of  all  particular 
l)ersons.  There  be  that  are  in  nature  faithful  and  sincere, 
an(J  plain  and  direct ;  not  crafty  and  involved  :  let  Princes, 
above  all,  draw  to  themselves  such  natures.  Besides,  coun- 
sellors are  not  commonly  so  united,  but  that  one  counsellor 
keepeth  sentinel  over  another ;  so  that  if  any  do  counsel 
out  of  faction  or  private  ends,  it  commonly  comes  to  the 
King's  ear.  But  the  best  remedy  is,  if  Princes  know  their 
counsellors,  as  well  as  their  counsellors  know  them : 
Principis  est  virtus  rnaxwia  nosse  suosP'  And  on  the  other 
side,  counsellors  should  not  be  too  speculative^  into  their 
Sovereign's  person.  The  true  composition  of  a  covmsellor 
is  rather  to  be  skilful  in  his  master's  business  than  in  his 
nature  ;  for  then  he  is  like  to  advise  him,  and  not  to 
feed  his  humour.  It  is  of  singular  use  to  Princes  if  they 
take  the  opinions  of  their  Council  both  separately  and 
together ;  for  private  opinion  is  more  free,  but  opinion 
before  others  is  more  reverend.  In  private,  men  are  more 
bold  in  their  owTi  humours  ;  and  in  consort  men  are  more 
obnoxious''  to  others'  humours  ;  therefore  it  is  good  to  take 
both  :  and  of  the  inferior  sort  rather  in  private,  to  preserve 
freedom  ;  of  the  greater  rather  in  consort,  to  preserve 
respect.  It  is  in  vain  for  Princes  to  take  counsel  concerning 
matters,  if  they  take  no  counsel  likewise  concerning  persons; 
for  all  matters  are  as  dead  images ;  and  the  life  of  the 
execution  of  affairs  resteth  in  the  good  choice  of  persons. 
Neither  is  it  enough  to  consult  concerning  persons  secundum 
gcnei-a,^  as  in  an  idea  or  mathematical  description,  what  the 
kind  and  character  of  the  person  should  be  ;  for  tlie  greatest 


'  Nature]     General  characteristic. 

-  Principis  est,  6^^.]     Martial,  viii.  15.     It  is  the  greatest  virtue  in  a 
prince  to  know  those  about  him. 
'  Speculative]     Prying;  inquisitive. 
*  Obnoxious]     Submissive. 
»  Scciindian  genera]     According  to  kinds. 


Of  Counsel.  %) 

errors  are  committed,  and  the  most  judgment  is  shown,  in 
the  choice  of  individuals.  It  was  \.n\\y  sacvd,  optimi  consiliarii 
mortiii :^  books  will  speak  plain  when  counsellors  blanch.' 
Therefore  it  is  good  to  be  conversant  in  them,  specially  the 
books  of  such  as  themselves  have  been  actors  upon  the 
stage. 

The  Councils  at  this  day  in  most  places  are  but  familiar 
meetings ;  where  matters  are  rather  talked  on  than  debated : 
and  they  run  too  swift  to  the  order  or  act  of  Council.  It 
u-ere  better  that  in  causes  of  weight  tlie  matter  were  pro- 
pounded one  day  and  not  spoken  to^  till  the  next  day;  in 
node  consilium}  So  was  it  done  in  the  Commission  of  Union 
between  England  and  Scotland  ;*  which  was  a  grave  and 
orderly  assembly.  I  commend  set  days  for  petitions  :  for 
both  it  gives  the  suitors  more  certainty  for  their  attendance ; 
and  it  frees  the  meetings  for  matters  of  Estate,  that  they 
may  hoc  agere.^      In   choice   of    committees   for  ripening 


'  Optimi,  &'c.']  The  dead  are  the  best  counsellors.  This  was  a 
saying  of  Alphonso  of  Arragon,  who  used  to  call  himself  a  necromance 
l)ccause  he  was  so  much  in  the  habit  of  consulting  the  dead,  that  is, 
books. 

-  Blanc/i]  Shrink.  Blotch  is  the  proper  form.  Thus,  in  Shak- 
sjieare's  Hamlet,  ii.  2,  '  If  he  but  blench,  I  know  my  course  ; '  7/w/. 
and  Cress,  i.  I,  '  Patience  herself  doth  lesser  blench  at  sufferance  than 
I  do  ;'  and  ii.  l,  'There  can  be  no  evasion  to  blench  from  this,  and  to 
stand  firm  by  honour.'  The  Latin  translator,  misled  by  the  word 
blanch,  y/ nits  forte  in  adulationem  lapsuri  sint. 

^  Spoken  td\     Lat.  Tractaretiir :  treated  ;  discussed. 

*  In  node  consilium^  Hence  the  proverb,  '  Night  is  the  mother  of 
thought.' 

*  In  the  Commission,  &'c.'\  Lat.  In  Tractatu  Unionis  inter  Delegates 
A nglia;  et  Scot'ic :  in  the  Treaty  of  Union  between  the  Commissioners 
of  England  and  Scotland.  This  was  on  the  accession  of  James  the 
Sixth  of  Scotland  to  the  throne  of  England  in  1603. 

'  Hoc  agere]  Hoc  agere  and  aliud  agcre  were  phrases  familiarly  used 
by  the  Romans  to  denote,  respectively,  attending  to  matters  in  hand  and 
attending  to  things  irrelevant. 


88  Essays. 

Dusiness  for  the  Council,  it  is  better  to  choose  indifferent 
persons'  than  to  make  an  indifferency  by  putting  in  those 
that  are  strong  on  both  sides,  I  commend  also  standing 
Commissions  ; '  as  for  trade,  for  treasure,  for  war,  for  suits, 
for  some  provinces  ;  for  where  there  be  divers  particular 
councils,  and  but  one  Council  of  Estate  (as  it  is  in  Spain), 
they  are,  in  effect,  no  more  than  standing  Commissions  ; 
save  that  they  have  greater  authority.  Let  such  as  are  to 
inform  Councils  out  of  their  particular  professions  (as  lawyers, 
seamen,  mint-men,  and  the  like),  be  first  heard  before  com- 
mittees ;  and  then,  as  occasion  serves,  before  the  Council. 
And  let  them  not  come  in  multitudes,'  or  in  a  tribunitious 
manner  ;*  for  that  is  to  clamour''  Councils,  not  to  inform 
them.  A  long  table  and  a  square  table,  or  seats  about  the 
walls,  seem  things  of  form,  but  are  things  of  substance  :  for 
at  a  long  table  a  ic^'  at  the  upper  end,  in  effect,  sway  all  the 
business ;  but  in  the  other  form  there  is  more  use  of  the 
counsellors'  opinions  that  sit  lower.  A  King,  when  he  pre- 
sides in  Council,  let  him  beware  how  he  opens  his  own  incli- 
nation too  much  in  that  which  he  propoundeth  :  for  else 
counsellors  will  but  take  the  wind  of  him,"  and  instead  of 
giving  free  counsel,  sing  him  a  song  oiplcuebo.'' 


'  Indifferent  persons\     Persons  having  no  bias  towards  either  side. 
'  Standing  Commissions]     Lat.  Delegationes,  non  tantum  temporaneas 
aut  e  re  natd,  sed  etiam  continuatas  et  perpetuus . 

*  In  multitudes]     He  means  multitudes  of  the  same  profession. 

*  In  a  tribunitious  manner]  In  a  contentious  or  violent  manner. 
The  Roman  Tribuni  Plebis  were  elected  by  the  common  people  for  tne 
defence  of  their  rights. 

*  To  clamour]     To  harass  with  clamour. 

'  Will  but  take,  &=€.]  Will  just  shape  their  course  according  to  his 
bent.     Lat.  Se  ad  nutum  ejus  applicabunt. 

'  Placebo]  I  will  be  obsequious.  The  song  of  Placebo  lis  ithe  >vesper 
hymn  for  the  dead — Placebo  Domino  in  regione  vivorum,  '  I  will  walk 
befor*"  the  J  «>rd  in  the  land  of  the  living, '  Psalm  cxvi.  9.    .Chaucer,  in 


Of  Delays.  8$ 


XXI.    OF  DELA  YS. 

Fortune  is  like  the  market,  where  many  times,  if  you  can 
stay  a  little,  the  price  will  fall.  And  again,  it  is  sometimes 
like  Sibylla's  offer,'  which  at  first  offereth  the  commodity  at 
full,  then  consumeth  part  and  part,  and  still  holdeth  up  the 
price.  For  Occasion  (as  it  is  in  the  common  verse)  tiimeth 
a  bald  noddle  after  she  hath  presented  her  locks  in  front, 
and  no  hold  taken  ;2  or,  at  least,  tumeth  the  handle  of  the 
bottle  first  to  be  received,  and  after  the  belly  which  is  hard 


the  ParsotCs  Tale  [De  Ird),  says,  '  Flatterers  be  the  devil's  chaplains, 
that  sing  z.y& placebo.^ 

'  Sibylla's  offer\  The  Sibyls  were  certain  women  who  professed  to 
be  endowed  with  a  prophetic  spirit.  The  most  celebrated  of  them  was 
the  Cumsean  Sibyl,  so  called  from  residing  at  Cumoe  in  Italy.  She 
was  said  to  live  i,ooo  years,  by  a  grant  of  longevity  from  Apollo.  One 
of  the  Sibyls  came  to  Tarquin  the  Proud  with  nine  volumes,  for  which 
she  demanded  a  large  sum  of  money.  The  king  declined  the  offer,  and 
she  having  gone  away  and  burned  three  of  the  books,  returned  and 
offered  him  six  for  the  same  amount ;  but  he  still  refused  ;  whereupon 
she  burnt  three  more,  and  then  asked  the  same  for  the  remaining  three. 
Tarquin  was  now  so  astonished  at  the  woman's  behaviour  that  he 
bought  the  books.  They  were  preserved  with  great  care,  and  consulte*'. 
with  great  solemnity,  as  by  means  of  them  the  priests  were  thought 
able  to  foretell  the  fate  of  the  Koman  empire.  The  number  of  the 
Sibyls  is  uncertain.  Shakspeare,  in  I  Hen.  VI.  i.  2,  speaks  of  '  the 
nine  Sibyls  of  old  Rome,'  but  probably  the  nine  Sibylline  books  are 
meant. 

■•'  For  Occasion,  &'c.'\  It  was  fabled  of  Time  that  he  had  hair  on  the 
front  part  of  his  head,  but  that  the  back  part  was  bald,  signifying  that 
we  may  lay  hold  of  time  as  it  approaches,  but  cannot  catch  it  when 
fleeing  from  us.  The  verse  to  which  Bacon  refers  is  *  Fronte  acpillata 
est,  post  hasc  Occasio  calva;'  the  author  ot  which  seems  to  be  unknown. 
Hence  the  proverbial  saying  'Take  time  by  the  forelock.'  In  Spenser's 
F.  Q.  II.  iv.  4,  10,  Occasion  is  the  name  of  a  hag,  the  mother  of  Furor; 
»nd  of  her  the  poet  says — 


yo  Essays. 

to  clasp.  There  is  surely  no  greater  wisdom  than  well  to 
time  the  beginnings  and  onsets  of  things.  Dangers  are  no 
more  light,  if  they  once  seem  light :  and  more  dangers  ha\'e 
deceived  men  than  forced  them.  Nay,  it  were  better  to 
meet  some  dangers  half  way,  though  they  come  nothing 
near,  than  to  keep  too  long  a  watch  upon  their  approaches  ; 
for  if  a  man  watch  too  long,  it  is  odds  he  will  fall  asleep. 
On  the  other  side,  to  be  deceived  with  too  long  shadows 
(as  some  have  been  when  the  moon  was  low  and  shone  on 
their  enemies'  back),  and  so  to  shoot  off  before  the  time  ; 
or  to  teach  dangers  to  come  on  by  over  early  buckling 
towards  them,  is  another  extreme.  The  ripeness  or  unripe- 
ness of  the  occasion  (as  we  said)  must  ever  be  well  weighed; 
and  generally  it  is  good  to  commit  the  beginnings  of  all 
great  actions  to  Argus  with  his  hundred  eyes,  and  the  ends 
to  Biiareus  with  his  hundred  hands  :  first  to  watch,  and 
then  to  speed.  For  the  helmet  of  Pluto,'  which  maketh 
the  politic  man  go  invisible,  is  secrecy  in  the  counsel,  and 
celerity  in  the  execution.  For  when  things  are  once  come 
to  the  execution,  there  is  no  secrecy  comparable  to  celerity; 
like  the  motion  of  a  bullet  in  the  air,  which  flieth  so  swift 
as*  it  outruns  the  eje. 


XXII.    OF  CUNNING. 

We  take  cunning  for  a  sinister  or  crooked  wisdom  ;  and 
certainly  there  is  a  great  difference  between  a  cunning  man 


'  Iler  locks,  that  loathly  were  and  hoary  gray, 
Grew  all  afore,  and  loosely  hung  unrolled  ; 
But  all  behind  was  bald  and  worn  away, 
That  none  thereof  could  ever  taken  hold.' 

'  TVu  helmet  of  Pluto]  During  the  war  of  the  gods  and  the  Titans, 
the  Cyclops  made  a  helmet  which  rendered  the  wearer  invisible,  and 
they  gave  it  to  Pluto. 

«'  As]     That. 


Of  Cunning.  91 

and  a  wise  man,  not  only  in  point  of  honesty,  but  in  point 
of  ability.  There  be  that  can  pack  the  cards,'  and  yet 
cannot  play  well ;  so  there  are  some  that  are  good  in  can- 
vasses and  factions,  that  are  otherwise  weak  men.  Again, 
it  is  one  thing  to  understand  persons,  and  another  thing  to 
understand  matters;  for  many  are  perfect  in  men's  humovirs,' 
that  are  not  greatly  capable  of  the  real  part  of  business ; 
which  is  the  constitution  of  one  that  hath  studied  men  more 
than  books.  Such  men  are  fitter  for  practice'  than  for 
counsel;  and  they  are  good  buti  in  their  own  alley:*  turn 
them  to  new  men,  and  they  have  lost  their  aim;  so  as'  the 
old  rule,  to  know  a  fool  from  a  wise  man,  Mitte  ainbos  nudos 
ad  ignotos,  et  Ttdebis,^  doth  scarce  hold  for  them.  And, 
because  these  cunning  men  are  like  haberdashers^  of  small 
wares,  i<  is  not  amiss  to  set  forthitlieir  shop. 


^  Pack  the  cards]  Packing  the  cards  was  using  such  artifice  in 
shuffling  them  as  to  secure  a  good  hand.  The  cheats  who  ■  practised  it 
were  often  inferior  players.  To  pack  cards  with  another  figiuratively 
signified  to  concert  fraudulently  ;  thus  in  Shakspeare — 

'  Packed  cards  with  Cassar,  and  false-played  my  glory 
Unto  an  enemy's  triumph.' — Ant.  and  Clcop.  iv.  14. 

-  Perfect,  &'c.'\  Lat.  In  personarum  aditibus  et  tern  paribus  versttti. 
Perfect  often  denoted  assured  or  well  informed.  Thus  in  Shakspt«re, 
Cyinb.  iii.  2,  '  I  am  perfect  that  the  Pannonians  and  Dalmatians,  for 
their  liberties,  are  now  in  arms  ; '  VViitt.  Tale,  iii.  3,  '  Thou  art  perfect, 
then,  our  ship  hath  touched  upon  the  deserts  of  Bohemia  ; '  and  Mach. 
iv.  2,  *  In  your  state  of  honour  I  am  perfect.' 

^  Prculiee]     hat.  pra^/iaticis, 

•  Alley]     Walk,  or  path. 
'  So  as]     So  that. 

•  Mitte  ambos,  6^<-.]  In  one  of  Bacon's  Apophthegms,  this  is  put  as 
follows  :  '  One  of  the  philosophers  was  asked,  in  what  a  wise  man 
differed  from  a  fool?  He  answered,  Send  them  both  naked  to  those 
that  hnmu  them  not,  and  you  shall  perceive.''  The  philosopher  w.Xi 
Aristippus.      [f^iog.  iMcrt.  ii.  73). 

•  haberdashers]  This  lume  was  anciently  given  to  scllern  of  mv; 
kind  of  small  wares. 


92  Essays. 

It  is  a  point  of  cunning  to  wait  upon  *  him  with  whom 
you  speak  with  your  eye,  as  the  Jesuits  give  it  in  precept ; 
for  there  be  many  wise  men  that  have  secret  hearts  and 
transparent  countenances.  Yet  this  would  be  done*  with  a 
demure  abasing  of  your  eye  sometimes,  as  the  Jesuits  also 
do  use. 

Another  is,  that  when  you  have  anything  to  obtain  of 
present  despatch,  you  entertain  and  amuse  the  party  with 
whom  you  deal  with  some  other  discourse,  that  he  be  not 
too  much  awake  to  make  objections.  I  knew  a  counsellor 
and  secretary  that  never  came  to  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England 
with  bills  to  sign,  but  he  would  always  first  put  her  into 
some  discourse  of  Estate,'  that  she  might  the  less  mind  the 
bills. 

The  like  surprise  may  be  made  by  moving  things  when 
the  party  is  in  haste,  and  cannot  stay  to  consider  advisedly 
of  that  is  moved.* 

Ifa  man  would  cross  a  business  that  he  doubts^  some 
other  would  handsomely  and  effectually  move,  let  him 
pretend  to  wish  it  well,  and  move  it  himself  in  such  sort  as 
may  foil  it 

The  breaking  off  in  the  midst  of  that  one  was  about  to 
say,  as  if  he  took  himself  up,  breeds  a  greater  appetite,  in 
him  with  whom  you  confer,  to  know  more. 


'  Wait  upon]  Watch.  Tlie  expression,  in  this  sense,  occurs  again 
in  the  34th  and  58th  Essays. 

■^   IVould  be  dotu\     Requires  to  be  done.     See  p.  1 7,  note  2. 

'  Discourse  of  Estate]     \jaX.  De  rebus  Status  gravioribus  sertnones. 

*  Of  that  is  move(f]  Of  that  which  is  moved.  The  suppression  of  a 
relative  subject  is  not  now  approved.  It  was  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
our  older  literature. 

*  Doubts]  Fears.  In  Spenser  and  Shakspeare  we  have  many  in- 
stances of  doubt  me2in\ng fear.  Thus  in  the  F.  Q.  III.  v.  12,  'For 
doubt  of  danger  which  mote  him  betide  ; '  in  the  Merry  Wives,  i.  4,  '  I 
doubt  he  be  not  well,  tliat  he  comes  not  home  ; '  and  in  King  John,  v, 
6,  '  I  doubt  he  will  be  dead  or  e'er  I  come.' 


Of  Cunning.  93 

And  because  it  works  better  when  anything  seemeth  to 
be  gotten  from  you  by  question  than  if  you  offer  it  of  your- 
self, you  may  lay  a  bait  for  a  question  by  showing  another 
visage  and  countenance  than  you  are  wont ;  to  the  end,  to 
give  occasion  for  the  party  to  ask  what  the  matter  is  of  the 
cliange,  as  Nehemiah  did  :  And  I  had  not  before  that  time 
been  sad  before  the  king. ' 

In  things  that  are  tender'  and  unpleasing,  it  is  good  to 
break  the  ice  by  some  whose  words  are  of  less  weight,  and 
to  reserve  the  more  weighty  voice  to  come  in  as  by  chance, 
so  that  he  may  be  asked  the  question  upon  the  other's 
speech  ;  as  Narcissus  did,  in  relating  to  Claudius  the  mar- 
riage of  Messalina  and  Silius.' 

In  things  that  a  man  would  not  be  seen  in  himself,  it  is  a 
point  of  cunning  to  borrow  the  name  of  the  world ;  as  to 
say.  The  world  says,  or  There  is  a  speech  abroad. 

I  knew  one  that,  when  he  wrote  a  letter,  he  would  put 
that  which  was  most  material  in  the  postscript,  as  if  it  had 
been  a  by- matter. 

I  knew  another  that,  when  he  came  to  have  speech,*  he 
would  i)ass  over  that  that  he  intended  most,  and  go  forth, 
and  come  back  again,  and  speak  of  it  as  a  thing  that  he  had 
almost  forgot. 

Some  procure  themselves  to  be  surprised,  at  such  times  as 
it  is  like*   the   party  that  they  work  upon  will  suddenly 


'  And  I  had  not,  <Sr*f.]  Nehem.  ii.  i,  '  Now  I  had  not  been  before- 
time  sad  in  his  presence.  Wherefore  the  king  said  unto  me,  Why  is 
thy  countenance  sad,  seeing  thou  art  not  sick  ? ' 

■^  Tender]     Delicate.     The  Lat.  has  ambiguis. 

*  As  Narcissus  did,  &'c.'\  Narcissus  was  a  freedman  of  Claudius. 
The  marriage  referred  to  was  rather  an  intrigue  between  Messalina,  the 
emperor's  wife,  and  Caius  Silius,  a  consul,  for  which  Silius  was  put  to 
death.     Tacitus,  Ann.  xi.  30. 

♦  To  have  speech]    To  be  admitted  to  conference. 

•  Like]     Likely  that 


94  Essays. 

come  upon  them;  and  to  be  found  with  a  letter  in  their 
hand,  or  doing  somewhat  wliich  they  are  not  accustomed  ; 
to  the  end  they  may  be  apposed  •  of  those  things  which  of 
themselves  they  are  desirous  to  utter. 

It  is  a  point  of  cunning,  to  let  fall  those  words  in  a  man's 
own  name  which  he  would  have  another  man  learn  and  use, 
and  thereupon  take  advantage.  I  knew  two  that  were 
competitors  for  the  secretary's  place  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,*  and  yet  kept  good  quarter*  between  themselves,  and 
would  confer  one  with  another  upon  the  business  ;  and  the 
one  of  them  said,  that  to  be  a  secretary  in  the  declination 
of  a  monarchy  was  a  ticklish  thing,  and  that  he  did  not 
affect  it  :*  the  other  straight  caught  up  those  words,  and 
discoursed  with  divers  of  his  friends,  that  he  had  no  reason 
to  desire  to  be  secretary  in  the  declination  of  a  monarchy. 
The  first  man  took  hold  of  it,  and  found  means  it  was  told 
the  queen  ;  who,  hearing  of  a  declination  of  a  monarchy, 
took  it  so  ill,  as*  she  would  never  after  hear  of  the  other'? 
suit.- 

There  is  a  cunning  which  we  in  England  call  TTte  turning 
of  the  cat  in  the  pan  \^  which  is,  when  that  which  a  man  says 


'  Be  apposed\     Have  questions  put  to  them. 

*  Two  that -wtre  competitors,  &'c.'\  Aldis  Wright  says  Mr.  Spedding 
suggested  to  him  that  these  were  probably  Sir  Robert  Cecil  and  Sir 
Thomas  Bodley. 

'  Quarter]     Order.     Seep.  40,  note  I. 

*  JJect  it]     Desire  it. 

*  As]     That. 

*  Tlu  turning  of  the  cat,  &=€.]  Singer  says,  'It  was  originally,  no 
doubt,  Cate  in  the  pan,  but  thus  popularly  corrupted.  The  allusion  is 
probably  to  the  dexterous  turning,  or  shifting  the  side,  of  a  pancake,  by 
a  sleight  of  hand  familiar  to  cooks.'  I  have  always  interpreted  the 
proverbial  saying  in  the  same  manner.  Cate,  meaning  a  delicacy  or 
dainty,  and  Kate,  a  woman's  name,  were  anciently  pronounced  as  cat. 
\xi^\izS!^'Apea.x€%  Taming  of  the  Shrew, \\.  I,  Petruchio  says,  '  My  supei- 
diiiniy  Kate,  for  dainties  are  all  cates ; '  and,  farther  on  in  the  same 


Of  Cunning.  95 

to  another,  he  lays  it  as  if  another  had  said  it  to  him  ;  and, 
U)  say  truth,  it  is  not  easy,  when  such  a  matter  passed 
netween  two,  to  make  it  appear  from  which  of  them  it  first 
moved  and  began. 

It  is  a  way  that  some  men  have,  to  glance'  and  dart 
at  others  by  justifying  themselves  by  negatives ;  as  to  say, 
This  I  do  not;  as  Tigellinus  did  towards  V>\xxx\\\\%,  Se  non 
diver  SOS  spes,  sed  incoliimitatem  Imperatoris  simpliciter  spectare.  * 

Some  have  in  readiness  so  many  tales  and  stories,  as  ' 
there  is  nothing  they  would  insinuate,  but  they  can  wrap 
it  into  a  tale  ;  which  serveth  both  to  keep  themselves 
more  in  guard,  and  to  make  others  carry  it  with  more 
pleasure. 

It  is  a  good  point  of  cunning  for  a  man  to  shape  the 
answer  he  would  have  in  his  own  words  and  propositions ; 
for  it  makes  the  other  party  stick  the  less. 

It  is  strange  how  long  some  men  will  lie  in  wait  to  speak 
somewhat  they  desire  to  say  ;  and  how  far  about  they  will 
fetch,*  and  how  many  other  matters  they  will  beat  over  to 


scene,   he  uses  her  name  in  a  quibl)ling  allusion  to  wild  cat,  which 
Gremio,  in  i.  2,  had  plainly  called  her  : 

'  For  I  am  he  am  born  to  tame  you,  Kate, 
And  bring  you  from  a  -iv/t/  /^ate  to  a  A  (7/<r 
Conformable,  as  other  household  Kates* 

The  Latin  translator,  unable^  to  acco»wit  foE  the  saying,  has  Quod Angtieo 
,pnn'a-bio  Felem  in  aheno  vertere  satis  absurdi  dicitur.     Coles's  English' 
Latin  Dictionary  gives  To  turn  cat  in  pan  =  Stylum  iitvertere. 
'    To  glance]     To  shoot  obliquely. 

*  Se non  dit'ersas,  dfc]  Tacitus, /4/>«.  xiv.  57.  That  he  himself  lookeil 
not  to  diverse  hopes,  but  simply  to  the  safety  of  the  emperor.  Tigel- 
linus was  a  profligate  minister  of  Nero,  and.Burrhusa  chief  of  the  Prae- 
torian guards.     Both  of  them,  by  order  of  Nero,  were  put  to  death. 

»  As]     That. 

*  Hcnu  Jar  about,  ^c]  \jx\..  Quanta  circuitu  u/i .  sustineant.  To 
/irteA  -s  to  come  round.     Shakspeares  King  John,  iv.  2,  has — 


96  Essiiys 

coine  near  it ;  it  is  a  thing  of  a  great  patience,  but  yet  of 
much  use. 

A  sudden,  bold,  and  unexpected  question  doth  many  times 
surprise  a  man,  and  lay  him  open.  Like  to  him  that  having 
changed  his  name,  and  walking  in  Paul's,'  another  suddenly 
came  behind  him  and  called  him  by  his  true  name,  whereat 
straightways  he  looked  back. 

But  these  small  wares  and  petty  points  of  cunning  are 
infinite,  and  it  were  a  good  deed  to  make  a  list  of  them ;  for 
that  nothing  doth  more  hurt  in  a  State  than  that  cunning 
men  pass  for  wise. 

But  certainly  some  there  are  that  know  the  resorts  and 
falls'  of  business,  that  cannot  sink  into  the  main  of  it :  like 
a  house  that  hath  convenient  stairs  and  entries,  but  never  a 
fair  room.  Therefore  you  shall  see  them  find  out  pretty 
looses'  in  the  conclusion,  but  are  no  ways  able  to  examme 
or  debate  matters.  And  yet  commonly  they  take  advantage 
of  their  inability,  and  would  be  thought  wits  of  direction. 
Some  build  rather  upon  ihe  abusing  of  others,  and  (as  we  now 
say)  })utting  tricks  upon  them,  than  upon  soundness  of  their 
own  proceedings  :  but  Solomon  saith,  Prudens  advertit  ad 
gresstis  suos :  stultus  divertit  ad  dolos.* 


'  And,  like  a  shifted  wind  unto  a  sail, 
It  makes  the  course  of  thoughts  to  fetch  about.' 

Compare  Scripture,  2  Sam.  v.  23,  '  Fetch  a  compass  behind  them,  and 
come  upon  them  ; '  Acts  xxviii.  13,  '  From  thence  we  fetched  a  com- 
pass, and  came  to  Rhegium.'     ^^also  2  Kings  iii.  9. 

'  Walking  in  Paurs\  Old  St.  Paul's,  which  was  open  all  day,  was  a 
place  of  common  resort  for  business  or  recreation.  In  Shakspeare's 
2  Heiiry  IV.  ..  2,  Falstaff  says  of  Bardolph,  '  I  bought  him  in  Paul's.' 

-   The  resorts  and  falls]     Lat.  Periodos  et  pausas. 

'  Pretty  looses,  &'c.'\  Lat.  In  conclusionibus  deliberatiomim  commodes 
quosdam  exitus. 

*  Pnidens  advertit,  <&^r.]  Prov.  xiv.  8,  '  The  wisdom  of  the  prudent 
is  to  understand  his  way  ;  but  the  folly  of  fools  is  deceit'  ice  also  verse 
»5 


Of  Wisdom  for  a  Ivlmis  Self  97 


XXIII.    OF  WISDOM  FOR  A   MAN'S  SELF. 

An  ant  is  a  wise  creature  for  itself;  but  it  isaBhicwd' 
thing  in  an  orchard  or  garden.  And  certainly  men  that  are 
great  lovers  of  themselves  waste  the  Public."  Divide  with 
reason  between  self-love  and  society;'  and  be  so  true  '  to  thy- 
self as  thou  be  not  false  to  others,  specially  to  thy  King  and 
country.  It  is  a  poor  centre  of  a  man's  actions,  himself  It 
is  right  F^rth.*  For  that  only^  stands  fast  upon  his  own 
centre  : "  whereas  all  things  that  have  affinity  with  the 
heavens  move  upon  the  centre  of  another,  which  they  benefit. 
The  referring  of  all  to  a  man's  self  is  more  tolerable  in  a 
sovereign  Prince,  because  themselves  are  not  only  them 
selves,  but  their  good  and  evil  is  at  the  peril"  of  the 
public  fortune.  But  it  is  a  desperate  evil  in  a  servant  to  a 
Prince,  or  a  citizen  in  a  Republic.  For  whatsoever  affairs 
pass  such  a  man's  hands,  he  crooketh  thetn  to  his  own 
ends :  which  must  needs  be  often  eccentric  to  the  ends  of 
his  master  or  State.  Therefore  let  Princes  or  States  choose 
such  servants  as  have  not  this  mark;  except  they  mean  their 


*  Shrewd\    Mischievous. 

'  Waste  the  Public]     Lat.  ReipiMica  noceant. 

*  Society]     Lat.  Amorem  Reipublica. 

*  So  true]     In  such  a  way  trae. 

*  //  is  rig/it  Earth]  It  is  thorough  Earth.  Lat.  Recti  terrestrem 
tiaturam  sapit. 

"  For  thiit  only]     For  the  Earth  alone. 

'  His  o^vn  centre]  Its  own  centre.  See  p.  39,  note  5.  The  Earth 
was  the  central  orb  in  the  Ptolemaic  asttxjnomy.  Bacon,  in  the  Ad' 
vattcement,  II.,  refers  to  the  distinction  between  '  Sapere  and  Sibi  sapere  . 
the  one  moving  as  it  were  to  the  circumference,  the  other  to  the  centre.' 
There  is  an  old  proverb  on  this  subjert  :  '  Nequicquam  sapit  qui' 
mn  sibi  sapit.' 

*  Is  at  the  peril]     Involves  the  good  err  writ 

H 


9JJ  Essays.         \  ^  •  ■ ;, 

sen'ice  should  be  made  but  the  accessary.  That  which 
maketh  the  effect  more  pernicious  is,  that  all  proportion  is 
lost :  it  were  disproportion  enough  for  the  servant's  good  to 
be  preferred  before  the  ipaster's  ;  but  yet  it  is  a  greater 
extreme,  when  a  little  good  of  the  servant  shall  carry  things 
against  a  great  good  of  the  master's.  And  yet  that  is  the 
case  of  bad  officers,  treasurers,  ambassadors,  generals,  and 
other  false  and  corrupt  servants ;  which  set  a  bias '  upon  their 
bowl,  of  their  own  petty  ends  and  envies,  to  the  overthrow 
of  their  master's  great  and  important  affairs.  And,  for  the 
most  part,  the  good  such  servants  receive  is  after  the  model  '^ 
of  their  own  fortune  ;  but  the  hurt  they  sell  for  that  good  is 
after  the  model  of  their  master's  fortune.  And  certainly  it 
is  the  nature  of  extreme  self-lovers,  as^  they  will  set  a  house 
on  fire,  and  it  were*  but  to  roast  their  eggs;  and  yet  these 
men  many  times  hold  credit  with  their  masters,  because 
their  study  is  but  to  please  them,  and  profit  themselves ;  and 
for  either  respect  they  will  abandon  the  good  of  their 
affairs. 

Wisdom  for  a  man's  self  is,  in  many  branches  thereof, 
a  depraved  thing  :  it  is  the  wisdom  of  rats,  that  will  be  sure 
to  leave  a  house  somewhat  before  it  fall.  It  is  the  wisdom 
of  the  fox,  that  thrusts  out  the  badger  who  digged  and  made 
room  for  him.  It  is  the  wisdom  of  crocodiles,  that  shed 
tears  when  they  would  devour.*  But  that  which  is  specially 
to  be  noted  is,  that  those  which  (as  Cicero  says  of  Pompey) 


'  A  bias'^  A  weight  on  one  side  of  a  bowl  causing  it  to  turn  out  of 
the  direct  course. 

*  TJu  model]    The  measure  :  LaL  modulo. 
»  As]    That. 

*  And  it  were]  Mere  aiid  is  a  corrupt  form  of  the  Saxon  an,  meanmg 
if.     In  old  writings  we  often  meet  with  the  redundancy  an  if,  or  and  ij. 

*  That  shed  tears,  &'c.]  It  was  a  vulgar  belief  that  the  crocodile 
uttered  tones  like  those  of  a  crying  child,  in  order  to  attract  pitying 
Attention.     Hence  the  proverbial  e.xpression  '  crocodile's  tears.' 


Of  Innozations.  gg 

are  sui  aviautcs  sine  rivaii, '  are  many  times  unfortunate ; 
and  whereas  they  have  all  their  time  sacrificed ''  to  themselves, 
they  become  in  the  end  themselves  sacrifices  to  the  incon- 
stancy of  fortune,  whose  wings  they  thought  by  their  self* 
wisdom  to  have  pinioned. 


XXIV.  OF  INNOVATIONS, 

As  the  births  of  living  creatures  at  first  are  ill-shapen,  so 
are  all  innovations,  which  are  the  births  of  time  ;  yet  not- 
withstanding, as  those  that  first  bring  honour  into  their 
family  are  commonly  more  worthy  than  most  that  succeed,' 
so  the  first  precedent  (if  it  be  good)  is  seldom  attained  *  by 
imitation.  For  ill  to  man's  nature,  as  it  stands  perverted, 
hath  a  natural  motion  strongest  in  continuance;*  but  good, 
as  a  forced  motion,  strongest  at  first.  Surely  every  medicine"' 
is  an  innovation,  and  he  that  will  not  apply  new  remedies 
must  expect  new  evils ;  for  time  is  the  greatest  innovator : 
and  if  time  of  course^  alter  things  to  the  worse,  and  wisdom 
and  counsel  shall  not  alter  them  to  the  better,  what  shall  be 
the  end?  It  is  true,  that  what  is  settled  by  custom,  though 
it  be  not  good,  yet  at  least  it  is  fit;®  and  those  things  which 
have  long  gone  together  are,  as  it  were,  confederate  within 


'  Sui  amantes,  &'c.'\  Cicero,  Ad  Quint,  Frat.  iii.  8.  Lovers  of 
tliemselves  wdthout  a  rival. 

-  Sacrificed\     Done  sacrifice. 

'  Are  commonly  more  worthy,  dr'r.]  Compare  the  14th  Essay,  'Those 
that  are  first  raised  to  nobility  are  commonly  more  virtuous,  but  IcM 
innocent,  than  their  descendants,' 

*  Attained]    Equalled. 

'"  Strongest  in  continuance]     Lat.  Qui  processu  invalescit, 

*  Medicine]     Remedy. 

'  Of  course]     IjaX.  Dccursu  solo:  by  its  mere  course 

*  Fit]     Lat.  Aftum  tetnporibus. 

a  a 


»oo  Essays. 

themselves;'  whereas  new  things  piece  not*  so  well,  but, 
though  they  help  by  their  utility,  yet  they  trouble  by  their 
inconformity.  Besides,  they  are  like  strangers,  more  ad- 
mired, and  less  favoured.^  All  this  is  true,  if  time  stood 
still ;  which,  contrariwise,  moveth  so  round,*  that  a  froward 
retention  of  custom  is  as  turbulent  a  thing  as  an  innovation; 
and  they  that  reverence  too  much  old  times  are  but  a  scorn 
to  the  new.  It  were  good,  therefore,  that  men  in  their 
innovations  would  follow  the  example  of  time  itself,  which 
indeed  innovateth  greatly,  but  quietly  and  by  degrees  scarce 
10  be  perceived:  for  otherwise,  whatsoever  is  new  is  unlooked 
for;  and  ever  it  mends  some  and  pairs'  other:  and  he  that 
is  holpen  takes  it  for  a  fortune,  and  thanks  the  time ;  and  he 
that  is  hurt  for  a  \vrong,  and  imputeth  it  to  the  author.  It  is 
good  also  not  to  try  experiments  in  States,  except  the  neces- 
sity be  urgent,  or  the  utility  evident;  and  well  to  beware 
that  it  be  the  reformation  that  draweth  on  the  change,  and 
not  the  desire  of  change  that  pretendeth  the  reformation. 
And  lastly,  that  the  novelty,  though  it  be  not  rejected,  yet 
be  held  for  a  suspect:^  and,  as  the  Scripture  saith.  That  we 
make  a  stand  upon  t/ie  ancimt  way  and  then  look  about  us, 
and  discover  what  is  the  straight  and  right  way,  and  so  to  walk 
in  it  J 


■  Confederate  within  themselves]     In  agreement  with  each  other. 

*  Piece  not]     Do  not  conveniently  eke  out 

'  Like  strangers,  &'€.]  Like  foreigners,  more  wondered  at,  and  less 
liked. 

*  Moveth  so  round]     So  revolves  ;  makes  such  revolutions. 

'  Pairs]  Impairs.  Fr.  empirer.  In  Spenser's  F.  Q.  I.  vii.  41,  we 
have,  '  No  faith  so  fast  (quoth  she)  but  flesh  does  pair.* 

*  A  suspect]     A  suspected  thing. 

'  That  we  make  a  stand,  dfc]  Jerem.  vi.  16,  '  Stand  ye  in  the 
ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is  the  good  way,  and 
walk  therein.' 


Of  Despatch.  loi 


XXV.   OF  DESPATCH. 

Affected  despatch  *  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  things  to 
business  that  can  be.  It  is  like  that  which  the  physicians  call 
predigestion,  or  hasty  digestion  ;  which  is  sure  to  fill  the 
body  full  of  crudities  and  secret  seeds  of  diseases.  There- 
fore measure  not  despatch  by  the  times  of  sitting,  but  by  the 
advancement  of  the  business.  And  as  in  races  it  is  not  the 
large  stride,  or  high  lift,  that  makes  the  speed;  so  in  business 
the  keeping  close  to  the  matter,  and  not  taking  of  it  too  much 
at  once,  procureth  despatch.  It  is  the  care  of  some  only  to 
come  off  speedily  for  the  time  ;  or  to  contrive  some  false 
periods  of  business,  because'  they  may  seem  men  of  de- 
spatch. But  it  is  one  thing  to  abbreviate  by  contracting, 
another  by  cutting  off:  and  business  so  handled  at  several 
sittings,  or  meetings,  goeth  commonly  backward  and  forward 
in  an  unsteady  manner.  I  knew  a  wise  man*  that  had  it 
for  a  by-word,  when  he  saw  men  hasten  to  a  conclusion, 
Stay  a  little,  that  7oe  may  make  an  end  t/ie  sooner. 

On  the  other  side,  true  despatch  is  a  rich  thing.  For  time 
is  the  measure  of  business,  as  money  is  of  wares;  and  busi- 
ness is  bought  at  a  dear  hand  where  there  is  small  despatch. 
The  Spartans  and  Spaniards  have  been  noted  to  be  of  small 
despatch  :*  Mi  venga  la  mtierte  de  Spagna,  Let  my  death 
come  from  Spain,  for  then  it  will  be  sure  to  be  long  in 
coming. 


'  Affected  despatch]     Despatch  aimed  at  for  its  own  sake. 

*  Because]  In  order  that.  The  word  with  this  meaning  is  still  pro- 
vincial English. 

*  A  wise  man]  This,  as  we  learn  from  one  of  the  Apophthegms  of 
Bacon,  was  Sir  Amias  Paulett.  He  was  Queen  Elizabeth's  ambassador 
to  the  court  of  France.  Bacon,  in  his  sixteenth  year,  went  to  reside 
for  some  time  under  his  care  at  the  French  court. 

*  7'he  Spartans,  ^c]  The  dilatory  habit  of  tlie  Spartans  is  referred 
to  in  Thucydides,  i.  70,  84. 


I02  Essays. 

Give  good  hearing  to  those  that  give  the  first  information 
in  business,  and  rather  direct  them  in  the  beginning  than 
interrupt  them  in  the  continuance  of  their  speeches  :  for  he 
that  is  put  out  of  his  own  order  will  go  forward  and  back- 
ward, and  be  more  tedious  while  he  waits  upon  his  memor)', 
than  he  could  have  been  if  he  had  gone  on  in  his  own 
course.  But  sometimes  it  is  seen  that  the  moderator  is 
more  troublesome  than  the  actor. 

Iterations  are  commonly  loss  of  time  ;  but  there  is  no 
such  gain  of  time  as  to  iterate  often  the  state  of  the  ques- 
tion ;  for  it  chaseth  away  many  a  frivolous  speech  as  it  is 
coming  forth.  Long  and  curious  speeches  are  as  fit  for 
despatch  as  a  robe  or  mantle  with  a  long  train  is  for  race. 
Prefaces,  and  passages,^  and  excusations,*  and  other  speeches 
of  reference  to  the  person, ^  are  great  wastes  of  time  ;  and 
though  they  seem  to  proceed  of  modesty,  they  are  bravery.* 
Yet  beware  of  being  too  material*  when  there  is  any  impe- 
diment or  obstruction  in  men's  wills  ;  for  preoccupation  of 
mind  ever  requireth  preface  of  speech,  like  a  fomentation  to 
make  the  unguent  enter. 

Above  all  things,  order,  and  distribution,  and  singling  out 
of  parts,  is  the  life  of  despatch ;  so  as  the  distribution  be 
not  too  subtile  :  for  he  that  doth  not  divide  will  never  enter 
well  into  business;  and  he  that  divideth  too  much  will  never 
come  out  of  it  clearly.  To  choose  time  is  to  save  time  : 
and  an  unseasonable  motion  is  but  beating  the  air.  There 
be  three  parts  of  business  :  the  preparation,  the  debate  or 


'  Passages]  References  to  things  that  have  passed  or  happened  in 
one's  experience.  The  Latin  version,  however,  has  transitiones  bella  : 
fine  digressions. 

-  Excusations\     Apologies. 

*  The  person\     That  is,  the  speaker.     Lat.  Personam  loquentis. 

*  Braver)']     Ostentation. 

'  Of  being  too  maUnal]  Of  occupying  discourse  too  exclusively 
•i-ith  the  main  subject.     Lat.  A^e  in  rem  ij>sam  ab  initio  desceiidas. 


Of  Seeming  Wise.  1 03 

examination,  and  the  perfection.  Whereof,  if  you  look  for 
despatch,  let  the  middle  only  be  the  work  of  many,  and  the 
first  and  last  the  work  of  few.  The  proceeding  upon  some- 
what conceived  in  writing  doth  for  the  most  part  facilitate 
despatch  :  for  though  it  should  be  wholly  rejected,  yet  that 
negative  is  more  pregnant  of  direction  that  an  indefinite  ;  as 
fishes  are  more  generative '  than  dust. 


XXVI.    OF  SEEMING    WISE. 

It  hath  been  an  opinion,  that  the  French  are  wiser  than 
they  seem,  and  the  Spaniards  seem  wiser  than  they  are. 
But  howsoever  it  be  between  nations,  certainly  it  is  so  between 
man  and  man.  For  as  the  apostle  saith  of  godliness, 
Having  a  show  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  pozver  tiiereof^ 
so  certainly  there  are,^  in  points  of  wisdom  and  sufficiency, 
that  do  nothing  or  little  very  solemnly :  magno  conatu  nugas.^ 
It  is  a  ridiculous  thing,  and  fit  for  a  satire  to  persons  of 
judgment,  to  see  what  shifts  these  formalists  have,  and  what 
prospeictives*  to  make  superficies  to  seem  body  that  hath 
depth  and  bulk.  Some  are  so  close  and  reserved  as  they 
will  not  show  their  wares  but  by  a  dark  light,  and  seem 
always  to  keep  back  somewhat;  and  when  they  know  within 
themselves  they  speak  of  that  they  do  not  well  know,  would 
nevertheless  seem  to  others  to  know  of  that  which  they  may 
not  well^  speak.     Some  help  tliemselves  with  countenance 


'  Generatrve\     Conducive  to  fertility.     He  alludes  to  the  use  of  wood 
ashes  as  manure. 

-  Having  a  shcnv,  &'c.'\     2  Tim.  iii.  5. 

*  There  are]     There  are  persons. 

*  Magno,  iSfc]  Terence,  Heaut.  III.  v.  8,  '  Magno  jam  conatu  mag- 
nas  nugas  : '  mighty  trifles  with  great  effort. 

*  Prospt'cttves]    An  allusion  to  nerspective  or  stereoscopic  glasses. 
«  Well]     Lat.  tiilo  ■  safely 


»04  .  Essays. 

and  gesture,  and  are  wise  by  signs  ;  as  Cicero  saith  of  Piso, 
Jiat  when  he  answered  him  he  fetched  one  of  his  brows  up 
to  his  forehead,  and  bent  the  other  down  to  his  chin : 
Respondes,  altera  adfrontem  sublato,  altero  ad  mentiim  depresso 
superci/io,  crudditatetn  tibi  iioti  placere}  Some  think  to  bear 
it'^  by  speaking  a  great  word,  and  being  peremptory  ;  and 
go  on,  and  take  by  admittance'  that  which  they  cannot 
make  good.  Some,  whatsoever  is  beyond  their  reach,  will 
seem  to  despise  or  make  light  of  it,  as  impertinent  or 
curious :  and  so  would  have  their  ignorance  seem  judgment. 
Some  are  never  without  a  difference,*  and  commonly  by 
amusing  men  with  a  subtilty  blanch  the  matter  ; '  of  whom 
.\.  Gellius  saith,  Hominem  delirum,  qui  verbortim  minutiis 
rerum  frangit  poiidera.^  Of  which  kind  also  Plato,  in  his 
Protagoras,'  bringeth  in  Prodicus  in  scorn,*  and  maketh  him 
make  a  speech  that  consisteth  of  distinctions  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end.  Generally  such  men  in  all  delibe- 
rations find  ease  to  be^  of  the  negative  side,  and  affect  a 
t;redit  to  object  and  foretell  difficulties  :  for  when  propo- 


•  Respondes,  &'c.']  Cicero,  /«  Pisonem,  6.  You  answer,  with  one 
eyebrow  raised  towards  your  forehead,  and  the  other  bent  down  towards 
your  chin,  that  cruelty  displeases  you. 

■•'  To  bear  2V]     To  prevail. 

'  By  admittance^     As  granted. 

•  A  difference]     A  discrimination. 

