ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



291 



ness, but a sickly one makes many 

 holidays. 



For HONORS 



The couch has governed empires, 

 and the litter, armies. 37 



Against 



Honors are the suffrages, not of 

 tyrants, but Divine Providence. 



Honors make both virtue and vice 

 conspicuous. 



Honor is the touchstone of virtue. 



The motion of virtue is rapid to its 

 place, but calm in it ; but the place of 

 virtue is honor. 



For 



A jest is the orator s altar. 



Humor in conversation preserves 

 freedom. 



It is highly politic to pass smoothly 

 from jest to earnest, and vice versd. 



Witty conceits are vehicles to truths 

 that could not be otherwise agreeably 

 conveyed. 



To seek honor is to lose liberty. 



Honors give command where it is 

 best not to will ; and next, not to be 

 able. 



The steps of honor are hard to climb, 

 slippery atop, and dangerous to go 

 down. 



Men in great place borrow others 

 opinions, to think themselves happy. 



Against 



Hunters after deformities and com 

 parisons are despicable creatures. 



To divert important business with 

 a jest is a base trick. 



Judge of a jest when the laugh 

 is over. 



Wit commonly plays on the surface 

 of things, for surface is the seat of 

 a jest. 



For INGRATITUDE 



Ingratitude is but perceiving the 

 cause of a benefit. 



The desire of being grateful neither 

 does justice to others nor leaves one s 

 self at liberty. 



A benefit of an uncertain value 

 merits the less thanks. 



Against 



The sin of ingratitude is not made 

 penal here, but left to the furies. 



The obligations for benefits exceed 

 the obligation of duties; whence in 

 gratitude is also unjust. 



No public fortune can exclude pri 

 vate favor. 



For INNOVATION Against 



Every remedy is an innovation. New births are deformed things. 



He who will not apply new remedies 

 must expect new diseases. 



Time is the greatest innovator : and 

 why may we not imitate time ? 



Ancient precedents are unsuitable, 

 and late ones corrupt and degenerate. 



Let the ignorant square their actions 

 by example. 



No author is accepted till time has 

 authorized him. 



All novelty is injury, for it defaces 

 the present state of things. 



Things authorized by custom, if not 

 excellent, are yet comfortable and sort 

 well together. 



What innovator follows the example 



As happened in the persons of Charles Y. and the Marechal Be Saxe. 



