Of Death:Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

MEN fear death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children, is increased
with tales, so is the other. Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin, and passage to
another world, is holy and religious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature, is weak. Yet in
religious meditations, there is sometimes mixture of vanity, and of superstition. You shall read, in
some of the friars’ books of mortification, that a man should think with himself, what the pain is, if
he have but his finger’s end pressed, or tortured, and thereby imagine, what the pains of death are,
when the whole body is corrupted, and dissolved; when many times death passeth, with less pain
than the torture of a limb; for the most vital parts, are not the quickest 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, show death terrible. It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the
mind of man, so weak, but it mates, and masters, the fear of death; and therefore, death is no such
terrible enemy, when a man hath so many attendants about him, that can win the combat of him.
Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honor aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear preoccupateth
it; nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself, pity (which is the tenderest of affections)
provoked many to die, out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest sort of followers.
Nay, Seneca adds niceness and satiety: Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mori velle, non tantum fortis
aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus potest. A man would die, though he were neither valiant, nor
miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing so oft, over and over. It is no less worthy, to
observe, how little alteration in good spirits, the approaches of death make; for they appear to be the
same men, till the last instant. Augustus Caesar died in a compliment; Livia, conjugii nostri memor,
vive et vale. Tiberius in dissimulation; as Tacitus saith of him, Jam Tiberium vires et corpus, non
dissimulatio, deserebant. Vespasian in a jest, sitting upon the stool; Ut puto deus fio. Galba with a
sentence; Feri, si ex re sit populi Romani; holding forth his neck. Septimius Severus in despatch;
Adeste si quid mihi restat agendum. And the like. Certainly the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon
death, and by their great preparations, made it appear more fearful. Better saith he, qui finem vitae
extremum inter munera ponat naturae. It is as natural to die, as to be born; and to a little infant,
perhaps, the one is as painful, as the other. He that dies in an earnest pursuit, is like one that is
wounded in hot blood; who, for the time, scarce feels the hurt; and therefore a mind fixed, and bent
upon somewhat that is good, doth avert the dolors of death. But, above all, believe it, the sweetest
canticle is’, Nunc dimittis; when a man hath obtained worthy ends, and expectations. Death hath this
also; that it openeth the gate to good fame, and extinguisheth envy. - Extinctus amabitur idem.

OF DEATH by Francis Bacon

BY SATYA PRAKASH · PUBLISHED AUGUST 31, 2015 · UPDATED NOVEMBER 13, 2015
Of Death by Francis Bacon
MEN fear death, as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children, is increased
with tales, so is the other.
Meaning … Mortals dread death as much as children fear to venture out in darkness. Such fear is in-
born, but gets accentuated when we get to hear horrific accounts woven around death, and the perils
of darkness.

Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin, and passage to another world, is holy and
religious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature, is weak.
Meaning … Thinking of death is a normal trait. Thinking about with equanimity is the characteristic
of a profoundly wise mind. In the same vein, worrying about the consequences of committing a sinful
act is the sign of a noble mind. A holy and religious person has these traits. On the contrary, fearing
death as a possible retribution of Nature is not correct. Fearing death can not be a way of
acknowledging the supremacy of Nature.

Yet in religious meditations, there is sometimes mixture of vanity, and of superstition. You shall read,
in some of the friars’ books of mortification, that a man should think with himself, what the pain is, if
he have but his finger’s end pressed, or tortured, and thereby imagine, what the pains of death are,
when the whole body is corrupted, and dissolved; when many times death passeth, with less pain than
the torture of a limb; for the most vital parts, are not the quickest of sense.
Meaning … Despite adequate awareness among humans about such a folly, prayers, or similar
religious practices are often underlined by a sense of futility. A lot of superstition might be intertwined
with sermons and prayers. Some religious gurus or preachers ask their followers to inflict a certain
minor on themselves to realize how painful inflicting pain or death on others could be to the victims.
By doing this, one in impelled to experience remorse for being the cause of others suffering. One can
die suffering less pain than when one’s limbs are wounded grievously. A person’s vital parts such as
heart, brain, lungs, kidney etc. do not experience as much excruciating pain as a badly hurt or mauled
limb.

