7. 'ejaculation'-something thrown out.

8. 'curious'-inquisitive; minutely careful; precise about details. So in the next paragraph, curiosities' are things to be looked into and examined minutely.

9. to come at even hand'-to be even with him.

10. 'busy'-prying; meddlesome. The same meaning is contained in the compound 'busy-body.'

II. 'ado'-trouble; labour; fuss. Used as a substantive, but really another form of the verb to do.

12. 'play-pleasure'-theatrical pleasure; pleasures one finds in gazing at a theatrical performance.

13.

'There is no meddlesome man who is not also malevolent.'

The

quotation is from Plautus, a Roman comic poet, B.C. 255 to 184.

14. deceit '-deception (just as he uses conceit for conception). 15. bastards'-i.e. literally base-born persons. An apt example of an envious bastard is Edmund in King Lear; of a bastard of very brave and heroical nature,' Richard Faulconbridge in King John. 16. in that'-in order that. 'Affecting '-making affectation or pretence of.

17. 'Narses'-a eunuch in the service of the Emperor Justinian at Constantinople, who rose to high dignities and performed some famous military exploits; he vanquished the Goths, conquered Rome, and rescued Italy from the Ostrogoths; died A.D. 568.

'Agesilaus-king of Sparta, B. C. 398 to 361.

'Tamerlane,' more properly called Timur or Timur-Beg, was a famous Mogul Sultan (A.D. 1336 to 1405). He successfully invaded Persia, Turkestan, Southern Russia, India (making a triumphal entry into Delhi), and died while on a similar expedition against China.

18. fallen out'—become unfriendly; on bad terms with. 19. 'levity'-fickleness; changeableness; want of perseverance. 20. 'Adrian,' or Hadrian, Roman emperor, A.D. 117 to 138. He

21.

favoured literature and the arts, and carried out many great architectural works. It is said that because the architect Apollodorus spoke ill of one of his plans for a temple, he banished him, and eventually had him put to death. 'vein'-natural ability.

22. incurreth . . . more into the note '-comes more prominently forward into our notice. The verb incur (analogous to recur, occur, concur) now generally means to run against or run into, but here it means to run forth; to obtrude itself. 23. nobody to look on.' He means that Cain's envy was the more contemptible and inexcusable, because, when his brother Abel was preferred to him, he was not subjected to any public disgrace, for no one knew of it but themselves.

24. 'for.' It can hardly be said that Bacon here gives a good reason for the statement he has made, and indeed many of the general propositions advanced in this essay are unwarrantable as such, though doubtless in making them he had always in view some particular exemplifications from which he made a rough and hasty generalisation. Thus in the preceding paragraph, when he speaks of the envy of 'near kinsfolk,' he must be referring to personal experience, perhaps to

26.

himself and his cousin Cecil.

The only sense in which Bacon's statement here can be received as generally true is, that from unworthy persons we expect little, and from those whom we approve of we expect too much in their advancement, and thus in both cases are often deceived.

So in Milton (Paradise

25. 'per saltum'—by a jump, i.e. all at once. travels'-labours. French travail. Lost):

27. 28.

'What think'st thou of our empire now, though earn'd
With travel difficult?'

quanta patimur'—what great things we suffer.

call unto themselves'-do voluntarily and unnecessarily ; make for themselves.

29. ' of purpose '-purposely; intentionally.

30. crossed'-thwarted; disappointed.

31. do not much concern them '—are not regarded as of much

consequence.

32. 'carriage'-bearing; manner of carrying; behaviour and demeanour under.

33. 'that'-the latter.

34. 'disavow Fortune'-tries to conceal or disown the fact that Fortune has been undeservedly favourable to him.

35.

' remove the lot'-i.e., as we sometimes say, change the luck. In
witchcraft the omen or lot which foretold impending mischief
was regarded also as the cause of it, and to avert the mischief
(which was considered inevitable) it was necessary not to
destroy the omen but to get rid of it, i.e. transfer it to some
one else.
Thus some people foolishly believe that what is
called a crowing hen is a sure sign of a death, which also
cannot be avoided by killing the hen but only by transferring
it and its accompanying ill-omen to the possession of some
one else.

36. 'derive'-to turn aside; to drain off from (Latin de and rivus). 37. undertaking '-venturesome; willing to incur risk.

It is the cowish terror of his spirit

That dares not undertake'-King Lear.

