The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

xxviii LIFE OF BACON.
rall. It is the wisdom of the fox, that thrusts out pretend, and I know it will be impossible for me, by
the badger, who digged and made room for him. any pleading of mine, to reverse the judgmenteither
it is the wisdom of crocodiles, who shed tears when of Asop's cock, that preferred the barleycorn before
they would devour. But that which is specially the gem; or of Midas, that, being chosen judge beto be noted is, that those which, as Cicero says tween Apollo, president of the muses, and Pan,
of Pompey, are sui amantes sine rivali, are mafny god of the flocks, judged for plenty; or of Paris,
times unfortunate. And whereas they have all that judged for beauty and love against wisdom
their time sacrificed to themselves, they become and power. For these things continue as they
in the end themselves sacrifices to the inconstancy have been; but so will that also continue whereof fortune, whose wings theythought by their self- upon learning hath ever relied, and which faileth
wisdom to have pinioned." not.' Justificata est sapientia a filiis suis:',"3
So in the essay upon Adversity, on which he yet he seems to have undervalued this little work,
had deeply reflected, before the edition of 1625, which, for two centuries, has been favourably rewhen it first appeared, he says: 1" The virtue of ceived by every lover of knowledge and of beauty,
prosperity is temperance, the virtue of adversity and is now so well appreciated, that a celebrated
is fortitude, which in morals is the more heroical professor of our own times truly says: " The
virtue. Prosperity is the blessing of the Old small volume to which he has given the title of
Testament, adversity is the blessing of the New,' Essays,' the best known and the most popular
which carrieth the greater benediction, and the of all his works, is one of those where the supeclearer revelation of God's favour. Yet even in riority of his genius appears to the greatest adthe Old Testament, if you listen to David's harp, vantage; the novelty and depth of his reflections
you shall hear as many hearse-like airs as carols; often receiving a strong relief from the triteness
and the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath laboured of the subject. It may be read from beginning
more in describing the afflictions of Job than the to end in a few hours, and yet after the twentieth
felicities of Solomon. Prosperity is not without perusal one seldom fails toremark in it something
many fears and distastes; and adversity is not overlooked before. This, indeed, is a characterwithout comforts and hopes. We see in needle- istic of all Bacon's writings, and is only to be
works and embroideries, it is more pleasing to accounted for by the inexhaustible aliment they
have a lively work upon a sad and solemn ground, furnish to our own thoughts, and the sympathetic
than to have a dark and melancholy work upon a activity they impart to our torpid faculties."4
lightsome ground: judge, therefore, of the plea- During his life, six or more editions, which
sures of the heart by the pleasures of the eye. seem to have been pirated, were published; and,
Certainly virtue is like precious odours, most after his death, two spurious essays " Of Death,"
fragrant when they are incensed, or crushed: for and 1" Of a King," the only authentic posthumous
prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity essay being the fragment of an essay on Fame,
doth best discover virtue." which was published by his friend and chaplain,
The essays were immediately translated into Dr. Rawley.
French and Italian, and into Latin by some of his The sacred meditations, which are twelve in
friends, amongst whom were Hacket, Bishop of number,5 are in the first edition in Latin, and
Litchfield, and his constant, affectionate friend, have been partly incorporated into subsequent
Ben Jonson.1 editions of the Essays, and into the Advancement
His own estimate of the value of this work is of Learning.
thus stated in his letter to the Bishop of Win- The Colours of Good and Evil, are ten in numchester: ", As for my Essays, and some other par- ber, and were afterwards inserted in the Advanceticulars of that nature, I count them but as the re- ment of Learning,6 in his tract on Rhetoric.
creations of my other studies, and in that manner Such was the nature of his first work, which
purpose to continue them; though I am not ig- was gratefully received by his learned contemponorant that these kind of writings would, with raries, as the little cloud seen by the prophet, and
less pains and assiduity, perhaps yield more lus- welcomed as the harbinger of showers that would
tre and reputation to my name than the others I fertilize the whole country.
have in hand."
Although it was not likely that such lustre and 3 See p. 184 4 Dugald Stewart.
reputation would dazzle him, the admirer of Pho- 5 Of the Mirackles of or Saiod an.
Of the Miracles of ofr Saviour.
cion,2 who, when applauded, turned to one of his Of the Innocency of the Dove, and the Wisdom of the
Serpent.
friends, and asked, ", what have I said amiss l" e of the Exaltation of Charity.
although popular judgment was not likely to mis- Of the Moderation of Hopres.
lead him who concludes his observations upon Of Hypocrites.
the objections to learning and the advantages of Of Impostors.
Of the several kinds of Imposture.
knowledge, by saying,' Nevertheless, I do not Of Atheism.
Of Heresies., Tennison. See note (a), p. 226. Of the Church and the Scripture.
a Apothegm 30. 6 See p. 216.