THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. ] 7 



order of nature, which is partly right, partly crooked ; 

 this staff therefore or rod is specially crooked in the 

 upper end, because all the works of divine Provi 

 dence in the world are done in a far fetched and 

 circular manner, so that one thing may seem to be 

 effected, and yet indeed a clean contrary brought to 

 pass, as the selling of Joseph into Egypt, and the like. 

 Besides, in all wise human government, they that sit 

 at the helm do more happily bring their purposes 

 about, and insinuate more easily into the minds of 

 the people by pretext and oblique courses than by 

 direct methods : so that all sceptres and masses of 

 authority ought in very deed to be crooked in the 

 upper end. 



Pan s cloak or mantle is ingeniously feigned to be 

 a skin of a leopard, because it is full of spots : so the 

 heavens are spotted with stars, the sea with rocks 

 and islands, the land with flowers, and every parti 

 cular creature also is for the most part garnished 

 with divers colours about the superficies, which is as 

 it were a mantle unto it. 



The office of Pan can be by nothing so lively con 

 ceived and expressed, as by feigning him to be the 

 god of hunters ; for every natural action, and so 

 by consequence motion and progression, is nothing 

 else but a hunting. Arts and sciences have their 

 works, and human counsels their ends, which they 

 earnestly hunt after. All natural things have either 

 their food as a prey, or their pleasure as a recreation 

 which they seek for, and that in a most expert and 

 sagacious manner. 



