France as many times as the other had recited the several dominions; intending it was equivalent with them all, and more compacted and united. There is also appertaining to this colour another point, why breaking of a thing doth help it, not by way of adding a shew of magnitude unto it, but a note of excellency and rarity; whereof the forms are, where shall you find such a concurrence? Great, but not compleat; for it seems a less work of nature or fortune, to make any thing in his kind greater than ordinary, than to make a strange composition. Yet if it be narrowly considered, this colour will be reprehended or encountered, by imputing to all excellencies in compositions a kind of poverty, or at least a casualty or jeopardy; for from that which is excellent in greatness, somewhat may be taken, or there may be a decay, and yet sufficiently left; but from that which hath his price in composition if you take away any thing, or any part do fail, all is disgrace.

6. Cujus privatio bona, malum; cujus privatio mala, bonum.

The forms to make it conceived, that that was evil which is changed for the better, are, he that is in bell thinks there is no other heaven. Satis quercus, Acorns were good till bread was found, &c. And of the other side, the forms to make it conceived, that that was good which was changed

for the worse are, bona magis carendo quam fruendo sentimus: bona a tergo formosissima: good things never appear in their full beauty, till they turn their back, and be going away, &c. The reprehension of this colour is, that the good or evil which is removed, may be esteemed good or evil comparatively, and not positively or simply. So that if the privation be good, it follows not the former condition was evil, but less good; for the flower or blossom is a positive good, although the remove of it to give place to the fruit, be a comparative good. So in the tale of Æsop, when the old fainting man in the heat of the day cast down his burden, and called for death; and when death came to know his will with him, said, it was for nothing but to help him up with his burden again. It doth not follow, that because death, which was the privation of the burden, was ill, therefore the burden was good. And in this part, the ordinary form of malum necessarium aptly reprehendeth this colour for privatio mali necessarii est mala, and yet that doth not convert the nature of the necessary evil, but it is evil.

Again, it cometh sometimes to pass, that there is an equality in the change of privation, and as it were a dilemma boni, or a dilemma mali: so that the corruption of the one good, is a generation of the other. Sorti pater æquus utrique est and

contrary, the remedy of the one evil, is the occasion and commencement of another, as in Scylla and Charybdis.

7. Quod bono vicinum bonum, quod a bono remotum, malum.

:

Such is the nature of things, that things contrary, and distant in nature and quality, are also sever'd and disjoined in place; and things like and consenting in quality, are placed, and as it were quartered together for partly in regard of the nature, to spread, multiply and infect in similitude; and partly in regard of nature to break, expel, and alter that which is disagreeable and contrary, most things do either associate, and draw near to themselves the like, or at least assimilate to themselves that which approacheth near them, and do also drive away, chase and exterminate their contraries. And that is the reason commonly yielded, why the middle region of the air should be coldest, because the sun and stars are either hot by direct beams, or by reflection. The direct beams heat the upper region, the reflected beams from the earth and seas, heat the lower region. That which is in the midst, being farthest distant in place from thes two regions of heat, are most distant in nature, that is coldest, which is that they term cold or hot per antiperistasin; that is, environing by contraries : which was pleasantly taken hold of by him that

said, that an honest man in these days must needs be more honest than in ages heretofore, propter antiperistasin, because the shutting of him in the midst of contraries, must needs make the honesty stronger and more compact in itself. The reprehension of this colour is: first many things of amplitude in their kind, do as it were engross to themselves all, and leave that which is next them most destitute, as the shoots or underwood, that grow near a great and spread tree, is the most pined and shrubby wood of the field, because the great tree doth deprive and deceive them of sap and nourishment; so he saith well, divitis servi maxime servi and the comparison was pleasant of him, that compared courtiers attendant in the courts of princes without great place or office, to fasting-days, which were next the holy-days, but otherwise were the leanest days in all the week.

Another reprehension is, that things of greatness and predominancy, though they do not extenuate the things adjoining in substance, yet they drown them and obscure them in shew and appearance; and therefore the astronomers say, that whereas in all other planets conjunction is the perfectest amity; the sun contrariwise is good by aspect, but evil by conjunction.

A third reprehension is, because evil approacheth to good sometimes for concealment, sometimes

for protection; and good to evil for conversion and -reformation. So hypocrisy draweth near to religion for covert, and hiding itself; sæpe latet vitium proximitate boni; and sanctuary men, which were commonly inordinate men and malefactors, were wont to be nearest to priests and prelates, and holy men; for the majesty of good things is such, as the confines of them are reverend. On the other side, our Saviour charged with nearness of publicans and rioters, said, the physician approacheth the sick, rather than the whole.

8. Quod quis culpa sua contraxit, majus malum: quod ab externis imponitur, minus malum.

The reason is, because the sting and remorse of the mind accusing itself, doubleth all adversity : contrariwise, the considering and recording inwardly, that a man is clear and free from fault, and just imputation doth attemper outward calamities. For if the will be in the sense, and in the conscience both, there is a gemination of it; but if evil be in the one, and comfort in the other, it is a kind of compensation: so the poets in tragedies do make the most passionate lamentation, and those that forerun final despair, to be accusing, questioning, and torturing of a man's life.

Seque unum clamat causamque caputque malorum.

And contrariwise, the extremities of worthy persons have been annihilated in the consideration of