198 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



that as history of times is the best ground for discourse 

 of government, such as Machiavel handleth, so histories 

 of lives is the most proper for discourse of business, 

 because it is more conversant in private actions. Nay, 

 there is a ground of discourse for this purpose fitter 

 than them both, which is discourse upon letters, such 

 as are wise and weighty, as many are of Cicero ad Atti- 

 cum, and others. For letters have a great and more 

 particular representation of business than either chron 

 icles or lives. Thus have we spoken both of the matter 

 and form of this part of civil knowledge, touching nego 

 tiation, which we note to be deficient. 



10. But yet there is another part of this part, which 

 differeth as much from that whereof we have spoken 

 as sapere and sibi sapere, the one moving as it were to 

 the circumference, the other to the centre. For there 

 is a wisdom of counsel, and again there is a wisdom of 

 pressing a man s own fortune ; and they do sometimes 

 meet, and often sever For many are wise in their own 

 ways that are weak for government or counsels ; like 

 ants, which is a wise creature for itself, but very hurtful 

 for the garden. This wisdom the Romans did take 

 much knowledge of : Nam pol sapiens (saith the 

 comical poet) fingit fortunam sibi ; and it grew to 

 an adage, Faber quisque fortunae propriae ; and 

 Livy attributed it to Cato the first, In hoc viro tanta 

 vis animi et ingenii inerat, ut quocunque loco natua 

 esset sibi ipse fortunam facturus videretur. 



11. This conceit or position, if it be too much declared 

 and professed, hath been thought a thing impolitic and 

 unlucky, as was observed in Timotheus the Athenian, 

 who, having done many great services to the estate in 

 his government, and giving an account thereof to the 

 people as the manner was, did conclude every particular 

 with this clause, * And in this fortune had no part. 

 And it came so to pass, that he never prospered hi any 

 thing he took in hand afterward. For this is too high 

 and too arrogant, savouring of that which Ezekiel saith 

 of Pharaoh, Dicis, Fluvius eat meus et ego feci memet 

 ipsum : or of that which another prophet speaketh 



