An ant is a wise creature for itself, but it is a shrewd thing in an orchard2 or garden.And certainly men that are great lovers of themselves waste the public. Divide with reasonbetween self-love and society; and be so true to thyself, as thou be not false to others; spe-cially to thy king and country. It is a poor centre of a mans actions, himself. It is rightearth. For that only stands fast upon his own centre; whereas all things that have affinitywith the heavens, move upon the centre of another, which they benefit. The referring of allto a mans self is more tolerable3 in a sovereign prince; because themselves are not onlythemselves, but their good and evil is at the peril of the public fortune. But it is a desperateevil in a servant to a prince, or a citizen in a republic. For whatsoever affairs pass such amans hands, he crooketh them to his own ends; which must needs to be often eccentric tothe ends of his master or state. Therefore, let princes, or states, choose such servants ashave not this mark; except they mean their service should be made but the accessory. Thatwhich maketh the effect more pernicious is that all proportion is lost It were disproportionenough for the servants good to be preferred before the masters; but yet it is a greaterextreme, when a little good of the servant shall carry things against a great good of themasters. And yet that is the case of bad officers, treasurers, ambassadors, generals, andother false and corrupt4 servants; which set a bias upon their bowl, of their own petty endsand envies, to the overthrow of their masters great and important affairs. And for the mostpart, the good such servants receive is after the model of their own fortune.
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