From Francis Bacon's essay *Of Truth* (1625). Select the word that fits the blank. "There is no vice, that doth so cover a man with shame, as to be found false and ______."

The blank is paired with "false" by *and*. Bacon's rhetorical doubling typically pairs near-synonyms for emphasis, so the missing word should reinforce *false*. "Perfidious" — treacherous, breaking faith — is precisely a strengthened *false*. - "Ignorant" describes a different fault (lack of knowledge), not faithlessness, and would weaken the indictment Bacon is building. - "Impulsive" is a temperamental flaw, unrelated to the vice of *being false*. - "Dejected" describes mood, not a vice at all. Mnemonic: *perfidy* = *per* (through) + *fides* (faith) → "through-faith," i.e. a betrayal of trust.