Letusnowspeakoftheinconveniencesofcoun—
sel，andoftheremedies.Theinconveniencesthathavebeennoted，incallingandusingcounsel，arethree.First，therevealingofaffairs，wherebytheybecomelesssecret.Secondly，theweakeningoftheauthorityofprinces，asiftheywerelessofthem—
selves.Thirdly，thedangerofbeingunfaithfullycounselled，andmoreforthegoodofthemthatcounsel，thanofhimthatiscounselled.Forwhichinconveniences，thedoctrineofItaly，andpracticeofFrance，insomekings’times，hathintroducedcabinetcounsels;aremedyworsethanthedisease.
Astosecrecy;princesarenotboundtocommu—
nicateallmatters，withallcounsellors;butmayextractandselect.Neitherisitnecessary，thathethatconsultethwhatheshoulddo，shoulddeclarewhathewilldo.Butletprincesbeware，thattheunsecretingoftheiraffairs，comesnotfromthem—
selves.Andasforcabinetcounsels，itmaybetheirmotto，plenusrimarumsum：onefutileperson，thatmakethithisglorytotell，willdomorehurtthanmany，thatknowittheirdutytoconceal.Itistruetherebesomeaffairs，whichrequireextremesecrecy，whichwillhardlygobeyondoneortwopersons，besidestheking：neitherarethosecoun—
selsunprosperous;for，besidesthesecrecy，theyconunonlygoonconstantly，inonespiritofdirec—
tion，withoutdistraction.Butthenitmustbeaprudentking，suchasisabletogrindwithahand—
mill;andthoseinwardcounsellorshadneedalsobewisemen，andespeciallytrueandtrustytotheking’sends;asitwaswithKingHenrytheSeventhofEngland，who，inhisgreatbusiness，impartedhimselftonone，exceptitweretoMortonandFox.
Forweakeningofauthority;thefableshoweththeremedy.Nay，themajestyofkings，isratherexaltedthandiminished，whentheyareinthechairofcounsel;neitherwasthereeverprince，be—
reavedofhisdependences，byhiscounsel，exceptwheretherehathbeen，eitheranover—greatnessinonecounsellor，oranover—strictcombinationindivers;whicharethingssoonfound，andholpen.
Forthelastinconvenience，thatmenwillcoun—
sel，withaneyetothemselves;certainly，noninvenietfidemsuperterramismeant，ofthena—
tureoftimes，andnotofallparticularpersons.
Therebe，thatareinnaturefaithful，andsincere，andplain，anddirect;notcraftyandinvolved;letprinces，aboveall，drawtothemselvessuchna—
tures.Besides，counsellorsarenotcommonlysounited，butthatonecounsellor，keepethsentineloveranother;sothatifanydocounseloutoffac—
tionorprivateends，itcommonlycomestotheking’sear.Butthebestremedyis，ifprincesknowtheircounsellors，aswellastheircounsellorsknowthem：
Principisestvirtusmaximanossesuos.
Andontheotherside，counsellorsshouldnotbetoospeculativeintotheirsovereign’sperson.Thetruecompositionofacounsellor，israthertobeskilfulintheirmaster’sbusiness，thaninhisna—
ture;forthenheisliketoadvisehim，andnotfeedhishumor.Itisofsingularusetoprinces，iftheytaketheopinionsoftheircounsel，bothseparatelyandtogether.Forprivateopinionismorefree;
butopinionbeforeothers，ismorereverent.Inprivate，menaremoreboldintheirownhumors;
andinconsort，menaremoreobnoxioustoothers’
humors;thereforeitisgoodtotakeboth;andoftheinferiorsort，ratherinprivate，topreservefree—
dom;ofthegreater，ratherinconsort，topreserverespect.Itisinvainforprinces，totakecounselconcerningmatters，iftheytakenocounsellike—
wiseconcerningpersons;forallmattersareasdeadimages;andthelifeoftheexecutionofaf—
fairs，restethinthegoodchoiceofpersons.Neitherisitenough，toconsultconcerningpersonssecun—
dumgenera，asinanidea，ormathematicalde—
scription，whatthekindandcharacterofthepersonshouldbe;forthegreatesterrorsarecom—
mitted，andthemostjudgmentisshown，inthechoiceofindividuals.Itwastrulysaid，optimicon—
siliariimortui：bookswillspeakplain，whencoun—
sellorsblanch.Thereforeitisgoodtobeconversantinthem，speciallythebooksofsuchasthemselveshavebeenactorsuponthestage.
Thecounselsatthisday，inmostplaces，arebutfamiliarmeetings，wheremattersarerathertalkedon，thandebated.Andtheyruntooswift，totheorder，oract，ofcounsel.Itwerebetterthatincausesofweight，thematterwerepropoundedoneday，andnotspokentotillthenextday;innocteconsilium.SowasitdoneintheCommissionofUnion，betweenEnglandandScotland;whichwasagraveandorderlyassembly.Icommendsetdaysforpetitions;forbothitgivesthesudtorsmorecertaintyfortheirattendance，anditfreesthemeetingsformattersofestate，thattheymayhocagere.Inchoiceofcommittees;forripeningbusi—
nessforthecounsel，itisbettertochooseindifferentpersons，thantomakeanindifferency，byputtinginthose，thatarestrongonbothsides.Icommendalsostandingcommissions;asfortrade，fortreas—
ure，forwar，forsuits，forsomeprovinces;forwheretherebediversparticularcounsels，andbutonecounselofestate（asitisinSpain），theyare，ineffect，nomorethanstandingcommissions：savethattheyhavegreaterauthority.Letsuchasaretoinformcounsels，outoftheirparticularprofes—
sions（aslawyers，seamen，mintmen，andthelike）
befirstheardbeforecommittees;andthen，asoc—
casionserves，beforethecounsel.Andletthemnotcomeinmultitudes，orinatribunitiousmanner;
forthatistoclamorcounsels，nottoinformthem.