•  BLmch  the  matter]  Blench,  or  start  aside,  from  the  main  subject. 
See  p.  87,  note  2. 

•  Honiitiem  delirum,  ^'c]  .  A  doting  man,  that  fritters  away  the 
weight  of  things  by  detailed  minuteness  of  words.  This  is  not  from 
Aulus  Gellius,  but  from  Quintilian  {/jtst.  Or.  x.  i),  whose  words  are 
'Si  rerum  pondera  minutissimis  sententiis  non  fregisset.'  Aulus  Gellius, 
however,  had  no  high  opinion  of  Seneca's  style.  {See  the  Noctes  Att.  xii, 
2.)  Suetonius  (Calig.  53)  says  that  Caligula  censured  Seneca's  writings 
as  being  '  mere  displays  of  learning,  and  like  sand  without  lime.' 

'  In  his  Protagoras]     i.  337.  ''■:■.. 

'  In  scorn]     Lat.  Per  ironiam  :  satuically. 

•  7('  be]     In  being.  .  .  • 


Of  Friendship.  1 05 

sitions  are  denied,  there  is  an  end  of  them  ;  but  if  they  be 
allowed,  it  requireth  a  new  work:  which  false  point*  of 
wisdom  is  the  bane  of  business.  To  conclude  :  there  is  no 
decaying  merchant,  or  inward  beggar,'  hath  so  many  tricks 
to  uphold  the  credit  of  their  wealth,  as  these  empty  persons 
have  to  maintain  the  credit  of  their  sufficiency.  Seeming 
wise  men  may  make  shift  to  get  opinion  ;^  but  let  no  man 
choose  them  for  employment;  for  certainly,  you  wers  better 
take*  for  business  a  man  somewhat  absurd*  than  over 
formal. 


XXVII.   OF  FRIENDSHIP, 

It  had  been  hard  for  him  that  spake  it  to  have  put  more 
truth  and  untruth  together  in  few  words,  than  in  that  speech, 
*  Whosoever  is  delighted  in  solitude,  is  either  a  wild  beast 
or  a  god.'^  For  it  is  most  true,  that  a  natural  and  secret 
hatred  and  aversation  towards  society,  in  any  man,  hath 
somewhat  of  the  savage  beast ;  but  it  is  most  untrue,  that  it 
should  have  any  character  at  all  of  the  divine  nature,  except 
it  proceed,  not  out  of  a  pleasure  in  solitude,  but  out  of  a 
love  and  desire  to  sequester  a  man's  self  for  a  higher  con- 
versation :^  such   as   is   found   to   have  been  falsely  and 


'  False point\     Lat.  Genus  spurium, 

^  Inward  l>eggar\     One  who  hides  poverty. 

*  Opinion^     Reputation.     Lat.  Opinionem  vulgi. 

*  You  were  better  take]  It  were,  or  would  be,  better  for  you  to  take. 
This  was  a  conunon  idiomatic  corruption  in  Bacon's  time.  Thus  in 
Shakspeare,  As  You  Like  It,  iii.  3,  •  I  were  better  to  be  married  of  him 
than  of  another  ; '  and  iv.  i,  'You  were  better  speak  first.' 

*  Absurd]     Inconsistent. 

*  Whosoever,  dr^c]     This  is  from  Anstotle,  Pol.  i.  I. 

V    ''  A  Aiff/fer  cofiversation]     A  higher  intercourse.     Lat.  Altiortbus  con- 
iemplatiouibuf.     Phil.  iii.  20,  '  Our  conversation  is  in  heaven.* 


io6  .      Jtssaj's. 

feignedly  in  some  of  the  heathen,  as  Epimenides  the  Candian, 
Numa  the  Roman,  Empedocles  the  SiciHan,'  and  Apollonius 
of  Tyana  ;  '^  and  truly  and  really  in  divers  of  the  ancient 
hermits  and  holy  fathers  of  the  church.  But  little  do  men 
perceive  what  solitude  is,  and  how  far  it  extendeth ;  for  a 
crowd  is  not  company,  and  faces  are  but  a  gallery  of  pictures, 
and  talk  but  a  tinkling  cymbal  where  there  is  no  love.' 
The  Latin  adage  meeteth  with  it  a  little,  magna  civitas, 
magna  solitudo;  ^  because  in  a  great  town  friends  are  scat- 
tered; so  that  there  is  not  that  fellowship,  for  the  most  part, 
which  is  in  less  neighbourhoods.  But  we  may  go  further, 
and  affirm  most  truly,  that  it  is  a  mere  and  miserable  soli- 
tude to  want  true  friends,  without  which  the  world  is  but  a 
wilderness  :  and  even  in  this  sense  also  of  solitude,  whoso- 
ever in  the  frame  of  his  nature  and  affections  is  unfit  for 
friendship,  he  taketh  it  of  the  beast,  and  not  from  humanity. 
A  principal  fruit  of  friendship  is  the  ease  and  discharge 
of  the  fulness  and  swellings  of  the  heart,  which  passions  of 
all  kinds  do  cause  and  induce.  We  know  diseases  of  stop- 
pings and  suffocations  are  the  most  dangerous  in  the  body  ; 


'  Epimenides,  (Si^r.]  Epimenides,  a  poet  and  sage  of  Crete  (now  some- 
times called  Candia),  was  said  to  have  passed  about  fifty  years  of  his  life 
in  a  cave  ;  some  say  he  slept  all  that  time.  Numa,  the  second  king  of 
Rome,  pretended  to  be  from  time  to  time  divinely  instructed  in  legisla- 
tion by  an  invisible  nymph,  Egeria,  in  the  grove  of  Aricia.  Empedocles, 
a  Sicilian  philosopher,  affected  to  be  thought  immortal,  and  was  said  to 
have  for  a  long  time  secluded  himself  from  society,  and  at  last  to  have 
thrown  himself  into  the  crater  of  Mount  JEtna,  that  his  death  might  not 
be  known. 

*  Apollonius  of  Tyana]     See  p.  76,  note  2. 

'  Bui  a  tinkling  cymbal,  &"€.]  I  Cor.  xiii.  i,  'Though  I  speak 
with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  angels>  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  be- 
come as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.' 

*  Magna  civitas,  ^'c]  A  great  city  is  a  great  solitude.  This  adage 
was  a  quotation  by  Strabo  from  a  Greek  comic  poet,  making  word-play 
with  Megalopolis^  the  name  of  a  town  in  Arcadia. 


Of  Friendship.  107 

and  it  is  not  much  otherwise  in  the  mind  :  you  may  take 
sarza*  to  open'^  the  Uver,  steel  to  open  the  spleen,  flowers 
of  sulphur'  for  the  lungs,  castoreum*  for  the  brain  ;  but  no 
receipt  openeth  the  heart  but  a  true  friend,  to  whom  you 
may  impart  griefs,  joys,  fears,  hopes,  suspicions,  counsels, 
and  whatsoever  lieth  upon  the  heart  to  oppress  it,  in  a  kind 
of  civil'  shrift  or  confession. 

It  is  a  strange  thing  to  observe  how  high  a  rate  great 
Kings  and  Monarchs  do  set  upon  this  fruit  of  friendship 
whereof  we  speak  :  so  great,  as  they  purchase  it  many  times 
at  the  hazard  of  their  own  safety  and  greatness.  For  Princes, 
in  regard  of  the  distance  of  their  fortune  from  that  of  their 
subjects  and  servants,  cannot  gather  this  fruit,  except  (to 
make  themselves  capable  thereof)  they  raise  some  persons 
to  be,  as  it  were,  companions,  and  almost  equals  to  them- 
selves;  which  many  times  sorteth^  to  inconvenience.  The 
modern  languages  give  unto  such  persons  the  name  of 
favourites,  or  privadoes,'^  as  if  it  were  matter  of  grace  or 
conversation  :*  but  the  Roman  name  attaineth  the  true  use 


'  Sarza\  An  extract  obtained  from  the  root  of  sarsaparilla,  a 
climbing  plant  found  chiefly  in  South  America.  Most  species  of  the 
plant  have  a  prickly  stem,  whence  the  name  sarza,  Spanish  zcn-za,  z 
bramble.  Parilla  means  a  vine,  and  refers  to  the  climbing  or  twining 
habit  of  the  plant. 

^   To  open]     To  relieve. 

'  Flo^oers  of  sulphur]  Sublimed  sulphur  ;  a  fine  powder  obtained  by 
vaporising  and  condensing  brimstone.  In  old  chemistry  the  fine 
particles  of  sublimed  substances  were  called  yft^ywj. 

*  Castoreum]  Castor ;  a  substance  obtained  from  ike  body  of  the 
beaver.  It  has  a  bitter  taste  and  a  strong  unpleasant  smell.  It  is 
used  medicinally  for  the  promotion  of  a  healthy  action  of  the  nervous 
system. 

*  Civil]     Secular  ;  non-ecclesiastical. 

*  Sorteth]     Falls  out ;  turns  out. 

*  Privadoes]     Privado,  Span.,  is  a  secret  friend. 

*  Conversation]     Intercourse.     See  p.  105,  note  7. 


lOS  Essays. 

and  cause  thereof,  naming  them  participes  curarum  \ '  for  it 
is  that  which  tieth  the  knot.  And  we  see  plainly  that  this 
hath  been  done,  not  by  weak  and  passionate'  Princes  only, 
but  by  the  wisest  and  most  politic  that  ever  reigned,  who 
have  oftentimes  joined  to  themselves  some  of  their  servants, 
whom  both  themselves  have  called  friends,  and  allowed 
others  likewise  to  call  them  in  the  same  manner,  using  the 
word  which  is  received  between  private  men. 

L.  Sylla  when  he  commanded  Rome,'  raised  Pompey 
(after  surnamed  the  Great)  to  that  height  that  Pompey 
vaunted  himself  for  Sylla's  overmatch.  For  when  he  had 
carried  the  consulship  for  a  friend  of  his,  against  the  pur- 
suit* of  Sylla,  and  that  Sylla  did  a  little  resent  thereat,  and 
began  to  speak  great,  Pompey  turned  upon  him  again,  and 
in  effect  bade  him  be  quiet ;  for  that  more  men  adored  the 
sun  rising  than  the  sun  setting.^  With  Julius  Cffisar, 
Pecimus  Brutus^  had  obtamed  that  interest,  as^  he  set  him 


'  Participes  curarum^     Sharers  of  cares. 

*  Passiotiate]     Emotional. 

'  Commanded  Koine\     Was  Dictator  of  Rome.     See  p.  62,  note  1. 

*  The  pursuit^  The  solicitation  or  canvassing.  Lat.  ambitum  ; 
fraudulent  solicitation.     Sylla  desired  the  consulship  for  Catulus. 

*  For  that  more  men,  dr'r.]  Plutarch,  in  the  Life  of  Pompey,  refers 
this  saying  to  the  occasion  of  Sylla's  refusal  to  allow  Pompey  a  triumpli. 
'  Pompey  required  the  hommr  of  triumph,  but  Sylla  denied  it,  alleging 
that  none  could  enter  in  triumph  into  Rome  but  Consuls  or  Praetors ; 
and  told  him  plainly  that  if  he  were  bent  to  stand  in  it,  he  would  resist 
him.  All  this  blanked  not  Pompey,  who  told  him  frankly  again  how 
men  did  honour  the  rising,  not  the  setting,  of  the  sun  :  meaning  there- 
by how  his  own  honour  increased,  and  Sylla's  diminished.'— North's 
Translation.  It  was  after  his  triumph  that  Pompey  procured  the  con- 
sulship for  Lepidus.  '  It  spited  Sylla  to  see  him  come  so  fast  forward, 
and  to  rise  to  so  great  credit ;  notwithstanding,  being  ashamed  to  hinder 
aim,  he  was  contented  to  keep  it  to  himself,  until  that  Pompey  by  force, 
•and  against  Sylla's  will,  had  brought  Lepidus  to  be  consul,  by  the  help 
and  good  will  of  the  people  that  furthered  his  desire. ' — fbid. 

*  Detimus  Pn4tu^,  &>i'.] ,  Sliakspeare,  in  his  piay  of  Julius  Casttf 


Of  Friendship.  109 

down  in  his  testament  for  heir  in  remainder  after  his  nephew.' 
And  this  was  the  man  that  had  power  with  him  to  draw  him 
forth  to  his  death.  For  when  Caesar  would  have  discharged 
the  senate,  in  regard  of  some  ill  presages,  and  specially  a 
dream  of  Calphurnia,'*  this  man  lifted  him  gently  by  the  arm 
out  of  his  chair,  telling  him  he  hoped  he  would  not  dismiss 
the  senate  till  his  wife  had  dreamed  a  better  dream.  And 
it  seemeth  his  favour  was  so  great,  as'  Antonius,  in  a  letter, 
which  is  recited  verbatim  in  one  of  Cicero's  Philippics,* 
calleth  him  venefica, — '  witch  ; '  as  if  he  had  enchanted 
Caesar.  Augustus  raised  Agrippa*  (though  of  mean  birth) 
10  that  height,  as,^  when  he  consulted  with  Maecenas^  about 
the  marriage  of  his  daughter  Julia,  Maecenas  took  the 
liberty  to  tell  him,  that  he  must  either  marry  his  daughter  to 
Agrippa,  or  take  away  his  life  :  there  was  no  third  way  ;  he 
had  made  him  so  great.  With  Tiberius  Caesar,  Sejanus  had 
ascended  to  that  height  as  they  two  were  termed  and  reck- 
oned as  a  pair  of  friends.  Tiberius,  in  a  letter  to  him,  saith, 
hac  pro  amicitia  nostra  non  occultavi :  *  and  the  whole  senate 
dedicated  an  altar  to  Friendship,  as  to  a  goddess,  in  respect 
of  the  great  dearness  of  friendship  between  them  two.  The 
like,  or  more,  was  between  Septimus  Severus  and  Plautianus  ; 


has  erred  in  supposing  Marcus  Brutus,  instead  of  this  Decimus  Brutus, 
to  have  been  Caesar's  special  favourite  ;  and  he  has  copied  Plutarch's 
mistake  in  writing  Decius  for  Decimus. 

'  His  nepheTv]     Octavius,  afterwards  Augustus  Caesar,  whose  parents 
were  Octavius,  a  senator,  and  Accia,  the  sister  of  Julius  Caesar. 

*  Calphurnia\     Properly  Calpumja,  Caesar's  third  wife. 
»  As\    That. 

'  O1U  of  Cicero's  Philippics^     xiii.  1 1. 

*  Agrippd\     M.  Vipsanius  Agrippa,  a  distinguished  Roman  general. 
He  built  the  Pantheon  at  Rome.  •  As\     That. 

'  Mcecenas^     Chief  minister  of  Augustus,  and  an  eminent  patron  of 
learned  men. 

*  Hccc pro  amicitia,  »&*f.]     Tacitus,  Ann.  iv.  40.    In  consideration  of 
cur  friendship,  I  have  not  kept  back  from  you  these  things. 


1 10  Essays. 

for  he  forced  his  eldest  son  to  marry  the  daughter  of  Plau- 
tianus,^  and  would  often  maintain  Plautianus  in  doing 
aftVonts  to  his  son  :  and  did  %vrite  also,  in  a  letter  to  the 
senate,  by  these  words  :  *  I  love  the  man  so  well,  as  I  wish 
he  may  overlive  me.'  *  Now,  if  these  Princes  had  been  as  a 
Trajan,'  or  a  Marcus  Aurelius,*  a  man  might  have  thought 
that  this  had  proceeded  of  an  abundant  goodness  of  nature; 
but  being  men  so  wise,  of  such  strength  and  severity  of  mind, 
and  so  extreme  lovers  of  themselves,  as  all  these  were,  it 
proveth  most  plainly,  that  they  found  their  own  felicity 
(though  as  great  as  ever  happened  to  mortal  men)  but  as  a 
half  piece,  except  they  might  have  a  friend  to  make  it 
entire  ;  and  yet,  which  is  more,  they  were  Princes  that  had 
'vives,  sons,  nephews  ;  yet  all  these  could  not  supply  the 
comfort  of  friendship. 

It  is  not  to  be  forgotten  what  Comineus'^  observeth  of  his 
first  master,  Duke  Charles  the  Hardy,  namely,  that  he  would 
communicate  his  secrets  with  none  ;  and  least  of  all  those 
secrets  which  troubled  him  most.  Whereupon  he  goeth  on, 
and  saith,  that  towards  his  latter  time  that  closeness  did 
impair  and  a  little  perish  his  understanding.  Surely  Comi- 
neus  might  have  made  the  same  judgment  also,  if  it  had 
pleased  him,  of  his  second  master,  Louis  the  Eleventh,  whose 
closeness  was  indeed  his  tormentor.     The  parable  of  Pytha- 


'  Forced  his  eldest  son,  <Sr»f.]     Forced  Caracalla  to  marry  Plautilla. 

*  /  love  the  man  so  well,  &"€.  ]     Dio  Cassius,  Ixxv. 

*  Trajaii\  A  Roman  emperor,  distinguished  for  his  honesty  and 
benevolence.     He  died  A.  D.  117. 

*  Aurelius]  This  Roman  emperor  was  eminent  for  learning  and 
virtue.     He  died  A.  d.  161. 

*  Comineus]  Philip  de  Comines,  a  French  statesman,  who  was 
taken  into  the  service  of  Charles  the  Bold,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  and 
afterwards  into  that  of  Louis  XI.  He  died  in  1509.  Comines  may  be 
regarded  as  the  first  modem  historian,  in  contrast  with  medix-val 
chroniclers  like  Froissart  and  Monstrelet. 


Of  Friendship.  in 

goras  is  dark,  but  true,  Cor  ne  cdiio, — cat  not  the  heart' 
Certainly  if  a  man  would  give  it  a  hard  phrase,  those  that 
want  friends  to  open  themselves  unto  are  cannibals  of  their 
own  hearts:  but  one  thing  is  most  admirable*  (wherewith  I 
will  conclude  this  first  fruit  of  friendship),  which  is,  that  this 
communicating  of  a  man's  self  to  his  friend  works  two 
contrary  effects  ;  for  it  redoubleth  joys,  and  cutteth  griefs  in 
halves;  for  there  is  no  man  that  imparteth  his  joys  to  his 
friend,  but  he  joyeth  the  more  ;  and  no  man  that  imparteth 
his  griefs  to  his  friend,  but  he  grieveth  the  less.  So  that  it 
is,  in  truth,  of  operation  upon  a  man's  mind  of  like  virtue  as 
the  alchymists  use  to  attribute  to  their  stone ^  for  man's  body; 
that  it  worketh  all  contrary  effects,  but  still  to  the  good  and 
benefit  of  nature.     But  yet,  without  praying  in   aid*   of 


'  Eat  not  the  hearf\  Plutarch,  De  Educ.  Puer.  1 7,  Diogetus  Laeri. 
viii,  17,  18. 

*  Most  adtnirable\  Most  wonderful.  Lat.  Plani  ad  miraculum 
proximi  accedit.  In  the  Appendix  to  Howell's  Instrtutions  for 
Foreign  Travel,  we  have  '  He  will  admire  how  the  whole  people  are 
degenerated.'     See  p.  19,  note  6. 

'  Their  stone]  The  philosopher's  stone  was  a  red  powder  by  means 
of  which  the  adepts,  or  alchemists,  pretended  to  transmute  baser  metals 
into  gold,  and  from  which  they  also  derived  a  liquor  called  the  elixir  of 
life,  or  universal  medicine.  The  stone  was  often  called  the  medicine 
and  the  powder  of  projection.  In  the  Advancement,  II.,  Bacon  refers 
to  the  chimerical  notion  '  that  some  grains  of  the  medicine  projected 
should  in  a  few  moments  of  time  turn  a  sea  of  quicksilver  or  other 
material  into  gold. '  Ben  Jonson,  in  Every  Man  out  of  his  Humour,  i. 
2,  has  '  I'll  make  admirable  use  i'  the  projection  of  my  medicine  upon 
this  lump  of  copper  here.'  There  is  a  great  deal  on  this  subject  in  his 
Alchemist. 

*  Praying  in  aid]  In  is  an  adverb  in  this  expression,  which  was  a 
forensic  name  of  the  act  of  petitioning  the  court  to  call  in  help  from 
another  person  interested  in  the  cause.  In  the  Advancement,  II., 
Bacon  says,  '  Whatsoever  science  is  not  consonant  to  presupposition* 
must  pray  in  aid  of  similitudes.'  So  in  Shak=>peare's  Ant.  and  Cteop. 
▼.  2,  '  A  conqueror  that  will  pray  in  aid  for  kindness ; '  and  in  Botero's 


112  Essays. 

alchymists,  there  is  a  manifest  image  of  this  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  nature.  For,  in  bodies,  union  strengtheneth  and 
chcrisheth  any  natural  action ;  and,  on  the  other  side, 
weakeneth  and  duUeth  any  violent  impression;  and  even  so 
is  it  of  minds. 

The  second  fruit  of  friendship  is  healthful  and  sovereign 
for  the  understanding,  as  the  first  is  for  the  affections.  For 
friendship  maketh  indeed  a  fair  day  in  the  affections  from 
storm  and  tempests  ;  but  it  maketh  daylight  in  the  under- 
standing, out  of  darkness  and  confusion  of  thoughts. 
Neither  is  this  to  be  understood  only  of  faithful  counsel 
which  a  man  receiveth  from  his  friend ;  but  before  you  come 
to  that,  certain  it  is,  that  whosoever  hath  his  mind  fraught 
with  many  thoughts,  his  wits  and  understanding  do  clarify 
and  break  up.  in  the  communicating  and  discoursing  with 
another :  he  tosseth  his  thoughts  more  easily;  he  marshalleth 
them  more  orderly  ;  he  seeth  how  they  look  when  they  arc 
turned  into  words;  finally,  he  waxeth  wiser  than  himself,  and 
that  more  by  an  hour's  discourse  than  by  a  day's  meditation. 
It  was  well  said  by  Themistocles  to  the  King  of  Persia,  that 
speech  was  like  cloth  of  arras,  opened  and  put  abroad  ; 
whereby  the  imagery  doth  appear  in  figure,  whereas  isi 
thoughts  they  lie  but  as  in  packs.'  Neither  is  this  second 
fruit  of  friendship,  in  opening  the  understanding,  restrained 
only  to  such  friends  as  are  able  to  give  a  man  counsel  (they 


Relations  of  the  World,  II.,  'Of  wheat  and  wine  they  have  no  such 
plenty,  but  are  glad  to  crave  in  aid  of  their  neighbours  to  relieve  their 
wants. ' 

'  That  speech  was  like,  6^^.]  'Themistocles  then  answered  him: 
That  men's  words  did  properly  resemble  the  stories  and  imageiy  in  a 
piece  of  arras  ;  for,  both  in  the  one  and  in  the  other,  the  goodly  images 
of  either  of  them  are  seen,  when  they  are  unfolded  and  laid  open  ;  con- 
trariwise, they  appear  not,  but  are  lost,  when  they  are  shut  up  and  close 
folded.' — North's  Plutarch  (Themistocles). 


Of  Friendship.  113 

indeed  are  best)  :  but  even  without  that  a  man  Icarneth  of 
himself,  and  bringeth  his  own  thoughts  to  light,  and  whetteth 
his  wits  as  against  a  stone,  which  itself  cuts  not.  In  a  word, 
a  man  were  better  relate'  himself  to  a  statua'  or  picture, 
than  to  sufier  his  thoughts  to  pass  in  smother. 

Add  now,  to  make  this  second  fruit  of  friendship  complete, 
that  other  point  which  lieth  more  open,  and  falleth  within 
vulgar  observation  ;  which  is,  faithful  counsel  from  a  friend. 
Heraclitus  saith  well  in  one  of  his  enigmas,  *  Dry  light  is 
ever  the  best  :  '^  and  certain  it  is,  that  the  light  that  a  man 
receiveth  by  counsel  from  another,  is  drier  and  purer  than 
that  which  cometh  from  his  o\vn  understanding  and  judg- 
ment, which  is  ever  infused  and  drenched  in  his  affections 
and  customs.  So  as*  there  is  as  much  difference  between 
the  counsel  that  a  friend  giveth,  and  that  a  man  giveth  him- 
self, as  there  is  between  the  counsel  of  a  friend  and  of  a 


'  A  man  wire  better  relate]  It  were  better  for  a  man  to  relate.  See 
p.  105,  note  4. 

*  Statiia]  This,  as  an  Italian  word,  was  a  familiar  term  for  a  statue 
in  Bacon's  time.  It  occurs  again  in  the  37th  and  45th  Essays.  So  in 
Shakspeare,  A'ic/i.  III.  iii.  7,  '  But  like  dumb  statuas  or  breathing 
stones  ; '  Jul.  Cms.  iii.  2,  '  Even  at  the  base  of  Pompey's  statua.' 

*  Dry  light,  »Sr»r.]  In  the  Advancement,  I.,  we  have,  'Heraclitus 
the  profound  said,  Lumen  siccum  optima  anima  : '  Dry  light  is  the  best 
soul;  which  I  think  Bacon  must  have  quoted  from  a  passage  in  the 
Romulus  of  Plutarch,  where  we  find  the  words  oiry^  7^^  {i7p))  'ify>x>\ 
apltrrn.  The  passage  is  thus  translated  by  Sir  Thomas  North  : — '  It  is 
that  the  philosopher  Heraclitus  meant,  when  he  said,  T/ie  dry  light  is  the 
best  soul,  which  flieth  out  of  the  body  as  lightning  doth  out  of  the  cloud ; 
but  that  which  is  joined  with  the  body,  being  full  of  corporal  passions, 
is  a  gross  vapour,'  &c.  Heraclitus  was  styled  t/te  profound,  or  obsaire, 
because  of  tiie  enigmatical  style  of  his  Treatise  on  Nature.  He  was 
also  called  the  weeping  philosopher,  from  his  habit  of  mourning  over 
thefolJies  of  mankind,  as  Democritus  was  called  the  laughing  philoiopher, 
from  his  habit  of  ridiculing  them. 

*  So  as]     So  that. 

t 


i!4  Essays. 

flatterer.  For  there  is  no  such  flatterer  as  is  a  man's  self; ' 
and  there  is  no  such  remedy  against  flattery  of  a  man's  self 
as  the  Hberty  of  a  friend.  Counsel  is  of  two  sorts  :  the  one 
concerning  manners,  the  other  concerning  business.  For 
the  first :  the  best  preservative  to  keep  the  mind  in  heakh  is 
the  faithful  admonition  of  a  friend.  The  calling  of  a  man's 
self  to  a  strict  account  is  a  medicine  sometime  too  piercing 
and  corrosive  ;  reading  good  books  of  morality  is  a  little 
flat  and  dead  ;  observing  our  faults  in  others  is  sometimes 
improper  for  our  case  ;  but  the  best  receii)t  (best,  I  say,  to 
work,  and  best  to  take)  is  the  admonition  of  a  friend.  It  is 
a  strange  thing  to  behold  what  gross  errors  and  extreme 
absurdities  many  (especially  of  the  greater  sort)  do  commit, 
for  want  of  a  friend  to  tell  them  of  them,  to  the  great 
damage  both  of  their  fame  and  fortune.  For,  as  St.  James 
saith,  they  are  as  men  that  look  sometimes  into  a  glass,  and 
presently  forget  their  own  shape  and  favour.'  As  for  busi- 
ness, a  man  may  think,  if  he  will,  that  two  eyes  see  no  more 
than  one  ;  or,  that  a  gamester  seeth  always  more  than  a 
looker  on  ;  or,  that  a  man  in  anger  is  as  wise  as  he  that  hath 
said  over  the  four  and  twenty  letters  ;'  or,  that  a  musket 
uiay  be  shot  oflf  as  well  upon  the  arm  as  upon  a  rest ; 
and  such  other  fond  and  high  imaginations,  to  think 
himself  all  in  all.*  But  when  all  is  done,  the  help  of 
good  counsel  is  that  which  setteth  business  straight ;  and  if 


'    TJiere  is  no  such  flatterer,  &^c.\     See  p.  39,  note  2. 

'■  They  are  as  men,  &'c.'\  James  i.  23,  '  He  is  like  unto  a  man  be- 
holding his  natural  face  in  a  glass  :  for  he  beholdeth  himself,  and  goeth 
his  way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner  of  man  he  was. '  Favour 
is  face  or  countenance. 

*  He  that  hath  said  over,  &*<-.]  This  is  again  referred  to  in  the  38th 
Essay.  The  Latin  alphabet  consists  of  twenty-four  letters.  It  is  an 
old  counsel  that  a  person  in  anger  should  count  twenty,  or  repeat  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet. 

*  All  in  aU\    All-sufficient. 


Of  Friendship.  1 1 5 

any  man  think  that  he  will  take  counsel  but  it  shall  be  by 
pieces,  asking  counsel  in  one  business  of  one  man,  and  hi 
another  business  of  another  man :  it  is  well  (that  is  to  say, 
better  perhaps  than  if  he  asked  none  at  all),  but  he  runneth 
two  dangers  :  one,  that  he  shall  not  be  faithfully  counselled; 
for  it  is  a  rare  thing,  except  it  be  from  a  perfect  and  entire 
friend,  to  have  counsel  given,  but  such  as  shall  be  bowed 
and  crooked  to  some  ends  which  he  hath  that  giveth  it : 
the  other,  that  he  shall  have  counsel  given  hurtful  and 
unsafe  (though  with  good  meaning),  and  mixed  partly  of 
mischief,  and  partly  of  remedy  :  even  as  if  you  would  call  a 
physician,  that  is  thought  good  for  the  cure  of  the  disease 
you  complain  of,  but  is  unacquainted  with  your  body  ;  and 
therefore,  may  put  you  in  way  for  a  present  cure,  but  over- 
throweth  your  health  in  some  other  kind  ;  and  so  cure  the 
disease  and  kill  the  patient.  But  a  friend  that  is  wholly  ac- 
quainted with  a  man's  estate,  will  beware,  by  furthering  any 
present  business,  how  he  dasheth  upon  other  inconvenience. 
And,  therefore,  rest  not  upon  scattered  counsels  :  they  will 
rather  distract  and  mislead  than  settle  and  direct. 

After  these  two  noble  fruits  of  friendship  (peace  in  the 
affections,  and  support  of  the  judgment),  followeth  the  last 
fruit,  which  is  like  the  pomegranate  full  of  many  kernels  :  I 
mean  aid  and  bearing  a  part  in  all  actions  and  occasions. 
Here  the  best  way  to  represent  to  life'  the  manifold  use  of 
friendship  is  to  cast*  and  see  how  many  things  there  are 
which  a  man  cannot  do  himself;  and  then  it  will  appear 
that  it  was  a  sparing  speech  of  the  ancients,  to  say,  that  a 
friend  is  another  himself ;'  for  that  a  friend  is  far  more  than 


'   To  life]     To  the  life  ;  exactly.     Lat.  Ad  vivum. 
-  To  cast]    To  cou>i<K*r. 

'  AnotJur  himself  \    Alluding  to  the  SAAc$  airis  of  Aristotle,  or  the 
tUter  idem  of  Cicero. 


1 1 6  Jissays, 

himself.  Men  have  their  time,'  and  die  many  times  m 
desire  of"  some  things  which  they  principally  take  to  heart : ' 
the  bestowing  of  a  child/  the  finishing  of  a  work,  or  the 
like.  If  a  man  have  a  true  friend,  he  may  rest  almost  secure 
that  the  care  of  those  things  will  continue  after  him  ;  so  that 
a  man  hath,  as  it  were,  two  lives  in  his  desires.  A  man  hath 
a  body,  and  that  body  is  confined  to  a  place ;  but  where 
friendship  is,  all  offices  of  life  are,  as  it  were,  granted  to 
him  and  his  deputy  ;  for  he  may  exercise  them  by  his  friend. 
How  many  things  are  there  which  a  man  cannot,  witli 
any  face  or  comeliness,  say  or  do  himself?  A  man  can 
scarce  allege  his  own  merits  with  modesty,  much  less  extol 
them ;  a  man  cannot  sometimes  brook  to  supplicate  or 
beg ;  and  a  number  of  the  like  :  but  all  these  things  are 
graceful  in  a  friend's  mouth,  which  are  blushing  in  a  man's 
own.  So  again,  a  man's  person  hath  many  proper  relations 
which  he  cannot  put  off.  A  man  cannot  speak  to  his  son 
but  as  a  father,  to  his  wife  but  as  a  husband,  to  his  enemy 
but  upon  terms  ;^  whereas  a  friend  may  speak  as  the  case 
requires,  and  not  as  it  sorteth^  with  the  person.  But  to 
enumerate  these  things  were  endless  ;  I  have  given  the  rule 
where  a  man  cannot  fitly  play  his  own  part  ;^  if  he  have  not 
a  friend,  he  may  quit  the  stage. 


'  Afen  have  their  time\  Job  vii.  I,  '  Is  there  not  an  appointed  tim^ 
to  man  upon  earth  ? ' 

"  In  desire  of]     While  desiring. 

•  Tahe  to  heart]     Set  their  hearts  upon. 

*  TAi  bestowing  of  a  child]  Lat.  In  collocatione  filii  in  matrimonium. 
To  place,  or  dispose  of,  was  anciently  a  very  common  meaning  of  be- 
stow. 

*  Upon  terms]    Lat.  Salvd  dignitate. 

•  //  sorteth]     It  suits. 

'  Play  his  own  part]    An  allusion  to  the  stage. 


Of  Expense.  tif 

XXVIII.    OF  EXPENSE, 

Riches  are  for  spending  ;  and  spending  for  honour  and 
good  actions.  Therefore  extraordinary  expense  must  be 
Umited  by  the  worth  of  the  occasion;  for  voluntary  undoing* 
may  be  as  well  for  a  man's  country  as  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  But  ordinary  expense  ought  to  be  limited  by  a 
man's  estate,  and  governed  with  such  regard,  as  it  be  within 
his  compass  ;  and  not  subject  to  deceit  and  abuse  of 
servants  ;  and  ordered  to  the  best  show,*  that  the  bills  may 
be  less  than  the  estimation  abroad.  Certainly,  if  a  man  will 
keep  but  of  even  hand,^  his  ordinary  expenses  ought  to  be 
but  to  the  half  of  his  receipts  ;  and  if  he  think  to  wax  rich, 
but  to  the  third  part.  It  is  no  baseness  for  the  greatest  to 
descend  and  look  into  their  own  estate.  Some  forbear  it, 
not  upon  negligence  alone,  but  doubting*  to  bring  them- 
selves into  melancholy,  in  respect*  they  shall  find  it  broken: 
but  wounds  cannot  be  cured  without  searching.  He  that 
cannot  look  into  his  own  estate  at  all,  had  need  bot'i  choose 
well  those  whom  he  employeth,  and  change  them  often  :  for 
new  are  more  timorous  and  less  subtle.  He  that  can  look 
into  his  estate  but  seldom,  it  behoveth  him  to  turn  all 
to  certainties.^  A  man  had  need,  if  he  be  plentiful  in  some 
kind  of  expense,  to  be  as  saving  again  in  some  other :  as, 
if  he  be  plentiful  in  diet,  to  be  saving  in  apparel ;  if  he  be 
plentiful  in  the  hall,^  to  be  saving  in  the  stable ;  and  the  like. 


•  Voluntary  undoing\     Lat.  Spontanea  paupertas, 

'  Ordeied  to  tlu  best  show\     So  laid  out,  or  planned,  as  to  make  the 
best  appearance. 

•  Of  even  Aand]     Solvent. 

•  Doubtittgl    Fearing.     See  p.  92,  note  5. 

•  In  respect^     In  case. 

•  To  turn  all  to  certamties\    To  be  sure  of  what  he  receives  and 
il->ends. 

'  The  hall]    The  dining-room. 


ll8  Essays. 

tor  he  that  is  plentiful  in  expenses  of  all  kinds  will  hardly 
be  preserved  from  decay.  In  clearing  of  a  man's  estate, 
he  may  as  well  hurt  himself  in  being  too  sudden,  as  in  letting 
it  run  on  too  long :  for  hasty  selling  is  commonly  as  disad- 
vantageable  as  interest.  Besides,  he  that  clears  at  once  will 
relapse  ;  for  finding  himself  out  of  straits,  he  will  revert  to 
his  customs  :  but  he  that  cleareth  by  degrees  induceth  a 
habit  of  frugality,  and  gaineth  as  well  upon '  his  mind  as  upon 
his  estate.  Certainly,  who^  hath  a  state  to  repair  may  not 
despise  small  things  ;  and,  commonly,  it  is  less  dishonourable 
to  abridge  petty  charges  than  to  stoop  to  petty  gettings.  A 
man  ought  warily  to  begin  charges  which  once  begun  will 
continue  ;  but  in  matters  that  return  not'  he  may  be  more 
magnificent 


XXIX.   OF  THE   TRUE  GREATNESS  OF 
KINGDOMS  AND  ESTATES. 

The  speech  of  Themistocles  the  Athenian,  which  was 
haughty  and  arrogant  in  taking  so  much  to  himself,  had 
been  a  grave  and  wise  observation  and  censure,  applied  at 
large  to  others.  Desired  at  a  feast  to  touch  a  lute,  he  said. 
He  could  not  fiddle,  but  yet  he  could  make  a  small  town  a 
great  city.*     These  words  (holpen  a  little  with  a  metaphor) 


*  Upon\     In  respect  of. 

*  lVho\     Whoever. 

*  Return  noi]     Are  not  of  stated  recurrence. 

*  He  could  not  fiddle,  (Sr^^r.]  North's  Plutarch  {Themistocles)  makes 
him  say,  '  He  had  no  skill  to  tune  a  harp,  nor  a  viol,  nor  to  play  on  a 
psalterion  ;  but  if  they  did  put  a  city  into  his  hands  that  was  of  small 
name,  weak,  and  little,  he  knew  ways  enough  how  to  make  it  noble 
strong,  and  great'  In  the  Cimon  of  the  same  author,  the  account  is, 
that  Themistocles  '  being  requested  to  play  upon  the  cithern,  answered, 
he  was  never  taught  to  sing,  or  play  upon  the  cithern,  howbeit  lie 
;:ould  make  a  poor  village  to  become  a  rich  and  mighty  city.'     Cicero, 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates,  I '9 

may  express  two  differing  abilities  in  those  that  deal  in 
business  of  Estate.  For,  if  a  true  survey  be  taken  of  coun- 
sellors and  statesmen,  there  may  be  found  (though  rarely) 
those  which  can  make  a  small  State  great,  and  yet  cannot 
fiddle;  as,  on  the  other  side,  there  will  be  found  a  great 
many  that  can  fiddle  very  cunningly,'  but  yet  are  so  far 
from  being  able  to  make  a  small  State  great,  as*  their  gift 
lielh  the  other  way  :  to  bring  a  great  and  flourishing  Estate 
to  ruin  and  decay.  And,  certainly,  those  degenerate  arts 
and  shifts,  whereby  many  counsellors  and  governors  gain 
both  favour  with  their  masters,  and  estimation  with  the 
vulgar,  deserve  no  better  name  than  fiddling  ;  being  things 
rather  pleasing  for  the  time,  and  graceful  to  themselves  only, 
than  tending  to  the  weal  and  advancement  of  the  State 
which  they  serve.  There  are  also  (no  doubt)  counsellors 
and  governors  which  may  be  held  sufficient,  negotiis  pares,* 
able  to  manage  affairs,  and  to  keep  them  from  precipices 
and  manifest  inconveniences,  which,  nevertheless,  are  far 
from  the  ability  to  raise  and  amplify  an  Estate  in  power, 
means,  and  fortune.  But  be  the  workmen  what  they  may  be, 
let  us  speak  of  the  work  ;  that  is,  the  true  greatness  of  King- 
doms and  Estates,  and  the  means  thereof :  an  argumenf*  fit 
for  great  and  mighty  Princes  to  have  in  their  hand  ;  to  the 
end  that  neither  by  over-measuring  their  forces,  they  leese* 
themselves  in  vain  enterprises  ;  nor,  on  the  other  side,  by 
undervaluing  them,  they  descend  to  fearful  and  pusillanimous 
counsels. 


in  his  Tmc.  Quest,  i.  2,  tells  us  that  the  Greeks  regarded  skill  in  music 
as  an  important  accomplishment,  and  t^at  Themistocles  was  deemed  an 
ignorant  man,  because  at  an  entertainment  he  declined  the  lyre  when 
offered  to  him.     See  Erasmus,  Adag.  {Canere  ad  myrtum). 

'   Cuniiinglyl     Skilfully. 

2  As]     That. 

*  Negotiis  pares]    Tacitus,  Ann.  vi.  39,  and  xvi.  18. 

*  An  argument]     A  subject. 

*  Lci'se]     Lose.     See  ^  81,  note  4. 


1 20  Essays. 

The  greatness  of  an  Estate  in  bulk  and  territory  doth  fall 
under  measure  ;  and  the  greatness  of  finances  and  revenue 
doth  fall  under  computation.  The  population  may  appear 
by  musters  ;*  and  the  number  and  greatness  of  cities  and 
towns  by  cards  and  maps  ;  but  yet  there  is  not  anything 
amongst  civil  affairs  more  subject  to  error  than  the  right 
valuation  and  true  judgment  concerning  the  power  and 
forces  of  an  Estate.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  compared, 
not  to  any  great  kernel  or  nut,  but  to  a  grain  of  mustard- 
seed  ;'  which  is  one  of  the  least  grains,  but  hath  in  it  a 
property  and  spirit  hastily  to  get  up  and  spread.  So  are 
there  States  great  in  territory,  and  yet  not  apt  to  enlarge  or 
command:  and  some  that  have  but  a  small  dimension  of 
stem,  and  yet  apt  to  be  the  foundation  of  great  Monarchies. 

Walled  towns,  stored  arsenals  and  armories,  goodly  races 
of  horse,  chariots  of  war,  elephants,  ordnance,  artillery,  and 
the  like  :  all  this  is  but  a  sheep  in  a  lion's  skin,  except  the 
breed  and  disposition  of  the  people  be  stout  and  warlike 
Nay,  number  itself  in  armies  importetii^  not  much,  where 
the  people  are  of  weak  courage  ;  for,  as  Virgil  saith,  // 
7 1  ever  troubles  the  wolf  how  many  the  sheep  be.^  The  army  of 
the  Persians,  in  the  plains  of  Arbela,^  was  such  a  vast  sea 
of  people  as  it  did  somewhat  astonish  the  commanders  in 
Alexander's  army  ;  who  came  to  him,  therefore,  and  wished 
him  to  set  upon  them  by  night ;  but  he  answered,  he  would 
not  pilfer  the  victory.^    And  the  defeat  was  easy.     When 


'  By  musters]     By  a  census. 

*  Mustard  seed]     Matt.  xiii.  31.  *  ImportetK]     Signifies. 

*  It  never  troubles,  Q^c]     Eel.  vii.  51. 

*  Arbela]  A  town  of  Assyria,  where  Alexander  the  Great  defeated 
Darius,  B.C.  331. 

*  He  would  not  pilfer,  &=€.]  Plutarch  {Alexander)  tells  us  that  the 
wish  to  attack  the  Persians  by  night  was  to  prevent  the  dismay  which 
might  be  caused  by  the  sight  of  so  numerous  a  host  in  daylight ;  but 
that  Alexander's  motive  in  refusing  to  steal  a  victory  was  to  make 
Darius  hopeless  of  succeeding  in  any  subsequent  resistance. 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.  121 

Tigranes  the  Armenian,  being  encamped  upon  a  hill  with 
four  hundred  thousand  men,  discovered  the  army  of  the 
Romans,  being  not  above  fourteen  thousand,  marching 
towards  him,  he  made  himself  merrj'  with  it,  and  said, 
'  Yonder  men  are  too  many  for  an  ambassage,  and  too  few 
for  a  fight'  '  But,  before  the  sun  set,  he  found  them  enow 
to  give  him  the  chase  with  infinite  slaughter.'  Many  are 
the  examples  of  the  great  odds  between  number  and  courage: 
so  that  a  man  may  truly  make  a  judgment,  that  the  principal 
point  of  greatness,  in  any  State,  is  to  have  a  race  of  military 
men.  Neither  is  money  the  sinews  of  war  (as  it  is  trivially 
said),  where  the  sinews  of  men's  arms  in  base  and  effeminate 
people  are  failing.  For  Solon  said  well  to  Croesus*  (when 
in  ostentation  he  showed  him  his  gold),  '  Sir,  if  any  other 
come  that  hath  better  iron  than  you,  he  will  be  master  of  all 
this  gold.'*  Therefore,  let  any  Prince  or  State  think  soberly 
of  his  forces,  except  his  militia  of  natives  be  of  good  and 
valiant  soldiers.  And  let  Princes,  on  the  other  side,  that 
have  subjects  of  martial  disposition,  know  their  own  strength, 
unless  they  be  otherwise  wanting  unto  themselves.  As  for 
mercenary  forces  (which  is  the  help  in  this  case),  all  examples 
show,  that  whatsoever  Estate  or  Prince  doth  lest  upon 
them,  he  may  spread  his  feathers  for  a  time,  but  he  will 
mew*  them  soon  after. 

The  blessing  of  Judah  and  Issachar  will   never  meet : 


'  Yonder  men,  6^f.]  '  If  they  come  as  ambassadors  (quoth  he)  they 
are  very  many,'  but  if  they  come  as  enemies  they  be  very  few.'— North's 
Plutarch  [Lucuilus). 

•^  But  before  the  sun  set,  &=€.  ]  Plutarch  says  it  was  on  the  following 
day  that  Lucullus  thus  routed  the  Armenians.  The  word  enow  was 
expressive  of  numerical  quantity,  thus  differing  from  enough  as  many 
does  from  much. 

'  Sulon  saui  7uell  to  Crcesus']  Solon,  an  eminent  lawgiver  of  Athens. 
Croesus,  king  of  Lydia. 

*  If  any  other  come,  ^c.^    Lucian's  Dialogues  {C/uiron,  7). 

*  Aftiu]    Cast. 


122  Essays. 

that  the  same  people  or  nation  should  be  both  the  lion's 
whelp  and  the  ass  bet^veen  burdens ; '  neither  will  it  be,  that 
a  people  overlaid  with  taxes  should  ever  become  valiant  and 
tnartial.  It  is  true  that  taxes,  levied  by  consent  of  the 
Estate,  do  abate  men's  courage  less  ;  as  it  hath  been  seen 
notably  in  the  excises  of  the  Low  Countries  ;  and,  in  some 
degree,  in  the  subsidies  of  England.  For,  you  must  note, 
that  we  speak  now  of  the  heart,  and  not  of  the  parse  ;  so 
that,  although  the  same  tribute  and  tax,  laid  by  consent  or 
by  imposing,  be  all  one  to  the  purse,  yet  it  works  diversely 
upon  the  courage.  So  that  you  may  conclude,  that  no 
people  overcharged  with  tribute  is  fit  for  empire. 

Let  States  that  aim  at  greatness  take  heed  how  their 
nobility  and  gentlemen  do  multiply  too  fast ;  for  that  maketh 
the  common  subject  grow  to  be  a  peasant  and  base  swain, 
driven  out  of  heart,  and,  in  effect,  but  the  gentleman's 
labourer.  Even  as  you  may  see  in  coppice  woods  :  if  you 
leave  your  staddles'*  too  thick,  you  shall  never  have  clean 
undenvood,  but  shrubs  and  bushes.     So  in  countries,  if  the 


'  The  blessing  of  yudah,  &'c.'[  Jacob  blessing  his  sons  said  of  one  of 
them  '  Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp,'  and  of  another  '  Issachar  is  a  strong 
ass  couching  dowTi  between  two  burdens  :  And  he  saw  that  rest  was 
good,  and  the  land  that  it  was  pleasant ;  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to 
bear,  and  became  a  servant  unto  tribute  '  (Gen.  xlix.  9,  14).  The  tribe 
of  Issachar  had  the  most  fertile  part  of  Palestine,  including  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  which  was  the  granary  of  the  country  ;  and  it  probably  paid 
tribute  of  com  and  other  produce  for  exemption  from  military  service. 
The  simile  of  the  '  strong  ass  couching  down  between  two  burdens '  may 
refer  to  the  contributions  which  Issachar  made  to  the  tribes  immediately 
north  and  south  of  it.  Issachar,  however,  was  not  devoid  of  patriotic 
passion  ;  on  the  contrary,  '  the  princes  of  Issachar  were  with  Deborah ' 
in  the  battle  against  Jabin,  when  others  '  abode  among  the  sheepfolds 
to  hear  the  bleatings  of  flocks.' — Judges  v.  15,  16. 

