their speeches; for he that is put out of his own order will go forward and backward, and be more tedious while he waits upon his memory, than he could have been if he had gone on in his own course; but sometimes it is seen that the moderator is more troublesome than the actor. Iterations are commonly loss of time; but there [7] is no such gain of time as to iterate often the state of the question; for it chaseth away many a frivolous speech as it is coming forth. Long and curious [8] speeches are as fit for dispatch, as a robe, or mantle, with a long train, is for a race. Prefaces, and [9] passages, and excusations, and other speeches of reference to the person, are great wastes of time; and though they seem to proceed of modesty, they are bravery. Yet beware of being too material when [10] there is any impediment, or obstruction, in men's wills; for pre-occupation of mind ever requireth preface of speech, like a fomentation to make the unguent enter. [12] Above all things, order, and distribution, and [11] singling out of parts, is the life of dispatch; so as the distribution be not too subtile: for he that doth not divide will never enter well into business; and he that divideth too much will never come out of it clearly. To choose time is to save time; and an unseasonable motion is but beating the air. There be [13] three parts of business, the preparation, the debate or examination, and the perfection; whereof, if you look for dispatch, let the middle only be the work of many, and the first and last the work of few. The proceed- [14] ing upon somewhat conceived in writing doth for the most part facilitate dispatch; for though it should be wholly rejected, yet that negative is more pregnant of direction than an indefinite, as ashes are more generative than dust. ESSAY XL. EXPENSE. [1] RICHES are for spending, and spending for honour and good actions; therefore extraordinary expense must be limited by the worth of the occasion: for voluntary undoing may be as well for a man's country as for the kingdom of heaven; but ordinary expense ought to be limited by a man's estate, and governed with such regard, as it be within his compass, and not subject to deceit and abuse of servants; and ordered to the best show, that the bills may be less than the esti[2] mation abroad. Certainly, if a man will keep but of even hand, his ordinary expenses ought to be but to the half of his receipts; and if he think to wax rich, [3] but to the third part. It is no baseness for the greatest to descend and look into their own estate. [4] Some forbear it, not upon negligence alone, but doubting to bring themselves into melancholy, in respect they shall find it broken: but wounds cannot be cured [5] without searching. He that cannot look into his own estate at all, hath need both choose well those whom he employeth, and change them often; for new [6] are more timorous and less subtle. He that can look into his estate but seldom, it behooveth him to [7] turn all to certainties. A man had need, if he be plentiful in some kind of expense, to be as saving again in some other: as, if he be plentiful in diet, to be saving in apparel; if he be plentiful in the hall, to be saving in the stable and the like: for he that is plentiful in expenses of all kinds, will hardly be preserved from decay. In clearing of a man's estate, he [8] may as well hurt himself in being too sudden, as in letting it run on too long; for hasty selling is commonly as disadvantageable as interest. Besides, [9] he that clears at once, will relapse; for finding himself out of straits, he will revert to his customs but he that cleareth by degrees induceth a habit of frugality, and gaineth as well upon his mind as upon his estate. Certainly, who hath a state to repair, may not [10] despise small things; and commonly, it is less dishonourable to abridge petty charges than to stoop to petty gettings. A man ought warily to begin charges, 11] which once begun will continue; but in matters that return not he may be more magnificent. ESSAY XLI. PLANTATIONS. [1] PLANTATIONS are amongst ancient, primitive, [2] and heroical works. When the world was young it begat more children, but now it is old it begets fewer, for I may justly account new plantations to be the chil[3] dren of former kingdoms. I like a plantation in a pure soil; that is, where people are not displanted to the end to plant in others; for else it is rather an [4] extirpation than a plantation. Planting of countries is like planting of woods; for you must make account to lose almost twenty years' profit, and expect your recompense in the end: for the principal thing that hath been the destruction of most plantations, hath been the base and hasty drawing of profit in the first [5] years. It is true, speedy profit is not to be neglected, as far as it may stand with the good of the [6] plantation, but no farther. It is a shameful and unblessed thing to take the scum of people and wicked condemned men, to be the people with whom you plant; and not only so, but it spoileth the plantation; for they will ever live like rogues, and not fall to work, but be lazy, and do mischief, and spend victuals, and be quickly weary, and then certify over to their country to the [7] discredit of the plantation. The people wherewith you plant ought to be gardeners, ploughmen, labourers, smiths, carpenters, joiners, fishermen, fowlers, with some few apothecaries, surgeons, cooks and bakers. [8] In a country of plantation, first look about what kind of victual the country yields of itself to hand; as chestnuts, walnuts, pineapples, olives, dates, plums, ; |