In an effort to educate myself, I am reading The Oxford Book of Essays, chosen and edited by John Gross. [copies for sale here] There’s 142 of the blighters, so it will take me all year. To make this “stick” I am going to blog each essay.
This essay is online
Who was the author: Francis Bacon 1561–1626
What happened the year they were born (and the C02 ppm): UFOs over Nuremberg. 270ppmish
The Big Events they were alive for: The Armada. Shakespeare. The death of Elizabeth, the rumblings towards the English Civil War. Galileo. Early colonies
What happened in the year they died (and the C02 ppm): The purchase of Manhattan etc. 270ish
My awareness of/appreciation of this author (if any): Mostly unfamiliar with him. Should probably read the Wikipedia entry closely?!
What’s the essay?
The essay is called “Of Revenge.” It’s 2 pages long. For me, the key take-aways were…
“Revenge” is largely illogical
Best line(s)
“That which is past is gone and irrevocable and wise men have enough to do with things present and to come; therefore they do but trifle with themselves, that labour in past matters.”
Well, maybe, but you’re also sending a signal to the dickhead that dickheadery has no consequences, which often leads to more and more dickheadery. (It may lead to more of it anyway, to be fair).
Also – as per Lady Macbeth…”what’s done is done, it cannot be undone”
“And if any man should do wrong merely out of ill-nature, why, yet it is but like the thorn or briar, which prick and scratch, because they can do no other.”
Well, pricks might learn to put a thimble on it if they receive robust feedback…
Obviously it is not one’s job to help some other mofo’s moral development, and you can take the whole holding a grudge thing too far (see the Viz character Barnaby Grudge for this).
Stuff I had to look up
| Allusion | Facts, dammit |
| Cosmus the duke of Florence | This guy? Cosimo I de’ Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. He built the Uffizi (office) to organize his administration, and conquered Siena to consolidate Florence’s rule in Tuscany. He expanded the Pitti Palace and most of the Boboli Gardens were also laid out during his reign. |
| Pertinax | Publius Helvius Pertinax (/ˈpɜːrtɪnæks/ PER-tin-ax; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. He succeeded Commodus and became the first ruler of the turbulent Year of the Five Emperors. After the assassination of Commodus, Pertinax was chosen emperor. He tried to restore discipline to the army and finances of the empire, but his reforms antagonised the Praetorian Guard, who killed him after just 87 days. He was later deified by Septimius Severus, who promoted his memory as part of his own rise to power. Ancient and modern assessments generally view Pertinax as a capable and conscientious ruler undone by circumstances. |
| The Death of Henry III of France | On 1 August 1589, Henry III lodged with his army at Saint-Cloud, and was preparing to attack Paris, when a young fanatical Dominican friar, Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to the king.[49] The friar gave the king a bundle of papers and stated that he had a secret message to deliver. The king signaled for his attendants to step back for privacy, and Clément whispered in his ear while plunging a knife into his abdomen.[49] Clément was then killed on the spot by the guards.[50]At first, the king’s wound did not appear fatal,[50] but he enjoined all the officers around him, in case he did not survive, to be loyal to Henry of Navarre as their new king. The following morning, on the day that he was to have launched his assault to retake Paris, Henry III died. |
Stuff worth thinking about.
xx
Connects to (watch this space – if there are later essays that resonate with this one, I’ll come back and add a link to the post for that essay).
marchudson.net 
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