ando forsaking the chief seats and cities of the kingdom) to contract their power, and being deprived of the sinews of money and majesty, betake themselves to some remote and obscure corner within their dominions. But in process of time, if they bear their misfortunes with moderation, they may recover their strength by the virtue and industry of Mercury, that is, they may (by becoming affable and by reconciling the minds and wills of their subjects with grave edicts and gracious speech) excite an alacrity to grant aids and subsidies whereby to strengthen their authority anew. Nevertheless having learned to be wise and wary, they will refrain to try the chance of fortune by war, and yet study how to suppress the reputation of the rebels by some famous action, which if it fall out answerable to their expectation, the rebels finding themselves weakened, and fearing the success of their broken projects, betake themselves to some slight and vain bravadoes like the hissing of serpents, and at length in despair betake themselves to flight, and then when they begin to break, it is safe and timely for kings to pursue and oppress them with the forces and weight of the kingdom as it were with the mountain Ætna. Perhaps there is no one of these interpretations that is upon the whole so admirable as that entitled "Pan, or Nature" and it is further recommended to special attention as having been selected by Bacon himself to be one of his examples when treating of this method of recovering the lost wisdom of the old world in the second book of his work De Augmentis Scientiarum, and there inserted with some additions and other alterations. The original of Pan, he begins by observing, under whose person the ancients have exquisitely described Nature, has been left by them doubtful; some accounts making him to have been the son of Mercury, others the offspring of Penelope and all her suitors, while others say that he was the son of Jupiter and Hybris, which signifies contumely or disdain. In all the accounts, however, it is admitted that the Parcæ, or Destinies, were his sisters. He is pourtrayed by the ancients in this guise; on his head a pair of horns that reach to heaven, his body rough and hairy, his beard long and shaggy, his shape biformed above like a man, below like a beast, his feet like goat's hoofs, bearing these ensigns of his jurisdiction, to wit, in his left hand a pipe of seven reeds, and in his right a sheep-hook or a staff crooked at the upper end, and his mantle made of a leopard's skin. His dignities and offices were these: he was the god of hunters, of shepherds, and of all rural inhabitants; chief president also of hills and mountains, and next to Mercury the ambassador of the gods. Moreover he was accounted the leader and commander of the nymphs, which were always wont to dance the rounds and frisk about him; he was accosted by the Satyrs and the old Sileni. He had power also to strike men with terrors, and those especially vain and superstitious, which are termed panic fears. His acts were not many for ought that can be found in records, the chiefest was, that he challenged Cupid at wrestling, in which conflict he had the foil. The tale goes too, how that he caught the giant Typhon in a net and held him fast. Moreover when Ceres, grumbling and chafing that Proserpina was ravished, had hid herself away, and that all the gods took pains (by dispersing themselves into every corner) to find her out, it was only his good hap (as he was hunting) to light on her, and acquaint the rest where she was. He presumed also to put it to the trial who was the best musician, he or Apollo; and by the judgment of Midas was indeed preferred. But the wise judge had a pair of ass's ears privily chopped to his noddle for his sentence. Little or nothing, it is added, is reported of his amours. We are only told that he loved the nymph Echo, whom he took to wife; and that Cupid, whom he had irritated by audaciously challenging him to a wrestling-match, in his spite and revenge, inflamed him with a passion for another pretty wench called Syrinx. Moreover he had no issue; only he was the reputed father of a little girl called Iambe, that with many pretty tales was wont to make strangers merry. Some, however, think that Iambe was really his daughter by his wife Echo. This (if any be) is a noble tale, as being laid out and bigbellied with the secrets and mysteries of nature. * Carelessly misprinted Iamle in all, or almost all, the editions of the English translation by Gorges, Mr. Montagu's included. Pan (as his name imports) represents and lays open the all of things or nature. Concerning his original there are two only opinions that go for current; for either he came of Mercury, that is, the word of God, which the holy Scriptures without all controversy affirm, and such of the philosophers as had any smack of divinity assented unto, or else from the confused seeds of things. For they that would have one simple beginning refer it unto God or if a materiate beginning, they would have it various in power. So that we may end the controversy with this distribution, that the world took beginning either from Mercury or from the seeds of all things. Virg. Eclog. 