Introduction of the Essay “Of Friendship”:
Bacon has included almost the whole society in his essays for consideration and practical guidance. If he can advise the princes and Kings, he can also guide a layman and a middle class citizen. “Of Friendship” is the testimony of his profound understanding of human psychology and the cares and precautions he must observe in his everyday life in society.
He advises that friendship cannot be developed carelessly with anybody because in that case it can be harmful for a common man and damage the reputation of a man of honour. He has given a very practical guideline regarding what type of men are capable of friendship. He also tells that friends are always helpful in progress and so developing friendship proves fruitful for everybody. A true friend is the best companion and support in the days of adversity. The life of a friendless man is helpless and it is better that he should leave the world.
Summary of the Essay “Of Friendship”:
Man’s Need for Society and the Nature of Solitude:
It is a true and untrue statement at the same time that a man might be so degraded as to be unfit for society or he might be so self-sufficient as not to need society. Such a man may either resemble a beast or God. If a man has a natural dislike for society or does not like to live in the society, he is not a human being and to a certain extent possesses the nature of a wild animal. Bacon does not agree that if a man loves solitude, he has a divine nature because by nature man is a social animal and living in solitude is neither just nor possible. Loneliness is good only for one purpose, the communion with God which was practised by some non – Christians like Epimenides, Numa and Apollonius. But it was merely a false show and they had no love for spiritual meditation.
In fact, people do not understand the real nature of solitude because we can feel lonely even in the midst of society. Unfamiliar faces in the crowd are like a picture gallery. Unless there is love and sympathy with somebody, conversation with him will be meaningless like the sound of Cymbals. In the absence of loving friends, a great city is like a desert. In big cities friends live in different parts and do not frequently meet but there is frequent meeting in smaller towns. For a friendless man, even a city is like a desert. A man who loves solitude is incapable of friendship because his nature is like animals.
The Chief Use of Friendship—Emotional Relief:
According to Bacon friendship is useful to man in various ways. The chief advantage is that a man can open his heart to his friend and tell him his worries and troubles. It will provide him a great relief. A man who cannot pass the waste out of his body suffers from many diseases so is with mind. Suppression of thoughts and feelings within the mind removes tension. Their accumulation leads to mental disorder. There are different kinds of medicines to cure diseases but there is no medicine to cure and get suppressed thoughts and worries out of man’s mind. So without a friend he will suffer internal misery. With a friend a man can share his sorrows and joys and also seek advice from him. It will relieve him from the burden of worries. According to Roman Catholic belief if a person confesses his sins before death, he is forgiven by God. Similarly by conveying one’s emotions, worries and sorrows to a friend, man relieves his heart.
Friendship Among Kings and Monarchs:
The great Kings and monarchs give a very great importance to friendship. They have developed friendship sometimes even by putting their life and reputation into danger. They have opened their heart to them for emotional relief. Thus by disclosing their secret they endanger their safety. But they cannot enjoy full advantages of friendship because of their high position. In order to enjoy it, they have to raise some person equal to them. Sometimes it causes great difficulty and others are jealous of that man. They share their troubles with their royal friends and thus the bond of friendship is strengthened between them. It was done even by the wise and clever Kings. There are some instances when these Kings developed intimate friendship with their servants also. They used to call them friends as is used between two persons who are very close to each other in their private life.
Historical Examples of Royal Friendships:
The advantages of friendship are so many that even the Kings have felt the need of having friends. Sylla raised Pompey for friendship who boasted to be superior to his master and later people also went with him. Caesar favoured Brutus and was so influential that he brought him to senate where he was murdered by the conspirators. Antony was declared a witch for his magical influence upon Caesar. Caesar promoted Agrippa from low status. Bacon presents so many examples from Roman history when the Kings raised men of low status to make them friends. These men were very clever and possessed so great firmness of mind and determination that they found their happiness incomplete without a friend. Moreover, these Kings were not lonely souls, .but had wives, children and other relatives in company yet they did not get that joy from them as they had from their friends.
Suppressed Emotions and the Healing Power of Friendship:
Bacon says that those who do not have friends cannot open their heart and so suffer deep spiritual pain. Comineus writes about his master Duke of Burgundy that he never shared his secrets with anyone which caused him deep mental agony. His undisclosed secrets ate his mind and weakened it. It is a true proverb to say ‘eat not your heart’. If we keep our worries and troubles within our heart, we would destroy it. The unexpressed thoughts and emotions are the eaters of human flesh. If we open our heart to our friends, it creates a double effect. On the one hand, it increases the feeling of joy and on the other it reduces to one half our troubles and problems of mind. His realisation that he has friends to share his grief gives him strength and consolation. It creates the same effect as the alchemic stone does to change iron into gold. It helps nature and does not go against what is natural and good. This can also be clearly seen in the ordinary physical objects and objects of nature. The union of physical objects is always beneficial because it strengthens natural motions and reduces violent motion. The same happens with the mind of man. Friendship increases happiness and decreases the confusion of mind by the union of two minds.
