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was enabled to say that he had never refused any man permission to obtain a Bible!

Again, a gentleman residing in Brittany, wished, it is said, to distribute Bibles among the people, and found he had to apply to the Authorities for a licence, which the law of France requires, in order to prevent the hawking of seditious publications. The official applied to did not like broadly to refuse, but granted a licence for the distribution of French Bibles; which are quite unintelligible to the poor Bretons. What was wanted was, of course, a licence to distribute Bibles in their own tongue, which is a dialect of Welsh. But this could not be obtained. He had granted a licence for the sale of Bibles, and that was enough!'

Even so the stork in the fable was welcome to as much soup as she could pick up with her bill, and the wolf to as much mince-meat as he could get out of a narrow-necked bottle.

Again, a person who had the control of a certain public hall, was asked for the use of it for a meeting of a society established in express opposition to an institution he was connected with. He might, on that ground, very fairly have refused permission, or have frankly retracted it, on consideration, if hastily and inconsiderately granted. But he readily granted the use of the hall; and then afterwards inserted the condition that none of the speakers were to say anything against his institution; and as this was, of course, the principal topic designed to be dwelt on, the condition was refused, and the permission withdrawn. He could no more go straight to any object, than a hare in going from her form to her pasture.

A skilful sophist will avoid a direct assertion of what he means. unduly to assume; because that might direct the reader's attention to the consideration of the question, whether it be true or not; since that which is indisputable does not need so often to be asserted. It succeeds better, therefore, to allude to the proposition, as something curious and remarkable: just as the Royal Society were imposed on by being asked to account for the fact that a vessel of water received no addition to is

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1 I do not vouch for the correctness of the above two anecdotes, but merely for having heard them, and have no reason to think them improbable.

weight by a live fish being put into it. While they were seeking for the cause, they forgot to ascertain the fact; and thus admitted, without suspicion, a mere fiction. So also, an eminent Scotch writer, instead of asserting that the advocates of logic have been worsted and driven from the field in every controversy,' (an assertion which, if made, would have been the more readily ascertained to be perfectly groundless) merely observes, that ‘it is a circumstance not a little remarkable.

'There be that can pack the cards, and yet cannot play well.'

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Those whom Bacon here so well describes, are men of a clear and quick sight, but short-sighted. They are ingenious in particulars, but cannot take a comprehensive view of a whole. Such a man may make a good captain, but a bad general. He may be clever at surprising a piquet, but would fail in the management of a great army and the conduct of a campaign. He is like a chess-player who takes several pawns, but is checkmated.

One who is clever, but not wise-skilful in the details of any transaction, but erroneous in his whole system of conduct-resembles a clock whose minute-hand is in good order, but the hour-hand loose; so that while it measures accurately small portions of time, it is, on the whole, perhaps several hours

wrong.

Goldsmith introduces, in The Vicar of Wakefield, a clever rogue, despising a plain straight-forward farmer, whom he generally contrives to cheat once a year; yet he confesses that, in spite of this, the farmer went on thriving, while he was always poor.

Indeed, it is a remarkable circumstance in reference to cunning persons, that they are often deficient, not only in comprehensive far-sighted wisdom, but even in prudent, cautious circumspection.

There was a man of this description, who delighted in taking in every one he had to deal with, and was most ingenious and successful in doing so. And yet his own estate, which was a very large one, he managed very ill; and he bequeathed it absolutely to his widow, whom he might have known to be in understanding a mere child, and who accordingly became the prey of fortune-hunters.

Numerous are the cases in which the cunning are grossly taken in by the cunning. Liars are often credulous.

Many travellers, have given curious accounts of the subtilty of the North American Indians, in stealing upon their enemies so as to take them by surprise: how they creep silently through the bushes, and carefully cover up their footmarks, &c. But these writers take no notice of the most curious circumstance of all, which is, that the enemies they thus surprise are usually Indians of the same race-men accustomed to practise just the same arts themselves. The ingenuity and caution of these people is called forth, and admirably displayed, on the occasion of their setting out on a warlike expedition; but they have no settled habit of even ordinary prudence. When not roused to the exertion of their faculties by some pressing emergency, they are thoughtless and careless, and liable to be surprised, in their turn. To fortify their villages, so as to make a surprise impossible, or to keep up a regular patrol of sentries to watch for the approach of an enemy, has never occurred to them! A savage is often a cunning, but never a wise, or even a prudent Being. And even so, among us, many who are skilful in playing tricks on others are often tricked themselves.

