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TO-
BY-
Dr.
Pratyush
Kaushik
KUMAR
(Faculty
Of
SUBMITTE
ABHISHEK
ROLL
NO.
COURSE-
B.A.
2nd
1334
LLB
SEMESTER
ACKNOWLEDGEME
NT
Writing a project is one of the most significant academic challenges I have ever faced.
Though this project has been presented by me but there are many people who remained in
veil, who gave their all support and helped me to complete this project. First of all I am very
grateful to my subject teacher Dr. Pratyush Kaushik without the kind support of whom and
help the completion of the project would have been a Herculean task for me. He donated his
valuable time from his busy schedule to help me to complete this project and suggested me
from where and how to collect data. I am very thankful to the librarian who provided me
several books on this topic which proved beneficial in completing this project. I acknowledge
my friends who gave their valuable and meticulous advice which was very useful and could
not be ignored in writing the project.
Kumar Abhishek
Roll No. 1334
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2nd Semester
B.A. LLB
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Table of Contents
TOPIC
PAGE
NO.
3. INTRODUCTION
..5
4.
BACONS
CONCEPT
OF
ESSAY..
....8
10.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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.19
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
The research methodology adopted for the purpose of this project is the
doctrinal method of research. The various libraries and internet facilities
available in Patna and Chanakya National Law University have been utilized for
this purpose. Most of the information is, however, from the internet.
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INTRODUCTION
In his essays there are elevated themes such as justice and truth and trifling
themes as gardens, buildings etc. In fact, Bacons essays are the treasure house
1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bacon_francis.shtml retrieved on
20 Apr 16
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of worldly wisdom. As an essayist Bacons fame rests in his prose style that has
been variously estimated as Addison praises his grace, Sainsbury admires his
dazzling power of rhetoric. Hume calls him rather stiff and rigid.
Bacon was the true child of renaissance. He was the wisest because of his
worldly wisdom, he was brightest owing to his powerful intellect and the art of
writing terse essays, and he was meanest due to his treacherous character. He
was a man of multi-talents.
Bacon is both a philosopher and a moralist as is clear from his essays. A
philosopher is, broadly speaking; a person who is deeply interested in the pursuit of truth,
while a moralist is a person who teaches human beings the distinction between
what is right and what is wrong and urges them to tread the right path only.
Bacon appears in this dual role in many of the essays that he has written. In the
essay, Of Truth, Bacon says that truth is the supreme good for human beings.
He describes the inquiry of truth as seeking it, the knowledge of truth as its
presence and the belief of truth as the enjoying of it. Making an obvious reference to the
Bible, Bacon says that the first thing created by God was light and the final
thing created by Him was the rational faculty that he bestowed upon man. First
God breathed light upon matter or chaos; then He breathed light into the face of
man; and afterwards he has always been breathing light into the faces of those
whom He chooses for his special favour. All these, we might say, are the
observations of a philosopher-cum-moralist.
Bacons object in writing this essay is manifestly to in still into the minds of his
readers a love of truth. The essay, Of Friendship, is the work of a pure utilitarian. Bacon
does not speak of friendship in terms of an emotional bond intimately linking two
persons. He makes a purely worldly approach to the subject. He gives us the
uses of friendship. A friend enables us to give an outlet to our suppressed
discontents. A friend clarifies our understanding. A friends advice is most reliable. A
friend can speak or act on our behalf in situation in which we ourselves cannot
speak or act. There is no idealism involved in all this. Bacon seems to suggest
that we need friends only for our worldly happiness and worldly good. This
essay clearly shows that Bacons wisdom is of cynical kind, and that utilitarian
considerations determine his morality. He does not speak of the emotional or
moral aspect of friendship at all. In the essay, Of Marriage and Single Life,
Bacons wisdom again, is not of the profound or philosophical variety; it is
worldly wisdom, and much of this wisdom is cynical.
In the essay, Of Marriage and Single Life, Bacons wisdom again, is not of the
profound or philosophical variety; it is worldly wisdom, and much of this
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wisdom is cynical.2 The opening sentence of this essay is cynical because Bacon
here expresses the view that a married man with children cannot undertake great
enterprises: He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune.
Moreover, he goes on to say, what is certainly not true, that the best works and
of greatest merit for the public have proceeded from the unmarried or childless
men. What could be more utilitarian than the remark that, a wife is a mistress
of the young husband; a companion of the middle aged and nurse of the old
aged husband? He wants soldiers to be married because then they will fight
better! He thinks that by getting married a dishonest judge will become honest.
