part of his behaviour. He chuseth rather to be counted a spie, then not a politician: and maintaines his reputation by naming great men familiarly. Hee chuseth rather to tell lies, theu not wonders, and talkes with men singly: his discourse sounds big, but meanes nothing: and his boy is bound to admire him howsoever. He comes still from great

personages, but goes with mean. Hee takes occasion to shew jewels given him in regard of his ver. tue, that were bought in S. Martines: and not long after having with a mountbanks method, pronounced them worth thousands, impawneth them for a few shillings. Upon festivall dayes he goes to court, and salutes without resaluting: at night in an ordinary he canvasseth the businesse in hand, and seems as conversant with all intents and plots as if hee begot them. His extraordinary account of men is, first to tell them the ends of all matters of consequence, and then to borrow money of them; he offereth courtesies, to shew them, rather then himselfe, humble. He disdaines all things above his reach, and preferreth all countries before his owne. He imputeth his want and poverty to the ignorance of the time, not his owne unworthinesse : and concludes his discourse with halfe a period, or a word, and leaves the rest to imagination. In a word, his religion is fashion, and both body and soule are governed by fame he loves most voyces above truth.

:

A Wise man

S the truth of the true definition of man,

that is, a reasonable creature. His dis

Bxposition alters, he alters not. He hides himselfe with the attire of the vulgar; and in indifferent things is content to be governed by them. He lookes according to nature, so goes his behaviour. His mind enjoyes a continuall smoothnesse; so commeth it, that his consideration is alwaies at home. He endures the faults of all men silently, except his friends, and to them hee is the mirrour of their actions; by this meanes, his peace commeth not from fortune, but himselfe. He is cunning in men, not to surprize, but keep his own, and beates off their ill affected humours, no otherwise than if they were flyes. He chuseth not friends by the subsidybook, and is not luxurious after acquaintance. He maintaines the strength of his body, not by delicates, but temperance: and his mind, by giving it preheminence over his body. He understands things, not by their forme, but qualities; and his comparisons intend not to excuse but to provoke him higher. Hee is not subject to casualities; for fortune hath nothing to doe with the mind, except those drowned in the body: but he hath divided his soule from the case of his soule, whose weaknes he assists no other

wise then commiseratively, not that it is his, but that it is. He is thus, and will bee thus: and lives subject neither to time nor his frailties, the servant of vertue, and by vertue, the friend of the highest.

A Noble Spirit

ATH surveied and fortified his disposition, and converts all occurrents into experience, between which experience and his reason, there is mariage; the issue are his actions. He circuits his intents, and seeth the end before he shoot. Men are the instruments of his art, and there is no man without his use: occasion incites him, none enticeth him and he mooves by affection, not for affection; he loves glory, scornes shame, and governeth and obeyeth with one countenance; for it comes from one consideration. He cals not the variety of the world chances, for his meditation hath travelled over them; and his eye mounted upon his understanding, seeth them as things underneath. He covers not his body with delicacies, nor excuseth these delicacies by his body, but teacheth it, since it is not able to defend its own imbecility, to shew or suffer. He licenceth not his weaknesse, to weare fate, but knowing reason to be no idle gift of nature, he is the steeresman of his owne destiny.

Truth

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is the goddesse, and he takes paines to get her, not
to looke like her. Hee knowes the condition of the
world, that he must act one thing like another, and
then another. To these he carries his desires, and
not his desires him, and stickes not fast by the way
(for that contentment is repentance) but knowing
the circle of all courses, of all intents, of all things,
to have but one center or period, without all dis-
traction, he hasteth thither and ends there, as his
true and naturall element. He doth not contemne
fortune, but not confesse her. He is no gamester of
the world (which onely complaine and praise her)
but being only sensible of the honesty of actions,
contemnes a particular profit as the excrement or
scum. Unto the society of men he is a sun, whose
clearenesse directs their steps in a regular motion:
when he is more particular, he is the wise mans
friend, the example of the indifferent, the medicine
of the vicious. Thus time goeth not from him, but
with him and he feeles age more by the strength
of his soule, then the weaknes of his body; thus
feeles he no paine, but estcemes all such things as
friends, that desire to file off his fetters, and helpe
him out of prison.

folded

An Olde man

S a thing that hath been a man in his daies. Old men are to be known blindfor their talke is as terrible as their resemblance. They praise their own times as vehemently, as if they would sell them. They become wrinckled with frowning and facing youth; they admire their old customes, even to the eating of red herring, and going wetshod. They call the thumbe under the girdle, gravitie; and because they can hardly smell at all, their posies are under their girdles. They count it an ornament of speech, to close the period with a cough; and it is venerable (they say) to spend time in wiping their driveled beards. Their discourse is unanswerable, by reason. of their obstinacy: their speech is much, though, little to the purpose. Truths and lyes passe with an equall affirmation: for their memories severall is wonne into one receptacle, and so they come out with one sense. They teach their servants their duties with as much scorne and tyranny, as some people teach their dogs to fetch. Their envy is one of their diseases. They put off and on their clothes, with that certainty, as if they knew their heads would not direct them, and therefore custome should. They take a pride in halting and going stiffely, and