Of Marriage and Single Life - Francis Bacon

Summary and Analysis
 In this essay, Bacon compares marriage and single life. He talks about the merits and demerits of both a married and a bachelor's life.


 Bacon starts with a sudden statement: "He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune." This means marriage stops a man from achieving great success.

Bacon supports his argument by saying that most great works for society are done by unmarried or childless men. These bachelors devote their life and love to the public.
 On the other hand, married men are always worried about their family's future. They work hard to earn money and keep their family running. If they become rich, they try to make their family's life luxurious.

Apart from these two kinds, there is another kind of men. Some unmarried men care only for themselves. They are not worried about the future.


 There are others who think wives and children are just a burden and extra expense. Some greedy men feel proud of having no children because they believe they are richer without them. For example, when they hear about a rich and a poor man, they blame the poor man's children for his lack of wealth.

Bacon then discusses the main benefit of single life is liberty. Single life is best for those who want to please themselves and who hate restrictions. Bacon says single life is best for people who think marriage is like wearing bonds and shackles.

Furthermore, Bacon says: "Unmarried men are best friends, best masters, best servants; but not always best subjects."
 They are best friends and masters because they have learned loyalty and leadership at home. But they are not the best subjects because they have less concern for the public.

In charity, bachelors are better because they spend less on family needs. Married men have to fulfill family expenses first before giving to charity.
 For judges and magistrates, it does not matter much whether they are married or not, because if they are corrupt, they will be bad anyway. Bacon even says that a corrupt servant is five times worse than a troublesome wife.

In the military, some generals used to give speeches (hortatives) to discourage marriage among soldiers, believing it made them stronger. Bacon says Turkish soldiers are an example of this, but they became base and weak without marriage.

Bacon also says that wife and children teach humanity. Married men become tender and caring, while single men are often hard-hearted because their jobs do not require tenderness.

Husbands who are serious and disciplined often become loving partners. On the other hand, chaste women are sometimes proud, believing their purity makes them superior. As Bacon says: "Chaste women are often proud and forward."
 But according to him, the best wife is one who has both chastity and obedience.

Bacon pays tribute to wives by saying: "Wives are young men's mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men's nurses."

At the end, in a humorous way, Bacon answers the question: When should a man marry? He says: "A young man not yet, an elder man not at all."

Finally, Bacon says that bad husbands often have very good wives. These wives value even small acts of kindness because they happen rarely. They are proud of their patience with bad husbands. Bacon also adds that if bad husbands had chosen their wives by themselves, they would have picked wives as bad as they are.