It is the essay, Of Suitors, that completely exposes Bacon. He certainly indulges
in a lot of moralizing here. For instance, he disapproves of persons who
undertake suits without any real intention to have them granted; he disapproves
of a man giving false hopes to a petitioner whose suit he has undertaken; and so
on. But he comes to terms with morality when he suggests that if a patron wants
to favour the undeserving of the two parties in a legal case, he should bring
about a compromise between the two parties instead of pronouncing the
judgment in favour of the deserving person; on the contrary, he wants the
undeserving person to be accommodated. Again, he goes on to say that if a
patron wants to appoint a less deserving candidate to a post, he should do so
without passing adverse remarks against the character of the more deserving
applicant. Here is a great moralist willingly condoling a patrons action in
appointing a less deserving candidate to a post that lies in his patronage.
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necessary for the survival on earth. He says: "A lie doth ever add pleasure. This
is purely a statement of a worldly wise man.3
In his essay Of Studies, Bacon's approach towards studies is also purely
utilitarian. In his essay "Of Studies", he does not emphasize on study for its own
sake, but for the benefit which it can provide to man to be supplemented by
practical experience. Bacon says, "Reading maketh a full man, conference a
ready man and writing an exact man. And then he says: "Some books are to be
tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."
Bacon also points out the effects of different branches of studies on a man's
mind and thinks it helpful in the cure of different mental ailments and follies.
In his essay "Of Suitors" Bacon reveals his shrewd insight. Although he
suggests that a suitor should not be disloyal towards his petition and should tell
him the truth about the chances of winning the suit without leaving him
wandering in false hopes. Bacon suggests that a patron should not charge
extensive amounts for a small case. But then he dilutes all this by saying if the
patron wants to support the non-deserving party, he should make a compromise
between both of them, so that the deserving party would bear not great loss.
This is a purely utilitarian approach and it shows what Bacon himself had been
in his career, for it was his own profession.
In the essay "Of Revenge" Bacon shows a certain high morality by saying that:
"Revenge is a kind of wild justice; One who studieth revenge, keeps his own
wounds green." He feels dignity in forgiving ones enemy. But then he says that
even revenge is just in the cases when one can save one's skin from the hands of
law.
Bacons brightness is best illustrated in the way in which he clothes his wisdom
into brevity and lends the readers a great pleasure. The compactness of thought
and conciseness of expression was a virtue in an age when looseness in thought
and language was the rule. The essays are enriched with maxims and proverbs.
He supports his ideas and arguments with innumerable quotations, allusions and
analogies which prove his wide knowledge and learning. The aptness of the
similes, the witty turn of phrases and the compact expression of weighty
thoughts are evidence enough of the brightness of his intellect: Suspicions
among thoughts are like bats among birds, Money is like much, except it be
3 http://writetoscore.com/category/analysis-of-francis-bacon-essays/ retrieved 20
apr 16
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spread. Virtue is like precious adours --- most fragrant, when they are
incensed or crushed. Thus with the tool of antithesis, Bacon made his argument
many times stronger and influential than a simple sentence. He created so much
wit and strength in such precise writings that they are still valid and famous. No
man individually did provide such strength and simplicity to the English
language than Bacon. Bacon tried to reach the readers mind by a series of
aphoristic attacks. Therefore he is considered as the pioneer of modern prose.
There is hardly any equal of him for clear, terse and compact writing.
In the essay "Of Revenge" Bacon shows a certain high morality by saying that:
"Revenge is a kind of wild justice; One who studieth revenge, keeps his own
wounds green." He feels dignity in forgiving ones enemy. But then he says that
even revenge is just in the cases when one can save one's skin from the hands of
law.
Bacons brightness is best illustrated in the way in which he clothes his wisdom
into brevity and lends the readers a great pleasure. The compactness of thought
and conciseness of expression was a virtue in an age when looseness in thought
and language was the rule. The essays are enriched with maxims and proverbs.
