Analysis of Bacons Essay "Of Friendship"

As a pragmatic and as an empirical thinker Bacon followed two fundamental Renaissance principles
Sepantia or search for knowledge and Eloquentia, the art of rhetoric. This explains, to some extent, the impassioned
presentation of his ideas and views and the aphoristic style of his writing. But the essay Of Friendship is stylistically
somewhat different in that it contains passionate and flattering statements along with profuse analogies and
examples to support or explain his arguments perhaps because this essay was occasioned by the request of his friend
Toby Matthew.
Bacon begins the essay by invoking the classical authorities on basic human nature. First, he refers to
Aristotles view in Politics: Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god. According to
Aristotle, a man by nature and behaviour may be degraded to such an extent that he may be called unfit for society.
Again, he may be so self-sufficient that he may not need society. In the first case, he resembles a wild beast and in
the second, he resembles gods. Here it should be pointed out that Bacon is not ruling out the value of solitude; in
fact, he is reserving solitude for higher kind of life, which is possible for a few great men like Epimenides, Numa,
Empedocles, Apollonius and some Christian saints. Here too Bacon is following Aristotelian view on solitude as
expressed in Ethics, where Aristotle prefers a contemplative life to an active life:
It is the highest kind of life, it can be enjoyed uninterruptedly for the greatest length of time...

The Norman Conquest and it's Impact on English Literature

The world of Old Engish Literature is a world of warriers and battles a world where the indivitual is a
solitary outsider in a harsh and difficult society .

The world was to change as a result of the most famous single event in English history .The Normon's
where originally from Scandinavia .They established a kingdome in the north of France. This was Normandy
.They crossed the channel from France ,one the battle of Hastings ,and look over the kingdome of England
, which leitimately belonged to the family of the new king , William the coquerer .

The most important result was the establishment of a strong centralised government . The
Nomon king effectively checked the barrons and controlled their destructive tendencies . The Normon
domination in the social ,political ,and religious fields continued for morethan two centuries . The fudelism
introduced by the Normons caused a great change in England .
The Normon brought with them the French language and culture . The two century after
the conquest where the period of consolidation as the two language struggled to integrate as a result
Bilingualism wide spread . The Anglo-Saxon language was enriched in course of time .It was only after
1204 that the Normon conquerrors themselves bgan to develop a fulled English identity a desire to use the
English language subsiquently more and more french words ented the English language .
At this time London established itself as the capital city the characteristics the London
dialect show that it's main influence came to the north ; from the university of Cambridge , Oxford . For
some years both English and Normon french were spoken side by side . Until the Normon conquest their
is hardly any love poetry in English literature .Clearly land was more important than love .The new love

theme came from province in the South-East to France . love was analmost religious passion . and the
greatest love was unfulfilled .
french enjoyed great presige and social status . Frenc words penetrated into social status .
French words tended to spread from London . Many of these words comes down from a higher social and
cultural level and had no equalent had in English . By contrast the English and the Scantinavian derived
words are more homely and much more part of a daily life .
French and English mearged to what is known as ' Middle English' and the prosses was
complete by about the French words are considered more literary in function 1300. It can be noted that the
French words used in domestic domains . Many house hold words are of french origin - government
,parliament , Assembly , Chacellor ,Treasurer, noble ,Peer , Prince , Prinsess , Page , Sir , Madom , Religion ,
Theology , Prayer , Cardinal , Thirty , charity , Mercy , Pitty , Vertue , Arms, Battle , Blue , Brown ,Scarlet , Pearl
,Diamond , Dinner , Supper , Feart , Appetite , Taste , Roast ,Boil , Fry , Chicken , Mutton , Beaf , Curton , Chair ,
Music , Art , Painting etc . The bulk of French loans shows that centuries of French linguistic domination
made a deep impression English culture as well.