Alexander

ESSAY II.

DEATH.

A part of this Essay is borrowed from Seneca's Letters to Lucilius, B. IV, Ep. 24 and 82.

[2]

MEN fear death as children fear to go into the [1] dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin and passage to another world, is holy and religious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature, is weak. Yet in [3] religious meditations there is sometimes mixture of vanity and superstition. You shall read in some [4]

[1.] The balance of the first member of this sentence would be more perfectly secured by a slight change: 'Men fear death as children fear darkness.' With tales: In the Latin, 'fabulosis quibusdam terriculamentis,' i. e. 'by some fabulous scenes of terror' (or terrific stories). Does Bacon use the right preposition?

[2.] Certainly: It would be an improvement to say: 'It is true that the contemplation, &c.'

6, 23.

Wages of sin: Rom.

Holy and religious: In the Latin, 'pia est et

salubris'' is holy and salutary.'

Due to nature: Para

[4.] Books of mortification: What were these?

When

many times, &c.: Substitute an equivalent for when, and a better word. What objection to the use of when in this connexion? Limb Is the semi-colon, that follows, the proper point? Quickest of sense: Substitute a clearer and better form of expression.

And by: Would it not be better here to begin

friars' books of mortification, that a man should think with himself what the pain is, if he have but his finger's end pressed, or tortured, and thereby imagine what the pains of death are when the whole body is corrupted and dissolved; when many times death passeth with less pain than the torture of a limb; for the most vital parts are not the quickest of sense; and by him that spake only as a philosopher and natural man, it was well said, 66 Pompa mortis magis terret, quam mors [5] ipsa." Groans, and convulsions, and a discoloured face, and friends weeping, and blacks and obsequies, [6] and the like, show death terrible. It is worthy

a new sentence, or to substitute another connective in place of and? Pompa, &c. i. e. 'the pomp of death (or the array of the death-bed), terrifies more than death itself.' This is Seneca's remark. Natural man: a man of ordinary feel

ings-of such feelings as are common to mankind.

[5.] Blacks: It is supposed that there is an allusion to a custom, prevalent in Bacon's time, of hanging the room in black where the corpse lay; or the word may mean black dresses. "That was the full time they used to wear blacks for the death of their fathers."-North. Obsequies: funeral observances. Formerly the word was used also in the singular, obsequy.

"Him I'll solemnly attend

With silent obsequy and funeral train."-Milton.

[6.] Worthy the observing: Improve the form of expression. But it makes, &c.: Give an equivalent expression.

opposes itself to as equal, competes with.

"I, i' th' way of loyalty and truth

Dare mate a sounder man than Surrey can be."-Shakespeare.

Mates:

Of him: An instance of ambiguity. Change the sentence so as to remove ambiguity. What attendants are referred to?

Of all the instances (says Whately) that can be given of recklessness of life, there is none that comes near that of the workmen employed in what is called dry-pointing-the grind

the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man so weak, but it mates and masters the fear of death; and therefore death is no such terrible enemy when a man hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him. Revenge triumphs over [7]

ing of needles and of table-forks. The fine steel dust which they breathe brings on a painful disease of which they are almost sure to die before forty. And yet not only are men tempted by high wages to engage in this employment, but they resist to the utmost all the contrivances devised for diminishing the danger; through fear that this would cause more workmen to offer themselves, and thus lower wages.

[7.] Fear preoccupieth: in some copies pre-occupateth, i. e. anticipates. Bacon is enumerating several passions that overpower the fear of death. He cannot, therefore, in this clause mean the fear of death, but the fear of some other apprehended evil which impels one to suicide. We read, &c.: Supply the proper word. Otho the 8th Roman emperor. The circumstances of his death are interesting. Otho had obtained three victories over Vitellius, who had revolted against him; but in a hard-fought battle near Bebriacum on the Po, his forces were completely routed, an event which Tacitus attributes to the absence of Otho who, though not deficient in bravery, had been persuaded, for the security of his person, to retire before the battle to Brixellum. When informed of the result, he declined to contend any longer for the empire, and terminated his life by falling upon his sword, after a reign of about three months. His last moments were those of a philosopher. Amid the lamentations of his soldiers, he expressed a tender concern for their safety, observing that it was better that one man should die than that all should be involved in ruin on account of his obstinacy. Provoked: excited, moved. It formerly meant to move to any exertion or feeling, and not, as now, to anger only. Thus in the Bible version, 'Your zeal hath provoked very many,' i. e. moved them to liberality. 2 Cor. 9, 2. Pity, &c. The Chinese are said to be remarkably reckless concerning death; they seem to place but little value on their own lives. Several illustrations

