clemency that could proceed out of the mouth of

man.

But to return and conclude with him; it is evident, himself knew well his own perfection in learning, and took it upon him; as appeared when, upon occafion that some spake what a strange refolution it was in Lucius Sylla to refign his Dictature; he scoffing at him, to his own advantage, anfwered, That Sylla could not skill of Letters, and therefore knew not how to Dictate.

And here it were fit to leave this point, touching the concurrence of military Virtue and Learning, for what example would come with any grace after those two of Alexander and Cæfar? were it not in regard of the rareness of Circumstance, that I find in one other particular, as that which did so fuddenly pass from extreme fcorn to extreme wonder; and it is of Xenophon the Philofopher, who went from Socrates' School into Afia, in the expedition of Cyrus the younger, against King Artaxerxes. This Xenophon at that time was very young, and never had seen the Wars before; neither had any command in the Army, but only followed the War as a Voluntary, for the love and conversation of Proxenus his Friend. He was present when Falinus came in Message from the great King to the Grecians, after that Cyrus was flain in the field, and they a handful of men left to themselves in the midft of the King's Territories, cut off from their Country by many navigable Rivers, and many hundred miles. The Message

G

imported, that they should deliver up their Arms, and fubmit themselves to the King's mercy. To which Meffage before answer was made divers of the Army conferred familiarly with Falinus: and amongst the rest Xenophon happened to fay, Why, Falinus, we have now but these two things left, our Arms and our Virtue! and if we yield up our Arms, how shall we make use of our Virtue? Whereto Falinus fmiling on him, faid, If I be not deceived, young Gentleman, you are an Athenian; and, I believe you Study Philofophy, and it is pretty that you say: but you are much abused, if you think your Virtue can withftand the King's power. Here was the scorn; the wonder followed: which was, that this young Scholar, or Philofopher, after all the Captains were murdered in parley by Treason, conducted those ten Thousand foot, through the heart of all the King's high Countries, from Babylon to Gracia in safety, in despite of all the King's forces, to the aftonishment of the world, and the encouragement of the Grecians in time fucceeding to make invafion upon the Kings of Perfia: as was after purposed by Jafon the Thessalian, attempted by Agefilaus the Spartan, and achieved by Alexander the Macedonian, all upon the ground of the act of that young Scholar.

To proceed now from Imperial and Military virtue to Moral and private virtue: first, it is an affured truth, which is contained in the Verses:

Scilicet ingenuas didiciffe fideliter artes,
Emollit mores, nec finit effe feros.

It taketh away the wildness and Barbarifm and fierceness of men's minds; but indeed the accent had need be upon fideliter: for a little fuperficial learning doth rather work a contrary effect. It taketh away all levity, temerity, and infolency, by copious suggestion of all doubts and difficulties, and acquainting the mind to balance reasons on both fides, and to turn back the firft offers and conceits of the mind, and to accept of nothing but examined and tried. It taketh away vain admiration of any thing, which is the Root of all weaknefs: for all things are admired either because they are new, or because they are great. For novelty, no man that wadeth in learning or contemplation throughly, but will find that Printed in his heart Nil novi fuper terram. Neither can any man marvel at the play of Puppets, that goeth behind the Curtain, and adviseth well of the Motion. And for Magnitude, as Alexander the Great, after that he was used to great Armies, and the great Conquefts of the spacious Provinces in Afia, when he received Letters out of Greece, of fome fights and services there, which were commonly for a paffage or a Fort or some walled Town at the most, he faid, It seemed to him, that he was advertised of the Battle of the Frogs and the Mice, that the old tales went of. So certainly, if a man meditate much upon the Universal frame of Nature, the earth with men upon it, (the Divineness of fouls except,) will not seem much other than an Ant-hill, whereas fome Ants carry Corn, and fome carry their young,

and fome go empty, and all to-and-fro a little heap
of Duft. It taketh away or mitigateth fear of
Death, or adverse Fortune; which is one of the
greatest impediments of Virtue, and imperfections
of manners. For if a man's mind be deeply fea-
foned with the confideration of the mortality and
corruptible nature of things, he will easily concur
with Epictetus, who went forth one day and faw
a Wo
oman weeping for her Pitcher of earth that
was broken; and went forth the next day and saw
a Woman weeping for her Son that was Dead:
and thereupon faid, Heri vidi fragilem frangi, ho-
die vidi mortalem mori. And therefore Virgil did
excellently and profoundly couple the Knowledge
of causes and the Conqueft of all fears together, as
Concomitantia.

Felix, qui potuit rerum cognofcere caufas,
Quique metus omnes, et inexorabile fatum
Subjecit pedibus, ftrepitumque Acherontis avari.

It were too long to go over the particular remedies which Learning doth Minister to all the diseases of the mind; fometimes purging the illhumours, fometimes opening the obstructions, sometimes helping Digestion, sometimes increasing appetite, sometimes healing the wounds and exulcerations thereof, and the like; and, therefore, I will conclude with that which hath Rationem totius, which is, that it disposeth the Constitution of the mind not to be fixed or fettled in the defects thereof, but ftill to be capable and fufceptible of growth and Reformation. For the unlearned man

knows not what it is to defcend into himself, or to call himself to account; nor the pleasure of that Suaviffima vita, indies fentire fe fieri meliorem. The good parts he hath he will learn to fhew to the full, and use them dexterously, but not much to increase them the faults he hath he will learn how to hide and colour them, but not much to amend them: like an ill Mower, that mows on ftill, and never whets his Scythe. Whereas with the learned man it fares otherwise, that he doth ever intermix the correction and amendment of his mind with the use and employment thereof. Nay further, in general and in fum, certain it is that Veritas and Bonitas differ but as the Seal and the Print: for Truth prints Goodness; and they be the clouds of Error which defcend in the ftorms of paffions and perturbations.

From Moral virtue let us pafs on to matter of power and commandment, and confider whether in right Reason there be any comparable with that wherewith Knowledge invefteth and Crowneth man's nature. We see the dignity of the Commandment is according to the dignity of the Commanded to have commandment over Beafts, as Herdsmen have, is a thing contemptible; to have commandment over Children, as Schoolmafters have, is a matter of small honour; to have commandment over Galley-flaves is a disparagement rather than an honour. Neither is the commandment of Tyrants much better, over people which have put off the generofity of their minds: and