274 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



the multitude, asked, What he had done amiss ? &quot; 2. 

 Through deceit; for those who praise or dispraise com 

 monly have their own views in it, and speak not their real 

 sentiments. 



&quot;Laudat venales, qui vult extrudere, mercers.&quot; 15 



&quot;It is faulty, it is faulty, says the buyer; but when he is 

 gone, he congratulates himself upon the bargain.&quot; 16 3. 

 Through party ; for men immoderately extol those of their 

 own and depress those of the opposite party. 4. Through 

 disposition or temper; for some men are naturally formed 

 servile and fawning, and others captious and morose; so 

 that when such persons praise or dispraise, they do but 

 gratify their humor, without much regard to truth. 



II. &quot;What is commended, even by an enemy, is a great good; but what is 

 censured, even by a friend, a great evil 



The fallacy seems to lie here, that it is easily believed 

 the force of truth extorts from us what we speak against 

 our inclination. 



This color deceives through the subtilty both of friends 

 and enemies. For praises of enemies are not always against 

 their will, nor forced from them by truth ; but they choose 

 to bestow them where they may create envy or danger to 

 their adversary. Hence the foolish conceit was current 

 among the Greeks, that he who was praised by another 

 with malicious intent, never failed to have his nose dis 

 figured with a pustule. Again this color deceives, because 

 enemies sometimes use praises like prefaces, that they may 

 the more freely calumniate afterward. On the other side, 

 it deceives by the craft of friends, who also sometimes ac 

 knowledge our faults, and speak of them not as compelled 

 thereto by any force of truth, but touch only such as may 

 do little hurt, and make us, in everything else, the best 

 men in the world. And lastly, it deceives, because friends 

 also use their reproofs, as enemies do their commendations, 



14 Plutarch. 15 Hor. Epist. ii. 11. 16 Prov. xx. 



