io6 BACON'S ESSAYS 



A certain rabbin, upon the text, 'Your young men shall 

 see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams,' in- 

 fer reth that young men are admitted nearer to God than 

 old, because vision is a clearer revelation than a dream. 

 And certainly, the more a man drinketh of the world, the 

 more it intoxicateth : and age doth profit rather in the 

 powers of understanding, than in the virtues of the will 

 and affections. There be some have an over-early ripeness 

 in their years, which fadeth betimes. These are, first, such 

 as have brittle wits, the edge whereof is soon turned ; such 

 as was Hermogenes the rhetorician, whose books are ex- 

 ceeding subtle ; who afterwards waxed stupid. A second 

 sort is of those that have some natural dispositions which 

 have better grace in youth than in age ; such as is a fluent 

 and luxuriant speech ; which becomes youth well, but not 

 age : so Tully saith of Hortensius, Idem manebat, neque idem 

 decebat. The third is of such as take too high a strain at 

 the first, and are magnanimous more than tract of years 

 can uphold. As was Scipio Africanus, of whom Livy saith 

 in effect, Ultima primis cedebant. 



XLIII 

 OF BEAUTY 



VIRTUE is like a rich stone, best plain set ; and surely 

 virtue is best in a body that is comely, though not of 

 delicate features ; and that hath rather dignity of presence, 

 than beauty of aspect. Neither is it almost seen, that very 

 beautiful persons are otherwise of great virtue ; as if nature 

 were rather busy not to err, than in labour to produce ex- 

 cellency. And therefore they prove accomplished, but not 

 of great spirit ; and study rather behaviour than virtue. 

 But this holds not always : for Augustus Caesar, Titus 

 Vespasianus, Philip le Bel of France, Edward the Fourth 

 of England, Alcibiades of Athens, Ismael the Sophy of 

 Persia, were all high and great spirits ; and yet the most 

 beautiful men of their times. In beauty, that of favour is 



