The essays, or councils, civil and moral, of Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban with a table of the colours of good and evil, and a discourse of The wisdom of the ancients : to this edition is added The character of Queen Elizabeth, never before printed in English.

LIX. A Fragment of an Essay of Fame.

THE Poets make Fame a Monster. They describ•• her in part finely and elegantly; and in pa•••• gravely and sententiously. They say, look how ma∣ny Feathers she hath, so many Eyes she hath underneath; so many Tongues; so many Voices; she pricks up so ma∣ny Ears.

This is a flourish: There follow excellent Parables▪ as that she gathereth strength in going; that she goeth upon the ground, and yet hideth her head in the Clouds. That in 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 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a terror to great Cities: But that which passeth all the rest is: they do recount that the Earth, Mother of the Gyants, that made War against Jupiter, and were by him destroyed, thereupon, in anger, brought forth Fame: For certain it is, that Rebels figured by the Gy∣ants and Seditious Fames, and Libels, are but Brothers 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 flie other raven∣ing Fowl, and kill them, it is somewhat worth. But we are infected with the stile of the Poets. To speak now in a sad and serious manner: There is not in all the Politicks, 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 discern∣ed; 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. Mucianus undid Vitellius by a Fame that he scattered; that Vitellius had in pur∣pose to remove the Legions of Syria into Germany: and the Legions of Germany into Syria: whereupon the Legions of Syria were infinitely inflamed. Julius Caesar took Pompey unprovided, and laid asleep his industry and preparations, by a Fame that he cunning∣ly 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 setled all things for the Succes∣s••on of her Son Tiberius, by continual giving out, that her Husband Augustus was upon recovery and amend∣ment. And it is an usual thing with Bashaws, to conceal the Death of the great Turk from the Janiza∣ries and Men of War, to save the Sacking of Constan∣t••••ple, and other Towns, as their manner is. Themi∣s••••cles made Xe••xes King of Persia post apace out of Graecia, by giving out that the Graecians 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 re∣peated; because a Man meeteth with them every where: Therefore, let all wise Governours have as great a watch and care over Fame, as they have of the Actions and designs themselves.

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