■•'  StadJles]  Spenser  (/".  Q.,  I.  vi.  14)  speaks  of  Old  Silvanus  'his 
weak  steps  governing  and  aged  limbs  on  cj-press  stadle  stout.'  Staddles 
are  items  of  young  trees  left  standing  m  a  copse  when  the  underwood  is 
cut. 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.  12  3 

gentlemen  be  too  many,  the  commons  will  be  base  ;  and 
you  will  bring  it  to  that,  that  not  the  hundred  poll '  will  be 
fit  for  a  helmet ;  especially  as  to  the  infantry,  which  is  the 
nerve  of  an  army  ;  and  so  there  will  be  great  population 
and  little  strength.  This  which  I  speak  of  hath  been  no 
where  better  seen  than  by  comparing  of  England  and 
France  ;  whereof  England,  though  far  less  in  territory  and 
population,  hath  been,  nevertheless,  an  overmatch ;  in 
regard  the  middle  people  of  England  make  good  soldiers, 
which  the  peasants  of  France  do  not.  And  herein  the 
device  of  king  Henry  the  Seventh  (whereof  I  have  spoken 
largely  in  the  history  of  his  life)  was  profound  and  admirable  ; 
in  making  farms  and  houses  of  husbandry  of  a  standard  j 
that  is,  maintained  with  such  a  proportion  of  land  unto 
them  as  may  breed  a  subject  to  live  in  convenient  plenty, 
and  no  servile  condition  ;  and  to  keep  the  plough  in  the 
hands  of  the  owners,  and  not  mere  hirelings.'  And  thus 
indeed  you  shall  attain  to  Virgil's  character,  which  he  gives 


'  The  hundred polt\  The  hundredth  poll  ;  one  head  in  a  hundred. 
So  we  ha.\t  Jifleetts  {ox fifteenths  where  Holinshed  says  that  Jack  Cade 
promised  the  people  'that  neither  fifteens  should  hereafter  be  demanded, 
nor  once  any  impositions  or  tax  should  be  spoken  of,' 

'■^  In  making  farms,  &^cj\  '  The  ordinance  was  :  That  all  houses  of 
husbandry  that  were  used  with  tiventy  acres  of  ground  and  upwards, 
shoidd  be  maintained  and  kept  up  for  ever  ;  together  'mtk  a  competent 
proportion  of  land  to  be  used  and  ocatpicd  idth  them.  By  this  means  the 
houses  being  kept  up,  did  of  necessity  enforce  a  dweller;  and  the  pro- 
portion of  land  for  occupation  being  kept  up,  did  of  necessity  enforce 
that  dweller  not  to  be  a  beggar  oi  cottager,  but  a  man  of  some  substance, 
that  might  keep  hinds  and  servants,  and  set  the  plough  on  going.  This 
did  wonderfully  concern  the  might  and  mannerhood  >  f  the  kingdom,  to 
have  farms  as  it  were  of  a  standard,  sufficient  to  maintain  an  able  body 
out  of  penury,  and  did  in  effect  amortise  a  great  part  of  the  lands  of  the 
kingdom  unto  the  hold  and  occupation  of  the  yeomanry,  or  mildlo 
people,  of  a  condition  between  gentlemen  and  cottagers  or  peasants.' 
Baco.n's  Henry  VII. 


1 24  Essays. 

to  ancient  Italy  :  Terra  potais  armis  atque  ubere  glebcB} 
Neither  is  that  state  (which,  for  anything  I  know,  is  almost 
peculiar  to  England,  and  hardly  to  be  found  anywhere  else, 
except  it  be,  perhaps,  in  Poland)  to  be  passed  over  :  I  mean 
the  state  of  free  servants  and  attendants  upon  noblemen 
and  gentlemen,  which  are  no  ways  inferior  unto  the  yeomanry 
for  arms.  And,  therefore,  out  of  all  question,  the  splendour, 
and  magnificence,  and  great  retinues,  and  hospitality  of 
noblemen  and  gentlemen  received  into  custom,  doth  much 
conduce  unto  martial  greatness :  whereas,  contrariwise,  the 
close  and  reserved  living  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
causeth  a  penury  of  military  forces. 

By  all  means  it  is  to  be  procured,  that  the  trunk  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar's tree'  of  monarchy  be  great  enough  to  bear  the 
branches  and  the  boughs  ;  that  is,  that  the  natural  subjects 
of  the  Crown  or  State  bear  a  sufficient  proportion  to  the 
stranger  subjects  that  they  govern.  Therefore  all  States  that 
are  liberal  of  naturalisation  towards  strangers  are  fit  for 
empire.  For  to  think  that  a  handful  of  people  can,  with 
the  greatest  courage  and  policy  in  the  world,  embrace  too 
large  extent  of  dominion,  it  may  hold  for  a  time,  but  it  will 
fail  suddenly.  The  Spartans  were  a  nice  ^people  in  point  of 
naturaUsation  ;  whereby,  while  they  kept  their  compass,* 
they  stood  firm ;  but  when  they  did  spread,  and  their 
boughs  were  become  too  great  for  their  stem,  they  became 
1  windfall  upon  the  sudden.  Never  any  State  was,  in  this 
point,  so  open  to  receive  strangers  into  their  body  as  were 
the   Romans  ;  therefore  it  sorted*  with  them  accordingly, 


'   Terra  potens,  &'c.^     yEn.  i.  535.     A   land   strong  in  soldiership 
and  in  fertility  of  soil. 

■•*  Nebtuhadnezzai^ s  tree\     Dan.  iv.  10. 

*  Nice\     Fastidious  ;  particular. 

*  Kept  their  compass\    Kept  their  proper  bounds.     "LaX^  Intra  parvot 
Hmites  dominati  sunt. 

»  Sorted\    Turned  out. 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.  1 25 

for  they  grew  to  the  greatest  monarchy.  Their  manner  was 
to  grant  naturaHsation  (which  they  called  jus  civitatis),  and 
to  grant  it  in  the  highest  degree,  that  is,  not  only  Jus 
commercii,  jus  cofinubii,  Jus  Juereditatis:  but  also ///J  suffragii, 
and  Jus  honorum  ;  and  this  not  to  singular  persons  alone, 
but  likewise  to  whole  families :  yea,  to  cities,  and  sometimes 
to  nations.  Add  to  this  their  custom  of  plantation'  of 
colonies,  whereby  the  Roman  plant  was  removed  into  the 
soil  of  other  nations  ;  and,  putting  both  constitutions  toge- 
ther, you  will  say,  that  it  was  not  the  Romans  that  spread 
upon  the  world,  but  it  was  the  world  that  spread  upon  the 
Romans ;  and  that  was  the  sure  way  of  greatness.  I  have 
marvelled  sometimes  at  Spain,  how  they  clasp  and  contain 
so  large  dominions  wth  so  few  natural  Spaniards  :  but  sure 
the  whole  compass  of  Spain  is  a  very  great  body  of  a  tree  ; 
far  above  Rome  and  Sparta  at  the  first.  And,  besides, 
though  they  have  not  had  that  usage  to  naturalise  liberally, 
yet  they  have  that  which  is  next  to  it,  that  is,  to  employ, 
almost  indifferently,  all  nations  in  their  militia  of  ordinary 
soldiers  ;  yea,  and  sometimes  in  their  highest  commands. 
Nay,  it  seemeth  at  this  instant,  they  are  sensible  of  this 
want  of  natives  ;  as  by  the  Pragmatical  Sanction,'  now 
published,  appeareth. 

It  is  certain,  that  sedentary  and  within-door  arts,  and 
delicate  manufactures  (that  require  rather  the  finger  than 
the  arm),  have  in  their  nature  a  contrariety  to  a  military 
disposition.  And  generally  all  warlike  people  are  a  little 
idle,  and  love  danger  better  than  travail :  neither  must  they 


'  Plantation]     Settlement 

*  The  Pragmatical  Sanction]  Pragmatic  Sanction  is  a  term  derived 
from  the  Byzantine  empire,  and  denotes  a  royal  or  legislative  ordinance 
relating  to  affairs  either  of  church  or  state.  The  Sanction  to  which 
Ba'^on  here  refers  was  issued  by  Philip  IV.  in  1622,  and,  according  to 
Ellis,  '  gave  certain  privileges  to  persons  who  married,  and  further 
immunities  to  those  who  had  six  children.' 


1 20  Essays. 

be  too  much  broken  of  it,  if  they  shall  be  preserved  in 
vigour.  Therefore  it  was  great  advantage  in  the  ancient 
States  of  Sparta,  Athens,  Rome,  and  others,  that  they  had 
the  use  of  slaves,  which  commonly  did  rid'  those  manufac- 
tures. But  that  is  abolished,  in  greatest  part,  by  the  Chris- 
tian law.  That  which  cometh  nearest  to  it  is,  to  leave  those 
arts  chiefly  to  strangers  (which,  for  that  purpose,  are  the 
more  easily  to  be  received),*  and  to  contain  the  principal 
bulk  of  the  vulgar  natives  wdthin  those  three  kinds  :  tillers 
of  the  ground,  free  servants,  and  handicraftsmen  of  strong 
and  manly  arts,  as  smiths,  masons,  carpenters,  &c.,  not 
reckoning  professed  soldiers. 

But,  above  all,  for  empire  and  greatness  it  iraporteth' 
most,  that  a  nation  do  profess  arms  as  their  principal  honour, 
study,  and  occupation.  For  the  things  which  we  formerly 
have  spoken  of  are  but  habilitations^  towards  arms  :  and 
what  is  habilitation  without  intention  and  act  ?  *  Romulus, 
after  his  death  (as  they  report  or  feign),  sent  a  present  to 
the  Romans,  that  above  all  they  should  intend^  arms,  and 
then  they  should  prove  the  greatest  empire  of  the  world. 
The  fabric  of  the  State  of  Sparta  was  wholly  (though  not 
wisely)  framed  and  composed  to  that  scope  and  end.  The 
Persians  and  Macedonians  had  it  for  a  flash.  The  Gauls, 
Germans,  Goths,  Saxons,  Normans,  and  others,  had  it  for  a 
time.     The   Turks   have   it   at  this   day,  though   in  great 


'  Rid\    Take  off ;  dispose  of ;  provide  for. 

^  Are  the  more  easily,  (Sr'c]  Ought  to  be  welcomed  with  the  greater 
readiness. 

*  ImportetK\     Signifies. 

*  ffabilttations]     Qualifications. 

*  Intention  and  art]  Direction  of  the  mind  towards  the  thmg,  and 
practice  of  it. 

'  Intend]  Prosecute.  North's  Plutarch  {Romulus)  relates  that 
Romulus  appeared  to  Proculus,  arr"  said  to  him,  '  Tell  the  Romans,  that 
they  exercising  prowess  and  temperancy  shall  be  the  mightiest  and 
greatest  people  of  the  world.' 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.  1 37 

declination.  Of  Christian  Europe  tliey  that  have  it  arc,  ia 
effect,  only  the  Spaniards.  But  it  is  so  plain,  that  every 
man  profiteth'  in  that  he  most  intendeth,'  that  it  needeth 
not  to  be  stood  upon  :  it  is  enough  to  point  at  it ;  that  no 
nation  which  doth  not  directly  profess  arms,  may  look  to 
have  greatness  fall  into  their  mouths.  And,  on  the  other 
side,  it  is  a  most  certain  oracle  of  time,'  that  those  States 
that  continue  long  in  that  profession  (as  the  Romans  and 
Turks  principally  have  done)  do  wonders  :  and  those  that 
have  professed  arms  but  for  an  age  have  notwithstanding 
commonly  attained  that  greatness  in  that  age  which  main- 
tained them  long  after,  when  their  profession  and  exercise 
of  arms  hath  grown  to  decay. 

Incident  to  this  point  is  for  a  State  to  have  those  laws  or 
customs  which  may  reach  forth  unto  them  just  occasions  (as 
may  be  pretended)  of  war.  For  there  is  that  justice  im- 
printed in  the  nature  of  men,  that  they  enter  not  upon  wars 
(whereof  so  many  calamities  do  ensue)  but  upon  some  at 
the  least  specious  grounds  and  quarrels.'*  The  Turk  hath 
at  hand,  for  cause  of  war,  tffe  propagation  of  his  law  or  sect, 
a  quarrel  that  he  may  always  command.  The  Romans, 
though  they  esteemed  the  extending  the  limits  of  their 
empire  to  be  great  honour  to  their  generals  when  it  was 
done,  yet  they  never  rested  upon  that  alone  to  begin  a 
war.  First,  therefore,  let  nations  that  pretend  to  greatness 
have  this,  that  they  be  sensible  of  wrongs,  either  upon  bor- 
derers, merchants,  or  politic  ministers  ;*  and  that  they  sit 


'  Profiteth^  Lat.  Proficere  maximl :  makes  greatest  pn^ress.  To 
profit  very  often  signified  to  make  progress  in  study.  In  this  sense, 
it  has  been  met  with  in  the  19th  Essay,  and  occurs  again  in  the  42nd. 
See  p.  75,  note  6. 

■^  Intemiethl     Bends  his  mind  to. 

*  Oracle  of  time]     Utterance  of  history. 

•  Quarrels]     Causes.     See  p.  30,  note  3. 

'  Politic  ministers]     Lat.  Publicis  ministris. 


128  Essays. 

not  too  long  upon  a  provocation.  Secondly,  let  them  be 
prest*  and  ready  to  give  aids  and  succours  to  their  con- 
federates ;  as  it  ever  was  with  the  Romans  :  insomuch,  as  il^ 
the  confederates  had  leagues  defensive  with  divers  other 
States,  and,  upon  invasion  offered,  did  implore  their  aids 
severally,  yet  the  Romans  would  ever  be  the  foremost,  and 
leave  it  to  none  other  to  have  the  honour.  As  for  the  wars 
which  were  anciently  made  on  the  behalf  of  a  kind  of  party, 
or  tacit  conformity  of  Estate,^  I  do  not  see  how  they  may  be 
well  justified  :  as  when  the  Romans  made  a  war  for  the 
liberty  of  Grsecia,  or  when  the  Lacedaemonians  and  Athenians 
made  wars  to  set  up  or  pull  down  democracies  and  oligar- 
chies :  or  when  wars  were  made  by  foreigners,  under  the 
pretence  of  justice  or  protection,  to  deliver  the  subjects  of 
others  from  tyranny  and  oppression,  and  the  like.  Let  it 
suffice,  that  no  Estate  expect  to  be  great,  that  is  not  awake 
upon  any  just  occasion  of  arming. 

No  body  can  be  healthful  without  exercise,  neither  natural 
body  nor  politic  :  and,  certainly,  to  a  Kingdom  or  Estate  a 
just  and  honourable  war  is  the*true  exercise.  A  civil  war, 
indeed,  is  like  the  heat  of  a  fever ;  but  a  foreign  war  is  like 
the  heat  of  exercise,  and  serveth  to  keep  the  body  in  heaitli ; 
for,  in  a  slothful  peace,  both  courages  will  effeminate  and 
manners  corrupt;  but  howsoever  it  be  for  happiness,  without 
all  question  for  greatness,  it  maketh*  to  be  still*  for  the 


'  Prest'X  Prompt;  alert.  Old  Yx.  prest,  L.ai.  prasfm,  raidy.  So  in 
Shakspeare's  Merch  of  Ven.  i.  i,  'I  am prest unto  it ; '  and  in  Spenser s 
F.  Q.  II.  viii.  28,  '  To  prolong  the  vengeance  prest ; '  IV.  iii.  2.i, 
*  Who  him  affronting  soon,  to  fight  was  ready  prest. '  See  p.  i  ^^, 
note  I. 

»  j4i  if]     That  if. 

•  On  tke  behalf,  &'c.'\  "L^X.  Propter  Statmim  conformitatem  qitathlam, 
atU  correspondentiam  tacitam. 

*  It  makcth\     It  is  of  advantage. 
»  StU[\     Ev;r. 


Of  Kingdoms  and  Estates.  1 2  9 

most  part  in  arms :  and  the  strength  of  a  veteran  amiy 
(though  it  be  a  chargeable  business)  always  on  foot,'  is  that 
which  commonly  giveth  the  law,  or,  at  least,  the  reputation 
amongst  all  neighbour  States  ;  as  may  be  well  seen  in  Spain, 
rhich  hath  had,  in  one  part  or  other,  a  veteran  army  almost 
continually,  now  by  the  space  of  six  score  years. 

To  be  master  of  the  sea  is  an  abridgment  of  a  monarchy.* 
(  icero,  writing  to  Atticus  of  Pompey  his  preparation  '  against 
("aesar,  saith,  Consilium  Pompeii  plane  Themistocleum  est  : 
putat  enim,  qui  mari  potitur,  eunt  rerum  potiri ;*  and,  with- 
out doubt,  Pompey  had  tired  out  Caesar,  if  upon  vain  con- 
fidence he  had  not  left'  that  way.  We  see  the  great  effects 
of  battles  by  sea.  The  battle  of  Actium^  decided  the  empire 
of  the  world.  The  battle  of  Lepanto''  arrested  the  greatness 
of  the  Turk.  There  be  many  examples  where  sea-fights 
have  been  final  to  the  war :  but  this  is  when  Princes  or 


'  Onfoot\     Maintained  in  readiness.     Lat.  Sub  vexillis. 

"  An  abridgment  of  a  monarchy]     An  epitome  of  sovereignty. 

*  His  preparation]     Seep.  79,  note  I. 

*  Consilium  Pompeii,  &'c.'\  Ad.  Att.  x.  8.  Pompey's  plan  is  evi 
(lently  that  of  Themistocles,  for  he  imagines  that  whoever  is  master  ol 
the  sea  is  lord  of  everything.  North's  I'iuiarch  states  that  Themistocles 
'  won  the  citizens  by  degrees  to  bend  their  force  to  sea,  declaring  unto 
them  how  by  land  they  were  scant  able  to  make  head  against  their 
e([uals,  whereas  by  their  power  at  sea  they  should  not  only  defend 
themselves  from  the  barbarous  people,  but  moreover  be  able  to  com- 
mand all  Greece.'  {Themistocles.) 

'  Left]     Left  off. 

*  Actium]  A  promontory  of  Epirus,  near  which  Octavius  (afterwards 
the  emperor  Augustus)  defeated  Antony,  B.C.  31. 

*  0/  Lepanto]  Lat.  Ad  Insulas  Cursolares.  The  battle  of  Lepanto  is 
often  called  by  Italian  writers  the  battle  of  the  Curzolari ;  the  Christian 
fleet,  under  Don  John  of  Austria,  being  stationed  near  these  small 
islands,  in  the  Gulf  of  Patras,  when  met  by  the  Turkish  fleet  from  the 
Gulf  of  Lepanto.  The  defeat  of  the  Turks  in  this  battle  ^  1571 J  de- 
Btiojed  completely  their  ascendancy  in  the  Mediterranean. 

K 


1 30  Essays. 

States  have  set  up  their  rest  upon  the  battles.'  But  thus 
much  is  certain,  that  he  that  commands  the  sea  is  at  great 
Hberty,  and  may  take  as  much  and  as  Httle  of  the  war  as  he 
will.  Whereas  those  that  be  strongest  by  land  are  many 
limes,  nevertheless,  in  great  straits.  Surely,  at  this  day, 
with  us  of  Europe,  the  vantage  of  strength  at  sea  (which  is 
one  of  the  principal  dowries  of  this  kingdom  of  Great 
Britain)  is  great  ;  both  because  most  of  the  kingdoms  of 
Europe  are  not  merely  *  inland,  but  girt  with  the  sea  most 
part  of  their  compass  ;3  and  because  the  wealth  of  both 
Indies  seems,  in  great  part,  but  an  accessary  to  the  command 
of  the  seas. 

The  wars  of  latter  ages  seem  to  be  made  in  the  dark,  in 
respect  of  the  glory  and  honour  which  reflected  upon  men 
from  the  wars  in  ancient  time.  There  be  now,  for  martial 
encouragement,  some  degrees  and  orders  of  chivalry,  which, 
nevertheless,  are  conferred  promiscuously  upon  soldiers  and 
no  soldiers  ;  and  some  remembrance,  perhaps,  upon  the 
scutcheon,  and  some  hospitals  for  maimed  soldiers,  and 
such  like  things.     But  in  ancient  times,  the  trophies  erected 


'  When  Pritices  or  States,  &^c.]  Lat.  Cum  ahit  hujiismodi  praeliontm 
totius  belli  fortuna  commissa  est :  when  the  fortune  of  the  whole  war 
lias  been  staked  on  the  chance  of  this  kind  of  warfare.  Setting  up  one's 
rest  was  language  of  the  gaming  table,  meaning  the  staking  of  all  one's 
rest—  that  is,  remaining  money — on  the  chances  of  the  game.  Hence  it 
was  applied  to  denote  coming  to  a  final  detennination  how  to  act  in 
any  crisis.  Thus  in  Botero's  Relations  of  the  World,  ii. ,  'The  king 
thought  it  no  policy  to  play  all  his  rest  at  once_,  where  he  might  have 
lost  more  in  one  game  than  he  had  got  in  eight  years  ; '  Montaigne's 
Essays  (Cotton's  Translation),  ii.  17^  '1  find  my  mind  more  put  to  it 
to  undergo  the  various  troubling  and  toesiog  of  doubt  and  consultation, 
than  to  set  up  its  rest,  and  to  acq;iiesce  in  whatever  shall  happen  after 
the  die  is  thrown.'  Shakspeace  now  aud  then  plays  with  the  expression  : 
as  in  the  Merch.  of  Ven.  ii.  2,  'I  have  set  up  my  rest  to  run  away.' 
The  phrase  was  borrowed  from  the  French, /<?««'  de  son  reste. 

*  Merel}'\     Entirely  ;  absolutely. 

•  ComjHiss}     Boundary,  or  circuit. 


Of  Kiu<zdoms  and  Estates.  1 3 1 

upon  the  place  of  the  victory,  the  funeral  laudatives'  ind 
monuments  for  those  that  died  in  the  wars,  the  crowns  and 
garlands  personal,  the  style  of  Emperor '  which  the  great 
kings  of  the  world  after  borrowed,  the  triumphs  of  the 
generals  upon  their  return,  the  great  donatives  and  largesses^ 
upon  the  disbanding  of  the  armies,  were  things  able  to 
inflame  all  men's  courages  ;  but,  above  all,  that  of  the 
triumph  amongst  the  Romans  was  not  pageants,  or  gaudery, 
but  one  of  the  wisest  and  noblest  institutions  that  ever  was. 
Foi  it  contained  three  things  ;  honour  to  the  general,  riches 
to  the  treasury  out  of  the  spoils,  and  donatives  to  the  army. 
Ijut  that  honour,  perhaps,  were  not  fit  for  Monarchies ; 
except  it  be  in  the  person  of  the  Monarch  himself  or  his 
sons  ;  as  it  came  to  pass  in  the  times  of  the  Roman 
Emperors,  who  did  impropriate*  the  actual  triumphs  to 
themselves  and  their  sons,  for  such  wars  aS'  they  did  achieve 
in  person  ;  and  left  only  for  wars  achieved  by  subjects  some 
triumphal  garments  and  ensigns  tothe  general. 

To  conclude  :  No  man  can  by  eare-taking  (as  the  Scrip- 
ture saith)  add  a  cubit  to  his  stature,*  in  this  little  model** 
of  a  man's  body  ;  but  in  the  greal  frame  of  Kingdoms  and 
Commonwealths,  it  is  in  the  power  of  Princes,  or  Estates,  to 
add  amplitude  and  greatness  to  their  Kingdoms.  For  by 
introducing  such  ordinances,  constitutions,  and  customs  as 
we  have  now  touched,  they  may  sow  greatness  to  their 
posterity  and  succession.  But  these  things  are  coTimonly 
not  observed,  but  left  to  take  their  chance. 


•  Laudatives\     Laudatory  orations  ;  panegyrics. 

'  Emperoi-]  Imperator  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  general,  or  com- 
mander, was  put  after  the  name  ;  when  adopted  as  the  style  of  a 
sovereign,  it  was  a  praenomen. — Suetonius,  yul.  C(es,  76. 

'  Donatives  and  largesses]     Gifts  and  bounties.     .SV^  p.  133,  note  I. 

*  Impropriate]  Appropriate.  The  word  now  means,  to  place  the 
profits  of  ecclesiastical  property  in  the  hands  of  a  layman. 

*  No  man  can,  &"€.]     Matth.  vi.  27. 

•  IMtle  model]    Little  measure  or  frame  ;  microcosm. 

K2 


132  Essays. 


XXX.    OF  REGIMEN  OF  HEALTH. 

There  is  a  wisdom  in  this  beyond  the  rules  of  physic  :  a 
man's  own  observation,  what'  he  finds  good  of,  and  what  he 
finds  hurt  of,  is  the  best  physic  to  preserve  health.  But  it 
is  a  safer  conclusion  to  say,  This  agreeth  not  well  with  me, 
therefore  I  will  not  continue  it ;  than  this,  I  find  no  offence 
of  this,  therefore  I  may  use  it  For  strength  of  nature  in 
youth'  passeth  over  many  excesses  which  are  owing  a  man  "^ 
till  his  age.  Discern  of  the  coming  on  of  years,  and  think 
not  to  do  the  same  things  still  ;*  for  age  will  not  be  defied. 
Beware  of  sudden  change  in  any  great  point  of  diet,  and,  if 
necessity  enforce  it,  fit  the  rest  to  it ;  for  it  is  a  secret  both 
in  nature  and  State,  that  it  is  safer  to  change  many  things 
than  one.  Examine  thy  customs  of  diet,  sleep,  exercise, 
apparel,  and  the  like  ;  and  try,  in  anything  thou  shalt  judge 
hurtful,  to  discontinue  it  by  little  and  little  ;  but  so  as,-^  if  thoi- 
dost  find  any  inconvenience  by  the  change,  thou  come  bad 
to  it  again ;  for  it  is  hard  to  distinguish  that  which  is 
generally  held  good  and  wholesome  from  that  which  is  good 
particularly,  and  fit  for  thine  own  body.  To  be  free-minded  ^ 
and  cheerfully-disposed  at  hours  of  meat  ^  and  of  sleep,  and 
of  exercise,  is  one  of  the  best  precepts  of  long-lasting.*  As 
for   the   passions   and   studies  of  the  mind  :    avo'd  envy, 


'  Observation  what^  Observing  what ;  observation  as  to  what.  .Sis' 
p.  134,  note  8. 

-  Are  owing  a  man\  Are  not  paid  to  a  man ;  do  not  produce  sensible 
effects  on  a  man. 

'  Discern  oj]     Have  a  discreet  consideration  of. 

*  Sti/I]     Always.     Anciently  the  usual  meaning. 
»  As]     That. 

*  Free-minded]    Void  of  anxiety.     Lat.  Vacuo  animo. 

'  Meai\  This  term  is  still  used  in  the  north  to  denote  food  in 
general. 

*  0/ hng-lasting]     Concerning  the  prolongation  of  life, 


Of  Regimen  of  Health.  1 3  3 

anxious  fears,  anger  fretting  inwards,  subtle  and  knotty 
inquisitions,  joys  and  exhilarations  in  excess,  sadness  not 
■:ommunicated.  Entertain  hopes,  mirth  rather  than  joy, 
.'ariety  of  delights  rather  than  surfeit  of  them  ;  wonder  and 
admiration,'  and  therefore  novelties  ;  studies  that  fill  the 
mind  with  splendid  and  illustrious  objects,  as  histories, 
fables,  and  contemplations  of  nature.  If  you  fly  physic  in 
health  altogether,  it  will  be  too  strange  for  your  body  when 
you  shall  need  it.  If  you  make  it  too  familiar,  it  will  work 
no  extraordinary  effect  when  sickness  cometh.  I  commend 
rather  some  diet  for  certain  seasons,  than  frequent  use  of 
physio,  except  it  be  grown  into  a  custom ;  for  those  diets 
alter  the  body  more,  and  trouble  it  less.  Despise  no  new 
accident  in  your  body,  but  ask  opinion  of  it.  In  sickness, 
respect  health  principally,  and  in  health,  action ;  for  those 
that  put  their  bodies  to  endure  in  health,  may,  in  most 
sicknesses  which  are  not  very  sharp,  be  cured  only  with  diet 
and  tendering.'  Celsus'  could  never  have  spoken  it  as  a 
physician,  had  he  not  been  a  wise  man  withal,  when  he 
giveth  it  for  one  of  the  great  precepts  of  health  and  lasting, 
that  a  man  do  vary  and  interchange  contraries ;  but  with 
an  inclination  to  the  more  benign  extreme:  use*  fasting  and 
full  eating,  but  rather  full  eating ;  watching  and  slet^p,  but 
rather  sleep  ;  sitting  and  exercise,  but  rather  exercise ;  and 
the  like  :  so  shall  nature  be  cherished,  and  yet  taught  mas- 
teries.    Physicians  are  some  of  them  so  pleasing  and  con- 


'  Wonder  and  admiration^  Bacon  often  couples  synonymes  in  this 
way.  Tlius,  in  the  29th  Essay,  '  Prest  and  ready;'  'Donatives  and 
largesses.'  So  in  the  Prayer  Book,  'Assemble  and  meet  together,'  &c. 
1  n  such  instances  the  words  are  generally  from  different  languages,  and 
one  is  intended  to  interpret  the  o>her. 

-'  Tcndering\     Nursing.     \jx\.  Corporis  regintine paulo  exijuisitiore. 

'  Celsus\  A  Latin  physician,  who  lived  about  the  time  of  Augustus. 
The  quotation  following  is  from  his  treatise  /Df  Alediciiid,  i.  i. 

*  Use]     Pmctise- 


1 34  Essays. 

tbrmable  to  the  humour  of  the  patient,  as'  they  press  not 
the  tnie  cure  of  the  disease  ;  and  some  other  are  so  regular 
in  proceeding  according  to  art  for  the  disease,  as  they  respect 
not  sufficiently  the  condition  of  the  patient.  Take  one  of  a 
middle  temper;  or,  if  it  may  not  be  found  in  one  man, 
combine  two  of  either  sort  ;2  and  forget  not  to  call  as  well 
the  best  acquainted  with  your  body,  as  the  best  reputed  of 
for  his  faculty.^ 


XXXI.   OF  SUSPICION. 

Suspicions,  amongst*  thoughts,  are  like  bats,  amongst 
birds ;  they  ever  fly  by  twilight.  Certainly  they  are  to  be 
repressed,  or  at  the  least  well  guarded  ;  for  they  cloud  the 
mind,  they  leese'  friends,  and  they  check ^  with  business, 
whereby  business  cannot  go  on  currently  and  constantly. 
They  dispose  kings  to  tyranny,  husbands  to  jealousy,  wise 
men  to  irresolution  and  melancholy.  They  are  defects,  not 
in  the  heart,  but  in  the  brain,  for  they  take  place  in  the 
stoutest^  natures:  as  in  the  example  of  Henry  the  Seventh  of 
England;  there  was  not  a  more  suspicious  man  nor  a  more 
stout :  and  in  such  a  composition  they  do  small  hurt.  For 
commonly  they  are  not  admitted  but  with  examination 
whether  they  be*  likely^  or  no  ;  but  in  fearful  natures  they 

»  As\    That. 

^  Two  of  either  sort]  This  should  be  One  of  either  sort — that  is,  one 
of  each  sort.  Compare  John  xix.  i8,  'Two  other  with  him,  on  either 
side  one.' 

'  Ilis  faculty]     Lat.  Arte  sud. 

*  Amongst]     As  a  kind  of. 

*  Leese]     Lose.     See^.  8i,  note  4. 

**  Check]     Interfere.     See  p.  40,  note  2. 
'  Stoutest]     Boldest. 

'  WJuther  they  he,  ^'c]  As  to  whether,  &c.  This  clause  forms  an 
objective  of  respect  to  the  noun  examination.     See  p.  132,  note  I. 

*  Likely]    Probably  just. 


Of  Suspicion.  1 3  5 

gain  ground  too  fast.  There  is  nothing  makes  a  man  suspect 
much,  more  than  to  know  Httle ;  and,  therefore,  men  should 
remedy  suspicion  by  procuring  to  know  more,  and  not  to 
keep  their  suspicions  in  smother.  What  would  men  have  ? 
Do  they  think  those  they  employ  and  deal  with  are  saints  ? 
Do  they  not  think  they  will  have  their  own  ends,  and  be 
truer  to  themselves  than  to  them  ?  Therefore  there  is  no 
better  way  to  moderate  suspicions,  than  to  account  upon 
such  suspicions  as  true,  and  yet  to  bridle  them  as  false  :  for 
so  far  a  man  ought  to  make  use  of  suspicions  as  to  provide, 
ds  if  that  should  be  true  that  he  suspects,  yet  it  may  do  him 
no  hurt.  Suspicions  that  the  mind  of  itself  gathers  are  but 
buzzes  ;  but  suspicions  that  are  artificially*  nourished, 
and  put  into  men's  heads  by  the  tales  and  whisperings  of 
others,  have  stings.  Certainly,  the  best  mean  tr>  clear  the 
way  in  this  same  wood  of  suspicions,  is  frankly  to  communi- 
cate them  with  the  party  tliat  he  suspects  ;  for  thereby  he 
shall  be  sure  to  know  more  of  the  truth  of  them  than  he  did 
before;  and  withal  shall  make  that  party  more  circumspect, 
not  to  give  further  cause  of  suspicion  ;  but  this  would  not 
be^  done  to  men  of  base  natures  ;  for  they,  if  they  find 
themselves  once  suspected,  will  never  be  true.  The  Italian 
says,  Sospetto  licentia  fcde,*  as  if  suspicion  did  give  a  pass- 
port to  faith ;  but  it  ought  rather  to  kindle  it  to  discharge 
itself.' 


'  As  if'\     That  in  case. 

*  Artificially^     Lat.  Externa  artificio. 

'  WmUd  not  be\  Ought  not  to  be.  6"«  p.  17,  note  2,  and  p.  92, 
note  2. 

*  Sospetto  licentia  fede]     Suspicion  dischai^es  fidelity. 

*  To  kindle  it,  &'c.'\  To  incite  fidelity  to  discharge  suspicion.  Kindlt 
in  the  sense  of  incite  occurs  in  Shakspeare,  As  You  Like  It,  i.  2,  •  No- 
thing  remains,  but  that  I  kindle  tlie  boy  thither ; '  compare  Macbeth^ 
L  3,  '  That,  trusted  home,  might  yet  enkindle  you  urto  the  crown. 


f  36  Essays. 

XXXII.    OF  DISCOURSE. 

Some  in  their  discourse  desire  rather  commendation  of 
wit,  in  being  able  to  hold '  all  arguments,  than  of  judgment 
in  discerning  what  is  true  ;  as  if  it  were  a  praise  to  know 
what  might  be  said,  and  not  what  should  be  thought.  Some 
have  certain  common-places*  and  themes,  wherein  they  are 
good,  and  want  variety  ;'  which  kind  of  poverty  is  for  the 
most  part  tedious,  and  when  it  is  once  perceived,  ridiculous. 
The  honourablest  part  of  talk  is  to  give  the  occasion  ;*  and 
again  to  moderate*  and  pass  to  somewhat  else  ;  for  then  a 
man  leads  the  dance.  It  is  good  in  discourse  and  speech 
of  conversation,  to  vary  and  intermingle  speech  of  the 
present  occasion  with  arguments  ;  tales  with  reason  ;  asking 
of  questions  with  teUing  of  opinions  ;  and  jest  with  earnest  : 
for  it  is  a  dull  thing  to  tire,  and,  as  we  say  now,  to  jade 
anything  too  far.  As  for  jest,  there  be  certain  things  which 
ought  to  be  privileged  from  it ;  namely,  religion,  matters 
of  State,  great  persons,  any  man's  present  business  of  impor- 
tance, and  any  case  that  deserveth  pity.  Yet  there  be  some 
that  think  their  wits  have  been  asleep,  except  they  dart  out 
somewhat  that  is  piquant,  and  to  the  quick  ;  that  is  a  veiu 
which  would  be  bridled.^ 

Parce,  puer,  stimulis,  et  fortius  utere  loris.* 

'   To  Aold]    To  maintain. 

*  Common-places\  Loci  communes  are  memorandums  of  common 
topics  or  sources  of  ailment,  as  laid  down  by  the  ancient  rhetoricians 
to  serve  for  all  occasions  of  discourse. 

'  Want  varuty\     Lat.  Catera  sUriles  et  jejuni. 

*  To  give  the  occasion]  Lat  Ansam  sermonis  prahere.  See  p.  30, 
note  3. 

*  To  moderate]     To  restrain,  or  temper  down. 

*  A  vein,  d^c]  A  humour  which  requires  to  be  kept  in  check.  See 
p.  2,  note  I,  and  p.  135,  note  3. 

'  Parce,  puer,  dr'f.]  Ovid,  Met.  ii.  1 2  7.  Be  sparing,  imy -son,  in 
the  use  of  the  whip,  and  hold  the  rein&  tightly. 


Of  Discourse.  1 3  7 

And,  generally,  men  ought  to  find  the  difference  between 
saltness  and  bitterness.  Certainly,  he  that  hath  a  satirical 
vein,  as  he  maketh  others  afraid  of  his  wit,  so  he  had  need 
be  afraid  of  others'  memory.  He  that  questioneth  much 
shall  learn  much,  and  content  much  ; '  but  especially  if  he 
apply  his  questions  to  the  skill  of  the  persons  whom  he 
isketh ;  for  he  shall  give  them  occasion  to  please  them- 
selves in  speaking,  and  himself  shall  continually  gather 
knowledge.  But  let  his  questions  not  be  troublesome,  for 
that  is  fit  for  a  poser ;  and  let  him  be  sure  to  leave  other 
men  their  turns  to  speak.  Nay,  if  there  be  any  that  would 
reign  and  take  up  all  the  time,  let  him  find  means  to  take 
them  off,  and  to  bring  others  on :  as  musicians  use  to  do 
with  those  that  dance  too  long  galliards.^  If  you  dissemble 
sometimes  your  knowledge  of  that  you  are  thought  to  know, 
you  shall  be  thought  another  time  to  know  that  you  know 
not  Speech  of  a  man's  self  ought  to  be  seldom,  and  well 
chosen.  I  knew  one  was  wont  to  say  in  scorn,  he  must 
needs  be  a  wise  man,  he  speaks  so  much  of  himself  \  and  there 
is  but  one  case  wherein  a  man  may  commend  himself  with 
good  grace,  and  that  is  in  commending  virtue  in  another ; 
especially  if  it  be  such  a  virtue  whereunto  himself  pretendeth. 
Speech  of  touch  towards  *  others  should  be  sparingly  used ; 
for  discourse  ought  to  be  as  a  field,  without  coming  home 
to  any  man.  I  knew  two  noblemen,  of  the  west  part  of 
England,  whereof  the  one  was  given  to  scoff,  but  kept  ever 
royal  cheer  in  his  house  ;  the  other  would  ask  of  those  that 
had  been  at  the  other's  table,  '  Tell  truly,  was  there  never  a 
flout   or   dry  blow^  given?'     To  which   the   guest  would 


'  Content  much]     Please  in  many  cases. 

'  Galliards]     The  light,  active  dance  so  called  was  much  in  fashioa 
in  Bacon's  time.     Fr.  gaillard,  brisk,  merry. 
'  Of  touch  towards^     Aiming  to  hit. 
'  Dry  blow]     Scoffing  hit.     To  dry-beat  was  to  beat  with  a  cane,  or 


138  Essays. 

answer,  'Such  and  such  a  thing  passed.'  The  lord  would 
say,  '  I  thought  he  would  mar  a  good  dinner,'  Discretion 
of  speech  is  more  than  eloquence  ;  and  to  speak  agreeably ' 
to  him  with  whom  we  deal,  is  more  than  to  speak  in  good 
words,  or  in  good  order.  A  good  continiied  speech,  without 
a  good  speech  of  interlocution,  shows  slowness ;  and  a  good 
reply,  or  second  speech,  without  a  good  settled  speech, 
showeth  shallowness  and  weakness.  As  we  see  in  beasts, 
that  those  that  are  weakest  in  the  course,  are  yet  nimblest 
in  the  turn  ;  as  it  is  betwixt  the  greyhound  and  the  hare.  To 
use  too  many  circumstances,^  ere  one  come  to  the  matter,  is 
wearisome  :  to  use  none  at  all  is  blunt.^ 


XXXIII.    OF  PLANTATIONS. 

Plantations*  are  amongst  ancient,  primitive,  and  hercical 
works.  When  the  world  was  young  it  begat  more  children  ; 
but  now  it  is  old  it  begets  fewer :  for  I  may  justly  account 
new  plantations  to  be  the  children  of  former  kingdoms,  I 
like  a  plantation  in  a  pure*'  soil  ;  that  is,  where  people  arc 
not  displanted  to  the  end  to  plant  in  others.  For  else  it  is 
rather  an  extirpation  than  a  plantation.     Planting  of  coun- 


other  instrument  not  designed  to  shed  blood ;  hence  also  to  attack  in 
word-play,  wit-fence,  or  scurrility.  In  Shakspeare's  Com.  of  Err.  ii. 
2.  Dromio  deprecates  'another  dry  basting  ;'  in  Rom.  and  Jul.  iv.  5, 
Peter  says,  '  Then  have  at  you  with  my  wit  :  I  will  dry-beat  you  with 
an  iron  wit,  and  put  up  my  iron  dagger  ; '  and  in  Love's  Lab.  Lost,  v.  2, 
we  have  '  All  dry-beaten  with  pure  scoff.' 

'  Agreeably\     In  such  a  way  as  is  adapted. 

■-'  Circumstatues\     Circumstantial  details. 

»  Blunt\     Abrupt, 

*  Plantatiotis]     Colonies. 

*  Pure\    Clear ;  free  ;  unoccupied.     Compare  the  meaning  of  jmr- 
luu. 


Of  Plantations.  139 

tries  is  like  planting  of  woods  ;  for  you  must  make  account 
to  leese'  almost  twenty  years'  profit,  and  expect  your  recom- 
pense in  the  end.  For  the  principal  thing  that  hath  been 
the  destruction  of  most  plantations  hath  been  the  base  and 
hasty  drawing  of  profit  in  the  first  years.  It  is  true,  speedy 
I)rofit  is  not  to  be  neglected,  as  far  as  may  stand  with  the 
good  of  the  plantation,  but  no  farther.  It  is  a  shameful  and 
unblessed  thing  to  take  the  scum  of  people  and  wicked 
tondemned  men,  to  be  the  people  with  whom  you  plant ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  it  spoileth  the  plantation ;  for  they  will 
ever  live  like  rogues,  and  not  fall  to  work,  but  be  lazy,  and 
do  mischief,  and  spend  victuals,  and  be  quickly  weary,  and 
then  certify'  over  to  their  country  to  the  discredit  of  the 
plantation.  The  people  wherewith  you  plant  ought  to  be 
gardeners,  ploughmen,  labourers,  smiths,  carpenters,  joiners, 
fishermen,  fowlers,  with  some  few  apothecaries,  surgeons, 
cooks,  and  bakers.  In  a  country  of  plantation,  first  look 
about  what  kind  of  victual  the  country  yields  of  itself  to 
hand  :  as  chesnuts,  walnuts,  pine-apples,  olives,  dates, 
jjlums,  cherries,  wild  honey,  and  the  like,  and  make  use  of 
them.  Then  consider  what  victual,  or  esculent  things  there 
are,  which  grow  speedily,  and  within  the  year ;  as  parsnips, 
carrots,  turnips,  onions,  radish,  artichokes  of  Jerusalem,' 
maize,  and  the  like.  For  wheat,  barley,  and  oats,  they  ask* 
too  much  labour  :  but  with  pease  and  beans  you  may  begin  ; 
both  because  they  ask  less  labour,  and  because  they  serve 
for  meat  as  well  as  for  bread.  And  of  rice  likewise  cometh 
a  great  increase,  and  it  is  a  kind  of  meat.     Above  all,  there 


'    To  leese]     To  lose.     See  p.  8i,  note  4. 
-  Certify]     Send  reports. 

*  Artichokes  of  yerusalem]  The  original  name,  ot  which  this  is  a 
corruption,  is  girasole  artichokes,  from  the  Ital.  girasole,  the  sunflower  : 
prare  signifying  to  turn,  and  soie  the  sun. 

♦  Ask]    Require.     See  f.  11,  note  5. 


140  Essays. 

ought  to  be  brought  store  of  biscuit,'  oatmeal,  flour,  meal* 
and  the  like,  in  the  beginning,  til'  bread  may  be  had.  For 
beasts  or  birds,  take  chiefly  such  as  are  least  subject  to 
diseases,  and  multiply  fastest :  as  swine,  goats,  cocks,  hens, 
turkeys,  geese,  house-doves,  and  the  like.  The  victual  in 
plantations  ought  to  be  expended  almost  as  in  a  besieged 
town ;  that  is,  with  certain  allowance.  And  let  the  main 
part  of  the  ground  employed  to  gardens  or  com  be  to  a 
common  stock  ;  and  to  be  laid  in,  and  stored  up,  and  then 
delivered  out  in  proportion  ;  besides  some  spots  of  ground 
that  any  particular  person  will  manure  for  his  own  private.^ 
Consider  likewise,  what  commodities  the  soil  where  the 
plantation  is  doth  naturally  yield,  that  they  may  some  way 
help  to  defray  the  charge  of  the  plantation  :  so  it  be  not,  as 
was  said,  to  the  untimely  prejudice  of  the  main  business :  as 
it  hath  fared  with  tobacco  in  Virginia.*  Wood  commonly 
aboundeth  but  too  much ;  and  therefore  timber  is  fit  to  be 
one.  If  there  be  iron  ure,**  and  streams  whereupon  to  set 
the  mills,  iron  is  a  brave®  commodity  where  wood  aboundeth. 


'  Biscui'f]      Lat.   Pants  biscocti :  bread   that  is  twice  baked.     Our 
word  is  from  the  French  cuire  {aufour),  to  bake. 
■^  Meal]     Lat.  Farina  omnigence. 

*  Manure  for  his  own  private]  Private  was  often  used  to  denote 
private  business  or  privacy  in  Bacon's  time.  Thus  in  Shakspeare,  A'. 
John,  iv.  3,  '  Whose  private  with  me,  of  the  Dauphin's  love,'  &c.  ;  and 
Tw.  Night,  iii.  4,  'Let  me  enjoy  my  private.'  To  manure,  from  the 
Fr.  manoeuvrer,  literally,  to  work  with  the  hand,  signified  to  till  or  cul- 
tivate ground  by  any  kind  of  husbandry.  Milton,  P.  L.  iv.  62,  applies 
it,  in  an  unusual  way,  to  the  work  of  pruning  trees. 

*  As  it  hath  fared,  &'c.'\  Tobacco  was  the  chief  thing  cultivated  by 
the  early  colonists  in  Virginia,  because  of  better  wages  being  obtained 
from  this  than  from  any  other  source  of  industry. 

*  Ure\  Ore.  The  edition  of  1625,  m  which  this  Essay  first  appeared, 
is  carefully  printed ;  but  I  have  never  met  with  ure  for  are  anywhere 
else. 

*  Brave'\    Giand. 


