ESSAY LIV.

deals between man and man, raiseth his Of Vain Glory. Own credit with both, by pretending greater interest than he hath in either; and in these, and the like kinds, it often falls out that somewhat is produced of nothing; for lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance. In military commanders and soldiers, vain glory is an essential point; for as iron sharpens iron, so by glory, one courage sharpeneth another. In cases of great enterprise upon charge and adventure, a composition of glorious natures doth put life into business; and those that are of solid and sober natures have more of the ballast than of the sail. In fame of learning, the flight will be slow without some feathers of ostentation: 'Those who write books on despising glory set their names on the title-page.' Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, were men full of ostentation: certainly vain glory helpeth to perpetuate a man's memory; and virtue was never so beholden to human nature, as it received his due at the second hand. Neither had the fame of Cicero, Seneca, Plinius Secundus,

borne her age so well, if it had not been ESSAY LIV. joined with some vanity in themselves; like Of Vain Glory. unto varnish, that makes seelings not only shine but last. But all this while, when I speak of vain glory, I mean not of that property that Tacitus doth attribute to Mucianus, 'one who set off everything he said and did with a certain skill': for that proceeds not of vanity, but of natural magnanimity and discretion; and, in some persons, is not only comely, but gracious: for excusations, cessions, modesty itself well governed, are but arts of ostentation; and amongst those arts there is none better than that which Plinius Secundus speaketh of, which is to be liberal of praise and commendation to others, in that wherein a man's self hath any perfection: for, saith Pliny very wittily, 'in commending another you do yourself right; for he that you commend is either superior to you in that you commend, or inferior: if he be inferior, if he be to be commended, you much more; if he be superior, if he be not to be commended, you much less.' (Glorious men are

ESSAY LIV.

the scorn of wise men, the admiration of Of Vain Glory. fools, the idols of parasites, and the slaves of their own vaunts.)

ESSAY LV. Of Honour and

Reputation.

The winning of honour is but the revealing of a man's virtue and worth without disadvantage; for some in their actions do woo and affect honour and reputation; which sort of men are commonly much talked of, but inwardly little admired: and some, contrariwise, darken their virtue in the show of it; so as they be undervalued in opinion. If a man perform that which hath not been attempted before, or attempted and given over, or hath been achieved but not with so good circumstance, he shall purchase more honour than by effecting a matter of greater difficulty or virtue wherein he is but a follower. If a man so temper his actions, as in some one of them he doth content every faction or combination people, the music will be the fuller. man is an ill husband of his honour that entereth into any action, the failing wherein may disgrace him more than the carrying of it through can honour him. Honour

of

A

and

that is gained and broken upon another ESSAY LV. hath the quickest reflection, like diamonds of Honour cut with facets; and therefore let a man Reputation. contend to excel any competitors of his in honour, in outshooting them, if he can, in their own bow. Discreet followers and servants help much to reputation: 'All fame emanates from servants.' Envy, which is the canker of honour, is best extinguished by declaring a man's self in his ends rather to seek merit than fame: and by attributing a man's successes rather to divine providence and felicity, than to his own virtue or policy. The true marshalling of the degrees of sovereign honour are these in the first place are 'founders of states and commonwealths'; such as were Romulus, Cyrus, Caesar, Ottoman, Ismael : in the second place are 'lawgivers'; which are also called 'second founders' or 'perpetual rulers,' because they govern by their ordinances after they are gone; such were Lycurgus, Solon, Justinian, Edgar, Alphonsus of Castile the Wise that made the 'Siete Partidas': in the third place

ESSAY LV. are

'deliverers' or 'preservers,' such

as

Of Honour compound the long miseries of civil wars, Reputation, or deliver their countries from servitude of

and

strangers or tyrants; as Augustus Caesar, Vespasianus, Aurelianus, Theodoricus, King Henry the Seventh of England, King Henry the Fourth of France: in the fourth place are 'extenders' or 'defenders of the empire,' such as in honourable wars enlarge their territories or make noble defence against invaders; and, in the last place are 'fathers of their country,' which reign justly, and make the times good wherein they live; both which last kinds need no examples, they are in such number. Degrees of honour in subjects are, first 'participators in cares,' those upon whom princes do discharge the greatest weight of their affairs; their right hands, as we call them; the next are 'great leaders'; such as are princes' lieutenants and do them notable services in the wars: the third are 'favourites'; such as exceed not this scantling, to be solace to the sovereign and harmless to the people: and the fourth, men equal to their duties';