While therefore we must not suffer the weakness in
the one case to pass unnoticed, neither must we abet or
countenance invincible impudence in the other, such as is
reported of Anaxarchus,—
Whose dog-like carriage and effrontery,
Despising infamy, out-faced disgrace.
A convenient mien between both is rather to be endeavored after, by repressing the over impudent, and animating the too meek temper. But as this kind of
cure is difficult, so is the restraining such excesses not
without danger; for as a gardener, in stubbing up
some wild or useless bushes, makes at them carelessly with his spade, or burns them off the ground, but
in dressing a vine, or grafting an apple, or pruning an
olive, carries his hand with the greatest wariness and deliberation, that he may not unluckily injure the tree; so a
philosopher, in removing envy, that useless and untractable
plant, or covetousness or immoderate love of pleasure from
the mind of youth, may cut deep safely, and make a large
scar; but if he be to apply his discourse to some more sensible or delicate part, such as the restraining excess of
[p. 62]
bashfulness, it lies upon him to be very careful not to cut off
or eradicate modesty with the contrary vice. For nurses who
too often wipe away the dirt from their infants are apt to
tear their flesh and put them to pain. And in like manner we must not so far extirpate all bashfulness in youth as
to leave them careless or impudent; but as those that pull
down private houses adjoining to the temples of the Gods
prop up such parts as are contiguous to them, so in undermining bashfulness, due regard is to be had to adjacent
modesty, good nature, and humanity. And yet these are
the very qualities by which bashfulness insinuates itself
and becomes fixed in a man, flattering him that he is good-natured, courteous, and civil, and has common sense, and
that he is not obstinate and inexorable. The Stoics, therefore, in their discourses of modesty, distinguish all along
betwixt that and bashfulness, leaving not so much as
ambiguity of terms for a pretence to the vice. However, asking their good leave, we shall make bold to use
such words indifferently in either sense; or rather we
shall follow the example of Homer, whose authority we
have for it, that
Much harm oft-times from modesty befalls,
Much good oft-times.
1
And it was not done amiss of him to make mention of
the hurtfulness of it first, because modesty becomes profitable only through reason, which cuts off what is superfluous and leaves a just mean behind.
