72 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [VIII. 5. 



errors, perturbations, labours, and wanderings up and down 

 of other men. 



6. Lastly, leaving the vulgar arguments, that by learn 

 ing man excelleth man in that wherein man excelleth 

 beasts; that by learning man ascendeth to the heavens 

 and their motions, where in body he cannot come ; and 

 the like ; let us conclude with the dignity and excellency 

 of knowledge and learning in that whereunto man s jia- 

 faren!ol:H&quot;~most aspire, which is hnmortality or continu 

 ance ; tor to this tendeth generation, and raising of houses 

 &quot;and families ; to this tend buildings, foundations, and 

 monuments ; to this tendeth the desire of memory, fame, 

 and celebration ; and in effect the strength of all other 

 human desires. We see then how far the monuments of 

 wit and learning are more durable than the monuments 

 of power or of the hands. For have not the verses of 

 Jforner continued twenty -five hundred years, or more, 

 withouT the loss of a syllable or letter ; during which time 

 infinite palaces, temples, castles, cities, have been decayed 

 and demolished ? It is not possible to have the true pic 

 tures or statuaes of Cyrus, Alexander, Csesar, no nor of 

 the kings or great personages of much later years ; for 

 the originals cannot last, and the copies cannot but leese 

 of the life and truth. But .the -images of men s wits and 

 ^ knowledges remain in books, exempted from the wrong 

 JX of time and capable of perpetual renovation. Neither 

 are they fitly to be called images, becausej:hey generate 

 still, and cast their seeds in the minds of others, pro- 

 ^voking ana causing infinite actions and opinionsjn suc- 

 ceeding ages. So that if the invention of the ship was 

 UhoughT so noble, which carrieth riches and commodities 

 from place to place, and consociateth the most remote 

 regions in participation of their fruits, how much more 



