to watch, and then to speed; for the helmet of Pluto, which maketh the politic man go invisible, is secrecy in the counsel and celerity in the execution; for when things are once come to the execution, there is no secrecy comparable to celerity, like the motion of a bullet in the air, which flieth so swift as it outruns the eye. BACON. XV. CENSURE OF THE ENGLISH CONDUCT. While such was our conduct in all parts of the world, could it be hoped that any emigrant, whose situation was not utterly desperate indeed, would join us; or that all who were lovers of their country more than lovers of royalty would not be our enemies? We have so shuffled in our professions, and have been guilty of such duplicity, that no description of Frenchmen will flock to our standard. It was a fatal error in the commencement of the war that we did not state clearly how far we meant to enter into the cause of the emigrants, and how far to connect ourselves with powers who from their previous conduct might well be suspected of other views than that of restoring monarchy in France. It may perhaps be said that we could not be certain in the first instance how far it might be proper to interfere in the internal affairs of France; that we must watch events and act accordingly. But by this want of clearness with respect to our ultimate intentions we have lost more than any contingency could ever promise. C. J. Fox. καὶ γάρ τοι ἡ "Αϊδος κυνῆ, δι ̓ ἧς ὁ φρόνιμος ἀφανὴς γένοιτ ̓ ἄν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ τὸ λανθάνειν μὲν βουλευόμενον ταχύνειν δ ̓ ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ· ὅταν γὰρ εἰς τὸ ἔργον ἀφίκωνται, οὐδὲν οἷον ταχύνειν, εἴ τις λανθάνειν βού λεται παράδειγμα δὲ ἡ ἐκ τῆς σφενδόνης μολυβδίς, ἢ οὕτω ταχέως διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος φέρεται ὥστε τὴν ὄψιν ἀπολείπεσθαι. H. J. XV. τοιαῦτα τοίνυν πανταχοῦ πραττόντων ἡμῶν, πῶς εὔλογον προσχωρεῖν ἡμῖν τινὰ τῶν φυγάδων μὴ οὐ τύχῃ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ χρησάμενον; καὶ ὅστις μὴ μοναρχίας μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς πατρίδος φίλος ἐστὶ πῶς οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἡμῖν ἐχθρὸς γίγνεσθαι; οὕτω γὰρ ἀβεβαίους μὲν τὰς προφάσεις τὰς δὲ πράξεις ἀπίστους παρεσχήκαμεν ὥστε οὐδεὶς ὁστισοῦν ἔτι τῶν Γαλατῶν ἡμῖν συστρα τεύειν ἐθέλει. ἄρχοντες γὰρ τοῦ πολέμου ὡς κάκιστα ἡμαρτήκαμεν οὐ σαφῶς δηλώσαντες ἐφ ̓ ὅσον μὲν τοῖς φυγάσι βοηθεῖν ἐμέλλομεν ἐφ ̓ ὅσον δ ̓ ἐκείναις τῶν πόλεων συνέπεσθαι καθ ̓ ὧν τὰ πρότερον πεπραγμένα δικαίαν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν παρείχετο ὡς ἄλλων ἐφίενται παρὰ τὸ ἐπανορθῶσαι τὴν ἐν Γαλατίᾳ μοναρχίαν. ἀλλὰ νὴ Δί ̓ ἄδηλον ἦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐφ ̓ ὅσον καλῶς ἔχει ἡμῖν τῆς τῶν Γαλατών καταστάσεως ἐφάπτεσθαι, ὥστε περιμενετέον ἦν τὰ ἀποβαίνοντα καὶ ἐκ τούτων βουλευτέον· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ τότε ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι ὅ,τι ἐν νῷ εἶχομεν πλείω ἐσφάλημεν ἢ ὅσα ἀπὸ συντυχίας ὁποιασοῦν ἂν ἐκερδάναμεν. W. E. C. XVI. ACHILLES AND CHIRON. You must know, there are two kinds of combating or fighting; the one by right of the laws, the other merely by force. The first way is proper to men, the other is also common to beasts: but because the first many times suffices not, there is a necessity to make recourse to the second; wherefore it behoves a prince to make good use of that part which belongs to a beast, as well as that which is proper to a man. This part hath been covertly shewed to princes by ancient writers; who say that Achilles and many others of those ancient princes were entrusted to Chiron the centaur, to