The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

THE WISDOM OF THIE ANCIENTS. 299
tibus suis pulchra, et mundum tradidit disputa- seem to be apparelled and clothed, and nothing
tionibus eorum, ita tamen ut non inveniat homo properly naked but the first particles of things.
opus, quod operatus est Deus, principio ad finem." Concerning his blindness, the allegory is full
That is, he hath made every thing beautiful in of wisdom: for this love, or desire, whatsoever
their seasons, also he hath set the world in their it be, seems to have but little providence, as
meditations, yet man cannot find the work that directing his pace and motion by that which it
God hath wrought, from the beginning even to perceives nearest, not unlike blind men, that go
the end. For the principal law of nature, or by feeling: more admirable then must that chief
power of this desire, created by God, in these divine providence be, which, from things empty
parcels of things, for concurring and meeting to- and destitute of providence, and as it were blind,
gether, from whose repetitions and multiplications by a constant and fatal law produceth so excellent
all variety of creatures proceeded and were com- an order and beauty of things.
posed, may dazzle the eyes of men's understand- The last thing which is attributed unto Love
ings, and comprehended it can hardly be. The is archery, by which is meant, that his virtue is
Greek philosophers are observed to be very acute such, as that it works upon a distant object: beand diligent in searching out the material princi- cause that whatsoever operates afar off, seems
ples of things: but in the beginnings of motion, to shoot, as it were, an arrow. Wherefore whowherein consists all the efficacy of operation, soever holds the being both of atoms and vacuity,
they are negligent and weak, and in this that we must needs infer, that the virtue of the atom
handle, they seem to be altogether blind and starm- reacheth to a distant object; for if it were not so
mering: for the opinion of the Peripatetics con- there could be no motion at all, by reason of the
cerning the appetite of matter caused by privation, interposition of vacuity, but all things would
is in a manner nothing else but words, which ra- stand stone still, and remain immovable.
ther sound than sigrnify any reality. And those that Now as touching that other Cupid, or Love,
refer it unto God do very well, but then they leap he may well be termed the youngest of the gods,
up, they ascend not by degrees: for doubtless because he could have no being, before the conthere is one chief law subordinate to God, in stitution of species. And in his description the
which all natural things concur and meet, the allegory may be applied and traduced to mansame that in the forecited scripture is demonstrated ners: nevertheless he holds some kind of conin these words, ",Opus, quod operatus est Deus formity with the elder; for Venus doth generally
hA principio usque ad finem," the work that God stir up a desire of conjunction and procreation,
hath wrought from the beginning even to the end. and Cupid, her son, doth apply this desire to
But Democritus, which entered more deeply into some individual nature; so that the general disthe consideration of this point after he had con- position comes from Venus, the more exact symceived an atom with some small dimension and pathy from Cupid: the one derived from causes
form, he attributed unto it one only desire, or first more near, the other from beginnings more remotion simply or absolutely, and another com- mote and fatal, and as it were from the elder
paratively or in respect: for he thought that all Cupid, of whom every exquisite sympathy doth
things did properly tend to the centre of the world, depend.
whereof those bodies which were more material
descend with swifter motion, and those that had
DIOMEDES, OR ZEAL.
less matter did on the contrary tend upward.
But this meditation was very shallow, containing DIOMEDES flourishing with great fame and
less than was expedient: for neither the turning glory in the Trojan wars, and in high favour
of the celestial bodies in a round, nor shutting and with Pallas, was by her instigated, being indeed
opening of things may seem to be reduced or ap- forwarder than he should have been, not to forplied to this beginning. And as for that opinion bear Venus a jot, if he encountered with her in
of Epicurus concerning the casual declination and fight; which very boldly he performed, wounding
agitation of the atom, it is but a mere toy, and a her in the right arm. This presumptuous fact he
plain evidence that he was ignorant of that point. carried clear for a while, and being honoured and
It is therefore more apparent than we could wish, renowned for his many heroic deeds, at last rethat this Cupid, or Love, remains as yet clouded turned into his own country, where finding himunder the shades of night. Now as corcerning. self hard bestead with domestic troubles, fled
his attributes: he is elegantly described with into Italy, betaking himself to the protection of
perpetual infancy or childhood, because com- foreigners, where in the beginning he was fortupound bodies they seem greater and more stricken nate, and royally entertained by King Daunus
in years; whereas the first seeds of things or with sumptuous gifts, raising many statues in
atoms, they are little and diminute, and always honour of him throughout his dominions. But
in their infancy. upon the very first calamity that happened unto
He is also well feigned to be naked, because this nation, whereunto he was fled for succour,
all compound bodies to a man rightly judging, King Daunus enters into a conceit with himself