Francis Bacon - The Essays 1601
OF AMBITION
Ambition is like choler;
which is an humor
that maketh men active, earnest, full of alacrity, and stirring,
if it be not stopped.
But if it be stopped,
and cannot have his way, it becometh adust,
and thereby malign and venomous. So ambitious men,
if they find the
way open for their rising,
and still get forward,
they are rather busy than dangerous;
but if they be
checked in their desires,
they become secretly discontent,
and look upon men
and matters with an evil eye,
and are best pleased,
when things go backward;
which is the worst
property in a servant of a prince, or state.
Therefore it is good for princes,
if they use ambitious men, to handle it,
so as they be
still progressive and not retrograde; which,
because it cannot be without inconvenience,
it is good not
to use such natures at all.
For if they rise
not with their service,
they will take order,
to make their service fall with them.
But since we have said,
it were good not
to use men of ambitious natures,
except it be upon necessity,
it is fit we speak,
in what cases they are of necessity.
Good commanders in the
wars must be taken,
be they never so ambitious;
for the use of their service,
dispenseth with the rest;
and to take a soldier without ambition,
is to pull off his spurs.
There is also great
use of ambitious men,
in being screens to
princes in matters of danger and envy;
for no man will take that part,
except he be like a seeled dove,
that mounts and mounts,
because he cannot see about him.
There is use also of ambitious men,
in pulling down the
greatness of any subject that over-tops;
as Tiberius used Marco,
in the pulling down of Sejanus. Since, therefore,
they must be used in such cases,
there resteth to speak,
how they are to be bridled,
that they may be less dangerous.
There is less danger of them,
if they be of mean birth,
than if they be noble;
and if they be
rather harsh of nature,
than gracious and popular:
and if they be rather new raised, than grown cunning, and fortified, in their greatness.
It is counted by some,
a weakness in princes, to have favorites; but it is, of all others,
the best remedy against ambitious great-ones.
For when the way of pleasuring, and displeasuring,
lieth by the favorite,
it is impossible any
other should be overgreat.
Another means to curb them,
is to balance them by others,
as proud as they.
But then there must
be some middle counsellors,
to keep things steady;
for without that ballast,
the ship will roll too much. At the least,
a prince may animate
and inure some meaner persons,
to be as it were scourges, to ambitions men.
As for the having
of them obnoxious to ruin;
if they be of fearful natures,
it may do well;
but if they be stout and daring,
it may precipitate their designs, and prove dangerous.
As for the pulling of them down,
if the affairs require it,
and that it may
not be done with safety suddenly,
the only way is the interchange, continually,
of favors and disgraces;
whereby they may not
know what to expect, and be, as it were, in a wood. Of ambitions,
it is less harmful,
the ambition to prevail in great things, than that other,
to appear in every thing;
for that breeds confusion, and mars business.
But yet it is less danger,
to have an ambitious
man stirring in business,
than great in dependences.
He that seeketh to
be eminent amongst able men,
hath a great task;
but that is ever
good for the public. But he,
that plots to be
the only figure amongst ciphers,
is the decay of a whole age.
Honor hath three things in it:
the vantage ground to do good;
the approach to kings and principal persons;
and the raising of a man's own fortunes.
He that hath the
best of these intentions, when he aspireth,
is an honest man; and that prince,
that can discern of
these intentions in another that aspireth,
is a wise prince. Generally,
let princes and states choose such ministers,
as are more sensible
of duty than of rising;
and such as love
business rather upon conscience, than upon bravery,
and let them discern a busy nature,
from a willing mind.
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