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 ef-
fectual; 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 be-
tween man and man, raiseth his own credit with
both, by pretending greater interest than 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, one courage sharp-
eneth another. In cases of great enterprise upon
charge and adventure, 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 osten-
tation. Qui de contemnenda gloria libros scri-
bunt, nomen, suum inscribunt. 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 na-
ture, 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 at-
tribute to Mucianus; Omnium quae dixerat fece-
ratque arte quadam ostentator: 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 ad-
miration of fools, the idols of parasites, and the
slaves of their own vaunts.
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