Francis Bacon's Essays: In Contemporary American English

Bacon’s Essays (1597, 1612, 1625) brought him great fame in world literature. These 58 essays are meditations and maxims containing much wisdom and nimbleness of wit. It is a practical book filled with recipes for living a good (moral) life and achieving success—a self-help book. The richness of the Essays lie in their relevancy, even in the 21st century. In Essay 34 — Of Riches, he says: “There’s no real use for great riches, unless it is in the distribution.” What appears on the surface to be a simple remark, it contains a profound truth: we can only become wealthy if we think of others. This was true during Bacon’s times as well as our time; to wit: the legacies of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Concerning income inequality he wrote: “The matter of seditions is of two kinds: much poverty, and much discontentment,” adding “And if this poverty and broken estate in the better sort, is joined with a want and necessity in the middle class, the danger is imminent and great. For the rebellions of the belly are the worst.” Bacon saw the great concentration of wealth in a few individuals as a danger to the nation: “Above all things, good policy is to be used, that the treasure and moneys, in a nation, be not gathered into few hands. For otherwise a state may have a great stock, and yet starve. And money is like muck, not good except it be spread.” The accumulation of 95% of the wealth of the United States to the top 1% of individuals is causing the starvation of 45 million Americans.