444 WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 



down to the earth, and thus render men s thoughts, which reside in the 

 head, winged as it were, or sublime. 



Only the mother of the Sirens was not thus plumed on the head, 

 which doubtless denotes superficial learning, invented and used for 

 delight and levity ; an eminent example whereof we have in Petronius, 

 who, after receiving sentence of death, still continued his gay frothy 

 humour, and, as Tacitus observes, used his learning to solace or divert 

 himself, and instead of such discourses as give firmness and constancy 

 of mind, read nothing but loose poems and verses.* Such learning as 

 this seems to pluck the crowns again from the Muses heads, and restore 

 them to the Sirens. 



The Sirens are said to inhabit certain islands, because pleasures 

 generally seek retirement, and often shun society. And for their song?, 

 with the manifold artifice and destructivcness thereof, this is too obvious 

 and common to need explanation. But that particular of the bones 

 stretching like white clitfs along the shores, and appearing afar off, 

 contains a more subtile allegory, and denotes that the examples ot 

 others calamity and misfortunes, though ever so manifest and apparent, 

 have yet but little force to deter the corrupt nature of man from 

 pleasures. 



The allegory of the remedies against the Sirens is not difficult, but 

 very wise and noble : it proposes, in effect, three remedies, as well 

 against subtile as violent mischiefs, two drawn from philosophy and 

 one from religion. 



The first means of escaping is to resist the earliest temptation in the 

 beginning, and diligently avoid and cut off all occasions that may 

 solicit or sway the mind ; and this is well represented by shutting up 

 the ears, a kind of remedy to be necessarily used with mean and vulgar 

 minds, such as the retinue of Ulysses. 



But nobler spirits may converse, even in the midst of pleasures, if 

 the mind be well guarded with constancy and resolution. And thus 

 some delight to make a severe trial of their own virtue, and thoroughly 

 acquaint themselves with the folly and madness of pleasures, without 

 complying or being wholly given up to them ; which is what Solomon 

 professes of himself when he closes the account of all the numerous 

 pleasures he gave a loose to, with this expression, &quot; But wisdom still 

 continued with me.&quot; Such heroes in virtue may, therefore, remain un 

 moved by the greatest incentives to pleasure, and stop themselves on 

 the very precipice of danger ; if. according to the example of Ulysses, 

 they turn a deaf car to pernicious counsel, and the flatteries of their 

 friends and companions, which have the greatest power to shake and 

 unsettle the mind. 



* &quot; Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque nmemus ; 

 Rumoresque senum severiorum 

 Omnes unius cstirnemus assis.&quot; 

 And a^ain 



&quot;Jura senes norint, et quod sit fasque nefasque 

 Jnquirant tristes ; legumque examiriq. scrvent/ 



