176 The Advancement of Learning 



this part seemeth sacred and religious, and justly; for all 

 good moral philosophy, as was said, is but a handmaid to 

 rehgion. 

 15. Wherefore we will conclude with that last point, which is 

 of all other means the most compendious and summary, 

 and again, the most noble and effectual to the reducing of 

 the mind unto virtue and good estate ; which is the electing 

 and propounding unto a man's self good and virtuous ends 

 of his life, such as may be in a reasonable sort within his 

 compass to attain. For if these two things be supposed, 

 that a man set before him honest and good ends, and again, 

 that he be resolute, constant, and true unto them; it 

 will follow that he shall mould himself into all virtue at 

 once. And this indeed is hke the work of nature ; whereas 

 the other course is like the work of the hand. For as when 

 a carver makes an image, he shapes only that part where- 

 upon he worketh, (as if he be upon the face, that part 

 which shall be the body is but a rude stone still, till such 

 time as he comes to it;) but, contrariwise, when nature 

 makes a flower or hving creature, she formeth rudiments 

 of all the parts at one time: so in obtaining virtue by habit, 

 while a man practiseth temperance, he doth not profit 

 much to fortitude, nor the hke: but when he dedicateth 

 and applieth himself to good ends, look, what virtue 

 soever the pursuit and passage towards those ends doth 

 commend unto him, he is invested of a precedent disposi- 

 tion to conform himself thereunto. Which state of mind 

 Aristotle doth excellently express himself that it ought 

 not to be called virtuous, but divine: his words are these: 

 Immanitati autem consentaneum est opponere earn, qua supra 

 humanitatem est, heroicam sive divinam virtutem : and a 

 httle after. Nam ut fercB neque vitium neque virtus est, sic 

 neque Dei : sed hie quidem status altius quiddam virtute 

 est. ille aliud quiddam a vitio.^ And therefore we may see 

 what celsitude of honour Plinius Secimdus attributeth to 

 Trajan in his funeral oration;* where he said, That men 

 needed to make no other prayers to the gods, but that they would 

 continue as good Lords to them as Trajan had been ; ^ as if 



1 Arist. Eth. Nic. vii. 1,1. 



• Bacon seems to have thought that the Panegyric was delivered 

 after Trajan's death. He became aware of his error before the 

 Latin was published; for he there omits the words " in his funeral 

 oration." • Plin. Paneg. 74. 



