I’OBSERVE en mes voyages cette practique, pour apprendre tousiours quelque chose, par la communication d’autruy, qui est vne des plus belles escholes qui puisse estre, de ramener tousiours ceux, auec qui ie confere, aux propos des choses qu’ils sçauent le mieux. Basti al nocchiero ragionar de’ venti, / Al bifolco dei tori, et le sue piaghe / Conti ’l guerrier, conti ’l pastor gli armenti. Car il aduient le plus souuent au contraire, que chacun choisit plustost à discourir du mestier d’vn autre que du sien: estimant que c’est autant de nouuelle reputation acquise: tesmoing le reproche qu’Archidamus feit à Periander, qu’il quittoit la gloire d’vn bon Medecin, pour acquerir celle de mauuais Poëte.
In my travels I follow this practice, so as always to learn something from dealing with others (which is one of the finest schools there can be): I always bring the people I talk with back to the things they know best. Let the sailor be content to talk of winds, / the ploughman of his bulls; and let the soldier / count his wounds, the shepherd his flocks. For the opposite most often happens: each man would rather discourse on someone else’s trade than his own, thinking it so much new reputation gained—witness the reproach Archidamus made to Periander, that he was giving up the glory of a good physician to acquire that of a bad poet.
Voyez combien Cesar se desploye largement à nous faire entendre ses inuentions à bastir ponts et engins: et combien au prix il va se serrant, où il parle des offices de sa profession, de sa vaillance, et conduite de sa milice. Ses exploicts le verifient assez Capitaine excellent: il se veut faire cognoistre excellent Ingenieur; qualité aucunement estrangere. Le vieil Dionysius estoit tres grand chef de guerre, comme il conuenoit à sa fortune: mais il se trauailloit à donner principale recommendation de soy, par la poësie: et si n’y sçauoit guere.
See how expansively Caesar spreads himself to make us understand his inventions for building bridges and engines, and how tight-lipped he becomes by comparison when he speaks of the duties of his profession, his valor and the conduct of his army. His exploits prove him an excellent general well enough; he wants to be known as an excellent engineer, a quality somewhat foreign to him. The elder Dionysius was a very great war leader, as befitted his fortune; but he labored to make poetry his chief claim to esteem—and he knew hardly anything about it.
Vn homme de vacation iuridique, mené ces iours passez voir vne estude fournie de toutes sortes de liures de son mestier, et de tout autre mestier, n’y trouua nulle occasion de s’entretenir: mais il s’arresta à gloser rudement et magistralement vne barricade logee sur la vis de l’estude, que cent Capitaines et soldats recognoissent tous les iours, sans remerque et sans offense. Optat ephippia bos piger, optat arare caballus. Par ce train vous ne faictes iamais rien qui vaille. Ainsin, il faut trauailler de reietter tousiours l’architecte, le peintre, le cordonnier, et ainsi du reste chacun à son gibier.
A man of the legal profession, taken the other day to see a study furnished with all sorts of books on his own profession and every other, found nothing there to occupy him; but he stopped to criticize, roughly and magisterially, a barricade set up on the spiral staircase of the study, which a hundred captains and soldiers look over every day without remark or offense. The lazy ox longs for a saddle; the nag longs to plough. Going this way, you will never do anything worthwhile. So we must always work to send the architect, the painter, the cobbler, and the rest, each back to his own game.
Et à ce propos, à la lecture des histoires, qui est le subiet de toutes gens, i’ay accoustumé de considerer qui en sont les escriuains: si ce sont personnes, qui ne facent autre profession que de lettres, i’en apren principalement le stile et le langage: si ce sont Medecins, ie les croy plus volontiers en ce qu’ils nous disent de la temperature de l’air, de la santé et complexion des Princes, des blessures et maladies: si Iurisconsultes, il en faut prendre les controuerses des droicts, les loix, l’establissement des polices, et choses pareilles: si Theologiens, les affaires de l’Eglise, censures Ecclesiastiques, dispences et mariages: si courtisans, les meurs et les cerimonies: si gens de guerre, ce qui est de leur charge, et principalement les deductions des exploits où ils se sont trouuez en personne: si Ambassadeurs, les menees, intelligences, et praticques, et maniere de les conduire.
