192 Bacon 



though I think very untruly, by a nuncio of the pope, 

 returning from a certain nation where he served as lidger; 

 whose opinion being asked touching the appointment of 

 one to go in his place, he wished that in any case they did 

 not send one that was too wise ; because no very wise man 

 would ever imagine what they in that country were like 

 to do. And certainly it is an error frequent for men to 

 shoot over, and to suppose deeper ends and more compass- 

 reaches than are: the Italian proverb being elegant, and 

 for the most part true : 



Di danari, di senno, e di fede, 

 Ce ne manco che non credi. 



There is commonly less money, less wisdom, and less good 

 faith than men do account upon. 



But princes, upon a far other reason, are best interpreted 

 by their natures, and private persons by their ends. For 

 princes being at the top of human desires, they have for 

 the most part no particular ends whereto they aspire, by 

 distance from which a man might take measure and scale 

 of the rest of their actions and desires ; which is one of the 

 causes that maketh their hearts more inscrutable. 1 Neither 

 is it sufficient to inform ourselves in men s ends and natures, 

 of the variety of them only, but also of the predominancy, 

 what humour reigneth most, and what end is principally 

 sought. For so we see, when Tigellinus saw himself out 

 stripped by Petronius Turpilianus in Nero s humours of 

 pleasures, metus ejus rimatur, 2 he wrought upon Nero s 

 fears, whereby he brake the other s neck. 



But to all this part of inquiry the most compendious way 

 resteth in three things: the first, to have general acquain 

 tance and inwardness with those which have general 

 acquaintance and look most into the world ; and especially 

 according to the diversity of business, and the diversity of 

 persons, to have privacy and conversation with some one 

 friend at least which is perfect and well intelligenced in every 

 several kind. The second is, to keep a good mediocrity in 



1 Prov. xxv. 3. 



2 Tacit. Ann. xiv. 57. Mr. Markby notices that Tacitus speaks 

 &quot; of the intrigues of Tigellinus against Plautus and Sulla, by which 

 he induced Nero to have both of them murdered. Petronius Tur 

 pilianus was put to death by Galba, solely because he had enjoyed 

 Nero s confidence. Vid. Tacit. Hist. i. 6.&quot; 