be brought up under discipline: the moral of this having for their teacher one that was half a beast and half a man, was nothing else, but that it was needful for a prince to understand how to make his advantage of the one and the other nature, because neither could subsist without the other. N. MACHIAVELLI. XVII. EUMENES. Surely it is great injustice to impute the mischiefe contrived against worthy men, to their own proud carriage or some other ill deserving. For though it often happen, that small vices do serve to counterpoise great vertues (the sense of evill being more quick and lasting than of good), yet he shall bewray a very foolish malice, that, wanting other testimonie, will thinke it a part of wise XVI. ΝΟΜΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΒΙΑ. δύο δήπου εἴδη ἔστι τοῦ ἀγωνίζεσθαι καὶ μάχεσθαι, τὸ μὲν σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τῷ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, τὸ δ ̓ ἁπλῶς βίᾳ· ὧν τὸ μὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἴδιόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ κοινὸν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ζώοις· ἀλλ ̓ ἐπεὶ πολλάκις οὐκ ἀπόχρη ἐκεῖνο, ἀνάγκη καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο τρέπεσθαι. διὸ δεῖ τούς γ ̓ ἄρχοντας ἅμα μὲν τῷ θηριώδει μέρει ἱκανῶς χρήσασθαι ἅμα δὲ τῷ κυρίως ἀνθρωπίνῳ. ὅπερ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑποσημαίνουσιν οἱ παλαιοὶ ποιηταί, λέγοντες ὡς ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ τῶν παλαιῶν ἐκείνων βασιλέων καὶ ὁ ̓Αχιλλεὺς Χείρωνι τῷ Κενταύρῳ ἐπετράπησαν, ἵν ̓ ὑπ ̓ αὐτοῦ παιδεύοιντο· οὐδὲν ἄλλο δηλονότι βουλόμενοι τῷ τὸν διδάσκαλον θηρίον ἅμα καὶ ἄνθρωπον ποιεῖν ἢ ὡς χρὴ τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν φύσεων ὠφελείαν λαβεῖν ἐπίστασθαι ὡς οὐκ ἐνδεχομένου οὐδετέραν αὐτὴν καθ ̓ ἐαυτὴν ὑφεστάναι. W. E. C. XVII. ΕΥΜΕΝΗΣ. πολλὴ δήπου ἀδικία ἐστὶ τὰ πρὸς ἄνδρας χρηστοὺς ἐπιβουλευόμενα κακὰ εἰς τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν αὐτῶν ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ πονηρίαν ἀναφέρειν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλάκις συμβαίνει μεγάλων ἀρετῶν ἀντίῤῥοπα γίγνεσθαι σμικρὰ ἁμαρτήματα (διὰ τὸ ὀξυτέραν ἔχειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ χρονιωτέραν τὴν τοῦ κακοῦ αἴσθη σιν ἢ τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ), ἀλλ' ὅμως ἄνοιάν τινα μάλα φθονερὰν ὀφλήσει ὅστις ἂν οἴηται ὡς πρὸς σοφοῦ dome, to finde good reason of the evills done to vertuous men, which oftentimes have no other cause than vertue itselfe. Eumenes, among many excellent qualities, was noted to be of singular courtesie, of a very sweet conversation among his friends, and carefull by all gentle meanes to winne their love, that seemed to beare him any secret ill affection. It was his meere vertue that overthrew him, which even they that sought his life acknowledged. SIR W. RALEIGH. XVIII. ASEM AND THE GENIUS. As they walked further up the country, the more he was surprised to see no vestiges of handsome houses, no cities, nor any mark of elegant design. His conductor perceiving his surprise, observed: "That the inhabitants of this new world were perfectly content with their ancient simplicity; each had a house, which, though homely, was sufficient to lodge the little family: they were too good to build houses, which could only increase their own pride and the envy of the spectator; what they built was for convenience, and not for show.' 'At least then,' said Asem, 'they have neither architects, painters nor statuaries in their society; but these are idle arts and may be spared. However, before I spend much more |