THE FIRST BOOK. 25 



utinam nosier esses. And thus much touching the discredits 

 drawn from the fortunes of learned men. 



(4) As touching the manners of learned men, it is a thing 

 personal and individual : and no doubt there be amongst them, 

 as in other professions, of all temperatures : but yet so as it is 

 not without truth which is said, that Abeunt studia in mores, 

 studies have an influence and operation upon the manners of 

 those that are conversant in them. 



(5) But upon an attentive and indifferent review, I for my 

 part cannot find any disgrace to learning can proceed from the 

 manners of learned men ; not inherent to them as they are 

 learned ; except it be a fault (which was the supposed fault of 

 Demosthenes, Cicero, Cato II., Seneca, and many more) 

 that becaxise the times they read of are commonly better than 

 the times they live in, and the duties taught better than the 

 duties practised, they contend sometimes too far to bring 

 things to perfection, and to reduce the corruption of manners 

 to honesty of precepts or examples of too great height. And 

 yet hereof they have caveats enough in their own walks. For 

 Solon, when he was asked whether he had given his citizens 

 the best laws, answered wisely, &quot;Yea, of such as they would 

 receive : &quot; and Plato, finding that his own heart could not agree 

 with the corrupt manners of his country, refused to bear place 

 or office, saying, &quot; That a man s country was to be used as his 

 parents were, that is, with humble persuasions, and not with 

 contestations.&quot; And Csesar s counsellor put in the same 

 caveat, Non ad vetera instituta revocans quce jampridem cor- 

 ruptis moribus ludibrio sunt; and Cicero noteth this error 

 directly in Cato II. when he writes to his friend Atticus, Cato 

 optirne sentit, sed nocet interdum reipublicce; loquitur enim 

 tanquam in republicd Platonis, non tanquam in face Romuli. 

 And the same Cicero doth excuse and expound the philoso- 



I phers for going too far and being too exact in their prescripts 

 when he saith, Isti ipsi prceceptores virtutis et magistri mdentur 

 fines officiorum paulo longius quam natura vellet protulisse, ut 



rt&amp;lt;, ad ultimum animo contendissemus, ibi tamcn, ubi oportet, 

 consisteremus : and yet himself might have said, Monitis sum 

 minor ipse meis ; for it was his own fault, though not in so 

 extreme a degree. 



(G) Another fault likewise much of this kind hath been in 

 cident to learned men, which is, that they have esteemed the 

 preservation, good, and honour of their countries or masters 

 before their own fortunes or safeties. For so saith Demos 

 thenes unto the Athenians : &quot; If it please you to note it, my 

 Counsels unto you are not such whereby I should grow 



