our arms and our virtue; and if we yield up our arms, how shall we make use of our virtue? Whereto Falinus, smiling on him, said, If I be not deceived, young gentleman, you are an Athenian, and I believe, you study philosophy, and it is pretty that you say; but you are much abused if you think your virtue can withstand the king's power. Here was the scorn: the wonder followed; which was, that this young scholar or philosopher, after all the captains were murdered in parley by treason, conducted those ten thousand foot through the heart of all the king's high countries from Babylon to Grecia in safety in despite of all the king's forces, to the astonishment of the world and the encouragement of the Grecians in times succeeding to make invasion upon the kings of Persia; as was after purposed by Jason the Thessalian, attempted by Agesilaus the Spartan, and achieved by Alexander the Macedonian; all upon the ground of the act of that young Scholar.

LORD BACON

32. SPARTAN JUSTICE-AN INSTANCE OF IT. The city of Sparta, being unexpectedly attacked by a powerful army of Thebans, was in very great danger of falling into the hands of their enemies. The citizens suddenly gathered themselves into a body, fought with a resolution equal to the necessity of their affairs, yet no one so remarkably distinguished him, self on this occasion, to the amazement of both armies, as Isidas, the son of Phœbidas, who was at that time in the bloom of his youth and very remarkable for the comeliness of his person. He was coming out of the bath when the alarm was given, so that he had not time to put on his clothes, much less his armour; however, transported with a desire to serve his country in so great an exigency, snatching up a spear in one hand and a sword in the other, he flung himself into the thickest ranks of his enemies. Nothing could withstand his fury; in what part soever he fought, he put the enemies to flight without receiving a single wound. Whether, says Plutarch, he was the particular care of some god, who rewarded his valour that day with an extraordinary protection, or that his enemies, struck with the unusualness of his dress, and beauty of his shape, supposed him something more than man, I shall not determine. The gallantry of this action was judged so great by the Spartans, that the Ephori decreed he should be presented

with a garland; but, as soon as they had done so, fined him a thousand drachmas for going out to the battle unarmed.

SPECTATOR

33. THE DUTIES OF A STATESMAN. Touching matters of revenue, a statesman should be acquainted with the various branches of the public income, its sources and amount; so that if any one has been overlooked, it may be turned to account, or if less productive than it ought to be, it may be enlarged. He ought also to be conversant with the public expenditure; for a nation is not less enriched by retrenchment of expenditure than by addition of income. In matters of peace and war he should know the national force, its present amount and condition, as well as the amount it may be raised to, and the improvement it may admit of. He should be familiar too with the wars in which not only his own country, but the neighbouring states have been engaged. And, with a view to the security of the territory, he should understand well what places are best suited for posts, and what amount, as well as what kind of force, is best calcu-. lated to defend them. LORD BACON

34. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S SPEECH TO HER ARMY IN THE CAMP OF TILBURY. My loving people, we have been persuaded by some, that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear: I have always so behaved myself, that under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects. And therefore I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all: to lay down, for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England too: and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realms to which, rather than any dishonour should grow by me, I myself will take up arms: I myself will be your general, judge and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.

I know already, by your forwardness, that you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time my lieutenant-general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble and worthy subject; not doubting by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.

D. HUME

35. GREEK AND ROMAN PHILOSOPHY. The Greek philosophers passed their days in learned leisure and retirement. Speculation was the employment of their lives, and their works were the result of uninterrupted study and reflexion. The Romans, on the other hand, regarded philosophy, not as the business of life, but as an elegant relaxation, or as an avenue to advancement in the state. They heard with attention the ingenious disputes agitated among the Greeks, and perused their works with pleasure; but they had no time to invent new theories. The philosophers of Rome were men who governed their country at home, or combated her enemies abroad. They had, indeed, little motive to invent new systems, since so many were presented to them, ready formed. In the same manner as the plunder of Syracuse or Corinth supplied Rome with her statues and pictures, and rendered unnecessary the exertions of native artists; and as the dramas of Euripides and Menander provided sufficient materials for the Roman stage; so the Garden, Porch, and Academy, furnished a variety of doctrines which must have discouraged the formation of new and original theories.

