a man in a high position seems powerful but in truth he is bound by duties Power limits freedom A great man becomes the servant of others instead of the master of himself Servants of the Sovereign or State First a man in a great place must serve the sovereign or the state He cannot act freely according to his will He must obey his king queen or government So Bacon says It is a strange desire to seek power and to lose liberty In Bacon s time officials at the royal court of London were always under the command of Queen Elizabeth I or King James I Their work was to please the ruler and carry out orders not to express personal opinion Bacon means that even the most powerful minister is not truly free He may have wealth and authority but he is a servant to a higher command His position depends on the favor of the ruler One mistake or one wrong word can lead to his fall Bacon himself experienced this when he served as Lord Chancellor in England Servants of Fame Second Bacon says that men in high positions are servants of fame This means they live under the control of public opinion They always care about what people say and think about them They cannot act simply or freely like common people Every action word and decision is watched and judged by others Bacon says that great men often appear happy but they are not They find happiness only when others praise them To keep fame they must always show politeness wisdom and success They cannot express weakness or rest like ordinary men For example courtiers at Whitehall Palace worked hard to protect their image in front of the Queen and the people Their whole life was a stage of show and display Bacon shows that the desire for fame becomes another kind of slavery Servants of Business Third Bacon says great men are servants of business This means that people in power are always surrounded by official duties meetings and responsibilities They are servants to their work They cannot enjoy private life or peace of mind They must spend their days solving problems reading reports and making decisions Bacon observes that great men Have no freedom neither in their persons nor in their actions nor in their times They lose control over their own time Their life belongs to their office As high officers of the state they must always think of business law and public affairs They have no rest even in old age Bacon compares them to Old townsmen that will be still sitting at their street door They want to remain visible and active even when they should retire So Bacon says Retire men cannot when they would neither will they when it were reason Thus power becomes a heavy burden instead of a blessing In Of Great Place Bacon s line Men in great place are thrice servants shows that power brings duty not freedom Great men must serve their ruler their reputation and their business They live under command public opinion and heavy work Bacon teaches that true greatness lies not in ruling others but in ruling oneself with wisdom and goodness