38. 'ostracism'-an institution among the Athenians designed to afford a means for quietly removing from the State, with

out special accusation, any obnoxious person or powerful party-leader whose presence was considered dangerous. If in any case the senate determined that ostracism was necessary, a day was fixed for the voting, and each citizen wrote on a piece of tile or an oyster-shell (8σтpaкov) the name of the person whom he wished to banish; and if six thousand votes were recorded against any one man, he had to withdraw from the city within ten days, and to remain in exile ten (afterwards five) years. Ostracism was instituted by

Clisthenes about B. C. 510.

39. This Envy'-i.e. public envy.

40. intermingling of plausible actions'-carefulness to mix up with those actions that are likely to cause envy, others which will be applauded.

41.

42.

which'-i.e. the fear (hurteth, etc.).

'estates'-noblemen; persons of high rank. 'Herod made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee' -Mark vi, 21.

43. 'importune '-importunate; never at rest. 44. Envy keeps no holidays.'

45. Matt. xiii, 25.

I. Envy is

.ANALYSIS OF ESSAY IX.

I. A bewitching affection, like love.
2. Most injurious in time of prosperity.

II. Persons apt to be envious:

1. Those without virtue.

2. Busy and inquisitive men.

3. Men of noble birth towards rising men.

4. Those under irreparable disadvantage (deformed persons,

eunuchs, bastards).

5. Men who rise after misfortune.

6. Those desiring to excel in many matters.
7. Kinsfolks and fellows in office.

III. Persons apt to be envied:

I. Those of eminent virtue when advanced.

2. Those of noble blood when they rise.

4. Those who have earned advancement.

3. Those advanced by degrees.

Less.

5. Those who are insolent and proud in success.
Remark-The cure of envy is 'to remove the lot.'

IV. Public envy

1. Has some good in it, like ostracism.

More.

2. It is foolish to try to avoid it by intermingling plausible

actions,

3. It fastens upon officers and ministers rather than upon kings and estates.

Remark-Envy is incessant, wasting, and subtle.

X. OF LOVE. (1612, re-written 1625.)

THE stage is more beholding1 to Love than the life of man; for as to the stage, Love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in life it doth much mischief, sometimes like a Siren,2 sometimes like a Fury. You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent), there is not one that hath been transported to the mad degree of Love; which shows that great spirits and great business do keep out this weak passion. You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the Decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man and therefore it seems (though rarely) that Love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept.

4

It is a poor saying of Epicurus, 'Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus;'5 as if man, made for the contemplation of Heaven and all noble objects, should do nothing but kneel before a little idol, and make himself subject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye, which was given him for higher purposes.

It is a strange thing to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves the nature and value of things by this, that the speaking in a perpetual hyperbole is comely in nothing but in Love; neither is it merely in the phrase, for whereas it hath been well said, 'That the arch flatterer, with whom all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man's self;' certainly the lover is more; for there was never proud man thought so absurdly well

of himself as the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, 'That it is impossible to love and to be wise.'9 Neither doth this weakness appear to others only, and not to the party loved, but to the loved most of all, except the Love be reciproque ;10 for it is a true rule, that Love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt; by how much the more men ought to beware of this passion, which loseth not only other things, but itself.

As for the other losses, the poet's relation11 doth well figure them: That he that preferred Helena, quitted the gifts of Juno and Pallas;'12 for whosoever esteemeth too much of amorous Affection, quitteth both Riches and Wisdom.

This passion hath his floods 13 in the very times of weakness, which are, great prosperity and great adversity, though this latter hath been less observed; both which times kindle Love, and make it more fervent, and therefore show it to be the child of Folly.

They do best who, if they cannot but admit Love, yet make it keep quarter,14 and sever it wholly from their serious affairs and actions of life; for if it check 15 once with business, it troubleth men's fortunes, and maketh men that they can no ways 16 be true to their own ends.

I know not how, but martial men are given to Love: I think it is, but as they are given 17 to wine, for perils commonly ask to be paid in pleasures.

There is in man's nature a secret inclination and motion towards Love of others, which, if it be not spent upon some one or a few, doth naturally spread itself towards many, and maketh men become humane and charitable, as it is seen sometimes in friars.

Nuptial Love maketh mankind, friendly Love perfecteth it, but wanton Love corrupteth and embaseth it.

NOTES ON ESSAY X.

I. ‘beholding’—more properly 'beholden,' i.e. under obligation, indebted, held bound by gratitude. So also in Essay LIV: