— 
, 7 a ae ee 
+4 * 
64 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [VIl. 23+ 
great a glory to himself to observe and know the law of 
the heavens, as to give law to men upon the earth. 
24. So likewise in that book of his, Am-Ca/o, it may 
easily appear that he did aspire as well to victory of wit 
as victory of war: undertaking therein a conflict against 
the greatest champion with the pen that then lived, Cicero 
the orator. 
25. So again in his book of Apophthegms which he 
collected, we see that he esteemed it more honour to 
make himself but a pair of tables, to take the wise and 
pithy words of others, than to have every word of his 
own to be made an apophthegm or an oracle; as vain 
princes, by custom of flattery, pretend to do. And yet if 
I should enumerate divers of his speeches, as I did those 
of Alexander, they are truly such as Salomon noteth, when 
\., he saith, Verba sapientum lanquam aculet, et tanquam clavt 
in altum defixt: whereof I will only recite three, not so de- 
lectable for elegancy, but admirable for vigour and efficacy. 
26. As first, it is reason he be thought a master of 
words, that could with one word appease a mutiny in his 
army, which was thus. The Romans, when their generals 
did speak to their army, did use the word Afilites, but 
when the magistrates spake to the people, they did use 
the word Quirites. The soldiers were’ in tumult, and 
seditiously prayed to be cashiered; not ‘that they so 
meant, but by expostulation thereof to draw Cesar to 
other conditions; wherein he being resolute not to give 
way, after some silence, he began his speech, Lgo Quirttes, 
which did admit them already cashiered; wherewith they 
were so surprised, crossed, and confused, as they would 
not suffer him to go on in his speech, but relinquished 
their demands, and made it their suit to be again called 
by the name of Milites. 
a 
