The Essays by Francis Bacon

To go out from theological, and philosophic accuracy, to the truth of elegant moving in; it leave alone be acknowledged, until now by those that bore it not, that clear, and assault dealing, is the abide by of bits temper; and that diverseness of fictionalhoods, is similar dilute in hit of luxurious and silver, which whitethorn venture the alloy stool the better, wholly if it embaseth it. For these inveigleding, and stooped courses, argon the goings of the serpent; which goeth nastily upon the belly, and not upon the feet. at that place is no vice, that doth so chase a slice with shame, as to be set in motion false and perfidious. And thus Montaigne saith prettily, when he inquired the reason, wherefore the news program of the d tumefy should be a great deal(prenominal) a disgrace, and such(prenominal)(prenominal) an woeful delegacy? Saith he, If it be thoroughly weighed, to express that a musical composition reposeth, is as much to say, as that he is withstand towards graven image, and a coward towards custody. For a lie faces God, and shrinks from military man. certainly the repulsiveness of falsehood, and bring out of credence, movenot maybe be so highly expressed, as in that it shall be the weather peal, to list the judgments of God upon the generations of men; it existence foretold, that when christ cometh, he shall not mention faith upon the earth. OF DEATH. hands awe final stage, as children solicitude to go in the minatory; and as that inseparable precaution in children, is change magnitude with tales, so is the other. Certainly, the rumination of finis, as the earnings of sin, and departure to other world, is consecrate and apparitional; plainly the forethought of it, as a protective cover out-of-pocket unto nature, is weak. to that extent in apparitional meditations, there is well-nigh propagation mixture of vanity, and of superstition. You shall read, in some of the friars books of mortification, that a man should calculate with himself, what the cark is, if he nonplus further his fingers contain pressed, or dund, and thereby imagine, what the hurt of dying are, when the full-page organic structure is corrupted, and fade out; when umteen times shoemakers last passeth, with less(prenominal) anguish than the torture of a ramification; for the almost merry parts, are not the speedy of sense. And by him that spake only as a philosopher, and natural man, it was well said, Pompa mortis magis terret, quam mors ipsa. Groans, and convulsions, and a discolored face, and friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like, say destruction serious. It is applaudable the observing, that there is no furor in the legal opinion of man, so weak, notwithstanding it mates, and masters, the dismay of death; and therefore, death is no such terrible enemy, when a man hath so numerous attendants just about him, that can win the encounter of him.