death; love slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear pre-occupieth it; nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself, pity (which is the tenderest of affections) provoked many to die out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest [8] sort of followers. Nay, Seneca adds, niceness and satiety: "Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mori velle, non tantum fortis, aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus [9] potest." A man would die, though he were neither valiant nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the [10] same thing so oft over and over. It is no less worthy to observe, how little alteration in good spirits the approaches of death make; for they appear to be [11] the same men till the last instant. Augustus

are given in a recent paper (1867) of which the following is one :-"Some years ago an accomplished young lady at Canton, who had been unfortunately married to a coarse and stupid husband, was bewailing her fate to a party of sisters and female cousins, and declared her intention of committing suicide. On this the other young ladies declared that, since such was married life, they would die too; and so the whole bevy of them joined hands together, and, walking into a fish pond, deliberately drowned themselves."

[8.] Niceness and satiety: Add the words necessary to be supplied. Niceness here bears the sense of fastidiousness, and satiety that of excess of gratification. Cogita, &c.: A free

translation is given in the next sentence of the Essay. The literal translation is: 'Reflect how often you do the same things; a man may wish to die, not only because either he is brave or wretched, but even because he is surfeited with life.'

:

[10.] Worthy to observe: Give the modern form of expression. For they a careless use of the pronoun, having nothing in the sentence to refer us to, except spirits or approaches, and to neither of these can it refer. Some words are then to be supplied after make. What are they? Good spirits: anima

tion, cheerfulness, courage.

Cæsar died in a compliment: "Livia, conjugii nostri memor, vive et vale." Tiberius in dissimulation, [12]

[11.] In a compliment: Supply the ellipsis. Livia, &c.: i. e. 'Livia, mindful of our wedlock, live on, and fare you well.'-Suetonius.

[12.] Tiberius: the Roman Emperor who succeeded Augustus. Jam Tiberium, &c.: 'Now his powers and bodily vigor abandoned Tiberius, but not his duplicity.' Tacitus, in his Annals, Bk. VI, 50, besides this, adds: "The same austerity still remained, the same energy and vigor of mind. He talked in a decisive tone; he looked with eagerness; and even at times affected an air of gayety. Dissembling to the last, he hoped by false appearances to hide the decay of nature."Murphy's Tacitus. Dissimulation: Bacon has an Essay entitled 'Simulation and Dissimulation.' Whately remarks: "It is a pity that our language has lost the word 'simulation,' so that we are forced to make 'dissimulation' serve for both

senses.

"Id quod abest, simulat, dissimulat quod adest."

That is, ' simulates that which is not; dissimulates that which is.' Vespasian, &c.: The Roman Emperor, having reigned ten years and gained the affections of his subjects, was attacked by a severe illness at Campania, and, believing it would be fatal, he exclaimed in the spirit of Paganism, 'Ut puto Deus fio:' 'I think I am going to be a god,' or 'I am become a Divinity, I suppose.' It has been plausibly suggested that this was said as a reproof to his flatterers, and in spirit is not unlike the rebuke administered by Canute to his retinue. D. Feri, &c. Strike if it be for the benefit of the Roman people. Tacit. His. I, 41. Galba: a Roman Emperor, upon the revolt of Otho, favored by his own soldiers, having heard a false report of Otho's death, rode into the forum in complete armor, attended by a few followers. From the opposite side a party of horse entered, that had been dispatched by Otho to destroy Galba, and rushed towards him, having trampled under foot the crowds of people that then filled the forum. As they came up to Galba, he bent forward his head, and with the greatest fortitude bid the assassins to take it off, if it were for the good of the people. This they instantly performed, and