Of  Plantations.  141 

Making  of  bay  salt,  if  the  climate  be  proper  for  it,  would  be 
put  in  experience.'  Growing  silk,'  likewise,  if  any  be,  is  a 
likely*  commodity :  pitch  and  tar,  where  store  of  firs  and 
l)ines  are,  will  not  fail.  So  drugs  and  sweet  woods,  where 
tliey  are,  cannot  but  yield  great  profit.  Soap  ashes,  like- 
wise, and  other  things  that  may  be  thought  of.  But  moil 
not  too  much  under  ground  ;  for  the  hope  of  mines  is  very 
uncertain,  and  useth  to  make  the  planters  lazy  in  other 
things.  For  government,  let  it  be  in  the  hands  of  one, 
assisted  with  some  counsel :  and  let  them  have  commission 
to  exercise  martial  laws,  with  some  limitation.  And.  above 
all,  let  men  make  that  profit  of  being  in  the  wilderness,  as* 
they  have  God  always  and  His  service  before  their  eyes. 
Let  not  the  government  of  the  plantation  depend  upon  too 
many  counsellors  and  undertakers  in  the  country  that 
})lanteth,*  but  upon  a  temperate  number;  and  let  those  be 
rather  noblemen  and  gentlemen  than  merchants :  for  they 
look  ever  to  the  present  gain.  Let  there  be  freedoms  from 
custom,^  till  the  plantation  be  of  strength  ;  and  not  only 
freedom  from  custom,  but  freedom  to  carry  their  commo- 
dities where  they  may  make  their  best  of  them,  except  there 
be  some  special  cause  of  caution.  Cram  not  in  people  by 
sending  too  fast  company  after  company ;  but  rather 
hearken''  how  they  waste,  and  send  supplies  proportionably; 
but  so  as  the  number  may  live  well  in  the  plantation,  and 
not  by  surcharge  be  in  penury.     It  hath  been  a  great  en- 


'  iVoidd  be,  &'c.'\     Ought  to  be  tried.     See  ^.  135,  note  3. 
■'  Grmving  silk\     Vegetable  silk. 

*  Likely]     Fair-looking  ;  promising. 

*  As]  That, 

'  Undertakers,  &•€.]     Enterprising  investers  in  the  mother  country. 

"  Custom]     Custom  duties. 

'  Hearken]  Inquire.  So  in  Shakspeure,  Tarn,  of  Shr.  i.  2,  *  The 
youngest  daughter  whom  you  hearken  for ; '  2  Hen.  IV.  \\.  4,  '  Well, 
hearken  the  end  ; '  and  Much  Ado,  v.  i,  *  Hearken  after  their  offence ;' 
and  Ruh.  III.  L  i,  «  He  hearkens  after  prophecies  and  dream*.' 


142  Essays. 

dangering  to  the  health  of  some  plantations,  that  they  have 
built  along  the  sea  and  rivers,  in  marish '  and  unwholesome 
grounds.  Therefore,  though  you  begin  there  to  avoid 
carriage  and  other  like  discommodities,  yet  build  still'  rather 
upwards  from  the  streams  than  along.  It  concerneth 
likewise  the  health  of  the  plantation  that  they  have  good 
store  of  salt  with  them,  that  they  may  use  it  in  their  victuals 
when  it  shall  be  necessary.  If  you  plant  where  savages  are, 
do  not  only  entertain  them  witii  trifles  and  gingles,  but  use 
them  justly  and  graciously,  with  sufficient  guard  nevertheless; 
and  do  not  win  their  favour  by  helping  them  to  invade 
their  enemies,  but  for  their  defence  it  is  not  amiss ;  and  send 
oft  of  them  over  to  the  country  that  plants,  that  they  ma) 
see  a  better  condition  than  their  own,  and  commend  it 
when  they  return.  When  the  plantation  grows  to  strength, 
then  it  is  time  to  plant  with  women  as  well  as  with  men  ; 
that  the  plantation  may  spread  into  generations,  and  not  be 
ever  pieced  ^  from  without.  It  is  the  sinfuUest  thing  in  the 
world  to  forsake  or  destitute  *  a  plantation  once  in  forward- 
ness :  for,  besides  the  dishonour,  it  is  the  guiltiness  of  blood 
of  many  commiserable  *  persons. 


XXXIV.  OF  RICHES. 

I  cannot  call  riches  better  than  the  baggage  of  virtue  ;  the 
Roman  word  is  better,  impedimenta.'^     For  as  the  baggage  is 

'  Marishi  This  is  our  old  derivative  from  the  Fr.  marais.  Spenser, 
F.  Q.  V.  X.  23,  has  '  Only  these  marishes  and  miry  bogs;'  and  Milton, 
P.  L.  xii.  629,  'As  evening  mist,  risen  from  a  river,  o'er  the  marish 
glides.' 

-  StUl'\     Always. 

»  Pieced^     Eked. 

*  Destitute]     Lat.  Destituere,  to  abandon. 

*  Commiserable]     To  be  commiserated  ;  pitiable. 

*  Impedimenta]  This  Latin  term  for  baggage  literally  means  kin' 
drances  of  progress. 


O J  Riches.  143 

to  an  army,  so  is  riches  to  virtue :  it  cannot  be  spared  nor 
left  behind,  but  it  hindereth  the  march  ;  yea,  and  the  care 
of  it  sometimes  loseth  or  disturbeth  the  victory.  Of  great 
riches  there  is  no  real  use,  except  it  be  in  the  distribu- 
tion ;  the  rest  is  but  conceit.'  So  saith  Solomon,  where 
much  is,  there  are  many  to  consume  it;  and  what  hath  the 
owner  but  the  sight  of  it  7vith  his  eyes  ?  '  The  personal  frui- 
tion in  any  man  cannot  reach  to  feel '  great  riches  :  there  is 
a  custody  of  them  ;  *  or  a  power  of  dole  and  donative  of 
them  ;  or  a  fame  of  them  ;  *  but  no  solid  use  to  the  owner. 
Do  you  not  see  what  feigned  prices  ^  are  set  upon  little 
stones  and  rarities?  and  what  works  of  ostentation  are 
undertaken,  because  there  might  seem  to  be  some  use  ot 
great  riches  ?  But  then  you  will  say,  they  may  be  of  use  to 
buy  men  out  of  dangers  or  troubles ;  as  Solomon  saith, 
riches  are  as  a  strong  hold  in  the  imagination  of  the  rich 
man.'  But  this  is  excellently  expressed,  that  it  is  in  imagi- 
nation, and  not  always  in  fact.  For,  certainly,  great  riches 
have  sold  more  men  than  they  have  bought  out.  Seek  not 
proud  *  riches ;  but  such  as  thou  mayest  get  justly,  use  so- 
berly, distribute  cheerfully,  and  leave  contentedly.  Yet 
have  no  abstract  nor  friarly^  contempt  of  them;  but  dis- 


'  Conceit]    Conception  ;  fancy, 

*  W/iere much  is,  <Sr»f.]  Eccles.  v.  ii,  'When  goods  increase,  they 
are  increased  that  eat  them ;  and  what  good  is  there  to  the  owners 
thereof,  saving  the  beholding  of  them  with  their  eyes  ? ' 

*  Keach  lo/ect]     Fully  realise  or  comprehend. 

*  T/iere  is  a  custody  of  theni\  There  is  indeed  the  occupation  of 
taking  care  of  them. 

*  A  fame  of  tlieni\     A  reputation  with  respect  to  them. 

*  Feigned  prices]     Feigned  values. 

'  Riches  are  as,  i^c]  Prov.  xviii.  1 1,  'The  rich  man's  wealth  is 
his  strong  city,  and  as  an  high  wall  in  his  own  conceit.'    Compare  x.  15. 

*  Proud]     Splendid.     One  of  the  meanings  of  the  Latin  superhus. 

*  Abstract  nor  friarly]  Lat.  Instar  monachi  alicuj'us,  aut  a  sccuto 
aiitracti :    like  some  monk  01°  recluse.      In  the  Advancement,  I.,  he 


144  Essays. 

tinguish,  as  Cicero  saith  well  of  Rabirius  Posthumus.  in 
studio  rei  amplificandcB  apparebai  non  avaritice  prceda7fj,  sea 
instrumentum  bonitati  qiiceri}  Hearken  also  to  Solomon, 
and  beware  of  hasty  gathering  of  riches ;  Qui  festinat  ad 
divitias,  non  erit  insons."^  The  poets  feign,  that  when  Plutus 
(which  is  riches)  is  sent  from  Jupiter,  he  limps,  and  goes 
slowly;  but  when  he  is  sent  from  Pluto,  he  runs,  and  is 
swift  of  foot :  '  meaning,  that  riches  gotten  by  good  means 
and  just  labour  pace  slowly;  but  when  they  come  by  the 
death  of  others  (as  by  the  course  of  inheritance,  testaments, 
and  the  like),  tliey  come  tumbling  upon  a  man  :  but  it 
mought  *  be  applied  likewise  to  Pluto,  taking  him  for  the  devil. 
For  when  riches  come  from  tlie  devil  (as  by  fraud  and  op- 
])ression  and  unjust  means),  they  come  upon  speed.  The 
ways  to  enrich  are  many,  and  most  of  them  foul.  Parsimony 
is  one  of  the  best,  and  yet  is  not  innocent :  for  it  withholdeth 
men  from  works  of  liberality  and  charity.  The  improvement 
of  the  ground  is  the  most  natural  obtaining  of  riches  ;  for  it 
is  our  great  mother's  blessing,  the  earth's ;  but  it  is  slow. 


says,  '  It  were  good  to  leave  the  common-place  in  commendation  of 
poverty  to  some  friar  to  handle.' 

'  In  studio,  &^c.'\  Pro  Rahir,  2.  Tn  his  desire  for  increase  of  wealth 
the  thing  sought  was  evidently  not  the  gratification  of  avarice,  but  the 
means  of  doing  good.  The  Roman  knight  Rabirius  was  accused  by  the 
senate  of  having  lent  an  immense  sum  of  money  to  Ptolemy  Auletes, 
King  of  Egypt.  Cicero  defended  him,  and  with  difiiculty  obtained  his 
acquittal. 

-  Qui  festinat,  dr'f.]  Prov.  xxviii.  20,  '  He  that  maketh  haste  to  be 
rich  shall  not  be  innocent.'     Compare  verse  22. 

*  The  poets  feign,  (Sr'c.]  In  Lucian's  Dialogues  {Timon)  Plutus,  the 
god  of  riches,  questioned  by  Mercury,  is  represented  as  saying  that  he 
does  not  always  limp ;  that  when  he  is  sent  by  Jupiter  to  anyone  he 
feels  lame,  and  hardly  anives  till  old  age  has  overtaken  that  individual  ; 
but  when  he  is  required  to  depart  from  anyone  he  becomes  winged, 
and  flies  more  swiftly  than  any  fowl  ;  that,  however,  when  he  suddenly 
enriches  men  he  has  been  sent  to  them  not  by  Jupiter,  but  by  Pluto. 

*  M(ntgkt\     The  old  past  tense  of  inav. 


Of  Riches.  145 

And  yet,  where  men  of  great  wealth  do  st<.  op  to  husbandry, 
it  multiplieth  riches  exceedingly.  I  knew  a  nobleman  in 
England  that  had  the  greatest  audits  of  any  man  in  my 
time  ;  a  great  grazier,  a  great  sheep-master,  a  great  timber- 
man,  a  great  collier,  a  great  corn-master,  a  great  lead-man, 
and  so  of  iron,  and  a  number  of  the  like  points  of  hus- 
bandry :  so  as  the  earth  seemed  a  sea  to  him  in  respect  of 
the  perpetual  importation.  It  was  truly  observed  by  one, 
'That  himself  came  very  hardly  to  a  little  riches,  and  very 
easily  to  great  riches.'  For  when  a  man's  stock  is  come  to 
that,  that  he  can  expect  ^  the  prime  of  market,  and  over- 
come *  those  bargains  which  for  their  greatness  are  few 
men's  money,^  and  be  partner  in  the  industries  of  younger 
men,  he  cannot  but  increase  mainly.'*  The  gains  of  ordi- 
nary trades  and  vocations  are  honest  3  and  furthered  by  two 
things  chiefly, — by  diligence,  and  by  a  good  name  for  good 
and  fair  dealing.  But  the  gains  of  bargains  are  of  a  more 
doubtful  nature ;  when  men  shall  wait  upon  •'  others'  neces- 
sity, broke  ^  by  servants  and  instruments  to  draw  them  ^  on, 
put  off  others  cunningly  that  would  be  better  chapmen,*  and 
the  like  practices,  which  are  crafty  and  naught.^  As  for  the 
choi-ping  '"  of  bargains,  when  a  man  buys  not  to  hold,  but  to 
sell  over  again,  that  commonly  grindeth  double,  both  upon 
the  seller  and  upon  the  buyer.   Sharings  ''  do  greatly  enrich, 


*  Expect]     Await. 

*  Overcome]     Successfully  compete  with. 

'  Few  men's  money]     Within  the  compass  of  few  men's  means. 

*  Mainly]     Greatly. 

*  Wait  upon]     Watch.     Sec  p.  92,  note  i. 

'  Broke]     Use  intermediate  agency.     In  Shakspeare,  AlPs  Well,  uL 
[,  we  have  'And  brokes  with  all  that  can  in  such  a  suit  corrupt' 
'   Them]     That  is,  the  masters  of  those  servants. 

*  Be  better  chapmen]     Give  a  better  price. 

*  Naught]     Bad  ;  naughty. 
">  Chopping]    Barter. 

"  Sharings]     Partnerships, 

I. 


146  EsSt7}'S. 

if  the  hancis  be  well  chosen  that  are  trusted.  Usury  is  the 
certainest  means  of  gain,  though  one  of  the  worst,  as  that 
whereby  a  man  doth  eat  his  bread  in  siidore  vultus  alieni,^ 
and,  besides,  doth  plough  upon  Sundays.*  But  yet  certain 
though  it  be,  it  hath  flaws  :  for  that  the  scriveners '  and 
brokers'*  do  value  *  unsound  men  to  serve  their  own  turn. 
The  fortune  in  being  the  first  in  an  invention,  or  in  a  pri- 
vilege, doth  cause  sometimes  a  wonderful  overgrowth  in 
riches  ;  as  it  was  with  the  first  sugar-man  in  the  Canaries  :  ^ 
therefore,  if  a  man  can  play  the  true  logician,  to  have  as  well 
judgment  as  invention,  he  may  do  great  matters,  especially 
if  the  times  be  fit.  He  that  resteth "  upon  gains  certain 
shall  hardly  grow  to  great  riches  :  and  he  that  puts  all  upon 
adventures,  doth  oftentimes  break  and  come  to  poverty  :  it 
is  good,  therefore,  to  guard  adventures  with  certainties  that 


'  In  suJore,  <s'c.'\  In  the  sweat  of  another's  brow.  See  the  first 
paragraph  of  the  41st  Essay. 

"^  Doth  plough  upon  Sundays]  This  was  one  of  the  *  witty  invectives 
against  usury'  (41st  Essay)  so  often  thrown  out  in  Bacon's  time.  It 
was  urged  that  the  sin  of  Sabbath-breaking  was  involved  in  making 
n^oney  bear  interest  all  the  days  of  the  week,  and  that  it  is  improper 
to  charge  any  interest  at  all,  as  metal  is  naturally  barren.  Francis 
Meres,  in  his  Palladis  Tamia  (1598),  says,  'Usury  and  increase  by  gold 
and  silver  is  unlawful,  because  against  nature  :  nature  hath  made  them 
sterile  and  barren  ;  usury  makes  them  procreative. '  A  main  con- 
stituent of  the  plot  in  Shakspeare's  Merch.  of  Ven.  is  disapproval  of 
interest  on  the  part  of  Antonio,  which  is  so  artfully  taken  advantage  of 
by  tht  Jew  when  he  heat's  Antonio  s.ay,  'For  when  did  friendship  take 
a  breed  for  barren  metal  of  his  friend?'  (i.  3.) 

'  Scriveners]     Men  employed  to  place  money  at  interest. 

^  Brokers]     Negotiators. 

*  Value]     Ascribe  sufficiency  to. 

•  The  first  sugar-man,  &>€.]  In  the  Canary  Islands,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  1 6th  century,  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane,  and 
the  making  of  sugar,  first  acquired  commercial  importance,  and  wer» 
thence  extended  to  the  West  India  Islands  and  the  Brazils. 

'  Resteth]     Relies  exclusively. 


Of  Riches.  147 

may  uphold  losses.  Monopolies,  and  coemption  of  wares 
for  resale,  where  they  are  not  restrained,  are  great  means  to 
enrich  ;  especially  if  the  party  have  intelligence  what  things 
are  like  to  come  into  request,  and  so  store  himself  before- 
hand. Riches  gotten  by  service,'  though  it  be  of  the  best 
rise,^  yet  when  they  are  gotten  by  flattery,  feeding  humours, 
and  other  servile  conditions,  they  may  be  placed  amongst 
the  worst.  As  for  fishing  for  testaments  and  executorships 
(as  Tacitus  saith  of  Seneca,  testamenta  et  orbos  ta/iguam  in- 
dagiiie  capi^),  it  is  yet  worse,  by  how  much  men  suDmit 
themselves  to  ■•  meaner  persons  than  in  service.  Believe  not 
much  them  that  seem  to  despise  riches ;  for  they  despise 
them  '  that  despair  of  them ;  and  none  worse  ^  when  they 
come  to  them.  Be  not  penny-wise  :  ^  riches  have  wings  ; 
and  sometimes  they  fly  away  of  themselves,  sometimes  they 
must  be  set  flying  to  bring  in  more.  Men  leave  their  riches 
either  to  their  kindred  or  to  the  public  :  and  moderate  por 
tions  prosper  *  best  in  both.  A  great  state  left  to  an  heir  is 
as  a  lure  to  all  the  birds  of  prey  round  about  to  seize  on  him, 
if  he  be  not  the  better  stablished  in  years  and  judgment. 
Likewise,  glorious  gifts  and  foundations  are  like  sacrifices 
without  salt ;  and  but  the  painted  sepulchres  of  alms,  which 
soon  \v\\\  putrefy  and  corrupt  inwardly.     Therefore  measure 


'  By  service]  By  service  of  the  State.  Lat.  Per  servitium  Regum  aut 
Magnatiim. 

*  Though  it  be,  dr'r.]  Though  such  service  be  among  the  best  means 
to  rise, 

•  Testamenta,  &'c.'\  Annal.  xiii.  42.  Wills  and  orphans  drawn  as 
it  were  into  his  net. 

*  Submit  themselves  to\     Depend  on,  or  deal  with.  • 

*  They  despise  them]     They  despise  riches. 

•  None  worse]  None  despise  riches  less.  The  Latin  version  has, 
fu'(/ue  invenics  usquam  tenaciores:  nor  will  you  anywhere  find  more 
grasping  persons. 

'  Penny-wise]     Lat.  In  minutis  tnuix. 

•  Prosper\    Turn  out. 

La 


148  Essays. 

not  thine  advancements  '  by  quantity,  but  frame  them  by 
measure  ;  and  defer  not  charities  till  death,  for  certainly,  if 
a  man  weigh  it  rightly,  he  that  doth  so,  is  rather  liberal  of 
another  man's  than  of  his  own. 


XXXV.  OF  PROPHECIES? 

I  mean  not  to  speak  of  divine  prophecies,  nor  of  heathen 
oracles,  nor  of  natm-al  predictions  :  ^  but  only  of  prophecies 
that  have  been  of  certain  memory,  and  from  hidden  causes. 
Saith  the  Pythonissa  ^  to  Saul,  '  To-morrow  thou  and  thy 
sons  shall  be  with  me.'  *     Homer  ^  hath  these  verses  : 

At  domus  ^neae  cunctis  dominabitur  oris, 
Et  nati  natorum,  et  qui  nascentur  ab  illis :  * 

a  prophecy,  as  it  seems,  of  the  Roman   empire.     Seneca 
the  tragedian  hath  these  verses  : 

Venient  aimis 
Saecula  sens,  quibus  Oceanus 
Vincula  rerum  laxet,  et  ingens 
Pateat  Tellus,  Tethysque  novos 
Detegat  orbes  ;  nee  sit  terns 
Ultima  Thule:« 


*  Advancements\     Giving".. 

*  Of  Prophecies]    This  Er-ray  is  not  in  the  Latin  translation. 
'  Natural  predictions]     Predictive  tokens  in  nature. 

*  The  Pythonissa]  A  Pyfhoness  is  a  woman  'possessed  with  a  spirit 
of  divination  '  f  Acts  xvi.  i6>,  so  called  from  the  Pythonissa,  or  Pythia, 
the  oracular  priestess  of  Apollo's  temple  at  Delphi. 

*  To-morrow,  ^'c]  i  Sam.  xxviii.  19,  ' To-morrow  shalt  thou  and 
thy  sons  be  with  me.'  It  was  not  the  witch  of  Endor  but  the  ghost  of 
Samuel  that  spoke  these  words  to  Sau!. 

*  Homer]     This  ought  to  be  Virgil. 

'  At  Domus  ^nece,  b^c]  Virgil,  ALn.  iii.  97,  '  But  the  house  of 
^neas  shall  have  dominion  over  all  lands,  even  his  grandsons  and  their 
descendants.' 

*  Venienl   annis,    &'c,]  Med.  ii.    375.     At  a  remote  period  of  the 


Of  Prophecies.  149 

a  prophecy  of  the  discovery  of  America.  The  daughter  of 
Polycrates  '  dreamed  that  Jupiter  bathed  her  father,  and 
Apollo  anointed  him ;  and  it  came  to  pass  that  he  was  cru- 
cified in  an  open  place,  where  the  sun  made  his  body  nm 
with  sweat,  and  the  rain  washed  it.  Philip  of  Macedon 
dreamed  he  sealed  up  his  wife's  belly ;  whereby  he  did  ex- 
pound it,  that  his  wife  should  be  barren ;  but  Aristander, 
the  soothsayer,  told  him  that  his  wife  was  with  child,  be- 
cause men  do  not  use  to  seal  vessels  that  are  empty. ^  A 
phantasm  that  appeared  to  M.  Brutus  in  his  tent,  said  to 
him,  Philippis  iteru7n  me  videbis?  Tiberius  said  to  Galba, 
Tu  quoque,  Galba,  degustabis  imperium.*  In  Vespasian's 
time  there  went  a  prophecy  in  the  East,'  that  those  that 
should  come  forth  of  Judaea  should  reign  over  the  world ; 
which  though  it  may  be  was  meant  of  our  Saviour,  yet 
Tacitus  expounds  it  of  Vespasian.  Domitian  dreamed,  the 
night  before  he  was  skin,  that  a  golden  head  was  growing 
out  of  the  nape  of  his  neck  ;  ^  and,  indeed,  the  succession 
that  followed  him  for  many  years  made  golden  times. 
Henry  the  Sixth  of  England  said  of  Henry  the  Seventh, 


future  a  time  will  come  when  Ocean  shall  relax  the  restraints  with 
which  he  binds  the  globe,  and  a  vast  continent  shall  be  laid  open,  and 
the  pilot  shall  discover  new  worlds,  and  Thule  be  no  longer  the  farthest 
limit  of  the  earth.     Tiphys  was  pilot  in  the  Argonautic  expedition. 

*  Polycrates]  Tyrant  of  Samos,  put  to  death  by  Oroetes,  governor  of 
Magnesia.     Bacon  here  quotes  from  Herodotus,  iii.  124. 

*  Philip  of  Macedon  dreamed,  iSr'r.]     Plutarch,  Alexander. 

'  Philippis  iterum,  &'c.'\  Plutarch  {Brutus  and  Julius  Casar).  Thou 
shalt  see  me  again  at  Philippi.  Plutarch  says  it  was  the  evil  genius  of 
Brutus  that  thus  addressed  him. 

*  Fu  quoque,  Galba,  ^'c.]  Tacitus,  Ann.  vi.  26.  Thou  also,  Galba, 
shalt  taste  of  empire.  Suetonius  (Galba,  4),  with  more  probable  accu- 
racy, ascribes  the  prediction  to  Augustus,  as  Galba  must  have  been  very 
young  at  the  time. 

*  A  prophecy  in  the  East,  &'c.'\  Tacitus,  Hist.  v.  13 ;  Suetonius, 
Vespasian,  4. 

*  Domitian  dreamed,  &'c.'\     Suetonius,  Domitian,  23. 


1  eo  Essays. 

u-hen  he  was  a  lad,  and  gave  him  water,  *  This  is  the  lad  that 
shall  enjoy  the  crown  for  which  we  strive.' '  When  I  was 
in  France,  I  heard  from  one  Dr.  Pena,  that  the  queen  mother,' 
who  was  given  to  curious  arts,  caused  the  king  her  husband's 
nativity  to  be  calculated  under  a  false  name  :  and  the  as- 
trologer gave  a  judgment,  that  he  should  be  killed  in  a  duel  \ 
at  which  the  queen  laughed,  thinking  her  husband  to  be 
above  challenges  and  duels :  but  he  was  slain  upon  a  course 
at  tilt,  the  splinters  of  the  staff  of  Montgomery  going  in  at 
his  beaver.  The  trivial  prophecy  which  I  heard  when  I 
was  a  child,  and  Queen  Elizabeth  was  in  the  flower  of  her 

years,  was, 

When  hempe  is  spun, 
England's  done : 

whereby  it  was  generally  conceived,  that  after  the  princes 
had  reigned  which  had  the  principal  letters  of  that  word 
hempe  (which  were  Henry,  Edward,  Mary,  Philip,  and 
Elizabeth),  England  should  come  to  utter  confusion ;  which, 
thanks  be  to  God,  is  verified  only  in  the  change  of  the  name; 
for  that  the  king's  style  is  now  no  more  of  England  but  ot 
Britain.  There  was  also  another  prophecy,  before  the  yeai 
of  88,  which  I  do  not  well  understand  : 

There  shall  be  seen  upon  a  day, 
Between  the  Baugh  and  the  May, 
The  black  fleet  of  Norway. 
When  that  that  is  come  and  gone, 
England  build  houses  of  lime  and  stone, 
For  after  wars  shall  you  have  none. 

'  Henry  the  Sixth,  dr'r.]  Bacon,  in  his  History  of  Henry  VII.,  says 
that  the  king  *  was  washing  his  hands  at  a  great  feast '  In  Shakspeare's 
3  Hen.  VI.  the  king  says — 

'  Come  hither,  England's  hope : — if  secret  powers 
Suggest  but  truth  to  my  divining  thoughts. 
This  pretty  lad  will  prove  our  country's  bliss,'  &c. 
*   The  queen  mother]     Catherine  de'  Medicis,  wife  of  Henry  II.  of 
France. 


Of  Prophccic!,.  1 5 1 

Ii  Avas  gcTierally  conceived  to  be  meant  of  the  Spanish  fleet 
that  came  in  88  :  for  that  the  King  of  Spain's  surname,  as 
they  say,  is  Norway.     The  prediction  of  Regiomontanus,' 

Octogesimus  octavus  mirabilis  annus,' 

was  thought  likewise  accomplished  in  the  sending  of  that 
great  fleet,  being  the  greatest  in  strength,  though  not  in 
number,  of  all  that  ever  swam  upon  the  sea.  As  for  Cleon's 
dream,'  I  think  it  was  a  jest  ;  it  was,  that  he  was  devound 
of  a  long  dragon,  and  it  was  expounded  of  a  maker  of 
sausages,  that  troubled  him  exceedingly.  There  are  num- 
bers of  the  like  kind  :  especially  if  you  include  dreams,  and 
predictions  of  astrology  ;  but  I  have  set  down  these  few 
only  of  certain  credit  for  example.  My  judgment  is,  that 
they  ought  all  to  be  despised,  and  ought  to  serve  but  for 
winttir-talk  by  the  fire-side.  Though  when  I  say  despised, 
I  mean  it  as  for  belief:  for  otherwise,  tlie  spreading  or  pub- 
li>.hing  of  them  is  in  no  sort  to  be  despised,  for  they  have 
done  much  mischief ;  and  I  see  many  severe  laws  made  to 
s-ippress  them.  That  that  hath  given  them  grace,  and 
some  credit,  consisteth  in  three  things.  First,  that  men 
mark  when  they  hit,  and  never  mark  when  they  miss ;  as 
they  do  generally  also  of  dreams.  The  second  is,  that 
probable  conjectures,  or  obscure  traditions,  many  times 
turn  themselves  into  prophecies :  while  the  nature  of  man, 
which  coveteth  divination,  thinks  it  no  peril  to  foretell 
that  which  indeed  they  do  but  collect  :*  as  that  of  Seneca's 


'  Rt'giornontanus'\  This  Latin  word  signifies  0/ king's  mountain,  that 
is  of  Kcinigsberg,  Johann  Miiller,  a  native  of  Konigsberg,  being  so 
called.  His  prophecy  was  written  in  German,  and  was  translated  into 
I.aMn,  but  with  considerable  alteration,  by  Bmschius. 

*  Octogcsiinus  octavus,  ^^c.^     The  88th,  a  wonderful  year. 

*  Cleon's  dream]  Bacon  alludes  to  a  passage  in  the  Knights  of 
Aristophanes,  195,  where  Cleon  the  Athenian  demagogue  is  satirized. 

*  Collect]    Guess,  or  conjecture. 


t52  Essays. 

verse.'  For  so  much  was  then  subject  to  demonstraiioi, 
that  the  globe  of  the  earth  liad  great  parts  beyond  the 
Atlantic,  which  might  be  probably  conceived  not  to  be  all 
sea :  and  adding  thereto  the  tradition  in  Plato's  Timasus, 
and  his  Atlanticus,'  it  might  encourage  one  to  turn  it  to  a 
prediction.  The  third  and  last  (which  is  the  great  one),  is, 
that  almost  all  of  them,  being  infinite  in  number,  have  been 
impostures,  and  by  idle  and  crafty  brains  merely  contrived 
and  feigned  after  the  event  passed. 


XXXVI.    OF  AMBITION. 

Ambition  is  like  choler :  which  is  a  humour'  that  makeih 
men  active,  earnest,  full  of  alacrity,  and  stirring,  if  it  be  not 
stopped ;  but  if  it  be  stopped,  and  cannot  have  his  way,  it 
becometh  adust,*  and  thereby  malign  and  venomous.  So 
ambitious  men,  if  they  find  the  way  open  for  their  rising, 
and  still  get  forward,  they  are  rather  busy  than  dangerous  ; 
hut  if  they  be  checked  in  their  desires,  they  become  secretly 
discontent,  and  look  upon  men  and  matters  with  an  evil 
eye;"  and  are  best  pleased  when  things  go  backward; 
which  is  the  worst  property  in  a  servant  of  a  Prince  or 
State.  Therefore  it  is  good  for  Princes,  if  they  use  ambi- 
tious men,  to  handle  it  so  as  they  be  still ^  progressive,  and 
not  retrograde  :  which,  because  it  cannot  be  without  incon- 


'  Seneca's  verse]     See  p.  148. 

*  //is  Atlanticusl  Bacon  here  refers  to  Plato's  Critias,  of  which  the 
Latin  translation  by  Comarius  is  called  Critias  sive  Atlantiais.  lu 
this  dialogue  an  imaginary  land  called  Atlantis  is  discoursed  of. 

*  Which  is  a  humour]  In  the  old  humoral  pathology,  four  humours, 
blood,  phlegm,  choler,  and  melancholy,  were  supposed  to  constitute,  by 
their  varying  proportions,  the  various  temperaments  of  individuals, 

*  Adust]     InfLxmed. 

*  An  evil  eye]     Envy.     See^.  31,  note  4. 

*  Sail^    Ever. 


Of  A  mbition.  153 

vemence,  it  is  good  not  to  use  such  natures  at  all.  For  if 
they  rise  not  with  their  service,  they  will  take  order'  to 
make  their  service  fall  with  them.  But  since  we  have  said, 
it  were  good  not  to  use  men  of  ambitious  natures,  except  it 
be  upon  necessity,  it  is  fit  we  speak '^  in  what  cases  they  are 
of  necessity.  Good  commanders  in  the  wars  must  be  taken, 
be  they  never  so  ambitious  :'  for  the  use  of  their  service 
dispenseth  with  the  rest ;  and  to  take  a  soldier  without 
ambition  is  to  pull  off  his  spurs.  There  is  also  great  use  of 
ambitious  men  in  being  screens  to  Princes  in  matters  of 
danger  and  envy  :  for  no  man  will  take  that  part  except  he 
be  like  a  seeled  dove,*  that  mounts  and  mounts  because  he 
cannot  see  about  him.  There  is  use  also  of  ambitious  men 
in  pulling  down  the  greatness  of  any  subject  that  overtops  ; 
as  Tiberius  used  Macro  in  the  pulling  down  of  Sejanus. 
Since,  therefore,  they  must  be  used  in  such  cases,  there 
resteth  to  speak*  how  they  are  to  be  bridled,  that  they  may 

'   Take  oriier\    Take  measures  ;  endeavour. 
•    *  Speak]     State. 

'  Be  tliey  nn<er,  &'c.  ]  In  expressions  of  this  kind,  ei'er  (Lat.  utcun- 
que)  may  be  more  correct  than  never ;  it  should  be  observed,  however, 
t!iat  the  latter  word  is  an  abridgment  of  the  phrase  as  never  was. 

*  A  seeled  dove]  To  seel  the  eyes  of  a  hawk  was  to  blind  it  by  sewing 
up  the  eyelids,  that  it  might  become  accustomed  to  the  hood.  This 
cruelty  was  sometimes  practised  on  doves,  which  made  them,  when 
let  loose,  soar  almost  perpendicularly  Kke  the  lark,  until  they  were 
exhausted  and  dropped  dead.  In  Shakspeare's  Macbeth,  iiL  ?.,  we 
have — 

'  Come,  seeling  night, 
Scarf  up  the  tender  eye  of  pitiful  day.' 

Ford,  in  the  Broken  Heart,  which  was  written  in  1633,  seems  to  have 
had  Bacon's  comparison  in  mind,  where  it  is  said — 

'  Ambition,  like  a  seeled  dove,  mounts  upward. 
Higher  and  higher  still,  to  perch  on  clouds, 
But  tumbles  headlong  down  with  heavier  ruin.' — iL  2. 
'  T^ere  resteth  to  speak\     It  remains  for  me  to  state.     Fr.  H  me  teste 
d  dire. 


154  Essays. 

be  less  dangerous.  There  is  less  danger  of  them  if  they  be 
of  mean  birth  than  if  they  be  noble  ;  and  if  they  be  rather 
harsh  of  nature  than  gracious  and  popular  ;  and  if  they  be 
rather  new  raised,  than  grown  cunning  and  fortified  in  their 
greatness.  It  is  counted  by  some  a  weakness  in  Princes  to 
have  favourites  ;  but  it  is,  of  all  others,^  the  best  remedy 
against  ambitious  great  ones.  For  when  the  way  or  plea- 
suring' and  displeasuring  lieth  by  the  favourite,  it  is  impos- 
sible any  other  should  be  over-great  Another  means  to 
curb  them  is  to  balance  them  by  others  as  proud  as  they. 
But  then  there  must  be  some  middle  counsellors,  to  keep 
things  steady  ;  for  without  that  ballast  the  ship  will  roll  too 
much.  At  the  least,  a  Prince  may  animate  and  inure  some 
meaner  persons  to  be,  as  it  were,  scourges  to  ambitious  men. 
As  for  the  having  of  them  obnoxious  to  ruin :  if  they  be  of 
fearful  natures,  it  may  do  well ;  but  if  they  be  stout '  and 
daring,  it  may  precipitate  their  designs,  and  prove  dangerous. 
As  for  the  pulling  of  them  down,  if  the  affairs  require  it,  and 
that  it  may  not  be  done  with  safety  suddenly,  the  only  way 
is*  the  interchange  continually  of  favours  and  disgraces;* 
whereby  they  may  not  know  what  to  expect,  and  be,  as  it 
were,  in  a  wood.  Of  ambitions,  it  is  less  harmful,  the 
ambition  to  prevail  in  great  things,  than  that  other,  to 
appear  in  everything ;  for  that  breeds  confusion,  and  mars 
business  :  but  yet  it  is  less  danger  to  have  an  ambitious 
man  stirring  in  business,  than  great  in  dependences.*  He 
that  seeketh  to  be  eminent  amongst  able  men  hath  a  great 


'   Of  all  others]     See  p.  lO,  note  4. 

*  Pleasitriiiif\  Compare  Shakspeare,  Merry  Wives,  i.  I,  'WTiat  I  do 
is  to  pleasure  you  ; '  Much  Ado,  v.  I,  '  Draw,  to  pleasure  us  ; '  Merch. 
of  Ven.  i.  3,  '  Will  you  pleasure  me  ? ' 

»  Stout\     Bold. 

*  Disgraces]     Disfavours. 

*  Gnat  in  dependences]  Powerful  in  dependents  or  objects  of  patron- 
i;je.      L&t.  Qui gi-atiA  et  cUentelis  pallet. 


Of  A  mbition.  155 

task  ;  but  that  is  ever  good  for  the  public.  But  he  that 
plots  to  be  the  only  figure  amongst  ciphers  is  the  decay  of 
a  whole  age.  Honour  hath  three  things  in  it :  the  vantage- 
ground  to  do  good;'  the  approach  to  kings  and  principal 
persons  ;  and  the  raising  of  a  man's  own  fortunes.  He  that 
hath  the  best  of  these  intentions,  when  he  aspireth,  is  an 
honest  man ;  and  that  Prince  that  can  discern  of  these 
intentions  in  another  that  aspireth,  is  a  wise  Prince.  Gene- 
rally, let  Princes  and  States  choose  such  ministers  as  are 
more  sensible  of  duty  than  of  rising ;  *  and  such  as  love 
business  rather  upon  conscience  than  upon  bravery  i^  and 
let  them  discern  a  busy  nature  from  a  willing  mind. 


XXXVII.    OF  MASQUES  AND    TRIUMPHS^ 

These  things  are  but  toys*  to  come  amongst  such  serious 
observations  ;  but  yet,  since  Princes  will  have  such  things, 
it  is  better  they  should  be  graced  with  elegancy  than 
daubed  with  cost.  Dancing  to  song  is  a  thing  of  great 
state  and  pleasure.  I  understand  it  that  the  song  be  in 
quire,^  placed  aloft,  and   accompanied  with  some   broken 


'  The  vantage  ground,  &'c.'\  Compare  the  passage  in  the  nth 
Essay,  '  But  power  to  do  good  is  the  tnie  and  lawful  end  of  aspiring,' 
&c. 

*  More  sensible  of  duty,  <&'f.]  More  actuated  or  influenced  by  the 
sense  of  duty  than  by  the  feeling  of  ambition. 

3  Pravery\     Ostentation. 

*  Masques  and  triump]is\  Masques  were  dramatic  performances  in 
nhich  the  actors  wore  masks.  Triumphs  were  precessional  pageants 
or  shows  by  torchlight.  This  Essay  is  omitted  in  tlie  Latin  transla- 
tion. 

»  7'o.w]    Trifles. 

*  In  quire\     In  choir. 


156  Essays. 

music  ;^  and  the  ditty  fitted  to  the  device.^  Acting  in  song, 
especially  in  dialogues,  hath  an  extreme  good  grace  ;  I  say 
acting,  not  dancing  (for  that  is  a  mean  and  vulgar  thing)  ; 
and  the  voices  of  the  dialogue  would  be  ^  strong  and  manly 
(a  bass  and  a  tenor,  no  treble),  and  the  ditty  high  and  tra- 
gical, not  nice  or  dainty.  Several  quires  placed  one  over 
against  another,  and  taking  the  voice  by  catches,  anthem 
wise,  give  great  pleasure.  Turning  dances  into  figure  is  a 
childish  curiosity  ;  and  generally  let  it  be  noted,  that  those 
things  which  I  here  set  down  are  such  as  do  naturally  take 
the  sense,  and  not  respect  petty  wonderments.  It  is  tnie, 
the  alterations  of  scenes,  so  it  be  quietly  and  without  noise, 
are  things  of  great  beauty  and  pleasure ;  for  they  feed  and 
relieve  the  eye  before  it  be  full  of  the  same  object.  Let  the 
scenes  abound  with  light,  specially  coloured  and  varied  : 
and  let  the  masquers,  or  any  other  that  are  to  come  down 
from  the  scene,  have  some  -motions  upon  the  scene  itself 
before  their  coming  down ;  for  it  draws  the  eye  strangely, 
and  makes  it  with  great  pkasure  to  desire  to  see  that  it 
cannot  perfectly  discern.  Let  the  songs  be  loud  and 
cheerful,  and  not  chirpings  or  pulings.  Let  the  music 
likewise  be  sharp  and  loud,  and  well  placed.  The  colours 
that  show  best  by  candle-light  are  white,  carnation,  and  a 
kind  of  sea-water  green ;  and  oes,  or  spangs,*  as  they  are  of 


'  Broken  music]  By  this  name  the  music  of  the  harp,  lute,  and  othei 
stringed  instruments  was  distinguished  from  that  of  wind  instruments. 
Shakspeare  plays  with  the  expression  ;  thus,  in  Troil.  and  Cress,  iii.  i, 
'Fair  prince,  here  is  good  broken  music ; '  As  You  Like  It,  i.  2,  'Is 
there  any  else  longs  to  see  this  broken  music  in  hi^  sides  ; '  Henry  V. 
V.  2,  '  Come,  your  answer  in  broken  music  ;  for  thy  voice  is  music,  and 
thy  English  broken.' 

*  The  ditty  fitted,  6^^.]  The  words  fitted  to  the  nature  of  the  diver- 
sion. 

»  Would  be\     Ought  to  be.     See^^.  135,  note  3. 

*  Ois  or  spangs]     Circlets  or  spangles.     Shakspeare  frequently  call* 


Of  Masques  and  Triumphs.  1 57 

no  great  cost,  so  they  are  of  most  glory.'  As  for  rich 
embroidery,  it  is  lost,  and  not  discerned.  Let  the  suits  of 
the  mascjuers  be  graceful,  and  such  as  become  the  person 
when  the  vizors  are  off:  not  after  examples  of  known 
attires;  Turks,  soldiers,  mariners,  and  the  like.  Let  anti- 
masques'^  not  be  long;  they  have  been  commonly  of  fools, 
satyrs,  baboons,  wild  men,  antics,  beasts,  sprites,  witches, 
Ethiopes,  pigmies,  Turquets,'  nymphs,  rustics,  Cupids, 
statuas*  moving,  and  the  like.  As  for  angels,  it  is  not 
comical  enough  to  put  them  in  antimasques ;  and  anything 
that  is  hideous,  as  devils,  giants,  is,  on  the  other  side,  as 
unfit.  But  chiefly,  let  the  music  of  them  be  recreative, 
and  with  some  strange  changes.  Some  sweet  odours  sud- 
denly coming  forth,  without  any  drops  falling,  are,  in  such  a 
company,  as  there  is  steam  and  heat,  things  of  great  pleasure 
and  refreshment.  Double  masques,  one  of  men,  another  of 
ladies,  addeth  state  and  variety ;  but  all  is  nothing,  except 
the  room  be  kept  clear  and  neat. 

For  justs,  and  tourneys,  and  barriers:*  the  glories  of  them 
are  chiefly  in  the  chariots  wherein  the  challengers  make 
their  entry ;  especially  if  they  be  drawn  with  strange  beasts, 
as  lions,  bears,  camels,  and  the  like :  or  in  the  devices  of 
their  entrance;  or  in  the  bravery*  of  their  liveries;  or  in  the 


a  circular  shape  an  O.     In  Mids.  N.  Dream,  iii.  2,  comparing  Helena 
with  the  stars,  he  says  — 

'  Fair  Helena,  who  more  engilds  the  night 
Than  all  yon  fiery  oes  and  eyes  of  light.' 
'  Glo)y\     Show  ;  splendour. 

*  Antimasqties\    These  were  interludes  between  the  Acts  of  the  prin- 
cipal masque. 

*  Tttrquets]     Turks. 

*  i>tatuas\    This  is  the  Italian  word  jA7A<o  pluralised.     See^.  113, 
note  2. 

*  Barrias\    The  Palestra,  for  wrestling  and  other  athletic  perform- 
ances. 

*  Brav<ry\    Showiness. 


1 58  Essays. 

goodly  furniture:  of  their  horses  and  armour.     But  enougn 
of  these  toys. 


XXXVIII.    OF  NATURE  IN  MEN. 

Nature  is  often  hidden,  sometimes  overcome,  seldom  ex- 
tinguished. Force  maketh  nature  more  violent  in  the  return; 
doctrine  and  discourse  mnketh  nature  less  importune ; '  but 
<-.ustom  only  doth  alter  and  subdue  nature.  He  that  seeketh 
victory  over  his  nature,  let  him  not  set  himself  too  great  nor 
too  small  tasks ;  for  the  first  will  make  him  dejected  by 
often  failings,^  and  the  second  will  make  him  a  small  pro- 
<eeder,  though  by  often  prevailings.  And,  at  the  first,  let 
iiim  practise  with  helps,  as  swimmers  do  with  bladders,  or 
rushes  ;  but,  after  a  time,  let  him  practise  with  disadvan- 
tages, as  dancers  do  with  thick  shoes.  For  it  breeds  great 
perfection  if  the  practice  be  harder  than  the  use.  Where 
nature  is  mighty,  and  therefore  the  victory  hard,  the  degrees 
had  need  be  :  first  to  stay  and  arrest  nature  in  time,  like  to 
him  that  would  say  over  the  four  and  twenty  letters  when  he 
was  angry;'  tlien  to  go  less  in  quantity,  as  if  one  should, 
in  forbearing*  wine,  come  from  drinking  healths*  to  a 
draught  at  a  meal ;  and,  lastly,  to  discontinue  altogether. 
l]ut  if  a  man  have  the  fortitude  and  resolution  to  enfranchise 
himself  at  once,  that  is  the  best : 

Optimus  ille  animi  vindex,  laedentia  pectus 
Vincula  qui  rupit,  dedoluitque  semel.  • 

'  Importune]     Importunate. 

*  Often  failittgs]  Frequent  failures.  Often  was  anciently  much 
used  as  an  adjective.  In  Scripture,  I  Tim.  v.  23,  we  bave  '  thine  often 
infirmities.' 

»  like  to  kirn,  &'€.]     See  p.  114,  note  3. 

*  Forbearing]  Intending  to  abstain  from.  Compare  Shakspeare, 
As  You  Like  It,  ii.  7,  '  Then,  but  forbear  your  food  a  little  while.' 

»  Healt/is]     Toasts.     See  p.  73,  note  3. 

*  Optimus  iUf.    (u'c.'X    Ovid,  Renied.  Amor.  293.     Ke  is  the  V)est 


Of  Nature  in  Men.  i  s;-? 

Neither  is  the  ancient  rule  amiss,  to  bend  nature  as  a  wand 
ro  a  contrary  extreme,  whereby  to  set  it  right:  understanding 
it  where  the  contrary  extreme  is  no  vice.  Let  not  a  man 
force  a  habit  upon  himself  with  a  perpetual  continuance,  but 
with  some  intermission.  For  both  the  pause  reinforceth  the 
new  onset;  and,  if  a  man  that  is  not  perfect  be  ever  in 
practice,  he  shall  as  well  practise  his  errors  as  his  abilities, 
and  induce  one  habit  of  both  ;  and  there  is  no  means  to  help 
this  but  by  seasonable  intermissions.  But  let  not  a  man 
trust  his  victory  over  his  nature  too  far;  for  nature  will  lie 
buried  a  great  time,  and  yet  revive  upon  the  occasion,  of 
temptation.  Like  as  it  was  with  .^sop's  damsel,  turned 
from  a  cat  to  a  woman,  who  sat  very  demurely  at  the  board's 
end,  till  a  mouse  ran  before  her.  Therefore,  let  a  man  either 
avoid  the  occasion  altogether,  or  put  himself  often  to  it, 
that  he  may  be  little  moved  with  it  A  man's  nature  is  best 
perceived  in  privateness,  for  there  is  no  affectation  ;  in 
passion,  for  that  putteth  a  man  out  of  his  precepts  ;  and  in 
a  new  case  or  experiment,  for  there  custom  leaveth  him. 
They  are  happy  men  whose  natures  sort'  with  their  voca- 
tions ;  otherwise  they  may  say,  multum  ituola  fuit  anima 
niea^-  when  they  converse  in  those  things  they  do  not  affect.^ 
In  studies,  whatsoever  a  man  commandeth  upon  himseF, 
let  him  set  hours  for  it ;  but  whatsoever  is  agreeable  to  his 
nature,  let  him  take  no  care  for  any  set  times,  for  his 
thoughts  will  fly  to  it  of  themselves  ;  so  as  the  spaces*  of 
other  business  or  studies  will  suffice,     A  man's  nature  runs 


deliverer  of  his  mind,  who  has  broken  the  bonds  that  gall  his  breasf., 
and  at  once  has  rid  himself  of  grief. 