Friendship as a Source of Wisdom and Clarity:
Bacon tells that the second fruit of friendship is also as useful as the first for the mind of the people. The joy attained from friendship clears away all grieves from the heart of man. It makes the heart bright as the sun brightens the sky and removes all darkness. The discussion with a friend clears confusion and complications of thought and we get sincere advice from him. Before his advice, the mind of man is full of many thoughts and doubts and so he is unable to think clearly on anything.
All confusion will be removed by the discussion. He can examine and analyse his thoughts better. Thus, he grows wiser than before. He cannot get this wisdom by reflecting alone in solitude. Themistocles once said that speech was liked a tapestry. The ideas of a man acquire a definite and clear shape only when they are expressed to a friend. Another benefit is that the mind is sharpened with discussion even with a dull friend just as a razor is sharpened on a whetstone. So, it would be better for a man to express his thoughts even to inanimate objects like a statue or picture. If he keeps them shifted and unexpressed, his mind will be vague and confused.
Honest Advice and Gentle Criticism of a Friend:
Another advantage of friendship can be noticed even by ordinary people which is the sincere advice given by a friend. Heraclitus rightly said that advice which is entirely impersonal without personal prejudices is the best. Man’s own judgements are usually coloured by emotions but the advice from a friend is always impersonal. The man’s own advice and that of the friend are as different as the advice of a friend from the flatterer. Man is his own greatest flatterer. The self-deception of a man can be cured only through the honest advice of a friend and he can be cured only by the criticism of a true friend who has the freedom to criticise him and show him his faults and shortcomings. A friend’s advice can be of two kinds the one related to moral and conduct and the other with his business.
The mind of man can be saved from decay by the criticism of a friend. His criticism is like a bitter medicine if it is very severe and so it is harmful and causes pain. It cannot improve the friend. Observing the faults of others and in this way learning to avoid them cannot always be applied to our own case. The faults of others are different from ours. But the best medicine most useful in effect and pleasant as well is the gentle criticism of a friend. This medicine is effective in bringing about a cure while it is also not unpleasant to the man.
Folly of Friendless Men and the Value of Counsel:
It is generally seen that those people who do not have sincere friends commit blunders and folly. It happens especially with the rich and powerful men because they have no sincere friends to advise them against their folly. This not only lowers their esteem but also results in loss of their wealth. St. James said that those who commit errors and follies do not have true understanding of their own capacities. They may be compared to those people who look at their faces in the mirror and soon forget it. In business, it would be better for a person that a man and his friend can do certainly better than one. Similarly a gambler sees only his cards while the spectator sees the cards of all.
A man in business has narrow vision while his friend can consider all the circumstances. Similarly it is wrong to believe that an angry man is as wise as a man who has repeated the alphabet or that a gun can be fired by placing it against an arm. It is equally foolish to consider that a man is self-sufficient in himself and does not need the advice of a friend. His advice helps him to avoid his mistakes. Moreover, if a man seeks advice from many friends in parts, it may be harmful. It is better not to take advice at all. It is possible that some of them may not give him good advice. Their advice may be partly useful and partly harmful like a physician who is unfamiliar with the body of the patient and can also prove even fatal. The advice of a close friend will never lead to trouble and difficulty because a true friend will never distract or mislead the mind of his friend.
Friendship as Support and Continuity of Life:
Apart from all these benefits, friendship is useful in one more way. It is like pomegranate which is full of large number of small seeds. A good friend aids and supports whenever the help of a friend is needed. A person cannot do everything himself as Pythagoras was quoted by Aristotle. He said ‘a man’s friend is his very double’. A trend is much more useful than the man himself. Everybody lives in the world for a fixed period and then dies. Those works and things like marriage of a child remain incomplete and the man dies. If a person has a true friend, he may die peacefully because he knows that his friend will take care of these unfinished works.
A man cannot be present physically at more than one place at the same time but he can perform various functions if he has true friend to help him. There are many functions which a person cannot do himself out of decency but this can easily be done by his friend. In the same way, it is not possible for a man to stoop low and make an humble request but a friend can do so on his behalf. There are certain things which he cannot say freely to his sons and there are certain formalities to observe in certain cases. In such cases a man can make use of his friend because he will speak according to the circumstances. The benefits of friendship are endless. A man needs a friend to act on his behalf or give up the attempt altogether and retire from the scene.
Critical Appreciation of the Essay “Of Friendship”:
Introduction:
It is believed that Bacon wrote this essay “Of Friendship” at a special request of his friend Toby Matthews in grateful recognition to an intimate life friend can be helpful and useful in the life of man. But his thoughts and considerations are long friendship. His views on friendship are thoroughly utilitarian and he considers how a not confined to any particular type of society or class of people. He has expressed the uses of friendship to every strata of society from the common man to the Kings and Emperors. This provides the essay with a touch of universality. Thus , the essay deals with a subject which is very close to the heart of everyone and is related to the basic nature of man that man is a social animal and that loneliness is not only intolerable but damaging as well both physically and mentally. The essay reveals the personal character of Bacon also though in his own life he never proved to be a true and sincere friend to anybody.
