The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

ESSAYS CIVIL AND MORAL. 33
XXVI. OF SEEMING WISE. solitude, is either a wild beast or a god:" for it is
most true, that a natural and secret hatred and
IT hath been an opinion, that the French are aversation towards society, in ay man, hath
aversation towards society, in any man, hath
wiser than they seem, and the Spaniards seem
wiser than they ar seem, and the Spaniards seem somewhat of the savage beast; but it is most unwiser than they are; but howsoever it be between true, that it should have any character at all of
true, that it should have any character at all of
nations, certainly it is so between man and man; the divine nature, except it proceed, not out of a
for as the apostle saith of godliness, ", Having a pleasure in solitude, but out of a love and desire
show of godliness, but denying the power there- to sequester a man's self for a higher conversaof;" so certainly there are in points of wisdom
and sufficiency tht do tion: such as is found to have been falsely and
and sufciency, that do nothing or little very so- feignedly in some of the heathen; as Epimenides,
lemnly: "magno conatu nugas." It is a ridi- the Candian; Numa, the Roman; Empedocles,
culous thing, and fit for a satire to persons of the Sicilian; and Apollonius of Tyana; and
the Sicilian; and Apollonius of Tyana; and
judsrment, to see what shifts these formalists
judgment, to see what shifts these formalists truly and really in divers of the ancient hermits
have, and what prospectives to make superfices to and holy fathers of the church. But little do
seem body that hath depth and bulk. Some are
so close and reserved, as they will not show their men perceive what solitude is, and how far it exso close and reserved, as they will not show their
wae uyadri, antendeth; for a crowd is not company, and faces
wares but by a dark light, and seem always to are but a gallery of pictures, and talk but a tinkkeep back somewhat; and when they know ling cymbal where there is no love. The Latin
within themselves they speak of that they do not i le
well know, would nevertheless seem to others to adage meeteth with it a little: magna civitas,
magna solitudo;" because in a great town friends
know of that which they may not well speak.
are scattered, so that there is not that fellowship,
Some help themselves with countenance and ges- for the ost part, which is in less neighbour
ture, and are wise by signs; as Cicero saith of hoods: but w arth, and affirm most
Piso, that when he answered him he fetched one
of his brows up to his forehead, and bent the truly, that it is a mere and miserable solitude to
of his brows up to his forehead, and bent the want true friends, without which the world is but
other down to his chin; 16respondes, altero ad.other donto his ca n; "respones, a wilderness; and even in this sense also of solifrontem sublato, altero ad mentum depresso superci. c e ti nn p " S, tude, whosoever in the frame of his nature and
percilio, crudelitatezn tibi non placere." Some affections is unfit for friendship, he taketh it of
think to bear it by speaking a great word, and the beti and not from humanityp
being peremptory; and go on, and take by adA principal fruit of friendship is the ease and
mittance that which they cannot make good.
itance that which they cannot discharge of the fulness and swellings of the
Some, whatsoever is beyond their reach, will seem
heart, which passions of all kinds do cause and
to despise, or make light of it as impertinent or induce. We know diseases of stoppings and
curious: and so would have their ignorance seem suffocations are the most dangerous in the body;
judgment. Some are never without a difference, and it is not much otherwise in the mind; you
and commonly by amusing men with a subtilty,
blanch the matter; of whom A. Gellius saith, may take sarza to open the liver, steel to open the
ahominemh deliru qui vmerborum, minutiis rerum, spleen, flower of sulphur for the lungs, castareum
for the brain; but no receipt openeth the heart but
frangit pondera." Of which kind also Plato, in
a true friend, to whom you may impart griefs,
his Protagoras, bringeth in Prodicus in scorn, and.
maketh him make a speech that consisteth of dis- joys, fears, hopes, suspicions, counsels, and whathim mkbeginningh tthe end Geneo - soever lieth upon the heart to oppress it, in a kind
tinctions from the beginning to the end. Gene- sconfession.
of civil shrift or confession.
rally such men, in all deliberations, find ease to Itis a strange thing to observe how high a rate
be of the negative side, and affect a credit to ob- ins
and foretell difficulties; for when.. great kings and monarchs do set upon this fruit
jeedcutn propositions of friendship whereof we speak: so great, as
are denied, there is an end of them; but if they,
are denied, there is an end of them; but if they they purchase it many times at the hazard of their
be allowed, it requireth a new work; which false
point of wisdom is the bane of business. To own safety and greatness: for princes, in regard
point of wisde isdnom s the ba ne of business. To of the distance of their fortune from that of their
conclude, there is no decaying merchant, or in- subjects and servants, cannot gather this fruit,
ward beggar, h ath so many tricks t o uphold the except (to make themselves capable thereof) they
credit of their wealth, as these empty persons raise some persons to be as it were companions,
have to maintain the credit-of their sufficiency. a
and almost equals to themselves, which many
Seeming wise men may make shift to get.opinion; times sorteth to inconvenience. The modern
but let no man choose them for employment; for languages give unto such persons the name of
certainly, you were better take for business a man favourites, or privadoes, as if it were matter of
somewhat absurd than over-formal. favourites, or privadoes, as if it were matter of
somewhat absurd than over-formal.
grace, or conversation; but the Roman namne
XXVII. OF FRIENDSHIP. attaineth the true use and cause thereof, naming
them ", participes curarum;" for it is that which
IT had been hard for him that spake it to have tieth the knot: and we see plainly that this hath
put more truth and untruth together in few words been done, not by weak and passionate princes
than in that speech, ", Whosoever is delighted in only, but by the wisest and most politic that ever
VOL. I.-5