One shall be sure of Reverence, and therefore it is good a little to be familiar. He that is too much in any Thing, so that he giveth another Occasion of Satiety, maketh himself cheap. To apply One's Self to others is good; fo it be with Demonstration, that a Man doth it upon Regard and not upon Facility. It is a good Precept generally in feconding Another, yet to add fomewhat of One's own: as if you will grant his Opinion, let it be with fome Distinction; if you will follow his Motion, let it be with Condition; if you allow his Counfel, let it be with alleging further Reafon. Men had need beware, how they be too Perfect in Compliments; for be they never so fufficient otherwise, their Enviers will be fure to give them that Attribute, to the Disadvantage of their greater Virtues. It is lofs alfo in Bufinefs, to be too full of Respects, or to be too curious in obferving Times and Opportunities. Solomon faith, He that confidereth the Wind, fhall not fow, and he that looketh to the Clouds, fhall not reap.3 A wife Man will make more Opportunities than he finds. Men's Behaviour should be like their Apparel, not too ftrait or point device, but free for exercise or motion.

3 Eccl. xi. 4.

4 Point device is finically exact.

LIII. Of Praife.'

RAISE is the Reflection of Virtue; but it is as the Glafs or Body which giveth the Reflection. If it be from the Common People, it is commonly falfe and naught, and rather followeth vain Perfons than virtuous for the Common People understand not many excellent Virtues: the lowest Virtues draw Praise from them; the middle Virtues work in them Astonishment, or Admiration; but of the highest Virtues they have no Sense or perceiving at all; but Shews, and Species Virtutibus fimiles serve beft with them. Certainly, Fame is like a River, that beareth up Things light and swollen, and drowns Things weighty and folid: but if Perfons of Quality and Judgement concur, then it is, (as the Scripture faith) Nomen bonum inftar Unguenti fragrantis; it filleth all round about, and will not eafily away; for the Odours of Ointments are more durable than thofe of Flowers. There be fo many falfe Points of Praise that a Man may justly hold it a suspect. Some Praifes proceed merely of Flattery; and if he be an ordinary Flatterer, he will have certain common Attri

3

1 See Antitheta, No. 10.

The words as the are left out in Montagu's edition, who has been followed by others to the deftruction of the fenfe of the paffage, which runs thus in the Latin verfion.-" Laus virtutis reflectio eft. Atque ut fit in fpeculis, trahit aliquid è naturâ corporis quod reflectione præbet."

3 Ecclef. vii. I.

butes which may serve every Man; if he be a cunning Flatterer, he will follow the Arch-flatterer, which is a Man's Self; and wherein a Man thinketh best of himself, therein the Flatterer will uphold him moft; but if he be an impudent Flatterer, look wherein a Man is conscious to himself that he is most defective, and is most out of Countenance in himself, that will the Flatterer entitle him to perforce, Spretâ Confcientiâ. Some Praises come of good Wishes and Refpects, which is a Form due in Civility to Kings and Great Persons, Laudando præcipere; when by telling Men what they are, they represent to them what they should be. Some Men are praised maliciously to their Hurt, thereby to ftir Envy and Jealousy towards them; Peffimum Genus Inimicorum Laudantium; Infomuch as it was a Proverb, amongst the Grecians, that, He that was praised to his Hurt, fhould have a Push rise upon his Nose; as we say, That a Blifter will rife upon one's Tongue, that tells a lie. Certainly, moderate Praise, used with Opportunity, and not vulgar, is that which doth the Good. Solomon faith, He that praiseth his Friend aloud, rising early, it shall be to him no better than a Curfe,5 Too much magnifying of Man or Matter doth irritate Contradiction, and procure Envy and Scorn. To praise a Man's Self cannot be decent, except it be in rare Cafes: but to praife a Man's Office or Profeffion, he may do it with good Grace, and with a kind of Magnanimity. The Cardinals of Rome which are Theologues, and Friars, and Schoolmen,

A pub is a pimple or puftule. 5 Prov. xxvii. 14.

have a Phrase of notable Contempt and Scorn towards civil Business; for they call all temporal Business of Wars, Embaffages, Judicature, and other Employments, Sbirrerie; which is Under Sheriffries; as if they were but matters for Under Sheriffs and Catchpoles; though many times those Under Sheriffries do more good than their High Speculations. St. Paul, when he boafts of himself, he doth oft interlace, I speak like a Fool; but speaking of his calling, he faith; Magnificabo Apof

tolatum meum.7

LIV. Of Vain-Glory.'

T was prettily devised of fop; the Fly fate upon the Axle-tree of the Chariot-wheel, and faid, What a Duft do I raife! So are there fome Vain Perfons that whatsoever goeth alone, or moveth upon greater Means, if they have never fo little Hand in it, they think it is they that carry it. They that are Glorious muft needs be Factious; for all Bravery stands upon Comparisons. They must needs be violent to make good their own Vaunts; neither can they be fecret, and therefore not effectual; but according to the French Proverb ; Beaucoup de Bruit, peu de Fruit: Much Bruit, little Fruit. Yet certainly there is Use of this 7 Rom. xi. 13.

6 2 Cor. xi. 23.

1 See Antitheta, No. 19.

Quality in civil Affairs: where there is an Opinion and Fame to be created, either of Virtue or Greatness, thefe Men are good Trumpeters. Again, as Titus Livius noteth in the Cafe of Antiochus and the Etolians, there are fometimes great Effects of crofs Lies; as if a Man that negotiates between Two Princes, to draw them to join in a War against the Third, doth extol the Forces of either of them above Measure, the one to the other: and fometimes he that deals between Man and Man raiseth his own Credit with Both, by pretending greater Interest than he hath in Either: and in these, and the like kinds, it often falls out that Somewhat is produced of Nothing: for Lies are fufficient to breed Opinion, and Opinion brings on Substance. In military Commanders and Soldiers, Vain Glory is an effential Point; for as Iron fharpens Iron, fo by Glory one Courage sharpeneth another. In Cafes of great Enterprise upon charge and Adventure, a Compofition of Glorious Natures doth put Life into Business; and those that are of folid and fober Natures, have more of the Ballast than of the Sail. In Fame of Learning the Flight will be flow without fome Feathers of Oftentation. Qui de contemnendâ Gloriâ Libros fcribunt, Nomen fuum infcribunt.3 Socrates, Ariftotle, Galen, were Men full of Oftentation. Certainly, Vain Glory helpeth to perpetuate a Man's Memory; and Virtue was never fo beholding to 2 Vid. Liv. xxxvii. 48.

3 Cic. Tufc. Defp. i. 15. The words are, "Quid noftri philofophi? Nonne in his libris ipfis, quos fcribunt de contemnendâ gloriâ, fua nomina inscribunt."