48 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



Philip of Macedon, who, when he would needs overrule and 

 put down an excellent musician in an argument touching music, 

 was well answered by him again &quot; God forbid, sir,&quot; saith he, 

 that your fortune should be so bad as to know these things 

 better than I.&quot; It pleased God likewise to use the curiosity of 

 this emperor as an inducement to the peace of His Church in 

 those days ; for having Christ in veneration, not as a God or 

 Saviour, but as a wonder or novelty, and having his picture in 

 his gallery matched with Apollonius (with whom in his vain 

 imagination he thought he had some conformity), yet it served 

 the turn to allay the bitter hatred of those times against the 

 Christian name, so as the Church had peace during his time. 

 And for his government civil, although he did not attain to that 

 of Trajan s in glory of arms or perfection of justice, yet in 

 deserving of the weal of the subject he did exceed him. For 

 Trajan erected many famous monuments and buildings, inso 

 much as Constantine the Great in emulation was wont to call 

 him Parietaria, &quot; wall-flower,&quot; because his name was upon so 

 many walls ; but his buildings and works were more of glory 

 and triumph than use and necessity. But Adrian spent his 

 whole reign, which was peaceable, in a perambulation or survey 

 of the Roman Empire, giving order and making assignation 

 where he went for re-edifying of cities, towns, and forts 

 decayed, and for cutting of rivers and streams, and for making 

 bridges and passages, and for policing of cities and commonalties 

 with new ordinances and constitutions, and granting new 

 franchises and incorporations ; so that his whole time was a 

 very restoration of all the lapses and decays of former times. 



(7) Antoninus Pius, who succeeded him, was a prince ex 

 cellently learned, and had the patient and subtle wit of a 

 schoolman, insomuch as in common speech (which leaves no 

 virtue untaxed) he was called Cymini Sector, a carver or a 

 divider of cummin seed, which is one of the least seeds. Such 

 a patience he had and settled spirit to enter into the least and 

 most exact differences of causes, a fruit no doubt of the exceed 

 ing tranquillity and serenity of his mind, which being no ways 

 charged or encumbered, either with fears, remorses, or scruples, 

 but having been noted for a man of the purest goodness, with 

 out all fiction or affectation, that hath reigned or lived, made 

 his mind continually present and entire. He likewise approached 

 a degree nearer unto Christianity, and became, as Agrippa said 

 unto St. Paul, &quot;half a Christian,&quot; holding their religion and 

 law in good opinion, and not only ceasing persecution, but 

 giving way to the advancement of Christians. 



(8) There succeeded him the first Divi fratres, the two 