'  Sort\     Suit ;  agree. 

-'  Mulhim  incola,  dr*^.]  Psal.  cxx.  6,  '  My  soul  hath  long  dwelt  with 
him  that  hateth  peace.' 

*  hVheit  they  converse,  &^c.  ]  When  their  occupation  or  engagement 
ir.  with  those  things  which  they  do  not  like. 

*  So  as  the  spaces]     So  that  the  intervals. 


i6o  Essays. 

either  to  herbs  or  weeds;  therefore  let  him seasoniibiy  water 
the  one,  and  destroy  the  other. 


XXXIX.    OF  CUSTOM  AND  EDUCATION. 

Men's  thoughts  are  much  according  to  their  inchnation ; 
their  discourse  and  speeches  according  to  their  learning  and 
infused  opinions  ;  but  their  deeds  are  after '  as  they  have 
been  accustomed.  And  therefore,  as  Machiavel  ^  well  noteth 
<ithough  in  an  evil-favoured'  instance),  there  is  no  trusting 
to  the  force  of  nature,  nor  to  the  braver)-^  of  words,  except 
it  be  corroborate  by  custom.  His  instance  is,  that  for  the 
achieving  of  a  desperate  conspiracy,  a  man  should  not  rest 
ui)on  the  fierceness  of  any  man's  nature,  or  his  resolut*^ 
undertakings,  but  take  such  a  one  as  hath  had  his  hands 
formerly  in  blood.  But  Machiavel  knew  not  of  a  Friar 
Clement,  nor  a  Ravaillac,*  nor  a  Jaureguy,  nor  a  Baltazar 
Gerard  ;*  yet  this  rule  holdeth  still,*'  that  nature,  nor  the 
engagement  of  words,^  are  not  so  forcible  as  custom.  Only, 
superstition  is  now  so  well  advanced,  that  men  of  the  first 
blood*  are  as  firm  as  butchers  by  occupation  ;  and  votary 


'  After\     According. 

*  Machiavel]  See  p.  49,  note  I.  The  quotation  follovong  is  from 
the  Discourses  on  Lizy,  iii.  6. 

'  Evil-favoured]     Ill-favoured  ;  ugly. 

*  A  Friar  Clement,  nor  a  Ravaillac]     See  p.  19,  note  5. 

*  Nor  a  Jaureguy,  nor  a  Baltazar  Gerard]  The  Latin  adds  Attt 
Guidone  Faulxio.  In  1582  John  Jaureguy  attempted  the  life  of  Wil- 
liam of  Nassau,  Prince  of  Orange.  Two  years  later  the  Prince  was 
shot  by  the  fanatic  Balthazar  Gerard. 

*  Holdeth  still]     Ever  holds. 

''  Nor  the  engagement  of  words]  Lat.  Aut  promissorum  fidem  et  feto- 
dam. 

*  Men  of  the  first  blood]  The  hatin  has  frimaclassissicarii.  Bacon 
evideni  ly  means  those  who  for  the  first  time  are  men  of  blood  or  mur- 
derers. 


Of  Custom  and  Education.  i6i 

resolution '  is  made  equipollent  to  custom  even  in  matter  of 
blood.  In  other  things,  the  predominancy  of  custom  is 
everywhere  visible;  insomuch  as  a  man  would  wonder  to 
hear  men  profess,  protest,  engage,  give  great  words,  and 
then  do  just  as  they  have  done  before :  as  if  they  were  dead 
images  and  engines,  moved  only  by  the  wheels  of  custom. 
We  see  also  the  reign  or  tyranny  of  custom,  what  it  is.  The 
Indians  (I  mean  the  sect  of  their  wise  men)  lay  themselves 
([uietly  upon  a  stack  of  wood,  and  so  sacrifice  themselves  by 
fire : '  nay,  the  wives  strive  to  be  burned  with  the  corpses  of 
their  husbands.^  The  lads  of  Sparta,  of  ancient  time,  were 
wont  to  be  scourged  upon  the  altar  of  Diana,  without  so 
much  as  queching.*  I  remember,  in  the  beginning  of 
Queen  Elizabeth's  time  of  England,  an  Irish  rebel  *  con- 
demned put  up  a  petition  to  the  deputy  that  he  might  be 
hanged  in  a  withe,  and  not  in  a  halter,  because  it  had  been 
so  used  with  former  rebels.  There  be  monks  in  K-ussia, 
for  penance,  that  will  sit  a  whole  night  in  a  vessel  of  water, 
till  they  be  engaged  with  hard  ice.  Many  examples  may 
be  put  of  the  force  of  custom,  both  upon  mind  and  body. 
Therefore,  since  custom  is  the  principal  magistrate  of  man's 

'   Votary  resolution^     Resolution  consequent  upon  a  solemn  vow. 

-  Tlie  Indians,  iS-'r.]  He  found  this  in  North's  Plutarch  {Alexander), 
which  says  of  Calanus,  the  Indian  philosopher,  that  '  he  laid  him  down 
upon  the  wood-stack,  covered  his  face,  nor  never  stirred  hand  nor 
foot,  nor  quitched  when  the  fire  took  him,  but  did  sacrifice  himself  in 
this  sort,  as  the  manner  of  his  country  was  that  the  wise  men  should  so 
sacrifice  themselves.' 

'  TJu  wives  strive,  dr'r.]  The  suttees  in  India  were  formally 
at)olished  in  1829,  and  very  few  instances  of  them  have  occurred  since. 

*  Queehiiig]  Stirring.  See  note  2,  above.  The  Latin  inaccurately 
renders  it  by  ejulatu  aut  gemitn  ullo.  Spenser  wrote  quick  and  qttittclu. 
ihus,  in  the  /".  Q.  V.  ix.  33,  'That  once  he  could  not  move,  nor  quicb 
at  all  ; '  and  in  the  View  of  the  State  of  Ireland,  '  No  part  of  all  that 
realme  sliall  be  able  or  dare  so  much  as  to  quinche.' 

*  An  Irish  rebel}  He  is  supposed  to  refer  to  Brian  O'Ronrke,  who, 
however,  was  executed  in   1597,  a  late  year  in  Elizabeth's  reiijn. 

M 


i62  Essays. 

life,  let  men  by  all  means  endeavour  to  obtain  good  customs. 
Certainly  custom  is  most  perfect  when  it  beginneth  in  young 
years  :  this  we  call  education,  which  is,  in  effect,  but  an 
early  custom.  So  we  see,  in  languages  the  tongue  is  more 
pliant  to  all  expressions  and  sounds,  the  joints  are  more 
supple  to  all  feats  of  activity  and  motions,  in  youth  th.m 
afterwards ;  for  it  is  true,  that  late  learners '  cannot  so  well 
take  the  ply,'  except  it  be  in  some  minds  that  have  not 
suffered  themselves  to  fix,  but  have  kept  themselves  open 
and  prepared  to  receive  continual  amendment,  which  is 
exceeding  rare.  But  if  the  force  of  custom  simple  and 
separate  be  great,  the  force  of  custom  copulate,  and  con- 
joined, and  collegiate  is  far  greater.  For  there  example 
teacheth,  company  comforteth,'  emulation  quickeneth,  glory 
raiseth  ;  so  as  in  such  places  the  force  of  custom  is  in  his* 
exaltation.  Certainly,  the  great  multiplication*  of  virtues 
upon  human  nature  resteth  upon  societies  well  ordained  and 
disciplined.  For  commonwealths  and  good  governments  do 
nourish  virtue  grown,  but  do  not  much  mend  the  seeds. 
But  the  misery  is,  that  the  most  effectual  means  are  now 
applied  to  the  ends  least  to  be  desired. 

'  Late  learners]  The  Lat.  version  has  opdmathes^  a  Greek  term  from 
^o^k  late,  and  fiavOivw  to  learn. 

-  Take  the ply\  Take  the  bending ;  be  pliaot.  An  allusion  to  the 
training  of  boughs.  So  in  the  Advaxicetneni^  IL,  '  A  conceit  that  they 
can  bring  about  occasions  to  their  p'y.' 

'  Comforteth]  Fortifies  or  strengthens.  So  in  the  Advancement,  II., 
water  'doth  scatter  and  leese  itself  in  the  ground,  except  it  be  collected 
into  some  receptacle,  where  it  may  by  union  comfort  and  sustain  itself; ' 
and  in  the  History  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  '  If  a»eighbaar  princes  should 
patronise  and  comfort  rebels  against  the  law  of  nations  and  of  leagues. ' 
In  Sliakspeare,  Wint.  Tale,  ii.  3,  Paulina  speaks  of  obsequious  coun- 
sellors comforting \h&tis'A%  of  Leontes,  that  is,  upholding  or  encouraging 
his  evil  conduct. 

*  His\     Its.     See  p.  39,  note  5. 

•  The  great  multiplitation\  The  Latin  adds  ^t  i^  .cbymicorum  xoca- 
bvlo  utar\  pivjecdo.     See  p.  1 1 1,  adte  ^ 


Of  Fortune^  163 


XL.   OF  FORTUNE. 

It  cannot  be  denied  but  outward  accidents  conduce  much 
to  fortune  :  favour,  opportunity,  death  of  others,  occasion 
fitting  virtue.  But  chiefly  the  mould  of  a  man's  fortune  is 
in  his  own  hands.  Faber  quisque  fortuncz  stice,^  saith  the 
poet.*  And  the  most  frequent  of  external  causes  is,  that  the 
folly  of  one  man  is  the  fortune  of  another.  For  no  man 
l)rospers  so  suddenly  as  by  others'  errors.  Serpens,  nisi 
serpentem  comederit,  non  Jit  draco?  Overt  and  apparent* 
virtues  bring  forth  praise  ;  but  there  be  secret  and  hidden 
virtues  that  bring  forth  fortune,  certain  deliveries  of  a  mans 
self,*  which  have  no  name.  The  Spanish  name,  desemboltura, 
partly  expresseth  them  :  when  there  be  not  stonds**  noi 
restiveness  in  a  man's  nature  ;  but  that  the  wheels  of  his 
mind  keep  way  with  the  wheels  of  his  fortune.  For  so 
Livy,  after  he  had  described  Cato  Major  in  these  words, 
///  illo  viro  taiitum  robur  corporis  et  animi  fuit,  ut  qiiocumque 
loco  natus  essei,  fortunam  sibi  facturus  videretiir^'  falleth  upon 


'  Faber  quisqtte,  &'c.  ]     Every  man  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune. 

"  Sailh  the  poet]  The  poet  here  meant  may  be  Appius,  of  whom  the 
tract  De  Repnblicd  Oriiinattdd,  generally  attributed  to  Sallust,  says, 
'  Res  docuit  id  verum  esse,  quod  in  carminibus  Appius  ait,  Fabrum  esse 
qtuinque  fortunce.''  But  the  Latin  version  has  inquit  Coiiiicus :  and 
probably  Bacon  thought  the  adage  to  have  grown  out  of  a  passage  in 
the  Trinumtnus  (ii.  2)  of  Plautus,  for  in  the  Advattcemeitt,  II.,  h« 
writes  *  Nam  pol  sapu'iis,  saith  the  comical  poet,  Jingit  fortunatn  sun.' 
and  it  grew  to  an  adage,  Faber  quisque  fortuiuB  propriu. ' 

*  Serpens,  nisi  serpeittem,  ^c.\  A  serpent  if  it  has  not  devoured  a 
serpent  does  not  become  a  dragon.  *  Apparent]     Manifest. 

'  Deliveries  of  a  man^s  self]  Lat,  Facultates  se  expediendi.  Power, 
of  adapting  one's  self. 

•  Stonds]     Obstacles,  or  resistances.     Again  used  in  the  50th  Essay. 
'  In  illo  viro,  ^^c.]     Livy,  xxxix.  40.     In  that  man  there  was  such 

vigour  both  of  mind  and  body,  that  he  seemed  to  be  one  that  would 
achieve  fortune  for  himself  wherever  he  might  have  been  bom. 

M  2 


r64  Essays. 

that/  that  he  had  versatile  ingenium?  Therefore,  if  a  man 
look  sharply  and  attentively,  he  shall  see  fortune  :  for  though 
she  be  blind,  yet  she  is  not  invisible.  The  way  of  fortune 
is  like  the  milken  way  in  the  sky;  which  is  a  meeting  or 
knot  of  a  number  of  small  stars,  not  seen  asunder,  but 
giving  light  together.  So  are  there  a  number  of  little  and 
scarce  discerned  virtues,  or  rather  faculties  and  customs, 
that  make  men  fortunate.  The  Italians  note  some  of  them, 
such  as  a  man  would  little  think.  When  they  speak  of  one 
that  cannot  do  amiss,  they  will  throw  in  into  his  other 
conditions,'  that  he  hath  Poco  di  matto ;^  and,  certainly, 
there  be  not  two  more  fortunate  properties,  than  to  have  a 
little  of  the  fool,  and  not  too  much  of  the  honest.  Therefore 
extreme  lovers  of  their  country  or  masters  were  never 
fortunate;  neither  can  they  be,  for  when  a  man  placeth 
his  thoughts  without  himself,  he  goeth  not  his  own  way.  A 
liasty  fortune  maketh  an  enterpriser  and  remover  *  (the 
French  hath  it  better,  entreprenant,  or  remuanf);  but  the 
exercised  fortune  *  maketh  the  able  man.  Fortune  is  to  be 
honoured  and  respected,  and  it  be  ^  but  for  her  daughters, 
Confidence  an4  Reputation  ;  for  those  two  felicity  breedeth : 
the  first  within  a  man's  self ;  the  latter  in  others  towards 
him.  All  wise  men,  to  decline '^  the  envy  of  their  own 
virtues,  use  to  ascribe  them  to  Providence  and  Fortune  ; 
for  so  they  may  the  better  assume  them  :  and,  besides,  it  is 
greatness  in  a  man  to  be  the  care  of  the  higher  Powers.  So 
Caesar  said  to  the  pilot  in  the  tempest,  CcBsarem  portas,  et 


'  Falleth  upon  thai\     Takes  note  of  that. 
'  Versatile  ingeniuni]     A  versatile  genius. 
'  Conditions]     Qualities. 

*  Poco  at  matto\    A  little  of  the  fool. 

*  Remover]     Agitator. 

•  The  exercised  fortune]    The  fortune  that  has  been  attained  through 
persevering  efforts. 

^  And  it  be]     An,  or  if,  it  be.     See  p.  98,  note  4. 

•  To  decline]    To  repress. 


Of  Fortune.  I65 

foitunain  ejus}  So  Sylla  chose  the  name  of  Felix,  and  not 
of  Magnus.  And  it  hath  been  noted,  that  those  that  ascribe 
openly  too  much  to  their  own  wisdom  and  policy  end 
unfortunate.  It  is  written,  that  Timotheus  the  Athenian, 
after  he  had,  in  the  account  he  gave  to  the  State  of  his 
government,  often  interlaced  this  speech,  and  in  this  Fortune 
had  no  part,  never  prospered  in  anything  he  undertook 
afterwards.2  Certainly  there  be  whose  fortunes  are  like 
Homer's  verses,  that  have  a  slide  and  easiness  more  than 
the  verses  of  other  poets :  as  Plutarch  saith  of  Timoleon's 
fortune  in  respect  of  that  of  Agesilaus  or  Epaminondas  :* 
and  that  this  should  be,  no  doubt  it  is  much  in  a  man's  self. 


'  Casarem  portas,  &'€.']  'You  carry  Caesar  and  his  fortune.'  On  the 
occasion  to  which  this  refers,  Caesar  was  passing  in  disguise  from  Mace- 
donia to  Italy  during  a  storm.  The  ship-master  fearing  to  proceed, 
Caesar  revealed  himself,  and  said,  '  Fear  not,  f^r  thou  hast  Ccesar  and 
his  fortune  with  thee.'  The  btory  is  in  Plutarch's  life  of  Julius  Caesar. 
Shakspeare's  Henry  VI.  Part  I.  i.  2,  makes  the  Maid  of  Orleans  say — 
'  Now  am  I  like  that  proud  insulting  ship, 
Which  Caesar  and  his  fortune  bare  at  once.' 

■  Timothnts  the  Athenian,  «Sr»^.]  '  Sylla  did  not  as  Timotheus  the 
son  of  Conon  had  done  :  who,  wh^^n  his  adversaries  did  attribute  his 
noble  deeds  to  the  favour  of  Fortune,  he  took  it  in  very  ill  part. 
Wherefore  one  day  when  this  Timotheus  was  returned  from  the  wars 
with  great  viciories,  after  he  had  openly  acq.uainted  the  Athenians  with 
the  whole  discourse  of  his  doings  in  his  voyage,  he  saitl  unto  them  : 
My  lords  of  Athens,  Fortune  hath  had  no  part  bi  all  this  which  I  have 
told  unto  you.  Hereupon  the  gods,  it  should  seem,  were  so  angry 
with  this  foolish  ambition  of  Timotheus,  that  he  never  afterwards  did 
any  worthy  thing,  but  all  went  utterly  against  the  hair  with  him.  But 
.Sylla,  to  the  contrary,  did  not  only  patiently  abide  tiieir  woixls  that  said 
he  was  a  happy  man  and  singularly  beloved  of  Fortune,  but  also, 
increasing  this  opinion,  and  glorying  as  at  a  special  grace  of  the  gods, 
did  attribute  the  honour  of  his  doings  unto  Fortune.' — North's  Plutarch 
(Sylla). 

*  As  Plutarch  saith,  (Sr*r.]  'Like  as  Antimachus' verses  are  full  of 
sinews  and  strength,  and  yet  at  this  present  we  see  they  are  things 
greatly  laboured  and  made  with  much  pain  ;  and  that  contrariwise  io 


i66  Essays, 


XLI.   OF  USURY. 

Many  have  made  witty  invectives  against  usury.  They 
say  that  it  is  pity  the  devil  should  have  God's  part,  which 
is  the  tithe  ;'  that  the  usurer  is  the  greatest  sabbath-h>reaker, 
because  his  plough  goeth  every  Sunday ;  that  the  usurer  is 
the  drone  that  Virgil  speaketh  of: 

Ignavum  fucos  pecus  a  praesepibus  arcent ;' 

that  the  usurer  breaketh  the  first  law  that  was  made  foi 
mankind  after  the  fall,  which  was,  m  sudore  vultus  tut  comedcs 
pattern  tuum;  not,  in  sudore  vultiis  alieni;^  that  usurers 
should  have  orange-tawny  bonnets,  because  they  do  judaise  ;* 
that  it  is  against  nature  for  money  to  beget  money  ;  *  and  the 


Homer's  verses,  besides  the  passing  workmanship  and  singular  grace 
in  them,  a  man  findeth  at  the  first  sight  that  they  were  easily  made  and 
without  great  pain  :  even  so  in  like  manner,  whosoever  will  compare 
the  painful  bloody  wars  and  battles  of  Epaminondas  and  Agesilaus  with 
the  wars  of  Timoleon,  in  the  which,  besides  equity  and  justice,  there 
is  also  great  ease  and  quietness,  he  shall  find  that  they  have  not  been 
Fortune's  doings  simply,  but  that  they  came  of  a  most  noble  and  for- 
tunate courage.  Yet  he  himself  doth  wisely  impute  it  unto  his  good 
hap  and  favourable  fortune.' — North's  Plutarch  (Timoleon). 

'   The  tithe\     The  tenth,  or  customary  rate  of  lO  per  cent. 

-  Igiiavum  fucos,  &'c.'\  Georg.  iy,  i68.  They  drive  from  their  dwell- 
ings the  idle  swarm  of  drones. 

'  In  sudore,  &'c.'\  Gen.  iii.  1 9.  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou 
eat  thy  bread  ;  not  in  the  sweat  of  aiwiher  man's  face.     See  p.  146. 

*  Because  they  do  Judaise]  Because  they  act  like  Jews.  The  Jews 
were  obliged  by  statute  to  wear  orange-tawny  or  yellow  caps  ;  more 
anciently  it  was  compulsory  for  every  Jew  from  the  age  of  seven  to 
wear  on  his  outer  garment  a  badge  of  yellow  felt,  six  inches  long  and 
three  inches  broad. 

*  That  it  is  against  nature,  cr'r.]  Francis  Meres,  m  his  Palladis 
Tamia  (1598),  says,  '  Usury  and  increase  by  gold  and  silver  is  unlaw- 


Of  Usury.  167 

like.  I  say  this  only,  that  usury  is  a  coiuessum  propter  duritiem 
cordis :^  for  since  there  must  be  borrowing  and  lending,  and 
men  are  so  hard  of  heart  as'  they  will  not  lend  freely,  usury 
must  be  permitted.  Some  others  have  made  suspicious  and 
cunning  propositions  of  banks,  discovery  ^  of  men's  estates, 
and  other  inventions;  but  few  have  spoken  of  usury  usefully. 
It  is  good  to  set  before  us  the  incommodities  and  commo- 
dities of  usury,  that  the  good  may  be  either  weighed  out,  or 
culled  out ;  and  warily  to  provide,  that  while  we  make  forth  * 
to  that  which  is  better,  we  meet  not  with  that  which  is 
worse. 

The  discommodities  of  usury  are  :  first,  that  it  makes  fewer 
merchants.  For  were  it  not  for  this  lazy  trade  of  usury, 
money  would  not  lie  still,  but  would  in  great  part  be  em- 
])loyed  upon  merchandising,  which  is  the  vena  porta^  of 
wealth  in  a  state.  The  second,  that  it  makes  poor  merchants ; 
for  as  a  farmer  cannot  husband  ^  his  ground  so  well  if  he  sit^ 
at  a  great  rent,  so  the  merchant  cannot  drive  his  trade  so 
well  if  he  sit  at  great  usury.  The  third  is  incident  to  the 
other  two  ;  and  that  is,  the  decay  of  customs  of  Kings,  or 
States,  which  ebb  or  flow  with  merchandising.  The  fourth, 
that  it  bringeth  the  treasure  of  a  Realm  or  State  into  a  few 
hands ;  for  the  usurer  being  at  certainties,  and  others  at 
uncertainties,  at  the  end  of  the  game  most  of  the  money  will 
be  in  the  box  ;*  and  ever  a  State  flourisheth  when  wealth  is 


fill,  because  against  nature  ;  nature  hath  made  them  sterile  and  barren  : 
usury  makes  them  procreative.'  Compare  what  Antonio  says  in 
Shakspeare,  Merch.  of  Ven.  i.  3,  '  When  did  friendship  take  a  brcml 
for  barren  metal  of  his  friend  ? ' 

•  A  conccssuin,  (2r»<\]     A  concession  because  of  the  hardness  of  tlie 
heart.     He  alludes  to  Matth.  xix.  8. 

''  As\     That.  *  Discevfr)']     The  making  known. 

*  Make  forth]     Advance.  *   Vena  Porta]     See  ^.  81,  note  i. 

•  Hi4sbaiut\     Cultivate.  '  Sit]     Occupy,  or  hold. 

*  Will  be  in  the  box]     Will  be  in  the  coffer  of  the  idle  usurer.     The 
1  atin  versii^  has  provie  cftlaty  turns  oat  to  be  the  lender's. 


[68  Essays. 

more  equally  spread.  The  fifth,  that  it  beats  dowii  tlie 
price  of  land  :  for  the  employment  of  money  is  chiefly  either 
merchandising  or  purcliasing ;  and  dsury  waylays  both.  The 
sixth,  that  it  doth  dull  and  damp  all  industries,  improve- 
ments, and  new  inventions,  wherein  money  would  be  stir- 
ring, if  it  were  not  for  this  slug.  The  last,  that  it  is  the 
canker  and  ruin  of  many  men's  estates,  which  in  process  of 
time  breeds  a  public  poverty. 

On  the  other  side,  the  commodities  of  usury  are  :  first, 
that  howsoever  usury  in  some  respect  hindereth  merchan- 
dising, yet  in  some  other  it  advanceth  it ;  for  it  is  certain 
that  the  greatest  part  of  trade  is  driven  by  young  merchants 
upon  borrowing  at  interest ;  so  as '  if  the  usurer  either  call 
in,  or  keep  back  his  money,  there  will  ensue  presently  a 
great  stand  *  of  trade.  The  second  iS;  that,  were  it  not  for 
this  easy  borrowing  upon  interest,  men's  necessities  would 
draw  upon  them  a  most  sudden  undoing,  in  that  they  would 
be  forced  to  sell  their  means  (be  it  lands  or  goods)  far  under 
foot ; '  and  so,  whereas  usury  doth  but  gnaw  upon  them,  bad 
markets  would  swallow  them  quite  up.  As  for  mortgaging, 
or  pawning,  it  will  little  mend  the  matter ;  for  either  men 
will  not  take  pawns  without  use,*  or  if  they  do,  they  will 
look  precisely'  for  the  forfeiture.  I  remember  a  cniel 
moneyed  man  in  the  country  that  would  say,  *  The  devil 


'  So  as\     So  that. 
-  Stand]     Stoppage. 

*  Underfoot]     Under  the  mark  ;  below  the  level  of  its  worth. 

*  Use]     Interest  for  use  of  money  was  so  called.     Thus  in  Shak- 
speare,  Meas.  for  Meas.  i.  i — 

*  Nature  never  lends 
The  smallest  scruple  of  her  excellence, 
But,  like  a  thrifty  goddess,  she  determines 
Herself  the  glory  of  a  creditor, 
Both  thanks  and  use.' 

*  Predsely]     Strictly. 


Of  Usury.  169 

take  this  usury,  it  keeps  us  from  forfeitures  of  mortgages  and 
bonds.'  The  third  and  last  is,  that  it  is  a  vanity  to  conceive 
that  there  would  be  ordinary  borrowing  without  profit ;  and 
it  is  impossible  to  conceive  the  number  of  inconveniences 
that  will  ensue  if  borrowing  be  cramped.  Therefore  to 
speak  of  the  abolishing  of  usury  is  idle.  All  States  have 
ever  had  it  in  one  kind  of  rate  or  other  :  so  as  •  that  opinion 
must  be  sent  to  Utopia.' 

To  speak  now  of  the  reformation  and  reglement'  of 
usury  :  how  the  discommodities  of  it  may  be  best  avoided, 
and  the  commodities  retained.  It  appears,  by  the  balance 
of  commodities  and  discommodities  of  usury,  two  things  are 
to  be  reconciled ;  the  one,  that  the  tooth  of  usury  be  grinded, 
that  it  bite  not  too  much ;  the  other,  that  there  be  left  open 
a  means  to  invite  moneyed  men  to  lend  to  the  merchants, 
for  the  continuing  and  quickening  of  trade.  This  cannot  be 
done,  except  you  introduce  two  several  sorts  of  usury,  a  less 
and  a  greater ;  for  if  you  reduce  usury  to  one  low  rate,  it 
will  ease  the  common  borrower,  but  the  merchant  will  be  to 
seek*  for  money.  And  it  is  to  be  noted,  that  the  trade  ot 
merchandise,  being  the  most  lucrative,  may  bear  usury  at  a 
good  rate;  other  contracts  not  so. 

To  serve  both  intentions,  the  way  would  be  briefly  thus  : 
that  there  be  two  rates  of  usury ;  the  one  free  and  general 
for  all,  the  other  under  license  only  to  certain  persons,  and  in 
certain  places  of  merchandising.     First,  therefore,  let  usury 


*  So  as\     So  that. 

*  Utopia]  This  term,  from  tlie  Greek  oi,  not,  and  rrfirot,  a  place, 
sij^nifies  ncnuhfre,  and  was  the  name  given  by  Sir  Thomas  More  to  an 
imaginary  country,  blessed  with  perfect  laws  and  institutions. 

'  Re^lement\     This  is  the  French  word  for  regulation. 

*  To  seek]  At  a  loss.  So  in  the  Advancenienl,  I.,  'Men  bred  in 
learning  are  perhaps  to  seek  in  points  of  convenience  and  accommodating 
for  the  present;'  and  in  the  old  play  of  The  Morning  Ramble,  v.  i, 
*  How  we  shall  save  our  reputations  to  our  several  adversaries,  when 
they  find  us  together,  I  am  to  seek.* 


r  70  Essays. 

in  general  be  reduced  to  five  in  the  hundred,  and  let  that 
rate  be  proclaimed  to  be  free  and  current ;  and  let  the  State 
shut  itself  out  to  take  any  penalty  •  for  the  same.  This  will 
preserve  borrowing  from  any  general  stop  or  dryness ;  this 
will  ease  infinite  borrowers  in  the  country ;  this  will,  in  good 
part,  raise  the  price  of  land,  because  land  purchased  at 
sixteen  years'  purchase  will  yield  six  in  the  hundred,  and 
somewhat  more,'  whereas  this  rate  of  interest  yields  but  five ; 
this  by  like  reason  will  encourage  and  edge  industrious  and 
profitable  improvements,  because  many  will  rather  venture 
in  that  kind  than  take  five  in  the  hundred,  especially  having 
been  used  to  greater  profit.  Secondly,  let  there  be  certain 
persons  licensed  to  lend  to  known  merchants  upon  usury  at 
a  higher  rate  ;  and  let  it  be  with  the  cautions  following.  Let 
the  rate  be,  even  with  the  merchant  himself,  somewhat  more 
easy  than  that  he  used  formerly  to  pay ;  for  by  that  means 
all  borrowers  shall  have  some  ease  by  this  reformation,  be 
he  merchant  or  whosoever.  Let  it  be  no  bank,  or  common 
stock,  but  every  man  be  master  of  his  own  money :  not  that 
I  altogether  mislike  banks,  but  they  will  hardly  be  brooked, 
in  regard  of  certain  suspicions.  J.et  the  State  be  answered 
some  small  matter'  for  the  license,  and  the  rest  left  to  the 
lender;  for  if  the  abatement  be  but  small,  it  will  no  whii 
discourage  the  lender ;  for  he,  for  example,  that  took  before 
ten  or  nine  in  the  hundred,  will  sooner  descend  to  eight  in 
the  hundred  than  give  over  his  trade  of  usury,  and  go  from 
certain  gains  to  gains  of  hazard.  Let  these  licensed  lenders 
be  in  number  indefinite,  but  restrained  to  certain  principal 
cities  and  towns  of  merchandising  :  for  then  they  will  be 
hardly  able  to  colour  other  men's  monies  in  the  country;* 


'  Shut  itself  out,  &'c.'\     Exclude  itself,  or  abstain,  from  taking  any 
duty. 

-  Six  in  the  hundred,  6^^.]     6^  per  cent.,  viz.  the  i6th  parr  of  loo. 

*  Answered  some  sntal!  matter\     Paid  some  small  portion  of  the  rate. 

*  7<7  colyur  ot/ter  metCs  monies,  dr'c.'l     To  lend  in  their  own  name, 


Of  Youth  and  Age  171 

so  as  the  license  of  nine  will  not  suck  away  tne  current  rate 
of  five  ;  for  no  man  will  send  his  monies  far  off,  nor  put 
them  into  unknown  hands. 

If  it  be  objected'  that  this  doth  in  a  sort  authorise  usury, 
which  before  was  is  some  places  but  permissive  :  the  answer 
is,  that  it  is  better  to  mitigate  usury  by  declaration,  than  to 
suffer  it  to  rage  by  connivance. 


XLII.    OF   YOUTH  AND  AGE. 

A  man  that  is  young  in  years  may  be  old  in  hours,  if  he 
have  lost  no  time.  But  that  happeneth  rarely.  Generally, 
youth  is  like  the  first  cogitations,  not  so  wise  as  the  second. 
For  there  is  a  youth  in  thoughts  as  well  as  in  ages  ;  and  yet 
the  invention  of  young  men  is  more  lively  than  that  of  old  ; 
and  imaginations  stream  into  their  minds  better,  and,  as  it 
were,  more  divinely.  Natures  that  have  much  heat,  and 
great  and  violent  desires  and  perturbations,  are  not  ripe  for 
action  till  they  have  passed  the  meridian  of  their  years :  as 
it  was  with  Julius  Caesar  and  Septimius  Severus.  Of  the 
latter  of  whom  it  is  S3i\6.,  j'uDentutem  egtt  errort'bus,  into  furor i- 
bus,  plenam?  And  yet  he  was  the  ablest  emperor  almost  of 
all  the  list.  But  reposed  natures  may  do  well  in  youth  ;  as 
it  is  seen  in  Augustus  Caesar,  Cosmus,  Duke  of  Florence,^ 
Gaston  de  Foix,*  and  others.     On  the  other  side,  heat  and 


or  use  the  privilege  of  their  license  with  the  monies  of  other  men  living 
out  of  the  said  towns. 

'  If  it  be  objected,  &'c.'\  This  paragraph  is  omitted  in  the  Latin 
version. 

-'  ytwentutem,  &=€.  ]  Spartian,  vit.  Sev.  He  spent  a  youth  full  of 
errors,  and  even  of  frenzies, 

'  Cosvms,  Duke  of  Florence\  Cosmo  I.,  a  descendant  of  the  Metlici 
family  ;  died  in  1574. 

*  Gascon  de  Foix\  Nephew  to  Louis  XIL  ;  killed  at  the  IkuiIc  of 
Ravenna  in  151 2. 


172  Essays. 

vivacity  in  age  is  an  excellent  composition'  for  business. 
Young  men  are  fitter  to  invent  than  to  judge  ;  fitter  for 
execution  than  for  counsel ;  and  fitter  for  new  projects  than 
for  settled  business.  For  the  experience  of  age,  in  things 
that  fall  within  the  compass  of  it,  directeth  them  ;  but  in 
new  things  abuseth^  them.  The  errors  of  young  men  are 
the  ruin  of  business ;  but  the  errors  of  aged  men  amount 
but  to  this,  that  more  might  have  been  done,  or  sooner. 
Young  men,  in  the  conduct  and  manage  of  actions,  embrace 
more  than  they  can  hold ;  stir  more  than  they  can  quiet ; 
fly  to  the  end,  without  consideration  of  the  means  and 
degrees ;  pursue  some  few  principles  which  they  have 
chanced  upon  absurdly  ;^  care  not  to  innovate,  which  draws 
unknown  inconveniences ;  use  extreme  remedies  at  first ; 
and,  that  which  doubleth  all  errors,  will  not  acknowledge  or 
retract  them ;  like  an  unready*  horse,  that  will  neither  stop 
nor  turn.  Men  of  age  object  too  much,  consult  too  long, 
adventure  too  little,  repent  too  soon,  and  seldom  drive 
business  home  to  the  full  period,  but  content  themselves 
with  a  mediocrity  of  success.  Certainly  it  is  good  to  com- 
pound employments  of  both  ;  for  that  will  be  good  for  the 
present,  because  the  virtues  of  either  age  may  correct  the 
defects  of  both :  and  good  for  succession,  that  young  men 
may  be  learners,  while  men  in  age  are  actors  :  and,  lastly, 
good  for  extern  accidents,  because  authority  followeth  old 
men,  and  favour  and  popularity  youth.  But  for  the  moral 
part,  perhaps,  youth  will  have  the  pre-eminence,  as  age  hath 
for  the  politic  A  certain  rabbin  upon  the  text,  Yotir  young 
men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream  dreams,^ 
inferreth  that  young  men  are  admitted  nearer  to  God  than 


Composition]     Temperament. 

Abuseth]     Deceives,  or  misleads. 

Pursue,  6;'c.'\     Pursue  absurdly  some  few  principles,  &c 

Unready]    That  does  not  readily  obey  the  rein. 

Your  young  nun,  i&v,]    Joel  ii   28. 


Of  Beauty.  1 73 

old,  Lecduse  vision  is  a  clearer  revelation  than  a  dream  : 
and,  certainly,  the  more  a  man  drinketh  of  the  world,  the 
more  it  intoxicateth  ;  and  age  doth  profit'  rather  in  the 
powers  of  understanding  than  in  the  virtues  of  the  will  and 
afifections.  There  be  some  have  an  over-early  ripeness  in 
their  years,  which  fadeth  betimes  :  these  are,  first,  such  as 
have  brittle  wits,  the  edge  whereof  is  soon  turned;  such  as 
was  Hermogenes*  the  rhetorician,  whose  books  are  exceeding 
subtle,  who  afterwards  waxed  stupid  :  a  second  sort  is  of 
those  that  have  some  natural  dispositions  which  have  better 
grace  in  youth  than  in  age ;  such  as  is  a  fluent  and  luxuriant 
speech;  which  becomes  youth  well,  but  not  age;  so  TuUy 
saith  of  Hortensius,  Ide77i  manebat,  neque  idem  decebat  :^  the 
third  is  of  such  as  take  too  high  a  strain  at  the  first,  and 
are  magnanimous  more  than  tract  of  years*  can  uphold  ;  as 
was  Scipio  Africanus,  of  whom  Livy  saith  in  effect,  Ultima 
primis  cedebant.^ 


XLIII.   OF  BEAUTY. 

Virtue  is  like  a  rich  stone,  best  plain  set;  and  surely 
virtue  is  best  in  a  body  that  is  comely,  though  not  of  delicate 


'  Doth  profil^     Improves. 

-  Ifeniiogcnesl  He  lived  about  the  middle  of  the  second  century. 
He  is  said  to  have  lost  all  power  of  memory  at  the  age  of  24. 

"  Idem  manebat,  ^c.\  Cicero,  Brut.  95,  'He  continued  the  same, 
but  not  appropriately  so.' 

*  Tract  0/ years']  Gradual  process  of  years.  •  Tract  of  time '  (from 
the  Lat.  tractus  temporis)  was  anciently  a  familiar  expression.  Milton 
has  it  in  P.  L.  v.  498,  '  Improved  by  tract  of  time.'  Compare  North's 
Plutarch  {Luadlus),  '  The  one  by  tract  and  delay,  and  the  other  by 
speed  and  swiftness.'     See  p.  193,  note  4. 

*  Ultima  primis  cedebant]  The  last  actions  were  inferior  to  the  first 
Livy  (xxxviii.    53)  says  so  in  effect.     His  words  are,    '  Memorabilior 


1 74  Essays. 

features,  and  that  hath  rather  dignity  of  presence  than 
beauty  of  aspect  Neither  is  it  almost  seen,  that  very 
beautiful  persons  are  otherwise  of  great  virtue  ;  as  if  nature 
were  rather  busy  not  to  err,  than  in  labour  to  produce 
excellency.  And  therefore  they  prove  accomplished,  but 
not  of  great  spirit ;  and  study  rather  behaviour  than  virtue. 
But  this  holds  not  always ;  for  Augustus  Caesar,  Titus 
Vespasianus,  Philip  le  Bel  of  France,  Edward  the  Fourth  of 
England,  Alcibiades  of  Athens,  Ismael  the  sophy  of  Persia, 
were  all  high  and  great  spirits,  and  yet  the  most  beautiful 
men  of  their  times.  In  beauty,  that  of  favour '  is  more  than 
that  of  colour;  and  that  of  decent  and  gracious*  motion 
more  than  that  of  favour.  That  is  the  best  part  of  beauty 
which  a  picture  cannot  express ;  no,  nor  the  first  sight  ot 
the  life.  There  is  no  excellent  beauty  that  hath  not  some 
strangeness  in  the  proportion.  A  man  cannot  tell  whether 
Apelles  or  Albert  Durer  were  the  more  trifler;  whereof  the 
one  would  make  a  personage  by  geometrical  proportions;^ 
the  other,  by  taking  the  best  parts  out  of  divers  faces  to 
make  one  excellent.*  Such  personages,  I  think,  would 
please  nobody  but  the  painter  that  made  them.  Not  but  I 
think  a  painter  may  make  a  better  face  than  ever  was ;  but 
he  must  do  it  by  a  kind  of  felicity  (as  a  musician  that  makt- th 

prima  pars  vitw  quam  postrema  fuit : '  the  first  part  of  his  life  was  more 
distinguished  than  the  last.     But  Bacon's  phrase  is  from  Ovid:  — 

'  Ccepisti  melius  quam  desinis  :  ultima  primis 
Cedunt.'' — Her  Old.  ix.  23. 

'  Faz<our'\     Feature. 

*  Gracious]     Graceful. 

*  The  one  would  make,  ^^c]  This  refers  to  Albert  Durer's  treatise 
De  SymmeU-ul  Partium  Humani  Corporis. 

<  The  otJur,  by  taking,  >Sr»(r.]  This  was  not  Apelles,  but  Zeuxis, 
whom  the  people  of  Crotona  requested  to  make  a  picture  of  Helen  for 
the  temple  of  Juno.  They  sent  him  a  number  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
thfir  women,  that  ne  might  combine  in  his  picture  the  excellences  of 
all.     (Cicero,  De  InvetU.  iL) 


Of  Deformity.  175 

aiv  excellent  air  in  music)  and  not  by  rule.  A  man  shall  see 
faces,  that,  if  you  examine  them  part  by  part,  you  shall  find 
never  a  good  ;  and  yet  all  together  do  well.  If  it  be  tnie, 
that  the  principal  part  of  beauty  is  in  decent  motion, 
certainly  it  is  no  marvel  though  persons  in  years  seem  many 
times  more  amiable  ;  pulchrorum  autumnus  pulcher ;^  for  no 
youth  can  be  comely  but  by  pardon,*  and  considering  the 
youth  as  to  make  up  the  comeliness.  Beauty  is  as  summer 
fruits,  which  are  easy  to  corrupt,  and  cannot  last ;  and,  for 
the  most  part,  it  makes  a  dissolute  youth,  and  an  age  a  little 
out  of  countenance  ;'  but  yet  certainly  again,  if  it  light  well,* 
it  maketh  virtues  shine  and  vices  blush. 


XLIV.   OF  DEFORMITY. 

Deformed  persons  are  commonly  even  with  Nature ;  for 
ds  Nature  hath  done  ill  by  them,*  so  do  they  by  Nature  ; 
being  for  the  most  part  (as  the  Scripture  saith)  void  of 
natural  affection  .*  and  so  they  have  their  revenge  of  Nature. 
Certainly  there  is  a  consemt  between  the  body  and  the  mind, 
and  where  Nature  eiTeth  in  the  one,  she  ventureth^  in  the 
other  :  ubi  peccat  iu  uuo,  peridiiatur  in  altero.  But  because 
there  is  in  man  an  election  touching  the  frame  of  his  mind, 
and  a  necessity  in  the  frame  of  his  body,  the  stars  of  natural 
inclination  are  sometimes  obscured  by  the  sun  of  discipline 


'  Pulchrorum  autumnus pulcker\  The  autumn  of  fair  ones  is  fair. 
I'lie  Latin  version  iatroduoes  this  with  the  words  secutidum  illud  Euri- 
puiis. 

-  By  pardon^     By  allowamce  being  made  for  the  time  of  life. 

■''  Out  of  atuntenance]     Melancholy. 

*  If  it  light  well}  Lat,  Si  bene  collocetur.  He  means,  if  beauty 
happen  to  be  associated  with  a  virtuous  disposition. 

*  Bv  them]     Towards  them. 

"   Void  oj  natural  ajectioti]     Rom.  i.  31  ;  2  Tim.  iiL  3. 
'   Ventureth^     Runs  a  risk. 


1  yC  Essays. 

and  virtue  ;  therefore  it  is  good  to  consider  of  deformity, 
not  as  a  sign,  which  is  more  deceivable,'  but  as  a  cause 
which  seldom  faileth  of  the  effect.  Whosoever  hath  anything 
fixed  in  his  person  that  doth  induce  contempt,  hath  also  a 
perpetual  spur  in  himself  to  rescue  and  deliver  himself  from 
scorn  ;  therefore,  all  deformed  persons  are  extreme  bold  : 
first,  as  in  their  own  defence,  as  being  exposed  to  scorn  ; 
but  in  process  of  time  by  a  general  habit.  Also  it  stirreth 
in  them  industry,  and  especially  of  this  kind,  to  watch  and 
observe  the  weakness  of  others,  that  they  may  have  some- 
what to  repay.  Again,  in  their  superiors,  it  quencheth 
jealousy  towards  them,  as  persons  that  they  think  they  may 
at  pleasure  despise  :  and  it  layeth  their  competitors  and 
emulators  asleep,  as  never  believing  they  should  be  in 
possibility  of  advancement  till  they  see  them  in  possession : 
so  that  upon  the  matter,'^  in  a  great  wit  deformity  is  an 
advantage  to  rising.  Kings,  in  ancient  times  (and  at  this 
present  in  some  countries),  were  wont  to  put  great  tnist  in 
eunuchs  ;  because  they  that  are  envious  towards  all  are 
more  obnoxious  and  officious  ^  towards  one.  But  yet  their 
trust  towards  them  hath  rather  been  as  to  good  spials^  and 
good  whisperers,  than  good  magistrates  and  officers  :  and 
much  like  is  the  reason  of*  deformed  persons.  Still  the 
ground*  is,  they  will,  if  they  be  of  spirit,  seek  to  free  them- 
selves from  scorn;  which  must  be  either  by  virtue  or  malice: 
and,  therefore,  let  it  not  be  marvelled,  if  sometimes  they 
prove  excellent  persons ;  as  was  Agesilaus,  Zanger  the  son 


'  Decnvable]     Deceiving. 

*  Upon  the  matter]     In  regard  to  this  matter. 

'  Obnoxious  and  officious]     Subject  and  ready  to  serve. 

*  Spials\  Espials,  or  spitxls,  meaning  spies,  is  from  the  old  French 
espier,  to  spy.  Both  forms  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  our  old  authors. 
We  have  espials  in  the  48th  Essay. 

*  The  reason  of]     The  reason  respecting ;  the  account  ot 

*  The  ground']    The  general  rule. 


Of  Building.  177 

of  Soljnman,  ^sop,  Gasca  president  of  Peru ;  and  Socrates 
may  go  likewise  amongst  them,  with  others. 


XLV.    OF  BUILDING. 

Houses  are  built  to  live  in,  and  not  to  look  on ;  there- 
fore let  use  be  preferred  before  uniformity,  except  where 
both  may  be  had.  Leave  the  goodly  fabrics  of  houses,  for 
beauty  only,  to  tlie  enchanted  palaces  of  the  poets,  who 
build  them  with  small  cost.  He  that  builds  a  fair  house 
upon  an  ill  seat '  committeth  himself  to  prison.  Neither  do 
I  reckon  it  an  ill  seat  only  where  the  air  is  unwholesome, 
but  likewise  where  the  air  is  unequal ;  as  you  shall  see 
many  fine  seats  set  upon  a  knap  of  ground,  environed  with 
higher  hills  round  about  it;  whereby  the  heat  of  the  sua 
is  pent  in,  and  the  wind  gathereth  as  in  troughs;  so  as  you 
shall  have,  and  that  suddenly,  as  great  diversity  of  heat 
and  cold  as  if  you  dwelt  in  several  places.  Neither  is  it 
ill  air  only  that  maketh  an  ill  seat,  but  ill  ways,  ill  markets, 
and,  if  you  will  consult  with  Momus,*  ill  neighbours.  I  speak 
not  of  many  more  :  want  of  water;  want  of  wood,  shade, 
and  shelter ;  want  of  fraitfulness  and  mixture  of  grounds 
of  several  natures  ;  want  of  prospect ;  want  of  level  grounds ; 
want  of  places  at  some  near  distance  for  sports  of  hunting, 
liawking.  and  races ;  too  near  the  sea,  too  remote ;  having 
the  commodity'  of  navigable  rivers,  or  the  discommodity  of 
their  overflowing ;  too  far  off  from  great  cities,  which  may 
hinder  business ;  or  too  near  them,  which  lurcheth  *  all 
l)rovisions,  and  maketh   everything  dear  ;    where   a  man 


'  Sea(\     Site. 

