Chemical-Medical Miracles and Mysteries

# they are increased and multiplied more

the louder the rustling sound it gives off when stirred by a more
forceful breeze; yet it also stands more firmly against the gale than
another tree equipped with fewer branches. In the same way, Fame, Virtue,
and Erudition—as they expand and # are further increased and multiplied
under the storm of the envious and the whirlwind of the
spiteful—may be pressed, agitated, and seized, but they are never
overwhelmed; they are never cast out, nor are they torn away.
For this reason, you should rather desire a commotion of
heaven and earth against you, as it is an infallible sign of a
sturdier original: "virtutis densioris," literally "thicker virtue," continuing the metaphor of the dense branches of a tree virtue and a more widely displayed Fame. Meanwhile,
pursue Fame as if you intended to despise it, and despise it
as if you intended to pursue it. Just as we learn to
despise the world by traveling through it, so we should learn—
while anxiously catching the flattering breeze of Fame—
to regard it as nothing more than a passing shadow.
In the meantime, through our contempt for Fame and
Glory, we find ourselves—willingly or unwillingly—
running straight into their rewards, even if we
never sought them out.

The vocabulary listed at the bottom of the original page highlights the core themes of this exhortation: Reputation (Fama), Excellence (Virtus), Scholarship (Eruditio), Glory (Gloria), Contempt or Detachment (contemtus), the World (mundus), and the Storm (tempestas).