294 ADVANCEMENT OP LEARNINO. [bOOK VIU. 



and fine deportment, and yet eschew honesty and justice; 

 others again have pure minds, but without any qualifications 

 lor the business of life;^ others who perchance unite all 

 ihese three qualities, possess a sullen humour of stoical sad- 

 ness and stupidity, — they practise vii'tue, but refuse to enjoy 

 its pleasures; and if perchance ot these qualities two or 

 three are sometimes found together, it seldom ii ever hap- 

 I)ens that all four can be met with in the same person. 

 And thus we have finished that principal branch of human 

 philosophy, which considers man out ox society, and as con- 

 sisting of a body and a soul. 



EIGHTH BOOK. 



CHAPTER I. 



Civil Knowledge divided into the Art of Conversation, the Art of 

 Negotiation, and the Art of State Policy. 



There goes an old tradition, excellent King, that many 

 Grecian philosophers had a solemn meeting before the am- 

 bassador of a foreign prince, where each endeavoured to 

 show his parts, that the ambassador might have somewhat 

 to relate of the Grecian wisdom ; but one among the number 

 kept silence, so that the ambassador, turning to him, asked, 

 " But what have you to say, that I may report it ?" He an- 

 swered, " Tell your king that you have found one among the 

 Greeks who knew how to be silent."^ Indeed, I had forgot 

 in this compendium of arts to insert the art of silence. For 

 as we are now soon to be led, by the course of the work, to 

 treat the subject of government ; and knowing that I write 

 to a king who is so perfect a master of this science since his 

 infancy, and being also mindful of the high office I hold 

 under your Majesty, we thought we could not have a better 

 occasion lor putting the ai-t of silence in practice.** Cicero 



* Mirabeau expressed the same sentiment with his usual felicity. 

 Energy of character is scarcely ever found except in union with violent 

 temperaments. The wicked only are active. Ed. ■ Plut. Moral. 



^ Th© fVBtUojr U§r? m^k9§ ^ copapUment of l^s sH^ft^e to King Jaffl§8, 



