ESS A YS CIVIL AND MOKAL. 35 



and more dangers have deceived men, than forced them. Nay, it were 

 better to meet some dangers half way, though they come nothing near, 

 than to keep too long a watch upon their approaches ; for if a man 

 watch too long, it is odds he will fall asleep. On the other side, to be 

 deceived with too long shadows, as some have been when the moon 

 was low, and shone on their enemies back, and so to shoot off before 

 the time; or to teach dangers to come on, by over-early buckling 

 towards them, is another extreme. The ripeness or unripeness of 

 the occasion, as we said, must ever be well weighed ; and generally 

 it is good to commit the beginnings of all great actions to Argus 

 with his hundred eyes, and the ends to Hriarcus with his hundred 

 hands ; first to watch, and then to speed. For the helmet of 1 luto, 

 which makcth the politic man go invisible, is secrecy in the counsel, 

 and celerity in the execution. For when things are once come to the 

 execution, there is no secrecy comparable to celerity ; like the motion 

 of a bullet in the air, which tlicth so swift as it outruns the eye. 



XXII. OF CUNNING. 



We take cunning for a sinister or crooked wisdom. And certainly 

 there is great difference between a cunning man and a wise man ; 

 not only in point of honesty, but in point of ability. There be that 

 can pack the cards, and yet cannot play well ; so there are some that 

 are good in canvasses and factions, that are otherwise weak men. 

 Again, it is one thing to understand persons, and another thing to 

 understand matters : for many are perfect in men s humours, that are 

 not greatly capable of the real part of business : which is the consti 

 tution of one that hath studied men more than books. Such men are 

 fitter for practice than for counsel ; and they arc good but in their own 

 alley : turn them to new men, and they have lost their aim : so as the 

 old rule to know a fool from a wise man, &quot; Mittc ambns nuclos ad 

 ignotos, et videbis,&quot; doth scarce hold for them. And because these 

 cunning men are like haberdashers of small wares, it is not amiss to 

 set forth their shop. 



It is a point of cunning, to wait upon him with whom you speak 

 with your eye ; as the Jesuits give it in precept ; for there be many 

 wise men that have secret hearts and transparent countenances. Vet 

 this would be done with a demure abashing of your eye sometimes, as 

 the Jesuits also do use. 



Another is, that when you have anything to obtain of present de 

 spatch, you entertain and amuse the party with whom you deal with 

 some other discourse ; that he be not too much awake to make objec 

 tions. I knew a counsellor and secretary, that never came to queen 

 Elizabeth of England with bills to sign, but he would always first put 

 her into some discourse of estate, that she might the less mind the 

 bills. 



The like surprise may be made by moving things when the party 

 is in haste, and cannot stay to consider advibvtlly of that is moved. 



If a man would cross a business, that he doubts some other \\ould 



