son a third, witchcraft a fourth, flattery a fifth, lying, stealing, bearing false witness a sixth, adultery the seventh, &c." One makes a fool of himself to make his Lord merry, another dandles my yong master, bestowes a little nag on him, a third marries a crackt piece, &c. Now may it please your good worship, your lordship, who was the first founder of your family? The Poet answers, "Aut Pastor fuit, aut illud quod dicere nolo." -a Are he or you the better gentleman? If he, then we have traced him to his form. If you, what is it of which thou boastest so much? That thou art his son. It may be his heir, his reputed son, and yet indeed a priest or a serving man may be the true father of him; but we will not controvert that now; married women are all honest; thou art his son's son's son, begotten and born infra quatuor maria, &c. Thy great great great grandfather was a rich citizen, and then in all likelihood a usurer, a lawyer, and then aa courtier, and then a country gentleman, and then he scraped it out of sheep, &c. And you are the heir of all his vertues, fortunes, titles; so then, what is your gentry, but as Hierom saith, Opes antique, inveterate divitiæ, ancient wealth? that is the definition of gentility. The father goes often to the divel, to make his son a gentleman. For the present, what is it?" It began (saith 'Agrippa) with strong impiety, with tyranny, oppression, &c." and so it is maintained: wealth began it (no matter how got) wealth continueth and increaseth it. Those Roman knights were so called, if they could dispend per annum so much. In the kingdome of Naples and France, he that buyes such lands, buyes the honour, title, barony together with it; and they that can dispend so much amongst us, must be called to bear office, to be knights, or fine for it, as one observes, * nobiliorem ex censu judicant, our Nobles are measured by their means. And what now is the object of honour? What maintaines our gen try but wealth? Nobilitas sine re projectá vilior algá. Without means gentry is naught worth, nothing so contemptible and base. Disputare de nobilitate generis, sine divitiis, est disputare de nobilitate stercoris, saith Nevisanus the lawyer, to dispute of gentry without wealth, is (saving your reverence) to discusse the originall of a mard. So that it is wealth alone that denominates, money which maintaines it, gives esse to it, for which every man may have it. And what is their ordinary • Juven. thesauro polit. 4. num. 111. a Robusta improbitas à tyrannide incepta, &c. 'Gasper Ens "Syl. nup. lib, exercise? exercise? "*sit to eat, drink, lie down to sleep, and rise to play :" wherein lies their worth and sufficiency? in a few coats of armes, eagles, lions, serpents, bears, tygers, dogs, crosses, bends, fesses, &c. and such like bables, which they commonly set up in their galleries, porches, windowes, on boles, platters, coches, in tombes, churches, men's sleeves, &c. "If he can hawk and hunt, ride an horse, play at cards and dice, swagger, drink, swear," take tobacco with a grace, sing, dance, wear his clothes in fashion, court and please his mistris, talk big fustian, insult, scorn, strut, contemn others, and use a little mimical and apish complement above the rest, he is a compleat, (Egregiam verò laudem) a well qualified gentleman; these are most of their imployments, this their greatest commendation. What is gentry, this parchment nobility then, but as Agrippa defines it," a sanctuary of knavery and naughtiness, a cloke for wickedness and execrable vices, of pride, fraud, contempt, boasting, oppression, dissimulation, lust, gluttony, malice, fornication, adultery, ignorance, impiety?" A nobleman therefore in some likelihood, as he concludes, is an "Atheist, an oppressor, an Epicure, a † gull, a disard, an illiterate idiot, an outside, a gloworm, a proud fool, an arrant asse," Ventris & inguinis mancipium, a slave to his lust and belly, solaq; libidine fortis. And as Salvianus observed of his countrymen the Aquitanes in France, sicut titulis primi fuere, sic &vitiis; and Cabinet du Roy, their own writer, distinctly of the rest; "The Nobles of Berry are most part leachers, they of Tourraine theeves, they of Narbone covetous, they of Guyenne coyners, they of Province Atheists, they of Rhemes superstitious, they of Lions treacherous, of Normandy proud, of Picardy insolent, &c." we may generally conclude, The greater men, the more vicious. In fine, as Æneas Sylvius addes, "they are most part miserable, sottish and filthy fellows, like the walls of their houses, fair without, foul within." What dost thou vaunt of now? "a What dost thou gape and wonder at? admire him for his brave apparell, horses, dogs, fine houses, manors, orchards, gardens, walks? Why? a fool may be possessor of this as well as he; and he that accounts him a better *Exod. 