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Essay LIV: Of Vain-Glory
Essay LIV: Of Vain-Glory
It was prettily devised of Aesop, The fly sat upon the axle-tree of the
chariot wheel, and said, What a dust do I raise! So are there some vain
persons, that whatsoever goeth alone or moveth upon greater means, if they
have never so little hand in it, they think it is they that carry it. They
that are glorious must needs be factious; for all bravery stands upon
comparisons. They must needs be violent, to make good their own vaunts.
Neither can they be secret, and therefore not effectual; but according to the
French proverb, Beaucoup de bruit, peu de fruit; Much bruit, little fruit. Yet
certainly there is use of this quality in civil affairs. Where there is an
opinion and fame to be created either of virtue or greatness, these men are
good trumpeters. Again, as Titus Livius noteth in the case of Antiochus and
the Aetolians, There are sometimes great effects of cross lies; as if a man
that negotiates between two princes, to draw them to join in a war against the
third, doth extol the forces of either of them above measure, the one to the
other: and sometimes he that deals between man and man raiseth his own credit
with both, by pretending greater interest that he hath in either. And in these
and the like kinds, it often falls out that somewhat is produced of nothing;
for lies are sufficient to breed opinion, and opinion brings on substance. In
militar commanders and soldiers, vain-glory is an essential point; for as iron
sharpens iron, so by glory ^1 one courage sharpeneth another. In cases of
great enterprise upon charge and adventure, ^2 a composition of glorious
natures doth put life into business; and those that are of solid and sober
natures have more of the ballast than of the sail. In fame of learning, the
flight will be slow without some feathers of ostentation. Qui de contemnenda
gloria libros scribunt, nomen, suum inscribunt [They that write books on the
worthlessness of glory, take care to put their names on the title page].
Socrates, Aristotle, Galen, were men full of ostentation. Certainly vain-glory
helpeth to perpetuate a man`s memory; and virtue was never so beholding to
human nature, as it received his due at the second hand. Neither had the fame
of Cicero, Seneca, Plinius Secundus, borne her age so well, if it had not been
joined with some vanity in themselves; like unto varnish, that makes ceilings
not only shine but last. But all this while, when I speak of vain-glory, I
mean not of that property that Tacitus doth attribute to Mucianus; Omnium quae
dixerat feceratque arte quadam ostentator [A man that had a kind of art of
setting forth to advantage all that he had said or done]: for that proceeds
not of vanity, but of natural magnanimity and discretion; and in some persons
is not only comely, but gracious. For excusations, cessions, modesty itself
well governed, are but arts of ostentation. And amongst those arts there is
none better than that which Plinius Secundus speaketh of, which is to be
liberal of praise and commendation to others, in that wherein a man`s self
hath any perfection. For saith Pliny very wittily, In commending another you
do yourself right; for he that you commend is either superior to you in that
you commend, or inferior. If he be inferior, if he be to be commended, you
much more; if he be superior, if he be not to be commended, you much less.
Glorious men are the scorn of wise men, the admiration of fools, the idols of
parasites, and the slaves of their own vaunts.
[Footnote 1: Boasting.]
[Footnote 2: Cost and risk.]
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