He supports his ideas and arguments with innumerable quotations, allusions and
analogies which prove his wide knowledge and learning. The aptness of the
similes, the witty turn of phrases and the compact expression of weighty
thoughts are evidence enough of the brightness of his intellect: Suspicions
among thoughts are like bats among birds, Money is like much, except it be
spread. Virtue is like precious adours --- most fragrant, when they are
incensed or crushed. Thus with the tool of antithesis, Bacon made his argument
many times stronger and influential than a simple sentence. He created so much
wit and strength in such precise writings that they are still valid and famous. No
man individually did provide such strength and simplicity to the English
language than Bacon. Bacon tried to reach the readers mind by a series of
aphoristic attacks. Therefore he is considered as the pioneer of modern prose.
There is hardly any equal of him for clear, terse and compact writing.
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win suits are the worst offenders of society. But he also says that if a patron
wants to favour the undeserving party, he should bring both the parties to a
compromise for this would be less dangerous for him. So, to Bacon, morality
and ethical codes seem inferior to worldly considerations. Of Simulation and
Dissimilation is another example of the strange mixture of morality and
prudence. The best position and temperature is; to have openness in fame and
opinion; secrecy in habits; dissimulation in seasonal use; and power to feign, if
there be no remedy. Bacons morality has also been described as a cynical kind
of wisdom. This impression is confirmed by even those essays which deal with
strong private relations between men. Of Friendship, Of Parents and
Children, Of Marriage and Single life and Of Love, all depict a certain
kind of utilitarianism and worldly benefit. Here Bacon expresses a definite
failure of emotions, for he takes the matters of heart in terms of their uses and
abuses.
increase the care of life but they mitigate the remembrance of death. This sort of
weighing and balancing makes his style antithetical.
Bacons style is compact yet polished and indeed some of its conciseness is due
to the skillful adaptation of Latin idiom and phrase. But its wealth of metaphor
is characteristically Elizabethan and reflects the exuberance of the Renaissance.5
No man in English literature is so fertile in pithy comparisons. Bacon set up a
new method of prose writing, which was at once easy, simple, graceful,
rhetorical, musical and condensed. Bacons style was suited for all occasions.
His prose style was eminently fitted for dignified subjects such as Truth,
Atheism and Love and also ordinary subjects such as Marriage and single life
and gardening. The adaptability to the subject matter was a characteristic
quality of his writings.
Another favourite style with Bacon is to begin an essay with some times a
definition or a catching phrase or a jolting question as in Of Honour and
reputation : The winning of honour is but the revealing of a mans virtue and
worth without disadvantage . Or Of Truth : What is truth? Said jesting pilate ;
and would not stay for an answer .Another striking feature of Bacons style is
his constant use of figurative language. His similes and metaphors are apt, vivid
and suggestive such as: Learning is both the lark that soars and sings and the
hawk that soars and swoops. Bacon studied the impressions of men and
women and wrote in aphoristic saying, part of Bacons influence is due to the
charm of his style, his sentences are loosely constructed but they are generally
clear and intelligible. He is always interesting because his own interest in the
subject never flags. No language is too homely, no example too simple which
will serve to drive home the truth.
Another important feature of Bacons style is the extensive use of quotations,
allusions and references. His style thus becomes a mosaic of quotations and
allusions. It may also be noted that Bacon was in the habit of weighing and
judging the pros and cons of a question. When he makes some particular
statement, he at once counter balances it.
5 http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-subjects/group-v/englishliterature/269-francis-bacon-worldly-wisdom.html retrieved 19 apr 16
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There are two ways of communication with the reader according to Bacon (1)
Magisterial and (2) Probative. Aphoristic methods promotes inquiry that is
knowledge impart where as magisterial carries a knowledge which is total. Anne
Righten says there are three styles in Bacons essays. (1) Where he gives some
straight forward advice in a compact language. Bacon says, To spend too
much time in studies . humour of scholar. (2) He doesnt give any advice; it
is left to the reader in the conclusion. (3)Bacon studies the impression of men
and women and made the usage of aphorisms and proverbs; his essays are very
practical which come home to business and bosom. Bacons writings lacked
ornamentation but his most elemental quality is simplicity and homeliness. He
is at certain places extremely simple, easy and graceful. Bacon remains
unrivalled in the combination of picturesqueness with weight of all the essayists
of his time; his essays alone have a grip on the readers; and their success is
partly due to their style.
Bacons contributions were majorly philosophical. But he helped to change the
direction of scientific advances. The scientific and philosophical contributions
that Francis Bacon gave, would impact the world today. The scientific method,
in that time, was a new way to reach a conclusion about anything. It is a five
step method: (1) The inquiry, (2) initial hypothesis, (3) Action of investigation,
(4) Results, and (5) Conclusion. The scientific method, however, doesnt only
aid the processes of scientific experiments. It also refers to the way one should
acquire knowledge, or investigate phenomena, or to correct and refine previous
unproven knowledge.
