288 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



at the price of labour, to be attained by a few easy and 

 slothful observances. Deficiences in these knowledges I will 

 report none, other than the general deficience, that it is not 

 known how much of them is verity and how much vanity. 

 The knowledge which respecteth the Faculties of the 

 Mind of man is of two kinds ; the one respecting his 

 Understanding and Reason, and the other his Will, Appe- 

 tite, and Affection ; whereof the former produceth Position 

 or Decree, the later Action or Execution. It is true that 

 the Imagination is an agent or nuncius in both provinces, 

 both the judicial and the ministerial. For Sense sendeth 

 over to Imagination before Reason have judged : and 

 Reason sendeth over to Imagination before the Decree 

 can be acted ; for Imagination ever precedeth Voluntary 

 Motion: saving that this Janus of Imagination hath differ- 

 ing faces; for the face towards Reason hath the print of 

 Truth, but the face towards Action hath the print of 

 Good ; which nevertheless are faces, 



Quales decet esse sororum. 



Neither is the Imagination simply and only a messenger ; 

 but is invested with or at leastwise usurpeth no small 

 authority in itself, besides the duty of the message. For 

 it was well said by Aristotle, 'That the mind hath over 

 the body that commandment, which the lord hath over a 

 bondman ; but that reason hath over the imagination that 

 commandment which a magistrate hath ovp* a free citizen ' ; 

 who may come also to rule in his turn,y For we see that 

 in matters of Faith and Religion we raise our Imagination 

 above our Reason ; which is the cause why Religion sought 

 ever access to the^mind by similitudes, types, parables, 

 visions, dreams. (And again in all persuasions that are 

 wrought by eloquence and other impression of like nature, 

 which do paint and disguise the true appearance of things, 

 the chief recommendation unto Reason is from the Im- 

 agination. Nevertheless, because I find not any science 

 that doth properly or fitly pertain to the Imagination, I 

 see no cause to alter the former division. For as for 

 Poesy, it is rather a pleasure or play of imagination, than 



