330 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



men are to imitate the wisdom of jewellers ; who, if there 

 be a grain, or a cloud, or an ice which may be ground forth 

 without taking too much of the stone, they help it ; but if 

 it should lessen and abate the stone too much, they will 

 not meddle with it : so ought men so to procure serenity 

 as they destroy not magnanimity. 



Having therefore deduced the Good of Man which is 

 Private and Particular as far as seemeth fit, we will now 

 return to that good of man which respecteth and beholdeth 

 society, which we may term Duty ; because the term of 

 Duty is more proper to a mind well framed and disposed 

 towards others, as the term of Virtue is applied to a mind 

 well formed and composed in itself ; though neither can a 

 man understand Virtue without some relation to society, 

 nor Duty without an inward disposition. This part may 

 seem at first to pertain to science civil and politic ; but not 

 if it be well observed. For it concerneth the regiment and 

 government of every man over himself, and not over 

 others. And as in architecture the direction of framing 

 the posts, beams, and other parts of building, is not the 

 same with the manner of joining them and erecting the 

 building ; and in mechanicals, the direction how to frame 

 an instrument or engine, is not the same with the manner 

 of setting it on work and employing it ; and yet never- 

 theless in expressing of the one you incidently express 

 the aptness towards the other ; so the doctrine of conjuga- 

 tion of men in society difFereth from that of their 

 conformity thereunto. 



This part of Duty is subdivided into two parts ; the 

 common duty of every man, as a man or member of a 

 state ; the other, the respective or special duty of every 

 man, in his profession, vocation, and place. The first of 

 these is extant and well laboured, as hath been said. The 

 second likewise I may report rather dispersed than defi- 

 cient ; which manner of dispersed writing in this kind of 

 argument I acknowledge to be best. For who can take 

 upon him to write of the proper duty, virtue, challenge, 

 and right of every several vocation, profession and place ? 

 For although sometimes a looker on may see more than a 



