62 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



masters only a temporary belief, and a suspension of their 

 own judgment till they are fully instructed, and not an 

 absolute resignation or perpetual captivity. Let great au 

 thors, therefore, have their due, but so as not to defraud 

 time, which is the author of authors, and the parent of 

 truth. 



Besides the three diseases of learning above treated, 

 there are some other peccant humors, which, falling under 

 popular observation and reprehension, require to be par 

 ticularly mentioned. The first is the affecting of two ex 

 tremes; antiquity and novelty: wherein the children of 

 time seem to imitate their father; for as he devours his 

 children, so they endeavor to devour each other; while 

 antiquity envies new improvements, and novelty is not 

 content to add without defacing. The advice of the 

 prophet is just in this case: &quot;Stand upon the old ways, 

 and see which is the good way, and walk therein.&quot; 6a For 

 antiquity deserves that men should stand awhile upon it, 

 to view around which is the best way : but when the dis 

 covery is made, they should stand no longer, but proceed 

 with cheerfulness. And to speak the truth antiquity, as 

 we call it, is the young state of the world; for those times 

 are ancient when the world is ancient; and not those we 

 vulgarly account ancient by computing backward; so that 

 the present time is the real antiquity. 



Another error, proceeding from the former, is, a dis 

 trust that anything should be discovered in later times 

 that was not hit upon before; as if Lucian s objection 

 against the gods lay also against time. He pleasantly 

 asks why the gods begot so many children in the first 

 ages, but none in his days; and whether they were grown 

 too old for generation, or were restrained by the Papian 

 law, which prohibited old men from marrying? 63 For thus 

 we seem apprehensive that time is worn out, and become 

 unfit for generation. And here we have a remarkable in 

 stance of the levity and inconstancy of man s humor; which, 



62 Jeremiah vi. 16. 63 Senec. imput. ap. Lact. Instit. i. 26, 13. 



