I have no idea where this song is in the show, and the internet is not helping.
Summary: Be the good kind of religious, not an asshole.
Commentary:
The quarrels, and divisions about religion, were evils unknown to the heathen. The reason was, because the religion of the heathen, consisted rather in rites and ceremonies, than in any constant belief. For you may imagine, what kind of faith theirs was, when the chief doctors, and fathers of their church, were the poets. But the true God hath this attribute, that he is a jealous God; and therefore, his worship and religion,
Bacon is making a stunning argument for paganism here.
Short essay even shorter: religion is good when it brings us good things (fellowship, charity, etc.) Don't get overly freaked out about minor differences between groups (THE WINE IS BLOOD‽). Especially don't start religious wars over them.
This should've been in 15MAD, it was much better than most of the other religious readings.
Somehow, we were assigned A Few Good Men in 7th or 8th grade. Maybe it was just excerpts?
Summary: Truth is good, but lies can be fun (as long as you don't believe them).
Commentary:
This is going to be kind of like Fruits of Solitude, but with one number for the whole set instead of one per maxim. I think.
This is the oldest (actual prose) I've read so far (dating back to the 1500s, ) in the reading. Some of the Greek stuff is older, but it's translated into (oldish) modern English instead of EME. I'll manage, but it will slow me down a bit.. Also, gratuitous Latin.
One of the fathers, in great severity, called poesy vinum daemonum, because it fireth the imagination; and yet, it is but with the shadow of a lie.
POETRY IS DEMON WINE!
I like Bacon's distinction here between poetry, fantasy, etc. A lot of the "truthiness" writers wind up ranting about how plays are evil or something, but we can all be adults and realize Jack Nicholson isn't actually a murderous hotel custodian, asylum patient, colonel, etc.