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 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.