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Saint Paul, when he boasts of himself, he doth oft interlace, "I speak like a fool"; but speaking of his calling, he saith "magnificabo apostolatum meum."

Complete. From "Essays Civil and Moral.»

I'

OF VAINGLORY

T WAS prettily devised of Æsop: The fly sat upon the axletree of the chariot wheel, and said, What a dust do I raise! So are there some vain persons, that whatsoever goeth alone, or moveth upon greater means, if they have never so little hand in it, they think it is they that carry it. They that are glorious must needs be factious; for all bravery stands upon comparisons. They must needs be violent to make good their own vaunts: neither can they be secret, and therefore not effectual; but according to the French proverb, "Beaucoup de bruit, peu de fruit," much bruit, little fruit. Yet certainly there is use of this quality in civil affairs: where there is an opinion, and fame to be created, either of virtue or greatness, these men are good trumpeters. Again, as Titus Livius noteth, in the case of Antiochus and the tolians, there are sometimes great effects of cross-lies; as if a man that negotiates between two princes, to draw them to join in a war against the third, doth extol the forces of either of them above measure, the one to the other: and sometimes he that deals between man and man raiseth his own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either. And in these and the like kinds, it often falls out, that somewhat is produced of nothing; for lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance.

In military commanders and soldiers, vainglory is an essential point; for as iron sharpens iron, so by glory one courage sharpeneth another: in cases of great enterprise, upon charge and adventure, a composition of glorious natures doth put life into business; and those that are of solid and sober natures have more of the ballast than of the sail. In fame of learning, the flight will be slow, without some feathers of ostentation: « Qui de contemnenda gloria libros scribunt, nomen suum inscribunt.» Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, were men full of ostentation. Certainly vainglory helpeth to perpetuate a man's memory; and virtue was never so beholden to human nature, as it received its due at the

second-hand. Neither had the fame of Cicero, Seneca, Plinius Secundus, borne her age so well, if it had not been joined with some vanity in themselves: like unto varnish that makes ceilings not only shine, but last. But all this while, when I speak of vainglory I mean not of that property that Tacitus doth attribute to Mucianus, « omnium, quæ dixerat, feceratque arte quadam ostentator": for that proceeds not of vanity, but of natural magnanimity and discretion; and in some persons is not only comely, but gracious. For excusations, cessions, modesty itself well governed, are but arts of ostentation. And amongst those arts, there is none better than that which Plinius Secundus speaketh of; which is to be liberal of praise and commendation to others, in that wherein a man's self hath any perfection. For, saith Pliny, very wittily, "in commending another you do yourself right; for he that you commend is either superior to you in that you commend, or inferior. If he be inferior, if he be to be commended, you much more. If he be superior, if he be not to be commended, you much less." Glorious men are the scorn of wise men, the admiration of fools, the idols of parasites, and slaves of their own vaunts.

Complete. From "Essays Civil and Moral.»

THE

OF HONOR AND REPUTATION

HE winning of honor is but the revealing of a man's virtue and worth without disadvantage. For some in their actions do woo and affect honor and reputation; which sort of men are commonly much talked of, but inwardly little admired. And some, contrariwise, darken their virtue in the show of it; so as they be undervalued in opinion. If a man perform that which hath not been attempted before, or attempted and given over, or hath been achieved, but not with so good circumstance, he shall purchase more honor than by effecting a matter of greater difficulty or virtue, wherein he is but a follower. If a man so temper his actions, as in some one of them he doth content every faction or combination of people, the music will be the fuller. A man is an ill husband of his honor that entereth into any action, the failing wherein may disgrace him more than the carrying of it through can honor him. Honor that is gained and broken upon another hath the quickest reflection, like dia

