Rubor eft virtutis color, though fometime it come from vice; fo it may be fitly faid that Paupertas eft virtutis fortuna, though sometime it may proceed from mifgovernment and accident. Surely Solomon hath pronounced it both in cenfure, Qui feftinat ad divitias non erit infons; and in precept; Buy the truth, and fell it not; And fo of wisdom and knowledge; judging that means were to be spent upon learning, and not learning to be applied to means. And as for the privateness, or obscurenefs (as it may be in vulgar eftimation accounted) of life of contemplative men; it is a Theme fo common, to extol a private life not taxed with sensuality and sloth, in comparison and to the disadvantage of a civil life, for fafety, liberty, pleasure, and dignity, or at least freedom from indignity, as no man handleth it, but handleth it well: fuch a confonancy it hath to men's conceits in the expreffing, and to men's confents in the allowing. This only I will add, that Learned Men forgotten in States, and not living in the eyes of men, are like the Images of Caffius and Brutus in the funeral of Junia: of which not being represented, as many others were, Tacitus faith, Eo ipfo præfulgebant, quod non visebantur.

And for meanness of employment, that which is moft traduced to contempt is that the government of youth is commonly allotted to them; which age, because it is the age of least authority, it is tranfferred to the difefteeming of those employments wherein youth is converfant, and which are con

verfant about youth. But how unjust this traducement is (if you will reduce things from popularity of opinion to measure of reason) may appear in that, we see men are more curious what they put into a new Vessel, than into a Veffel seasoned; and what mould they lay about a young plant, than about a Plant corroborate; fo as the weakeft Terms and Times of all things ufe to have the best applications and helps. And will you hearken to the Hebrew Rabbins? Your young men fhall fee Vifions, and your old men fhall dream dreams; say the youth is the worthier age, for that Visions are nearer apparitions of GOD than dreams. And let it be noted, that howsoever the Condition of life of Pedants hath been scorned upon Theatres, as the Ape of Tyranny; and that the modern looseness or negligence hath taken no due regard to the choice of Schoolmasters and Tutors; yet the ancient wisdom of the best times did always make a juft complaint, that States were too busy with their Laws, and too negligent in point of education: which excellent part of ancient difcipline hath been in fome fort revived of late times by the Colleges of the Jefuits; of whom, although in regard of their superstition I may fay, Quo meliores, eo deteriores; yet in regard of this, and some other points concerning human Learning and Moral matters, I may say, as Agesilaus faid to his enemy Pharnabazus, Talis quum fis, utinam nofter effes. And thus much touching the difcredits drawn from the fortunes of learned

men.

As touching the Manners of learned men, it is a thing perfonal and individual: and no doubt there be amongst them, as in other profeffions, of all temperatures: but yet so as it is not without truth, which is faid, that Abeunt ftudia in mores, Studies have an influence and operation upon the manners of those that are converfant in them.

But upon an attentive and indifferent review, I for my part cannot find any disgrace to Learning can proceed from the manners of learned men not inherent to them as they are learned; except it be a fault (which was the fuppofed fault of Demofthenes, Cicero, Cato the fecond, Seneca, and many more) that, because the times they read of are commonly better than the times they live in, and the duties taught better than the duties practised, they contend fometimes too far to bring things to perfection, and to reduce the corruption of manners to honesty of precepts, or examples of too great height. And yet hereof they have Caveats enough in their own walks. For Solon, when he was asked whether he had given his Citizens the best laws, answered wifely, Yea, of fuch as they would receive: and Plato, finding that his own heart could not agree with the corrupt manners of his Country, refused to bear place or office; faying, That a man's Country was to be used as his Parents were, that is, with humble perfuafions, and not with conteftations. And Cæfar's Counsellor put in the fame Caveat, Non ad vetera inftituta revocans quæ jampridem corruptis moribus ludibrio funt: and Ci

cero noteth this error directly in Cato the second, when he writes to his friend Atticus; Cato optime fentit, fed nocet interdum reipublicæ; loquitur enim tanquam in republica Platonis, non tanquam in fæce Romuli. And the fame Cicero doth excufe and expound the Philofophers for going too far, and being too exact in their prescripts, when he faith, Ifti ipfi præceptores virtutis et Magiftri, videntur fines officiorum paulo longius quam natura vellet protuliffe, ut cum ad ultimum animo contendissemus, ibi tamen, ubi oportet, confifteremus: and yet himself might have faid, Monitis fum minor ipfe meis; for it was his own fault, though not in so extreme a degree.

Another fault likewife much of this kind hath been incident to learned men; which is, that they have esteemed the preservation, good, and honour of their Countries or Mafters before their own fortunes or fafeties. For fo faith Demofthenes unto the Athenians: If it pleafe you to note it, my counfels unto you are not fuch whereby I should grow great amongst you, and you become little amongst the Grecians but they be of that nature, as they are Sometimes not good for me to give, but are always good for you to follow. And fo Seneca, after he had confecrated that Quinquennium Neronis to the eternal glory of learned Governors, held on his honest and loyal course of good and free Counsel, after his Mafter grew extremely corrupt in his government. Neither can this point otherwise be; for Learning endueth men's minds with a true sense

of the frailty of their persons, the casualty of their fortunes, and the dignity of their foul and vocation : fo that it is impoffible for them to esteem that any greatness of their own fortune can be a true or worthy end of their being an ordainment; and therefore are defirous to give their account to GOD, and so likewise to their Masters under GOD (as Kings and the States that they serve) in these words; Ecce tibi lucrefeci, and not Ecce mihi lucrefeci: whereas, the corrupter fort of mere Politicians, that have not their thoughts established by Learning in the love and apprehenfion of duty, nor ever look abroad into univerfality, do refer all things to themselves, and thruft themselves into the Centre of the world, as if all times fhould meet in them and their fortunes; never caring, in all tempests, what becomes of the ship of Estates, so they may fave themselves in the Cockboat of their own Fortune: whereas men that feel the weight of duty, and know the limits of felf-love, use to make good their places and duties, though with peril; and if they ftand in feditious and violent alterations, it is rather the reverence which many times both adverse parts do give to honesty, than any verfatile advantage of their own carriage. But for this point of tender sense, and fast obligation of duty, which Learning doth endue the mind withal, howfoever Fortune may tax it, and many in the depth of their corrupt principles may despise it, yet it will receive an open allowance, and therefore, needs the lefs difproof or excufation.