32. * Omnium nobilium sufficientia in eo probatur si venatica noverint, si aleam, si corporis vires ingentibus poculis commonstrent, si naturæ robur numeròsa venere probent, &c. y Difficile est, ut non sit superbus dives, Austin. ser. 24. Nobilitas nihil aliud nisi improbitas, furor, rapina, latrocinium, homicidium, luxus, venatio, violentia, &c. + The fool took away my lord in the mask, 'twas apposite. De miser. curial. Miseri sunt, inepti sunt, turpes sunt, multi ut parietes ædium suarum speciosi. • Miraris aurcas vestes, equos, canes, ordinem famulorum, lautas mensas, prædia, piscinas, sylvas, &c. hæc omnia stultus assequi potest. lenocinio nobilitatus est, Encas Sylvius. des, villas, Pandalus noster man, b man, a Nobleman for having of it, he is a fool himself." Now go and brag of thy gentility. This is it belike which makes the Turkes at this day scorn nobility, and all those huffing bumbast titles, which so much elevate their poles: except it be such as have got it at first, maintain it by some supereminent quality, or excellent worth. And for this cause, the Ragusian Commonwealth, Switzers, and the united Provinces, in all their Aristocracies, or Democratical Monarchies, (if I may so call them) exclude all these degrees of hereditary honours, and will admit of none to bear office, but such as are learned, like those Athenian Areopagites, wise, discreet, and well brought up. The Chinenses observe the same customes, no man amongst them noble by birth; out of their Philosophers and Doctors they choose Magistrates; their politick Nobles are taken from such as be moraliter nobiles, vertuous noble; nobilitas ut olim ab officio, non à naturá, as in Israel of old, and their office was to defend and govern their Country in war and peace, not to hawk, hunt, eat, drink, game alone, as too many do. Their Loysii, Mandarini, literati, licentiati, and such as have raised themselves by their worth, are their noblemen only, thought fit to govern a state; and why then should any that is otherwise of worth, be ashamed of his birth? why should not he be as much respected that leaves a noble posterity, as he that hath had noble ancesters? nay why not more? for plures solem orientem, we adore the sun rising most part; and how much better is it to say, Ego meis majoribus virtute præluri, to boast himself of his vertues, then of his birth? Cathesbeius, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, was by his condition a slave, but for worth, valour, and manhood second to no King, and for that cause (as Jovius writes) elected Emperour of the Mameluches. That poor Spanish Pizarro for his valour made by Charles the fifth Marquess of Anatillo; The Turkie Bassas are all such. Pertinax, Phillippus Arabs, Maximinus, Probus, Aurelius, &c. from common souldiers, became Emperours. Cato, Cincinnatus, &c. Consuls. Pius secundus, Sixtus quintus, Johan. secundus, Nicholas quintus, &c. Popes. Socrates, Virgil, Horace, libertino parte natus. The Kings of Denmark fetch their pedegree, as some say, from one Ulfo, that was the son of a bear. E tenui casa sæpè vir magnus exit, many a worthy man comes out of a poor cottage. Hercules, Bellonius observ. lib. 2. * Mat. Riccius lib. 1. cap. 3. Ad regendam remp. soli doctores, aut licentiati adsciscuntur, &c. * Lib. 1. hist. conditione servus, cæterum acer beilo, et animi magnitudine maximorum regum nemini secundus: ob hæc à Mameluchis in regem electus. d Olaus Magnus lib. 18. Saxo Grammaticus, à quo rex Sueno & cætera Danorum regum stemmata. + Seneca de Contro. Philos. epist. Romulus, Romulus, Alexander, (by Olympia's confession) Themistocles, Jugurtha, king Arthur, Willia the Conqueror, Homer, Demosthenes, P. Lumbard, P. Comestor, Bartholus, Adrian the fourth Pope, &c. bastards; and almost in every kingdom, the most ancient families have bin at first Princes' bastards; their worthiest captains, best wits, greatest scholars, bravest spirits in all our Annals, have been base. Cardan in his subtilities, gives a reason why they are most part better able then others, in body and mind, and so, per consequens, more fortunate. Castruccius Castrucanus a poor childe, found in the fielde, exposed to misery, became prince of Luke and Senes in Italy, a most compleat souldier, and worthy captain; Machiavel compares him to Scipio or Alexander." "And 'tis a wonderful thing (saith he) to him that shall consider of it, that all those, or the greatest part of them, that have done the bravest exploits here upon earth, and excelled the rest of the nobles of their time, have been still born in some abject, obscure place, or of base and obscure abject parents." A most memorable observation, † Scaliger accompts it, & non prætereundum, maximorum virorum plerosq; patres ignoratos, matres impudicas fuisse. "I could recite a great catalogue of them," every