'  If  you  will  consult^  &'c.'\    If  you  will  take  amusement  into  conside- 
rr.tion.     Momus  was  the  god  of  mirth. 

'  TTte  commodity      The  advantage,  or  accommodation. 
•  Lurcheth^    Svrallo  veth  up.     Frcm  the  Lat.  lurco,  a  glutton. 
N 


I7S  Essays. 

Iiath  a  great  living  laid  together,  and  where  he  is  scanted : 
all  which  as  it  is  impossible,  perhaps,  to  find  together,  so 
it  IS  good  to  know  them,  and  think  of  them,  that  a  man 
may  take  as  many  as  he  can ;  and,  if  he  have  several 
dwellings,  that  he  sort  them  so  that  what  he  wanteth  in 
the  one  he  may  find  in  the  other.  LucuUus  answerec 
Pompey  well,  who,  when  he  saw  his  stately  galleries,  and 
rooms  so  large  and  lightsome,  in  one  of  his  houses,'  said, 
Surely  an  excellent  place  for  summer,  but  how  do  you  in 
winter  f  Lucullus  answered,  Why,  do  you  not  think  me  as 
7oise  a.7  some  foivl  are,  that  ever  change  tJieir  abode  towards 
the  7vintcr  ? 

To  pass  from  the  seat  to  the  house  itself,  we  will  do  as 
Cicero  doth  in  the  orator's  art,  who  \vrites  books  De 
Oratore,  and  a  book  he  entitles  Orator;  whereof  the 
former  delivers  the  precepts  of  the  art,  and  the  latter  the 
perfection.  We  will,  therefore,  describe  a  princely  palace, 
making  a  brief  model  thereof:  for  it  is  strange  to  see  now 
in  Europe  such  huge  buildings  as  the  Vatican,  and  Escurial,* 
p.nd  some  others  be,  and  yet  scarce  a  very  fair  '  room  in 
them. 

First,  therefore,  I  say,  you  cannot  have  a  perfect  palace, 
except  you  have  two  several  sides  :*  a  side  for  the  banquet, 
as  is  spoken  of  in  the  book  of  Esther,*  and  a  side  for  the 
household;  the  one  for  feasts  and  triumphs,^  and  the  other 
for  dwelling.     I  understand  both  these  sides  to  be  not  only 

^  In  otu  of  his  houses]    Near  Tusculum.    Plutarch's  Lives  (Z«<^m//«j). 

^'i^he  Valkan  atid  Escurial]  The  Vatican,  so  named  from  one  of 
the  seven  hills  on  which  Rome  was  built,  is  a  cluster  of  buildings,  con- 
sisting of  the  papal  palace,  a  museum,  a  library,  &c.  The  Escurial,  or 
Escorial,  is  an  immense  palace  in  Spain,  situated  about  30  miles  to  the 
north-west  of  Madrid. 

^  Fair\     Fine  ;  handsome. 

*  Sides']     Wings. 

»  Esther]     i.  5,  6. 

•  Triumphs]     Pageants.     See  p.  3,  note  I. 


Of  Building.  179 

returns,^  but  parts  of  the  front;  and  to  be  uniform  without, 
though  severally  partitioned  within  ;  and  to  be  on  both 
sides  of  a  great  and  stately  tower  in  the  midst  of  the  front, 
that,  as  it  were,  joineth  them  together  on  either  hand.  I 
would  have  on  the  side  of  the  banquet,  in  front,  one  only 
goodly  room,  above  stairs,  of  some  forty  foot  high ;  and 
under  it  a  room  for  a  dressing  or  preparing  place,  at  times 
of  triumphs.  On  the  other  side,  which  is  the  household 
!;ide,  I  wish  it  divided  at  the  first  into  a  hall  and  a  chapel 
(with  a  partition  between),  both  of  good  state  and  bigness; 
and  those  not  to  go  all  the  length,  but  to  have  at  the 
further  end  a  winter  and  a  summer  parlour,  both  fair;  and 
under  these  rooms  a  fair  and  large  cellar  sunk  under 
ground;  and  likewise  some  privy  kitchens,  with  butteries, 
and  pantries,  and  the  like.  As  for  the  tower,  I  would 
have  it  two  stories,  of  eighteen  foot  high  apiece  above  the 
two  wings;  and  a  goodly  leads  upon  the  top  railed  with 
statuas  ^  interposed ;  and  the  same  tower  to  be  divided  into 
rooms,  as  shall  be  thought  fit.  The  stairs  likewise  to  the 
upper  rooms,  let  them  be  upon  a  fair  open  newel,'  and 
finely  railed  in  \vith  images  of  wood  cast  into  a  brass  colour: 
and  a  very  fair  landing-place  at  the  top.  But  this  to  be,  if 
you  do  not  point  any  of  the  lower  rooms  for  a  dining-place 
of  servants  ;  for,  othenvise,  you  shall  have  the  servants' 
dinner  after  your  own  :  for  the  steam  of  it  will  come  up 
as  in  a  tunnel.*  And  so  much  for  the  front ;  only  I  under- 
stand the  height  of  the  first  stairs  to  be  sixteen  foot,  which 
is  the  height  of  the  lower  room. 


'  Returns]     Receding  continuations  of  the  style  of  the  front 
'  Statuas]     See  p.  113,  note  2. 

*  Newel]  The  vertical  axis  formed  by  the  narrow  ends  of  the  steps 
in  a  winding  staircase. 

*  Tunnel]  Funnel  of  a  chimney.  Sc  in  Spenser's  F.  Q.  II.  ix.  29, 
'And  one  great  chimney,  whose  long  tannel  theace  the  smoke  forth 
threw.' 

Ma 


i8o  Essays. 

Beyond  this  front  is  there  to  be  a  fair  court,  but  three 
sides  of  it  of  a  far  lower  building  than  the  front.  And  in 
all  the  four  comers  of  that  court  fair  stair-cases,  cast  into 
turrets  on  the  outside,  and  not  within  the  row  of  buildings 
themselves.  But  those  towers  are  not  to  be  of  the  height 
of  the  front,  but  rather  proportionable  to  the  lower  build- 
ing. Let  the  court  not  be  paved,  for  that  striketh  up  a 
great  heat  in  summer,  and  much  cold  in  winter;  but  only 
some  side  alleys  with  a  cross,  ^  and  the  quarters  to  graze,* 
being  kept  shorn,  but  not  too  near  shorn.  The  row  of 
return  ^  on  the  banquet  side,  let  it  be  all  stately  galleries ; 
in  which  galleries  let  there  be  three  or  five  fine  cupolas  in 
the  length  of  it,  placed  at  equal  distance;  and  fine  coloured 
windows  of  several  works.  On  the  household  side, 
chambers  of  presence  and  ordinary  entertainments,*  with 
some  bed-chambers  ;  and  let  all  three  sides  be  a  double 
house,  without  thorough  lights^  on  the  sides,  that  you  may 
have  rooms  from  the  sun,^  both  for  forenoon  and  afternoon. 
Cast  it^  also  that  you  may  have  rooms  both  for  summer 
and  winter,  shady  for  summer,  and  warm  for  winter.  You 
shall  have  sometimes  fair  houses  so  full  of  glass,  that  one 


*  But  only  some  side  alleys,  &'c.']  But  let  only  walks  be  paved,  viz. 
side  walks,  and  two  intersecting  middle  walks. 

*  To  graze]     To  be  in  grass  ;  to  be  giassplats. 

'  T/ie  row  of  return,  d^c]  The  line  of  building  forming  that  side  of 
the  court  which  proceeds  from  the  banquet  side. 

*  Entertainments]  Receptions.  Entertain  used  simply  to  mean 
receive  or  admit.  In  Shakspeare's  Cofn.  of  Err.,  iii.  i,  Antipholus 
says,  '  Mine  own  doors  refuse  to  entertain  me.' 

*  Without  thorous^h  lights]  Lat.  Non  translucida.  Thorough  ox 
through  lights  are  opposite  windows  in  a  room.  In  the  Advancement, 
II.,  he  says,  'This  great  building  of  the  world  had  never  thorough 
lights  made  in  it  till  the  age  of  us  and  our  fathers.' 

*  From  the  sttn]  Away  from,  or  out  of,  the  sun.  See  the  Editor's 
Text-Book  of  Eng.  Grammar,  p.  170,  §24. 

*  Caft  it]     Fashion  it 


Of  Building.  \%\ 

cannot  tell  where  to  become  '  to  be  out  of  the  sun  or  cold. 
For  embowed  windows,^  I  hold  them  of  good  use  (in  cities, 
indeed,  upright  ^  do  better,  in  respect  of  the  uniformity  to- 
wards the  street);  for  they  be  pretty  retiring  places  for 
conference  ;  and,  besides,  they  keep  both  the  wind  and 
sun  off ;  for  that  which  would  strike  almost  thorough  th  i: 
room  doth  scarce  pass  the  window.  But  let  them  be  but 
few,  four  in  the  court,  on  the  sides  only. 

Beyond  this  court,  let  there  be  an  inward  court,  of  the 
same  square  and  height,  which  is  to  be  environed  with  the 
garden  on  all  sides :  and  in  the  inside,  cloistered  on  all 
sides  upon  decent  and  beautiful  arches,  as  high  as  the  first 
story.  On  the  under  story,  towards  the  garden,  let  it  be 
turned  to  a  grotto,  or  place  of  shade,  or  estivation ;  *  and 
only  have  opening  and  windows  towards  the  garden  ;  and 
be  level  upon  the  floor,  no  whit  sunk  under  ground,  to 
avoid  all  dampishness.  And  let  there  be  a  fountain,  or 
some  fair  work  of  statuas  in  the  midst  of  this  court;  and 
to  be  paved  as  the  other  court  was.  These  buildings  to 
be  for  privy  lodgings  on  both  sides,  and  the  end  for  privy 
galleries;  whereof  you  must  foresee  that  one  of  them  be 
for  an  infirmary,  if  the  Prince  or  any  special  person  should 
be  sick,  with  chambers,  bed-chamber,  anticamera,  and 
recamera,^  joining  to  it.  This  upon  the  second  story. 
Upon  the  ground  story,  a  fkir  gallery,  open,  upon  pillars ; 


'  IVhcre  to  become]  Lat.  Ubi  te  recipias:  whereto  betake  yourself; 
where  to  go.  Compare  Spenser,  F.  Q.  I.  x.  i6,  '  The  dear  Charissa, 
where  is  she  become?  '  also  III.  iv.  i,  '  Where  is  the  antique  glory  now 
become  ? '  and  Shakspeare,  3  Hen.  VI.  ii.  i,  *  Where  our  right  valiant 
father  is  become  ; '  iv.  4,  '  Where  is  Warwick  then  become  ? ' 

*  Embowed  windows]     Bay  windows. 
»  Upright]     Straight  with  the  wall. 

*  Estivation]     Summer  retreat. 

*  Anticamera  and  recamera]  Antechamber  and  rear  or  inocr 
chamber. 


1 82  Essays.' 

and  upon  the  third  story  Hkewise,  an  open  gallery  upon 
pillars,  to  take  the  prospect  and  freshness  of  the  garden. 
At  both  comers  of  the  further  side,  by  way  of  return,'  let 
there  be  two  delicate  or  rich  cabinets,'^  daintily  ^  paved, 
richly  hanged,  glazed  with  crystalline  glass,  and  a  rich 
cupola  in  the  midsi;  and  all  other  elegancy  that  may  be 
thought  upon.  In  the  upper  gallery  too,  I  wish  that  there 
may  be,  if  the  place  will  yield  it,  some  fountains  running  in 
divers  places  from  the  wall,  with  some  fine  avoidances.*  And 
thus  much  for  the  model  of  the  palace;  save  that  you  must 
have,  befqre  you  come  to  the  front,  three  courts :  a  green 
court  plain,  with  a  wall  about  it;  a  second  court  of  the 
same,  but  more  garnished  with  little  turrets,  or  rather 
embellishments,  upon  the  wall;  and  a  third  court,  to  make 
a  square  with  the  front,  but  not  to  be  built,  nor  yet 
enclosed  with  a  naked  wall,  but  enclosed  with  terraces 
leaded  aloft,  and  fairly  garnished  on  the  three  sides;  and 
cloistered  on  the  inside  with  pillars,  and  not  with  arches 
below.  As  for  offices,  let  them  stand  at  distance,  with  some 
low  galleries  to  pass  from  them  to  the  palace  itself. 


XLVI.    OF  GARDENS. 

God  Almighty  first  planted  a  garden;  and,  indeed,  it  is 
the  purest  of  human  pleasures.  It  is  the  greatest  refresh- 
ment to  the  spirits  of  man ;  without  which  buildings  and 
palaces  are  but  gross  handiworks :  and  a  man  shall  ever 
see,  that,  when  ages  grow  to  civility  *  and  elegancy,  men 
come  to  build  stately,  sooner  than  to  garden  finely ;  as  if 


'  By  way  of  return]     Lat.  In  solario  secundo :  in  the  second  story. 

^  Cabinets]     Lat.  conclavia  (cabinettos  vtodemi  vacant). 

*  Daintily]     Elegantly. 

'  Avoidances]     Conduits,  for  voiding  or  discharging  the  water. 

•  Civility]    Civilisation. 


Of  Gardens,  1S3 

gardening  were  the  greater  perfection.  I  do  hold  it,  in  the 
royal  ordering  of  gardens,  there  ought  to  be  gardens  for 
all  the  months  in  the  year ;  in  which,  severally,  things  of 
beauty  may  be  then  in  season.  For  December  and  January, 
and  the  latter  part  of  November,  you  must  take  such  things 
as  are  green  all  winter :  holly,  ivy,  bays,  juniper ;  cypress- 
trees,  yew,  pine-apple-trees,'  fir-trees;  rosemary,  lavender; 
periwinkle,  the  white,  the  purple,  and  the  blue  ;  germander, 
tlags  ;  orange-trees,  lemon-trees,  and  myrtles,  if  they  be 
stoved;'  and  sweet  marjoram  warm  set.'  There  foUoweth, 
for  the  latter  part  of  January  and  February,  the  mezereon 
tree,  which  then  blossoms;  crocus  vernus,  both  the  yellow 
and  the  grey  ;  primroses,  anemones,  the  early  tulipa,  the 
hyacinthus  orientalis,  charaairis,  fritellaria.  For  March 
there  come  violets,  especially  the  single  blue,  which  are 
the  earliest;  the  yellow  daffodil,  the  daisy ;  the  almond-tree 
in  blossom,  the  peach-tree  in  blossom,  the  cornelian-tree 
in  blossom ;  sweet  brier.  In  April  follow  the  double  white 
violet,  the  wall-flower,  the  stock  gilliflower,  the  cowslip, 
flower-de-luces,*  and  lilies  of  all  natures,  rosemary  flowers, 
the  tulipa,  the  double  peony,  the  pale  daffodil,  the  French 
honeysuckle;  the  cherry-tree  in  blossom,  the  Damascene  *and 
plum-trees  in  blossom,  the  white  thorn  in  leaf,  the  lilac-tree. 
In  May  and  June  come  pinks  of  all  sorts,  specially  the 
blush  pink  ;  roses  of  all  kinds,  except  the  musk,  which 
comes  later ;  honeysuckles,  strawberries,  bugloss,  colum- 
bine, the  French  marigold,  flos  Africanus,  cherrj'-tree  in 
fruit,  ribes,^  figs  in  fruit,  rasps,   vine-flowers,  lavender  in 


'  Pine-applc-tfees\     Pine-trees. 

*  Stovsd^     Kept  in  hot-houses. 

*  Warm  se(]     Lat.  ^ux/a  parieUin  et  versus  solem  sctus, 
^  Fl<rwer-de-Luces\     The  iris.     Fr.  Fletir  de  lis. 

*  The  Damascau\    The  damson,  or  Damascus  plum. 

*  Kibes\     Currants. 


t  S4  Essays. 

flowers,  the  sweet  satyrian,  with  the  white  flower ;  heiba 
muscaria,^  liHum  convallium,  the  apple-tree  in  blossom.  In 
July  come  gilliflowers  of  all  varieties,  musk-roses,  the  lime- 
tree  in  blossom,  early  pears,  and  plums  in  fruit,  gennitings,'' 
quodlins.'  In  August  come  plums  of  all  sorts  in  fruit, 
pears,  apricocks,*  barberries,  filberds,  musk  melons,  monks 
hoods  of  all  colours.  In  September  come  grapes,  apples, 
poppies  of  all  colours,  peaches,  melocotones,®  nectarines, 
cornelians,  wardens,^  quinces.  In  October  and  the  begin- 
ning of  November  come  services,  medlars,  buUaces,  roses 
cut  or  removed  to  come  late,  holly  oaks,  and  such  like. 
These  particulars  are  for  the  climate  of  London.  But  my 
meaning  is  perceived  that  you  may  have  ver  perpeiuum^  as 
the  place  affords. 

And  because  the  breath  of  flowers  is  far  sweeter  in  the 
air  (where  it  comes  and  goes,  like  the  warbling  of  music) 
than  in  the  hand,  therefore  nothing  is  more  fit  for  that 
delight,  than  to  know  what  be  the  flowers  and  plants  that 
do  best  perfume  the  air.  Roses,  damask  and  red,  are  fast 
Howers  of  their  smells;*'  so  that  you  may  walk  by  a  whole 
row  of  them,  and  find  nothing  of  their  sweetness  :  yea, 
though  it  be  in  a  morning's  dew.  Bays,  likewise,  yield  no 
smell  as  they  grow,  rosemary  little,  nor  sweet  marjoram. 


'  Ilerba  miiscarid\     The  fly-trap. 

■■^  Gennitiitip]  A  kind  of  apples  that  are  early  ripe.  Properly 
called  jfuneatings,  from  being  fit  for  use  in  June. 

*  Quodlins]     Codlins. 

*  Apricocks]     Now  called  Apricots. 

*  Afelocotottes]     Malum  cotoneum,  a  kind  of  quince. 

'  Wardens']  So  called  from  the  French  poire  de  garde,  the  pear  laid 
u]>  in  store.  The  warden  or  keeping-pear,  was  much  used  for  pics. 
In  Shakspeare,  Wint.  Tale,  iv.  2,  the  Clown  says,  'I  must  have  saffron 
to  colour  the  warden  pies.' 

'   Ver  perpehiinii\     A  perpetual  spring. 

*  Art  fast  flowers,  cSr'f.]  Do  not  send  out  their  odours  to  any  distance. 
Lat.  Odoiis  sui  sunt  tenaces,  nee  aerein  tiugunt. 


Of  Gardens.  185 

That  which,  above  all  others,  yields  the  sweetest  smell  in 
the  air,  is  the  violet,  specially  the  white  double  violet, 
which  comes  twice  a  year,  about  the  middle  of  April,  and 
about  Bartholomew-tide.'  Next  to  that  is  the  musk-rose; 
then  the  strawberry-leaves  dying,  with  *  a  most  excellent 
cordial  smell  ;  then  the  flower  of  the  vines  :  it  is  a  little 
dust  like  the  dust  of  a  bent,^  which  grows  upon  the  cluster 
in  the  first  coming  forth ;  then  sweet  brier,  then  wall- 
flowers, which  are  very  delightful  to  be  set  under  a  parlour  or 
lower  chamber  window;  then  pinks  and  gilliflowers,  specially 
the  matted  pink,  and  clove  gilliflower ;  then  the  flowers 
of  the  lime-tree ;  then  the  honey-suckles,  so  they  be  some- 
what afar  off".  Of  bean  flowers  I  speak  not,  because  they 
are  field-flowers.  But  those  which  perfume  the  air  most 
delightfully,  not  passed  by  as  the  rest,  but  being  trodden 
upon  and  crushed,  are  three,  that  is,  bumet,  wild  thyme, 
and  -water-mints.  Therefore  you  are  to  set  whole  alleys 
of  them,  to  have  the  pleasure  when  you  walk  or  tread. 

For  gardens  (speaking  of  those  which  are  indeed  prince- 
like,  as  we  have  done  of  buildings),  the  contents  ought  not 
well  to  be  under  thirty  acres  of  ground,  and  to  be  divided 
into  three  parts  :  a  green  in  the  entrance,  a  heath  or  desert 
in  the  going  forth,^  and  the  main  garden  in  the  midst; 
besides  alleys  on  both  sides.  And  I  like  well  that  four 
acres  of  ground  be  assigned  to  the  green,  six  to  the  heath, 
four  and  four  to  either  side,  and  twelve  to  the  main  garden. 
The  green  hath  two  pleasures :  the  one,  because  nothing 
is  more  pleasant  to  the  eye  than  green  grass  kept  finely 
shorn;  the  other,  because  it  will  give  you  a  fair  alley  in 


'  Bartholomew-iide\     St.  Bartholomew's  day  is  August  24th. 

»  WUh\  So  the  edition  of  1629  ;  that  of  1625  has  whkh.  The 
Latin  has  qtuc  emittunt ;  the  true  reading,  therefore,  as  Aldis  Wright 
thinks,  is  probably  '  which  yield.' 

*  A  bent\    A  species  of  grass. 

•  In  the  going  forth}     In  the  outgoing. 


I S6  Essays. 

the  midst;  by  which  you  may  go  in  front  upon  •  a  stately 
hedge,  which  is  to  enclose  the  garden.  But  because  the 
alley  will  be  long,  and,  in  great  heat  of  the  year,  or  day, 
you  ought  not  to  buy  the  shade  in  the  garden,  by  going  in 
the  sun  thorough  the  green ;  therefore  you  are  of  either 
side  the  green  to  plant  a  covered  alley,  upon  carpenter's 
work,  about  twelve  foot  in  height,  by  which  you  may  go  in 
shade  into  the  garden.  As  for  the  making  of  knots,'*  or 
figures,  with  divers  coloured  earths,  that  they  may  lie 
vnder  the  windows  of  the  house  on  that  side  which  the 
garden  stands,  they  be  but  toys  :  you  may  see  as  good 
sights  many  times  in  tarts.  The  garden  is  best  to  be 
square,  encompassed  on  all  the  four  sides  with  a  stately 
arched  hedge,  the  arches  to  be  upon  pillars  of  carpenter's 
work,  of  some  ten  foot  high,  and  six  foot  broad;  and  the 
spaces  between  of  the  same  dimensions  with  the  breadth 
of  the  arch.  Over  the  arches  let  there  be  an  entire  hedge 
of  some  four  foot  high,  framed  also  upon  carpenter's  work ; 
and  upon  the  upper  hedge,  over  every  arch,  a  little  turret, 
with  a  belly  enough  to  receive  a  cage  of  birds;  and  ovei 
every  space  between  the  arches  some  other  little  figure, 
with  broad  plates  of  round  coloured  glass,  gilt,  for  the  sun 
to  play  upon.  But  this  hedge  I  intend  to  be  raised  upon  a 
bank,  not  steep,  but  gently  slope,^  of  some  six  foot,  set  all 


'   Upon]     Towards. 

^  Knots']  These  were  intricate  and  fantastical  figures  in  which 
flower-beds  were  sometimes  laid  out.  Compare  Shakspeare,  Rich.  //. 
iii.  4,  ' I Jer  hedges  ruined,  her  knots  disordered;'  Lov^s  Lab.  Lost,  i. 
I,  'Thy  curious-knotted  garden:'  and  Milton's  P.  L.  iv.  241  : — 

'  Flowers  worthy  of  Paradise,  which  not  nice  Art 
In  beds  and  curious  knots,  but  Nature  boon 
Poured  forth  profuse.' 

'  Slope]  This  was  the  ordinary  adjective  for  sloping.  So  in  Milton'fc 
P.  L.  iv.  261,  •  Down  the  slope  hills ; '  and  Comus,  98,  '  The  slope 
sun  his  upward  beam  shoots.* 


Of  Gardens.  Jf^7 

with  flowers.  Also  I  understand,  that  this  square  of  the 
garden  should  not  be  the  whole  breadth  of  the  ground,  but 
to  leave  on  either  side  ground  enough  for  diversity  of  side 
alleys,  unto  which  the  two  covered  alleys  of  the  green 
may  deliver  you;  but  there  must  be  no  alleys  with  hedges 
at  either  end  of  this  great  enclosure;  not  at  the  hither  end, 
for  letting '  your  prospect  upon  this  fair  hedge  from  the 
green;  nor  at  the  further  end,  for  letting  your  prospect  from 
the  hedge  through  the  arches  upon  the  heath. 

For  the  ordering  of  the  ground  within  the  great  hedge, 
I  leave  it  to  variety  of  device;  advising,  nevertheless,  that 
whatsoever  fonii  you  cast  it  *  into,  first  it  be  not  too  busy, 
or  full  of  work:  wherein  I,  for  my  part,  do  not  like  images 
cut  out  in  juniper  or  other  garden-stuff:  they  be  for 
children.  Little  low  hedges  round  like  welts,^  with  some 
I)retty  pyramids,  I  like  well ;  and  in  some  places  fair 
columns,  upon  frames  of  carpenter's  work.  I  would  also 
have  the  alleys  spacious  and  fair.  You  may  have  closer 
alleys  upon  the  side  grounds,  but  none  in  the  main  garden. 
I  wish  also,  in  the  very  middle,  a  fair  mount,  with  three 
ascents  and  alleys,  enough  for  four  to  walk  abreast;  which 
I  would  have  to  be  perfect  circles,  without  any  bulwarks 
or  embossments ;  and  the  whole  mount  to  be  thirty  foot 
high  ;  and  some  fine  banqueting-house,  with  some- chimneys 
neatly  cast,  and  without  too  much  glass. 

For  fountains,  they  are  a  great  beauty  and  refreshment; 
but  pools  mar  all,  and  make  the  garden  unwholesome,  and 
full  of  flies  and  frogs.  Fountains  I  intend  to  be  of  two 
natures:  the  one  that  sprinkleth  or  spouteth  water;  the 
other  a  fair  receipt  of  water,  of  some  thirty  or  forty  foot 
square,  but  without  fish,  or  slime,  or  mud.     For  the  first. 


•  Letting]  Hindering.  So  in  Scripture,  Exod.  v.  4,  '  Wherefore  do 
ye,  Moses  and  Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their  works?'  Rom.  i.  13, 
•Oftentimes  I  purposed  to  come  unto  you,  but  was  let  hitherto.' 

*  Cast  it]    Fashion  it.  •  IVtlts]    Edgings  of  cord. 


1 88  Essays. 

the  ornaments  of  images,  gilt  or  of  marble,  which  are  in 
use,  do  well :  but  the  main  matter  is  so  to  convey  the  water, 
as  *  it  never  stay,  either  in  the  bowls  or  in  the  cistern  ; 
that  the  water  be  never  by  rest  discoloured,  green  or  red, 
or  the  like,  or  gather  any  mossiness  or  putrefaction. 
Besides  that,  it  is  to  be  cleansed  every  day  by  the  hand. 
Also  some  steps  up  to  it,  and  some  fine  pavement  about  it, 
doth  well.  As  for  the  other  kind  of  fountain,  which  we 
may  call  a  bathing  pool,  it  may  admit  much  curiosity  and 
beauty,  wherewith  we  will  not  trouble  ourselves  :  as,  that 
the  bottom  be  finely  paved,  and  with  images  ;  the  sides 
likewise  ;  and  withal  embellished  with  coloured  glass,  and 
Huch  things  of  lustre;  encompassed  also  with  fine  rails  of 
low  statuas.  But  the  main  point  is  the  same  which  we 
mentioned  in  the  former  kind  of  fountain;  which  is,  that 
the  water  be  in  perpetual  motion,  fed  by  a  water  highet 
than  the  pool,  and  delivered  into  it  by  fair  spouts,  and 
then  discharged  away  under  ground  by  some  equality  of 
bores,*  that  it  stay  little.  And  for  fine  devices,  of  arching 
water  without  spilling,  and  making  it  rise  in  several  forms 
(of  feathers,  drinking  glasses,  canopies,  and  the  like),  they 
be  pretty  things  to  look  on,  but  nothing  to  health  and 
sweetness. 

For  the  heath,  which  was  the  third  part  of  our  plot,  I 
"wish  it  to  be  framed  as  much  as  may  be  to  a  natural 
wildness.  Trees  I  would  have  none  in  it,  but  some 
thickets  made  only  of  sweet  brier  and  honey-suckle,  and 
some  wild  vine  amongst;  and  the  ground  set  with  violets, 
strawberries,  and  primroses;  for  these  are  sweet,  and 
prosper  in  the  shade.  And  these  to  be  in  the  heath  here 
and  there,  not  in  any  order.  I  like  also  little  heaps,  in 
the  nature  of  mole-hills  (such  as  are  in  wild  heaths),  to 
be  set  some  with  wild  thyme,  some  with  pinks,  some  with 

'  As\    That 

*  Equality  of  bores]     Conduits  allowing  discharge  equal  to  the  influx. 


Of  Gardens.  189 

germander,  that  gives  a  good  flower  to  the  eye;  some  with 
periwinkle,  some  with  violets,  some  with  strawberries,  some 
with  cowslips,  some  with  daisies,  some  with  red  roses,  some 
with  lilium  convallium,  some  with  sweet-williams  red,  some 
with  bear's  foot,  and  the  like  low  flowers,  being  withal  sweet 
and  sightly.  Part  of  which  heaps  to  be  with  standards  of 
lit:Ie  bushes  pricked  upon  their  top,  and  part  without.  The 
standards  to  be  roses,  juniper,  holly,  barberries  (but  here 
and  there,  because  of  the  smell  of  their  blossom),  red 
currants,  gooseberries,  rosemary,  bays,  sweet  brier,  and  such 
like  :  but  these  standards  to  be  kept  with  cutting,  that  they 
grow  not  out  of  course. 

For  the  side  grounds,  you  are  to  fill  them  with  variety  of 
alleys,  private,  to  give  a  full  shade ;  some  of  them  whereso- 
ever the  sun  be.  You  are  to  frame  some  of  them  likewise 
for  shelter,  that,  when  the  wind  blows  sharp,  you  may  walk 
as  in  a  gallery.  And  those  alleys  must  be  likewise  hedged 
at  both  ends,  to  keep  out  the  wind ;  and  these  closer  alleys 
must  be  ever  finely  gravelled,  and  no  grass,  because  of 
going  wet.  In  many  of  these  alleys  likewise  you  are  to  set 
fmit-trees  of  all  sorts,  as  well  upon  the  walls  as  in  ranges. 
And  this  would  be'  generally  observed,  that  the  borders 
wherein  you  plant  your  fruit-trees  be  fair,  and  large,  and 
low,  and  not  steep ;  and  set  with  fine  flowers,  but  thin  and 
sparingly,  lest  they  deceive  the  trees.*  At  the  end  of  both 
the  side  grounds  I  would  have  a  mount  of  some  pretty 
lieight,  leaving  the  wall  of  the  enclosure  breast  high,  to  look 
abroad  into  the  fields. 

For  the  main  garden,  I  do  not  deny  but  there  should  be 
some  fair  alleys  ranged  on  both  sides,  with  fniit  trees ;  and 
some  pretty  tufts  of  fruit-trees,  and  arbours  with  seats,  set  in 
some  decent  order;  but  these  to  be  by  no  means  set  too 
thick,  but  to  leave  the  main  garden  so  as  it  be  not  close, 

'   Would  be\    Ought  to  be.     ^<r  p.  135,  note  3. 

«  Dueiu*  the  trees]    Cheat  or  rob  the  trees  of  nourishment. 


190  Essays. 

but  the  air  open  and  free.  For  as  for  shade,  I  would  have 
you  rest  upon  the  alleys  of  the  side  grounds,  there  to  walk, 
if  you  be  disposed,  in  the  heat  of  the  year  or  day ;  but  to 
make  account  that  the  main  garden  is  for  the  more  tempe- 
rate parts  of  the  year,  and,  in  the  heat  of  summer,  for  the 
morning  and  the  evening,  or  overcast  days. 

For  aviaries,  I  like  them  not,  except  they  be  of  that 
largeness  as  they  may  be  turfed,  and  have  living  plants 
and  bushes  set  in  them ;  that  the  birds  may  have  more 
scope  and  natural  nestling,  and  that  no  foulness  appear  in 
the  floor  of  the  aviary. 

So  I  have  made  a  platform  of  a  princely  garden :  partly  by 
precept;  partly  by  drawing,  not  a  model,  but  some  general 
lines  of  it.  And  in  this  I  have  spared  for  no  cost :  but  it  is 
nothing  for  great  Princes,  that,  for  the  most  part,  taking  ad 
vice  with  workmen,  with  no  less  cost  set  their  things  together, 
and  sometimes  add  statuas,  and  such  things,  for  state  and 
magnificence,  but  nothing  to  the  true  pleasure  of  a  garden. 


XLVII.    OF  NEGOTIATI'NG. 

It  is  generuMy  better  to  deal  by  speech  than  by  letter ; 
and  by  the  mediation  of  a  third  than  by  a  man's  self. 
Letters  are  good  when  a  man  would  draw  an  answer  by 
letter  back  again ;  or  when  it  may  serve  for  a  man's  justi- 
fication afterwards  to  produce  his  own  letter ;  or  where  it 
may  be  danger  to  be  intermpted,  or  heard  by  pieces.  To 
deal  in  person  is  good  when  a  man's  face  breedeth  regard, 
as  commonly  with  inferiors ;  or  in  tender  cases,  where  a 
man's  eye,  upon  the  countenance  of  him  with  whom  he 
speaketh,  may  give  him  a  direction  how  far  to  go;  and, 
generally,  where  a  man  will  reserve  to  himself  liberty  either 
lo  disavow  or  to  expound.    Jn  choice  of  instruments,  it  is 


Of  Negotiating.  lOi 

better  to  choose  men  of  a  plainer  sort,  that  are  hke  to  do 
that  that  is  committed  to  them,  and  to  report  back  again 
faithfully  the  success,  than  those  that  are  cunning  to  contrive 
out  of  other  men's  business  somewhat  to  grace  themselves, 
and  will  help  the  matter  in  report,  for  satisfaction  sake.* 
Use  also  such  persons  as  affect  *  the  business  wherein  they 
are  employed,  for  that  quickeneth  much ;  and  such  as  are 
fit  for  the  matter:  as  bold  men  for  expostulation,  fair-spoken 
men  for  persuasion,  crafty  men  for  inquiry  and  observation, 
froward  and  absurd '  men  for  business  that  doth  not  well 
bear  out  itself.  Use  also  such  as  have  been  lucky  and 
prevailed  before  in  things  wherein  you  have  employed  them, 
for  that  breeds  confidence ;  and  they  will  strive  to  maintain 
their  prescription.  It  is  better  to  sound  a  person  with 
whom  one  deals  afar  off,  than  to  fall  upon  the  point  at  first; 
except  you  mean  to  surprise  him  by  some  short  question. 
It  is  better  dealing  with  men  in  appetite^  than  with  those 
that  are  where  they  would  be.  If  a  man  deal  with  another 
upon  conditions,  the  start  or  first  performance  is  all :  which 
a  man  cannot  reasonably  demand,  except  either  the  nature 
of  the  thing  be  such  which'  must  go  before;  or  else  a  man 
can  persuade  the  other  party,  that  he  shall  still  need  him  in 
some  other  thing;  or  else  that  he  be  counted  the  honester 
man.  All  practice'"'  is  to  discover  or  to  work.  Men  discover 
themselves  in  trust,^  in  passion,  at  unawares ;  and  of  neces- 
sity, when  they  would  have  somewhat  done,  and  cannot  find 


•  Will  help  the  matter,   &^c.'\     Will  report  better  than  they  have 
heard,  in  order  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  employer. 

^  Affect^     Like  ;  have  an  affection  for. 
'  Absurd'\     Unreasonable.     See  p.  105,  note  5. 
^  In  appetite^    That  are  not  yet  satisfied  with  the  promotion  they 
have  got. 

»  Whidil     That  it  ;  as. 

•  Practice\     Lat.  negotiaiio. 

'  Discover  themselvts,  (Sr'^.]     Reveal  themselves  in  entrusting  their 
thoughts  to  others. 


192^  Essays. 

an  apt  pretext.  If  you  would  work  any  man,  you  must 
either  know  his  nature  and  fashions,  and  so  lead  him  ;  or 
his  ends,  and  so  persuade  him  ;  or  his  weakness  and  disad- 
vantages, and  so  awe  him;  or  those  that  have  interest  in 
him,  and  so  govern  him.  In  dealing  with  cunning  persons, 
we  must  ever  consider  their  ends,  to  interpret  their  speeches; 
and  it  is  good  to  say  little  to  them,  and  that  which  they 
least  look  for.  In  all  negotiations  of  difficulty,  a  man  may 
not  look  to  sow  and  reap  at  once ;  but  must  prepare  busi- 
ness, and  so  ripen  it  by  degrees. 


XLVIII.    OF  FOLLOWERS  AND  FRIENDS. 

Costly  followers  are  not  to  be  liked ;  lest  while  a  man 
maketh  his  train  longer,  he  make  his  -wings  shorter.  I 
reckon  to  be  costly,  not  them  alone  which  charge  the  purse, 
but  which  are  wearisome  and  importune'  in  suits.  Ordinary 
followers  ought  to  challenge  no  higher  conditions  than 
countenance,  recommendation,  and  protection  from  wTongs. 
Factious  followers  are  worse  to  be  liked,  which  follow  not 
upon  affection  to  him  with  whom  they  range  themselves, 
but  upon  discontentment  conceived  against  some  other  : 
whereupon  commonly  ensueth  that  ill  intelligence  "^  that  we 
many  times  see  between  great  personages.  Likewise  glorious'^ 
followers,  who  make  themselves  as  trumpets  of  the  commen- 
dation of  those  they  follow,  are  full  of  inconvenience  ;  for 
they  taint  business  through  want  of  secresy;  and  they  export 
honour  from  a  man,  and  make  him  a  return  in  envy.  There 
is  a  kind  of  followers  likewise  which  are  dangerous,  being 
indeed  espials  ;*  which  inquire  the  secrets  of  the  house, 


Importune]     Importunate. 
///  intelligence]     Bad  understanding. 
Glorious]     Lat.  gloriosi,  boaslmL 
Espials]     Spies.     See  p.  1 76,  note  4. 


Of  Followers  and  Friends.  193 

and  bear  tales  of  them  to  others ;  yet  such  rtien  many  times 
are  in  great  favour ;  for  they  are  officioUs,'  and  commonly 
exchange  tales.  The  following  by  certain  estates  of  men, 
answerable  to  that  which  a  great  person  himself  professeth 
(as  of  soldiers  to  him  that  hath  been  employed  in  the  wars, 
and  the  like),  hath  ever  been  a  thing  civil, ^  and  well  taken 
even  in  monarchies,  so  it  be  without  too  much  pomp  or 
popularity.  But  the  most  honourable  kind  of  following  is, 
to  be  followed  as  one  that  apprehendeth  to  advance'  virtue 
and  desert  in  all  sorts  of  persons.  And  yet,  where  there  is 
no  eminent  f)dds  in  sufficiency,  it  is  better  to  take  with  the 
more  passable  than  with  the  more  able ;  and  besides,  to 
speak  truth,  in  base  times  active  men  are  of  more  use  than 
virtuous.  It  is  true,  that  in  government  it  is  good  to  use 
men  of  one  rank  equally :  for  to  countenance  some  extra- 
ordinarily is  to  make  them  insolent,  and  the  rest  discontent, 
because  they  may  claim  a  due.  But  contrariwise  in  favour, 
to  use  men  with  much  difference  and  election  is  good  ;  foi 
it  maketh  the  persons  preferred  more  thankful,  and  t"he  rest 
more  officious,  because  all  is  of  favour.  It  is  good  discretion 
not  to  make  too  much  of  any  man  at  the  first ;  because  one 
cannot  hold  out  that  proportion.*  To  be  governed  (as  we 
call  it)  by  one*  is  not  safe  ;  for  it  shows  softness,  and  gives 
a  freedom  to  scandal  and  disreputation  ;  for  those  that 
would  not  censure^  or  speak  ill  of  a  man  immediately,  will 


*  Officious^    Ready  to  serve. 

*  A  thing  crvill     A  becoming  thing. 

*  Apprehendeth  to  advance]    Aims  at  advancing;  lays  hold  on,  in 
order  to  promote. 

*  Because  07U  cannot,  dfc]     Lat.  Nam  qua  tract u  temporis sequent ur 
vix  istis  itiitiis  respondere  possunt. 

^  To  be  governed^  Gfc]    To  be  influenced  and  directed,  &c.     Lat. 
Fingi  (quod  aiunt)  et  regi  ab  atnico  aliipw. 

*  Censure]     Judge.      Anciently  the  usual  meaning.      The  verb  is 
here  modified  by  the  adverb  ///. 

O 


194  Essays, 

talk  more  boldly  of  those  that  are  so  great  with  them,'  and 
thereby  wound  their  honour.  Yet  to  be  distracted  with 
many  is  worse  ;  for  it  makes  men  to  be  of  the  last  impres- 
sion,' and  full  of  change.  To  take  advice  of  some  few 
friends  is  ever  honourable  ;  for  lookers-on  many  times  see 
more  than  gamesters  ;  and  the  vale  best  discovereth  the 
hill.  There  is  little  friendship  in  the  world,  and  least  of  all 
between  equals,  which  was  wont  to  be  magnified.'  That 
that  is,  is  between  superior  and  inferior,  whose  fortunes  may 
comprehend  the  one  the  other. 


XLIX.    OF  SUITORS. 

Many  ill  matters  and  projects  are  undertaken ;  and  pn- 
vate  suits  do  putrefy  the  public  good.  Many,  good  matters 
are  undertaken  with  bad  minds;  I  mean  not  only  corrupt 
minds,  but  crafty  minds,  that  intend  not  ^perfonnance. 
Some  embrace  suits'*  which,  never  mean  to  deal  effectually 


'  IViih  thetii]  Here '  tkem  •  is  made  to  represent  what  Bacon  has 
previously  called  a  man. 

•  Of  the  last  infpressioii^  Swayed  by  the  impression  that  has  been 
conveyetl  last  to  his  mind.  The  Latin  translator,  as  Aldis  Wright 
points  out,  seems  to  have  misfipprehended  .  Bacon's  phrase,  giving 
postremcE  {ut  nuttc  loqimnttir)  editwnis. 

^  And  least  0/  all,  dr-v,]  He  ..alludes  to  the  opinion  of  Aristotle, 
Seneca,  and  others,  and  to  such  friends  as  Pylades  and  Orestes,  Damon 
and  Pythias,  &c.  On  this  subject  Johnson,  in  7'Ae  /lamliler,  No.  64, 
says:  ' Friendship  is  seldom  lasting  but  between  equals,  or  where  the 
superiority  on  one  side  is  reduced  by  some  equivalent  advantage  on  the 
other.  Benefits  which  cannot  be  repaid,  and  obligations  which  cannot 
be  discharged,  are  not  commonly  found  to  increase  affection  ;  they  ex- 
cite gratitude  indeed,  and  heighten  veneration,  hut  commonly  take 
away  that  easy  freedom  and  familiarity  of  iiilercourse  without  which, 
though  there  may  be  fidelity,  and  zeal,  and  admiration,  there  cannot  be 
friendship. 

*  Embrace  «i*rtr]   '  Lat.  Pctitioues  in  tuanus  Jit.:s  tvcipMrJ. 


Of  Suitors.  195 

in  them  ;  but  if  they  see  there  may  be  Hfe  in  the  matter  by 
some  other  mean,'  they  will  be  content  to  win  a  thank,  or 
take  a  second  reward,  or,  at  least,  to  make  use  in  the 
meantime  of  the  suitor's  hopes.  Some  take  hold  of  suits 
only  for  an  occasion  to  cross  some  other ;  or  to  make  an 
information  whereof  they  could  not  otherwise  have  apt 
l^retext;  without  care  what  become  of  the  suit  when  that 
turn  is  served  :  or  generally  to  make  other  men's  business 
a  kind  of  entertainment'"  to  bring  in  their  own.  Nay,  some 
undertake  suits  with  a  full  purpose  to  let  them  fall ;  to  the 
end  to  gratify  the  adverse  party,  or  competitor.  Surely, 
there  is  in  some  sort  a  right  in  every  suit ;  either  a  riglit 
of  equity,  if  it  be  a  suit  of  controversy;  or  a  right  of  desert, 
if  it  be  a  suit  of  petition.  If  affection  lead  a  man  to  favour 
the  wrong  side  in  justice,  let  him  rather  use  his  countenance 
to  compound  the  matter  than  to  carry  it.  If  affection  lead 
a  man  to  favour  the  less  worthy  in  desert,  let  him  do  it 
without  depraving  or  disabling'  the  better  deserver.  In 
suits  which  a  man  doth  not  well  understand,  it  is  good  to 
refer  them  to  some  friend  of  trust  and  judgment,  that  may 
report  whether  he  may  deal  in  them  with  honour  :  but  let 
him  choose  well  his  referendaries,*  for  else  he  may  be  led 
by  the  nose.  Suitors  are  so  distasted  with  delays  and 
abuses,"*  that  plain  dealing  in  denying"  to  deal  in  suits  at 
first,  and  reporting  the  success  barely,^  and  in  challenging 
no  more  thanks  than  one  hath  deserved,  is  grown  not  only 


'   There  may  be  life,  ^c.\     The  matter  may  prosper  through  some 
other  agency. 

*  Entertainment^     Admission. 

'  Depraving  or  disabling]      Lowering  or  'disparaging.      Common 
significations  in  our  old  literature. 

*  His  referendaries]     His  referees. 

^Abuses]    Abusing  of  one's  patience,     hat.  Proerastina/wmhu, 

*  Denying]     Refusing,  or  declining. 

*  Barely]     Without  any  colouring  ;  simply  according  to  fact 

02 


196  Essays. 

honourable  but  also  gracious.'  In  suits  of  favour,  the  first 
coming  ought  to  take  little  place :  '■*  so  far  forth  consideration 
may  be  had  of  his  trust,'  that  if  intelligence  of  the  matter 
could  not  otherwise  have  been  had  but  by  him,  advantage 
be  not  taken  of  the  note,*  but  the  party  left  to  his  other 
means  ;  and  in  some  sort  recompensed  for  his  discovery.'' 
To  be  ignorant  of  the  value  of  a  suit  is  simplicity;  as  well 
as  to  be  ignorant  of  the  right  thereof  is  want  of  conscience. 
Secresy  in  suits  is  a  great  mean  of  obtaining ;  for  voicing 
them  :^  to  be  in  forwardness  may  discourage  some  kind  of 
suitors,  but  doth  quicken  and  awake  others,  liut  timing  of 
the  suit  is  the  principal ;  timing  I  say,  not  only  in  respect 
of  the  person  that  should  grant  it,  but  in  respect  of  those 
which  are  like  to  cross  it.  Let  a  man,  in  the  choice  of  his 
mean,  rather  choose  the  fittest  mean  than  the  greatest  mean; 
and  rather  them  that  deal  in  certain  things  than  those  that 
are  general.  The  reparation  of  a  denial^  is  sometimes  equal 
to  the  first  grant ;  if  a  man  show  himself  neither  dejectec^ 
nor  discontented.  Iniquum  petas  ut  cequum  feras,^  is  a  good 
rule,  where  a  man  hath  strength  of  favour :  but  otherwise,  a 
man  were  better  rise^  in  his  suit ;  for  he  that  would  have 
ventured  at  first  to  have  lost  the  suitor,'"  will  not,  in  the 

'   Gracious]     Graceful. 

