tract from such as are well deserving, truely vertuous and noble: I do much respect and honour true Gentry and Nobility; I was born of worshipful parents my self, in an ancient family, but I am a younger brother, it concernes me not: or had I been some great heir, richly endowed, so minded as I am, I should not have been elevated at all, but so esteemed of it, as of all other humane happiness, honours, &c. they have their period, are brittle and unconstant. As he said of that great river Danubius, it riseth from a small fountaine, a little brook at first, sometimes broad, sometimes narrow, now slow, then swift, increased at last to an incredible greatness, by the confluence of 60 navigable rivers, it vanisheth in conclusion, loseth his name, and is suddenly swallowed up of the Euxine sea: I may say of our greatest familics, they were mean at first, augmented by rich marriages, purchases, offices, they continue for some ages, with some little alteration of circumstances, fortunes, places, &c. by some prodigal son, for some default, or for want of issue, they are defaced in an instant, and their memory blotted out. So much in the mean time I do attribute to Gentility, that if he be well descended of worshipful or noble parentage, he will express it in his conditions. nec enim feroces Progenerant aquila columbas." And although the nobility of our times be much like our coins, more in number and value, but less in waight and goodnes, with finer stamps, cuts, or outsides, then of old: yet if he retain those ancient characters of true Gentry, he will be more affable, courteous, gently disposed, of fairer carriage, better temper, or a more magnanimous, heroicall and generous spirit, then that vulgus hominum, those ordinary boores and pesants, qui adeo improbi, agrestes, & inculti plerumq; sunt, ne dicam malitiosi, ut nemini ullum humanitatis officium præstent, ne ipsi Deo si advenerit, as one observes of them, a rude, brutish, uncivil, wilde, a currish generation, cruel and malicious, uncapable of discipline, and such as have scarce common sense. And it may be generally spoken of all, which 'Lemnius the Physician said of his travel into England, the common people were silly, sullen, dogged clowns, sed mitior nobilitas, ad omne humanitatis officium paratissima, the gentlemen were courteous and civil. If it so fall out (as often it doth) that such pesants are preferred by reason of their wealth, Fluvius hic illustris, humanarum rerum imago, quæ parvis ductæ sub initiis, in immensum crescunt, & subito evanescunt. Exilis hic primo fluvius, in admirandam magnitudinem excrescit, tandemq; in mari Euxino evanescit. I Stuckius pereg. mar. Euxini. * Sabinus in 6. Ovid. Met. fab. 4. 1 Lib. 1. de 4. Complexionibus. chance, errour, &c. or otherwise, yet as the cat in the fable, when she was turned to a fair maid, would play with mice; a cur will be a cur, a clown will be a clown, he will likely savor of the stock whence he came, and that innate rusticity can hardly be shaken off. "Licet superbus ambulet pecuniâ, Fortuna non mutat genus." And though by their education, such men may be better qualified, and more refined; yet there be many symptomes, by which they may likely be descryed, an affected phantastical carriage, a talior-like spruceness, a peculiar garb in all their proceedings; choicer then ordinary in his diet, and as + Hierome well describes such a one to his Nepotian; "An upstart born in a base cottage that scarce at first had course bread to fill his hungry guts, must now feed on kickshoes and made dishes, will have all variety of flesh and fish, the best oysters," &c. A begger's brat will be commonly more scornful, imperious, insulting, insolent, then another man of his rank: "Nothing so intolerable as a fortunate fool," as Tully found long since out of his experience; Asperius nihil est humili cum surgit in altum," set a begger on horseback, and he will ride a gallop a gallop, &c. m desævit in omnes Dum se posse putat, nec bellua sævior ulla est, he forgets what he was, domineers, &c. and many such other symptomes he hath, by which you may know him from a true Gentleman. Many errours and obliquities are on both sides, noble, ignoble, factis, natis; yet still in all callings, as some degenerate, some are well deserving, and most worthy of their honours. And as Busbequius said of Solyman the magnificent, he was tanto dignus imperio, worthy of that great Empire: Many meanly descended, are most worthy of their honour, politicè nobiles, and well deserve it. Many of our nobility so born (which one said of Hephæstion, Ptolemeus, Seleucus, Antigonus, &c. and the rest of Alexander's followers, they were all worthy to be Monarchs and Generals of Armies) deserve to be Princes. And I am so far forth of § Sesellius's mind, that they ought to be preferred (if capable) before others," as be Hor. ep. Od. 2. Lib 2. ep. 15. Natus sordido tuguriolo & paupere domo, qui vix milio rugientem ventrem, &c. Nihil fortunato insipiente intolerabilius. Claud. 