appear in a place of respect without his sword, unbuttoned and untrust, as though he came from the house of office; and let it not be suffered that, contrary to the custom of our forefathers, and the particular privilege of the noblesse of this kingdom, we shall stand a long way off bareheaded to them in what place soever, and the same to a hundred others (so many tierces and quarts of kings we have got now-a-days), and the like of other such vicious innovations; they will see them all presently vanish. These are, it is true, superficial errors, but, however, a bad prognostic; and it is enough to inform us that the whole fabric is crazy and tottering, when we see the rough-cast of our walls cleave and split. Plato, in his laws,* esteems nothing of more per- New fash nicious consequence to his city, than to give youth the liberty of introducing any change in their habits, gestures, dances, songs, and exercises, from one form to another;† shifting from this to that side, hunting after novelties, and applauding the inventors; by which means manners are corrupted, and the old institutions come to be nauseated and despised. In all things, saving only in those that are evil, a change is to be feared; even the change of seasons, winds, provisions, and humours. And no laws are in their true credit, but those to which God has given so long a continuance, that no one knows their beginning, or that there ever were others.

Lib. vii. p. 631.

+ At present the wit and politeness of several European nations consist very much in frequently altering the fashion of their clothes, and in treating those they have just quitted with insipid raillery, if those modes are still kept up by their neighbours, or in any town of the country, remote from the capital. As to this human frailty, see Montaigne, ch. xlix. of this volume.

ions fatal

to youth.

CHAPTER XLIV.

Of Sleep.

REASON directs, that we should always go the same way, but not always the same pace. And consequently, though a wise man ought not so much to give the reins to human passions, as to let them turn him from the right path; he may, notwithstanding, without prejudice to his duty, leave it to them to hasten, or to slack his speed, and not fix himself like a motionless and insensible colossus. Could virtue itself put on flesh and blood, I believe the pulse would beat faster going on to an assault, than in going to dinner: nay, there is a necessity it should beat and be moved upon this head. I have taken notice, as of an uncommon thing in some great men, who, in the highest and most important enterprises, have been loth to rise from their seat, or so The pro- much as to shorten their sleep.* Alexander the found sleep Great, on the day assigned for that decisive battle great per- with Darius, slept so profoundly and so long in the their most morning, that Parmenio was forced to enter his important chamber, go to his bed side, and to call him several affairs. times by his name, in order to awake him, because the hour of battle was just at hand.

of some

sonages in

The empe

like Cato,

before he

The emperor Otho, having put on a resolution to ror Otho, kill himself, the same night, after having settled his slept just domestic affairs, divided his money amongst his serkilled him- vants, and set a good edge upon a sword he had made choice of for the purpose, and staying only to be satisfied whether all his friends were retired in safety, he fell into such a sound sleep, that the gentlemen of

self.

*Plutarch, in the Life of Alexander, ch. 11 of Amyot's trans

lation.

+ Plutarch, in the Life of Otho, ch. 8.

his chamber heard him snore. The death of this emperor has in it many circumstances similar to that ef the great Cato, and particularly this: for Cato being ready to dispatch himself, whilst he only staid his hand till they brought him the news, whether the senators he had sent away were put out from the port of Utica,* he fell into so sound a sleep, that they heard him into the next room; and he, whom he had sent to the port, having awaked him, to let him know that the tempestuous weather had hindered the senators from putting to sea, he dispatched away another messenger, and composing himself again in the bed, slept so, till, by the return of the last messenger, he had certain intelligence they were gone.

motion.