And on this subject, when reading histories, which is everyone’s business, I am in the habit of considering who their writers are. If they are people who profess nothing but letters, I learn chiefly their style and language from them. If physicians, I believe them more readily in what they tell us of the temperature of the air, the health and constitution of princes, wounds and diseases. If jurists, we should take from them disputes about rights, laws, the establishment of governments, and the like. If theologians, the affairs of the Church, ecclesiastical censures, dispensations and marriages. If courtiers, manners and ceremonies. If soldiers, what belongs to their charge, and chiefly their accounts of the exploits in which they took part in person. If ambassadors, intrigues, secret understandings and negotiations, and how to conduct them.
A cette cause, ce que i’eusse passé à vn autre, sans m’y arrester, ie l’ay poisé et remarqué en l’histoire du Seigneur de Langey, tres entendu en telles choses. C’est qu’apres auoir conté ces belles remonstrances de l’Empereur Charles cinquiesme, faictes au consistoire à Rome, present l’Euesque de Macon, et le Seigneur du Velly nos Ambassadeurs, où il auoit meslé plusieurs parolles outrageuses contre nous; et entre autres, que si ses Capitaines et soldats n’estoient d’autre fidelité et suffisance en l’art militaire, que ceux du Roy, tout sur l’heure il s’attacheroit la corde au col, pour luy aller demander misericorde.
For this reason, what I would have passed over in another writer without pausing, I have weighed and noted in the history of the Seigneur de Langey, who was very well versed in such matters. It is this. He recounts those fine harangues of the Emperor Charles V delivered in the consistory at Rome, in the presence of the Bishop of Mâcon and the Seigneur du Velly, our ambassadors, in which he had mixed several insulting words against us; among others, that if his captains and soldiers were no more loyal or competent in the art of war than the King’s, he would at once tie a rope around his neck and go and beg him for mercy.
Et de cecy il semble qu’il en creust quelque chose: car deux ou trois fois en sa vie depuis il luy aduint de redire ces mesmes mots. Aussi qu’il défia le Roy de le combatre en chemise auec l’espee et le poignard, dans vn batteau. Ledit Seigneur de Langey suiuant son histoire, adiouste que lesdicts Ambassadeurs faisans vne despesche au Roy de ces choses, luy en dissimulerent la plus grande partie, mesmes luy celerent les deux articles precedens. Or i’ay trouué bien estrange, qu’il fust en la puissance d’vn Ambassadeur de dispenser sur les aduertissemens qu’il doit faire à son maistre, mesme de telle consequence, venant de telle personne, et dits en si grand’assemblee.
And it seems he believed something of this, for two or three times later in his life he happened to repeat these same words. Also, he challenged the King to fight him in his shirt, with sword and dagger, in a boat. The said Seigneur de Langey, continuing his history, adds that when these ambassadors sent the King a dispatch about these things, they concealed the greater part from him, and even hid the two points just mentioned. Now I have found it very strange that it should be in an ambassador’s power to pick and choose among the reports he owes his master—especially reports of such consequence, coming from such a person, and spoken before so great an assembly.
Et m’eust semblé l’office du seruiteur estre, de fidelement representer les choses en leur entier, comme elles sont aduenuës: afin que la liberté d’ordonner, iuger, et choisir demeurast au maistre. Car de luy alterer ou cacher la verité, de peur qu’il ne la preigne autrement qu’il ne doit, et que cela ne le pousse à quelque mauuais party, et ce pendant le laisser ignorant de ses affaires, cela m’eust semblé appartenir à celuy, qui donne la loy, non à celuy qui la reçoit, au curateur et maistre d’eschole, non à celuy qui se doit penser inferieur, comme en authorité, aussi en prudence et bon conseil. Quoy qu’il en soit, ie ne voudroy pas estre seruy de cette façon en mon petit faict.
