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Fortune Loves Those that Have the Least Wit
For how can it be otherwise when Fortune, the great directress of
all human affairs, and myself are so all one that she was always an
enemy to those wise men, and on the contrary so favorable to fools and
careless fellows that all things hit luckily to them?
You have heard of that Timotheus, the most fortunate general of the
Athenians, of whom came that proverb, "His net caught fish, though
he were asleep"; and that "The owl flies"; whereas these others hit
properly, wise men "born in the fourth month"; and again, "He rides
Sejanus's his horse"; and "gold of Toulouse," signifying thereby the
extremity of ill fortune. But I forbear the further threading of
proverbs, lest I seem to have pilfered my friend Erasmus' adages.
Fortune loves those that have least wit and most confidence and such
as like that saying of Caesar, "The die is thrown." But wisdom makes
men bashful, which is the reason that those wise men have so little to
do, unless it be with poverty, hunger, and chimney corners; that
they live such neglected, unknown, and hated lives: whereas fools
abound in money, have the chief commands in the commonwealth, and in a
word, flourish every way. For if it be happiness to please princes and
to be conversant among those golden and diamond gods, what is more
unprofitable than wisdom, or what is it these kind of men have, may
more justly be censured?
If wealth is to be got, how little good at it is that merchant like
to do, if following the precepts of wisdom, he should boggle at
perjury; or being taken in a lie, blush; or in the least regard the
sad scruples of those wise men touching rapine and usury. Again, if
a man sue for honors or church preferments, an ass or wild ox shall
sooner get them than a wise man. If a man's in love with a young
wench, none of the least humors in this comedy, they are wholly
addicted to fools and are afraid of a wise man and fly him as they
would a scorpion. Lastly, whoever intend to live merry and frolic,
shut their doors against wise men and admit anything sooner. In brief,
go whither you will, among prelates, princes, judges, magistrates,
friends, enemies, from highest to lowest, and you'll find all things
done by money; which, as a wise man condemns it, so it takes a special
care not to come near him.
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