Francis Bacon – “Of Friendship”

Introduction

Francis Bacon’s essay “Of Friendship” explains the importance, value, and uses of friendship in human life.
He begins with Aristotle’s famous saying:

“Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.”

By this, Bacon means that human beings cannot live alone. Those who enjoy complete solitude are either animal-like, having no need for society, or god-like, being self-sufficient. Most people need the company of others to live happily.

Solitude and the Need for Companionship

Bacon mentions a few men — Epimenides, Numa, Empedocles, and Apollonius of Tyana — who lived in isolation for higher purposes. Yet, Bacon calls their attempts “false and feigned,” suggesting that human nature is not made for such separation.

He adds that even among people, one may feel lonely. Faces may be like “a gallery of pictures,” and conversations without love are like “tinkling cymbals.”
He quotes a Latin proverb:

“Magna civitas, magna solitudo” — “A great city is a great solitude.”

This means that even in large cities, people remain strangers. True friendship, therefore, becomes necessary to escape the misery of loneliness. Without friendship, the world becomes like a desert.

The First Fruit of Friendship – Peace of the Heart

The first and principal benefit of friendship, according to Bacon, is emotional comfort.
He compares friendship to a kind of medicine. Just as medicines help to open the organs of the body, a true friend opens the heart.

Bacon says:

“No medicine openeth the heart but a true friend.”

A friend allows us to express our joys, sorrows, hopes, and fears, which brings relief to the mind. A person without a friend suffers from emotional suffocation. Therefore, friendship is essential for peace of heart and mind.

The Dangers of Friendship

Bacon also points out that friendship can be dangerous if not balanced or wisely chosen.
He gives several examples from Roman history:

• Sylla and Pompey: Sylla raised Pompey to power, but Pompey later became proud and turned against him.
  
  

• Julius Caesar and Brutus: Caesar trusted Brutus deeply, but Brutus betrayed him and joined his enemies.
  
  

• Augustus and Agrippa: Augustus gave Agrippa too much influence, which became risky for the empire.
  
  

• Tiberius and Sejanus, Septimius Severus and Plautianus — their friendships also ended in tragedy.
  
  

Bacon says these rulers were wise men, but their strong desire for friendship made them blind to danger.
He quotes Pythagoras’s saying, “Cor ne edito” — “Eat not the heart.”
By this, he means that those who open their hearts too completely may harm themselves. Friendship should be chosen with care and moderation.

The Three Fruits (or Benefits) of Friendship

Bacon divides the benefits of friendship into three parts: emotional, intellectual, and practical.

1. The First Fruit – For the Emotions

Friendship gives relief to the heart.
When we share happiness with a friend, our joy doubles; when we share sorrow, it becomes half.

“It redoubleth joys and cutteth griefs in halves.”

Friendship helps the mind stay cheerful and strong, just as happiness strengthens the body. Without friendship, people become heavy-hearted and unhappy.

2. The Second Fruit – For the Understanding

The second benefit of friendship is for the understanding — that is, for clear thinking and good judgment.
Bacon says a true friend brings “daylight in the understanding out of darkness and confusion of thoughts.”
When we share our problems with a wise friend, we see things more clearly and can make better decisions.

Talking to a friend, says Bacon, is more useful than a day’s meditation, because two minds together can find wiser solutions than one alone.
But a friend can give good advice only when he knows our situation fully. Otherwise, his advice might confuse rather than guide us.

3. The Third Fruit – For the Business of Life

The third benefit of friendship is practical help in worldly affairs.
Bacon says:

“A friend is another himself.”

A true friend can act as one’s representative or “deputy.”
He can continue a man’s unfinished work after his death or help him in duties he cannot perform himself.
In this way, friendship extends a person’s influence and power.

A friend is a second self who shares one’s responsibilities and helps in both personal and public life.
Bacon ends with a memorable line:

“Where a man cannot fitly play his own part, if he have not a friend, he may quit the stage.”

This means that without friendship, a person cannot lead a complete and meaningful life.

Conclusion

In “Of Friendship,” Bacon shows that friendship is not just a comfort but a necessity for a happy life.
It provides emotional relief, mental clarity, and practical assistance. A true friend doubles one’s joys, halves one’s sorrows, gives honest advice, and helps in life’s duties.

Bacon warns against false or excessive friendship, but he celebrates genuine friendship as one of the greatest treasures of human life.
In his words, a friend is “more than oneself,” and without friendship, life is lonely, limited, and empty.