ii8                              OF EMPIRE.
 

XIX.

OF EMPIRE.

It is a miserable state of mind to have few things
to desire and many things to fear, and yet that
commonly Is the case of kings, who being at the
highest, want matter of desire, which makes their
minds more languishing; and have many represen¬
tations of perils and shadows, which makes their
minds the less clear. And this is one reason also
of that effect which the Scripture speaketh of, that
the king's heart is inscrutable; for multitude of
jealousies and lack of some predominant desire, that
should marshal and put in order all the rest,
maketh any man's heart hard to find or sound.
Hence it comes likewise that princes many times
make themselves desires and set their hearts upon
toys ; sometimes upon a building, sometimes upon
erecting of an order, sometimes upon the advancing
of a person, sometimes upon obtaining excellency in
some heart or feat of the hand, as Nero for playing