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Juridical works
Bacon was also a jurist by profession, having written some works for the reform
of English Law. His legal work is considered to be in accordance to Natural
Law, having been influenced by legislators such as Cicero and Justinian.
He considered Law's fundamental tasks to be:
One of his lines of argument, was that the law is the guardian of the rights of the
people, and therefore should be simplified so every man could understand, as he
expressed in a public speech on 26 February 1593:
Laws are made to guard the rights of the people, not to feed the lawyers. The
laws should be read by all, known to all. Put them into shape, inform them with
philosophy, reduce them in bulk, give them into every man's hand.9
Basil Montagu, a later British jurist influenced by his legal work, characterised
him as a "cautious, gradual, confident, permanent reformer", always based on
his "love of excellence". Bacon suggested improvements both of the civil and
criminal law; he proposed to reduce and compile the whole law; and in a tract
upon universal justice, "Leges Legum", he planted a seed, which according
to Montagu, had not been dormant in the two following centuries. He was
attentive to the ultimate and to the immediate improvement of the law, the
ultimate improvement depending upon the progress of knowledge, and the
immediate improvement upon the knowledge by its professors in power, of the
local law, the principles of legislation, and general science.[48]
Among lawyers, Bacon was probably best known for his genius at stating the
principles and philosophy of the law in concise, memorable, and quotable
aphorisms, and for his efforts as Lord Chancellor to strengthen equity
jurisprudence and check the power of the common law judges. As Lord
Chancellor under James I, Sir Francis Bacon presided over the equity courts as
the "Keeper of the King's Conscience." In this role he frequently came into
conflict with Sir Edward Coke, who headed up the common law courts.
In a letter to Bishop Lancelot Andrews, Bacon spoke of his juridical works as
being a thoughtful action aiming the general good of men in society and the
dowries of government, saying that "having in the work of mine Instauration
had in contemplation the general good of men in their very being, and the
dowries of nature; and in my work of laws, the general good of men likewise in
society, and the dowries of government; I thought in duty I owed somewhat
unto my own country, which I ever loved".
His most important juridical works are: The Elements of the Common Laws of
England, Maxims of the Law, Cases of Treason, The Learned Reading of Sir
Francis Bacon upon the Statute of Uses.
9 Hepworth Dixon, William (1861). Personal history of Lord Bacon: From unpublished
papers. p. 34. Retrieved 17 apr 16
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CONCLUSION
It is true that Bacon is a philosopher and a moralist, but it has rightly been
pointed out by critics that, in his essays as in his own career, he treated
philosophy and morality as being subordinate to worldly success. It is for this
reason that the wisdom of his essays is of a somewhat cynical kind.
Bacons rich vocabulary, numerous quotations, modern sentences, wonderful
paragraphs, marvellous use of figures of speech, strength, clarity, precision and
so on make his style the most effective. Buffon says, style is the man himself.
Longinus says, Evaluation of style is the echo of great soul. All these
statements show his essentially mean and benefit seeking attitude, even in the
matters of heart. In short, Bacon's essays are a "hand book" of practical wisdom
enriched with maxims which are very helpful for worldly wisdom and success.
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The essays of Bacon are undeniably utilitarian in purpose and the attitude they
present. And the philosophy that Bacon has formulated is a philosophy for the
man of action - a pragmatic philosophy. His essays abound in moral precepts,
though very few of these are of an ideal nature (such as those in Of Truth and
Of Goodness). Mostly his morality too is tinged with a worldly tone, of a
standard that can be easily attained and put to good use by a man intent on
getting on in this world.
These essays then embody the wisdom and philosophy and morality of a cleareyed realist who knows quite well what men should be but also knew what they
actually were. And the counsels are not written by an author who considers what
they ought to do. The only test he recognises as regards ought is whether a
mans action is of advantage to state.
BIBLIOGRAPHY-
Websites referred
neoenglishsystem.blogspot.in
malinotes.blogspot.in
cssforum.com.pk
scribd.com
www.jstor.com
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bbc.com
Books/Newspapers Referred Francis Bacon: His Career and His Thought by Fulton H.
Anderson
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