Alongtableandasquaretable，orseatsaboutthewalls，seemthingsofform，butarethingsofsub—
stance;foratalongtableafewattheupperend，ineffect，swayallthebusiness;butintheotherform，thereismoreuseofthecounsellors’opinions，thatsitlower.Aking，whenhepresidesincounsel，lethimbewarehowheopenshisowninclinationtoomuch，inthatwhichhepropoundeth;forelsecounsellorswillbuttakethewindofhim，andin—
steadofgivingfreecounsel，singhimasongofplacebo.
OfDelaysOfDelaysFORTUNEislikethemarket;wheremanytimesifyoucanstayalittle，thepricewillfall.
Again，itissometimeslikeSibylla’soffer;whichatfirst，offereththecommodityatfull，thencon—
sumethpartandpart，andstillholdethuptheprice.Foroccasion（asitisinthecommonverse）
turnethabaldnoddle，aftershehathpresentedherlocksinfront，andnoholdtaken;oratleastturneththehandleofthebottle，firsttobereceived，andafterthebelly，whichishardtoclasp.Thereissurelynogreaterwisdom，thanwelltotimethebeginnings，andonsets，ofthings.Dangersarenomorelight，iftheyonceseemlight;andmoredan—
gershavedeceivedmen，thanforcedthem.Nay，itwerebetter，tomeetsomedangershalfway，thoughtheycomenothingnear，thantokeeptoolongawatchupontheirapproaches;forifamanwatchtoolong，itisoddshewillfallasleep.Ontheotherside，tobedeceivedwithtoolongshadows（assomehavebeen，whenthemoonwaslow，andshoneontheirenemies’back），andsotoshootoffbeforethetime;ortoteachdangerstocomeon，byoverearlybucklingtowardsthem;isanotherex—
treme.Theripeness，orunripeness，oftheoccasion（aswesaid）musteverbewellweighed;andgener—
allyitisgood，tocommitthebeginningsofallgreatactionstoArgus，withhishundredeyes，andtheendstoBriareus，withhishundredhands;firsttowatch，andthentospeed.ForthehelmetofPluto，whichmakeththepoliticmangoinvisible，issecrecyinthecounsel，andcelerityintheexecu—
tion.Forwhenthingsareoncecometotheexecu—
tion，thereisnosecrecy，comparabletocelerity;
likethemotionofabulletintheair，whichfliethsoswift，asitoutrunstheeye.
OfCunningOfCunningWETAKEcunningforasinisterorcrookedwisdom.Andcertainlythereisagreatdif—
ference，betweenacunningman，andawiseman;
notonlyinpointofhonesty，butinpointofability.
Therebe，thatcanpackthecards，andyetcannotplaywell;sotherearesomethataregoodincan—
vassesandfactions，thatareotherwiseweakmen.
Again，itisonethingtounderstandpersons，andanotherthingtounderstandmatters;formanyareperfectinmen’shumors，thatarenotgreatlycapableoftherealpartofbusiness;whichistheconstitutionofonethathathstudiedmen，morethanbooks.Suchmenarefitterforpractice，thanforcounsel;andtheyaregood，butintheirownalley：turnthemtonewmen，andtheyhavelosttheiraim;soastheoldrule，toknowafoolfromawiseman，Mitteambosnudosadignotos，etvide—
bis，dothscarceholdforthem.Andbecausethesecunningmen，arelikehaberdashersofsmallwares，itisnotamisstosetforththeirshop.
Itisapointofcunning，towaituponhimwithwhomyouspeak，withyoureye;astheJesuitsgiveitinprecept：fortherebemanywisemen，thathavesecrethearts，andtransparentcountenances.
Yetthiswouldbedonewithademureabasingofyoureye，sometimes，astheJesuitsalsodouse.
Anotheris，thatwhenyouhaveanythingtoobtain，ofpresentdespatch，youentertainandamusetheparty，withwhomyoudeal，withsomeotherdiscourse;thathebenottoomuchawaketomakeobjections.Iknewacounsellorandsecre—
tary，thatnevercametoQueenElizabethofEng—
land，withbillstosign，buthewouldalwaysfirstputherintosomediscourseofestate，thatshemoughtthelessmindthebills.
Thelikesurprisemaybemadebymovingthings，whenthepartyisinhaste，andcannotstaytoconsideradvisedlyofthatismoved.
Ifamanwouldcrossabusiness，thathedoubtssomeotherwouldhandsomelyandeffectuallymove，lethimpretendtowishitwell，andmoveithimselfinsuchsortasmayfoilit.
Thebreakingoff，inthemidstofthatonewasabouttosay，asifhetookhimselfup，breedsagreaterappetiteinhimwithwhomyouconfer，toknowmore.
Andbecauseitworksbetter，whenanythingseemethtobegottenfromyoubyquestion，thanifyouofferitofyourself，youmaylayabaitforaquestion，byshowinganothervisage，andcounte—
nance，thanyouarewont;totheendtogiveocca—
sion，forthepartytoask，whatthematterisofthechange？AsNehemiasdid;AndIhadnotbeforethattime，beensadbeforetheking.
Inthingsthataretenderandunpleasing，itisgoodtobreaktheice，bysomewhosewordsareoflessweight，andtoreservethemoreweightyvoice，tocomeinasbychance，sothathemaybeaskedthequestionupontheother’sspeech：asNarcissusdid，relatingtoClaudiusthemarriageofMessa—
linaandSilius.
Inthingsthatamanwouldnotbeseeninhim—
self，itisapointofcunning，toborrowthenameoftheworld;astosay，Theworldsays，orThereisaspeechabroad.
Iknewonethat，whenhewrotealetter，hewouldputthat，whichwasmostmaterial，inthepostscript，asifithadbeenaby—matter.
Iknewanotherthat，whenhecametohavespeech，hewouldpassoverthat，thatheintendedmost;andgoforth，andcomebackagain，andspeakofitasofathing，thathehadalmostforgot.
