34 THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



building of houses, erecting of towns, planting of 

 fields and orchards with trees, and the like ; inso 

 much, that it would not be amiss to say, that even 

 thereby stones and woods were called together and 

 settled in order. And after serious trial made and 

 frustrated about the restoring of a body mortal, this 

 care of civil affairs follows in his due place ; because, 

 by a plain demonstration of the inevitable necessity 

 of death, men s minds are moved to seek eternity by 

 the fame and glory of their merits . It is also wisely 

 said in the fable, that Orpheus was averse from the 

 love of women and marriage, because the delights of 

 wedlock and the love of children do for the most part 

 hinder men from enterprising great and noble designs 

 for the public good, holding posterity a sufficient step 

 to immortality without actions. 



Besides even the very works of wisdom, although 

 amongst all human things they do most excel, do 

 nevertheless meet with their periods. For it happens 

 that, after kingdoms and commonwealths have flou 

 rished for a time, even tumults, and seditions, and 

 wars arise ; in the midst of which hurly-burlies first 

 laws are silent, men return to the pravity of their 

 natures ; fields and towns are wasted and depopu 

 lated ; and then, if their fury continue, learning and 

 philosophy must needs be dismembered, so that a few 

 fragments only in some places will be found like the 

 scattered boards of shipwreck, so as a barbarous 

 age must follow ; and the streams of Helicon being 

 hid under the earth, until the vicissitude of things 

 passing, they break out again and appear in some 



