158 OF THE COLOURS OF GOOD AND EVIL 



because the shutting of him in the midst of contraries must 

 needs make the honesty stronger and more compact in itself. 



The reprehension of this colour is, first, many things of 

 amplitude in their kind do as it were ingross to themselves 

 all, and leave that which is next them most destitute : as 

 the shoots or underwood that grow near a great and spread 

 tree is the most pined and shrubby wood of the field, 

 because the great tree doth deprive and deceive them of 

 sap and nourishment. So he saith well, divitis servi maxime 

 servi, and the comparison was pleasant of him that com- 

 pared courtiers attendant in the courts of princes, without 

 great place or office, to fasting-days, which were next the 

 holy-days, but otherwise were the leanest days in all the 

 week. 



Another reprehension is, that things of greatness and 

 predominancy, though they do not extenuate the things 

 adjoining in substance, yet they drown them and obscure 

 them in show and appearance. And therefore the astro- 

 nomers say, that whereas in all other planets conjunction 

 is the perfectest amity ; the sun contrariwise is good by 

 aspect, but evil by conjunction. 



A third reprehension is, because evil approacheth to 

 good sometimes for concealment, sometimes for protection; 

 and good to evil for conversion and reformation. So 

 hypocrisy draweth near to religion for covert and hiding 

 itself; saepe late t vitium pro ximitate boni, and sanctuary-men, 

 which were commonly inordinate men and malefactors, 

 were wont to be nearest to priests and prelates, and holy 

 men ; for the majesty of good things is such, as the confines 

 of them are revered. On the other side, our Saviour, 

 charged with nearness of publicans and rioters, said, ' The 

 physician approacheth the sick rather than the whole/ 



VIII 



Quod quls culpa sua contraxit, majus malum, quod ab externis 

 imponitur^ minus malum. 



The reason is, because the sting and remorse of the 

 mind accusing itself doubleth all adversity : contrariwise, 



