72 BACON'S ESSAYS 



The greatness of an estate in bulk and territory, doth 

 fall under measure ; and the greatness of finances and 

 revenue doth fall under computation. The population 

 may appear by musters ; and the number and greatness of 

 cities and towns by cards and maps. But yet there is not 

 any thing amongst civil affairs more subject to error, than 

 the right valuation and true judgment concerning the 

 power and forces of an estate. The kingdom of heaven is 

 compared, not to any great kernel or nut, but to a grain 

 of mustard-seed ; which is one of the least grains, but hath 

 in it a property and spirit hastily to get up and spread. 

 So are there states great in territory, and yet not apt to 

 enlarge or command ; and some that have but a small 

 dimension of stem, and yet apt to be the foundations of 

 great monarchies. 



Walled towns, stored arsenals and armories, goodly 

 races of horse, chariots of war, elephants, ordnance, artil- 

 lery, and the like ; all this is but a sheep in a lion's skin, 

 except the breed and disposition of the people be stout and 

 warlike. Nay, number (itself) in armies importeth not 

 much, where the people is of weak courage ; for (as Virgil 

 saith) ' It never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be/ 

 The army of the Persians in the plains of Arbela was such 

 a vast sea of people, as it did somewhat astonish the com- 

 manders in Alexander's army; who came to him therefore, 

 and wished him to set upon them by night ; but he 

 answered, ' He would not pilfer the victory.' And the 

 defeat was easy. When Tigranes the Armenian, being 

 encamped upon a hill with four hundred thousand men, 

 discovered the army of the Romans, being not above four- 

 teen thousand, marching towards him, he made himself 

 merry with it, and said, ' Yonder men are too many for an 

 ambassage, and too few for a fight.' But, before the sun 

 set, he found them enow to give him the chase with 

 infinite slaughter. Many are the examples of the great 

 odds between number and courage : so that a man may 

 truly make a judgment, that the principal point of great- 

 ness in any state is to have a race of military men. Neither 

 is money the sinews of war (as it is trivially said), where 



