gives authority but takes away peace and freedom A man in power must obey a higher command He cannot act as he wishes Bacon himself as Lord Chancellor of England had great power but little freedom He also says that power is dangerous because it makes a man a public figure Everyone watches his words and actions Powerful people cannot rest Their life is full of rules duties and pressure Yet Bacon believes power is useful if it is used rightly To him true power means the ability to do good He writes Power to do good is the true and lawful end of aspiring Thus power is not for pride or wealth but for service to others Ambition- The Desire to Rise Bacon sees ambition as a strong force in human life It makes men rise to high places but also gives them pain He says The rising unto place is laborious and by pains men come to greater pains To gain power men work hard suffer insults and face envy Bacon warns that ambition often destroys peace It drives men to struggle flatter and even cheat to reach success But he also admits that ambition can be good if it is guided by reason and virtue Without ambition no man can achieve greatness With blind ambition a man loses rest and happiness Bacon s own life is an example He rose to the top but fell in disgrace for corruption From his experience he learned that ambition without honesty leads to ruin He advises that ambition must serve good purposes not selfish goals True ambition is not to rule others but to serve them wisely Morality- The True Purpose of Power and Ambition For Bacon morality gives meaning to power and ambition Without virtue both become empty and dangerous He says moral ideas must become real actions A ruler must use his power for justice kindness and truth Bacon warns against four vices of authority Delays corruption roughness and facility He asks rulers to act on time reject bribes be gentle and stay strong in decisions He also says A place showeth the man Power reveals a man s true nature If a man is good honor will make him better If he is bad power will make him worse He praises those people whose character improves with responsibility Bacon teaches that virtue must control ambition He says Honor is or should be the place of virtue Only moral power brings peace of mind When a ruler uses power for good deeds he serves both God and people In Of Great Place Bacon links power ambition and morality Power brings duty ambition gives energy and morality shows the right path He warns that ambition without virtue is dangerous and power without goodness is slavery True greatness lies in using power for good ruling oneself wisely and serving others with honesty