ESAJOS DE FRANCIS BACON
Sur la belia · Sur la desformi · Sur la mori · Sur studias · Sur la superstisio · Sur la suspeta · Sur la venja · Sur la veria

Sur la mori

par Francis Bacon

traduida par Andrew Burns

OMES teme la mori, como enfantes teme vade a en la oscur; e como on aumenta acel teme natural entre enfantes con racontas, tal con la otra. Serta, la contempla de la mori como la salario per peca e la pasaje a un otra mundo es santa e relijiosa; ma la teme de lo, como un tribui debe a natur, es debil. An tal, en medita relijiosa, on ave a veses un misca de vania e superstisio. On leje en alga de la libros per frates sur la disiplina de la carne, ce un om debe pensa a se sur la dole de cuando on presa o tortura sola sua punto de dito e par acel imajina la doles de la mori cuando tota la corpo dejenera e disolve; ma frecuente la mori aveni con min dole ca la tortura de un membro, car la partes la plu vival no es la plu rapida per sensa. E par el ci ia parla sola como un filosofiste, e un om de natur, lo es bon diseda: Pompa mortis magis terret, quam mors ipsa. [La parade de la mori asusta plu ca la mori mesma.] Jemis, e convulsas, e un fas descolorida, e amis plorante, e vestes negra, e la rituo funeral, e tal cosas, portrae la mori como asustante. Lo merita oserva ce on ave no sufri en la mente de un om tan debil, ma lo compete contra e domina la teme de la mori; e donce la mori no es un enemi tan asustante cuando un om ave tan multe atendores sirca se ci pote gania la combate con el. La venja vinse la mori; la ama insulta lo; la onora aspira lo; la dol vola a lo; la teme preocupa lo: no, on leje ce pos cuando imperor Otho ia mata se, la compatia (cual es la plu dulse de emosias) ia provoca multe a la mori mera par causa de compatia per sua autoriosa, e como la tipo la plu vera de seguores. No, Seneca ajunta, la atendosia e la plenia: Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mor velle, non tantum fortis, aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus potest. [Pensa como frecuente tu fa la mesma cosa; no sola la corajosa, o la misera, ma ance la atendosa pote vole mori.] ¹ Un om ta vole mori, no car el es corajosa o misera, ma sola par causa de la fatiga causada par fa tan multe e sempre denova la mesma cosa. Lo merita no min oserva ce la prosimi de la mori causa un cambia tan peti en bon umor, car los pare la mesma omes asta la momento ultima. Augusto Cesar ia mori en loda: Livia, conjugii nostra memor, vive et vale. [Livia, memori nosa sposia, vive e vade bon.] Tiberio en engana, como Tacito dise sur el: Jam Tiberium vires et corpus, non dissimulatio, deserebant. [La forte e la corpo de Tiberio, no la engana, ia parti.] Vespasio en broma e sur vason: Ut puto Deus fio. [Car me pensa ce me deveni un Dio.] Galba con un frase: Feri, si ex re sit populi Romani. [Colpa, si lo benefica la popla roman.] con sua colo estendeda. Setimo Severo en trata consernas: Adeste, si quid mihi restat agendum. [Es presente si cosas cual me debe fa resta.] E tal cosas. Serta la stoicas ia atribui un custa tro multe a la mori, e par sua prepara grande los ia fa ce lo pare plu asustante. Plu bon, on dise, el qui finem vitae extremum inter munera ponat naturae. [ci regarda la fini de vive como entre la beneficas de natur.] Mori es tan natural como nase; e per la enfante peti, cisa, la un es tan dolosa como la otra. El ci mori a media de un emprende seria es como algun ferida en sangue calda, ci senti apena la dole tra alga tempo; e donce un mente fisada e dedicada a alga bon cosa evita la dole de la mori. Ma, supra tota, crede ce la canta la plu dulse es Nunc dimittis [Aora tu envia a via] pos cuando un om ateni un gol e ojeto valuada. La mori ave ance esta: lo abri la porton de bon fama e estingui la invia. Extinctus amabitur idem. [Pos sua mori on va ama la mesma om.]²

MEN fear death, as children fear to go into the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other. Certainly, the contemplation of death, as the wages of sin, and passage to another world, is holy and religious; but the fear of it, as a tribute due unto nature, is weak. Yet in religious meditations, there is sometimes mixture of vanity and of superstition. You shall read in some of the friars’ books of mortification, that a man should think with himself, what the pain is, if he have but his finger’s end pressed or tortured; and thereby imagine what the pains of death are, when the whole body is corrupted and dissolved; when many times death passeth with less pain than the torture of a limb: for the most vital parts are not the quickest of sense. And by him that spake only as a philosopher, and natural man, it was well said, Pompa mortis magis terret, quam mors ipsa. Groans, and convulsions, and a discoloured face, and friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like, show death terrible. It is worthy the observing, that there is no passion in the mind of man so weak, but it mates and masters the fear of death; and therefore death is no such terrible enemy when a man hath so many attendants about him that can win the combat of him. Revenge triumphs over death; love slights it; honour aspireth to it; grief flieth to it; fear pre-occupateth it: nay, we read, after Otho the emperor had slain himself, pity (which is the tenderest of affections) provoked many to die out of mere compassion to their sovereign, and as the truest sort of followers. Nay, Seneca adds, niceness and satiety: Cogita quamdiu eadem feceris; mori velle, non tantum fortis, aut miser, sed etiam fastidiosus potest. A man would die, though he were neither valiant nor miserable, only upon a weariness to do the same thing so oft and over and over. It is no less worthy to observe, how little alteration in good spirits the approach of death make: for they appear to be the same men till the last instant. Augustus Cæsar died in a compliment: Livia, conjugii nostra memor, vive et vale. Tiberius in dissimulation, as Tacitus saith of him, Jam Tiberium vires et corpus, non dissimulatio, deserebant:” Vespasian in a jest, sitting upon the stool, Ut puto Deus fio: Galba with a sentence, Feri, si ex re sit populi Romani, holding forth his neck: Septimus Severus in despatch, Adeste, si quid mihi restat agendum, and the like. Certainly the Stoics bestowed too much cost upon death, and by their great preparations made it appear more fearful. Better, saith he, qui finem vitæ extremum inter munera ponat naturæ. It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other. He that dies in an earnest pursuit, is like one that is wounded in hot blood; who, for the time, scarce feels the hurt; and therefore a mind fixed and bent upon somewhat that is good, doth avert the dolours of death; but, above all, believe it, the sweetest canticle is, Nunc dimittis when a man hath obtained worthy ends and expectations. Death hath this also, that it openeth the good fame, and extinguisheth envy. Extinctus amabitur idem.

¹ Letera LXXVII

² Horatio, Leteras II