162 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



as hardly any length of time or contention of labour can 

 countervail it afterwards. And it is not amiss to observe 

 also how small and mean faculties gotten by education, 

 yet when they fall into great men or great matters, do 

 work great and important effects : whereof we see a 

 notable example in Tacitus of two stage players, Per- 

 cennius and Vibulenus, who by their faculty of playing 

 put the Pannonian armies into an extreme tumult and 

 combustion. For there arising a mutiny amongst 

 them upon the death of Augustus Caesar, Blaesus the 

 lieutenant had committed some of the mutiners, which 

 were suddenly rescued ; whereupon Vibulenus got to 

 be heard speak, which he did in this manner : ' These 

 poor innocent wretches appointed to cruel death, you 

 have restored to behold the light ; but who shall restore 

 my brother to me, or life unto my brother, that was sent 

 hither in message from the legions of Germany, to 

 treat of the common cause? and he hath murdered him 

 this last night by some of his fencers and ruffians, that 

 he hath about him for his executioners upon soldiers. 

 Answer, Blaesus, what is done with his body ? The 

 mortalest enemies do not deny burial. When I have 

 performed my last duties to the corpse with kisses, with 

 tears, command me to be slain besides him ; so that 

 these my fellows, for our good meaning and our true 

 hearts to the legions, may have leave to bury us.' 

 With which speech he put the army into an infinite fury 

 and uproar : whereas truth was he had no brother, 

 neither was there any such matter ; but he played it 

 merely as if he had been upon the stage. 



3. But to return : we are now come to a period of 

 rational knowledges ; wherein if I have made the divi- 

 sions other than those that are received, yet would I not 

 be thought to disallow all those divisions which I do not 

 use. For there is a double necessity imposed upon me 

 of altering the divisions. The one, because it differeth 

 in end and purpose, to sort together those things which 

 are next in nature, and those things which are next in 

 use. For if a secretary of estate should sort his papers, 

 it is like in his study or general cabinet he would sort 