Need of Friendship:
Throughout the essay “Of Friendship”, Bacon has concentrated his attention only to the advantages of friendship and all other aspects related to friendship have been neglected. Thus, the essay “Of Friendship” may be considered as one sided discussion of the topic. However, the benefits of friendship have been portrayed in a very clear and enlightening manner and they inspire everybody to have friends. Bacon succeeds in creating the impression that friendship is the greatest necessity in the life of a civilized man. He tells that the principal uses of friendship are so many. The life of man without a friend is certainly a wretched life and he is lonely even in the midst of the crowd in the town. He declares that loneliness is suitable only for spiritual meditation and not for practical and active life. A man who is incapable of friendship is more like a wild beast than a human being, “a natural and secret hatred and aversion towards society, in any man, hath somewhat of the savage beast.” The greatest advantage of friendship is that by frankly and informally communicating to the friend the anxieties and problems that torture a man’s heart give great mental peace and relief and thus it works like a medicine. This is why even the Kings and emperors are crazy for friends and sometimes they endanger their own existence and that of the safety of their kingdom for the sake of friendship. They often promote lower persons to make them friends. A friendless man cannot open his heart and thus suffers spiritually. Moreover, only a true friend can give him a sincere advice and support him in his difficulties. The man can be self-satisfied to think that his incomplete works will be fulfilled by his friend even after his death.
One – sided Discussion:
If we analyse the essay “Of Friendship” carefully, we will find that Bacon’s views are confined only to the fruits of friendship. He does not tell what kinds of men are suitable for friendship or what care and reservations should be observed in developing friendship. He concentrates only on the utilitarian aspects and the disadvantages are nowhere detailed. Moreover, there is no mention of any sacrifice for the sake of friendship or what are the dangers that destroy the friendship between two persons. He has also not discussed anywhere that friendship is the spiritual necessity of man. We feel that if a friend does not help us, he is not needed at all, as if we need him only because he is of great benefit for us. Thus, his approach even to this natural aspect of human life is purely worldly and utilitarian. So, we can conclude that here Bacon has not discussed the .subject comprehensively and therefore it is different from his other essays.
Use of History:
Although the whole discussion is closely related to the internal and natural feelings of man, Bacon tells that friendship is an instinct which is certainly a spiritual need even of the Kings and emperors. In fact, Bacon’s treatment of the subject is certainly excellent. He has supported his statements by a number of historical examples and allusions.
There are references like Epimenides, Numa, Empedocles, Julius Caesar and many others to make his point of view clear. All of them are most convincing, forceful and weighty and at the same time widen the scope of the essay and enrich the whole discussion. He refers to Comineus, the French historian who served the Duke of Burgundy and told that his master never shared the secrets of his heart with anyone and this habit injured and weakened the vitality of his mind. He then also refers to his second master Louis, the eleventh and tells that he was also pained and troubled by the fact that he kept his feelings and emotions hidden within his heart. Bacon has talked of many Roman Emperors who promoted lower people for the sake of friendship but later they were deceived. Sylla raised Pompey high who later became more influential than even his master.
There are also the references to Caesar, Brutus and Antony which prove the truth of the views of Bacon. Not only this, Bacon quotes great old philosophers like Aristotle and uses their sayings and remarks. He tells us of the saying by Heraclitus that ‘Dry light is ever the best’, such references make the essay interesting as well as they are the testimony of Bacon’s great wisdom. Moreover, these references and allusions put into the essay give us an indication of his sharp memory and learning. He uses the wisdom of ancient writers to illustrate his arguments.
Language and Style:
Since the essay “Of Friendship” deals with that sentiment which is concerned with the whole humanity in general, he has avoided the ambiguity of language. Every idea is quite lucid and clearly placed with the help of examples and allusions from various sources. This makes everything quite easy to understand. It is noteworthy that though Bacon is fond of using Latin words, phrases and sentences, he has used them in this essay also.
There is ample use of similes and metaphors and thus the language frequently becomes poetic. A friendless man has been compared to a man moving in the picture gallery. Similarly he tells that the worries are like clouds and the advice of a friend is just like the sunlight. Such comparisons increase the charm and sweetness of the essay.
It is often said that Bacon’s style is epigrammatic but as in this essay, he can be detailed also which proves that he was the master of two styles. The whole essay is quite descriptive in tone. In comparison to other essays, this essay “Of Friendship” is a little longer, though easier to understand. But the compactness of sentences is quite obvious.
There are a number of generalisations in the essay which illustrates his habit of exercising the maximum economy of words in expressing his ideas. Some of his sentences have become everyday proverbs. The opening of the essay is also different from his other essays. While in others, Bacon gives some sweeping remarks on the subject, this essay begins in a tone of discussion. All this makes this essay popular and significant.