monds cut with fascets. And therefore let a man contend to excel any competitors of his in honor, in outshooting them, if he can, in their own bow. Discreet followers and servants help much to reputation: "omnis fama a domesticis emanat.» Envy, which is the canker of honor, is best extinguished by declaring a man's self in his ends, rather to seek merit than fame; and by attributing a man's successes rather to Divine Providence and felicity, than to his own virtue or policy. The true marshaling of the degrees of sovereign honor are these. In the first place are Conditores Imperiorum, founders of states and commonwealths: such as were Romulus, Cyrus, Cæsar, Ottoman, Ismael. In the second place are legislators, lawgivers, which are also called second founders, or Perpetui Principes, because they govern by their ordinances, after they are gone: such were Lycurgus, Solon, Justinian, Edgar, Alphonsus of Castile the wise, that made the Siete partidas. In the third place are Liberatores, or Salvatores, such as compound the long miseries of civil wars, or deliver their countries from servitude of strangers or tyrants: as Augustus Cæsar, Vespasianus, Aurelianus, Theodoricus, King Henry VII. of England, King Henry IV. of France. In the fourth place are Propagatores, or Propugnatores Imperii, such as in honorable wars enlarge their territories, or make noble defense against invaders. And in the last place are Patres Patriæ, which reign justly and make the times good wherein they live. Both which last kinds need no examples, they are in such number. Degrees of honor in subjects are: first, Participes Curarum, those upon whom princes do discharge the greatest weight of their affairs; their right hands, as we call them. The next are Duces Belli, great leaders; such as are prince's lieutenants, and do them notable services in the wars. The third are Gratiosi, favorites, such as exceed not this scantling, to be solace to the sovereign, and harmless to the people. And the fourth, Negotiis Pares, such as have great places under princes, and execute their places with sufficiency. There is an honor likewise, which may be ranked amongst the greatest, which happeneth rarely: that is, of such as sacrifice themselves to death or danger for the good of their country; as was M. Regulus and the two Decii.

Complete. From "Essays Civil and Moral.>>

T

OF ANGER

We will first speak be angry may be

O SEEK to extinguish anger utterly is but a bravery of Stoics. We have better oracles: "Be angry, but sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger." Anger must be limited and confined, both in race and in time. how the natural inclination and habit to attempered and calmed. Secondly, how the particular motions. of anger may be repressed, or at least refrained from doing mischief. Thirdly, how to raise anger, or appease anger, in another.

For the first, there is no other way but to meditate and ruminate well upon the effects of anger, how it troubles man's life. And the best time to do this is to look back upon anger when the fit is thoroughly over. Seneca saith well that "Anger is like ruin, which breaks itself upon that it falls." exhorteth us "to possess our souls in patience." out of patience is out of possession of his soul. turn bees:

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The Scripture Whosoever is Men must not

Anger is certainly a kind of baseness, as it appears well in the weakness of those subjects in whom it reigns: children, women, old folks, sick folks. Only men must beware that they carry their anger rather with scorn than with fear, so they may seem rather to be above the injury than below it. Which is a thing easily done, if a man will give law to himself in it.

For the second point, the causes and motives of anger are chiefly three. First, to be too sensible of hurt. For no man is angry that feels not himself hurt; and therefore tender and delicate persons must needs be oft angry, they have so many things to trouble them, which more robust natures have little sense of. The next is the apprehension and construction of the injury offered to be, in the circumstances thereof, full of contempt. For contempt is that which putteth an edge upon anger, as much or more than the hurt itself. And therefore, when men are ingenious in picking out circumstances of contempt, they do kindle their anger much. Lastly, opinion of the touch of a man's reputation doth multiply and sharpen anger. Wherein the remedy is that a man should have, as Consalvo was wont to say, "telam honoris crassiorem." But in all refrainings of anger it is the best

remedy to win time, and to make a man's self believe that the opportunity of his revenge is not yet come, but that he foresees. a time for it, and so to still himself in the meantime and reserve it.

To contain anger from mischief, though it take hold of a man, there be two things whereof you must have special caution. The one, of extreme bitterness of words, especially if they be aculeate and proper; for communia maledicta are nothing so much; and again, that in anger a man reveal no secrets, for that makes them not fit for society. The other, that you do not peremptorily break off, in any business, in a fit of anger: but howsoever you show bitterness, do not act anything that is not revocable.

For raising and appeasing anger in another, it is done chiefly by choosing of times: when men are frowardest and worst disposed, to incense them; again, by gathering, as was touched before, all that you can find out to aggravate the contempt: and the two remedies are by the contraries. The former, to take good times when first to relate to a man an angry business; for the first impression is much. And the other is to sever, as much as may be, the construction of the injury, from the point of contempt, imputing it to misunderstanding, fear, passion, or what you will.

Complete. From "Essays Civil and Moral. »

I

OF RICHES

CANNOT call riches better than the baggage of virtue. The Roman word is better,-impedimenta. For as the baggage is to an army, so are riches to virtue. It cannot be spared, nor left behind, but it hindereth the march; yea, and the care of it sometimes loseth or disturbeth the victory. Of great riches there is no real use, except it be in the distribution; the rest is but conceit. So saith Solomon, "Where much is, there are many to consume it; and what hath the owner, but the sight of it with his eyes?" The personal fruition in any man cannot reach to feel great riches; there is a custody of them; or a power of dole and donative of them; or a fame of them; but no solid use to the owner. Do you not see what feigned prices are set upon little stones and rareties? And what works of ostentation are undertaken, because there might seem to be some use of great

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