LIBER PRIMUS. 449 



e Stoico fiat Cynicus. 1 Ante omnia vero, nihil tarn offecit 

 literarum dignitati quam crassa et turpis adulatio, ad quam 

 multi, neque hi indocti, et calamos et ingenia submisere, 

 Hecubam in Helenam, Faustinam in Lucretiam (ut ait Du- 

 Bartas) transformantes. 2 Neque vero nimis laudo morem ilium 

 receptum libros patronis nuncupandi ; cum libri, prsesertim qui 

 hoc nomine dignandi, in veritatis tantum et rationis clientelam 

 se dare debeant. Melius veteres, qui non aliis quam amicis 

 atque sequalibus scripta sua dicare solebant, aut etiam nomina 

 ejusmodi amicorum tractibus suis imponere ; quod si forte regi- 

 bus aut magnatibus opus nuncuparent, turn demum hoc factum 

 est cum argumentum libri personae tali conveniret. Haec autem, 

 et similia, reprehension em potius merentur quam defensionem. 



Neque hoc dico, quasi literatos culpem, si ad beatos et po- 

 tentes viros quandoque se applicent ; recte enim Diogenes 3 

 cuidam cum irrisione roganti, Quifieret quod philosophi divites 

 sectarentur, non divites philosophos 9 respondit, non sine morsu, 

 Hoc ideo fieri, quod philosophi quibus rebus indigeant probe intel- 

 ligantj divites non item. Huic affine est illud Aristippi, cui nescio 

 quid petenti cum non attenderet Dionysius, ille adorantis more 

 abjecit se ad pedes ejus, qui turn demum auscultans petition! 

 annuit ; sed paulo post quidam dignitatis philosophise assertor 

 increpuit Aristippum, quod demittendo se ad pedes tyranni pro 

 tantilla re philosophiam ipsam contumelia aflfecisset; cui ille 

 suam id culpam nonfuisse respondit, sed Dionysii, qui aures ge- 

 staret in pedibus. 4 Quin prudens ille, non pusillanimis, habitus 

 est, qui in disputatione quadam cum Hadriano Caesare vinci se 



1 Lucian's De mercede conductis. It would more accord with the original to read 

 catellum suam Melitceum. 



2 Tous ces doctes esprits dont la voix flatteresse, 

 Change Hecube en Helene, et Faustine en Lucresse, 

 Qui d'un nain, d'un batard, d'un archerot sans yeux, 

 Font, non un dieutelet, ains le maistre des dieux, &c. 



DU-BARTAS, Second jour de la Semaine. 



Du-Bartas, Montaigne, and Rabelais are I think the only French writers whom 

 Bacon quotes, though he perhaps alludes in one passage to the celebrated jurist 

 D'Argentre and seems to have read Charron. Du-Bartas's writings were held in great 

 esteem by King James. He is quoted in " The trew Law of free Monarchies" and in 

 " A declaration against Vorstius," and is in both places termed the divine poet; a desig- 

 nation which perhaps refers merely to the nature of his subject. In the third book of 

 the Basilicon Doron he is particularly recommended to Prince Henry's studies. Car- 

 dinal du Perron's criticism on Du-Bartas is amusing; that instead of calling the sun the 

 King of Lights, he would prefer 10 call him the Duke of Candles. 



8 Not Diogenes, but Aristippus. See Diog. Latrt. in Aristip. c. 69. Wats has 

 without authority corrected this error in his translation. 



4 Diog. Laert. in Arist. c. 79. - f 



VOL. I. G G 



