The Essays (original 1597; edition 2012)

by Francis Bacon

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LisaMaria_C's review

I'd been meaning to tackle Bacon's Essays for years; they're listed among the "100 Significant Books" in Good Reading; this edition has been in my household since before I was born, the better to mark up and highlight, since it's hardly pristine. Bacon's essays didn't impress at first. For one, so many of the best lines in the early essays are quotes from classical sources (almost all in Latin, so it's a good thing my edition provided translations within brackets.) But also reading the short provided biography provided lots of reasons for cynicism. Bacon was stripped of high office for bribery, and never had any children, and knowing that made me look upon such essays as "On Truth," "Of Great Place" (where he speaks of avoiding even the suspicion of bribery) and "Of Parents and Children" with a jaundiced eye. That last essay and his take on "Of Marriage and Single Life" and "Of Love" made me feel Bacon's was a cold heart, that only went pitter patter with ambition. (His essay "Of Friendship," one of my favorites in the collection ameliorated that impression a great deal.) At the same time, his life story just underlined that here was a shrewd politician, and that lends all the more interest to essays on power and statesmanship such as "Of Seditions and Troubles," "Of Empire," "Of Counsel" and "On Cunning." Some of his insights certainly still seemed current:

Princes have need, in tender matters and ticklish times, to beware what they say; especially in these short speeches, which fly abroad like darts, and are thought to be hot out of their secret intentions - Of Seditions and Troubles

For their merchants; they are the gate-vein [that distributes nourishment to the body] and if they flourish not, a kingdom may have good limbs, but will have empty veins, and nourish little. Taxes and imposts upon them do seldom good to the king's revenue; for that that he wins in the hundred he loses in the shire; the particular rates being increased, but the total bulk of trading rather decreased. - Of Empire

Besides essays mentioned above, two of my favorites were "Of Travel" (his advice on how to make the most of foreign travel is still relevant) and "Of Studies" with this famous passage:

Read not to contradict, and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: That is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read but not curiously; And some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. - Of Studies

Besides which, just look in any index of a book of quotations. The essays influence on literature, thinking and common phrases is prodigious, making this a must-read. Just make sure you get an edition like mine that translates the Latin phrases and provides some definition of period words in handy footnotes and you're all set. (One that regularizes the capitalizations and spellings are a help as well for enjoyment and comprehension.) They're short--ranging from only a few hundred to a few thousand words--mostly on that short end of that spectrum, and despite the period language I found them, if not easy, then not difficult reads. I certainly found Bacon far more lively and accessible reading than such descendents as Thoreau and Emerson. (

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LisaMaria_C | Jul 24, 2012 |

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Os ensaios se tornaram famosos na época, mas ao menos que se tenha um interesse específico pelo renascimento e o que um intelectual inglês do século XVI teria a dizer sobre a vida em geral (o intelectual como aquele que fala de tudo um pouco), seu próprio livro acaba caindo na categoria mais baixa de sua categorização sobre livros, os conselhos e ponderações entram por um ouvido e saem pelo outro. O estilo não ajuda porque, em que pese a elegância, ela ainda assim serve a um conteúdo sem pregnância. (

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henrique_iwao | Oct 11, 2022 |

These essays by Francis Bacon came across to me, more so, as preliminary sermons than essays. I have no issue with reading puritanical, fundamentalist doctrine but what I struggled with throughout these musings was the lack of any kind of wit or introspection that might allude to a paradox in the writer's ideas. I found the text more didactic than dry, but the range of topics were quite interesting, and so I approached each one with a fresh hope. If there was amusement to be found, for me, it was the two essays on buildings and gardens. With these, Francis begins objectively, only to follow on with what he himself would need in a garden or building, and then moves onto what you should do with his garden or building as if instructing a client, and all this seemed as if he was suddenly swept away by personal whim and fancy. His desire for a, wholly, clean garden also provided some amusement, but I feel there was no tongue to be found in his cheek while writing it. He's so adamant on this point that he makes clear gardens ought to be free of wildlife as much as possible, right down to the moss. His view of an aviary drives this point home when he states that it should contain as much foliage as possible to prevent the birds from leaving their droppings on the ground. To use a phrase from his essay on counsel, I found the whole body of work "grave & orderly". Some essays stood out such as innovations, friendship, revenge, anger, and fortune. The rest were written with such an austere temperament that I found myself mourning the loss of my literary appetite, and wanting watch a comedy on television just to lighten my mood (

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RupertOwen | Nov 28, 2021 |

The insights and observations of the ultimate Renaissance man. (

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wyclif | Sep 22, 2021 |

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LisaMaria_C | Jul 24, 2012 |

These essays were written about 400 years ago, and are often credited as being the first "essays" ever written. Francis Bacon is often credited with starting off the scientific revolution, sometimes credited for writing Shakespeare's plays, and also of being a secret child of Elizabeth I, and he was involved with the Freemasons, and the Rosicrucians too. What isn't in doubt though is that a lot of his philosophy is still poignant today. My copy is second hand, and the previous owner saw fit to underline a good number of lines of particular interest. The thing is, he could have underlined a lot more, the book is full of wit and the serious alike. You probably wouldn't want to read this book from cover to cover in one go, but it is good to dip into. Some of the essays seem a bit outdated, but many of them are not. Bacon's New Atlantis, a short utopian novel, is a bit more interesting, but if you have any interest in literature from around this time, or philosophy, then you could enjoy reading this. (

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P_S_Patrick | Mar 29, 2008 |

At times pretentious, at other times very insightful. (

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stpnwlf | Jul 16, 2007 |

Bacon is brilliant, but not an easy read. (

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Poemblaze | Jan 2, 2007 |

Interesting discussions (approximately 16th century) on a hodgepodge of topics that were of interest to Bacon and relevant to the time. Many of his observations would hold up in present day debates on issues of the day with a philosophical approach. (

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WhatTheDickens |

12/12/21

laplantelibrary | Dec 12, 2021 |

Politics

hpryor | Aug 8, 2021 |

Mom's copy, and her father's before her

ajapt | Dec 30, 2018 |

Ambasador with vets (

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t29 | Feb 12, 2018 |

Català

JAUMEALBETT | Dec 27, 2015 |

Wikipedia: Francis Bacon's essays, published in book form in 1597, 1612, and 1625, were the first works in English that described themselves as essays.

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