THE FIRST BOOK 35 



of their own judgement till they be fully instructed, 

 and not an absolute resignation or perpetual captivity : 

 and therefore, to conclude this point, I will say no 

 more, but so let great authors have their due, as time, 

 which is the author of authors, be not deprived of his 

 due, which is, further and further to discover truth. 

 Thus have I gone over these three diseases of learning ; 

 besides the which there are some other rather peccant 

 humours than formed diseases, which nevertheless are 

 not so secret and intrinsic but that they fall under 

 a popular observation and traducement, and therefore 

 are not to be passed over. ' 



V. 1. The first of these is the extreme affecting of 

 two extremities : the one antiquity, the other novelty ; 

 wherein it seemeth the children of time do take after 

 the nature and malice of the father. For as he de- 

 voureth his children, so one of them seeketh to devour 

 and suppress the other ; while antiquity envieth there 

 should be new additions, and novelty cannot be content 

 to add but it must deface : surely the advice of the 

 prophet is the true direction in this matter, ' State 

 super vias antiquas, et videte quaenam sit via recta 

 et bona et ambulate in ea.' Antiquity deserveth that 

 reverence, that men should make a stand thereupon 

 and discover what is the best way ; but when the 

 discovery is well taken, then to make progression. 

 And to speak truly, ' Antiquitas saeculi juventus 

 mundi.' These times are the ancient times, when the 

 world is ancient, and not those which we account 

 ancient ordine retrogrado, by a computation backward 

 from ourselves. 



2. Another error induced by the former is a distrust 

 that anything should be now to be found out, which 

 the world should have missed and passed over so long 

 time ; as if the same objection were to be made to 

 time, that Lucian maketh to Jupiter and other the 

 heathen gods ; of which he wondereth that they begot 

 so many children in old time, and begot none in his 

 time ; and asketh whether they were become septua- 

 genary, or whether the law Papia, made against old 

 d2 



