4. Genteel and moderate Praise, seasonably bestowed, has a great Effect. The good EfSolomon fays, be that praifes his friend aloud, rifing early, it shall be to him no able and mofect of feafonbetter than a Curfe. To magnify either Man or Matter above measure, derate Praise. ftirs up Contradiction, procures Envy, and exposes to Contempt.

5. To praise ones felf is indecent; unless in very extraordinary Cafes: How Praifes but a Man may praise his Office, his Profeffion, or his Studies, with a may be gracetolerable Grace, and fome kind of Magnanimity. St. Paul, when heful. boasts of himself, often interlaces, I speak as a fool; but of his Calling he fays, I will magnify my Apostleship.

I.

ESSAY X. Of HONOUR and REPUTATION.

HE juft Means of acquiring Honour and Reputation, is for a The true Man to display his own Virtues and Abilities to advantage: For Means of procuring Honour. those who court and hunt after Fame in their Actions, are commonly much talk'd of, but inwardly little admired. And those again who cloud their Virtue in fhewing it; are not efteemed equal to their Merit.

2. For a Man to undertake and execute a Matter that was never at- The popular tempted before, or elfe attempted and deferted; or that has been effect- Means. ed, but not in the best and happiest manner; procures him more Honour, than it would to accomplish a Matter of much greater Difficulty or Moment, wherein he is but a Follower. And if a Man fo blend his Actions, as in fome one or other of them to please all Factions, the Confort will be the fuller.

nour.

3. He is an ill Hufband of his Honour, who enters upon any Action, Directions for the failing wherein may difcredit him more than the carrying it through acquiring Hocould grace him. Honour acquired by outfhining another has the quickeft Reflection; like a Diamond cut with Fafcets w. Therefore let a Man endeavour to excel Competitors in Honour, by out-fhooting them in their own Bow. Difcreet Followers and Familiars contribute much to Reputation. Envy, that Canker of Honour, is beft diftinguished by appearing to seek Merit rather than Fame; and by attributing Succeffes rather to Providence and Felicity, than to a Man's own Virtue or Policy.

Honour.

4. The Degrees of fovereign Honour are thus juftly marshall'd. First The Degrees come Founders of Empires; fuch as Romulus, Cyrus, Cæfar, Ottoman, of Supreme Ifmael. In the fecond place come Legiflators; who are alfo called fecond Founders, or perpetual Princes; because they govern by their Laws, after their own Deceafe: fuch were Lycurgus, Solon, Juftinian, Edgar, &c. In the third Place come Deliverers, or Prefervers of their Country; fuch as put an End to long Civil Wars, or free their Countries from Tyrants, or Servitude to Strangers; as Auguftus Cæfar, Vefpafian, Aurelian, Henry the Seventh

See this Aphorifm explained in the De Augmentis Scientiar. Sect. XXIV. 36, wi. e. Brillant-cut.

* See De Augmentis Scientiar. Sect. XXV.

nours.

Seventh of England, &c. In the fourth Place come Defenders, or En-
largers of Empire; fuch as in honourable Wars extend their Territories,
or make a noble Defence against Invaders. And in the laft Place, come
the Fathers of their Country; who reign juftly, and make their People
happy.

The Degrees
5. Degrees of Honour in Subjects are firft, Partakers of the Cares of
of inferior Ho- Princes; or thofe on whom Princes discharge the Weight of their Affairs.
The next are great Leaders; fuch as fupply the Places of Kings, and per-
form capital Service in War. The third are fuch Favourites as prove a
Solace to the Sovereign; and harmless to the People. And the fourth,
fuch as hold great Offices under Princes; and execute them with Prudence
and Juftnefs.

A rare Degree of Honour.

6. There is likewife an Honour, which, tho rare, may be reckon'd' among the greatest; viz. of fuch as devote themfelves to Death or Danger, for the Good of their Country; as did Regulus, and the two Decii.

The lofty Say- I. ing of Seneca upon Adverfity.

Profperity

I

ESSAY XI. Of ADVERSITY.

T was a lofty Saying of Seneca, and in the Stoical Manner, that the Advantages of Profperity are to be wish'd; but the Advantages of Adverfity to be admired. Certainly, if it be juftly faid, that Miracles are Conquefts over Nature, thefe appear moft in Adverfity. There is ftill a fublimer Saying of the fame Author, and too fublime for a Heathen; viz. That it is true Greatness, to have the Frailty of a Man, and the Security of a God. This Saying might have fuited better with Poetry; where Hyperboles are more allowable. And indeed the Poets have been bufy with it; for 'tis in effect the thing figured out in that ftrange Fiction of the ancient Poets, which feems to contain a Chriftian Mystery; viz. that Hercules, when he went to unbind Promotheus, by whom human Nature is reprefented, failed the length of the great Ocean in an earthen Pitcher thus lively defcribing Chriftian Refolution, that fails in the frail Barque of the Flesh thro the Waves of the Worldz.

