43 ADVANCEMENT OP LEARNING. [bOOK 1 



rather to be censured than defended. Yet the submission 

 of learned men to those in power cannot be condemned. 

 Diogenes, to one who asked him " How it happened that 

 philosophers followed the rich, and not the rich the philoso- 

 phers?" answered, "Because the philosophers know what 

 they want, but the rich do not."^ And of the like nature 

 was the answer of Aristippus, who having a petition to Dio- 

 nysius, and no ear being given him, fell down at his feet, 

 whereupon Dionysius gave him the hearing, and granted the 

 suit ; but when afterwards Aristippus was reproved for offer- 

 ing such an indignity to philosophy as to fall at a tp'ant's 

 feet, he replied, " It was not his fault if Dionysius's ears were 

 in his feet.''*^ Nor was it accounted weakness, but discretion, 

 in him<^ that would not dispute his best with the Emperor 

 Adrian, excusing himself, " That it was reasonable to yield 

 to one that commanded thirty legions."*^ These and the like 

 condescensions to points of necessity and convenience, can- 

 not be disallowed ; for though they may have some show of 

 external meanness, yet in a judgment truly made, they are 

 submissions to the occasion, and not to the person. 



We proceed to the errors and vanities intermixed with 

 the studies of learned men, wherein the design is not to 

 countenance such errors, but, by a censure and separation 

 thereof to justify what is sound and good; for it is the man- 

 ner of men, especially the evil-minded, to depreciate what is 

 excellent and virtuous, by taking advantage over what is 

 corrupt and degenerate. We reckon three principal vanities 

 for which learning has been traduced. Those things are 

 vain which are either false or frivolous, or deficient in truth 

 or nse ; and those persons are vain Avho are either credulous 

 of falsities or curious in things of little use. But curiosity 

 consists either in matter or words, that is, either in taking 

 pains about vain things, or too much labour about the deli- 

 cacy of language. There are, therefore, in reason as well as 

 experience, three distempers of learning ; viz., vain affecta- 

 tions, vain disputes, and vain imaginations, or effeminate 

 leai-ning, contentious learning, and fantastical learning. 



The first disease, which consists in a luxuriancy of style, 

 has been anciently esteemed at different times, but strangely 



' Laert. Life Diog. *» Laert. Life Arist. 



« Deroooax. * Spartianus, Vjt. Adriani, § 15. 



