164. (85.) There was a merchant far in debt that died.' His goods and household stuff were set forth to sale. There was one that bought only a pillow, and said; This pillow sure is good to sleep upon, since he could sleep that owed so many debts.3

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165. (86.) A lover met his lady in a close chair, she thinking to go unknown. He came and spake to her. She asked him; How did y u know me? He said; Because my wounds bleed afresh. Alluding to the common tradition, that the wounds of a body slain, in the presence of him that killed him, will bleed afresh.5

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166. (87.) A gentleman brought music to his lady's window, who hated him, and had warned him oft away; and when he persisted, she threw stones at him. Whereupon a friend of his that was in his company, said to him; What greater honour can you have to your music, than that stones come about you, as they did to Orpheus?

167. (226.) Cato Major would say; That wise men learned more by fools, than fools by wise men.

168. (227.) When it was said to Anaxagoras; The Athenians have condemned you to die: he said again; And Nature them.

† 169. Demosthenes when he fled from the battle, and that it was reproached to him, said; That he that flies mought fight again.

170. (205.) Antaleidas, when an Athenian said to him; Ye Spartans are unlearned; said again; True, for we have learned no evil nor vice of you.

171. (228.) Alexander, when his father wished him to run for the prize of the race at the Olympian games, (for he was very swift,) said; Ile would, if he might run with kings.

172. (163.) When Alexander passed into Asia, he gave large donatives to his captains, and other principal men of virtue;

There was a merchant died, that was very far in debt. R.

2 A stranger would needs buy a pillow there, saying. R.

The saying is attributed by Macrobius to Augustus Cæsar; and quoted in Erasmus's collection, No. 31.

4 to have gone. R.

5 that the wounds of a body slain will bleed afresh upon the approach of the mur

insomuch as Parmenio asked him; Sir, what do you keep for yourself? He answered; Hope.

173. (229.) Antigonus used oft to go disguised, and listen at the tents of his soldiers: and at a time heard some that spoke very ill of him. Whereupon he opened the tent a little, and said to them; If you will speak ill of me, you should go a little further off.

174. (164.) Vespasian set a tribute upon urine. son emboldened himself to speak to his sented it as a thing indign and sordid.

Titus his

father of it and repreVespasian said nothing

for the time; but a while after, when it was forgotten, sent for a piece of silver out of the tribute money, and called to his son, bidding him smell to it; and asked him; Whether he found any offence? Who said, No. Why lo', (saith Vespasian again,) and yet this comes out of urine.

† 175. There were two gentlemen, otherwise of equal degree, save that the one was of the ancienter house. The other in courtesy asked his hand to kiss: which he gave him; and he kissed it; but said withal, to right himself, by way of friendship; Well, I and you, against any two of them: putting himself first.

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176. (165.) Nerva the Emperor succeeded Domitian, who was tyrannical; so as 3 in his time many noble houses were overthrown by false accusations; the instruments whereof were chiefly Marcellus and Regulus. The Emperor one night supped privately with some six or seven: amongst which there was one that was a dangerous man, and began to take the like courses as Marcellus and Regulus had done. The Emperor fell into discourse of the injustice and tyranny of the former time, and by name of the two accusers; and said; What should we do with them, if we had them now? One of them that were at

1 Why so. R.

2 According to Melchior's version (VI. 6. 4,) mas anciano: the older man.

The Emperor Nerva.

5

R.

S who had been tyrannical; and. R. was. R This variation (which is obviously wrong), coupled with others of the same kind, makes me suspect that the text of the edition of 1661 has suffered from a correcting editor. It may be that he had no choice: for the collection may have been made up from a rough imperfect or illegible copy, containing passages which could only be supplied by conjecture. But it strikes me that very few of these different readings are such as Bacon himself would have thought improvements. In this case the history of the change may be easily divined. "One of them that were at supper, and was a free-spoken senator," struck the editor as an incorrect sentence: were and was could not both be right; and as "a senator" could not be plural, were must be replaced by was. Unfortunately, in attending to the grammar without attending to the sense, he in effect puts the remark into the mouth of the very person at whom it was aimed. He should have let were stand, and put who for and.

supper, and was a free-spoken senator, said; Marry, they should sup with us.

177. (166.) There was one that found a great mass of money, digged under ground in his grandfather's house. And being somewhat doubtful of the case, signified it to the Emperor that he had found such treasure. The Emperor made a rescript thus; Use it. He writ back again, that the sum was greater than his estate or condition could use. The Emperor writ a new rescript thus; Abuse it.

178. (198.) A Spaniard was censuring to a French gentleman the want of devotion amongst the French; in that, whereas in Spain, when the Sacrament goes to the sick, any that meets with it turns back and waits upon it to the house whither it goes; but in France they only do reverence, and pass by. But the French gentleman answered him; There is reason for it ; for here with us Christ is secure amongst his friends; but in Spain there be so many Jews and Maranos, that it is not amiss for him to have a convoy.

179. (88.) Coranus the Spaniard, at a table at dinne. fell into an extolling of his own father, and said; If he could have wished of God, he could not have chosen amongst men a better father. Sir Henry Savill said, What, not Abraham? Now Coranus was doubted to descend of a race of Jews.