36. SOCRATES, HIS METHOD OF TEACHING. It was by oral discourse that knowledge was chiefly communicated at the dawn of science, when books either did not exist or were extremely rare. Socrates, in particular, was accustomed thus to inculcate his moral lessons; and it was natural for the scholars, who recorded them, to follow the manner in which they had been delivered. In the dialogues of Plato, the agreeable irony of that philosopher-the address with which, by seeming to yield, he ensnares the adversary—his quibbles —his subtle distinctions, and perplexing interrogatories, are

managed with consummate skill and great dramatic effect; while, at the same time, the scenery and circumstances are often described with a richness and beauty of style, which no philosophic writer has as yet surpassed.

37. THE TRUE CHARACTER OF GENTLEMEN. In fine he alone doth appear truly a gentleman, who hath the heart to undergo hard tasks for public good, and willingly taketh pains to oblige his neighbours and friends. The work indeed of gentlemen is not so gross but it may be as smart and painful as any other. For all hard work is not manual; there are other instruments of action beside the plough, the spade, the hammer, the shuttle; nor doth every work produce sweat, and visible tiring of body; the head may work hard in contrivance of good designs, the tongue may be very active in dispensing advice, persuasion, comfort, and edification in virtue; a man may bestir himself in going about to do good; these are works employing the cleanly industry of a gentleman.

38. CONDEMNATION OF THE GENERALS AFTER THE BATTLE OF ARGINUSÆ, B. C. 406. It was very strange, that upon such an accusation, maintained with so slender evidence, men that had well deserved of their country should be overthrown. But their enemies had so incensed the rascally multitude, that no man durst absolve them, save only Socrates the wise and virtuous philosopher, whose voice in this judgment was not regarded. Six of them were put to death, of whom one had hardly escaped drowning, and was with much ado relieved by other vessels in the storm; but the captains which were absent escaped; for when the fury of the people was overpast, this judgment was reversed, and the accusers called into question for having deceived and perverted the citizens. Thus the Athenians went about to free themselves from the infamy of injustice; but the divine justice was not asleep, nor would be so deluded.

SIR W. RALEIGH

39. HOMER'S NOTION OF THE STATE OF THE SOUL, IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH. When the soul has made its escape through the lips or the wound, it is not dispersed in

IN

the air, but preserves the form of the living person. But the face of the earth, lighted by the sun, is no fit place for the feeble joyless phantom. It protracts its unprofitable being in the cheerless twilight of the nether world, a shadow of its former self, and pursuing the empty image of its past occupations and enjoyments. Orion is engaged in chasing the disembodied beasts, which he had killed on the mountains, over the asphodel meadow. Minos is busied in holding mock trials, and dispensing his rigid justice to a race that has lost all power of inflicting wrong. Achilles retains his ancient pre-eminence among his dead companions, but he would gladly exchange the unsubstantial honour, even if it were to be extended to the whole kingdom of spirits, for the bodily life of the meanest hireling. Nothing was more remote from Homer's philosophy than the notion, that the soul, when lightened of its fleshy incumbrances, exerted its intellectual faculties with the greater vigour. On the contrary he represents it as reduced by death to a state of senseless imbecility. 'Alas,' exclaimed Achilles, when the spirit of Patroclus had vanished, 'even in Hades there remains a ghost, and an image of the dead, but the mind is alto gether gone.'

40. LOUISE OF SAVOY, MOTHER OF FRANCIS I-HER PRUDENT CONDUCT ON THE DEFEAT OF PAVIA, A.D. 1525. France, without its sovereign, without money in her treasury, without an army, without generals to command it, and encompassed on all sides by a victorious and active enemy, seemed to be on the very brink of destruction. But on that occasion the great abilities of Louise the regent saved the kingdom which the violence of her passions had more than once exposed to the greatest danger. Instead of giving herself up to such lamentations as were natural to a woman so remarkable for her maternal tenderness, she discovered all the foresight and exerted all the activity of a consummate politician. She assembled the nobles at Lyons, and animated them by her example no less than by her words, with such zeal in defence of their country as its present situation required. She collected the remains of the army which had served in Italy, ransomed the prisoners, paid the arrears, and put them in a condition to take the field. She levied new troops, provided for the security or the frontiers, and raised sums sufficient for defraying these