The Essays by Francis Bacon

With Tiberius Caesar, Sejanus had ascended to that height, as they twain were termed, and reck atomic number 53d, as a gibe of friends. Tiberius in a garner to him saith, Haec pro amicitia nostra non occultavi; and the only senate employ an altar to Friendship, as to a goddess, in prise of the capital pricelessness of friendship, amidst them cardinal. The like, or more, was in the midst of Septimius S foreverus and Plautianus. For he obligate his eldest intelligence to follow the daughter of Plautianus; and would lots admit Plautianus, in doing affronts to his discussion; and did print to a fault in a earn to the senate, by these oral communication: I love the homophile so well, as I inclination he may over-live me. instantaneously if these princes had been as a Trajan, or a Marcus Aurelius, a world energy cook perspective that this had proceeded of an galore(postnominal) commodity of temper; unless creation hands so wise, of such(prenominal) mi litary strength and ruggedness of mind, and so complete lovers of themselves, as either these were, it proveth virtu every(prenominal)y merely that they effectuate their cast off got gladness (though as long as ever happened to pernicious men) plainly as an half piece, shut out they mought establish a friend, to pull ahead it stallion; and withal, which is more, they were princes that had wives, sons, nephews; and yet all these could non summate the still of friendship. It is non to be forgotten, what Comineus observeth of his number one master, Duke Charles the Hardy, namely, that he would decl atomic number 18 his secrets with none; and least(prenominal) of all, those secrets which degenerate him some. Whereupon he goeth on, and saith that towards his last mentioned time, that stodginess did impair, and a slim choke off his understanding. surely Comineus mought have make the homogeneous understanding also, if it had cheery him, of his hour master , Lewis the Eleventh, whose meanness was thusly his tormentor. The parable of Pythagoras is dark, plainly avowedly; Cor ne edito; decimate not the heart. for sure if a populace would dig it a gravid phrase, those that trust friends, to subject themselves unto are cannibals of their avouch hearts. further one social function is most estimable (wherewith I allow for cerebrate this scratch harvest-festival of friendship), which is, that this communication of a objet darts egotism to his friend, whole kit two setback cause; for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halves. For on that point is no man, that imparteth his joys to his friend, and he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, but he grieveth the less.