Someprocurethemselves，tobesurprised，atsuchtimesasitislikethepartythattheyworkupon，willsuddenlycomeuponthem;andtobefoundwithaletterintheirhand，ordoingsome—
whatwhichtheyarenotaccustomed;totheend，theymaybeapposedofthosethings，whichofthemselvestheyaredesiroustoutter.
Itisapointofcunning，toletfallthosewordsinaman’sownname，whichhewouldhaveanothermanlearn，anduse，andthereupontakeadvan—
tage.Iknewtwo，thatwerecompetitorsforthesecretary’splaceinQueenElizabeth’stime，andyetkeptgoodquarterbetweenthemselves;andwouldconfer，onewithanother，uponthebusi—
ness;andtheoneofthemsaid，Thattobeasecre—
tary，inthedeclinationofamonarchy，wasaticklishthing，andthathedidnotaffectit：theotherstraightcaughtupthosewords，anddis—
coursedwithdiversofhisfriends，thathehadnoreasontodesiretobesecretary，inthedeclinationofamonarchy.Thefirstmantookholdofit，andfoundmeansitwastoldtheQueen;who，hearingofadeclinationofamonarchy，tookitsoill，asshewouldneverafterhearoftheother’ssuit.
Thereisacunning，whichweinEnglandcall，theturningofthecatinthepan;whichis，whenthatwhichamansaystoanother，helaysitasifanotherhadsaidittohim.Andtosaytruth，itisnoteasy，whensuchamatterpassedbetweentwo，tomakeitappearfromwhichofthemitfirstmovedandbegan.
Itisawaythatsomemenhave，toglanceanddartatothers，byjustifyingthemselvesbynega—
tives;astosay，ThisIdonot;asTigellinusdidtowardsBurrhus，Senondiversasspes，sedincolu—
mitatemimperatorissimpliciterspectare.
Somehaveinreadinesssomanytalesandstories，asthereisnothingtheywouldinsinuate，buttheycanwrapitintoatale;whichservethbothtokeepthemselvesmoreinguard，andtomakeotherscarryitwithmorepleasure.Itisagoodpointofcunning，foramantoshapetheanswerhewouldhave，inhisownwordsandpropositions;
foritmakestheotherpartysticktheless.
Itisstrangehowlongsomemenwilllieinwaittospeaksomewhattheydesiretosay;andhowfarabouttheywillfetch;andhowmanyothermat—
terstheywillbeatover，tocomenearit.Itisathingofgreatpatience，butyetofmuchuse.
Asudden，bold，andunexpectedquestiondothmanytimessurpriseaman，andlayhimopen.
Liketohimthat，havingchangedhisname，andwalkinginPaul’s，anothersuddenlycamebehindhim，andcalledhimbyhistruename，whereatstraightwayshelookedback.
Butthesesmallwares，andpettypoints，ofcun—
ning，areinfinite;anditwereagooddeedtomakealistofthem;forthatnothingdothmorehurtinastate，thanthatcunningmenpassforwise.
Butcertainlysometherearethatknowthere—
sortsandfallsofbusiness，thatcannotsinkintothemainofit;likeahousethathathconvenientstairsandentries，butneverafairroom.Therefore，youshallseethemfindoutprettyloosesinthecon—
clusion，butarenowaysabletoexamineordebatematters.Andyetcommonlytheytakeadvantageoftheirinability，andwouldbethoughtwitsofdirection.Somebuildratherupontheabusingofothers，and（aswenowsay）puttingtricksuponthem，thanuponsoundnessoftheirownproceed—
ings.ButSolomonsaith，Prudensadvertitadgres—
sussuos;stultusdivertitaddolos.
OfWisdomFORAMAN’SSELF
OfWisdomFORAMAN’SSELF
ANANTisawisecreatureforitself，butitisashrewdthing，inanorchardorgarden.Andcertainly，menthataregreatloversofthemselves，wastethepublic.Dividewithreason;betweenself—
loveandsociety;andbesotruetothyself，asthoubenotfalsetoothers;speciallytothykingandcountry.Itisapoorcentreofaman’sactions，him—
self.Itisrightearth.Forthatonlystandsfastuponhisowncentre;whereasallthings，thathaveaf—
finitywiththeheavens，moveuponthecentreofanother，whichtheybenefit.Thereferringofalltoaman’sself，ismoretolerableinasovereignprince;becausethemselvesarenotonlythem—
selves，buttheirgoodandevilisattheperilofthepublicfortune.Butitisadesperateevil，inaser—
vanttoaprince，oracitizeninarepublic.Forwhatsoeveraffairspasssuchaman’shands，hecrookeththemtohisownends;whichmustneedsbeofteneccentrictotheendsofhismaster，orstate.
Therefore，letprinces，orstates，choosesuchser—
vants，ashavenotthismark;excepttheymeantheirserviceshouldbemadebuttheaccessory.
Thatwhichmakeththeeffectmorepernicious，isthatallproportionislost.Itweredisproportionenough，fortheservant’sgoodtobepreferredbe—
forethemaster’s;butyetitisagreaterextreme，whenalittlegoodoftheservant，shallcarrythingsagainstagreatgoodofthemaster’s.Andyetthatisthecaseofbadofficers，treasurers，ambassadors，generals，andotherfalseandcorruptservants;
whichsetabiasupontheirbowl，oftheirownpettyendsandenvies，totheoverthrowoftheirmaster’sgreatandimportantaffairs.Andforthemostpart，thegoodsuchservantsreceive，isafterthemodeloftheirownfortune;butthehurttheysellforthatgood，isafterthemodeloftheirmaster’sfortune.Andcertainlyitisthenatureofextremeself—lovers，astheywillsetanhouseonfire，anditwerebuttoroasttheireggs;andyetthesemenmanytimesholdcreditwiththeirmasters，becausetheirstudyisbuttopleasethem，andprofitthemselves;andforeitherrespect，theywillaban—
donthegoodoftheiraffairs.
