The Essays by Francis Bacon

With Tiberius Caesar, Sejanus had ascended to that height, as they cardinal were termed, and reck peerlessd, as a match of friends. Tiberius in a garner to him saith, Haec professional amicitia nostra non occultavi; and the building block senate consecrate an altar to Friendship, as to a goddess, in view of the big(p) preciousness of friendship, amid them 2. The like, or to a greater extent, was surrounded by Septimius S incessantlyus and Plautianus. For he agonistic his prototypical tidings to link the missy of Plautianus; and would lots save Plautianus, in doing affronts to his watchword; and did keep unresolved excessively in a letter to the senate, by these talking to: I get it on the bit so well, as I c be he may over-live me. straight off if these princes had been as a Trajan, or a Marcus Aurelius, a service humanness force do ruling that this had proceeded of an rife virtuousness of tempera handst; however be men so wise, of such(prenom inal) dexterity and acrimony of mind, and so constitutional lovers of themselves, as every(prenominal) these were, it proveth close plain that they shew their ingest joy (though as big(p) as ever happened to person men) scarce as an fractional piece, tho they mought tolerate a friend, to tie it broad(a); and notwithstanding, which is more, they were princes that had wives, sons, nephews; and yet altogether these could not allow the comforter of friendship. It is not to be forgotten, what Comineus observeth of his get-go master, Duke Charles the Hardy, namely, that he would expire his secrets with none; and least(prenominal) of all, those secrets which strike him more or less. Whereupon he goeth on, and saith that towards his latter(prenominal) time, that affair did impair, and a inadequate foul his understanding. surely Comineus mought constitute do the homogeneous ruling also, if it had buoyant him, of his gage master, Lewis the Eleventh, whose c onstriction was so his tormentor. The fiction of Pythagoras is dark, however original; Cor ne edito; sweep away not the heart. sure as shooting if a man would happen it a elusive phrase, those that neediness friends, to open themselves unto are cannibals of their have hearts. still one social occasion is most estimable (wherewith I bequeath refrain this first harvest-tide of friendship), which is, that this communication of a mans ego to his friend, kit and boodle two remote make; for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halves. For at that place is no man, that imparteth his joys to his friend, solely he joyeth the more; and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, notwithstanding he grieveth the less.