PREFACE xiii 



Machiavellianism, or the view which, like Jesuitry in 

 religion, holds that in politics the end justifies the 

 means, and that the prince for the good of the State 

 should use both good and evil arts according to 

 circumstances. But the English Machiavellian is 

 Hobbes, not Bacon. The expansive genius of Bacon 

 fitted him to hold the balance between the merits 

 and the defects of Machiavel ; and it is curious to 

 trace in the Advancement- how he alternately praises 

 and condemns him with calm impartiality. He 

 quotes his clever remark that the poverty of friars had 

 excused the superfluities of prelates l ; but criticizes 

 him for saying that a prince ought to play the part 

 of the lion in violence and the fox in guile as of the 

 man in virtue and justice 2 . He agrees with him that 

 the way to preserve a government is to reduce it to its 

 principles 3 , but dissents from his comparison of Caesar 

 with Catiline 4 . It is under the head of Civil Knowledge 

 that the English comes closest to the Italian politician, 

 whom he approves for discourse upon histories or 

 examples as drawing knowledge out of particulars, 

 and for history of times as the best ground for dis 

 course of government 5 . Under the same head, Bacon 

 follows Machiavel in the importance attached by him 

 to fortune in human affairs, and pays special attention 

 to the Architecture of Fortune 6 ; but he severs 

 himself at once from the demoralization of his pre 

 decessor s views by subordinating fortune to virtue &quot;. 

 Though he thinks it for the most part true, according 

 to the Italian proverb, that there is commonly less 

 money, less wisdom, and less good faith than men do 

 account upon 8 , he does not draw the Machiavellian 

 conclusion, bad faith is to be repaid by bad faith, and 

 etill less does he approve of Machiavel s model, 

 Caesar Borgia, Duke Valentine 9 . If there is a Machia- 



1 Post, p. 19. 2 Post, p. 92. 3 Post, p. 95. 



4 Post, p. 186. s Post, pp. 197-8. 



6 Post, pp. 198-217. T Post, p. 200. * Post, p. 203. 

 9 Post, p. 205. 



