Francis Bacon's essays as Dispersed Meditations

 Disperse Meditation

Francis Bacon described his essay as “dispersed meditations”, and “brief notes set down rather significantly”.

He regarded his essays as an outcome of detached thoughts. Many of his essays are strings of sentences. The sentences are put loosely together. There is no interlinking among these sentences. In his early essays, ideas are not presented in a systemized manner. But there is of course no discretion from the central subject. Bacon remains relevant to the subject. Despite of no digression, his essays are not well-nit, because there is an abrupt and sudden change from one idea to another ideas are not connected smoothly. Thoughts have been put together in the essays almost at random. Even the logical connections have been left out.

These essays are brief in size. The ideas are not properly developed and interconnected. The sentences are crisp, short, and condensed and each sentence could easily be developed into a paragraph. Some of the sentences are so thought presented in them. Their terseness and excessive compression make them obscure.

A critic has remarked about Bacon’s essays in this way, “his essays have thus no artistic form, being without beginning or ending….”

His early essays, “Of Studies” and “Of Studies” are typical examples of dispersed ideas. These essays are read like strings of aphorisms and maxims.

The essay of Stuides starts with the statement, that studies serve for delight, for ornament, and ability. Then he says that it is better to spend less time on studies or to take less from books for ornamentation. He passes to the next thought that study is perfected by experience. After telling this, he jumps to another thought and states in proverbial styles, “Crafty men condemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them”.

In this way, Bacon goes on adding ideas without elaborating them.

Similarly, in the essay ‘Of Suitors’, ideas are presented abruptly. The excessive terseness, aphorism, and condensation lead to obscurity. Each sentence is relevant to the subject. But they are so brief that sometimes the logical development of thought becomes difficult to comprehend. The essay begins with the idea that many private suits are undesirable, and if granted, will do a lot of injury to the public good. Then he proceeds to a different idea that many good private suits are undertaken with bad intentions. He also tells us about different types of persons who undertake suits. In this way, a series of totally disconnected ideas continues. The essay ends with the statement, “There are no instruments than these general contrivers of suits”.

In only sixty-five lines Bacon deals with different kinds of suits and suitors. There is no proper arrangement of thoughts. In ‘Of Marriage and Single Life’, there is a collection of these sentences. But not a single idea is properly elaborated. Each sentence has its importance and independence. After indicating positions of married and unmarried persons, he abruptly goes on to chaste women who are proud of their chastity and sober men who are faithful husbands. Then he moves to another thought that a husband who is respected by his wife for his wisdom will command her loyalty as well. All these ideas are merely a collection of thoughts on a subject. They are only significantly set down.

‘Of Ambition’ deals with various ideas about ambition. But once again there is not seen much connection between the different ideas except that they all relate to ambition. 

‘Of Revenge’ is also loosely connected. This essay of forty-five lines expresses shrewd observations and wit in the form of proverbs. For example,

• “Revenge is a kind of wild justice”.

• “The most tolerable sort of revenge is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy”.

• “A man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green”.

However, it would be wrong to call all his essays “dispersed meditation”. There is another category of Bacon’s essays, which is moderate. These essays are neither short nor too lengthy. Bacon after realizing the fame of his essays, started to pay concentration to his style. There is no abruptness or transition of thought. ‘Of Great Place’, ‘Of Empire’, ‘Of Friendship’, ‘Of Riches’, ‘Of the Greatness of Kingdom and Estates’, ‘Of Simulation and Dissimulation’, ‘Of Seditions and Troubles’, ‘Of Gardens’ belong to this category. We find conjunctions and connective clauses in his latter essays.

In ‘Of Friendship’, there is an illustration of statements. They are logically connected. Each idea is properly handled and developed smoothly.

‘Of Empire’ has good details about the dangers that visiting a king in those days. In ‘Of Seditions and Troubles’ there is a closely reasoned and connected account of causes and remedies of discontentment and agitation. The essay, ‘Of the True Greatness of Kingdoms’, is an example of less-knit writing.

There is a great use of figurative language in these essays. Thus, these cannot be said to be brief notes set down significantly but not curiously but still “significant”. They are more “flowing and gracious in manner” Bacon’s use of similes and metaphors has a poetic quality. For example,

• “Suspicions amongst thought are like bats amongst birds”

• “It is heaven upon earth to have a man’s mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth.”

Therefore, it would not be justified to count all the essays as ‘brief notes’ or as ‘dispersed meditations’. Because in the latter essays, there is a successful attempt at connection and continuity.