Re oe 20 ee 
38 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [IV.12. — 
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that they fall under a popular observation and traduce- — 
erie nie of t not to be passed over. 
re 1. The first of these is the extreme affecting of 
two extremities: the one antiquity, the other novelty; 
wherein it seemeth the children of time do take after the 
nature and malice of the father. For as he devoureth 
his children, so one of them seeketh to devour and 
suppress the other; while antiquity envieth there should 
be new additions, and novelty cannot be content to add 
but it must deface: surely the advice of the prophet is 
_ the true direction in this matter, S/a/e super vias antiquas, 
et videte quenam sit via recta et bona et ambulate in ea. 
y — Antiquity deserveth that reverence, that men should make 
a stand thereupon and discover what is the best way; 
but when the discovery is well taken, then to make pro- 
gression. And to speak truly, Anfguitas seculi juventus 
mundi. These times are the ancient times, when the 
world is ancient, and not those which we account ancient 
ordine relrogrado, by a computation backward from our-~ 
selves. 
v 2. Another error induced by the former is a distrust 
that anything should be now to be found out, which 
* the world should have missed and passed over so long . 
time ; as if the same objection were to be made to time, 
that Lucian maketh to Jupiter and other the heathen 
gods; of which he wondereth that they begot so. many 
children in old time, and begot none in his time; and 
asketh whether they were become septuagenary, or 
whether the law Pafra, made against old men’s mar- 
riages, had restrained them. So it seemeth men doubt 
lest time is become past children and generation; 
wherein contrariwise we see commonly the levity and 
unconstancy of men’s judgements, which till a matter 