We may here further compare him with Alexander Cato's too, in that great and dangerous storm that threat- tranquillity just beened Cato by the sedition of the tribune Metellus, fore a powho, attempting to publish a decree for the calling pular comof Pompey with his army into the city, at the time of Catiline's conspiracy, was opposed only by Cato, so that very sharp language and bitter menaces passed between them in the senate about that affair; but it was the next day, in the forenoon, that the controversy was to be decided, when Metellus, besides the favour of the people, and of Cæsar (at that time of Pompey's faction), was to appear accompanied with a rabble of foreign slaves and desperate fencers; and Cato only fortified with his own courage and constancy; so that his relations, domestics, and many good people were in great apprehensions for him; and some there were, who passed the whole night without sleep, eating, or drinking, because of the manifest danger they saw him exposed to; for which his wife and sisters did nothing but weep, and torment themselves in his house; whereas he, on the contrary, comforted every one, and after having supped in his usual manner, went to bed,† and slept

* Plutarch, in the Life of Cato of Utica, ch. 19. + Id. ibid. ch. 8.

Profound sleep of Augustus

a battle.

profoundly till morning, that one of his fellow-tribunes roused him to go to the encounter. The knowledge we have of the greatness of this man's courage from the rest of his life, may warrant us to pronounce, that his indifference proceeded from a soul so much elevated above such accidents, that he disdained to let it take any more hold of his thought, than any other ordinary adventure.

In the naval victory that Augustus won of Sextus Pompeius in Sicily, just as they were to begin the just before fight he was so fast asleep, that his friends were compelled to wake him to give the signal of battle:* and this was what gave Mark Antony afterwards occasion to reproach him, that he had not the courage, so much as with open eyes, to behold the order of his battle, nor to face the soldiers, till Agrippa had brought him news of the victory he had obtained over his enemies.

But as to young Marius, who did much worse (for the day of the last battle, against Sylla,t after he had marshalled his army, and given the word and the signal of battle, he laid him down under the shade of a tree to repose himself, and fell so fast asleep, that the rout and flight of his men could hardly awake him, having seen nothing of the fight), he is said to have been at that time so extremely spent, with labour and want of sleep, that nature could hold out no longer. Now, upon what has been said, the physicians may consider whether sleep be so necessary that our lives depend upon it: for we read that king Perseus, of Macedon, being prisoner at Rome, was killed by being debarred from sleep; but Pliny instances such as have lived long without sleep.‡ Herodotus speaks of nations, where the men sleep

Suetonius, in the Life of Augustus, cap. 16. + Plutarch, in the Life of Sylla, cap. 13.

He mentions but one instance that I find, which is of Mæcenas, who, he says, for the last three years of his life had not one mo ment's sleep. Nat. Hist. lib. vii. cap. 52.

and wake by half years.

And they who wrote the life of Epimenides affirm, that he slept fifty-seven years together.t

CHAPTER XLV.

Of the Battle of Dreux.

OUR battle of Dreux is remarkable for several

uncommon accidents: but such as do not much favour the reputation of the duke of Guise, say he was to blame for making a halt, and delaying time with the forces he commanded, whilst the constable, who was general of the army, was raked through and through with the enemy's artillery: and that he had much better have run the hazard of charging the enemy in the flank, than staying for the advantage of falling in upon the rear, to suffer so great a loss.

the princi

and every

But, besides what the event demonstrated, who- Victory, ever will consider it without prejudice, will, I think, pal aim of easily be induced to confess that the aim and design, the general not of a captain only, but of every private soldier, soldier. ought to be a victory in general; and that no particular occurrences, how nearly soever they may concern his own interest, should divert him from that pursuit. Philopomen,§ in an encounter with Machanidas, having sent before a good strong party of

* Herodotus speaks of this only by hear-say, and positively declares he did not believe it, lib. iv. p. 264. But perhaps he took this story in too literal a sense, and that it was intended for no other than a hint to him, that the people who live under the pole, are deprived of the light of the sun for six months in the year, but enjoy it for the following six months; which is very true, if there be inhabitants in that part of the globe.

+ Diogenes Laertius, in the Life of Epimenides, lib. i. sect. 109. It was fought anno 1562, in the reign of Charles IX. and won by the conduct and valour of the duke of Guise.

Plutarch, in the Life of Philopomen, cap. 6,