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Sometimes, indeed, the more crafty of two knaves will take in the other by calculating on his knavery, and thus knowing how to bait his hook. For instance, there is a story told of a merchant who applied to the Agent of an insurance-office to effect a Pollicy' on a ship. Immediately after, he heard of the loss of his ship; and suspecting that perhaps (as was the fact) the insurance might not be completed, he wrote off to the Agent desiring him not to proceed with the business, for that he had heard of that ship.' The Agent, taking for granted that he had heard of its safety, hurried to the office, completed the business, and then wrote to the merchant by return of post, expressing his concern that the countermand had arrived a few hours too late, and that the insurance had been effected. Thus the merchant obtained his payment, because he could prove that he had written to forbid the insurance.

1 This is the right spelling of the word; which is evidently a contraction of pollicitum, a promise, and has no connexion with politics.

It may be added that the cunning are often deceived by those who have no such intention. When a plain, straightforward man declares plainly his real motives or designs, they set themselves to guess what these are, and hit on every possible solution but the right, taking for granted that he cannot mean what he says. Bacon's remark on this we have already given in the 'Antitheta on Simulation and Dissimulation.' 'He who acts in all things openly does not deceive the less; for most persons either do not understand, or do not believe him.'

'Nothing doth more hurt in a State than that cunning men pass for wise.'

Churchill thus describes the cunning man:

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• With that low cunning which in fools supplies,

And amply too, the place of being wise,

Which nature, kind, indulgent parent, gave

To qualify the blockhead for a knave;

With that smooth falsehood whose appearance charms,

And Reason of its wholesome doubt disarms,

Which to the lowest depths of guile descends,

By vilest means pursues the vilest ends;
Wears friendship's mask for purposes of spite,
Fawns in the day, and butchers in the night."

It is indeed an unfortunate thing for the public that the cunning pass for wise, that those whom Bacon compares to 'a house with convenient stairs and entry, but never a fair room' should be the men who (accordingly) are the most likely to rise to high office. The art of gaining power, and that of using it well, are too often found in different persons.

1 The Rosciad, 1. 117.

ESSAY XXIII. OF WISDOM FOR A MAN'S

SELF.

AN ant is a wise creature for itself, but it is a shrewd' thing

in an orchard or garden; and certainly men that are great lovers of themselves waste the public. Divide with reason between self-love and society; and be so true to thyself as thou be not false to others, especially to thy king and country. It is a poor centre of a man's actions, himself. It is right earth; for that only stands fast upon his own centre; whereas all things that have affinity with the heavens move upon the centre of another, which they benefit. The referring of all to a man's self is more tolerable in a sovereign prince, because themselves are not only themselves, but their good and evil is at the peril of the public fortune: but it is a desperate evil in a servant to a prince, or a citizen in a republic; for whatsoever affairs pass such a man's hands, he crooketh them to his own ends, which must needs be often eccentric, to the ends of his master or State: therefore, let princes or States chuse such servants as have not this mark, except they mean their service should be made but the accessary. That which maketh the effect more pernicious. is, that all proportion is lost. It were disproportion enough for the servant's good to be preferred before the master's; but yet it is a greater extreme, when a little good of the servant shall carry things against the great good of the master's: and yet that is the case of bad officers, treasurers, ambassadors, generals, and other false and corrupt servants, which set a bias* upon their bowl, of their own petty ends and envies, to the overthrow of

1 Shrewd. Mischievous.

2 Waste.

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3

'Do my Lord of Canterbury

A shrewd turn, and he is your friend for ever.'-Shakespere.

1o lay waste; to desolate.

'Peace to corrupt, no less than war to waste.'-Milton.

3 Crook. To pervert. St. Augustine sayeth himself that images be of more force to crooke an unhappye soule than to teach and instruct him.'-Homilies'Sermon against Idolatry.'

4 Bias. A weight lodged on one side of the bowl, which turns it from the straight

line.

'Madam, we'll play at bowls,

"Twill make me think the world is full of rubs,

And that my fortune runs against the bias.'-Shakespere.

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