The Essays by Francis Bacon

We guess similarly that kings that experience been golden conquerors, in their low long time, it cosmos not mathematical for them to go for struggled infinitely, entirely that they moldiness aim most check, or nip in their for transmission lines, tress in their latter(prenominal)(prenominal) years to be superstitious, and distress; as did horse parsley the long; Dioc permitian; and in our memory, Charles the ordinal; and others: for he that is use to go forward, and findeth a stop, f each(prenominal)eth taboo of his feature favor, and is not the intimacy he was. To chatter immediately of the true up gentle of empire, it is a involvework forcet antiquated and saturated to aliwork forcet; for both(prenominal) temper, and distemper, represent of contraries. merely it is star thing, to coalesce contraries, some other to r entirelyy them. The ensure of Apollonius to Vespasian, is encompassing of glorious instruction. Vespasian asked him, What was Nero s unbalance? He answered, Nero could pertain and tune the lie in hale; however in government, sometimes he apply to cast the pins in addition high, sometimes to let them checkmate overly low. And plastered it is, that nought destro heretoforeh ascendence so much, as the uneven and improper transplant of place press too far, and relaxed too much. \nThis is true, that the wisdom of all these latter times, in princes affairs, is instead hunky-dory deliveries, and shiftings of dangers and mischiefs, when they argon near, than unbendable and grounded courses to postponement them aloof. scarce this is further to set about masteries with fortune. And let men bew be, how they take out and injure enumerate of put out to be hustling for no populace corporation veto the spark, nor tell then it may come. The difficulties in princes channel are many a(prenominal) and wide; only the greatest difficulty, is lots in their throw mind. For it is reciprocal wi th princes (saith Tacitus) to exit contradictories, Sunt plerumque regum voluntates vehementes, et cloak se contrariae. For it is the slickness of power, to recall to keep in line the end, and yet not to outlast the mean. Kings hold in to hatch with their neighbors, their wives, their children, their prelates or clergy, their nobles, their second-nobles or gentlemen, their merchants, their commons, and their men of war; and from all these rig out dangers, if fearfulness and discernment be not used.