180. (89.) Consalvo would say; The honour of a soldier ought to be of a good strong web; meaning, that it should not be so fine and curious, that every little disgrace should' catch and stick in it.

181. (243.) One of the Seven was wont to say; That laws were like cobwebs; where the small flies were caught, and the great brake thorough.

† 182. Bias gave in precept; Love as if you should hereafter hate; and hate as if you should hereafter love.

183. (169.) Aristippus being reprehended of luxury by one that was not rich, for that he gave six crowns for a small fish, answered; Why what would you have given? The other said; Some twelve pence. Aristippus said again; And six crowns is

no more with me.

184. (32.) There was a French gentleman speaking with an English, of the law Salique; that women were excluded to

as for every small disgrace to. R.

inherit the crown of France. The English said; Yes, but that was meant of the women themselves, not of such males as claimed by women. The French gentleman said; Where do you find that gloss? The English answered; I'll tell you, Sir: look on the backside of the record of the law Salique, and there you shall find it indorsed: meaning there was no such thing at all as the law Salique, but that it was a fiction.3

2

185. (33.) There was a friar in earnest dispute about the law Salique, that would needs prove it by Scripture; citing that verse of the Gospel; Lilia agri non laborant neque nent: which is as much as to say (saith he) that the flower-de-luces of France cannot descend neither to distaff nor spade: that is, not to a woman, nor to a peasant.

186. (167.) Julius Cæsar, as he passed by, was by acclamation of some that were suborned called King, to try how the people would take it. The people shewed great murmur and distaste at it. Cæsar, finding where the wind stood, slighted it, and said; I am not King, but Cæsar; as if they had mistook7 his name. For Rex was a surname amongst the Romans, as

King is with us.

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187. (168.) When Croesus, for his glory, shewed Solon great treasure of gold, Solon said to him; If another come that hath better iron than you, he will be master of all this gold.

188. (99.) There was a gentleman that came to the tilt all in 10 all orange-tawny, and ran very ill. The next day he came in green, and ran worse. There was one of the lookers on asked another; What's the reason that this gentleman changeth his colours? The other answered Sure, because it may be reported that the gentleman in the green ran worse than the gentleman in the orange-tawny.

189. (230.) Aristippus said; That those that studied particular sciences, and neglected philosophy, were like Penelope's wooers, that made love to the waiting women."1

190. (170.) Plato reproved 12 severely a young man for entering into a dissolute house. The young man said to him; What13

1 from inheriting. R.

2 implying. R.

4 A friar of France being in an earnest dispute. R.

is a mere fiction. R.

5 The lilies of the field do neither labour nor spin: applying it thus, that. of some that stood in the way, termed. R.

his great treasures. R.

R.

R.

7 mi-taken.

R

woman. R. 12 reprehended. R. 18 why do you reprehend me so sharply. R

if another KING come.

for so small a matter? Plato replied; But custom is no small

matter.

191. (199.) There was a law made by the Romans against the bribery and extortion of the governors of provinces. Cicero saith, in a speech of his to the people; That he thought the provinces would petition to the state of Rome to have that law repealed. For (saith he) before the governors did bribe and extort as much as was sufficient for themselves; but now they bribe and extort as much as may be enough not only for themselves, but for the judges and jurors and magistrates.

192. (171.) Archidamus King of Lacedaemon, having received from Philip King of Macedon, after Philip had won the victory of Charonea upon the Athenians, proud letters, writ back to him; That if he measured his own shadow, he would find it no longer than it was before his victory.

193. (172.) Pyrrhus, when his friends congratulated to him his victory over the Romans, under the conduct of Fabricius, but with great slaughter of his own side, said to them again; Yes, but if we have such another victory, we are undone.

194. (173.) Cineas was an excellent orator and statesman, and principal friend and counsellor to Pyrrhus; and falling in inward talk with him, and discerning the King's endless ambition', Pyrrhus opened himself to him; That he intended first a war upon Italy 2, and hoped to atchieve it. Cineas asked him; Sir, what will you do then? Then (saith he) we will attempt Sicily Cineas said; Well, Sir, what then? 3 Then (saith Pyrrhus) if the Gods favour us, we may conquer Africk and Carthage. What then, Sir? saith Cineas. Nay then (saith Pyrrhus) we may take our rest, and sacrifice and feast every day, and make merry with our friends. Alus, Sir, (said Cineas) may we not do so now, without all this ado?

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195. (231.) The embassadors of Asia Minor came to Antonius, after he had imposed upon them a double tax, and said plainly to him; That if he would have two tributes in one year, Je must give them two seed-times and two harvests.

196. (174.) Plato was wont to say of his master Socrates;

R. 9 Italy and Rome.

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1 when Pyrrhus. R. 2 Sicily. R. succour. R. 5 we may conquer the kingdom of Carthage, R, Compare Erasmus's version of this anecdote (V. Pyrrh. 24.), from which it seems to be compressed: where the order of the proposed conquests is Rome, Italy, Sicily, Libya and Carthage, Macedonia and Greece.