CIVIL AND MORAL. 



persons arc most subject to be envied themselves ; and what is the 

 difference between public and private envy. 



A man that hath no virtue in himself, ever envieth virtue in others. 

 For men s minds will either feed upon their own good, or upon others 

 evil ; and who wanteth the one, will prey upon the other : and whoso 

 is out of hope to attain to another s virtue, will seek to come at even 

 hand by depressing another s fortune. 



A man that is busy and inquisitive, is commonly envious : for to 

 know murh of other men s matters cannot be, because all that ado may 

 concern his own estate : therefore it must needs be, that he taketh a 

 kind of play-pleasure in looking upon the fortunes of others ; neither 

 can he that mindeth but his own business find much matter for envy. 

 For envy is a gadding passion, and walketh the streets, and doth not 

 keep home ; u Non est curiosus, quin idem sit malevolus.&quot; 



Men of noble birth are noted to be envious towards new men when 

 they rise : for the distance is altered : and it is like a deceit of the eye, 

 that when others come on, they think themselves go back. 



Deformed persons and eunuchs, and old men and bastards, are 

 envious: for he that cannot possibly mend his own case, will do what 

 he can to impair another s ; except these defects light upon a very 

 brave and hcroical nature, which thinketh to make his natural wants 

 part of his honour ; in that it should be said, that an eunuch or a lame 

 man did such great matters ; affecting the honour of a miracle ; as it 

 was in Narses the eunuch, and Agesilaus and Tamerlane, that were 

 lame men. 



The same is the case of men that rise after calamities and misfor 

 tunes ; for they are as men fallen out of the times ; and think other 

 men s harms a redemption of their own sufferings. 



They that desire to excel in too many matters, out of levity and 

 vain-glory, are ever envious, for they cannot want work ; it being 

 impossible but many, in some one of those things, should surpass 

 them. Which was the character of Adrian the emperor, that mortally 

 envied poets, and painters, and artificers, in works wherein he had a 

 vein to excel. 



Lastly, near kinsfolks, and fellows in office, and those that have 



*cn bred together, are more apt to envy their equals when they are 



I- or it doth upbraid unto them their own fortunes, and pointcth 



em, and cometh oftcncr in their remembrance, and incurreth 



: into the note of others ; and envy ever redoubleth from 



fame Cain s envy was the more vile and malignant 



brother Abel, because, when his sacrifice was better 



aptVocn v C WaS n b0dy t0 10 k &quot; ThuS much for those that are 

 Concerning those that are more or less subject to envy: First, 

 &amp;gt;f cmment virtue when they are advanced, are less envied 

 cr fortune sccmcth but due unto them; and no man envieth the 



n, 1 tl !! bUt rCWards and Iiberalit y rather - A S*in envy is 

 Jith the comparing of a man s self; and where there iS no 

 no envy ; and therefore kings are not envied but by kings. 