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, show death terrible.
Meaning …. The pragmatist Pompa, with his deep understanding of philosophy said, “The thought of
approaching death scares humans more than the death itself.” What makes the advent of death more
horrifying is the dying man’s wails and groans, and the breast-beating expression of frustrations of his
near and dear ones who flock to his side. Such cacophony of sorrowful voices makes death appear
much more frightening than it really is.

It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man, so weak, but it mates, and
masters, the fear of death; and therefore, death is no such terrible enemy, when a man hath so many
attendants about him, that can win the combat of him.
Meaning ….. Seen from a different angle, a dying man has so many near and dear ones maintaining
vigil around him that he does not feel lonely, uncared for or abandoned as he bids adieu to this world.
So, death brings salvation from suffering and the ravages of dotage that should bring great relief to the
dying person.

Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honor aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear preoccupateth
it; nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself, pity (which is the tenderest of affections)
provoked many to die, out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest sort of followers.
Meaning ….. When the popular emperor Otho killed himself, his subjects were devastated with grief.
The wave of sympathy for the departed emperor drove some of his subjects to suicide as their burden
of sorrow became unbearable. When someone takes revenge and succeeds to kill his victim, he feels he
has won. Death is considered to be spiteful to love as it severs the link between the victim and the
person whose heart is filled with love. Death is considered as a vindication of Honor. On the other
hand, a dying man’s mind is preoccupied with the thoughts of death.
Nay, Seneca adds niceness and satiety: Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mori velle, non tantum fortis
aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus potest.
Meaning … Serena, the renowned philosopher said so wisely, “Think of it as long as you do; wanted to
die, not only the brave or unhappy, but also it can be monotonous.” In simple language it means that
one will be well-advised to think and welcome death as it brings deliverance from the life’s sorrows
and sufferings. One’s life can be too monotonous to endure and in such a situation, death brings relief
and peace.
A man would die, though he were neither valiant, nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same
thing so oft, over and over.
Meaning … A man may be leading a placid uneventful life with no thrills or no excitement. It may not
be courageous, nor even sorrowful. However, the drudgery and monotony of the mundane life may be
too painful to endure over a long period.

It is no less worthy, to observe, how little alteration in good spirits, the approaches of death make; for
they appear to be the same men, till the last instant.
Meaning … When a man stands on the doorway to death, he often welcomes it thinking that it would
free him from the monotony of leading the same unchanging life day after day, seeing the same faces
over and over again.

Augustus Caesar died in a compliment; Livia, conjugii nostri memor, vive et vale. Tiberius in
dissimulation; as Tacitus saith of him, Jam Tiberium vires et corpus, non dissimulatio, deserebant.
Vespasian in a jest, sitting upon the stool; Ut puto deus fio. Galba with a sentence; Feri, si ex re sit
populi Romani; holding forth his neck. Septimius Severus in despatch; Adeste si quid mihi restat
agendum. And the like.
Meaning …. Augustus Cæsar diedtriumphantly saying, “Farewell, Livia; and forget not the days of
our marriage.” Looking at Augustus Cesar’s defiant words, Tiberius had exclaimed, “His (Ceaser’s)
powers of body are gone, but his power to conceal his feelings still remains.” Vespasian in a jest, sitting
upon the stool commented, “As I think, I am becoming a god.” Holding forth Caesar’s neck, Galba
commanded, “Strike, if it be for the good of Rome.” Septimius Severus said, “Be at hand, if there is
anything more for me to do.”

Certainly the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon death, and by their great preparations, made it
appear more fearful.
Meaning … The Stoic philosophers attached a lot of importance to death. They made elaborate
preparations to usher in death when the time came. Such preparation, however, added to the dread of
death.

Better saith he, qui finem vitae extremum inter munera ponat naturae.
Meaning … Wise people used to say, “Who accounts the close of life as one of the benefits of nature.”