Wisdomforaman’sselfis，inmanybranchesthereof，adepravedthing.Itisthewisdomofrats，thatwillbesuretoleaveahouse，somewhatbeforeitfall.Itisthewisdomofthefox，thatthrustsoutthebadger，whodiggedandmaderoomforhim.
Itisthewisdomofcrocodiles，thatshedtearswhentheywoulddevour.Butthatwhichisspeciallytobenotedis，thatthosewhich（asCicerosaysofPompey）aresuiamantes，sinerivali，aremanytimesunfortunate.Andwhereastheyhave，alltheirtimes，sacrificedtothemselves，theybecomeintheend，themselvessacrificestotheinconstancyoffortune，whosewingstheythought，bytheirself—wisdom，tohavepinioned.
OfInnovationsOfInnovationsASTHEbirthsoflivingcreatures，atfirstareill—
shapen，soareallinnovations，whicharethebirthsoftime.Yetnotwithstanding，asthosethatfirstbringhonorintotheirfamily，arecommonlymoreworthythanmostthatsucceed，sothefirstprecedent（ifitbegood）isseldomattainedbyimitation.Forill，toman’snature，asitstandsperverted，hathanaturalmotion，strongestincon—
tinuance;butgood，asaforcedmotion，strongestatfirst.Surelyeverymedicineisaninnovation;
andhethatwillnotapplynewremedies，mustexpectnewevils;fortimeisthegreatestinnovator;
andiftimeofcoursealterthingstotheworse，andwisdomandcounselshallnotalterthemtothebetter，whatshallbetheend？Itistrue，thatwhatissettledbycustom，thoughitbenotgood，yetatleastitisfit;andthosethingswhichhavelonggonetogether，are，asitwere，confederatewithinthemselves;whereasnewthingspiecenotsowell;
butthoughtheyhelpbytheirutility，yettheytroublebytheirinconformity.Besides，theyarelikestrangers;moreadmired，andlessfavored.Allthisistrue，iftimestoodstill;whichcontrariwisemovethsoround，thatafrowardretentionofcus—
tom，isasturbulentathingasaninnovation;andtheythatreverencetoomucholdtimes，arebutascorntothenew.Itweregood，therefore，thatmenintheirinnovationswouldfollowtheexampleoftimeitself;whichindeedinnovatethgreatly，butquietly，bydegreesscarcetobeperceived.Forotherwise，whatsoeverisnewisunlookedfor;andeveritmendssome，andpairsothers;andhethatisholpen，takesitforafortune，andthanksthetime;andhethatishurt，forawrong，andimput—
ethittotheauthor.Itisgoodalso，nottotryexperi—
mentsinstates，exceptthenecessitybeurgent，ortheutilityevident;andwelltobeware，thatitbethereformation，thatdrawethonthechange，andnotthedesireofchange，thatpretendeththerefor—
mation.Andlastly，thatthenovelty，thoughitbenotrejected，yetbeheldforasuspect;and，astheScripturesaith，thatwemakeastandupontheancientway，andthenlookaboutus，anddiscoverwhatisthestraightandrightway，andsotowalkinit.
OfDispatchOfDispatchAFFECTEDdispatchisoneofthemostdanger—
ousthingstobusinessthatcanbe.Itislikethat，whichthephysicianscallpredigestion，orhastydigestion;whichissuretofillthebodyfullofcrudities，andsecretseedsofdiseases.Thereforemeasurenotdispatch，bythetimesofsitting，butbytheadvancementofthebusiness.Andasinracesitisnotthelargestrideorhighliftthatmakesthespeed;soinbusiness，thekeepingclosetothematter，andnottakingofittoomuchatonce，pro—
curethdispatch.Itisthecareofsome，onlytocomeoffspeedilyforthetime;ortocontrivesomefalseperiodsofbusiness，becausetheymayseemmenofdispatch.Butitisonething，toabbreviatebycontracting，anotherbycuttingoff.Andbusinesssohandled，atseveralsittingsormeetings，goethcommonlybackwardandforwardinanunsteadymanner.Iknewawisemanthathaditforaby—
word，whenhesawmenhastentoaconclusion，Stayalittle，thatwemaymakeanendthesooner.
Ontheotherside，truedispatchisarichthing.
Fortimeisthemeasureofbusiness，asmoneyisofwares;andbusinessisboughtatadearhand，wherethereissmalldispatch.TheSpartansandSpaniardshavebeennotedtobeofsmalldispatch;
MivengalamuertedeSpagna;LetmydeathcomefromSpain;forthenitwillbesuretobelongincoming.
Givegoodhearingtothose，thatgivethefirstinformationinbusiness;andratherdirecttheminthebeginning，thaninterrupttheminthecon—
tinuanceoftheirspeeches;forhethatisputoutofhisownorder，willgoforwardandbackward，andbemoretedious，whilehewaitsuponhismemory，thanhecouldhavebeen，ifhehadgoneoninhisowncourse.Butsometimesitisseen，thatthemoderatorismoretroublesome，thantheactor.
Iterationsarecommonlylossoftime.Butthereisnosuchgainoftime，astoiterateoftenthestateofthequestion;foritchasethawaymanyafrivo—
lousspeech，asitiscomingforth.Longandcuriousspeeches，areasfitfordispatch，asarobeormantle，withalongtrain，isforrace.Prefacesandpas—
sages，andexcusations，andotherspeechesofrefer—
encetotheperson，aregreatwastesoftime;andthoughtheyseemtoproceedofmodesty，theyarebravery.Yetbewareofbeingtoomaterial，whenthereisanyimpedimentorobstructioninmen’swills;forpre—occupationofmindeverrequirethprefaceofspeech;likeafomentationtomaketheunguententer.
