passeth ouer many excesses, which are owing a man till his age. ¶Discerne of the comming on of yeares, and thinke not to doe the same things still. ¶ Beware of ¶ Beware of any suddain change in any great point of diet, and if necessitie inforce it, fit the rest to it. To be free minded and chearefully disposed at howers of meate, and of sleepe, and of exercise, is the best precept of long lasting. ¶ If you flie Physicke in health altogether, it will be too strange to your body when you shall need it, if you make it too familiar, it will worke no extraordinarie effect when sicknesse commeth. ¶ Despise no new accident in the body, but aske opinion of it. ¶ In sicknesse respect health principally, and in health action. For those that put their bodies to indure in health, may in most sickenesses which are not very sharpe, be cured onelye with diet and tendring.

¶ Physitians are some of them so pleasing and conformable to the humours of the patient, as they presse not the true cure of the disease; and some other are so regular in proceeding according to Arte for the disease, as they respect not sufficiently the condition of the patient. Take one of a middle temper, or if it may not bee found in one man, compound two of both sorts, and forget not to cal as wel the best aquainted with your body, as the best reputed of for his facultie.

OF HONOUR AND REPUTATION.

THE winning of Honour is but the reuealing of a mans vertue and worth without disadvantage, for some in their actions doe affect Honour and reputation, which sort of men are commonly much talked of, but inwardly little admired: and some darken their vertue in the shew of it, so as they be vnder-valewed in opinion. If a man performe that which hath not beene attempted before, or attempted and giuen ouer, or hath been atchieued, but not with so good circumstance, he shall purchase more Honour, then by effecting a matter of greater difficulty or vertue, wherein he is but a follower. ¶ If a man so temper his actions as in some one of them hee doe content euerie faction or combination of people, the Musicke will be the fuller. A man is an ill husband of his Honour that entereth into any

action, the failing wherein may disgrace him more then the carrying of it through can Honour him. ¶ Discreete followers helpe much to reputation. Enuie which is the canker of Honour, is best extinguished by declaring a mans selfe in his ends, rather to seeke merite then fame, and by attributing a mans successes rather to diuine prouidence and felicitie then to his vertue or pollicie.

The true Marshalling of the degrees of Soueraigne honour are these. In the first place are Conditores, founders of states. In the second place are Legislatores Law-giuers, which are also called second founders, or Perpetui principes, because they gouerne by their ordinances after they are gone. In the third place are Liberatores, such as compound the long miseries of ciuill warres, or deliver their countries from servitude of strangers or tyrants. In the fourth place are Propagatores or Propugnatores imperii, such as in honourable warres enlarge their territories, or make noble defence against Inuaders. And in the last place are Patres patriæ, which raigne justly and make the times good wherein they liue. Degrees of honour in subiects are first Participes curarum, those upon whome Princes doe discharge the greatest waight of their affaires, their Right handes (as we call them.) The next are Duces belli, great leaders, such as are Princes, Lieutenants, and do them notable services in the wars. The third are Gratiosi, fauorites, such as exceede not this scantling to bee sollace to the Soueraigne, and harmelesse to the people. And the fourth Negotiis pares, such as have great place vnder Princes, and execute their places with sufficiencie.

OF FACTION.

MANIE have a newe wisedome, indeed, a fond opinion; That for a Prince to gouerne his estate, or for a great person to governe his proceedings according to the respects of Factions, is the principal part of pollicie. Whereas contrariwise, the chiefest wisedome is either in ordering those things which are generall, and wherein men of severall Factions doe neuerthelesse agree, or in dealing with correspondence to particular persons one by one. But I say not that the consideration of Factions is to be neglected.

¶ Meane men must adheare, but great men that haue strength in themselues were better to maintaine themselues indifferent and neutrall; yet euen in beginners to adheare so moderatly, as he be a man of the one Faction, which is passablest with the other, commonly giveth best way. The lower and weaker Faction is the firmer in conjunction. When one of the Factions is extinguished, the remaining subdiuideth which is good for a second Faction. It is commonly seene that men once placed, take in with the contrarie faction to that by which they enter. ¶ The traitor in Factions lightly goeth away with it, for when matters have stucke long in ballancing, the winning of some one man casteth them, and hee getteth al the thankes.

OF NEGOCIATING.

It is generally better to deale by speech then by letter, and by the mediation of a thirde then by a mans selfe. Letters are good when a man woulde drawe an answere by letter backe againe, or when it may serue for a mans iustification afterwards to produce his owne letter. To deale in person is good when a mans face breedes regard, as commonly with inferiours. ¶ In choyce of instruments it is better to choose men of a plainer sorte that are like to doe that that is committed to them; and to reporte backe againe faithfully the successe, then those that are cunning to contriue out of other mens businesse somewhat to grace themselues, and will helpe the matter in reporte for satisfactions sake.

¶ It is better to sound a person with whome one deales a farre off, then to fal vppon the pointe at first, except you meane to surprise him by some shorte question. It is better dealing with men in appetite then those which are where they would be. ¶ If a man deale with another vppon conditions, the starte or first performance is all, which a man can not reasonably demaunde, except either the nature of the thing be such which must goe before, or else a man can perswade the other partie that he shall still neede him in some other thing, or else that he bee counted the honester man. ¶ All practise is to discouer or to worke: men discouer themselues in trust, in passion, at vnwares and of necessitie, when they would haue somewhat

donne, and cannot finde an apt precept.' If you would worke any man, you must either know his nature and fashions and so leade him, or his ends, and so winne him, or his weaknesses or disaduantages, and so awe him, or those that haue interest in him and so gouerne him. ¶ In dealing with cunning persons we must euer consider their endes to interpret their speeches, and it is good to say little to them, and that which they least looke for.

FINIS.

1 So in the original: the second time the same mistake occurs. It should, of course, be pretext.

EDITION OF 1612.

It is a fact very creditable to the reading public of those days, that a volume which offers no entertainment except solid observation, packed as close as possible and stripped of all ornament, was thrice reprinted within nine years after its first appearance, viz. in 1598, in 1604, and in 1606. It is doubtful however whether Bacon himself had anything to do with any of these editions; which are said to have been merely reprints, without addition or alteration, except some changes in the spelling, and the substitution of an English translation of the Meditationes sacræ for the original Latin.

The earliest evidence of additions and alterations which I have met with, is contained in a volume preserved among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum, No. 5106.; a volume undoubtedly authentic; for it contains interlineations in Bacon's own hand; and transcribed some time between 1607, when Bacon became Solicitor-general, and 1612, when he brought out a new edition of the Essays with further additions and alterations. It is unluckily not quite perfect; one leaf at least, if not more, having been lost at the beginning; though otherwise in excellent preservation.

The titlepage, which remains, bears the following inscription, very handsomely written in the old English character, with flourished capitals: The writings of Sr Francis Bacon Knt. the Kinge's Sollicitor Generall: in Moralitie, Policie, and Historie. It contains nothing but Essays; which stand in the following order:

1. Of Friendship (the begin

ning wanting).

2. Of Wisdom for a Man's Self. 3. Of Nobility.

4. Of Goodness and Goodness

of Nature.

5. Of Beauty.

6. Of Seeming Wise.

7. Of Regiment of Health.

8. Of Expences.

9. Of Ambition.

10. Of Ceremonies and Respects. 11. Of Studies.

12. Of Discourse.