: control him for instead of managing the powerdd of the great so as to mitigate the ill, or extract any good from it, he was always urging it to acts of violence by a perpetual defiance ; so that, with the best intention in the world, he often did great harm to the republic. This was his general behavior :" yet from some particular facts explained above, it appears that his strength of mind was not impregnable, but had its weak places of pride, ambition, and party zeal, which, when encouraged" and flattered to a certain point, would betray10 him sometimes into measures" contrary to his ordinary rule of right and truth. The last act of his life was agreeable to his nature and philosophy. When he could not longer be what he had been, and when the ills of life o'erbalanced the good (which, by the principles' of his sect,' was a just cause for dying), he put an end to his life with a spirit and resolution which would make one imagine that he was glad to have foundo an occasion of dying in his proper character. On the whole, 12 his life13 was rather admirable than amiable, fit to be praised rather than imitated.14 5 Rel. clause with decere. 6 Clause with si (h). 8 With aditus (i). 11 usus. 9 d 7 constantia. finis. 10 abducere, with personal subject. 12 Clause with ut. 13 With verb. 14 With exemplum proponere. 1. STUDIES serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use" for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and dispositionda of business; for expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots1 and marshalling2 of affairs, come best from those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies, is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor" of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are3 perfected by experience; for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them and above them, won by observation.f 2. Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find" talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts;10 others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly,11 but with dilligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be" only in the less important arguments12 and the meaner sort" of books; else distillede books are like common distilled waters, flashy13 things." 3. Reading maketh a full man;" conference a ready man; and writing an exact man; and,a there fore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know that he doth not. Histories' make men wise; poetry, witty; the mathematics, subtile; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend: Abcunt studia in mores ;14 nay, there is no stand or impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies. 14 Insert ut aiunt to show the proverb. XXXVI. ANTONY IN DEFEAT. - North's Plutarch. 1. ANTONIUS, flying upon this overthrow, fell1 into great misery all at once; but the chiefest want of all other, and that pinched him most, was° famine. Howbeit, he wase of such a strong nature, that by patience he would overcome any adversity and the heavier fortune lay upon him, the more constant shewed he himself. Every man that feeleth want or adversity knoweth by virtue and discretion what he should2 do; but when indeed they are overlaid with extremity, and be sore oppressed, few have the hearts to follow that which they praise and commend, and much less3 to avoid that they reprove and mislike; but rather3. to the contrary," they yield to their accustomed easy life, and, through faint heart and lack of courage, do change their first mind and purpose. And therefore it was a wonderful example to the soldiers, to see" Antonius, that was brought up in all fineness and superfluity, so easily to drink puddle-water, and to 1 excipere (cc). 2 optimum factu. 3 non modo ... sed etiam. eat wild fruits and roots. And moreover it is reported, that even as they passed the Alps, they did eat the barks of trees, and such beasts as never man tasted of their flesh before. 2. Now their intent was to join with the legions that were on the other side of the mountains, under Lepidus' charge;" whom Antonius took to be his friend, because he had holpen him to many things at Cæsar's hand, through his means. When he was come to the place where Lepidus was,' he camped hard by him; and when he saw that no man came to him to put him in any hope, he determined to venture himself, and to go unto Lepidus. Since the overthrow he hads at Modena, he suffereds his beard to grow at length, and never clipt it, that it was marvellous long, and the hair of his head also without combing; and besides all this, he went in a mourningad gown, and after this sort came hard to the trenches of Lepidus' camp. Then he began to speak unto the soldiers, and many of them their hearts yearned for pity to see him so poorly arrayed, and some also through his words began to pity' him: insomuch that Lepidus began to be afraid, and therefore commanded. all the trumpets to sound together to stop the soldiers' ears, that they should not hearken' to Antonius. 3. This notwithstanding," the soldiers took the more pity of him, and spake secretly with him by Clodius' and Lælius' means, whom they sent unto him disguised in women's apparel, and gave him counsel that he should not be afraid to enter into their camp, for there were a great number of soldiers that would receive him, and kill Lepidus, if he would say the 4 With transgredi. 5 confirmare. 7 commovere (i, s). 6 miser (i, v, x). word. Antonius would not suffer them to hurt him, but the next morning he went with his army to wade a ford, at a little river that ran between them; and himself was the foremost man that took the river to get over, seeing a number of Lepidus' camp,' that gave him their hands, plucked up the stakes, and laid flats the bank of their trench to let him into their camp. When he was come into their camp,' and that he had all the army at his commandment, he used Lepidus very courteously, embraced him, and called him father: and though indeed AntoniusTM did all, and ruled the whole army, yet he always gave Lepidus the name and honor of the captain. 8 complanare. XXXVII. SPEECH OF ANTONY. - Shakespeare. FRIENDS, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them; So are they all, all honourable men, Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. He hath brought many captives home to Rome, Did this in Cæsar seem ambitious? When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept: |