268 Of the Advancement of Learning. Lib. VIII. 



circumference '■, the other as it were , from the circumference to 

 the centre. For there is a rvifdom of giving Counfel unto others 5 and 

 there is a vpijdom offorecaliingfor his ownjortunes j and thefe do fomc- 

 times meet, but more often fever. For many are exceeding wile in 

 their own ways, which yet are weak for adminiftration of civil af- 

 fairs, or giving of Couniel, YikctheAnt^ tphich is a wife creature for 

 itjelf but very hurtful for the Garden. This rvifdom the Romans thoie 

 excellent Patriots, did take much knowledge of 5 whereupon the 

 . ^ . Comical Poet faith. Certainly the Mould of a vpife mans Fortune is in 

 cic.in Par. his oxpn hands , yea it grew mto an Adage among them^ 



Saluft.ad '- 



P^j;^y"'' Faher quifque Fortune propria 3 



And Livy attributes the (ame virtue to Cafo Major : In this man there 



werefuch great abilities of wit and underjianding^ that into what climate 



foever his nativity had caji himjjefeem'd to be able to command a fortune, 



•This kindofwifdom, if it be profeft and openly declar'd, hath ever 



been thought not only irapolitick, but an unlucky and ominous thing ; 



as it wasobfervedin2/wtf/Ae«/ the Athenian^ who after he had done 



many excellent fervices to the honour and utility of the ftate, an4 



was to give an account of his government to the people, as the man- 



plutar in Svl- ^^^ ^^*' concluded every particular with this claule, and in this, 



la." ^ ' Fortune hadnopart : but it fell out that he never profper'4 in any 



thing he took in hand afterwards. This is in truth too high and ia- 



vouring of extreme arrogance, afpiring to the Hi me point of Pride 



which £!se4^"e/ records o{ Pharaoh^ Dicis fliroi/is eji meus^ €^ ego feci 



Ezechap. f^eipfuM'j or of that which another Prophet fpeaks, They exult and of- 



Habac i ferfacrifices to their »c/, and burn incenfe to their fnare. or of that 



which the Poet rtcpreffeth of Miz^entius a Delpifer of the Gods, 

 Virg.iEn. 10. 



Dextra mihi Dens^ (^ telnm quod mijjile libro^ 

 Nunc adflnt. 



Finally Julius Cefar, never to my remembrance, betrayed the im- 

 potency of his hidden thoughts Co much, as in a Ipeech of like nature j 

 Sit" Tulio. fo'^ when the Augur gave him information that the entrails were notpro^ 

 fperous, he clofely murmur'd to himlelf Erunt Utiora cum volo^ which 

 fayingof his preceded not long before the misfortune of his death. 

 But this extremity of Confidence^ (as we have faid) as it is an unhallow- 

 ed thing, fo was it ever unbleft. And therefore they that were great 

 Politicks indeed, and truly wife, thought it their fafeft courfe, ever 

 to afcribe their fuccefles to their Felicity 5 and not to their skill and 

 virtue. So SylU firnam'd himfelf Fc/ixsnot Magnus'-, and Caelar (more 

 Plnt.iiiT. advifedly than before) faith to the Pi/tf/, C^jarem vehis^ & for tun am 

 C^f. ejus. But yet neverthelefs thefe Pofitions 5 Faber ^ifque Fortuntg 



fu£. Sapiens dominabitur Ajiris. Invia virtuti nulla eft via, and the 

 like^ if they be underflood and applied rather as fpurs to indurtry, 

 than as ftirrops to infolency ^ and rather to beget in men courage and 

 conftancy of Refolutions, than Arrogancyand Oftentation^ arede- 

 fervedly accounted found and hcalchful 3 and (no queftion) have been 



evet 



