184 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING, [XIX. 2. 
infancy thereof was the principal cause of the immense 
greatness of that state which followed, so the culture 
and manurance of minds in youth hath such a forcible 
(though unseen) operation, as hardly any length of time 
or contention of labour can countervail it afterwards. 
And it is not amiss to observe also how small and mean 
faculties gotten by education, yet when they fall into great 
men’ or great matters, do work great and important 
effects: whereof we see a notable example in Tacitus 
of two stage players, Percennius and Vibulenus, who by 
their faculty of playing put the Pannonian armies into 
an extreme tumult and combustion. For there arising a 
mutiny amongst them upon the death of Augustus Cesar, 
Blesus the lieutenant had committed some of the mutin- 
ers, which were suddenly rescued; whereupon Vibulenus 
got to be heard speak, which he did in this manner: 
These poor tnnocent wretches appointed to cruel death, you 
have restored to behold the light ; but who shall restore my 
brother to me, or life unto my brother, that was sent hither 
in message from the legions of Germany, to treat of the 
common cause P and he hath murdered him this last night 
by some of his fencers and ruffians, that he hath about him 
for his executioners upon soldiers. Answer, Blaesus, what 
ts done with his body ? The mortalest enemies do not deny 
burial. When I have performed my last duties to the corpse 
with kisses, with tears, command me to be slain besides him ; 
so that these my fellows, for our good meaning and our true 
hearts to the legions, may have leave to bury us. With which 
speech he put the army into an infinite fury and uproar: 
whereas truth was he had no brother, neither was there 
any such matter; but he played it merely as if he had 
been upon the stage. 
3. But to return: we are now come to a period of 
