Francis Bacon - Of Riches

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Of Riches

Francis Bacon

I cannot call riches better than the baggage of virtue the Roman word is better,

impedimenta; for as the baggage is to an army, so is riches to virtue; it cannot be spared

nor left behind, but it hindereth the march; yea and the care of it sometimes loseth or

disturbeth the victory. Of great riches there is no real use, except it be in the distribution;

the rest is but conceit; so saith Salomon, Where much is, there are many to consume it;

and what hath the owner but the sight of it with his eyes? The personal fruition in any man

cannot reach to feel great riches: there is a custody of them; or a power of dole and

donative of them; or a fame of them; but no solid use to the owner. Do you not see what

feigned prices are set upon little stones and rarities? and what works of ostentation are

undertaken, because there might seem to be some use of great riches? But then you will

say they may be of use to buy men out of dangers or troubles; as Salomon saith, Riches

are as a stronghold in the imagination of the rich man; but this is excellently expressed,

that it is in imagination and not always in fact: for certainly great riches have sold more

men than they have bought out. Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayest get justly,

use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly; yet have no abstract nor friarly

contempt of them; but distinguish, as Cicero saith well of Rabirius Posthumus, In studio

rei amplificandae, apparebat non ava- ritiae praedam, sed instrumentum bonitati quaeri.

Hearken also to Salomon, and beware of hasty gathering of riches: Qui festinat ad divitias

non erit insons. The poets feign that when Plutus (which is riches) is sent from Jupiter, he

limps and goes slowly; but when he is sent from Pluto, he runs and is swift of foot;

meaning that riches gotten by good means and just labour pace slowly; but when they

come by the death of others (as by the course of inheritance, testaments, and the like),

they come tumbling upon a man: but it might be applied likewise to Pluto, taking him for

the devil: for when riches come from the devil (as by fraud and oppression and unjust

means) they come upon speed. The ways to enrich are many, and most of them foul:

parsimony is one of the best, and yet is not innocent; for it withholdeth men from works of

liberality and charity. The improvement of the ground is the most natural obtaining of

riches; for it is our great mother's blessing, the earth's; but it is slow; and yet, where men

of great wealth do stoop to hus- bandry it multiplieth riches exceedingly. I knew a

nobleman in England that had the greatest audits of any man in my time; a great grazier, a

great sheep-master, a great timber-man, a great collier, a great corn-master, a great lead-

man, and so of iron, and a number of the like points of husbandry; so as the earth seemed

a sea to him in respect of the perpetual importation. It was truly observed by one, that

himself came very hardly to a little riches, and very easily to great riches; for when a man's

stock is come to that that he can expect the prime of markets, and overcome those

bargains, which for their greatness are few men's money, and be partner in the industries of

younger men, he cannot but increase mainly. The gains of ordinary trades and vocations

are honest, and furthered by two things chiefly: by diligence, and by a good name for good

and fair dealing; but the gains of bargains are of a more doubtful nature, when men shall

wait upon others' necessity: broke by servants and instruments to draw them on; put off

others cunningly that would be better chapmen, and the like practices which are crafty and

naught As for the chopping of bargains, when a man buys not to hold but to sell over

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AUniversalDownloadEditionWWW.UDownloadBooks.Com1OfRichesFrancisBaconIcannotcallrichesbetterthanthebaggageofvirtuetheRomanwordisbetter,impedimenta;forasthebaggageistoanarmy,soisrichestovirtue;itcannotbesparednorleftbehind,butithindereththemarch;yeaandthecareofitsometimeslosethordisturbeththevictory.O...

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Francis Bacon - Of Riches

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