223 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. [Book 



natures, and private persons by their ends : for princes being at the 

 top of human desires, they have for the most part no particular ends 

 whereto they aspire, by distance from which a man might take measure 

 and scale of the rest of their actions and desires ; which is one of the 

 causes that makcth their hearts more inscrutable. Neither is it suffi 

 cient to inform ourselves in men s ends and natures of the variety of 

 them only, but also of the predominancy, what humour reigneth most, 

 and what end is principally sought. For so we see, when Tigellinus 

 saw himself out-stripped by Petronius Turpilianus in Nero s humours 

 of pleasures ; &quot; mctus cjus rimatur,&quot; he wrought upon Nero s fears, 

 whereby he broke the other s neck. 



But to all this part of inquiry, the most compendious way restcth 

 in three things ; the first, to have general acquaintance and inwardness 

 with those which have general acquaintance, and look most into the 

 world ; and especially according to the diversity of business, and the 

 diversity of persons, to have privacy and conversation with some one 

 friend at least, which is perfect and well intelligenccd in every several 

 kind. The second is, to keep a good mediocrity in liberty of speech 

 and secrecy : in most things liberty, secrecy where it importeth ; for 

 liberty of speech invite .h ana provoketh liberty to be used again, and 

 so bringeth much to a man s knowledge ; and secrecy, on the other 

 side, induceth trust and inwardness. The last is the reducing of a 

 man s self to this watchful and serene habit, as to make account and 

 purpose, in every conference and action, as well to observe as to act. 

 For as Epictetus would have a philosopher in every particular action 

 to say to himself, &quot; Et hoc volo, et etiam institutum servare : &quot; so a 

 politic man in everything should say to himself, &quot; Et hoc volo, ac etiam 

 aliquid addiscere.&quot; I have stayed the longer upon this precept of 

 obtaining good information ; because it is a main part by itself, which 

 inswereth to all the rest. But above all things caution must be taken, 

 Jhat men have a good stay and hold of themselves, and that this much 

 knowing do not draw on much meddling : for nothing is more unfortu 

 nate than light and rash intermeddling in many matters. So that this 

 variety of knowledge tcndeth in conclusion but only to this, to make a 

 better and freer choice of those actions which may concern us, and to 

 conduct them with the less error and the more dexterity. 



The second precept concerning this knowledge, is for men to take 

 good information touching their own persons, and well to understand 

 themselves : knowing that, as St. James saith, though men look oft in 

 a glass, yet they do suddenly forget themselves ; wherein as the divine 

 glass is the word of God, so the politic glass is the state of the world, 

 or times wherein we live, in the which we are to behold ourselves. 



For men ought to take an impartial view of their own abilities and 

 virtues ; and again of their wants and impediments ; accounting these 

 with the most ; and those other with the least ; and from this view 

 and examination, to frame the considerations following. 



First, to consider how the constitution of their nature sorteth 

 with the general state of the times ; which if they find agreeable and 

 fit then in all things to give themselves more scope and liberty ; but if 