Aboveallthings，order，anddistribution，andsinglingoutofparts，isthelifeofdispatch;soasthedistributionbenottoosubtle：forhethatdothnotdivide，willneverenterwellintobusiness;andhethatdividethtoomuch，willnevercomeoutofitclearly.Tochoosetime，istosavetime;andanun—
seasonablemotion，isbutbeatingtheair.Therebethreepartsofbusiness;thepreparation，thedebateorexamination，andtheperfection.Whereof，ifyoulookfordispatch，letthemiddleonlybetheworkofmany，andthefirstandlasttheworkoffew.Theproceedinguponsomewhatconceivedinwriting，dothforthemostpartfacilitatedispatch：
forthoughitshouldbewhollyrejected，yetthatnegativeismorepregnantofdirection，thananindefinite;asashesaremoregenerativethandust.
OfSeemingWiseOfSeemingWiseITHATHbeenanopinion，thattheFrencharewiserthantheyseem，andtheSpaniardsseemwiserthantheyare.Buthowsoeveritbebetweennations，certainlyitissobetweenmanandman.
ForastheApostlesaithofgodliness，Havingashowofgodliness，butdenyingthepowerthereof;
socertainlythereare，inpointofwisdomandsuf—
ficiently，thatdonothingorlittleverysolemnly：
magnoconatunugas.Itisaridiculousthing，andfitforasatiretopersonsofjudgment，toseewhatshiftstheseformalistshave，andwhatprospectivestomakesuperficiestoseembody，thathathdepthandbulk.Somearesocloseandreserved，astheywillnotshowtheirwares，butbyadarklight;andseemalwaystokeepbacksomewhat;andwhentheyknowwithinthemselves，theyspeakofthattheydonotwellknow，wouldneverthelessseemtoothers，toknowofthatwhichtheymaynotwellspeak.Somehelpthemselveswithcountenanceandgesture，andarewisebysigns;asCicerosaithofPiso，thatwhenheansweredhim，hefetchedoneofhisbrowsuptohisforehead，andbenttheotherdowntohischin;Respondes，alteroadfron—
temsublato，alteroadmentumdepressosuper—
cilio，crudelitatemtibinonplacere.Somethinktobearitbyspeakingagreatword，andbeingper—
emptory;andgoon，andtakebyadmittance，thatwhichtheycannotmakegood.Some，whatsoeverisbeyondtheirreach，willseemtodespise，ormakelightofit，asimpertinentorcurious;andsowouldhavetheirignoranceseemjudgment.Someareneverwithoutadifference，andcommonlybyamusingmenwithasubtilty，blanchthematter;
ofwhomA.Gelliussaith，Hominemdelirum，quiverborumminutiisrerumfrangitpondera.Ofwhichkindalso，Plato，inhisProtagoras，bringethinProdiusinscorn，andmakethhimmakeaspeech，thatconsistethofdistinctionfromthebe—
ginningtotheend.Generally，suchmeninalldeliberationsfindeasetobeofthenegativeside，andaffectacredittoobjectandforetelldifficul—
ties;forwhenpropositionsaredenied，thereisanendofthem;butiftheybeallowed，itrequirethanewwork;whichfalsepointofwisdomisthebaneofbusiness.Toconclude，thereisnodecayingmer—
chant，orinwardbeggar，hathsomanytrickstoupholdthecreditoftheirwealth，astheseemptypersonshave，tomaintainthecreditoftheirsuf—
ficiency.Seemingwisemenmaymakeshifttogetopinion;butletnomanchoosethemforemploy—
ment;forcertainlyyouwerebettertakeforbusi—
ness，amansomewhatabsurd，thanover—formal.
OfFriendshipOfFriendshipITHADbeenhardforhimthatspakeittohaveputmoretruthanduntruthtogetherinfewwords，thaninthatspeech，Whatsoeverisdelightedinsolitude，iseitherawildbeastoragod.Foritismosttrue，thatanaturalandsecrethatred，andaversationtowardssociety，inanyman，hathsomewhatofthesavagebeast;butitismostun—
true，thatitshouldhaveanycharacteratall，ofthedivinenature;exceptitproceed，notoutofapleas—
ureinsolitude，butoutofaloveanddesiretosequesteraman’sself，forahigherconversation：
suchasisfoundtohavebeenfalselyandfeignedlyinsomeoftheheathen;asEpimenidestheCan—
dian，NumatheRoman，EmpedoclestheSicilian，andApolloniusofTyana;andtrulyandreally，indiversoftheancienthermitsandholyfathersofthechurch.Butlittledomenperceivewhatsoli—
tudeis，andhowfaritextendeth.Foracrowdisnotcompany;andfacesarebutagalleryofpic—
tures;andtalkbutatinklingcymbal，wherethereisnolove.TheLatinadagemeetethwithitalittle：Magnacivitas，magnasolitudo;becauseinagreattownfriendsarescattered;sothatthereisnotthatfellowship，forthemostpart，whichisinlessneighborhoods.Butwemaygofurther，andaffirmmosttruly，thatitisamereandmiserablesolitudetowanttruefriends;withoutwhichtheworldisbutawilderness;andeveninthissensealsoofsolitude，whosoeverintheframeofhisnatureandaffections，isunfitforfriendship，hetakethitofthebeast，andnotfromhumanity.
Aprincipalfruitoffriendship，istheeaseanddischargeofthefulnessandswellingsoftheheart，whichpassionsofallkindsdocauseandinduce.
Weknowdiseasesofstoppings，andsuffocations，arethemostdangerousinthebody;anditisnotmuchotherwiseinthemind;youmaytakesarzatoopentheliver，steeltoopenthespleen，flowersofsulphurforthelungs，castoreumforthebrain;
butnoreceiptopeneththeheart，butatruefriend;
towhomyoumayimpartgriefs，joys，fears，hopes，suspicions，counsels，andwhatsoeverliethuponthehearttooppressit，inakindofcivilshriftorconfession.
