The Essays of Francis Bacon

BACON, Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, born in 1 56 1, died in 1626, as the first volume in the series of Books that marked Epochs, published in the year 1910 by GEORCE ROUTLEDGE SONS, LIMITED. CONTENTS ESSAYS i Of Truth . . . . . . . . . . I ii OfDeath . . . . . . . . . . S iii Of Unity in Religion . . g iv Of Revenge . . . . 15 v Of Adversity . . . . . . . . . . 17 vi Of Simulation and Dissimulation . . . g vii Parents and Children . . 23 viii Of Marriage and Single Life . . . 25 ix Of Envy . . . . . . . . . . 27 x Of Love . . . . . . . . . . 33 xi Of Great Place . . . . . . . . . 35 xii Of Boldness . . . . . . . . . 39 xiii Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature . . . . . 41 xiv Of Nobility . . . . . . . . . . 45 . xv Of Seditions and Troubles . . . . 47 xvi Of Atheism . . . . . . . . . . 55 xvii Of Superstition . . . . . . . . . . gg xviii Of Travel . . . . 61 xix Of Empire . . . . . . . . . . 6s xx Of Counsel . . . . . . . . . . 71 xxi Of Delays . . . . . . . . . . 77 xxii Of Cunning . . . . . . . . . . 79 xxiii Of Wisdom Tor aMans Self . . . . . 83 xxiv Of Innovations . . . 85 xxv Of Dispatch . . . . . . . . 87 xxvi Of Seeming Wise . . . . . . . xxvii Of Friendship . . . . . . 91 xxviii Of Expense . . . . . . . . . 99 xxix Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates . . 101 xxx Of Regiment of Health . . . . . . . III Y vi CONTENTS xxxi OESuspicion . . . . . . . . xxxii Of Discourse . . . xxxiii Of Plantations xxxiv Of PRliacnhteast io . ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxv Of Prophecies . . . . . . . . xxxvi Of Ambition . . . . . . . . xxxvii Of Masques and Triumphs . . . . . xxxviii Of Nature in Men . . . . . . . xxxix Of Custom and Education . . . . . xl Of Fortune . . . .. . . . xli Of Usury . . . . . . . . . xlii Of Youth and Age . . . . . . . xliii Of Beauty . . . . . . . . . x1iv OfDeforrnity . . . . . . xlv Of Building . . . . . . . . xlvi Of Gardens . . . . . . . . xlvii Of Negotiating . . . . . . . . xlviii Of Followers and Friends . . . . . . xlix Of Suitors . . . . . . . . . 1 Of Studies . . . . . . . . . li Of Faction . . . . . . . . . lii Of Ceremonies and Respects . . . . . liii Of Praise . . . . . . . . . liv Of Vain-glory . . . . . . . . lv Of Honour and Reputation . . . . . lvi Of Judicature . . . . . . . . Ivii Of Anger . . . . . . . . . 1 K Of Vicissitude of Things . . . . . . PAGE . i13 . i15 . i17 . 121, 125 . 1 29 133 . 735 137 . 39 . 141 145 . 149 . 151 153 . 5 9 . 167 . 169 . 171 . 73 175 177 . 79 . 181 . 183 . 155 . 1gr . 195 A Fragment of an Essay on Fame . . . . . . . aor The Praise of Kno- edge . . . . . . . . 20 3 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 -- PREFACE -- THIS little edition of Bacons most famous work consists of the text as edited in the standard edition of his Works by Messrs Ellis and Spedding, together with a Glossary of the More Difficult Words and Phrases and of Peculiar and Obsolete Uses of Words, which is intended to render the reading of the Essays perfectly easy to the modern reader. The text has been printed verbatim, with the exception of a few modernizations of spelling e. g. lose for leese and some changes of punctuation which it is hoped will render the meaning of certain passages at once clear. Here and there a note has been added by the present editor these are indicated by square brackets. INTRODUCTION THE best literature is for all time, and its value does not depend on anything other than itself.Ve know nothing of Homer, or the other poets who worked on the Iliad and the Odyssey, and very little of Shakespeare our ignorance has no effect on the value of their works. In other cases, however, to know the man is to understand his works better...