The Second Book 187 



have a great and more particular representation of business 

 than either chronicles or lives. Thus have we spoken both 

 of the matter and form of this part of civil knowledge, 

 touching negotiation, which we note to be deficient. 



10. But yet there is another part of this part, which differeth 

 as much from that whereof we have spoken as sapere and 

 sihi sapere, the one moving as it were to the circumference, 

 the other to the centre. For there is a wisdom of counsel, 

 and again there is a wisdom of pressing a man's own fortune ; 

 and they do sometimes meet, and often sever. Fojunany 

 arp^yirjf^fi in fh^jr own wa ys that are weak for government 

 or counsel ; like ants, which is a wise creature for itself, 

 but very hurtful for the garden. This wisdom the Romans 

 did take much knowledge of: Nam pol sapiens, saith the 

 comical poet, fingit fortunam sihi ; ^ and it grew to an adage, 

 Faber quisque fortuncB proprice ; ^ and Livy attributed it to 

 Cato the first, in hoc viro tanta vis animi et ingenii inerat, ut 

 quocunque loco natus esset sihi ipse fortunam facturus 

 videretur.^ 



11. This conceit or position, if it be too much declared and 

 professed, hath been thought a thing impolitic and unlucky, 

 as was observed in Timotheus the Athenian, who, having 

 done many great services to the estate in his government, 

 and giving an account thereof to the people, as the manner 

 was, did conclude every particular with this clause. And in 

 this fortune had no part.* And it came so to pass, that he 

 never prospered in any thing he took in hand afterwards: 

 for this is too high and too arrogant, savouring of that which 

 Ezekiel saith of Pharaoh, Dicis, Fluvius est mens et ego feci 

 memet ipsum : ^ or of that which another prophet speaketh, 

 that men offer sacrifices to their nets and snares : ® and that 

 which the poet expresseth, 



Dextra mihi Deus, et telum quod missile libro, 

 Nunc adsint! * 



for these confidences were ever unhallowed, and unblessed : 

 and therefore those that were great pohtiques indeed ever 

 ascribed their successes to their feHcity, and not to their 

 1 Plaut. Trin. ii. 2, 48. 



• I have not met with this. It is attributed to Appius Claudius. 



• Liv. xxxix. 40. • Plutarch, Siclla, c. 6. 



• Ezek. xxix. 3. • Habak. i. 16. 

 ' Virg. /En. x. 773. 



