L I B . V I II. Of the Advancement of Learning, 277 



our abilities and not do our beft j that (b making a Verttie of Necejfitj, 

 what was not in our power, may feem not to have been in our tvrll to 

 do. j^x for Confidence J it is indeed an impudent, but the (iircftand 

 moft effeiHiual remedy ; namely that a man profels himfelf to defpife 

 and fet at naught, what in truth he cannot attain '-, according to the 

 Principle of wiie Merchants, with whom it is familiar to raife the price 

 of their own Commodities, and to beat down the price of others. But 

 there is another kind oi^ Confidence i^^t more impudent than this, which 

 is to face out a mans on>n Defecis^ to boaft them and obtrude them up- 

 on Opinion j as if he conceived that he was befl: in thofe things, where- 

 in he moft fails j and to help that again, that the Deception put up- 

 on others may come off more roundly, he may feign, that he hath 

 leaft opinion of himfelf in thofe things, wherein he is beft. Li^e as 

 we fee it commonly in Poets; for a Poet reciting his verfes, if you 

 except againft any verle, you (hall pre(ently hear him reply , And 

 for (his verfe it cofl me more labour than the rest j and then he will bring 

 * you fbme other verle, and (eem to difable and fufpedl that rather,and 

 ask your judgement of it,which yet he knows to be the beft in the num- 

 ber, and not liable to exception. Eut above all, in this Helping a mans 

 felfinhis carriage^ namely, that a man may fet the faireft glofs upon , 



himfelf before others, and right himfelf in all points, nothing, in my 

 opinion, avails more, thanthat aman do not difmantle himjelfandex- 

 pofe his perl 072 tojcorn and injury by his too much Goodnefs and Facility of 

 Nature j but rather in all things fiew fome fparkles and edge of a free and 

 generous fpir it, that carries with it as reell a Jiing, as Hony. Which 

 kindoffortifiedcarriage^together with a prompt and prepared refblu- 

 tion to vindicate a mans felf from fcorn, is impofed upon fome by ac- 

 cident and a kind of aninvitable neceflity, for fbmewhat inherent in 

 their perfon or fortune 5 as we fee it in Deformed Perfbns and Ba- 

 ftards, and in Perfons any way difgrac'd 5 fo that fuch natures, if they 

 have any good parts , commonly they fucceed with good felici- 



§ As for the declaring of a Mans felf that is a far different thing from" 

 Oflentation^nx the Revealing of a mans felf whereof we fpake even now 5 

 for it refers not to Mens abilities ox rpeakjieffes, but to the Particular 

 Anions of life ; in which point, nothing is more Politick^, than to obferve 

 a vpjje and dijcreet mediocrity in the difclofing orfecretingtheiniyardin* 

 tentions and meanings of the mind touching particular A&ions. For al- 

 though depth of fecrecy and concealing of Counlels, and that manner 

 of managing Bulinefs, when men /et things awork by dark, and as the 

 French fiiles it , Sourdes Menkes , Jourd Arts , clofe Carriages , be 

 a thing bgth prolperous and admirable; yet many times it comes to 

 pafs, as thefliyingis, That DUfimu! at ion begets errors, and illaqueatcs 



«Djf]emblcr himfelf. For we fee the ableft men, and greateft Poli- 

 J- that ever were, have made no fcruplc of it, openly to profefs, 

 freely and without diflimulation, the ends they aim at: foL. ^^yi'a '''"'^r.in s^N 

 made a kind of profefTion, That he wijlit all men h^ppy or Unhtippy as they pj 

 flood his friends or enemies : So Cxfar when he went firft into Gaul con- Csf. ''" 

 fidcntly profeft, That he had rather befirB in an objcure village, thanfe- 

 cond at Ro.'^e: the fame Cafar when the war was now begun did not 



p'jy 