2. To fpeak more moderately; the principal Virtue of Profperity is and Adverfi- Temperance; and of Adverfity, Fortitude; which in Morality is allowty compared. ed the more heroical Virtue. Profperity is the Bleffing of the Old Teftament, Adverfity of the New; which is greater, and affords a clearer Revelation of the Divine Favour. Yet even in the Old Teftament we find David's Harp play'd as many Dirges as Carols: And the Pencil of the Holy Ghoft has more fully defcribed the Afflictions of Job, than the Felicities of Solomon.

AFoy in Adversity.

3. Profperity has its Fears and Diftaftes; Adverfity its Hopes and Comforts. In Embroidery we find it more pleafing to have a lively Work upon a folemn Ground, than a dark Work upon a light Ground. Whence

See the Fable of Frometheus, explained in the Sapientia Veterum«

we

A

we may judge of the Pleasure of the Heart, by the Pleasure of the Eye. Certainly, Virtue is like fome Perfumes, that are moft fragrant when burnt, or bruised: for Profperity beft discovers Vice; but Adversity Vir

tue.

I.

ESSAY XII. Of the VICISSITUDE OF THINGS.

Earth.

OLOMON fays, there is no new thing under the Sun: Therefore, The Inftability as Plato imagin'd, that all Knowledge is but Remembrance; fo of things on Solomon pronounces, that all Novelty is but Oblivion. Whence we may fee, that the River Lethe runs as well above Ground as below. A certain abftrufe and obfcure Aftrologer fays, were it not for two things, that are conftant; viz. the fixed Stars in their fituation, and the diurnal Motion in its return, no Individual would laft a Moment. And certainly Matter is in a perpetual Flux, never at a stay.

2. The great Winding-Sheets that bury all things in Oblivion, are De- The Causes of luges and Earthquakes. As for Conflagrations, and great Droughts, they do not Oblivion. totally difpeople or deftroy. Phaeton drove the Sun's Chariot but a Day: And the three years Drought, in the time of Elias, was but particular, and left People alive. The Devaftations by Lightning, fo frequent in the Weft-Indies, are but of narrow extent: And Peftilences do not fweep away whole Nations.

3. In the Destructions by Deluges and Earthquakes the Remnant of Deluges and People are commonly ignorant and mountainous; fo that they can give leave a RemEarthquakes no account of the time paft. Whence the Oblivion is the fame as if no nant of People Inhabitants had been left. If we thoroughly confider the Natives of the behind. Weft-Indies, 'tis highly probable they are a newer, or a younger People, than the Inhabitants of the old World. And it fhould feem that the Destruction which accidentally befel them, came not by Earthquakes, but rather by a particular Deluge: for Earthquakes are very rare in those Parts; but they have fuch vaft Rivers, that thofe of Afia, Africa, and Europe, appear but Brooks to them. Their Andes likewife are exceeding high Mountains; whereby 'tis likely fome Remnants of Men were faved from fuch a particular Delugeb.

4. The Viciffitudes or Changes in the celeftial Globe, are not much to Changes in our prefent Purpose. Comets, doubtlefs, have fome Influence upon the the Heavens. Grofs and Mafs of things: but they are rather gazed at and waited upon in their Journey, than prudently obferved in their refpective and comparative Effects: For example; what kind of Comet for Magnitude, Colour, Radiation, Situation in the Heavens, or Duration, produces what kind of Effects?

VOL. II.

M

5. They

This is a Confideration not to be flightly paffed over by thofe who would enquire into the Caufe of the prefent Face of Things on the Globe.

See this Matter farther profecuted in the Author's New Atlantis, Sect. I. 26, 27.
See the Author's Specimen of Animated Aftronomy, SUPPLEMENT IX.

Viciffitudes of

Years.

The Viciffi

and Religions.

5. They fay 'tis obferved in the Low Countries, that once in thirtyfive years, the fame kind of Weather and Series of Years come about again; as hard Frofts, Inundations, Droughts, warm Winters, &c. and this Revolution they call the Prime. 'Tis a thing I the rather mention, because by computing backwards, I have found fome kind of Correfpondence.

6. The greatest Viciffitude of things among Men, is that of Sects and tudes of Sects Religions; which are the Orbs that rule in Mens Minds the moft. True Religion is built upon a Rock; the reft are toffed upon the Waves of Time. When a received Religion is rent by Difcords; the Holinefs of its Profeffors decayed; their Lives grown fcandalous; and the Times ignorant and barbarous, fufpect the Introduction of a new Sect; efpecially if any wild paradoxical Spirit fhould now arife to espouse it: All which concurred when Mahomet publifhed his Law.

Two Requifites to the Introduction

of a new Religion.

7. No new Set can fpread, unlefs, (1.) it oppofe or fubvert the eftablished Authority; which is an extremely popular thing; and (2.) opens the Door to Luxury and Pleafures. But for fpeculative Herefies; fuch as the Arian of old, and the Arminian of late, tho they operate strangely upon Mens Minds, yet they produce no great Alterations in States; unlefs by the favour of civil Occafions.