6. Namque canebat uti magnum per inane coacta For rich-vein'd Orpheus sweetly did rehearse But as touching the third conceit of Pan's original, it seems that the Grecians (either by intercourse with the Egyptians, or one way or other) had heard something of the Hebrew mysteries; for it points to the state of the world, not considered in immediate creation, but after the fall of Adam, exposed and made subject to death aud corruption; for in that state it was, and remains to this day, the offspring of God and sin. And therefore all these three narrations concerning the manner of Pan's birth may seem to be true, if it be rightly distinguished between things and times. For this Pan or Nature (which we suspect, contemplate, and reverence more than is fit) took beginning from the word of God by the means of confused matter, and the entrance of prevarication and corruption. The Destinies may well be thought the sisters of Pan or Nature, because the beginnings and continuances, and corruptions, and depressions, and dissolutions. and eminences, and labours, and felicities of things, and all the chances which can happen unto anything are linked with the chain of causes natural. Horns are attributed unto him because horns are broad at the root and sharp at the ends, the nature of all things being like a pyramis, sharp at the top. For individual or singular things being infinite are first collected into species, which are many also; then from species into generals, and from generals (by ascending) are contracted into things or notions more general, so that at length Nature may seem to be contracted into a unity. Neither is it to be wondered at that Pan toucheth heaven with his horns, seeing the height of nature or universal ideas do in some sort pertain to things divine, and there is a ready and short passage from metaphysic to natural theology. The body of nature is elegantly and with deep judgment depainted hairy, representing the beams or operations of creatures; for beams are as it were the hairs and bristles of Nature, and every creature is either more or less beamy, which is most apparent in the faculty of seeing, and no less in every virtue and operation that effectuates upon a distant object; for whatsoever works up anything afar off, that may rightly be said to dart forth rays or beams. Moreover Pan's beard is said to be exceeding long, because the beams or influences of celestial bodies do operate and pierce farthest of all, and the sun (when his higher half is shadowed with a cloud) his beams break out in the lower and looks as if he were bearded. Nature is also excellently set forth with a biformed body, with respect to the differences between superior and inferior creatures. For the one part, by reason of their pulcritude and equability of motion, and constancy, and dominion over the earth and earthly things, is worthily set out by the shape of man; and the other part in respect of their perturbations and unconstant motions, and therefore needing to be moderated by the celestial, may be well fitted with the figure of a brute beast. This description of his body pertains also to the participation of species, for no natural being seems to be simple, but as it were participating and compounded of two. for example; man hath something of a beast, a beast something of a plant, a plant something of an inanimate body; so that all natural things are in very deed biformed, that is to say, com pounded of a superior and inferior species. As It is a witty allegory, that same of the feet of a goat, by rea son of the upward tending motion of terrestial bodies towards the air and heaven, for the goat is a climbing creature that loves to be hanging about the rocks and steep mountains. And this is done also in a wonderful manner, even by those things which THE WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS. 101 are destinated to this inferior globe, as may manifestly appear in clouds and meteors. The two ensigns which Pan bears in his hands do point, the one at harmony, the other at empiry. For the pipe consisting of seven reeds doth evidently demonstrate the consent and harmony and discordant concord of all inferior creatures, which is caused by the motion of the seven planets; and that of the sheep-hook may be excellently applied to the order of nature, which is partly right, partly crooked; this staff therefore or rod is especially crooked in the upper end, because all the works of divine providence in the world are done in a far fetched and circular manner, so that one thing may seem to be effected and yet indeed a clean contrary brought to pass, as the selling of Joseph into Egypt, and the like. Besides in all wise human government, they that sit at the helm do more happily bring their purposes about, and insinuate more easily into the minds of the people by pretexts and oblique courses than by direct methods; so that all sceptres and maces of authority ought in very deed to be crooked in the upper end. a Pan's cloak or mantle is ingeniously feigned to be the skin of leopard, because it is full of spots. So the heavens are spott ted with stars, the sea with rocks and islands, the land with flowers, and every particular creature also is for the most part garnished with divers colours about the superficies, which is as it were a mantle unto it. The office of Pan can be by nothing so lively conceived and expressed as by feigning him to be the god of hunters, for every natural action, and so by consequence motion and progression, is nothing else but a hunting. Arts and sciences have their works and human counsels their ends which they earnestly hunt after. All natural things have either their food as a prey, or their pleasure as a recreation which they seek for, and that in most expert and sagacious manner. Torva leæna lupum sequitur, lupus ille capellam, The hungry lioness with sharp desire To have the trifol juice pass down her throat. Pan is also said to be the god of the country clowns, because men of this condition lead lives more agreeable unto Nature than those that live in the cities and courts of princes, where VOL. I. |