OF ADVERSITY 11 



state of a Christian ; that ' Hercules, when he went to 

 unbind Prometheus (by whom human nature is repre- 

 sented), sailed the length of the great ocean in an earthen 

 pot or pitcher' ; lively describing Christian resolution, that 

 saileth in the frail bark of the flesh thorough the waves of 

 the world. 



But to speak in a mean. The virtue of Prosperity 

 is temperance, the virtue of Adversity is fortitude ; 

 which in morals is the more heroical virtue. Pros- 

 perity is the blessing of the Old Testament ; Adversity 

 is the blessing of the New ; which carrieth the greater 

 benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favour. 

 Yet even in the Old Testament, if you listen to David's 

 harp, you shall hear as many hearse-like airs as carols ; 

 and the pencil of the Holy Ghost hath laboured more 

 in describing the afflictions of Job than the felicities of 

 Solomon. Prosperity is not without many fears and dis- 

 tastes ; and Adversity is not without comforts and hopes. 

 We see in needle-works and embroideries, it is more 

 pleasing to have a lively work upon a sad and solemn 

 ground, than to have a dark and melancholy work upon 

 a lightsome ground : judge therefore of, the pleasure of 

 the heart by the pleasure of the eye. f Certainly virtue 

 is like precious odours, most fragrant^ when they are 

 incensed or crushed : for Prosperity doth best discover 

 vice, but Adversity doth best discover virtue.^ 



VI 

 OF SIMULATION AND DISSIMULATION 



DISSIMULATION is but a faint kind of policy or wisdom ; 

 for it asketh a strong wit and a strong heart to know 

 when to tell truth, and to do it. Therefore it is the 

 weaker sort of politics that are the great dissemblers. 



Tacitus saith, ' Livia sorted well with the arts of her 

 husband and dissimulation of her son ' ; attributing arts 

 or policy to Augustus, and dissimulation to Tiberius. 



