The First Book.

[sub]ject than a man. For in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome, the same eras that are most renowned for military prowess original: "Armes" are likewise most admired for learning. Consequently, the greatest authors and philosophers, and the greatest captains and governors, have lived in the same ages. Nor could it be otherwise; for just as in a man, the peak strength of both body and mind occurs at roughly the same age (except that physical strength arrives somewhat earlier), so in states, military power and learning—the one corresponding to the body and the other to the soul of man—occur together or in close succession.

Regarding matters of policy and government, the idea that learning should hinder rather than enable them is highly improbable. We see it is considered an error to entrust a physical body to "empirical" physicians In this context, Bacon refers to "empirics"—practitioners who rely solely on trial-and-error experience without understanding the underlying scientific theory or "causes.", who typically have a few pleasant recipes which they apply confidently and boldly, yet know neither the causes of diseases, nor the physical constitutions original: "complexions" of patients, nor the danger of complications original: "accidents", nor the true method of treatment. We see it is a similar error to rely on advocates or lawyers who are only men of practice and not well-read in their books; they are often easily surprised when a situation arises beyond their experience, to the detriment of the cases they handle. By the same reasoning, it must surely be a risky matter if states are managed by—

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