Three Ways of 8. There are three Ways of planting new Sects; viz. (1.) by Miracles; introducing (2.) Eloquence; and (3.) the Sword. As for Martyrdoms, I reckon them among Miracles; because they feem to exceed the Strength of human Nature; and understand the like of fuperlative Holiness of Life.

new Sects.

The Ways of Suppreffing new Setts.

The Viciffitudes of Wars.

9. There is no better Way to stop the Rife of new Sects and Schifms, than to reform Abuses; compound the leffer Differences; proceed mildly from the first; refrain from fanguinary Perfecutions; and rather to foften and win the principal Leaders, by gracing and advancing them, than to enrage them by Violence and Bitterness.

10. The Viciffitudes of Wars are numerous; but chiefly turn upon three Points; viz. (1.) the Seat of War; (2.) the kinds of Arms; and (3.) the Difcipline ufed. (1.) Wars feem'd anciently to move chiefly from Eaft to Weft: For the Perfians, Affyrians, Arabians, and Tartars, who were the Invaders, are all Eaftern People. The Gauls indeed were Western: but we read only of two Incurfions they made; the one upon Gallo-Græcia ; the other upon the Romans: And as the Eait and Weft are no fixed Points in the Heavens; fo of the Wars from the Eaft or Weft, we have no certain Obfervation: But the North and South are fix'd by Nature; and it has been feldom or never feen, that the far Southern People invaded the Northern; but the contrary. Whence it appears, that the Northern Tract of the World is naturally the more martial: Whether this be owing to the Stars of that Hemifphere, or to the vaft Continents upon the North; or to the Coldnefs of thofe Parts, which naturally renders the Body hardy, and the Heart courageous.

The Caufes of 11. Upon the breaking and fhivering of a great Empire, Wars are cerWars; viz. tainly to be expected: For great Empires, while they flourish, enervate Dolution of the native Forces of their Provinces, by relying wholly upon their own

States.

Soldiers

Soldiers at home; fo that when thefe fail, all goes to Ruin; and the Empire becomes a Prey to other Nations. Thus it happened in the Declenfion of the Roman Empire, and the Empire of Almaign, after Charles the Great; every Bird taking its own Feathers.

12. On the other hand, great Enlargements and Unions of Kingdoms Their Enoccafion Wars. For when a State fwells with Power, it is like a River fwel- largement. ling with the Land-Waters, and threatening an Inundation; as appeared in the Empires of Rome, Turkey, Spain, &c.

13. When the World abounds with civilized Nations, that will not ufu- A Want of ally marry, or beget Children, whilft unprovided of the Means of living; providing for there is no danger of Inundations or Tranfmigrations of People: But when the Natives. vaft fhoals of Men continue populating, without any Provifion for their Maintenance; they muft of neceffity, once in an Age or two, difcharge a Portion of their Natives upon other Nations. This the ancient Northern People ufually did by Lot: which determined what part fhould continue at home, and what remove.

States growing effeminate.

14. When a military State grows foft and effeminate, War certainly Military follows. For fuch States commonly grow rich in the time of their degenerating; whence the Prey invites, and their Decay in Valour encourages an Invafion upon them.

15. Weapons, Arms, or Artillery, tho they hardly fall under Rule and The Revolu Obfervation; yet even these have their Returns and Viciffitudes. For Brafstions of Artil lery and FireCannon was known in the Time of Alexander the Great, at the City of Arms. Oxydraces in India; being what the Macedonians call'd Thunder, Lightning, and Magical Operations. And the Chinese have had the Use of Ŏrdnance and Gunpowder above two thousand Years.

16. The Properties and Improvements of Arms are, firft that of reaching The Properties to a great Distance: for this out-runs Danger; as in Ordnance and Muskets. of Arms. Secondly, the Strength of the Percuffion; wherein likewife Ordnance exceed all Arietations, and ancient Inventions. The third is, Commodioufnefs of Ufe, as that they may ferve in all Weathers; that the Carriage be light, manageable, &c.

Conduct, and

17. (3.) As for Military Conduct and Difcipline; at the firft, Men The Progress principally relied upon Number, and trufted to downright Force and Va- of Military lour; frequently appointing pitch'd Battles, and fo trying it out upon Difcipline. even Terms. They were then unfkill'd in drawing up and marshalling their Armies: Afterwards they depended rather upon competent, than vaft ones. They now took the Advantages of Place, practifed Feints, Stratagems, &c. and grew more fkilful in preparing for Battle.

18. In the Youth of a State Arms flourish; in the middle Age Learn- The Revolu ing; then both of them together for a time; and in the Decline, mecha- tions of Learn nical Arts and Trades. Learning has its Infancy, when 'tis but trivial and ing childish; next its Youth, when it is luxuriant and juvenile; then its Strength, when 'tis folid and reduced; and laftly, its old Age, when it becomes dry, exhaufted and talkative. But it is improper to look long upon thefe turning Wheels of Viciffitude, left we become giddy.

M 2

ESSAY