De sapientia veterum by Francis Bacon

Bacchus was the son of Semele by Jupiter. She having been burned to death by the godhead she demanded to behold in her lover, Jove received their unborn child into his though, whence it came forth a girl-faced boy destined to conquer the world. Bacchus was educated by Proserpine and himself became an educator as well as a conqueror, teaching men how to cultivate vineyards and make wine; whereby becoming famous and illustrious, he subjugated the whole world and advanced to the furthest limits of India. He was borne in a chariot drawn by tigers; about him tripped certain deformed demons called Cobali – Acratus and others. The Muses joined also in his train. He took to wife Ariadne, whom Theseus had abandoned and deserted. His sacred tree was the Ivy. He was accounted likewise the inventor and founder of sacred rites and ceremonies; yet such as were fanatical and full of corruption and cruel besides. He had power to excite phrensy. At least it was by women excited to phrensy in his orgies that two illustrious persons, Pentheus and Orpheus, are said to have been torn to pieces; the one having climbed a tree to see what they were doing, the other in the act of striking his lyre. Moreover, the actions of this god are often confounded by Jupiter. Under the person of Bacchus is described the nature of desire and passion and perturbation. For the mother of all desire, even the most noxious, is nothing else than the appetite and aspiration for apparent good: and the conception of it is always in some unlawful wish, rashly granted before it has been understood and weighed. But as the passion warms, its mother (that is the nature of good) not able to endure the heat of it, is destroyed and perishes in the flame. Ivy was rightly consecrated to Bacchus, for the master passion spreads itself like ivy about all human actions and resolutions, forcing itself in and mixing itself up with them. Likewise it is aptly said that the god came to life again after death, for the passions seem sometimes to be laid asleep and extinguished, but no trust can be placed in them, no, no through they be buried; for give them matter and occasion and they will rise up again. Tigers are kept in the stall of passion – that is to say Bacchus – and yoked to his chariot, for as soon as passion ceases to go on foot and comes to ride in his chariot, as in celebration of its victory and triumph over reason, then is it cruel, savage and pitiless towards everything that stands in its way. Again, there is humor in making those ridiculous demons dance about the chariot: for every passion produces motions in the eyes, and indeed in the whole countenance and gesture, which are uncomely, unsettled, skipping and deformed; insomuch that when a man under the influence of any passion, as anger, scorn, love or the like seems most grand and imposing in his own eyes, to the lookers on he appears unseemly and ridiculous. And again that part of the allegory is especially noble which represents Bacchus as lavishing his love upon one whom another man has cast off. For most certain it is that passion ever seeks and aspires after that which experience has rejected. And let all men who in the heat of pursuit and indulgence are ready to give any price for the fruition of their passion, know this – that whatever be the object of their pursuit, be it honor or fortune or love or glory or knowledge, or what it will, they are paying court to things cast off – things which many men in all times have tried, and upon trial rejected with disgust.

– Francis Bacon (1561-1626), De sapientia veterum XIII