■''   To  take  little  place]     To  have  little  preference. 
'  Consideration  may  be  had,  ^'c]     Acknowledgment  may  be  made 
on  account  of  what  he  has  confided. 

*  The  note]     The  notice,  or  communication. 
'"  Discovery]     Information. 

*  For  voicing  them]  As  for  proclaiming  them,  or  making  a 
boast  of  them.  So  Shakspeare,  Tiinon,  iv.  3,  '  Is  this  the  Athenian 
minion  whom  the  world  voiced  so  regardfully  ? ' 

'   TTu  reparation  of  a  denial]     Lat.  Denegatte  petitionis  iteratio. 

*  Iniqttnm  petcu,  dr'f.]  Ask  too  much,  that  ycu  may  carry  away 
what  is  fair.     This  is  from  Quintilian,  Instil.  Orat.  iv.  5. 

*  A  man  were  better  rise]  It  would  be  better  for  a  man  to  prospet 
gradually.     See  p.  105,  note  4. 

'•  The  suitor}    Lat,  SuppUcantis  erga  se  studium. 


Of  Studies.  197 

conclusion,  lose  both  the  suitor  and  his  own  former  favour. 
Nothing  is  thought  so  easy  a  request  to  a  great  person  as 
his  letter ;  and  yet,  if  it  be  not  in  a  good  cause,  it  is  so  much 
out  of  his  reputation.  There  are  no  worse  instruments  than 
these  general  contrivers  of  suits  ;  for  they  are  but  a  kind  of 
poison  and  infection  to  public  proceedings. 


L.  OF  STUDIES.^ 

Studies  serve  for  delight,  for  ornament,  and  for  ability. 
Their  chief  use  for  delight  is  in  privateness  and  retiring; 
for  ornament,  is  m  discourje  ;  and  for  ability,  is  in  the 
judgment  and  disposition'  of  business.  For  expert  men  can 
execute,  and  perhaps  judge  of  particulars,  one  by  one  ;  but 
the  general  counsels,  and  the  plots  and  marshalling  of 
affairs,  come  best  from  those  that  are  learned.  To  spend 
too  much  time  in  studies  is  sloth;  to  use  them  too  much  for 
ornament  is  affectation ;  to  make  judgment  wholly  by 
their  rules  is  the  humour  of  a  scholar.  They  perfect 
nature,  and  are  perfecred  by  experience :  for  natural  abilities 
are  like  natural  plants,  that  need  pruning  by  study;  and 
studies  themselves  do  give  forth  directions  too  ninth  at 
large,  except  they  be  bounded  in  by  experience.  Crafty 
men  contemn  studies  ;  simple  men  admire  them  f  and  wise 
men  use  them:*  for  they  teach  not  their  own  use  ;  but  that  is 
a  wisdom  without  them,  and  above  them,  won  by  observation. 
Read  not  to  contradict  and  confute  ;  nor  to  believe  and 
take  for  granted ;  nor  to  find  talk  and  discourse  ;  but  to 
weigh  and  consider.  Some  books. are  to  be  tasted,  others 
to  be  swallowed,  and  some  few  to  be  chewed  and  digested: 


'  Of  Sludies\    This  formed  the.  first  Fssay  in  the  original  edition  ol 

•597. 
-  Disposttum]     Arrangement ;  planning. 
'  Admire  theni]     Regard  them  with  wonder. 
♦  Use  iAem]     Apply  them. 


loS  Bssiivs. 

tliat  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.  Some  books  also  may 
be  read  by  deputy,  and  extracts  ^  made  of  them  by  others  ; 
but  that  would  be  ^  only  in  the  less  important  arguments, 
and  the  meaner  sort  of  books;  else  distilled  books  are  like 
common  distilled  waters,  flashy  things.  Reading  niaketh 
a  full  man ;  conference,  a  ready  man  ;  and  writing,  an  exact 
man.*  And,  therefore,  if  a  man  write  little,  he  had  need 
iHave  a  great  memory  ;  if  he  confer  little,  he  had  need  have 
a  present  wit;  and  if  he  read  little,  he  had  need  have 
much  cunning  to  seem  to  know  that  he  doth  not.  His- 
tories make  men  wise ;  poets,  witty ;  the  mathematics, 
subtle  ;  natural  philosophy,  deep  ;  moral,  grave  ;  logic  and 
rhetoric,  able  to  contend.  Abeunt  studia  in  morcs.^  Nay, 
there  is  no  stond  ^  or  impediment  in  the  wit,  but  may  be 
wrought  oiit  "^  by  fit  studies  ;  like  as  diseases  of  the  body 
may  have  appropriate  exercises.  BoAvling  is  good  for  the 
stone  and  reins  ;  shooting,  for  the  lungs  and  breast ;  gentle 
walking,  for  the  stomach  ;  riding,  for  tiie  head;  and  the  like. 
So,  if  a  man's  wit  be  wandering,  let  him  study  the  mathe- 
matics, for  in  demonstrations,  if  his  wit  be  called  away 
never  so  little,  he  must  begin  again ;  if  his  wit  be  not  apt 
to  distinguish  or  find  difference,  let  him  study  the  School- 


'  Curiously]     With  minute  attention. 

*  Extracti\     Abstracts.     Lat.  compendia. 

*  Would  be]     Ought  to  be.     See  p.  1 35,  note  3. 

*  And  wriii/ij^  an  exact  man]  Lat.  Scripiio  autem,  et  notarum  cot- 
lectio,  perlecta  in  animo  iinpriinit,  et  allius  figit. 

'  Abeunt  studia  in  mores]  Ovid,  Ileroid.  xv.  83.  Studies  pass  into 
(tend  to  form)  manners  or  habits.  This  is  also  referred  to  in  the  Ad- 
vancement, I. 

*  Stond^  Obstacle,  or  resistance.  The  word  has  occurred  before,  in 
Vhe  40th  Essay. 

*  Wrought  oHt]    Gradually  removod.     1  oL  Emendari  et  eJolari, 


Of  Faction.  f  99 

men,*  for  they  are  Cymini  sectores;  '  if  he  be  not  apt  to 
beat  over  matters,'  and  to  call  up  one  thing  to  prove  and 
illustrate  another,  let  him  study  the  lawyer's  cases :  So 
every  defect  of  the  mind  may  have  a  special  receipt 


LI.    OF  FACTION. 

Many  have  an  opinion  not  wise,  that  for  a  Prince  to 
govern  his  Estate,  or  for  a  great  person  to  govern  his 
proceedings,  according  to  the  respect  of  factions,  is  a 
principal  part  of  policy;  whereas,  contrariwise,  the  chiefest 
wisdom  is  either  in  ordering  ^  those  things  which  are 
general,  and  wherein  men  of  several  factions  do  neverthe- 
less agree,  or  in  dealing  with  correspondence  to  particular 
l)ersons,  one  by  one.  But  I  say  not  that  the  consideration 
of  factions  is  to  be  neglected.  Mean  men,  in  their  rising, 
must  adhere ;  *  but  great  men,  that  have  strength  in  them- 
selves, were  better"  to  maintain  themselves  indifferent  and 
neutral.  Yet  even  in  beginners,  to  adhere  so  moderatel)-, 
as  '  he  be  a  man  of  the  one  faction  which  is  most  passable  * 


'   The  Schoolmen]     See  p.  69,  note  7. 

-  Cymini  sectores]  Splitters  of  cummin-seeds  :  splitters  of  hairs  or 
straws,  as  we  now  say.  The  name  was  applied  by  Dion  Cassius  t»> 
.Vntoninus  Pius,  of  whom  Bacon,  in  iht  Advancement,  I.,  says,  'lie 
was  called  Cymini  sector  (a  carver  or  divider  of  cummin),  which  '\* 
one  of  the  least  seeds  ;  such  a  patience  he  had,  and  settled  spirit,  to 
enter  into  the  least  and  most  exact  differences  of  causes. ' 

*  To  beat  over  matters]  To  beat  about  amongst  matters  ;  to  ransack 
them. 

*  Ordering]     Regulating. 

*  Alttst  adhere]  Must  take  a  side ;  must  attach  themselves  to  some 
party. 

*  IVt  re  better]     Seep.  196,  note  9. 
'  As]    That. 

*  U'/iicA  is  most  passable]     Who  is  least  offensive. 


2PQ  .„  iissays. 

with  thje  other,  commonly  giveth  best  way.  The  lowei 
and  weaker  faction  is  the  firmer  in  conjunction,  and  it  is 
often  seen  that  a  few  that  are  stiff  do  tire  out  a  greater 
number  that  are  more  moderate.  \\Tien  one  of  the 
factions  is  extinguished,  the  remaining  subdivideth  ;  as  the 
faction  between  LucuUus  and  the  rest  of  the  nobles  of 
the  senate  (which  they  called  optimates)  held  out  awhile 
against  the  faction  of  Porapey  and  Caesar:  but  when  the 
senate's  authority  was  pulled  down,  Caesar  and  Pompey 
soon  after  brake.  The  faction  or  party  of  Antonius  and 
Octavianus  Caesar,  against  Brutus  and  Cassius,  held  out 
likewise  for  a  time  :  but  when  Brutus  and  Cassius  were 
overthrown,  then  soon  after  Antonius  and  Octavianus  brake 
and  subdivided.  These  examples  are  of  wars ;  but  the 
same  holdeth  in  private  factions.  And  therefore  those 
that  are  seconds  in  factions  do  many  times,  wlien  the 
faction  subdivideth,  prove  principals  :  but  many  times  also 
they  prove  ciphers  and  cashiered;  for  many  a  man's 
strength  is  in  opposition,  and  when  that  faileth,' hegroweth 
out  of  use.  It  is  commonly  seen  that  men  once  placed 
take  in  with  the  contrary  faction  to  that  by  which  they 
enter  :  thinking,  belike,  that  they  have  the  first  sure;  and 
now  are  ready  for  a  new  purchase.  The  traitor  in  faction 
lightly  goeth  away  with  it ;  *  for  when  matters  have  stuck 
long  in  balancing,  the  winning '  of  some  one  man  casteth 
them,  and  he  getteth  all  the  thanks.     The  even  carriage 


'  Failetfi]     Ceases. 

-  Lightly  goeth  away  with  it\  Generally  carries  it,  or  prevails  ;  usually 
attains  his  object.  Lat.  Plerumque  rem  oblinet.  Lightly  was  often 
used  for  commonly.  Thus,  in  Ben  Jonson's  Discoveries,  '  The  great 
thieves  of  a  state  are  lightly  the  officers  of  the  crown  ; '  and  in  liis 
Cyiithia^s  Revels,  '  He  is  not  lightly  within  to  his  mercer  ; '  an  I  in 
Shaksp.  Rich.  III.  iii.  j,  *  Short  summers  lightly  have  a  forward 
spring. ' 

•  JJie  rudinttiitg^    The  gaining  over. 


uj  Ceremonies  and  Respects.  201 

between  two  factions  '  proceedeth  not  always  of  modera- 
tion, but  of  a  tnieness  to  a  man's  self,  witli  end  to  make 
use  of  both.  Certainly,  in  Italy,  they  hold  it  a  little  suspect 
in  Popes,  when  they  have  often  in  their  mouth  Padre 
commune^  and  take  it  to  be  a  sign  of  one  that  meaneth  to 
refer  all  to  the  greatness  of  his  own  house.  Kings  had 
need  beware  how  they  side  themselves,  and  make  them- 
selves as  of  a  faction  or  party;  for  leagues  within  the  State 
are  ever  pernicious  to  Monarchies;  for  they  raise  an  obliga- 
tion paramount  to  obligation  of  Sovereignty,  and  make  the 
King  tanquam  unus  ex  nobis ;  ^  as  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
league  of  France.*  When  factions  are  carried  too  high  and 
too  violently,  it  is  a  sign  of  weakness  in  Princes,  and  much 
to  the  prejudice  both  of  their  authority  and  business.  The 
motions  of  factions  under  Kings  ought  to  be  like  the 
motions  (as  the  astronomers  speak)  of  the  inferior  orbs, 
which  may  have  their  proper  motions,*  but  yet  still®  are 
quietly  carried  by  the  higher  motion  oiprimum  mobile?' 


LI  I.    OF  CEREMONIES  AND  RESPECTS. 

He  that  is  only  real  had  need  have  exceeding  great 
parts  of  virtue;  as  the  stone  had  need  to  be  rich  that  is  set 
without  foil.  But  if  a  man  mark  it  well,  it  is  in  praise  and 
comniendaiion  of  men,  as  it  is  in  gettings  and  gains.  For 
the   proverb  is   true,   that  light  gains  make  heavy  purses : 


'    T/ie  erett  cai-riage,  &'c.'\     VsX.  Indiffereiis  Ula  inter  parks  procasiOt 
tteutri  inclinando. 

*  Padre  commune^     Common  father. 

*  Tanquam  unus  ex  nodis]     As  one  of  us. 

*  As  was  to  be  seen,  &>€.]    Compare  what  is  said  in  the  15th  Essay, 

P-  55- 

*  Their  proper  motions^    Their  own  particular  motions. 

*  Still]     Always. 

'  Primum  mobile]    See  p.  56,  note  I. 


202  Essays. 

for  light  gains  come  thick,  whereas  great  come  but  now 
and  then.  So  it  is  true,  that  small  matters  win  great  com- 
mendation, because  they  are  continually  in  use  and  in 
note  ; '  whereas  the  occasion  of  any  great  virtue  cometh  but 
on  festivals.  Therefore  it  doth  much  add  to  a  man's  reputa- 
tion, and  is  (as  Queen  Isabella  ^  said)  like  perpetual  letters 
commendatory,  to  have  good  forms.  To  attain  them,  it 
almost  sufficeth  not  to  despise  them ;  for  so  shall  a  man 
observe  them  in  others;  and  let  him  trust  himself  with  the 
rest  For  if  he  labour  too  much  to  express  them,  he  shali 
lose  their  grace,  which  is,  to  be  natural  and  unaffected. 
Some  men's  behaviour  is  like  a  verse,  wherein  every 
syllable  is  measured  :  how  can  a  man  comprehend  ^  great 
matters  that  breaketh  his  mind  too  much  to  small  observa 
tions?*  Not  to  use  ceremonies  at  all  is  to  teach  others  not 
to  use  them  again;  and  so  diminish  respect  to  himself: 
especially  they  be  not  to  be  omitted  to  strangers  and 
formal  natures  :  but  the  dwelling  upon  them,  and  exalting 
them  above  the  moon,"^  is  not  only  tedious,  but  doth 
diminish  the  faith  and  credit  of  him  that  speaks.  And 
certainly,  there  is-  a  kind,  of  conveying  of  effectual  and 
imprinting  passages  amongst,  compliments,  which  is  of 
singular  use,  if  a  man  can  hit  upon  it.  Amongst  a  man's 
peers,  a  man, shall  be  sure  of  familiarity;  and  therefore  it  is 
good  a  little  to  keep  state  :^  amongst  a  man's  inferiors,  one 
shall  be  sure  of  reverence;  and  therefore  it  is  good  a  little  to 


•  In  note]     In  notice  or  observation. 

'  Isabella]     Wife  of  Ferdinand  of  Arragon.     She  died  in  1504. 

•  Comprehend]     Embrace. 

•  Observations]     Observances. 

•  Exalting  them,  6^r.]  So  in  North's  Plutarch  (Coti'olaints) 
'  Whose  valiantness  he  commended  beyond  the  moon  ; '  and  in  .Spenser, 
/■'.  Q.  II.  iii.  38,  'Endeavouring  my  dreaded  name  to  raise  above  the 
moon.' 

•  State]     Dignity. 


Of  Ceremonies  and  Respects.  20% 

t)C  familiar.  He  that  is  too  much  in  any  thing,  so  that  he 
giveth  another  occasion  of  satiety,  maketh  himself  cheap. 
To  apply  one's  self  to  others  is  good,  so  it  be  with 
demonstration '  that  a  man  doth  it  upon  regard  ^  and  not 
upon  facility.  It  is  a  good  precept  generally  in  seconding 
another,  yet  to  add  somewhat  of  one's  own:  as,*  if  you  will 
grant  his  opinion,  let  it  be  with  some  distinction ;  if  you 
will  follow  his  motion,'  let  it  be  with  condition  ;  if  you 
allow  ^  his  counsel,  let  it  be  with  alleging  further  reason. 
Men  had  need  beware  how  they  be  too  perfect  in  compli- 
ments ;  for  be  they  never  so  sufficient  otherwise,  their 
enviers  will  be  sure  to  give  them  that  attribute,  to  the 
disadvantage  of  their  greater  virtues.  It  is  loss  also  in 
business  to  be  too  full  of  respects,  or  to  be  too  curious  ^  in 
observing  times  and  opportunities.  Solomon  saith,  he  that 
considereth  the  unnd  shall  not  sow,  and  he  that  lookdh  to  the 
clouds  shall  not  reap.^  A  wise  man  will  make  more  oppor- 
tunities than  he  finds.  Men's  behaviour  should  be  like 
their  apparel,  not  too  strait  or  point  device,* '  but  free  for 
exercise  or  motion. 


*  To  apply  on^  s  self\  To  accommodate  one's  self;  to  make,  one's 
self  obsequious.     See  p.  28,  note  2. 

-  So  it  be,  &=€.  ]     Provided  it  be  done  so  as  to  indicate. 

*  Upon  regard]     Lat.  Ex  comitate  et  urbatiitate. 

*  As]     Lat.  Exempli  gratid. 

*  Motion]     Proposition. 

*  Allow]     Express  approval  of. 
'  Curious]     Minutely  attentive. 

*  He  that  considereth,  t5r»f.]     Eccles.  xi.  4. 

*  Point  de^'ice]  Exact.  Point-devise  is  said  to  hare  denoted  ori- 
ginally a  kind  of  lace  of  a  very  fine  pattern  or  device.  Bell,  however, 
is  probably  right  in  the  opinion  expressed  in  one  of  his  notes  to  Chaucer's 
House  of  Fame.  '  Poynt  devys,^  he  says,  '  would  seem  to  be  a  corruption 
of  the  French /fi/«/  Ue  vice,  without  fault.' 


204  Essiiy^, 


LI  1 1.   OF  PRAISE. 

Praise  is  the  reflection  of  virtue.  But  it  is  as  the  glass,  or 
body  which  giveth  the  reflection.  ■  If  it  be  from  the  com- 
mon people,  it  is  commonly  false  and  naught,*  and  rather 
foUoweth  vain  persons  than  virtuous.  For  the  common 
people  understand  not  many  excellent  virtues  :  the  lowest 
virtues  draw  praise  from  them  ;  the  middle  virtues  work 
in  them  astonishment  or  admiration ;  ^  but  of  the  highest 
virtues  they  have  no  sense  or  perceiving  at  all :  but  shows 
and  species  7'irtutibiis  similes^  serve  best  with  them.  Cer- 
tainly, fame  is  like  a  river,  that  beareth  up  things  liglit 
and  swollen,  and  drowns  things  weighty  and  solid.*  But  if 
jiersons  of  quality  and  judgment  concur,*  then  it  is  (as  the 
Scripture  saith)  Nometi  bonum  iiistar  ungiietiti  fragrantis :'' 
it  filleth  all  round  about,  and  will  not  easily  away  ;  for  the 
odours  of  ointments  are  more  durable  than  those  of  flowers. 
There  be  so  many  false  points  of  praise  that  a  man  may 
justly  hold  it  a  suspect*  Some  praises  proceed  merely  of 
flattery  ;  and  if  he  be  an  ordinary  flatterer,  he  will  have 
certain  common  attributes  which  may  serve  every  man;  if 


'  As  tlu  glass,  &'c.'\     According  to  the  nature  of  the  glass,  S:c. 

*  N^aught\  Worthless.  In  Prov.  xx.  14,  we  liave  '  It  is  nauyht,  it 
is  naught,  saith  the  buyer.' 

'*  Admiratu<ii\     Wonder. 

*  Species  vitiutibus  similes^     Appearances  resembling  virtue*. 

*  Farm  is  like  a  river,  &'c.1  Compare  the  Advatuement,  I.,  where 
he  says  the  same  of  Time:  'Time  seemeth  to  be  of  the  nature  of  a 
river  or  stream,  which  carrieth  down  to  us  that  wiiich  is  light  and 
blown  up,  and  sinketh  and  drowneth  that  which  is  weighty  and 
solid.' 

*  Coneur\     ITiat  is,  with  the  common  people. 

'  Nomen  bonum,  &'c.'\  A  good  name  is  like  sweet -smelling  oiiit- 
mcnt.     This  is  derived  from  Eccles.  vii.  i . 

*  A  suspei:l\     A  .suspected  thing ;  in  suspicion. 


Of  Praise.  205 

he  be  a  cunning  flatterer,  he  will  follow'  the  arch-flatterer, 
which  is  a  man's  self ; '  and  wherein  a  man  thinketh  best  of 
himself,  therein  the  flatterer  will  uphold  him  most;  but  if 
he  be  an  impudent  flatterer,  look,'  wherein  a  man  is  con- 
scious to  himself  that  he  is  most  defective,  and  is  most  out 
of  countenance  in  himself,  that  will  the  flatterer  entitle  him 
to  perforce,  spreta  coHscimtid*  Some  praises  come  of  good 
wishes  and  respects,  which  is  a  form  due  in  civility  to  Kings 
and  great  persons,  laudando  prcecipere ;^  when  by  telling 
men  what  they  are,  they  represent  to  them  what  they 
should  be.  Some  men  are  praised  maliciously  to  their 
hurt,  thereby  to  stir  envy  and  jealousy  towards  them  ; 
pessimum  getius  inimicorum  landaniiitni ;  ^  insomuch  as  it 
was  a  proverb  among  the  Grecians,  that  he  that  was 
praised  to  his  hurt,  should  have  a  push  ^  rise  upon  his  nose; 
as  we  say,  that  a  blister  will  rise  upon  one's  tongue  that 
tells  a  lie.  Certainly,  moderate  praise,  used  with  oppor- 
tunity, and  not  vulgar,  is  that  which  doth  the  good.  Solo- 
mon saith,  JHe  that  praiseth  his  friend  aloud,  rising  early, 
it  shall  be  to  him  no  better  than  a  cursed  Too  much  mag- 
nifying of  man  or  matter  doth  irritate  contradiction,  and 
procure  envy  and  scorn.  To  praise  a  man's  self  cannot  be 
decent,  except  it  be  in  rare  cases  :  but  to  praise  a  man's 
ofiice  or  profession,  he  may  do  it  with  good  grace,  and  with 
a  kind  of  magnanimity.     The  cardinals  of  Rome  which  are 


'  Foll<nv\     Humour.  -  A  mail's  scl/'\     See  p.  39,  note  2. 

•"*  Look]  An  interjectional  use  of  the  verb,  to  excite  attention,  as  in 
the  Prayer  Book  (Offtrtoiy  SettUnces)<,  'Look,  what  he  layeth  out,  it 
shall  be  paid  him  again.' 

*  SpretA  conscientid]     In  spite  of  that  consciousness. 

*  Laudando  prircipere]     By  praising  to  give  instructive  suggestion. 

•  Pessimum  getius,  &'c.'\  This  is  from  Tacitus,  Agric.  41,  •  Pessimum 
inimicorum  genus,  laudantes  : '  that  worst  kind  of  enemies,  thost  that 
praise. 

'  A  push]    A  pimple  or  pustule. 

•  He  that  praiseth,  &'c.\     Proy.  xxvii.  14. 


2o6  Essays. 

theologiies,  and  friars,  and  schoolmen,  have  a  phrase  of 
notable  contem  >t  and  scorn  towards  civil  business  ;  for 
they  call  all  temporal  business  of  wars,  embassages,  judi- 
cature, and  other  employments,  sbirrerie^  which  is,  under- 
sheriflries ;  as  if  they  were  but  matters  for  under-sherifits 
and  catchpoles;  though  many  times  those  under-sheriffries 
do  more  good  than  their  high  speculations.  St.  Paul,  when 
he  boasts  of  himself,  he  doth  oft  interlace,  /  speak  like  a 
fool;  ^  but  speaking  of  his  calling,  he  saith,  magnifiiabo 
apostolatum  meum.^ 


LIV.   OF   VAIN-GLORY. 

It  was  prettily  devised  of  ^sop,  the  fly  sat  upon  the 
axle-tree  of  the  chariot  wheel,  and  said,  What  a  dust  do  J 
raise!  So  are  there  some  vain  persons  that,  whatsoever 
goeth  alone,*  oi  moveth  upon  greater  means,  if  they 
have  never  so  little  hand  in  it,  they  think  it  is  they  that 
carry  it.  They  that  are  glorious  ''  must  needs  be  factious  ; 
for  all  bravery**  stands  upon  comparisons.  They  must  needs 
be  violent,  to  make  good  their  own  vaunts.  Neither  can 
they  be  secret,  and  therefore  not  effectual  ;  but  according 
to  the  Frencli  proverb,  beaiicotip  de  bruit  peu  de  fruity — 
much  bmit,  little  fruit.  Yet  certainly  there  is  use  of  tliis 
quality  in  civil  affairs.  Where  there  is  an  opinion  and 
fame  to  be  created,  either  of  virtue  or  greatness,  these  men 
are  good  trumpeters.  Again,  as  Titus  Livius  noteth  '*  in 
the  case  of  Antiochus  and  the  ^tolians,  there  are  some- 
times great  effects  of  cross  lies ;  as  if  a  man  that  negotiates 


'  Sbirreric\     L.it.  Hispa»u>o  voaabulo,  sbirrarias. 

*  /  speak  like  a  fool]     2  Cor.  xi.  21,  23. 

*  Magnijicabo,  6^<r.]     I  will  magnify  my  apostleship.     T?om.  xi.  13, 

*  Alone\     Of  itself;  of  its  own  accord. 

*  Glorious]     Boastful.  •  Braz'ery]     Bravado. 

*  As  Titus  Livius  notetli]     xxxvii.  48. 


Of  Vain-glory.  20/ 

between  two  Princes,  to  draw  them  to  join  in  a  wai  against 
the  third,  doth  extol  the  forces  of  either  of  them  above 
measure,  the  one  to  the  other  :  and  sometimes  he  that 
deals  between  man  and  man  raiseth  his  own  credit  with 
both,  by  pretending  greater  interest  than  he  hath  in  either. 
And  in  these  and  the  Hke  kinds,  it  often  falls  out  that 
somewhat  is  produced  of  nothing  :  for  lies  are  sufficient  to 
breed  opinion,'  and  opinion  brings  on  substance.  In  military 
commanders  and  soldiers,  vain-glory  is  an  essential  point;  for 
as  iron  sharpens  iron,  so  by  glory  ^  one  courage  sharpeneth 
another.  In  cases  of  great  enterprise  upon  charge  and 
adventure,'  a  composition  of  glorious  natures  doth  put  life 
into  business ;  and  those  that  are  of  solid  and  sober  na- 
tures, have  more  of  the  ballast  than  of  the  sail.  In  f.ime 
of  learning  the  flight  will  be  slow  without  some  feathers  of 
ostentation.  Qui  de  conlemnendd  gloria  libros  scribunt, 
iiomen  siitim  inscribnnt*  Socrates,  Aristotle,  Galen,  were 
men  full  of  ostentation.  Certainly,  vain-glory  helpeth  to 
perpetuate  a  man's  memory;  and  virtue  was  never  so 
beholding  •'  to  human  nature,  as  *»  it  received  his  ^  due  at  the 
second  hand."  Neither  had  the  fame  of  Cicero,  Seneca, 
Plinius  Secundus,  borne  her  age  ^  so  well,  if  it  had  not  been 
joined  with  some  vanity  in  themselves :  like  unto  varnish, 
that  makes  ceilings  not  only  shine  but  last.  But  all  this 
while,  when  .1  speak  of  vain-glory,  I  mean  not  of  that  pro- 
perty that  Tacitus  doth  .attribute  to    Mucianus,  Omnium, 


*  Opinion]    Reputation. 

*  Glory]     Vaunting. 

*  [//on  charge,  dr'f.]     Involviqg  cost  and  risk. 

*  Qui  lie  conteinnendd,  S^c]     Cicero,   Tusc.  Disp.  i.  15.     Those  that 
write  "•  ooks  inculcating  contempt  of  glory,  inscribe  their  own  names. 

"  Beholding]     Beholden.     See  p.  37,.  note  4. 

«  As]    Tiiat. 

'  His]     Its.     See  p.  39,  note  5. 

■  At  the  second  hand]     Through  commendation  by  other?, 

*  Her  age]    The  feminine  here  is  allusive  to  Fame  as  a  goddess. 


208  Essajs. 

gtice  dixerat  feceratque,  arte  qjiadam  ostentator: '  foi'  that 
proceeds  not  of  vanity,  but  of  natural  magnanimity  and 
discretion ;  and,  in  some  persons,  is  not  only  comely  but 
gracious.*  For  excusations,  cessions,'  modesty  itself,  well 
governed,  are  but  arts  of  ostentation.  And  amongst  those 
arts  there  is  none  better  than  that  which  Plinius  Secundus 
speaketh  of;  which  is,  to  be  liberal  of  praise  and  commen 
dation  to  others,  in  that  wherein  a  man's  self  hath  any  per- 
fection. For  saith  Pliny,*  very  wittily,  In  comxnendinL,' 
another  you  do  yourself  right ;  for  he  that  you  commend 
is  either  superior  to  you  in  that  you  commend,  or  inferior; 
if  he  be  inferior,  if  he  be  to  be  commended,  ywu  much  more: 
if  he  be  superior,  if  he  be  not  to  be  conmiended,  you  much 
iess.^  Glorious  men  are  the  scorn  of  wise  men;  the  admi- 
ration of  fools;  the  idols  of  parasites;  and  the  slaves  o£  their 
own  vaunts. 


LV.    OF  HONOUR  AND  REPUTATION. 

The  winning  of  honour  is  but  the  revealing  of  a  man's 
virtue  and  worth  without  disadvantage.  For  some  in 
their  actions  do  woo  and  affect  ^  honour  and  reputation; 
which  sort  of  men  are  commonly  much  talked  of,  but  in- 
wardly little  admired.'  And  some,  contrariwise,  darken 
their  virtue  in  the  show  of  it;  so  as  *  they  be  undervalued  in 
opinion.     If  a  man  perform  that  which  hath  not  been  at- 


'   Omnium  qnte,  &'c.'\     Tacitus,   //tj/.  ii.  80.     One  who  set  off  with 
peculiar  art  whatever  he  said  and  did. 
'^  Gr<icious\     Graceful. 

*  Cfiiions]     Concessions. 

*  SaM  Pliny]     Epist.  vi.  17. 

*  you  much  less\    You  are  much  less  to  be  discommcuied. 

*  Affeci\     Show  a  liking  for.  ■/ 

*  Admifed\    Wondered  at. 

*  SoGi\    So  that 


Of  Honour  and  Reputation.  20g[ 

tempted  before,  or  attempted  and  given  over,  or  hath 
been  acliieved,  but  not  with  so  good  circumstance,'  he  shall 
purchase  more  honour  than  by  effecting  a  matter  of  greater 
difficulty  or  virtue  wherein  he  is  but  a  follower.  If  a 
man  so  temper  his  actions,  as  in  some  one  of  them  he  doth 
content '  every  faction  or  combination  of  people,  the  music 
will  be  the  fuller.  A  man  is  an  ill  husband '  of  his  honour 
that  entereth  into  any  action,  the  failing  wherein  may 
disgrace  him  more  than  the  carrying  of  it  through  can 
honour  him.  Honour  that  is  gained  and  broken  upon 
another  *  hath  the  quickest  reflection ;  like  diamonds  cut 
with  facets;  and  therefore  let  a  man  contend  to  excel  any 
competitors  of  his  in  honour,  in  outshooting  them,  if  he 
can,  in  their  own  bow.  Discreet  followers  and  servants 
help  much  to  reputation  :  Omnis  fama  a  domesticis  emanate 
Envy,  which  is  the  canker  of  honour,  is  best  distinguished 
by  declaring  a  man's  self  in  his  ends  rather  to  seek  merit 
than  fame ;  and  by  attributing  a  man's  successes  rather  to 
divine  Providence  and  felicity "  than  to  his  own  virtue  oi 
policy.  The  true  marshalling  of  the  degrees  of  sovereign 
honour  are  these  :  In  the  first  place  are  conditores  im- 
periorum,  founders  of  States  and  Commonwealths;  such  as 
were  Romulus,  Cyrus,  Caesar,  Ottoman,^  Ismael.*  In  the 
second  place  are  iegtslatores,  lawgivers,  which  are  also 
called  second  founders,  or  perpetui  priiicipes,  because  they 
govern  by  their  ordinances  after  they  are  gone :  such  were 


'  Circumstance^    Concomitants. 

-  As  in  some,  &'c.'\    That  in  some  one  of  them  he  may  please, 

'  IIusban<f]     Economist ;  manager. 

*  Broken  upon  another\     Set  off  in  detail  against  another. 

*  Omnis  fama,  <S^><:.]     Q.  Cicero,  De  Petit .  Consul,  v.  17.    All  fame 
emanates  from  domestics. 

"  Felicity^     Good  hap  or  fortune.     See  p.  165,  note  I. 
'  Ottoman']  Othman  I.  the  founder  of  the  Ottoman  empire,  1298. 
'  Ismael]    The  Sophy,  or  K  mg  of  Persia.     He  has  been  referred  to 
before,  in  the  43rd  Essay,  p.  1 74. 

F 


2IO  Essays. 

Lycurgus,  Solon,  Justinian,  Edgar,'  Alphonsus  of  Castile, 
the  Wise,  that  made  the  Siete  Partidas?  In  the  third 
place  are  Itberatores,  or  salvatores ;  such  as  compound  the 
long  miseries  of  civil  wars,  or  deliver  their  countries  from 
servitude  of  strangers  or  tyrants ;  as  Augustus  Caesar, 
Vespasianus,  Aurelianus,  Theodoricus,  King  Henry  the 
Seventh  of  England,  King  Henry  the  Fourth  of  France. 
In  the  fourth  place  are  propagatorcs  or  propugfiatorcs '^ 
imperii,  such  as  in  honourable  wars  enlarge  their  terri- 
tories, or  make  noble  defence  against  invaders.  And  in 
the  last  place  are  patres  patrice,  which  reign  justly,  and 
make  the  times  good  wherein  they  live.  Both  which  last 
kinds  need  no  examples,  they  are  in  such  number.  Degrees 
of  honour  in  subjects  are:  Y'lxsi,  participes  airarum,*  those 
upon  whom  Princes  do  discharge  the  greatest  weight  of 
their  affairs  :  their  right  hands,  as  we  call  them.  The 
next  are  duces  belli^  great  leaders;  such  as  are  Princes' 
lieutenants,  and  do  them  notable  services  in  the  wars. 
The  third  are  gratiosi^  favourites ;  such  as  exceed  not  this 
scantling-'' — to  be  solace  to  the  Sovereign,  and  harmless  to 
the  people.  And  the  fourth,  negotiis  pares ;^  such  as  have 
great  places  under  Princes,  and  execute  their  places  with 
sufficiency.^  There  is  an  honour  likewise  which  may  be 
ranked  amongst  the  greatest,  which  happeneth  rarely : 
that  is,  of  such  as  sacrifice  themselves  to  death  or  danger 
for  the  good  of  their  country;  as  was  M.  Regulus,  and  the 
two  Decii.  ■■ 


'  Edgar\    He  became  King  of  England  10959,  and  distinguished 
himself  as  a  legislator. 

*  The  Siete  Pallidas]     The  Seven  Parts;  a  digest  of  the  laws  of  Spain 
made  by  Alphonso  X.  of  Castile,  whose  reign  began  in  1252. 

*  Propagatores  or  proptignatores\     Extenders  or  defenders. 

*  Participts  curarum]     Sharers  of  cares;     See  p.  108. 

*  Scanning]     Small  measure 

'  '//e^oU'is'  Pbris]  ^  Men  equal  to   the  demands  (4  business.      See 
p.  1 19,  note  3.  -  . . 

*  Sii^i^uty]     Ability. 


Of  Judicature.  211 

LVl.   OF  JUDICATURE. 

Judges  ought  to  remember  that  their  office  is  jjts  dicxre, 
and  not  jus  dare :  to  interpret  law,  and  not  to  make  law,  or 
give  law ;  else  will  it  be  like  the  authority  claimed  by  the 
church  of  Rome  ;  which,  under  pretext  of  exposition  of 
Scripture,  doth  not  stick  to  add  and  alter,  and  to  pronounce/ 
that  which  they  do  not  find,  and  by  show  of  antiquity  to 
introduce  novelty.  Judges  ought  to  be  more  learned  than.- 
witty ;  more  reverend  than  plausible ;  and  more  advised ' 
than  confident.  Above  all  things,  integrity  is  their  portion 
and  proper  virtue.  Cursed  (saith  the  law)  is  he  that  remm'cth 
the  landmark.^  The  mislayer  of  a  mere  stone  is  to  blame  : 
but  it  is  the  unjust  judge  that  is  the  capital  remover  of  land- 
marks, when  he  defineth  amiss  of  lands  and  property.  One 
foul  sentence  doth  more  hurt  than  many  foul  examples ;  for 
these  do  but  comipt  the  stream,  the  other  corrupteth  the 
fountain.  So  saith  Solomon,  Fons  turbatus,  et  veiia  corrupta, 
est  Justus  cadens  in  causa  sua  coram  adversaria.^  The  office 
of  judges  may  have  reference  unto  the  parties  that  sue;  unto 
the  advocates  that  plead  ;  unto  the  clerks  and  ministers  of 
justice  underneath  them ;  and  to  the  Sovereign  or  State  above 
them.  V 

First,  for  the  causes,  or  parties  that  sue :  There  be  (saitli 
the  Scripture)  that  turn  judgment  into  7C<ormwood ;*  and 
surely  there  be  also  that  turn  it  into  vinegar ;  for  injustice 
maketh  it  bitter,  and  delays  make  it  sour.  The  principal 
duty  of  a  judge  is,  to  suppress  force  and  fraud  ;  whereof 
force  is  the  more  pernicious  when  it  is  open,  and  fraud 
when  it  is  close  and  disguised.  Add  thereto  contentious 
suits,  which  ought  to  be  spewed  out,  as  the  surfeit  of  courts. 

'  Aciznsfo]    Heedful ;  wary.  >  ' 

"  Cursed,  dr^c]     Deut.  xxvii.  17 

*  Fons  turbatus,  Gf'c.l  Prov.  xxv.  26,  *A  righteous  m.in  falling 
down  before  the  wicked  is  a.'i  a  troubleil  fountain  and  a  corrupt  spring.* 

*  7herebe,&'c.\    Amos  5,  7.  •  •  ..  ..   • 

t* 


212  Essays. 

A  judge  ought  to  prepare  his  way  to  a  just  sentence,  as  God 
iiseth  to  prepare  his  way,  by  raising  valleys  and  taking  down 
hills  ; '  so  when  there  appeareth  on  either  side  a  high  hand 
violent  prosecution,  cunning  advantages  taken,  combination, 
power,  great  counsel,  then  is  the  virtue  of  a  judge  seen  to 
make  inequality  equal,  that  he  may  plant  his  judgment  as 
upon  an  even  ground.  Quiforiiter  emwigit,  elicit  sanguinem,'^ 
and  where  the  wine-press  is  hard  wrought,  it  yields  a  harsh 
wine,  that  tastes  of  the  grape-stone.  Judges  must  beware 
of  hard  constructions,  and  strained  inferences ;  for  there  is 
no  worse  torture  than  the  torture  of  laws.  Specially  in  case 
of  laws  penal,  they  ought  to  have  care  that  that  which  was 
meant  for  terror^  be  not  turned  into  rigour;  and  that  they 
bring  not  upon  the  people  that  shower  whereof  the  Scripture 
speaketh,  Fluet  super  eos  laqiieos  :^  for  penal  laws  pressed 
are  a  shower  of  snares  upon  the  people.  Therefore  let 
penal  laws,  if  they  have  been  sleepers  of  long,  or  if  they  be 
grown  unfit  for  the  present  time,  be  by  wise  judges  confined 
in  the  execution  :  yiidicis  officiuin  est,  ut  res,  ita  tentpora 
reruvi,  &'c.^  In  causes  of  life  and  death,  judges  ought  (as 
far  as  the  law  permitteth)  in  justice  to  remember  mercy; 
and  to  cast  a  severe  eye  upon  the  example,  but  a  merciful 
eye  upon  the  person. 

Secondly,  for  tlie  advocates  and  counsel  that  plead: 
Patience  and  gravity  of  hearing  is  an  essential  part  of 
justice,  and  an  over-speaking  judge  is  no  well-tuned  cymbal.® 
It  is  no  grace  to  a  judge  first  to  find  that  which  he  might 

'  As  Goduseth  to  prepare,  drv.]     Isaiah  xl.  3,  4. 

*  Qui  fortiter,  dr»r.]  He  who  blows  the  nose  violently  brings  forth 
blood.      Prov.  xxx.  33. 

*  Terror\    A  means  of  deterring.     See  Rom.  xiii.  3. 

*  Pltiet,  &'c.\     He  will  rain  snares  upon  them.     Ps.  xi.  6. 

»  Judicis  officium,  c&'r.]  Ovid,  Trist.  I.  i.  37.  It  is  a  judge's  duty 
to  consider  not  otfly  the  facts  of  a  case,  but  the  limes  to  which  they 
apply. 

*  Wdl-tuned  cymbal\    Psalter,  cL  S 


Of  Jiidicature.  2 1 3 

have  heard  in  due  time  from  the  bar  ;  or  to  show  quickness 
of  conceit'  in  cutting  off  evidence  or  counsel  too  short;  or 
to  prevent'  information  by  questions,  though  pertinent. 
The  parts  of  a  judge  in  hearing  are  four :  to  direct  the 
evidence;  to  moderate  length,  repetition,  or  impertinency  of 
speech;  to  recapitulate,  select,  and  collate  the  material 
points  of  that  which  hath  been  said ;  and  to  give  the  rule' 
or  sentence.  Whatsoever  is  above  these  is  too  much ;  and 
proceedeth  either  of  glory  and  willingness  *  to  speak,  or  of 
impatience  to  hear,  or  of  shortness  of  memory,  or  of  want  of 
a  stayed  and  equal  attention.  It  is  a  strange  thing  to  see 
that  the  boldness  of  advocates  should  prevail  with  judges ; 
whereas  they  should  imitate  God,  in  whose  seat  they  sit,  who 
represseth  tlie  presitmptiious,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  modest.^ 
But  it  is  more  strange,  that  judges  should  have  noted 
favourites,  which  cannot  but  cause  multiplication  of  fees, 
and  suspicion  of  by-ways.  There  is  due  from  the  judge  to 
the  advocate  some  commendation  and  gracing,  where  causes 
are  well  handled  and  fair  pleaded ;  especially  towards  the 
side  which  obtaineth  not ;  for  that  upholds  in  the  client  the 
reputation  of  his  counsel,  and  beats  down  in  him  the  conceit" 
of  his  cause.  There  is  likewise  due  to  the  public  a  civil  ^ 
reprehension  of  advocates,  where  there  appeareth  cunning 
counsel,  gross  neglect,  slight  information,  indiscreet  pressing, 
or  an  over-bold  defence.  And  let  not  the  counsel  at  tlie 
bar  chop*  with  the  judge,  nor  wind  himself  into  the  handling 


'  Conceit^     Conception. 

*  Prevent^     Anticipate. 
'  The  rule]     The  order. 

*  Willin^tess]     Fond  desire. 

*  Who  represseth,  &'c.'\     James  iv.  6  ;  I   Pet.  v.  4.     'God  resisteth 
the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble.' 

*  The  conceit]    The  high  notion  or  conception  he  had  formed. 
'  Civil]     Lat.  Moderata. 

'  Chop]     Bandy  words  or  petty  arguments.      Hence  the  expression 
to  chop  logic.     To  chop  originally  meant  to  change  or  exchange. 


214  '.'I     Esstrps. 

of  the  cause  anew,  after  tire  judge  hath  declared  his.seiTtenc  ; 
but,  on  the  other  side,  let  not  the  judge  meet  the  cause  half 
way,  nor.  give  occasion  to  the  party  to  say,  his  cgunsel  or 
proofs  were  not  heard. 

Thirdly,  for  that  that  concerns  clerks  and  ministers :  The 
place  of  justice  is  a  hallowed  place;  and  therefore  not  only 
the  bench,  but  the  foot-pace'  and  precincts,  and  purprise^ 
thereof,  ought  to  be  preserved  without  scandal  and  corruption ; 
•far,  certainly,  grapes  (as  the  Scripture  saith)  will  not  be 
gathered  of  thorns  or  thistles;^  neither  can  justice  yield  her 
fruit  with  sweetness  amongst  the  briers  and  brambles  of 
catching  and  polling''  clerks  and  ministers.  The  attendance 
of  courts  is  subject  to  four  bad  instnunents.  First,  certain 
personii  that  are  sowers  of  suits:  which  make  the  court 
swell,  and  the  country  pine.  The  second  sort  is  of  those 
that  engage  courts  in  quarrels  of  jurisdiction,  and  aie  not 
tnily  amid  curix,^  but  parasiti  airi(e,  in  puffing  a  court  \x\> 
beyond  her  bounds  for  their  own  scraps  and  advantage. 
The  third  sort  is  of  those  that  may  be  accounted  the  left 
hands  of  courts ;  persons  that  are  full  of  nimble  and  sinister 
tricks  and  shifts,  whereby  they  i)ervert  the  plain  and  direct 
c  >urses  of  courts,  and  bring  justice  into  oblique  lines  and 
labyrinths.  And  the  fourth  is  the  poller  and  exacter  of  fees ; 
wliich  justifies  the  common  resemblance  of  the  courts  of 
justice  to  the  bush,  whereunto  while  the  sheep  flies  for 
defence  in  weather,  he  is  sure  to  lose  part  of  his  fleece.  On 
the  other  side,  an  ancient  clerk,  skilful  in  precedents,  wary 
in  proceeding,  and  understanding  in  the  business  of  the 
court,  is  an  excellent  finger  of  a  court,  and  doth  many  times 
point  the  way  to  the  judge  himself. 

Fourthly,  for  that  which  may  concern  the  Sovereign  and 

•  Foot-pace]     Raised  platform. 

•  Purprise\     Inclosure. 

•  Grapes,  &'c.']     Matt.  vii.  1 6. 

•  Polling]     Fleecing. 

•  Amici  curue]     Friends  of  the  court.  ) 


Of  Jttdicatiirt..  S15 

Rstate :  Judges  ought,  above  all,  to  remember  the  conclusion 
of  the  Roman  Twelve  Tables,  Salus  pcpuli  suprtrtia  lex ;^ 
ani  to  know  that  laws,  except  they  be  in  order  to  that  end, 
are  but  things  captious,  and  oracles  not  well  inspired. 
Therefore  it  is  a  happy  thing  in  a  State,  when  Kings  and 
States  do  often  consult  with  judges;  and  again,  when  judges 
do  often  consult  with  the  King  and  State :  the  one,  when 
there  is  matter  of  law  intervenient  in  business  of  State;  the 
other,  when  there  is  some  consideration  of  State  intervenient 
in  matter  of  law;  for  many  times  the  things  deduced'  to 
judgment  may  be  viaiin  and  tiium,  when  the  reason  and 
consequence  thereof  may  trench  to  point  of  Estate.'  I  call 
matter  of  Estate,  not  only  the  parts  of  Sovereignty,  but 
whatsoever  introduceth  any  great  alteration  or  dangerous 
precedent;  or  concemeth  manifestly  any  great  portion  ot 
people.  And  let  no  man  weakly  conceive,  that  just  laws 
and  tnie  policy  have  any  antipathy ;  for  they  are  like  the 
spirits*  and  sinews,  that  one  moves  with  the  other.  Let 
judges  also  remember,  that  Solomon's  throne  was  supported 
■by  Hons  on  both  sides;*  let  them  be  lions,  but  yet  lions 
Under  the  throne :  being  circumspect,  that  they  do  not  check 
or  oppose  any  points  of  Sovereignty,  Let  not  judges  also 
be  so  ignorant  of  their  own  right  as  to  think  there  is  not 
left  to  them,  as  a  principal  part  of  their  office,  a  wise  use 
and  application  of  laws;  for  they  may  remember  what  the 
apostle  saith  of  a  greater  law  than  theirs :  Nos  scimus  quia 
kx  bona  est,  modo  quis  ea  utatur  legitime.^ 
c*-. : 

'  Salus  Popiili,  &^c.  ]  The  weal  of  the  people  is  the  supreme  law. 
Bacon  erred  in  referring  this  to  the  Tables  compiled  by  the  Decemvirs  ; 
the  sentence  is  Cicero's,  De  Le^.  iii.  3. 