Itisastrangethingtoobserve，howhigharategreatkingsandmonarchsdosetuponthisfruitoffriendship，whereofwespeak：sogreat，astheypurchaseit，manytimes，atthehazardoftheirownsafetyandgreatness.Forprinces，inregardofthedistanceoftheirfortunefromthatoftheirsubjectsandservants，cannotgatherthisfruit，ex—
cept（tomakethemselvescapablethereof）theyraisesomepersonstobe，asitwere，companionsandalmostequalstothemselves，whichmanytimessortethtoinconvenience.Themodernlan—
guagesgiveuntosuchpersonsthenameoffavor—
ites，orprivadoes;asifitwerematterofgrace，orconversation.ButtheRomannameattaineththetrueuseandcausethereof，namingthemparti—
cipescurarum;foritisthatwhichtieththeknot.
Andweseeplainlythatthishathbeendone，notbyweakandpassionateprincesonly，butbythewisestandmostpoliticthateverreigned;whohaveoftentimesjoinedtothemselvessomeoftheirservants;whomboththemselveshavecalledfriends，andallowedotherlikewisetocalltheminthesamemanner;usingthewordwhichisre—
ceivedbetweenprivatemen.
L.Sylla，whenhecommandedRome，raisedPompey（aftersurnamedtheGreat）tothatheight，thatPompeyvauntedhimselfforSylla’sover—
match.Forwhenhehadcarriedtheconsulshipforafriendofhis，againstthepursuitofSylla，andthatSylladidalittleresentthereat，andbegantospeakgreat，Pompeyturneduponhimagain，andineffectbadehimbequiet;forthatmoremenadoredthesunrising，thanthesunsetting.WithJuliusCaesar，DecimusBrutushadobtainedthatinterestashesethimdowninhistestament，forheirinremainder，afterhisnephew.Andthiswasthemanthathadpowerwithhim，todrawhimforthtohisdeath.ForwhenCaesarwouldhavedischargedthesenate，inregardofsomeillpres—
ages，andspeciallyadreamofCalpurnia;thismanliftedhimgentlybythearmoutofhischair，tellinghimhehopedhewouldnotdismissthesenate，tillhiswifehaddreamtabetterdream.
Anditseemethhisfavorwassogreat，asAntonius，inaletterwhichisrecitedverbatiminoneofCicero’sPhilippics，callethhimvenefica，witch;
asifhehadenchantedCaesar.AugustusraisedAgrippa（thoughofmeanbirth）tothatheight，aswhenheconsultedwithMaecenas，aboutthemar—
riageofhisdaughterJulia，Maecenastookthelibertytotellhim，thathemusteithermarryhisdaughtertoAgrippa，ortakeawayhislife;therewasnothirdway，hehadmadehimsogreat.WithTiberiusCaesar，Sejanushadascendedtothatheight，astheytwoweretermed，andreckoned，asapairoffriends.Tiberiusinalettertohimsaith，Haecproamicitianostranonoccultavi;andthewholesenatededicatedanaltartoFriendship，astoagoddess，inrespectofthegreatdearnessoffriendship，betweenthemtwo.Thelike，ormore，wasbetweenSeptimiusSeverusandPlautianus.
ForheforcedhiseldestsontomarrythedaughterofPlautianus;andwouldoftenmaintainPlau—
tianus，indoingaffrontstohisson;anddidwritealsoinalettertothesenate，bythesewords：Ilovethemansowell，asIwishhemayover—liveme.
NowiftheseprinceshadbeenasaTrajan，oraMarcusAurelius，amanmighthavethoughtthatthishadproceededofanabundantgoodnessofnature;butbeingmensowise，ofsuchstrengthandseverityofmind，andsoextremeloversofthemselves，asallthesewere，itprovethmostplainlythattheyfoundtheirownfelicity（thoughasgreataseverhappenedtomortalmen）butasanhalfpiece，excepttheymoughthaveafriend，tomakeitentire;andyet，whichismore，theywereprincesthathadwives，sons，nephews;andyetallthesecouldnotsupplythecomfortoffriend—
ship.
Itisnottobeforgotten，whatComineusobserv—
ethofhisfirstmaster，DukeCharlestheHardy，namely，thathewouldcommunicatehissecretswithnone;andleastofall，thosesecretswhichtroubledhimmost.Whereuponhegoethon，andsaiththattowardshislattertime，thatclosenessdidimpair，andalittleperishhisunderstanding.
SurelyComineusmoughthavemadethesamejudgmentalso，ifithadpleasedhim，ofhissecondmaster，LewistheEleventh，whoseclosenesswasindeedhistormentor.TheparableofPythagorasisdark，buttrue;Corneedito;Eatnottheheart.
Certainly，ifamanwouldgiveitahardphrase，thosethatwantfriends，toopenthemselvesunto，arecarnnibalsoftheirownhearts.Butonethingismostadmirable（wherewithIwillconcludethisfirstfruitoffriendship），whichis，thatthiscom—
municatingofaman’sselftohisfriend，workstwocontraryeffects;foritredoublethjoys，andcuttethgriefsinhalves.Forthereisnoman，thatimpartethhisjoystohisfriend，buthejoyeththemore;andnomanthatimpartethhisgriefstohisfriend，buthegrieveththeless.Sothatitisintruth，ofoperationuponaman’smind，oflikevirtueasthealchemistsusetoattributetotheirstone，forman’sbody;thatitworkethallcontraryeffects，butstilltothegoodandbenefitofnature.Butyetwithoutprayinginaidofalchemists，thereisamanifestimageofthis，intheordinarycourseofnature.Forinbodies，unionstrengthenethandcherishethanynaturalaction;andontheotherside，weakenethanddullethanyviolentimpres—
sion：andevensoitisofminds.
