Introduction → Best Friends → Best Masters and Servants → Not Best Subjects → Family and Duty → Conclusion
Francis Bacon wrote 'Of Marriage and Single Life' to weigh both sides of life. He says that unmarried men are best friends, best masters and best servants. But he adds that they are not always best subjects. This view shows his practical mind.
(বাংলায়: বেকন বলেন অবিবাহিত পুরুষ ভালো বন্ধু, প্রভু ও ভৃত্য হয়, কিন্তু সবসময় ভালো প্রজা নয়।)
An unmarried man has no wife or children to feed. So his money is less spent. He can help friends and the poor easily. Bacon says single men are often more charitable, because their means are less used up. He gives freely and has time for friendship. Friendship needs free time and an open hand. A single man has both.
(বাংলায়: পরিবারের খরচ নেই বলে অবিবাহিত মানুষ বন্ধুদের সাহায্য করতে পারে।)
A single man has fewer family troubles. As a master, he is free to give fair pay and kind treatment. As a servant, he gives all his time and care to his work. Home worries do not pull him away. That is why he serves well. Nothing holds him back from loyal service. This makes him a trusted worker and a fair employer.
(বাংলায়: পারিবারিক ঝামেলা নেই বলে সে ভালো প্রভু ও ভালো ভৃত্য।)
A good subject loves his country's future. But an unmarried man has no family tied to the land. Bacon says such men are 'light to run away'. He adds that almost all fugitives are of that kind. They can leave without pain. So the state cannot fully depend on them. Such men may leave the land in trouble.
(বাংলায়: পরিবার নেই বলে সে সহজে দেশ ছেড়ে পালাতে পারে, তাই সবসময় ভালো প্রজা নয়।)
Bacon says a man with wife and children has 'given hostages to fortune'. He must think of tomorrow. Family is a 'discipline of humanity'. It teaches duty, care and loyalty. A married man will guard the state, because his home is in it. So he is the better subject.
(বাংলায়: পরিবার মানুষকে দায়িত্ব ও আনুগত্য শেখায়, তাই বিবাহিত মানুষ ভালো প্রজা।)
So Bacon's line is true in many cases. Freedom makes a man a good friend, master and servant. But a family ties him to the nation. Bacon does not condemn single life. He only shows its limit for a citizen. This is the idea of the whole essay.
(বাংলায়: স্বাধীনতা বন্ধুত্বে সাহায্য করে, কিন্তু পরিবার মানুষকে দেশের সঙ্গে বাঁধে।)
| F | Friends | বন্ধু |
| M | Masters and servants | প্রভু ও ভৃত্য |
| S | Subjects (not best) | ভালো প্রজা নয় |
| D | Discipline of family | পরিবারের শৃঙ্খলা |
Must write the line 'hostages to fortune' and 'discipline of humanity'.
Easiest quote: 'Unmarried men are best friends, best masters, best servants, but not always best subjects.'
এই প্রশ্ন প্রতি বছর আসে, তাই 'light to run away' ও 'fugitives' ভালো করে মুখস্থ করুন।
Source: NU Guide · nuguidebd.com · #q-4657