20 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



(as it may be in vulgar estimation accounted) of life of 

 contemplative men ; it is a theme so common to extol 

 a private life, not taxed with sensuality and sloth, in 

 comparison and to the disadvantage of a civil life, for 

 safety, liberty, pleasure, and dignity, or at least free- 

 dom from indignity, as no man handleth it but handleth 

 it well ; such a consonancy it hath to men's conceits 

 in the expressing, and to men's consents in the allow- 

 ing. This only I will add, that learned men forgotten 

 in states and not living in the eyes of men, are like the 

 images of Cassius and Brutus in the funeral of Junia ; 

 of which not being represented, as many others were, 

 Tacitus saith, ' Eo ipso praefulgebant, quod non vise- 

 bantur.' 



3. And for meanness of employment, that which is 

 most traduced to contempt is that the government of 

 youth is commonly allotted to them ; which age, 

 because it is the age of least authority, it is transferred 

 to the disesteeming of those employments wherein 

 youth is conversant, and which are conversant about 

 youth. But how unjust this traducement is (if you 

 will reduce things from popularity of opinion to measure 

 of reason) may appear in that we see men are more 

 curious what they put into a new vessel than into 

 a vessel seasoned ; and what mould they lay about 

 a young plant than about a plant corroborate ; so as 

 the weakest terms and times of all things use to have 

 the best applications and helps. And will you hearken 

 to the Hebrew rabbins ? ' Your young men shall see 

 visions, and your old men shall dream dreams ' ; say 

 they youth is the worthier age, for that visions are 

 nearer apparitions of God than dreams ? And let it 

 be noted, that howsoever the condition of life of 

 pedantes hath been scorned upon theatres, as the apo 

 of tyranny ; and that the modern looseness or negli- 

 gence hath taken no due regard to the choice of school- 

 masters and tutors ; yet the ancient wisdom of the 

 best times did always make a just complaint, that 

 states were too busy with their laws and too negligent 

 in point of education : which excellent part of ancient 