-  Dednced'\     Brought,  or  referred. 

'  May  trench,  iS^^.J     Lat.  Ad  rationes  Slat&s  peiietret. 

<   The  spirits]     The  vital  spirits.     ^SVsf  p.  32,  note  I. 

'  Solomon's  throne,  &'c.'\     i  Kings  x.  19. 

"  A'os  scimus,  (Sr»c.]  I  Tim.  i.  8.  '  Wc  know  that  the  law  is  good  if 
a  mar.  use  it  lawfully.' 


2i6  Essays. 

LVII.    OF  ANGER. 

To  seek  to  extinguish  anger  utterly  is  but  a  bravery'  of 
the  Stoics.  We  have  better  oracles  :  Be  angry,  but  sin  nut : 
let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your  anger.^  Anger  must  be 
limited  and  confined,  both  in  race^  and  in  time.  VVe  will 
first  speak  how  the  natural  inclination  and  habit,  to  be  angry, 
may  be  attempered  and  calmed ;  secondly,  how  the  parti- 
cular motions  of  anger  may  be  repressed,  or  at  least  refi-ained^ 
from  doing  mischief ;  thirdly,  how  to  raise  anger  or  appease 
anger  in  another. 

For  the  first :  there  is  no  other  way  but  to  meditate  and 
ruminate  well  upon  the  effects  of  anger,  how  it  troubles 
man's  life.  And  the  best  time  to  do  this  is  to  look  back 
upon  anger  when  the  fit  is  thoroughly  over.  Seneca  saith 
well  that  ajiger  is  like  ruin,  which  breaks  itself  upon  that  it 
falls.^  The  Scripture  exliorteth  us  to  possess  our  souls  in 
patience.^  Whosoever  is  out  of  patience  is  out  of  possession 
of  his  soul.  Men  must  not  turn  bees  :  animasque  in  vulncre 
ponunt?  Anger  is  certainly  a  kind  of  baseness ;  as  it 
appears  well  in  the  weakness  of  those  subjects  in  whom  it 
reigns, — children,  women,  old  folks,  sick  folks.  Only  men 
must  beware  that  they  carry  their  anger  rather  with  scorn 
than  with  fear;  so  that  they  may  seem  rather  to  be  above 
the  injury  than  below  it :  which  is  a  thing  easily  done,  if  a 
man  will  give  law  to  himself  in  it. 

For  the  second  point :  the  causes  and  motives  of  anger 
are  chiefly  three.     First,  to  be  too  sensible  of  hurt ;  for  no 

'  Bratitryl    Bravado. 

*  Be  angty,  &'c.'\     Eph.  iv.  26, 

*  In  race]     As  to  extent. 

*  Refrained]     Restrained. 

*  That  anger,  &'€.]     Seneca,  De  Ird,  i.  I. 

*  To  possess  our  souls,  &'c.'\     Luke  xxi.  19, 

'  Animasque,  (Sr>f].  Virgil,  Georg.  iv.  238.  And  lose  their  lives  ia 
the  wound  they  make. 


Of  Anger.  21/ 

man  is  angry  that  feels  not  himself  hurt;  and,  therefore, 
tender  and  delicate  persons  must  needs  be  oft  angry ;  they 
have  so  many  things  to  trouble  them,  which  more  robust 
natures  have  little  sense  of.  The  next  is  the  apprehension 
and  construction '  of  the  injury  offered,  to  be  in  the  circum- 
stances thereof  full  of  contempt.  For  contempt  is  that 
which  putteth  an  edge  upon  anger,  as  much  or  more  than 
the  hurt  itself.  And  therefore  when  men  are  ingenious  in 
picking  out  circumstances  of  contempt,  they  do  kindle 
their  anger  much.  Lastly,  opinion  of  the  touch'  of  a  man's 
reputation  doth  multiply  and  sharpen  anger.  Wherein  the 
remedy  is,  that  a  man  should  have,  as  Gonsalvo'  was  wont 
to  say,  telam  honoris  crassioreni.^  But  in  all  refrainings  of 
anger,  it  is  the  best  remedy  to  win  time,  and  to  make  a 
man's  self  believe  that  the  opportunity  of  his  revenge  is  not 
yet  come,  but  that  he  foresees  a  time  for  it ;  and  so  to  still 
himself  in  the  meantime,  and  reserve  it. 

To  contain  anger  from  mischief,  though  it  take  hold  of  a 
man,  tliere  be  two  things  whereof  you  must  have  special 
caution :  the  one,  of  extreme  bitterness  of  words ;  especially 
if  they  be  aculeate  and  proper ;  for  communia  maledicta^  are 
nothing  so  much ;  and  again,  that  in  anger  a  man  reveal  no 
secrets;  for  that  makes  him  not  fit  for  society.  The  other, 
that  you  do  not  peremptorily  break  off  in  any  business  in  a 
fit  of  anger :  but  howsoever  you  show  bitterness,  do  not  act 
anything  that  is  not  revocable. 

For  raising  and  appeasing  anger  in  another:  it  is  done 


'    The  apprehension,  <&^c]     The  apprehending  and  construing.     The 
Latin  has  Si  </nis  curiosus  et  perspicax  sit  in  interpretalione. 
'^   The  touch]     The  wounding,  or  sullying. 

*  Gonsalvo]     Viceroy  of  Naples.     Died  in  1515. 

*  Telam  honoi-is  crassioreni]  A  more  substantial  web  of  honour. 
Compare  the  Advancement,  II.,  '  Gonsalvo  said,  the  honour  of  a  soldier 
should  be  e  te/d  crassiore,  and  not  so  fine  as  that  everything  shou'«* 
catch  in  it  and  endanger  it.' 

*  Communia  maledicfa]     Generrl  reviling* 


21 8  .'^Bssays.'^ 

chiefly  by  choosingof  times,  when  men  are  frowaixJest  anil 
worst  disposed,  to  incense  them.  Again,  by  gathering  (as 
was  touched  before)  all  that  you  can  find  out  to  aggravate 
the  contempt.  And  the  two  remedies  are  by  the  contraries. 
The  former  to  take  good  times,  when  first  to  relate  to  a  man 
an  angry  business ;  for  the  first  impression  is  much.  And 
the  other  is  to  sever,  as  much  as  maybe,  the  construction  of 
the  injury  from  the  point  of  contempt:  imputing  it  to 'mis* 
tinderstanding,  fear,  passion,  or  what  you  will.  -    i;'/.-.- 


-       •       LVIII.   OF   VICISSITUDE  OF  THINGS.  ' 

Solomon  saith,  There  is  no  new  thing  upon  the  earth.),  .  So 
tliat  as  Plato  had  an  imagination  that  all  knowledge  was  but 
remembrance,^ .  so  Solomon  giveth  his  sentence,  that  all 
novelty  is  but  oblivion.  ^Vhereby  you  may  see  that  the 
river  of "  I^ethe  runneth  as  well  above  ground  as  l?elow. 
There  is  an  abstruse  astrologer  that  saith,  if  it  were  not  for 
two  things  that  are  constant  (the  one  is,  that  the  fixed  stars 
^ver  stand  at  like  ciistance  one  from  another,  and  never 
.come  nearer  together  nor  go  further  asunder;  the  other, 
that  the  diurnal  motion  perpetually  keepeth  time),  uo  indi- 

'  There  is  no  new  thing,  &'c.'\     Eccles.  i.  9. 

"  That  all  knffidedge,  &'€.'[  This  opinion  is  found  in  Plato's  Menon 
and  Phaedo  ;  but  Bacon  probably  refers  to  Cicero's  Tusc.  Disp.  i.  24, 
where  it  is  said  :  Man  has  memory  so  infinite  as  to  recollect  numberless 
things  ;  and  Plato  will  have  this  to  be  a  recollection  of  a  former  life 
For  how  have  children  got  notions  of  the  many  important  things  sealed 
up,  as  it  were,  in  their  minds  (tvvoiai,  common  notions),  unless  the  soul, 
before  entering  the  body,  had  been  well  stored  with  knowledge  ?  Tlie 
soul,  shut  up  in  the  body,  could  not  discover,  but  must  have  brought 
vjih  it,  what  it  knows  ;  nor  does  it  clearly  discover  its  ideas  at  its  first 
resort  to  this  unusual  and  troublesome  abode;  but  after  having  refreshed 
and  recollected  itself,  it  then  by  its  memory  recovers  them;  and  there- 
fore to  learn  implies  only  to  recollect.  Comj)are  what  Bacon  says,  on 
the  srame  subject,  in  his  Advancement  (^Dedication  tc  the  King). 


Of  Vicissitude  of  Things.  2J'i^ 

i^idual  would  last  one  moment  Certain  it  is,  that  the 
matter  is  in  a  perpetual  flux,  and  never  at  a  stay.  Th6 
great  winding-sheets  that  bury  all  things  in  oblivion  are  two, 
deluges  and  earthquakes.  As  for  conflagrations  and  great 
droughts,  they  do  not  merely^  dispeople  and  destroy. 
Phaeton's  car  went  but  a  day.  And  the  three  years'  drought 
in  the  time  of  Elias '  was  but  particular,' and  left  people 
alive.  As  for  the  great  burnings  by  lightnings  which  are 
often  in  the  West  Indies, "•  they  are  but  narrow.  But  in  the 
other  two  destructions,  by  deluge  and  earthquake,  it  is 
further  to  be  noted,  that  the  remnant  of  people  which  hap 
to  be  reserved  are  commonly  ignorant  and  mountainous 
people,  that  can  give  no  account  of  the  time  past;*  so  that 
the  oblivion  is  all  one  as  if  none  had  been  left.  If  you 
consider  well  of  the  people  of  the  West  Indies,  it  is  very 
probable  that  they  are  a  newer  or  a  younger  people  than  the 
people  of  the  old  world.  And  it  is  much  more  likely  that 
the  destruction  that  hath  heretofore  been  there  was  not  by 
earthquakes  (as  the  -Egyptian  priest  told  Solon  concerning 
the  island  of  Atlantis,  that  it  was  swallowed  by  an  earth- 
(fuake),^  but  rather,  that  it  was  desolated  by  a  particular 
deluge.  For  earthquakes  are  seldom  in  those  parts.  But, 
on  the  other  side,  they  have  such  pouring  rivers,  as^  the 
rivers  of  Asia  and  Africa  and  Europe  are  but  brooks  to 
them.  Their  Andes  likewise,  or  mountains,  are  far  higher 
than  those  with  us ;  whereby,  it  seems,  that  the  remnants  of 
generations  of  men  were  in  such  a  particular  deluge  saved. 


'  Merely]     Absolutely  ;  quite. 

■•'  The  three years^  drought,  iSr'r.]     Luke  iv.  25  ;  James  v.  15. 

'  Particular]     Partial. 

*  In  the  West  Indies]     The  Latin  has  Apud  Indias  Orientaies.   Bacon 
means  America  generally. 

*  The  remnant  of  people,  &'€.]     Machiavel,  Disc,  on  Livy,  ii.  5. 

"  As  the  Egyptian  priest,  ^^c]      Plato,  Tim   iii.  24.      Sec-  p.  152, 
note  2.  '  As]    That. 


220  Essays. 

As  for  the  observation  that  Machiavel  hath,'  that  the  jealousy 
of  sects  doth  much  extuiguish  the  memory  of  things, — 
traducing  Gregory  the  Great,  that  he  did  what  in  him  lay  to 
extinguish  all  heathen  antiquities,* — I  do  not  find  that  those 
zeals  do  any  great  effects,  nor  last  long ;  as  it  appeared  in 
the  succession  of  Sabinian,'  who  did  revive  the  former  anti- 
quities. 

The  vicissitude  or  mutations  in  the  superior  globe,  are 
no  fit  matter  for  this  present  argument.  It  may  be,  Plato's 
great  year,*  if  the  world  should  last  so  long,  would  have 
some  effect,  not  in  renewing  the  state  of  like  individuals 
(for  that  is  the  fume*  of  those  that  conceive  the  celestial 
bodies  have  more  accurate  influence  upon  these  things 
below  than  indeed  they  have),  but  in  gross.  Comets,  out  of 
question,  have  likewise  power  and  effect  over  the  gross  and 
mass  of  things:  but  they  are  rather  gazed  upon  and  waited 
upon^  in  their  journey,  than  wisely  observed  in  their  effects  ; 
specially  in  their  respective  effects ;  that  is,  what  kind  of 
comet  for  magnitude,  colour,  version^  of  the  beams,  placing 
in  the  region  of  heaven,  or  lasting,  produceth  what  kind  of 
effects. 


'  TAt  observation,  <&^<-.]     Disc,  on  Livy,  ii.  5. 

'  Traducing  Gregory  the  Great,  &'c.'\  Gregory  the  Great  was  said  to 
have  commanded  the  destniction  of  the  Palatine  library  ;  but  the  evidence 
of  this  is  very  doubtful.  Gibbon  [Decl.  and  Fall,  ch.  45)  says,  '  The 
\\ritings  of  Gregory  himself  reveal  his  implacable  aversion  to  the  monu- 
ments of  classic  genius,  and  he  points  his  severest  censure  against  the 
profane  learning  of  a  bishop,'  &c. 

*  Sabinian'\     He  succeeded  Pope  Gregory  in  604, 

*  Plato's  great year^  Plato,  Tim.  iii.  28  ;  Cicero,  De  Nat.  Dear.  iv. 
20.  The  great  year  denoted  that  space  of  time  (some  make  it  about 
13.000,  others  26,000  years)  in  which  the  whole  universe  of  planets  and 
fixed  stars  returns  to  the  same  positions  in  the  heavens. 

*  Thefume\     The  idle  vapour,  or  vain  imagination. 

*  Waited  upon"]     Watched  or  observed.     See  p.  92,  note  I. 

*  Version^     Direction. 


Of  Vicissitude  of  Things.  221 

There  is  a  toy'  which  I  have  heard,  and  I  would  not 
have  it  given  over,  but  waited  upon  a  little.  They  say  it  is 
observed  in  the  Low  Countries  (I  know  not  in  what  part) 
that  every  five  and  thirty  years  the  same  kind  and  suit'  of 
years  and  weathers  comes  about  again ;  as  great  frost,  great 
wet,  great  droughts,  warm  winters,  summers  with  little  heat, 
and  the  like :  and  they  call  it  the  Prime.  It  is  a  thing  I  do 
the  rather  mention,  because,  computing  backwards,  I  have 
found  some  concurrence. 

But  to  leave  these  points  of  nature,  and  to  come  to  men : 
The  greatest  vicissitude  of  things  amongst  men  is  the  vicis- 
situde of  sects  and  religions.  For  those  orbs  rule  in  men's 
minds  most.  The  true  religion  is  built  upon  the  rock;  the 
rest  are  tossed  upon  the  waves  of  time.  To  speak  therefore 
of  the  causes  of  new  sects,  and  to  give  some  counsel  con- 
cerning them,  as  far  as  the  weakness  of  human  judgment 
can  give  stay  to  so  great  revolutions: 

When  the  religion  formerly  received  is  rent  by  discords, 
and  when  the  holiness  of  the  professors  of  religion  is  decayed 
and  full  of  scandal,  and  withal  the  times  be  stupid,  ignorant, 
and  barbarous,  you  may  doubt'  the  springing  up  of  a  new 
sect,  if  then  also  there  should  arise  any  extravagant  and 
strange  spirit  to  make  himself  author  thereof.  All  which 
points  held*  when  Mahomet  published  his  law.  If  a  new 
sect  have  not  two  properties,  fear  it  not;  for  it  will  not 
spread  :  the  one  is  the  supplanting  or  the  opposing  of 
authority  established :  for  nothing  is  more  popular  than  that ; 
the  other  is  the  giving  licence  to  pleasures  and  a  voluptuous 
life.  For  as  for  speculative  heresies  (such  as  were  in  ancient 
times  the  Arians',  and  now  the  Arminians'),  though  they  work 
mightily  upon  men's  wits,  yet  they  do  not  produce  any  great 


A  toy\     A  trifle  ;  a  light  matter. 
Suit\     Sequence. 
Doub(\     Fear  ;  apprehend. 
HeU\    Obtained  ;  were  realised. 


222  Essays. 

alterations  in  States;  except  it  be  by  the  help  of  civil 
occasions.  There  be  three  manner  of  plantations  of  new 
sects:  by  the  power  of  signs  and  miracles;  by  the  eloquence 
and  wisdom  of  speech  and  persuasion ;  and  by  the  sword. 
For  martyrdoms,  I  reckon  them  amongst  miracles ;  because 
tiiey  seem  to  exceed  the  strength  of  human  nature ;  and  I 
rtiay^do  the  like  of  superlative  and  admirable'  holiness  of  life. 
Surely  there  is  no  better  way  to  stop  the  rising  of  new  sects 
and  schisms  than  to  reform  abuses ;  to  compound  the  smaller 
differences;  to  proceed  mildly,  and  not  with  sanguinary 
persecutions;  and  rather  to  take  off  the  principal  authors,  by 
winning  and  advancing  them,  than  to  enrage  them  by  violence 
and  bitterness. 

The  changes  and  vicissitudes  in  wars  are  many,  but  chiefly 
in  three  things :  in  the  seats  or  stages  of  the  war,  in  the 
weapons,  and  in  the  manner  of  the  conduct  Wars  in  ancient 
time  seemed  more  to  move  from  east  to  west :  for  the  Persians, 
Assyrians,  Arabians,  Tartars  (which  were  the  invaders)  were 
all  eastern  people.  It  is  true,  the  Gauls  were  western ;  but 
we  read  but  of  two  incursions  of  theirs,  the  one  to  Gallo- 
Graecia,  the  other  to  Rome.  But  east  and  west  have  no 
certain  points  of  heaven  ;  and  no  more  have  the  wars,  either 
from  the  east  or  west,  any  certainty  of  observation.  But 
north  and  south  are  fixed :  and  it  hath  seldom  or  n.iver  been 
seeii  that  the  far  southern  people  have  invaded  the  northern, 
but  contrariwise.  Whereby  it  is  manifest  that  the  northern 
tract  of  the  world  is  in  nature  the  more  martial  region ;  be  it 
In  respect  of  the  stars  of  that  hemisphere,  or  of  the  great 
continents  that  are  upon  the  north :  whereas  the  south  part, 
for  aught  that  is  known,  is  almost  all  sea;  or  (which  is  most 
apparent)  of  the  cold  of  the  northern  parts,  which  is  that 
which  without  aid  of  discipline  doth  make  the  bodies  hardest 
and  the  courages  warmest 

Upon  the  breaking  and  shivering  of  a  great  State  and 

^^  AdmirabU\  „  Wondeifui. 


Of  Vicissitude  cj[  Things.  J2| 

Empire,  you  may  be  sure  to  have  wars.  Foif  gr^at  Empires^ 
while  they  stand,  do  enervate  and  destroy  the  forces  of  the 
natives  which  they  have  subdued,  resting  upon  their  own 
protecting  forces:  and  then,  when  they  fail  also,  all  goes  tck 
ruin,  and  they  become  a  prey.  So  was  it  jn  the  decay  o£ 
the  Roman  Empire;  and  likewise  in  the  Empire  of  Almaigne^ 
after  Charles  the  Great,  every  bird  taking  a  feather;  and, 
were  not  unlike  to  befall  to  Spain,  if  it  should  break.  The 
great  accessions  and  unions  of  Kingdoms  do  likewise  stir  up 
wars.  For  when  a  State  grows  to  an  overpower,  it  is  like  a 
great  flood  that  will  be  sure  to  overflow ;  as  it  hath  been 
seen  in  the  States  of  Rome,  Turkey,  Spain,  and  others. 
Look,  when  the  world  hath  fewest  barbarous  peoples,  but 
such  as  commonly  will  not  marry  or  generate,  except  they 
know  means  to  live  (as  it  is  almost  everywhere  at  this  day 
except  Tartary),  there  is  no  danger  of  inundations  of  people ; 
but  when  there  be  great  shoals  of  people  which  go  on  to 
populate,  without  foreseeing  means  of  life  and  sustentation, 
it  is  of  necessity  that  once  in  an  age  or  two  they  discharge 
a  portion  of  their  people  upon  other  nations:  which  the 
ancient  northern  peoplje  were  wont  to  do  by  lot,  casting 
lots  what  part  should  stay  at  home,  and  what  should  seek 
*heir  fortunes.  When  a  warlike  State  grows  soft  and  eff'e: 
•ninate,  they  may  be  sure  of  a  war.  For  commonly  such 
States  are  grown  rich  in  the  time  of  their  degenerating ;  and 
so  the  prey  inviteth,  artd  their  decay  in  valour  encouraget.^ 
I  war..  ) 

As  for  the  weapons,  it  hardly  falleth  under  rule  and  qb- 
servation:  yet  we  see  even  they  have  returns  and  vicissi- 
tudes. For  certain  it  is,  that  ordnance  was  ^kpown  in  the 
city  of  the  Oxydraces,  in  India;'  and  wag. that  which  the 
Macedonians  called  thunder  and  lightning  and  magic  And 
it   is  well  known  that  the  use  of  ordnance  hah  been  in 


'  Ordttai/ee,  ^c.'l    I  hgye.  not  been  able  to  find  any  authority  for 
this  assertion. 


224  Essays. 

China  above  two  thousand  years.  The  conditions  of 
weapons,  and  their  improvement  are;  first,  the  fetching' 
afar  off;  for  that  outruns  the  danger:  as  it  is  seen  in 
ordnance  and  muskets.  Secondly,  the  strength  of  the  per- 
cussion, wherein  Hkewise  ordnance  do  exceed  all  arietations* 
and  ancient  inventions.  The  third  is,  the  commodious  use 
of  them:  as  tliat  they  may  serve  in  all  weathers;  that  the 
carriage  may  be  light  and  manageable;  and  the  like. 

For  the  conduct  of  the  war :  At  the  first,  men  rested  ex- 
tremely upon  number ;  they  did  put  the  wars  likewise  upon 
main  force  and  valour,  pointing  days  for  pitched  fields, 
and  so  trying  it  out  upon  an  even  match;  and  they  were 
more  ignorant  in  ranging  and  arraying  their  battles.'  After 
they  grew  to  rest  upon  number  rather  competent  than 
vast,  they  grew  to  advantages  of  place,  cunning  diversions, 
and  the  like,  and  they  grew  more  skilful  in  the  ordering  *  of 
their  battles. 

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  merchandise.  Learning  hath  his  ®  infancy,  when  it  is 
but  beginning,  and  almost  childish ;  then  his  youth,  when 
it  is  luxuriant  and  juvenile;  then  his  strength  of  years,  when 
it  is  solid  and  reduced:^  and,  lastly,  his  old  age,  when  it 
waxeth  dry  and  exhaust.  But  it  is  not  good  to  look  too 
long  upon  these  turning  wheels  of  vicissitude  lest  we  become 
giddy.  As  for  the  philology  of  them,^  that  is  but  a  circle  of 
tales,  and  therefore  not  fit  for  this  writing. 

•  Fetchingl     Ranging. 

'  ArutaUions]     Battering  with  the  ram, 

•  Battles]     Battalions;  armies. 

•  Ordering]     Marshalling. 

•  IIis\     Its.     See  p.  39,  note  5. 

•  Reduced]     Exact. 

•  The  philology  of  them]    The  iiteratuie  ot  them. 


33f 


A  FRAGMENT 

OF 

AN  ESSAY   OF  FAME> 


The  poets  make  Fame  a  monster:  they  describe  her  in 
part  finely  and  elegantly,  and  in  part  gravely  and  senten- 
tiously :  '  they  say,  look,  how  many  feathers  she  hath — so 
n:any  eyes  she  hath  underneath,  so  many  tongues,  so  many 
voices,  she  pricks  up  so  many  ears.* 

This  is  a  flourish ;  *  there  follow  excellent  parables ; '  as 
ihat  she  gathereth  strength  in  going ;  •  that  she  goeth  upon 
the  ground,  and  yet  hideth  her  head  in  tlie  clouds;  ^  that  in 


'  A  Fragment,  dr't.]     This  Fragment  was  first  published  by  Dr. 
Rawley,  in  1657.     Fame  %\^\^'e&  Rumour. 
"  Sententiously]     Pithily ;  in  the  style  of  a  proverb  or  maxim. 

•  T^hey  say,  <Sr*f.]     Compare  Virgil,  ^n.  iv.  181  : — 

•  Monstrum  horrendum,  ingens :  cui  quot  sunt  corpoK  plumse, 
Tot  vigiles  oculi  subter  (mirabile  dictu). 
Tot  linguae,  totidem  ora  sonant,  tot  subrigit  aures. ' 

In  these  lines  Fame  is  described  '  finely  and  elegantly,'  as  Bacon  says ; 
he  proceeds  to  refer  to  the  '  parables '  in  which  she  is  described  by  the 
same  poet  '  gravely  and  sententiously,' 

•  A,Jiourish\     Fancifiil  rhetoric. 

•  Parables]     Proverbial  sentiments. 

•  She  gathereth,  (S-f.]     «  Viresque  acquirit  eundo.' — yEn.  iv.  175. 

•  That  she  goeth,   <&-<■.]     ♦  Ingrediturque  solo,  et  aput  inter  nuLila 
Obudit' — ^n.  iv.  177. 

Q 


226  A  Fragment  of  an  Essay  of  Fame, 

the  day-time  she  sitteth  in  a  watch-tower,  and  flieth  most 
by  night;  that  she  mingleth  things  done  with  things  not 
done;  and  that  she  is  a  terror  to  great  cities.*  But  that 
which  passeth  all  the  rest  is,  they  do  recount  that  the 
Earth,  mother  of  the  giants  that  made  war  against  Jupiter, 
and  were  by  him  destroyed,  thereupon  in  anger  brought 
forth  Fame ;  ^  for  certain  it  is  that  rebels,  figured  bv  the 
giants,  and  seditious  fames,  and  libels,  arc  but  brotners  and 
sisters,  masculine  and  feminine.^  But  now  if  a  man  can  tame 
this  monster,  and  bring  her  to  feed  at  the  hand  and  govern 
her,  and  with  her  fly  *  other  ravening  fowl  and  kill  them,  it 
is  somewhat  worth :  but  we  are  infected  with  the  style  of 
the  poets.  To  speak  now  in  a  sad  *  and  serious  manner, 
there  is  not  in  all  the  politics  a  place  ^  less  handled,  and  more 
worthy  to  be  handled,  than  this  of  fame  :  we  will  therefore 
speak  of  these  points  :  what  are  false  fames  ;  and  what  are 
true  fames;  and  how  they  may  be  best  discerned;^  how 
fames  may  be  sown  and  raised ;  how  they  may  be  spread 
and  multiplied;  and  how  they  may  be  checked  and  laid 
dead;  and  other  things  concerning  the  nature  of  fame. 
Fame  is  of  that  force  as  there  is  scarcely  any  great  action 
wherein   it   hath  not   a  great   part,  especially  in  the  war. 

'  In  the  day-time,  &'c.'[     This,  again,  is  from  the  y^w.  iv.  184-190- 

'  Nocte  volat  coeli  medio,  terraeque  per  umbram 
Stridens,  nee  dulci  declinat  lumina  scrno ; 
Luce  sedet  custos,  aut  summi  culmine  tecti, 
Turribus  aut  altis,  et  magnas  territat  urbes  : 
Tarn  ficti  pravique  tenax  quam  nuntia  veri. 
Hjec  turn  multiplici  populos  sermone  replebat 
Gaudens,  et  pariter  facta  atque  infecta  canebat.' 

-   That  the  Earth,  6"^.  j     See  p.  54. 

*  Masculine  and  feminiuc]     Compare  what  is  said  in  p.  54. 

*  Fly\     Fly  at ;  pursue  and  attack.     An  allusion  to  falconry. 

*  Sad]     Sober ;  grave.     Formerly  a  common  meaning. 

*  A  plixee\     A  topic  or  argument.     See  p.  1 36,  note  2. 
»  Diuef-ned]     Distinguished. 


A  Fragmait  of  an  Essay  of  Fame,  227 

Mucianus  undid  Vitellius  by  a  fa»ne  that  he  scattered,'  that 
Vitellius  had  in  purpose  to  remov<»  the  legions  of  Syria  into 
Germany,  and  the  legions  of  Germany  into  Syria;  where- 
upon the  legions  of  Syria  were  infinitely  inflamed.  Julius 
Caesar  took  Pompey  unprovided  ;^  and  laid  asleep  hisindustry 
and  preparations  by  a  fame  that  he  cunningly  gave  out, 
how  Caesar's  own  soldiers  loved  him  not ;  and  being  wearied 
with  the  wars  and  laden  with  the  spoils  of  Gaul,  would 
forsake  him  as  soon  as  he  came  into  Italy.^  Livia  settled 
all  things  for  the  succession  of  her  son  Tiberius,  by  con- 
tinual giving  out  that  her  husband  Augustus  was  upon 
recovery  and  amendment ;  *  and  it  is  a  usual  thing  with  the 
bashaws  to  conceal  the  death  of  the  Great  Turk  from  the 
janizaries  and  men  of  war,  to  save  the  sacking  of  Constan- 
tinople and  other  towns,  as  their  manner  is.  Themistocles 
made  Xerxes  king  of  Persia  post  apace  out  of  Graecia,  by 
giving  out  that  the  Grecians  had  a  purpose  to  break  his 
bridge  of  ships,  which  he  had  made  athwart  Hellespont' 
There  be  a  thousand  such  like  examples ;  and  the  more 
they  are  the  less  they  need  to  be  repeated,  because  a  man 
meeteth  with  them  everywhere:  therefore  let  all  wise 
governors  have  as  great  a  watch  and  care  over  fames  as  they 
have  of  the  actions  and  designs  themselves. 

The  rest  of  the  Essay  of  Fame  was  not  finished. 


'  A  fame  that  he  scattered^    A  rumour  that  he  spread.     Tacitua, 
Hist.  ii.  80.     See  p.  22. 

*  UnproTddeit]     At  unawares. 

•  By  a  fame,  &'c.'\    Caesar,  Bell.  Civ.  i.  6;  Plutarch,  Jtu.  Cos. 

*  Livia  settled,  6r»f.]    Tacitus,  Ann.  i.  5. 

•  Themistocles  made,  drT.]     Herodotus,  viij^  108. 


Qt 


220 


APPENDIX. 


EXAMINATION  PAPER  ON  BACON'S  ESSAYS 

SET  AT  THE 

OXFORD   LOCAL  EXAMINATIONS,  1864. 
(With  Answers.) 


L— QUESTIONS. 

1.  Define  '  Essay.'  Has  the  word  changed  its  meaning  since  Bacon's 
time? 

2.  Enumerate  the  '  fruits '  and  the  '  manifold  uses '  of  Friendship. 

3.  What  are  your  author's  views  of  the  causes  of  Atheism  ?  Does 
he  appear  to  have  omitted  some  ? 

4.  Where  are  the  following  persons  mentioned  in  the  Essays:  E^tha- 
goras,  Prodicus,  Cyrus,  Justinian,  ApoUonius  of  Tyana,  Albert  Durer, 
Cosmo  Duke  of  Florence,  Louis  XI.  ?  And  how  are  their  names  in- 
troduced ? 

5.  Give  Bacon's  chief  directions  to  Planters. 

6.  Give  the  substance  of  the  Essays  on  Delays,  Innovations,  and  the 
Regimen  of  Health. 

7.  '  The  causes  and  motives  of  seditions  are '  ....  Go  on,  if  you 
can,  with  the  proposition. 

8.  What  is  your  author's  advice  to  Travellers  ? 

9.  Tell  a  lie  and  find  a  troth. 
Abeunt  studia  in  mores. 
Fortune  is  like  the  market. 

The  blessing  of  Judah  and  Issachar  will  never  ravt. 
When  hempe  is  spun,  England's  done. 
Comment  on  these  ;  and  say  where  they  occur. 


230  Appendix. 

10.  '  Better  have  no  opinion  of  God  at  all,  than  such  an  opinion  u 
is  unworthy  of  Him.' — How  does  your  author  make  out  this? 

11.  '  If  the  hill  will  not  come  to  Mahomet,  Mahomet  will  go  to  the 
_JiilL'— What  use  does  he  make  of  the  story  referred  to? 


II.— ANSWERS. 


1.  'Essay'*  is  a  name  denoting  a  species  of  composition  which 
attempts  to  define  (if  neces  ary)  some  moral,  political,  or  other  topic ;  to 
argue  upon  it  methodically,  and  illustrate  it ;  and  to  deduce  its  proper 
value  or  importance. 

The  word  has  changed  its  meaning  considerably  since  Bacon's  time  ; 
as  it  then  denoted  merely  a  few  scattered  thoughts  or  suggestions, 
designed  to  prompt  and  aid  further  reflection. 

2.  Of  the  fruits  and  the  manifold  uses  of  Friendship,  Bacon  specifies 
the  following: —  • 

i.  The  ease  and  discharge  of  the  fulness  and  swellings  of  the  heart, 
which  passions  of  all  kinds  occasion:  true  friends  hemg par tkipes  cura- 
rutn,  who  double  each  other's  joys,  and  halve  each  other's  griefs. 

ii.  The  opening  of  the  understanding  through  communicating  and 
discoursing  with  another  ;  and  the  preventing,  by  faithful  counsel,  a 
man's  being  misled  by  his  own  self-esteem,  prejudice,  or  passion. 

iii.  Aid  and  bearing  a  part  in  all  actions  and  occasions;  especially 
when  modesty  would  restrain  a  man  from  pleading  his  own  merits,  or 
when  some  personal  relationship  might  hinder  such  freedom  of  acting 
as  things  themselves  require. 

3.  Bacon  views  the  causes  of  Atheism  to  be  : 

i.  A  little  philosophy,  dealing  with  second  causes  scattered,  which 
may  dispose  a  man  to  rest  in  them,  and  so  incline  his  mind  to  disown 
the  great  First  Cause. 

ii.  A  corrupt  natural  wish  that  there  should  be  no  God  to  take 
account  of  human  conduct. 

*  The  student  should  notice  that  it  is  'Essay,'  not  'an  Essay,'  of 
which  a  definition  is  required.  Let  care  always  be  taken  to  give  per- 
tinent answers.  We  have  answered  several  of  the  questions  more  fully 
than  candidates  generally  can  be  expected  to  do.  Very  creditable 
industry  and  judgment  may  be  shown  with  less  than  half  the  quantity 
of  matter  here  introduced. 


Appendix.  '  23 1 

iii.  The  searing  of  the  conscience  by  long,  familiar,  and  hypocritical 
handling  of  holy  things,  without  feeling  them, 
iv.  The  great  diversity  of  religious  sects. 
V.   Scandal  of  priests, 

vi.  Custom  of  profane  scoffing  in  holy  matters. 
%'ii.  Learned  times ;  specially  with  peace  and  prosperity. 
Bacon  has  omitted  to  notice  as  causes  of  Atheism  : 

A.  The  condition  of  the  world,  as  seeming  to  indicate  that  it  has 
no  moral  governor. 

B.  The  apparent  inconsistencies  in  the  Bible. 

C.  An  abuse  of  speculation,  going  beyond  the  qualities  of  material 
or  spiritual  existence,  and  aiming  to  ascertain  what  matter  itself,  or 
spirit  itself,  is  :  an  occupation  of  the  mind  which  can  only  proceed 
upon  oonjecturer  and  suppositions,  and  which  has  sometimes  led  to 
atheism. 

4.  Pythagoras  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Friendship,  as  author  of 
Ihe  proverb,  Cor  ne  edito. 

Prodicus  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Seeming  Wise,  as  one  who, 
for  the  purpose  of  ridicule,  is  made  by  Plato  to  deliver  a  speech  con- 
sisting of  distinctions  from  beginning  to  end. 

Cyrus  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Honour  and  Reputation,  as 
one  of  those  Princes  who  were  distinguished  as  Conditores  imperiorum. 

yustinian,  in  the  same  Essay,  as  one  of  those  Second  Founders,  or 
Perpetui  Principes,  who  were  Lawgivers,  and  continued  after  death  to 
govern  by  their  ordina»ces. 

Apollonius oj  Tyana  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Empire,  as  having 
been  asked  by  Vespasian,  What  was  Nero^s  overthrow  ?  and  as  having 
answered,  Nera  could  touch  and  tune  the  harp  well ;  but,  in  govern' 
ment,  sometimes  he  used  to  wind  the  pins  too  high,  sometimes  to  let  them 
dmim  too  loiu.  The  same  Apollonius  is  also  referred  to,  in  the  Essay 
on  Friendship,  as  one  of  those  who  falsely  and  feignedly  sequestered 
tiiemselves  from  society. 

Albert  Durer  is  censured,  in  the  Essay  on  Beauty,  for  aiming  at  geo- 
metrical proportion  in  his  representation  of  the  human  form. 

Cosmo,  Duke  of  Florence,  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Pevenge, 
with  reference  to  '  a  desperate  saying  *  of  his,  that  we  are  enjoined  to 
forgive  our  enemies,  but  nowhere  enjoined  to  forgive  ntr  friends.  He  is 
also  mentioned  in  the  Essay  on  Youth  and  Age,  as  one  who  was  of 
a  reposed  nature  in  youth. 

Louis  XL  is  mentioned,  in  the  Essay  on  Friendship,  as  one  who 
Mould  not  communicate  his  secrets  with  anyone,  and xvkoie  (loseitesi  umji 
his  tormentor. 


232  '   Appendix. 

5.  To  choose  the  right  sort  of  people  to  plant  with,  viz.  gardeners, 
ploughmen,  smiths,  carpenters,  &c.,  with  some  apothecaries,  surgeons, 
cooks,  and  bakers. 

To  supply  a  sufficient  quantity  of  biscuit,  meal,  flour,  &c ,  to  serve 
until  bread  may  be  had  ;  and  also  a  good  store  of  salt,  and  of  such 
animals  for  food  as  are  least  subject  to  diseases,  and  multiply  fastest. 

To  take  immediate  advantage  of  all  kinds  of  v^etable  food  which 
the  country  itself  yields  ready  to  hand. 

To  consider  and  provide  for  such  vegetable  food  as  grows  there 
speedily,  and  within  the  year. 

To  r^;alate  the  consumption  of  food  by  rations. 

To  devote  the  main  part  of  the  ground  to  the  production  ot  a 
common  stock  of  sustenance. 

To  take  advantage  of  such  other  commodities  as  the  country  naturally 
yields,  such  as  wood,  iron,  drugs,  &c.,  to  help  to  defray  the  expense 
of  the  plantation  ;  but  not  give  much  attention  to  mining. 

To  entrust  the  government  of  the  plantation  to  one  person,  assisted 
by  a  few  counsellors,  who  should  be  noblemen  and  gentlemen,  rather 
than  merchants. 

To  impose  r.o  custom  dues  on  traffic  for  a  considerable  time. 

To  add  people  from  time  to  time,  but  not  to  exceed  the  number  that 
can  be  conveniently  maintained. 

To  begin  building  near  the  sea  or  a  river,  but  to  continue  building 
upwards  from  it  rather  than  along  it. 

To  treat  sensibly  and  humanely  the  savage  people  of  the  coimtry  (if 
any). 

6.  i.  Of  Ddays. — It  is  wise  to  time  well  the  beginnings  of  things. 
The  ripeness  or  unripeness  of  the  occasion  should  be  well  considered. 
Danger  when  slighted  sometimes  deceives  men  who  could  have  well 
withstood  it,  if  they  had  not  delayed  beyond  the  proper  time.  It  is 
often  better  to  meet  danger  halfway  than  to  delay  till  it  comes  near;  for 
with  delay  we  may  become  less  capable  of  prevailing.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  unsafe  to  imagine  danger  nearer  than  it  is,  and  to  waste 
one's  means  in  premature  attempts  ito  avert  it ;  or  to  provoke  a  speedier 
approach  of  what  threatens,  by  declaring  opposition  too  soon.  This  is 
the  other  extreme.  When  delay  would  be  salutary,  and  when  it  would 
be  hurtful,  should  be  duly  weighed.  We  should  secretly  watch  for  the 
right  time  to  begin,  and  act  promptly  when  we  have  begun. 

ii.  Of  Intun/ations. — Innovations  are  the  births  of  Time,  and  at  first 
unshapely.  Yet  the  innovation  of  the  man  who  first  brings  honour  to 
his  family  is  generally  better  than  all  after  attempts  of  imitation  to 
make  the  once  novel  virtue  customary  and  familiar.      That  which  is 


Appendix.  ^33 

Ciistomary,  though  it  may  not  be  good,  is  at  least  conformable  wilh 
other  things ;  but  the  introduction  o(  new  things,  however  VLseful,  is 
disturbing,  and  therefore  often  disliked  and  resisted.  But  as  Time, 
the  greatest  innovator,  will  not  stand  still,  there  may  be  as  great  dis- 
turbance in  obstinately  continuing  an  old  custom,  as  in  making  an  in* 
novation.  Men  should  imitate  Time,  which  innovates  quietly  and  by 
scarcely  perceptible  degrees  ;  for  this  Mould  lighten  any  partial  incon- 
venience that  innovation  might  cause.  Experiments  in  States  should 
not  be  attempted,  except  when  there  is  urgent  necessity  or  manifest 
utility.  And  whatever  innovation  may  be  adopted,  it  should  be  sus- 
pected, until  sufficiently  tried. 

iii.  Of  Regimen  of  Health. — The  best  guide  to  preservation  of 
health  is  a  man's  own  observation  of  what  suits  him.  Things,  how- 
ever, that  appear  to  do  no  harm  in  the  vigorous  season  of  youth,  may 
sow  noxious  seeds  that  will  produce  evil  fruit  in  age.  Do  not  suddenly 
alter  any  main  part  of  diet,  without  some  conformable  change  in  other 
things.  If  any  custom  in  regard  to  diet,  sleep,  clothing,  &c.,  be  thought 
injurious,  leave  it  off  not  abruptly,  but  gradually,  lest  the  change  be 
found  improper  for  your  own  particular  constitution.  Cheerfulness 
when  taking  food,  or  sleep,  or  exercise,  conduces  much  to  long  life. 
Avoid  the  indulgence  of  evil  and  inordinate  passions.  Cultivate  studies 
that  fill  the  mind  with  splendid  and  illustrious  objects.  In  health  use 
physic  now  and  then,  not  frequently,  that  in  sickness  it  may  be  found 
neither  too  strange  for  the  body,  nor  too  familiar.  Regulation  of  diet 
according  to  seasons  is  better  than  physic ;  and  if  proper  exercise  be 
taken  in  health,  diet  without  physic  may  often  be  sufficient  even  in 
sickness.  Celsus  showed  great  sagacity  in  prescribing  an  interchange  of 
contraries,  such  as  fasting  and  full  eating,  but  the  less  agreeable  in  less 
proportion,  that  nature  might  be  cherished,  and  yet  trained  to  self- 
control. 

7.  '  The  causes  and  motives  of  seditions  are  :  innovations  in  religion, 
taxes  ;  .  .  .  [continue  the  paragraph  in  the  1 5th  Essay]. 

8.  Bacon's  advice  for  the  younj;  traveller  is  :  To  acquire  some  know- 
ledge of  the  language  of  the  country  to  be  visited  ;  to  have  the  company 
of  some  tutor  or  grave  servant  who  has  been  there  before;  to  be  provided 
with  a  book  describing  the  country  ;  and  to  keep  a  diary.  To  attend 
royal,  legal,  and  ecclesiastical  courts  at  some  of  their  times  of  basiness; 
to  visit  churches,  monasteries,  colleges,  arsenals,  fortifications,  harbours, 
and  whatever  deserves  observation  or  inquiry.  Not  to  stay  too  longin  one 
town,  or  in  any  one  part  of  a  town ;  to  associate  with  good  people  of  the 
place,  not  with  his  countrymen  who  may  be  there ;  and  to  shun  the 
company  of  quarrelsome  persons.     To  obiain  letters  of  introduction  t» 


234  Appendix, 

men  of  distinction  and  authority  ;  and  to  seek  the  acquaintance  of 
secretaries  and  attaches  of  ambassadors.  Upon  returning  home,  he 
is  to  maintain  correspondence  with  the  best  of  his  foreign  acquaintances  ; 
and  to  show  the  fruits  of  his  travel  by  sensible  and  modest  relation, 
without  affecting  foreign  dress  and  manners. 

9.  Tell  a  lie  and  find  a  troth,  is  a  Spanish  proverb  referred  to  in  the 
Essay  on  Simulation  and  Dissimulation,  as  implying  that  to  simulate 
is  the  most  effectual  means  of  drawing  out  men  and  making  them 
reveal  themselves. 

Abeunt  studia  in  mores,  is  a  quotation  from  Ovid,  signifying  that 
particular  studies  induce  particular  habits  of  mind.  It  occurs  in  the 
Essay  on  Sttcdiis,  where  histories  are  said  to  make  wise,  the  poets  to 
make  witty,  mathematics  to  make  subtle,  &c. 

Fortune  is  like  the  market,  is  the  beginning  of  the  Essay  on  Delays. 
The  comparison  means,  that  if  we  wait  or  delay  a  little,  chance  will 
sometimes  bring  about  a  fall  of  prices,  or  a  better  opportunity,  and  at 
other  times  a  rise  of  prices,  or  a  worse  opportunity. 

Tlie  blessing  of  yudah  and  Issachar  will  never  meet,  is  an  assertion 
in  the  Essay  on  Greatness  of  Kingdoms  and  Estates^  the  literal  sense 
being  that  a  people  cannot,  at  the  same  time,  be  as  the  lion's  whelp 
and  as  tlie  ass  between  burdens.  Bacon  applies  it  to  signify  that  a 
people  oppressed  with  taxes  will  never  be  valiant  and  martial. 

IVhen  hempe  is  spun,  England'' s  done,  is  described  by  Bacon  in  the 
Essay  on  Prophecies,  as  a  trivial  prophecy  which  he  heard  when  he  was 
a  child,  and  which  was  then  generally  conceived  to  import  that 
England  sliould  come  to  ruin  after  the  reigns  of  Henry,  Edward,  Mary 
and  Philip,  and  Elizabeth,  as  the  initials  of  their  names  foi-m  the  word 
Hhmpe.  He  thanked  God,  however,  that  the  prediction  Englands 
done  was  verified  only  in  the  change  of  the  style  King  of  England  to 
King  of  Britain. 

10.  He  makes  out  this  by  characterising  the  having  no  opinion  of 
God  at  all  as  unbelief,  and  the  having  an  opinion  unworthy  of  Him  as 
tontumely.     (Essay  on  Superstition.) 

11.  He  says  that  the  conduct  of  Maliomet  is  paralleled  by  those  bold 
fellows  who,  when  they  have  promised  great  things,  and  shamefully 
failed,  make  light  of  the  matter,  and  turn  it  off  with  some  impudent 
shift.     {¥^?&!i.y  on  Boldness.) 


rm.vTKD  BY 

SrOTTISWOODE    AND    CO.,    XEW-STBKET   BQUAUB 
LONDON 


-ML 


A    001  046994"