It is as natural to die, as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful, as the other.
He that dies in an earnest pursuit, is like one that is wounded in hot blood; who, for the time, scarce
feels the hurt; and therefore a mind fixed, and bent upon somewhat that is good, doth avert the dolors
of death.
Meaning … As Tagore had said, “Meetings and partings is the go of the world.” The cycle of birth and
death is unbreakable. One has to be born: one has to die. There is no respite from this. For an infant,
both the process o9f being born and dying are equally painful. A person frenetically pursuing success
is too immersed in his endeavour to feel the pain of any possible hurt or injury. A valiant soldier
seldom feels pain when he gets wounded in the process of fighting in the battlefield.

But, above all, believe it, the sweetest canticle is’, Nunc dimittis; when a man hath obtained worthy
ends, and expectations. Death hath this also; that it openeth the gate to good fame, and extinguisheth
envy. – Extinctus amabitur idem.
Meaning .. In conclusion, Bacon extols the virtues of valiantly pursuing and dying for a noble cause.
When a man dies while engrossed in his work or in the battlefield, he attains great fame and wins a lot
of adulation even from those who loathed and envied him during his lifetime.
SUMMERY
Francis Bacon had many accomplishments. He was a scientist, a philosopher, and a politician, and he was
adept, too, at taking bribes; for this he had been imprisoned. It is, however, as a literary man that he is
perhaps best remembered, a writer so competent with the pen that for decades there have been some persons
willing to argue that Bacon wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare.

The essay form is rare in the modern age, although there are some faint signs of its revival. As Bacon used it,
the essay is a carefully fashioned statement, both informative and expressive, by which a person comments
on life and manners, on nature and its puzzles. The essay is not designed to win people to a particular cause
or to communicate factual matter better put in scientific treatises. Perhaps that is one reason why it is not so
popular in an age in which the truth of claims and their practical importance are always questioned.

The Essays first appeared, ten in number, in 1597. They were immediately popular because they were brief,
lively, humane, and well-written. Perhaps they were effective in contrast to the rambling, florid prose written
by most writers of the time. A considerable part of their charm lay in their civilized tone. In these essays,
Bacon reveals himself as an inquisitive but also an appreciative man with wit enough to interest others. The
first edition contained the following essays: “Of Studies,” “Of Discourse,” “Of Ceremonies and Respects,”
“Of Followers and Friends,” “Of Suitors,” “Of Expense,” “Of Regiment of Health,” “Of Honour and
Reputation,” “Of Faction,” and “Of Negociating.”

By 1612, the number of essays had been increased to thirty-eight, the earlier ones having been revised or
rewritten. By the last edition, in 1625, the number was fifty-eight. Comparison of the earlier essays with
those written later shows not only a critical mind at work but also a man made sadder and wiser, or at least
different, by changes in fortune.

The essays concern themselves with such universal concepts as truth, death, love, goodness, friendship,
fortune, and praise. They cover such controversial matters as religion, atheism, “the True Greatness of
Kingdoms and Estates,” custom and education, and usury, and they consider such intriguing matters as envy,
cunning, innovations, suspicion, ambition, praise, vainglory, and the vicissitudes of things.

The Essays or Counsels, Civil and Moral, as they are called in the heading of the first essay, begins with an
essay on truth entitled “Of Truth.” The title formula is always the same, simply a naming of the matter to be
discussed, as, for example, “Of Death,” “Of Unity in Religion,” “Of Adversity,” “What is Truth? said jesting
Pilate; and would not stay for an answer.” One expects a sermon, and one is pleasantly surprised. Bacon uses
his theme as a point of departure for a discussion of the charms of lying, trying to fathom the love of lying for
its own sake. “A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure,” he writes. This pleasure is ill-founded, however; it
rests on error resulting from depraved judgment. Bacon reverses himself grandly: “ . . . truth, which only doth
judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it, the knowledge of
truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of
human nature.”

When it comes to death, Bacon begins by admitting that tales of death increase humanity’s natural fear of it,
but he reminds the reader that death is not always painful. By references to Augustus Caesar, Tiberius,
Vespasian, and others, Bacon shows that, even...