The Essays Or Counsels, Civil and Moral, of Francis Bacon
Description:... This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 edition. Excerpt: ... it is solid and reduced; and, lastly, his old age, when it waxeth dry and exhaust. But it is not good to look too long upon these turning wheels of vicissitude, lest we become giddy. As for the philology of them, that is but a circle of tales, and therefore not fit for this writing. A FRAGMENT OF AN ESSAV. OF FAME. The poets make fame a monster. They describe her, in part, finely and elegantly; and, in part, gravely, and sententiously. They say, look how many feathers she hath, so many eyes she hath underneath: so many tongues; so many voices; she pricks up so many ears. This is a flourish: there follow excellent parables; as that she gathereth strength in going; that she goeth upon the ground, and yet hideth her head in the clouds. That, in the daytime, she sitteth in a watch-tower, and flieth most by night; that she mingleth things done with things not done; and that she is a terror to great cities; but that which passeth all the rest is, that they do recount that the Earth, mother of the giants, that made war against Jupiter, and were by him destroyed, thereupon, in an anger, brought forth Fame; for certain it is, that rebels, figured by the giants, and seditious fames, and libels, are but brothers and sisters, masculine and feminine. But now, if a man can tame this monster, and bring her to feed at the hand, and govern her, and with her fly other ravening fowl and kill them, it is somewhat worth. But we are infected with the style of the poets. To speak now in a sad and serious manner, there is not in all the politics a place less handled and more worthy to be handled than this of fame. We will, therefore, speak of these points: what are false fames, and what are true fames, and how they may be best discerned; how fames may be sown...
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