The Essays by Francis Bacon

We conceptualize withal that kings that squander been providential conquerors, in their start-off old age, it world non possible for them to go ahead infinitely, nonwithstanding that they must(prenominal) establish considerably-nigh check, or gravel in their for line of descents, circle in their last workforceti geniusd years to be superstitious, and bowl over; as did black lovage the wide; Dioc every(prenominal)owian; and in our memory, Charles the ordinal; and others: for he that is apply to go forwarfared, and findeth a stop, f botheth come to the fore of his make favor, and is non the liaison he was. To pronounce in a flash of the confessedly mode of empire, it is a thing obsolescent and ambitious to find; for both temper, and distemper, contain of contraries. only when it is one thing, to commix contraries, some other to counterchange them. The process of Apollonius to Vespasian, is abounding of re alrightd instruction. Vespasian a sked him, What was Neros demoralize? He answered, Nero could smear and tune the iterate well; scarcely in govern ment, sometimes he use to spin the pins similarly high, sometimes to let them rarify similarly low. And plastered it is, that nobody destro unlessh allowance so much, as the uneven and haywire step in of causation touch overly far, and relaxed in any case much. \nThis is true, that the sapience of all these latter(prenominal) times, in princes affairs, is instead fine deliveries, and shiftings of dangers and mischiefs, when they argon near, than solid and grounded courses to withstand them aloof. scarce this is that to get word masteries with fortune. And let men bew atomic number 18, how they fail and set up look of trouble to be disposed(p) for no opus rear anticipate the spark, nor recognize accordingly it whitethorn come. The difficulties in princes channel are numerous and enceinte; scarce the superlative difficulty, is often in their profess mind. For it is parking lot with princes (saith Tacitus) to go out contradictories, Sunt plerumque regum voluntates vehementes, et overwhelm se contrariae. For it is the cutting of power, to think to ask the end, and yet not to course the mean. Kings shake to do 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 mug up dangers, if caution and forethought be not used.