It is the work of fancy to enlarge, but of judgment to shorten

When Robert South wrote, “It is the work of fancy to enlarge, but of judgment to shorten and contract; and therefore this must be as far above the other as judgment is a greater and nobler faculty than fancy or imagination,” he spoke as a philosopher of balance—a man who understood the eternal tension between imagination and judgment, between the dream that expands and the wisdom that refines. His words remind us that the human mind possesses two great powers: the fancy, which gives birth to possibility, and the judgment, which brings it into form. Each is divine in its way, but the one that governs, disciplines, and gives measure to the other is the greater. For it is not enough to dream; one must also discern.

The origin of this reflection lies in the age of the seventeenth century—a time when reason and faith, imagination and order, contended for mastery of the human spirit. Robert South, a preacher and scholar of profound intellect, saw that men of his time were often led astray by the dazzling fire of their fancy, mistaking brilliance for truth, eloquence for wisdom. He therefore exalted judgment—the cool, clear light of reason—as the nobler faculty, for it separates what is merely beautiful from what is truly good. To enlarge without limit, he said, is the nature of fancy; but to contract—to shape, to measure, to bring harmony to abundance—is the sacred labor of judgment.

To understand his meaning, one must see fancy as the soul’s great dreamer. It is that power within us that envisions worlds beyond the visible, that creates poetry, art, invention, and myth. Imagination opens the gates of infinity; it is the seed of all creation. But left alone, it becomes wild—like a river without banks, spreading into marsh and mire. Judgment is the hand that builds the channel, that directs the water toward the field where it may nourish life. In this harmony lies the greatness of human thought: imagination gives life to ideas, and judgment gives them purpose. Without imagination, the mind grows barren; without judgment, it grows mad.

Consider the tale of Leonardo da Vinci, that titan of the Renaissance. His imagination was boundless—he sketched flying machines centuries before man took to the skies, and envisioned cities and weapons the world had never seen. Yet it was his judgment, his discipline of thought and precision of study, that gave his dreams form. When he painted The Last Supper, it was not only imagination that guided his hand, but also the austere rule of judgment—the geometry of proportion, the science of light, the structure that transforms vision into truth. Thus, Leonardo’s genius was not in the enlargement of fancy alone, but in the marriage of imagination and judgment, where passion and restraint walk hand in hand.

South’s teaching also carries a warning to all who live by the spirit of creation. He reminds us that the mind that only enlarges—that dreams without measure—may become enslaved to illusion. Many through history have been ruined by brilliance untempered by wisdom: the poet who confuses chaos with inspiration, the leader who mistakes ambition for destiny. Judgment, though quieter, is the nobler guide. It trims away excess, clarifies thought, and makes the magnificent both true and lasting. The ancients called this harmony sophrosyne—the virtue of measured balance, where neither passion nor reason reigns alone, but both together form the whole of wisdom.

Yet let us not mistake South’s words as a condemnation of fancy. For he does not say it is useless—only that it must be ruled. The imagination is the fountain; the judgment is the cup that gives it shape. Without the fountain, the cup is empty; without the cup, the water is lost. The wise, therefore, do not choose between them—they make them servants of one another. As the sculptor first dreams of the statue within the marble, his fancy gives him vision; but his judgment gives him the discipline to carve only what is necessary, removing what does not belong. And when he is finished, the beauty of his creation reveals both the power of his imagination and the precision of his mind.

So, my listener, take this teaching to heart: let your imagination soar, but let your judgment steer. Dream bravely, but think clearly. When you create, do not fear the act of shortening and contracting, for it is through discipline that art becomes timeless and truth becomes pure. Fancy shows you the stars; judgment builds the telescope that brings them near. Do not despise restraint—it is not the death of freedom, but its perfection.

For as Robert South teaches, to enlarge is the joy of the soul, but to discern is the mark of the wise. The heart that dreams gives light to the world, but the mind that judges gives it direction. And in the union of these two—the soaring imagination and the steadfast judgment—humanity finds its noblest art, its truest wisdom, and its highest form of creation.