THE SECOND BOOK 329 



felicity was the felicity of one that had the itch, who did 

 nothing but itch and scratch. And both these opinions 

 do not want their supports. For the opinion of Socrates 

 is much upheld by the general consent even of the Epi- 

 cures themselves, that virtue beareth a great part in 

 felicity ; and if so, certain it is that virtue hath more use 

 in clearing perturbations than in compassing desires. The 

 Sophist's opinion is much favoured by the assertion we 

 last spake of, that good of advancement is greater than 

 good of simple preservation ; because every obtaining a 

 desire hath a show of advancement, as motion though in a 

 circle hath a show of progression. 



But the second question, decided the true way, maketh 

 the former superfluous. For can it be doubted but that 

 there are some who take more pleasure in enjoying plea- 

 sures than some other, and yet nevertheless are less troubled 

 with the loss or leaving of them ? so as this same Non uti 

 ut non appetas, non appetere ut non metuas, sunt animi pusilli 

 et diffidentis. And it seemeth to me, that most of the doc- 

 trines of the philosophers are more fearful and cautionary 

 than the nature of things requireth. So have they in- 

 creased the fear of death in offering to cure it. For when 

 they would have a man's whole life to be but a discipline 

 or preparation to die, they must needs make men think 

 that it is a terrible enemy against whom there is no end 

 of preparing. Better saith the poet : 



Qui finem vitae extremum inter munera ponat 



Naturae. 



So have they sought to make men's minds too uniform 

 and harmonical, by not breaking them sufficiently to con- 

 trary motions : the reason whereof I suppose to be, because 

 they themselves were men dedicated to a private, free, and 

 unapplied course of life. For as we see, upon the lute or 

 like instrument, a ground, though it be sweet and have 

 show of many changes, yet breaketh not the hand to such 

 strange and hard stops and passages as a set song or 

 voluntary ; much after the same manner was the diversity 

 between a philosophical and a civil life. And therefore 



