168 THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



frequent for men to shoot over, and to suppose deeper ends 

 and more compass re-aches than are : the Italian proverb being 

 elegant, and for the most part true : 



&quot; Di danari, di senno, e di fede, 

 G k ne man co che non credi.&quot; 



&quot; There is commonly less money, less wisdom, and less good 

 faith than men do account upon.&quot; 



(21) But princes, upon a far other reason, are best inter 

 preted by their natures, and private persons by their ends. 

 For princes being at the top of human desires, they have for 

 the most part no particular ends whereto they aspire, by dis 

 tance from which a man might take measure and scale of the 

 rest of their actions and desires ; which is one of the causes 

 that maketh their hearts more inscrutable. Neither is it 

 sufficient to inform ourselves in men s ends and natures of the 

 variety of them only, but also of the predominancy, what 

 humour reigneth most, and what end is principally sought. 

 For so we see, when Tigellinus saw himself outstripped by 

 Petronius Turpilianus in Nero s humours of pleasures, metus 

 yus rimatur, he wrought upon Nero s fears, whereby he broke 

 the other s neck. 



(22) But to all this part of inquiry the most compendious way 

 resteth in three things ; the first, to have general acquaintance 

 and inwardness with those which have general acquaintance and 

 look most into the world ; and specially according to the diver 

 sity of business, and the diversity of persons, to have privacy 

 and conversation with some one friend at least which is perfect 

 and well-intelligenced in every several kind. The second is 

 to keep a good mediocrity in liberty of speech and secrecy ; in 

 most things liberty ; secrecy where it importeth : for liberty 

 of speech inviteth and provoketh liberty to be used again, and 

 so bringeth much to a man s knowledge ; and secrecy on the 

 other side induceth trust and inwardness. The last is the 

 reducing of a man s self to this watchful and serene habit, as to 

 make account and purpose, in every conference and action, as 

 well to observe as to act. For as Epictetus would have a 

 philosopher in every particular action to say to himself, Et hoc 

 volo, et etiam institutum serrare ; so a politic man in every 

 thing should say to himself, Et hoc volo, ac etiam aliquid 

 addiscere. I have stayed the longer upon this precept of ob 

 taining good information because it is a main part by itself, 

 which answereth to all the rest. But, above all things, 

 caution must be taken that men have a good stay and hold 



