94 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [PAGES 



man according to his several ability ; and straightway took his 

 journey .... After a long time the lord of these servants cometh 

 and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five 

 talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou 

 deliveredst unto me five talents : behold, / have gained, beside 

 these, five talents more. His Lord said, Well done, thou good 

 and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I 

 will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy 

 of thy lord," etc. Matt. xxv. 14. Our use of the word talent in 

 the sense of ability is derived from this parable. 



1. 36. apprehension, understanding. 



Page 22, 1. 1. nor ever, etc., i.e., who confine their attention to 

 their own individual interests, without thinking of the public 

 good. 



do refer, etc. Cf. " It is a poor centre of a man's actions 

 himself The referring of all to a man's self is a desperate 

 evil in a servant to a prince ... whatsoever affairs pass such 

 a man's hands, he crooketh (bendeth) them to his own ends, 

 which must needs be often eccentric to (different from) the ends 

 of his master or state." Essay xxiii. 



1. 5. estates, kingdoms. 



1. 6. cockboat, little boat. The word shows the insignificance 

 of the fate of the individual, in comparison with that of the state, 

 which is compared to a large vessel. Shakespeare uses the form 

 cock. It is from the Latin concha, a shell, and appears in the 

 derivative coxswain, i.e., cock's-swain. 



1. 7. make good their places and duties, i.e., perform the duties 

 of their station. Cf. " Divide with reason between self-love and 

 society : and be so true to thyself, as thou be not false to others, 

 specially to thy king and country." Essay xxiii. For use to, 

 cf. p. 19, 1, 12. 



1. 9. stand, remain safe. The meaning of the passage is that, 



: they are preserved through seasons of rebellion and revolution, 



they owe their safety not to their power of making friends with 



the stronger party, but to the universal respect which their 



honesty commands. 



1. 11. versatile, lit. changeable. Bacon says they are not pre 

 served by their skill in changing from side to side, carriage, be 

 haviour. 



1. 13. withal, frequently used for with, after the object at the 



f\f ffl< w* -it I i .1 1 , < , 



1. 12. tender, scrupulous. 

 1. 13. withal, freq 

 end of the sentence. 



e 1. 14. tax, burden, i.e., try it. No amount of misfortune will 

 induce such a man to become dishonest. 

 1. 15. allowance, approval. Cf. p. 18, 1. 29. 



