"In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie." "Ashes are good for somewhat, for lees, for salts; but I hope I am rather embers than ashes, having the heat of good affections under Sonnet 73 (1609). the ashes of my fortunes." - Letter to King James (1622). The word " adamant" is from the Greek ádápas, meaning anything very hard, or incapable of being broken, dissolved, or penetrated. It was first used as the name of the hardest metal, probably steel, and subsequently of the diamond, the latter (diamant) being indeed a mere variation of it. In mediæval Latin, however, it came to signify the loadstone or magnet, perhaps because the word was thought to have been derived from adamare, to have a likeness for, to draw. In this perverted sense it made its way in the fourteenth century into the English language, though it had been correctly used there for a period of five hundred years preceding. Wyclif, Chaucer, Coverdale, Gower, Greene, and many other writers had so used it. Bacon and Shake-speare were among the last and most conspicuous to fall victims to the blunder. I served my king, he would not pleased the king, he had not been TASTED, CHEWED, SWALLOWED, AND DIGESTED "How shall we stretch our eye, when capital crimes, chew'd, swallow'd, and digested, appear before us?" - Henry V., ii. 2 (1600). "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.". Essay of Studies (1598). 326 CHAMELEON FEEDING ON AIR From Shake-speare "The chameleon, Love, can feed on the air." Two Gentlemen of Verona, ii. 1 (1623), From Bacon "Some that have kept chameleons a whole year together could never perceive that they fed upon "Valentine. He is a kind of cha- anything but air."- Sylva Sylmeleon. Thurio. That hath more mind to feed on your blood than live in your air."— Ibid., ii. 4. "Hamlet. The chameleon's dish feed on the air." Hamlet, iii. 2 (1603). varum (1622-25). HOW SWEET MUSIC AFFECTS THE SPIRITS "I am never merry when I hear sweet music. The reason is, your spirits are at tentive." Merchant of Venice, v. 1 (1600). 333 "Some noises help sleep, as soft singing; the cause is, they move in the spirit a gentle attention."- Sylva Sylvarum (1622 25). SEA OF TROUBLES "To take arms against a sea of troubles." Hamlet iii. 4 (1604). "A sea of multitude." — Apothegm. Hamlet's phrase, "sea of troubles," has caused the commentators great perplexity. Pope, thinking it a typographical error, proposed to substitute siege of troubles; Forrest so rendered it on the stage. Another commentator preferred an assail of troubles. It requires, however, but a glance at Bacon's writings, in which the word "sea" is used over and over again for "host" or "multitude," to redeem the passage. Bacon evidently adopted it from the Greek, κακῶν πέλαγος. In the expression "sea of multitude," Bacon refers to the large army with which Charles VIII. invaded Italy, against which it would have been perfectly proper to say, if historically true, that the people "took arms." What wound did ever heal but by reap at once, but must prepare degrees? Thou know'st we work by wit, and not by witchcraft, And wit depends on dilatory time." business and so ripen it by degrees." Essay of Negotiating (1625). "I give Time his due, which is to discover truth." - Conference Othello, ii. 3 (1622). of Pleasure (1592). 336 HOLY-WATER "Court holy-water in a dry house is better than this rain-water out o' door." - King Lear, iii. 2 (1608). "He was no brewer of holy-water in court." "Your lordship is no dealer in holy-water, but noble and real.". Letter to Salisbury (1607). |