THE FIRST BOOK. 11 



Athenian ; whereof the one was the first that abated the 

 power of Sparta, and the other was the first that made way 

 to the overthrow of the monarchy of Persia. And this con 

 currence is yet more visible in times than in persons, by 

 how much an age is a greater object than a man. For both 

 in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Grecia, and Rome, the same times 

 that are most renowned for arms, are likewise most admired 

 for learning ; so that the greatest authors and philosophers, 

 and the greatest captains and governors have lived in the 

 same ages. Neither can it otherwise be : for as, in man, the 10 

 ripeness of strength of the body and mind cometh much 

 about an age, save that the strength of the body cometh 

 somewhat the more early ; so in states, arms and learning, 

 whereof the one correspondeth to the body, the other to 

 the soul of man, have a concurrence or near sequence in 

 times. 



And for matter of policy and government, that learn 

 ing should rather hurt, than enable thereunto, is a thing 

 very improbable : we see it is accounted an error to com 

 mit a natural body to empiric physicians which com- 20 

 monly have a few pleasing receipts whereupon they are 

 confident and adventurous, but know neither the causes of 

 diseases, nor the complexions of patients, nor peril of 

 accidents, nor the true method of cures : we see it is a like 

 error to rely upon advocates or lawyers, which are only men 

 of practice and not grounded in their books, who are many 

 times easily surprised, when matter falleth out besides their 

 experience, to the prejudice of the causes they handle : so, by 

 like reason, it cannot be but a matter of doubtful conse 

 quence, if states be managed by empiric statesmen, not well 

 mingled with men grounded in learning. But contrariwise, 

 it is almost without instance contradictory, that ever any 

 government was disastrous that was in the hands of learned 

 governors. For howsoever it hath been ordinary with politic 

 men to extenuate and disable learned men by the names of 

 pedants ; yet in the records of time it appeareth, in many 