It would have seemed to me the servant’s duty to represent things faithfully and in their entirety, as they happened, so that the freedom to order, judge and choose might remain with the master. For to alter or hide the truth from him, for fear he might take it otherwise than he should and that it might drive him to some bad course, and meanwhile to leave him ignorant of his own affairs—that would have seemed to me to belong to the one who gives the law, not to the one who receives it; to the guardian and the schoolmaster, not to one who must consider himself inferior in prudence and good counsel as well as in authority. However that may be, I would not want to be served that way in my own small affairs.
Nous nous soustrayons si volontiers du commandement sous quelque pretexte, et vsurpons sur la maistrise: chascun aspire si naturellement à la liberté et authorité, qu’au superieur nulle vtilité ne doibt estre si chere, venant de ceux qui le seruent, comme luy doit estre chere leur simple et naifue obeissance. On corrompt l’office du commander, quand on y obeit par discretion, non par subiection. Et P.
We so readily slip out from under command on some pretext or other, and encroach on mastery; each man aspires so naturally to liberty and authority, that to a superior no usefulness coming from those who serve him should be as dear as their simple and natural obedience. The office of commanding is corrupted when it is obeyed out of discretion and not out of subjection. And Publius
Crassus, celuy que les Romains estimerent cinq fois heureux, lors qu’il estoit en Asie Consul, ayant mandé à vn Ingenieur Grec, de luy faire mener le plus grand des deux mas de nauire, qu’il auoit veu à Athenes, pour quelque engin de batterie, qu’il en vouloit faire: celuy cy sous titre de sa science, se donna loy de choisir autrement, et mena le plus petit, et selon la raison de art, le plus commode. Crassus, ayant patiemment ouy ses raisons, luy feit tres-bien donner le fouet: estimant l’interest de la discipline plus que l’interest de l’ouurage.
Crassus—the man the Romans esteemed five times fortunate—when he was consul in Asia, ordered a Greek engineer to bring him the larger of two ship’s masts he had seen at Athens, for some battering engine he wanted to make from it. The engineer, on the strength of his expertise, took it upon himself to choose otherwise and brought the smaller one, which by the reasoning of his art was the more suitable. Crassus, having patiently heard his reasons, had him soundly flogged, valuing the interest of discipline above the interest of the work.
D’autre part pourtant on pourroit aussi considerer, que cette obeïssance si contreinte, n’appartient qu’aux commandements precis et prefix. Les Ambassadeurs ont vne charge plus libre, qui en plusieurs parties depend souuerainement de leur disposition. Ils n’executent pas simplement, mais forment aussi, et dressent par leur conseil, la volonté du maistre. I’ay veu en mon temps des personnes de commandement, reprins d’auoir plustost obey aux paroles des lettres du Roy, qu’à l’occasion des affaires qui estoient pres d’eux. Les hommes d’entendement accusent encore auiourd’huy, l’vsage des Roys de Perse, de tailler les morceaux si courts à leurs agents et lieutenans, qu’aux moindres choses ils eussent à recourir à leur ordonnance.
On the other hand, however, one might also consider that such strict obedience applies only to precise and definite commands. Ambassadors have a freer charge, which in many respects depends entirely on their own judgment. They do not simply carry out the master’s will; they also shape and direct it by their counsel. I have seen in my time persons in command reproached for having obeyed the words of the King’s letters rather than the circumstances of the affairs at hand. Men of understanding still blame today the practice of the kings of Persia of cutting their agents’ and lieutenants’ portions so small that in the least matters they had to have recourse to their orders.
Ce delay, en vne si longue estendue de domination, ayant souuent apporté des notables dommages à leurs affaires. Et Crassus, escriuant à vn homme du mestier, et luy donnant aduis de l’vsage auquel il destinoit ce mas, sembloit-il pas entrer en conference de sa deliberation, et le conuier à interposer son decret?
This delay, over so vast an extent of dominion, often did their affairs notable harm. And Crassus, writing to a man of the trade and telling him the use for which he intended this mast—did he not seem to be entering into consultation with him about his decision, and inviting him to put in his own judgment?