20 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



them, as in other professions, of all temperatures : but yet 

 so as it is not without truth, which is said, that Abeunt 

 studio, in mores, studies have an influence and operation upon 

 the manners of those that are conversant in them. 



But upon an attentive and indifferent review, I for my 

 part cannot find any disgrace to learning can proceed 

 from the manners of learned men not inherent to them as 

 they are learned ; except it be a fault (which was the 

 supposed fault of Demosthenes, Cicero, Cato the second, 



10 Seneca, and many more) that, because the times they read 

 of are commonly better than the times they live in, and the 

 duties taught better than the duties practised, they contend 

 sometimes too far to bring things to perfection, and to 

 reduce the corruption of manners to honesty of precepts 

 or examples of too great height. And yet hereof they 

 have caveats enough in their own walks. For Solon, when 

 he was asked whether he had given his citizens the best 

 laws, answered wisely, Yea, of such as they would receive: 

 and Plato, finding that his own heart could not agree with 



20 the corrupt manners of his country, refused to bear place 

 or office ; saying, That a man's country was to be used as his 

 parents were, that is, with humble persuasions, and not with 

 contestations. And Caesar's counsellor put in the same 

 caveat, Non ad vetera instituta revocans quce jampridem 

 corruptis moribus ludibrio sunt: [Do not attempt to restore 

 things to the original institutions which, by the long corruption 

 of manners, have fallen into contempt f\ and Cicero noteth 

 this error directly in Cato the second, when he writes to his 

 friend Atticus, Cato optime sentit, sed nocet interdum rei- 



30 publicce; loquitur enim tanquam in republica Platonis, non 

 tanquam in face Romuli: [Cato's opinions are excellent, but 

 sometimes do harm to the commonwealth : for he speaks as if 

 he were living in Plato's republic, and not amid the dregs of 

 the Roman populace.] And the same Cicero doth excuse and 

 expound the philosophers for going too far, and being too 

 exact in their prescripts, when he saith, Isti ipsi prceceptores 