Thesecondfruitoffriendship，ishealthfulandsovereignfortheunderstanding，asthefirstisfortheaffections.Forfriendshipmakethindeedafairdayintheaffections，fromstormandtempests;butitmakethdaylightintheunderstanding，outofdarkness，andconfusionofthoughts.Neitheristhistobeunderstoodonlyoffaithfulcounsel，whichamanreceivethfromhisfriend;butbeforeyoucometothat，certainitis，thatwhosoeverhathhismindfraughtwithmanythoughts，hiswitsandunderstandingdoclarifyandbreakup，inthecommunicatinganddiscoursingwithanother;hetossethhisthoughtsmoreeasily;hemarshalleththemmoreorderly，heseethhowtheylookwhentheyareturnedintowords：finally，hewaxethwiserthanhimself;andthatmorebyanhour’sdiscourse，thanbyaday’smeditation.ItwaswellsaidbyThemistocles，tothekingofPersia，ThatspeechwaslikeclothofArras，openedandputabroad;wherebytheimagerydothappearinfigure;whereasinthoughtstheyliebutasinpacks.Neitheristhissecondfruitoffriendship，inopeningtheunderstanding，restrainedonlytosuchfriendsasareabletogiveamancounsel;
（theyindeedarebest;）butevenwithoutthat，amanlearnethofhimself，andbringethhisownthoughtstolight，andwhettethhiswitsasagainstastone，whichitselfcutsnot.Inaword，amanwerebetterrelatehimselftoastatua，orpicture，thantosufferhisthoughtstopassinsmother.
Addnow，tomakethissecondfruitoffriendshipcomplete，thatotherpoint，whichliethmoreopen，andfallethwithinvulgarobservation;whichisfaithfulcounselfromafriend.Heraclitussaithwellinoneofhisenigmas，Drylightiseverthebest.Andcertainitis，thatthelightthatamanreceivethbycounselfromanother，isdrierandpurer，thanthatwhichcomethfromhisownunderstandingandjudgment;whichiseverin—
fused，anddrenched，inhisaffectionsandcustoms.
Soasthereisasmuchdifferencebetweenthecoun—
sel，thatafriendgiveth，andthatamangivethhimself，asthereisbetweenthecounselofafriend，andofaflatterer.Forthereisnosuchflattererasisaman’sself;andthereisnosuchremedyagainstflatteryofaman’sself，asthelibertyofafriend.
Counselisoftwosorts：theoneconcerningman—
ners，theotherconcerningbusiness.Forthefirst，thebestpreservativetokeepthemindinhealth，isthefaithfuladmonitionofafriend.Thecallingofaman’sselftoastrictaccount，isamedicine，some—
timetoopiercingandcorrosive.Readinggoodbooksofmorality，isalittleflatanddead.Observ—
ingourfaultsinothers，issometimesimproperforourcase.Butthebestreceipt（best，Isay，towork，andbesttotake）istheadmonitionofafriend.
Itisastrangethingtobehold，whatgrosserrorsandextremeabsurditiesmany（especiallyofthegreatersort）docommit，forwantofafriendtotellthemofthem;tothegreatdamagebothoftheirfameandfortune：for，asSt.Jamessaith，theyareasmenthatlooksometimesintoaglass，andpres—
entlyforgettheirownshapeandfavor.Asforbusiness，amanmaythink，ifhewin，thattwoeyesseenomorethanone;orthatagamesterseethalwaysmorethanalooker—on;orthatamaninanger，isaswiseashethathathsaidoverthefourandtwentyletters;orthatamusketmaybeshotoffaswelluponthearm，asuponarest;andsuchotherfondandhighimaginations，tothinkhim—
selfallinall.Butwhenallisdone，thehelpofgoodcounsel，isthatwhichsettethbusinessstraight.
Andifanymanthinkthathewilltakecounsel，butitshallbebypieces;askingcounselinonebusiness，ofoneman，andinanotherbusiness，ofanotherman;itiswell（thatistosay，better，per—
haps，thanifheaskednoneatall）;butherunnethtwodangers：one，thatheshallnotbefaithfullycounselled;foritisararething，exceptitbefromaperfectandentirefriend，tohavecounselgiven，butsuchasshallbebowedandcrookedtosomeends，whichhehath，thatgivethit.Theother，thatheshallhavecounselgiven，hurtfulandunsafe（thoughwithgoodmeaning），andmixedpartlyofmischiefandpartlyofremedy;evenasifyouwouldcallaphysician，thatisthoughtgoodforthecureofthediseaseyoucomplainof，butisunac—
quaintedwithyourbody;andthereforemayputyouinwayforapresentcure，butoverthrowethyourhealthinsomeotherkind;andsocurethedisease，andkillthepatient.Butafriendthatiswhollyacquaintedwithaman’sestate，willbe—
ware，byfurtheringanypresentbusiness，howhedashethuponotherinconvenience.Andthereforerestnotuponscatteredcounsels;theywillratherdistractandmislead，thansettleanddirect.
Afterthesetwonoblefruitsoffriendship（peaceintheaffections，andsupportofthejudgment），followeththelastfruit;whichislikethepome—
granate，fullofmanykernels;Imeanaid，andbearingapart，inallactionsandoccasions.Herethebestwaytorepresenttolifethemanifolduseoffriendship，istocastandseehowmanythingsthereare，whichamancannotdohimself;andthenitwillappear，thatitwasasparingspeechoftheancients，tosay，thatafriendisanotherhim—
self;forthatafriendisfarmorethanhimself.
Menhavetheirtime，anddiemanytimes，inde—
sireofsomethingswhichtheyprincipallytaketoheart;thebestowingofachild，thefinishingofawork，orthelike.Ifamanhaveatruefriend，hemayrestalmostsecurethatthecareofthosethingswillcontinueafterhim.Sothatamanhath，asitwere，twolivesinhisdesires.Amanhathabody，andthatbodyisconfinedtoaplace;butwherefriendshipis，allofficesoflifeareasitweregrantedtohim，andhisdeputy.Forhemayexercisethembyhisfriend.Howmanythingsaretherewhichamancannot，withanyfaceorcomeliness，sayordohimself？Amancanscarceallegehisownmeritswithmodesty，muchlessextolthem;amancannotsometimesbrooktosupplicateorbeg;andanumberofthelike.Butallthesethingsaregrace—
ful，inafriend’smouth，whichareblushinginaman’sown.Soagain，aman’spersonhathmanyproperrelations，whichhecannotputoff.Amancannotspeaktohissonbutasafather;tohiswifebutasahusband;tohisenemybutuponterms：
whereasafriendmayspeakasthecaserequires，andnotasitsortethwiththeperson.Buttoenu—
meratethesethingswereendless;Ihavegiventherule，whereamancannotfitlyplayhisownpart;
ifhehavenotafriend，hemayquitthestage.
