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FRANCIS BACON'S CRYPTIC RHYMES 171
Then the Essay goes on to relate how ridiculous it
is, and how wise persons made " Sport " of one whose
" Boldnesse," savouring somewhat of a certain ab
surdity, suffers a defeat. The words of the Essay run
thus :
Especially, it is a Sport to see, when a Bold Fellow is out
of Countenance ;
For that puts his Face, into a most Shruncken,
and woodden Posture ;
As needes is must ;
For in Bashfulnesse,
the Spirits doe a little goe and come ;
but with Bold Men, upon
like occasion, they stand at a stay ; Like a Stale at Chesse,
where it is no Mate, but yet the Game cannot stirre. But this
last, were fitter for a Satyre, then for a serious Observation.
Here again the whole passage
is
composed of verses
comically rhymed, which would run on smoothly
throughout if, in place of the words " into a most
Shruncken, and woodden Posture" which, for a
moment, interrupt the rhyme and the measure, we
were to substitute the words that suggest themselves :
"into a grimace," which is the name we give to such
a posture even to-day.
Here are the lines set in verse form :
Especially,
it's a Sport to see,
when a Bold Fellow 's out of Countenance ;
For that puts his Face,
into a (most Shruncken, and woodden Posture ?)
grimace ;
As needes it must ;
For in Bashfulnesse,
the Spirits doe
a little goe
and come ;
but with Bold Men, upon like occasion,
they stand at a stay; Like a Stale at Chesse,
where it is no Mate, but yet the Game cannot stirre.
But this last, were fitter for a Satyre,
then for a serious Observation.