58-61.] NOTES. 139 



resigned power B.C. 79. With this passage cf. the 15th Essay : 

 " I have noted that some witty and sharp speeches, which have 

 fallen from princes, have given fire to seditions. Csesar did him 

 self infinite hurt in that speech : Sylla knew nothing of letters, and 

 therefore could not dictate : for it did utterly cut off that hope, 

 which men had entertained, that he would at one time or other 

 give over his dictatorship." There is a play on the double mean 

 ing of dictate, which means both to read out and to wield the 

 power of a dictator. The word to skill in the sense of to under 

 stand occurs also in the English Bible. 



1. 11. particular, instance. 



1. 12. as that which, in this respect that it, etc. It explains 

 ' ' rareness of circumstance. " 



1. 13. Xenophon, B.C. 401, the younger Cyrus raised an army, 

 largely composed of Greeks, with a view of dethroning his 

 brother Artaxerxes, king of Persia. Cyrus was defeated and 

 killed at Cunaxa, near Babylon. The Greek generals were 

 inveigled into a conference by Artaxerxes, and murdered : and 

 Xenophon led the Greek army home. The remark which 

 Bacon attributes below to Xenophon was not really made by 

 him. 



1. 17. seen the wars, had any experience of war. We still 

 speak of "seeing service." 



1. 18. a voluntary, a volunteer. 



1. 19. conversation, society. 



1. 20. in message, as the bearer of a message. The great king, 

 this title was generally given to the king of Persia. The Greeks 

 often called him simply "The king." 



1. 21. after that, see on p. 10, 1. 1, cf. p. 61, 1. 35. 



1. 24. The message imported, the purport of the message was. 



1. 30. virtue, courage. The word properly signifies "manly 

 worth." 



1. 35. abused, deceived. 



Page 61, 1. 4. high countries, the inland districts those far 

 away from the sea. 



1. 8. Jason of Pherae had intended to invade Persia, but 

 was assassinated before he had put his plan into execution, B.C. 

 370. 



1. 9. Agesilaus, the Spartan, ravaged the western satrapies of 

 Persia, B.C. 396, but, before he had accomplished much, was 

 recalled home. 



Alexander the Macedonian, Alexander the Great. 



1. 10. upon the ground of, we should now say, " on the strength 