OfExpenseOfExpenseRICHESareforspending，andspendingforhonorandgoodactions.Thereforeextra—
ordinaryexpensemustbelimitedbytheworthoftheoccasion;forvoluntaryundoing，maybeaswellforaman’scountry，asforthekingdomofheaven.Butordinaryexpense，oughttobelimitedbyaman’sestate;andgovernedwithsuchregard，asitbewithinhiscompass;andnotsubjecttode—
ceitandabuseofservants;andorderedtothebestshow，thatthebillsmaybelessthantheestima—
tionabroad.Certainly，ifamanwillkeepbutofevenhand，hisordinaryexpensesoughttobebuttothehalfofhisreceipts;andifhethinktowaxrich，buttothethirdpart.Itisnobaseness，forthegreatesttodescendandlookintotheirownestate.
Someforbearit，notuponnegligencealone，butdoubtingtobringthemselvesintomelancholy，inrespecttheyshallfinditbroken.Butwoundscan—
notbecuredwithoutsearching.Hethatcannotlookintohisownestateatall，hadneedbothchoosewellthosewhomheemployeth，andchangethemoften;fornewaremoretimorousandlesssubtle.
Hethatcanlookintohisestatebutseldom，itbe—
hoovethhimtoturnalltocertainties.Amanhadneed，ifhebeplentifulinsomekindofexpense，tobeassavingagaininsomeother.Asifhebeplenti—
fulindiet，tobesavinginapparel;ifhebeplenti—
fulinthehall，tobesavinginthestable;andthelike.Forhethatisplentifulinexpensesofallkinds，willhardlybepreservedfromdecay.Inclearingofaman’sestate，hemayaswellhurthimselfinbeingtoosudden，asinlettingitrunontoolong.
Forhastyselling，iscommonlyasdisadvantage—
ableasinterest.Besides，hethatclearsatoncewillrelapse;forfindinghimselfoutofstraits，hewillreverttohiscustom：buthethatclearethbyde—
grees，inducethahabitoffrugality，andgainethaswelluponhismind，asuponhisestate.Cer—
tainly，whohathastatetorepair，maynotdespisesmallthings;andcommonlyitislessdishonor—
able，toabridgepettycharges，thantostooptopettygettings.Amanoughtwarilytobeginchargeswhichoncebegunwillcontinue;butinmattersthatreturnnot，hemaybemoremagnificent.
OftheTrueGREATNESSOFKINGDOMSANDESTATES
OftheTrueGREATNESSOFKINGDOMSANDESTATES
THEspeechofThemistoclestheAthenian，whichwashaughtyandarrogant，intakingsomuchtohimself，hadbeenagraveandwiseobservationandcensure，appliedatlargetoothers.
Desiredatafeasttotouchalute，hesaid，Hecouldnotfiddle，butyethecouldmakeasmalltown，agreatcity.Thesewords（holpenalittlewithametaphor）mayexpresstwodifferingabilities，inthosethatdealinbusinessofestate.Forifatruesurveybetakenofcounsellorsandstatesmen，theremaybefound（thoughrarely）thosewhichcanmakeasmallstategreat，andyetcannotfid—
dle;asontheotherside，therewillbefoundagreatmany，thatcanfiddleverycunningly，butyetaresofarfrombeingabletomakeasmallstategreat，astheirgiftlieththeotherway;tobringagreatandflourishingestate，toruinanddecay.Andcer—
tainlywhosedegenerateartsandshifts，wherebymanycounsellorsandgovernorsgainbothfavorwiththeirmasters，andestimationwiththevulgar，deservenobetternamethanfiddling;beingthingsratherpleasingforthetime，andgracefultothem—
selvesonly，thantendingtothewealandadvance—
mentofthestatewhichtheyserve.Therearealso（nodoubt）counsellorsandgovernorswhichmaybeheldsufficient（negotiispares），abletomanageaffairs，andtokeepthemfromprecipicesandmanifestinconveniences;whichneverthelessarefarfromtheabilitytoraiseandamplifyanestateinpower，means，andfortune.Butbetheworkmenwhattheymaybe，letusspeakofthework;thatis，thetruegreatnessofkingdomsandestates，andthemeansthereof.Anargumentfitforgreatandmightyprincestohaveintheirhand;totheendthatneitherbyover—measuringtheirforces，theyleesethemselvesinvainenterprises;norontheotherside，byundervaluingthem，theydescendtofearfulandpusillanimouscounsels.
Thegreatnessofanestate，inbulkandterritory，dothfallundermeasure;andthegreatnessoffinancesandrevenue，dothfallundercomputa—
tion.Thepopulationmayappearbymusters;andthenumberandgreatnessofcitiesandtownsbycardsandmaps.Butyetthereisnotanythingamongstcivilaffairsmoresubjecttoerror，thantherightvaluationandtruejudgmentconcerningthepowerandforcesofanestate.Thekingdomofheaveniscompared，nottoanygreatkernelornut，buttoagrainofmustard—seed：whichisoneoftheleastgrains，buthathinitapropertyandspirithastilytogetupandspread.Soaretherestates，greatinterritory，andyetnotapttoenlargeorcommand;andsomethathavebutasmalldimen—
sionofstem，andyetapttobethefoundationsofgreatmonarchies.