144 BACON'S ESSAYS 



A FRAGMENT OF AN ESSAY ON FAME 



THE poets make Fame a monster. They describe her in 

 part finely and elegantly ; and in part gravely and sen- 

 tentiously. They say, look how many feathers she hath, 

 so many eyes she hath underneath ; so many tongues ; so 

 many voices ; she pricks up so many ears. 



This is a flourish. There follow excellent parables ; as 

 that she gathereth strength in going : that she goeth upon 

 the ground, and yet hideth her head in the clouds : that in 

 the day-time she sitteth in a watch tower, and flieth most 

 by night : that she mingleth things done with things not 

 done : and that she is a terror to great cities. But that 

 which passeth all the rest is ; they do recount that the 

 Earth, mother of the Giants that made war against Jupiter 

 and were by him destroyed, thereupon in an anger brought 

 forth Fame ; for certain it is that rebels, figured by the 

 giants, and seditious fames and libels, are but brothers and 

 sisters ; masculine and feminine. But now, if a man can 

 tame this monster, and bring her to feed at the hand, and 

 govern her, and with her fly other ravening fowl and kill 

 them, it is somewhat worth. But we are infected with the 

 stile of the poets. To speak now in a sad and a serious 

 manner. There is not in all the politics a place less 

 handled, and more worthy to be handled, than this of 

 fame. We will therefore speak of these points. What 

 are false fames ; and what are true fames ; and how they 

 may be best discerned; how fames may be sown and 

 raised ; how they may be spread and multiplied ; and how 

 they may be checked and laid dead. And other things 

 concerning the nature of fame. Fame is of that force, 

 as there is scarcely any great action wherein it hath not 

 a great part ; especially in the war. Mucianus undid 

 Vitellius, by a fame that he scattered, that Vitellius had in 