kingdome, every province will yeeld innumerable examples: and why then should baseness of birth be objected to any man? who thinks worse of Tully for being arpinas, an upstart? Or Agathocles that Sicilian king for being a potter's son? Iphicrates and Marius were meanly born. What wise man thinks better of any person for his nobility as he said in Machiavel, omnes eodem patre nati, Adam's sons, conceived all and born in sin, &c. "We are by nature all as one, all alike, if you see us naked; let us wear theirs and they our clothes, and what's the difference?" To speak truth, as || Bale did of P. Schalichius, "I more esteem thy worth, learning, honesty, then thy nobility; honour thee more that thou art a writer, a Doctor of divinity, then Earl of the Hunnes, Baron of Skradine, or hast title to such and such. provinces, &c. Thou art more fortunate and great (so Jo *Corpore sunt & animo fortiores spurii, plerumq; ob amoris vehementiam, seminis crass. &c. • Vita Eastruccii. Nec præter rationem miru videri debet, si quis rem considerare velit, omnes eos vel saltem maximam partem, qui in hoc terrarum orbe res præstantiores aggressi sunt, atque inter cæteros ævi sui heroas excelluerunt,aut obscuro,aut abjecto loco editos,& prognatos fuisse abjectis parentibus. Eorum ego Catalogum infinitum recensere possem. Exercit. 265. Flor. hist. 1. 3. Quod si nudos nos conspici contingat, omnium una eademque erit facies; nam si ipsi nostras, nos eorum vestes induamus, nos, &c. Ut merito dicam, quod simpliciter sentiam, Paulum Schalichium scriptorem, & doctorem, pluris tacio quam comitem Hunnorum, et Baronem Skradinum; Encyclopædiam tuam, & orbem disciplinarum omnibus provinciis antefero. Balæus epist. nuntupat, ad 5 cent. ultimam script. Brit. § Præfat. hist. lib. 1. virtute tua major, quam aut Hetrusci imperii fortuna, aut numerosa et decora prolis fælicitate beato evad s. VOL. II. C vius vius writes to Cosmus Medices then Duke of Florence) for thy vertues, then for thy lovely wife, and happy children, friends, fortunes, or great dutchy of Tuscany." So I accompt thee; and who doth not so indeed? Abdolominus was a gardner, and yet by Alexander for his vertues made king of Syria. How much better is it to be born of mean parentage, and to excel in worth, to be morally noble, which is preferred before that naturall nobility, by divines, philosophers, and * politicians, to be learned, honest, discreet, well qualified, to be fit for any manner of imploiment, in country and common-wealth, war and peace, then to be Degeneres Neoptolemi, as many brave Nobles are, only wise because rich, otherwise idiots, illiterate, unfit for any manner of service? Udalricus Earl of Cilia upbraided John Huniades with the baseness of his birth, but he replied, in te Ciliensis Comitatus turpiter extinguitur, in me gloriose Bistricensis exoritur, thine Earldome is consumed with riot, mine begins with honour and renown. Thou hast had so many noble ancestors; what is that to thee? Vix ea nostra voco, g when thou art a disard thyself: quod prodest Pontice longo stemmate censeri? &c. I conclude, hast thou a sound body, and a good soul, good bringing up? art thou vertuous, honest, learned, well qualified, religious, are thy conditions good? thou art a true nobleman, perfectly noble, although born of Thersites,dum modo tu sis acide similis, non natus, sed factus, noble nalox, "I for neither sword, nor fire, nor water, nor sickness, nor outward violence, nor the divel himself can take thy good parts from thee." Be not ashamed of thy birth then, thou art a gentleman all the world over, and shalt be honoured, when as he, strip him of his fine clothes, dispossess him of his wealth, is a funge (which || Polynices in his banishment found true by experience, Gentry was not esteemed) like a piece of coin in another countrey, that no man will take, and shall be contemned. Once more, though thou be a Barbarian, born at Tontonteac, a villain, a slave, a Saldanian Negro, or a rude Virginian in Dasamonquepeuc, he a French monseur, a Spanish don, a senior of Italy, I care not how descended, of what family, of what order, baron, count, prince, if thou be well qualified, and he not, but a degenerate Neoptolemus, I tell thee in a word, thou art a man, and he is a beast. Let no terræ filius, or upstart, insult at this which I have said, no worthy Gentleman take offence. I speak it not to deCurtius. Bodine de rep. lib. 3. cap. 8. Æneas Silvius. lib. 2. cap. 29. & If children be proud, haughty, foolish, they defile the nobility of their kindred, Eccl. Cujus possessio nec furto eripi, nec incendio absumi, nec aquarum voragine absorberi, vel vi morbi destrui potest. Send them both to some strange place naked, ad ignotos, as Aristippus said, you shall see the difference. Bacon's Essayes. Familiæ splendor nihil opis attulit, &c. 22.8. tract |