354 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



is discourse upon letters, such as are wise and weighty, as 

 many are of Cicero ad Atticum and others. For letters 

 have a great and more particular representation of business 

 than either Chronicles or Lives. Thus have we spoken 

 both of the matter and form of this part of civil knowledge 

 touching Negotiation, which we note to be deficient. 



But yet there is another part of this part, which differeth 

 as much from that whereof we have spoken as sapere and 

 sibi sapere, the one moving as it were to the circumference, 

 the other to the centre. For there is a wisdom of counsel, 

 and again there is a wisdom of pressing a man's own 

 fortune ; and they do sometimes meet, and often sever. 

 For many are wise in their own ways that are weak for 

 government or counsel ; like ants, which is a wise creature 

 for itself, but very hurtful for the garden. This wisdom 

 the Romans did take much knowledge of : Nam pol sapiens 

 (saith the comical poet) fingit fortunam sibi, and it grew to 

 an adage, Faber quisque fortunae propriae, and Livy attri- 

 buteth it to Cato the first, In hoc viro tanta vis animi et 

 ingenii inerat, ut quocunque loco natus esset, sibi ipse fortunam 

 facturus videretur. 



This conceit or position if it be too much declared 

 and professed, hath been thought a thing impolitic and 

 unlucky ; as was observed in Timotheus the Athenian ; 

 who having done many great services to the estate in 

 his government, and giving an account thereof to the 

 people as the manner was, did conclude every particular 

 with this clause, and in this fortune had no part. And it 

 came so to pass that he never prospered in any thing he 

 took in hand afterward : for this is too high and too 

 arrogant, savouring of that which Ezekiel saith of Pharaoh, 

 Diets, Fluvius est meus, et ego fed memet if sum, or of that 

 which another prophet speaketh, that men offer sacrifices 

 to their nets and snares ; and that which the poet 

 expresseth, 



Dextra mihi Deus, et telum quod missile libro, 

 Nunc adsint! 



For these confidences were ever unhallowed, and unblessed. 



