FRANCIS BACON SAID (SEVENTH PART)

 

 

                             FRANCIS BACON SAID

                                 (SEVENTH PART)

1.    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.

 

2.     Riches are for spending, and spending for honour and good actions. Therefore extraordinary expense must be limited 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 expenses ought to be limited by a man’d 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.

 

3       . It never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be.

 

4.      No body can be healthful without exercise, neither natural body nor polit; and certainly to a kingdom or estate, a just and honourable war in the true exercise.

 

5.    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 health; for in a slothful peace, both courages will effeminate and manners corrupt.

 

6.    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 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 of it. For it is a secret both in nature and state, that it is safer to change many things than one.

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G.R.Kanwal

31 October 2026

                           

FRANCIS BACON SAID (PART SIX)

 

                                FRANCIS BACON SAID

                                                (PART SIX)

1.     Princes many times make themselves desires, and set their hearts upon toys; sometimes upon a building; sometimes upon erecting an order; sometimes upon the advancing of a person; sometimes upon obtaining excellency in some art or feat of the hand.

2.     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.

3.     Princes are like to heavenly bodies, which cause good or evil times; and which have much veneration, but no rest. All precepts concerning kings are in effect comprehended in those two remembrances : Remember that you are a man, and Remember that you are a God, or God’s vice-regent: the one bridleth their power, and the other their will.

4.     The chief virtue of a ruler is to know his subjects.

5.     Fortune is like the market ; where many time, if you can stay a little, the price will fall.

6.     An ant is a wise creature for itself, but it is a shrewd 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 thyself, as thou be not false to others, especially to thy king and country.

7.     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 in the wisdom of crocodiles, that shed tears when they would devour. But that which is specially to be noted is, that those which are many times unfortunate.  And whereas they have all their time sacrificed to themselves, they become in the  end themselves sacrifices to the inconstancy of fortune; whose wings they thought by their self-wisdom to have pinioned.   

8.     It hath been an opinion that the French are wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem wiser than they are. But however 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 power thereof; so certainly there are in point of wisdom and sufficiency, that do nothing or little very solemnly.

9.     Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.

10.                         A principal fruit of friendship is the ease and discharge of the fullness and swellings of the heart, which passions of all kinds do cause and induce.

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G. R. Kanwal

30 October 2026

 

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID (PART FIVE)

 

 FRANCIS BACON SAID

                             (PART FIVE)

1.    The scripture saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; so as he rather saith it by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it. For none deny there is 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.

2.    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.

3.     Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, though religion were not ; but superstition dismounts all these, and erecteth an absolute monarchy in the minds of men.

4.    Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. He that travelleth into a country before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school, and not to travel.

5.    The things to be seen and observed are, the courts of princes, especially when they  give audience to ambassadors; the courts of justice, while they sit and hear causes; and so of consistories ecclesiastic; the churches and monasteries, with the monuments which are therein extant; and the walls of fortifications of cities and towns, and so the havens and harbours; antiquities and ruins; libraries; colleges, disputations, and lectures, where they are; shipping and navies; houses and gardens of state and pleasure, near great cities; armories; arsenals; magazines; exchanges; burses; warehouses; exercises of horsemanship, fencing, training of soldiers, and the like; comedies, and whereunto the better sorts of persons do resort; treasuries of jewels and robes; cabinets and rarities; and, to conclude, whatsoever is memorable in the places where they go.

6.    When a traveller returneth 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 foreign parts; but only prick in some flowers of that he hath learned abroad into the customs of his own country.

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G.R. Kanwal

29 October 2026

FRANCIS BACON SAID (PART FOUR)

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID

                                            (PART FOUR)

1.     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.

2.     If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent 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 them balm.

3.     Common benefits are to be communicate 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 follow me: But 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.

4.       A great and potent nobility addeth majesty  to a monarch, but diminisheth power; and putteth life  and spirit into the people, and presseth their fortune.

5.     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.

6.     There is a limit to suffering, but not to fear.

7.      The cord breaketh at the last by the weakest pull.

8.     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 grow desperate; and whoever, in offending people, joineth and knitteth them in a common cause. The first remedy or prevention is to remove by all means possible that material cause of sedition, which is, want of poverty in the estate.

9.     Above all things, good policy is to be used that the treasure and monies in a state be not gathered into few hands. For otherwise a state may have a great stock, and yet starve.     

10.            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.

                                                                 

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G.R. Kanwal

28 Occtober 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID (PART THREE)

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID

                       (PART THREE)

1.     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.

2.     Here 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 sometimes in friars.

3.     Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth and enbaseth it.

4.     Men in great place are thrice servants: servants of the sovereign or state; servants of fame; and servants of business. So as they have no freedom; neither in their persons, nor in their actions, nor in their times.

5.     It is a strange desire, to seek power and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others and to lose power over a man’s self.

6.     When you are no longer what you have been, there is no reason for wishing to live.

7.     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.

8.     Death falls heavy upon him who dies too well known to others, but unknown to himself.

9.     If you have colleagues, respect them, and rather call them when they look to be called.

10.                         Be not too sensible or too remembering of thy place in conversation and private answers to suitors; but let it rather be said, when he sits in place he is another man.

11.                         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 execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others.

12.                        In counsel it is good to see dangers; and in execution not to see them, except they be very great.

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G. R. Kanwal

27 October 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID (Part Two)

 

                FRANCIS BACON SAID

                                      (Part Two)

1.     Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the more man’s nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over he is superior.

2.     You shall read that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends.

3.     Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.

4.     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.

5.     Children sweeten labours; but they make misfortunes more bitter.

6.     The perpetuity by generation is common to beasts; but memory, merit. and noble works, are proper to men.   

7.     Unmarried friends 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.

8.     A single life doth well with churchmen; for charity will hardly water the ground where it must first a pool.

9.     Chaste women are often proud and forward, as presuming upon their merit of their chastity. It is one of the best bonds both of chastity and obedience and obedience in the wife, if she think her husband wise; which she will never do if she find him jealous.

10.                        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 reputed one of the wise men, that made answer to the question when a man should marry ?---A young man not yet, an elder man not at all.

11.                        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 depressing another’s fortune.

12.                         Envy is a gadding passion, and walkeh the strees, and doth not keep home : All inquisitive persons are malevolent.

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G.R.Kanwal

26 October 2026    

 

 

 

 

FRANCIS BACON SAID (PART ONE)

 

          FRANCIS BACON SAID

                                      (PART ONE)

            Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James 1.

           

            He was born on 22 January 1561 and died on 9 April 1626.

           

            Besides being an eminent jurist, he had a keen interest in scientific thinking which he popularized  among the intellectuals and  common people throughout his life.

           

            As a literary figure, he is known as the first essayist in English literature. He published the first edition of his essays in 1597, the second enlarged edition in 1612, and the final completed edition in 1625. The total number of  his published essays is fifty eight.

 

            Bacon’s essays are “celebrated for their intellectual weight, worldly wisdom, and distinct literary style.” As such, a good number of their contents   are quoted again and again.

 

            Here are some examples;

 

*Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that sheweth best by day ;  but it will not rise to the price of a diamond or carbuncle, that sheweth in varied lights. A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure.

 

*Quoting Montaigne, French writer (1533-1592) Bacon says:  If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth, is as much to say that he is brave towards God and a coward towards men. For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man.

 

*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. The accompaniments of death frighten more than death itself.

 

*Revenge triumphs over death; Love slights it; honour aspireth to it ; grief  flieth to it ; fear pre-occupateth it.

 

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

 

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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G. R. Kanwal

25 October 2026