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either the Nature of the Thing be fuch, which muft go before; or elfe a Man can perfuade the other Party, that he shall still need him, in some other Thing; or elfe, that he be counted the honefter Man. All Practice, is to difcover, or to work. Men difcover themselves, in Truft; in Paffion; at unawares; and of Neceffity, when they would have somewhat done, and cannot find an apt Pretext. If you would work any Man, you muft either know his Nature, and Fashions, and fo lead him; or his Ends, and fo perfuade him or his Weakness, and Difadvantages, and fo awe him; or those that have Intereft in him, and fo govern him. In Dealing with cunning Perfons, we must ever confider their Ends, to interpret their Speeches; and it is good, to fay little to them, and that which they leaft look for. In all Negotiations of Difficulty, a Man may not look to fow and reap at once; but muft prepare Business, and so ripen it by Degrees.

XLVIII. Of Followers and
Friends.

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M

OSTLY Followers are not to be liked; left while a Man maketh his Train longer, he make his wings fhorter. I reckon to be coftly, not them alone, which charge the Purfe, but which are wearifome

and importune in Suits. Ordinary Followers ought to challenge higher Conditions, than Countenance, Recommendation, and Protection from Wrongs. Factious Followers are worse to be liked, which follow not upon Affection to him, with whom they range themselves, but upon Discontentment conceived against some other: Whereupon commonly ensueth, that ill Intelligence, that we many times fee between great Perfonages. Likewise glorious Followers, who make themselves as Trumpets, of the Commendation of those they follow, are full of inconvenience; for they taint Business through Want of Secrecy; and they export Honour from a Man, and make him a Return in Envy. There is a kind of Followers likewife, which are dangerous, being indeed Efpials; which enquire the Secrets of the House, and bear Tales of them to others. Yet fuch Men, many times, are in great Favour; for they are officious, and commonly exchange Tales. The Following by certain Estates of Men, answerable to that, which a great Person himself profeffeth (as of Soldiers to him that hath been employed in the Wars, and the like), hath ever been a Thing civil, and well taken even in Monarchies; fo it be without too much Pomp or Popularity. But the most honourable kind of Following, is to be followed, as one that apprehendeth, to advance Virtue and Defert, in all forts of Perfons. And yet, where there is no eminent Odds in Sufficiency, it is better to take with the more. paffable, than with the more able. And befides, to speak Truth, in base Times, active Men are of

more use, than virtuous. It is true, that in Government, it is good to use Men of one Rank equally; for to countenance fome extraordinarily, is to make them infolent, and the rest discontent; because they may claim a Due. But contrariwife in Favour, to use Men with much difference and election, is good; for it maketh the Perfons preferred more thankful, and the Reft more officious; because all is of Favour. It is good Discretion, not to make too much of any Man, at the first; because one cannot hold out that Proportion. To be governed (as we call it) by One, is not fafe: for it fhews Softness, and gives a Freedom to Scandal and Difreputation For those that would not cenfure, or speak ill of a Man immediately, will talk more boldly of those, that are so great with them, and thereby wound their Honour. Yet to be diftracted with many is worfe; for it makes Men, to be of the laft Impreffion, and full of Change. To take Advice of fome few Friends is ever honourable; for Lookers on, many times, fee more than Gamefters; and the Vale beft difcovereth the Hill. There is little Friendship in the World, and least of all between Equals, which was wont to be magnified. That that is, is between Superior and Inferior, whose Fortunes may comprehend, the one the other.

XLIX. Of Suitors.

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ANY ill Matters and Projects are undertaken; and private Suits do putrify the publick Good. Many good Matters are undertaken with bad Minds

;

I mean not only corrupt Minds, but crafty Minds, that intend not Performance. Some embrace Suits, which never mean to deal effectually in them; but if they fee, there may be life in the Matter, by fome other mean, they will be content to win a Thank, or take a fecond Reward, or at least to make Ufe, in the mean time, of the Suitor's Hopes. Some take hold of Suits, only for an Occafion, to crofs fome other; or to make an Information, whereof they could not otherwife have apt Pretext; without Care what become of the Suit, when that Turn is ferved: Or generally, to make other Men's Bufinefs, a kind of Entertainment, to bring in their own. Nay, fome undertake Suits, with a full Purpose, to let them fall; to the end, to gratify the adverse Party, or Competitor. Surely, there is, in fome fort, a Right in every Suit; either a Right of Equity, if it be a Suit of Controversy; or a Right of Defert, if it be a Suit of Petition. If Affection lead a Man, to favour the wrong Side in Juftice, let him rather use his Countenance, to compound the Matter, than to carry it. If Affection lead a Man, to favour the lefs Worthy in De

fert, let him do it without depraving or disabling the better Deserver. In Suits, which a man doth not well understand, it is good to refer them to fome Friend of Trust and Judgement, that may report whether he may deal in them with Honour: But let him choose well his Referendaries; for elfe he may be led by the Nofe. Suitors are fo diftafted with Delays, and Abuses, that plain Dealing, in denying to deal in Suits at first, and reporting the Success barely, and in challenging no more Thanks than one hath deserved, is grown not only honourable, but also gracious. In Suits of Favour, the first coming ought to take little Place: So far forth Confideration may be had of his Trust, that if Intelligence of the Matter, could not otherwise have been had, but by him, Advantage be not taken of the note, but the Party left to his other Means, and, in fome fort, recompenfed for his Difcovery. To be ignorant of the value of a Suit, is Simplicity; as well as to be ignorant of the Right thereof, is Want of Conscience. Secrecy in Suits is a great Mean of Obtaining; for voicing them, to be in Forwardness, may discourage fome Kind of Suitors; but doth quicken and awake Others. But timing of the Suit, is the principal. Timing, I fay, not only in refpect of the Perfon, that should grant it, but in refpect of those which are like to cross it. Let a Man, in the choice of his Mean, rather choose the fitteft Mean, than the greatest Mean: And rather them, that deal in certain Things, than those that are general. The Reparation of a Denial, is sometimes equal to the first

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