1. 9. in Eutrop. § Lib. 1. de Rep. Gal. Quoniam &commodiore utuntur conditione, & honestiore loco nati, jam inde à parvulis ad moru civilitatem educati sunt, & assuefacti. ing ing nobly born, ingenuously brought up, and from their infancy trained to all manner of civility." For learning and vertue in a Noble-man is more eminent, and, as a Jewel set in gold is more precious, and much to be respected, such a man deserves better then others, and is as great an honour to his family as his Noble family to him. In a word, many Noblemen are an ornament to their order: many poor men's sons are singularly well endowed, most eminent, and well deserving for their worth, wisdome, learning, vertue, valour, integrity; excellent members and pillers of a Common-wealth. And therefore to conclude that which I first intended, to be base by birth, meanly born, is no such disparagement. "Et sic demonstratur, quod erat demonstrandum." MEMB. III. Against Poverty and Want, with such other adversities. NE of the greatest miseries that can befal a man, in the steal, bear false witness, swear, forswear, contend, murder and rebel, which breaketh sleep, and causeth death it self. ¿dev vías BagúτEpóv isi Pogriov, no burden (saith "Menander) so intolerable as poverty: it makes men desperate, it erects and dejects, census honores, census amicitias; mony makes, but poverty mars, &c. and all this in the world's esteem: yet if considered aright, it is a great blessing in it self, an happy estate, and yields no such cause of discontent, or that men should therefore account themselves vile, hated of God, forsaken, miserable, unfortunate. Christ himself was poor, born in a manger, and had not a house to hide his head in all his life," lest any man should make poverty a judgement of God, or an odious estate." And as he was himself, so he informed his Apostles and Disciples, they were all poor, Prophets poor, Apostles poor, (Act. 3. "Silver and gold have I none) As sorrowing (saith Paul) and yet alway rejoycing; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things," 1 Cor. 6. 10. Your great Philosophers have been voluntarily poor, not only Christians, but many others. Crates Thebanus was adored for a god in Athens, "Pa noble man by birth, many servants he had, an honourable attendance, much wealth, many Manors, fine apparel; but when he saw this, • Nullum paupertate gravius onus. • Ne quis iræ divinæ judicium putaret, aut paupertas exosa foret. Gualt. in cap. 2. ver. 18. Lucæ. Pinter proceres Thebanos numeratus, lectum habuit genus, frequens famulitium, domus amplas, &c. Apuleius Florid. 1. 4. C 3 that १ that all the wealth of the world was but brittle, uncertain and no whit availing to live well, he flung his burden into the sea, and renounced his estate." Those Curii and Fabritii will be ever renowned for contempt of these fopperies, wherewith the world is so much affected. Amongst Christians I could reckon up many Kings and Queens, that have forsaken their crowns and fortunes, and wilfully abdicated themselves from these so much esteemed toyes; many that have refused honours, titles, and all this vain pomp and happiness, which others so ambitiously seek, and carefully study to compass and attain. Riches I deny not are God's good gifts, and blessings; and honor est in honorante, honours are from God; both rewards of virtue, and fit to be sought after, sued for, and may well be possessed: yet no such great happiness in having, or misery in wanting of them. Dantur quidem bonis, saith Austin, ne quis mala æstimet: malis autem ne quis nimis bona, good men have wealth that we should not think it evil; and bad men that they should not rely on or hold it so good; as the rain fals on both sorts, so are riches given to good and bad, sed bonis in bonum, but they are good only to the godly. But 'conferre both estates, for natural parts they are not unlike; and a beggar's childe, as Cardan well observes, "is no whit inferior to a Prince's, most part better;" and for those accidents of fortune, it will easily appear there is no such odds, no such extraordinary happiness in the one, or misery in the other. He is rich, wealthy, fat; what gets he by it? pride, insolency, lust, ambition, cares, feares, suspicion, trouble, anger, emulation, and many filthy diseases of body and minde. He hath indeed variety of dishes, better fare, sweet wine, pleasant sawce, dainty musick, gay clothes, lords it bravely out, &c. and all that which Misillus admired in Lucian; but with them he hath the gout, dropsies, apoplexies, palsies, stone, pox, rhumes, chatarres, crudities, oppilations, Melancholy, &c. lust enters in, anger, ambition, according to + Chrysostome, "the sequel of riches is pride, riot, intemperance, arrogancy, fury, and all irrational courses." -"turpi fregerunt sæcula luxu P. Blesensis cp. 72. & 232. oblatos respui honores ex onere metiens; motus ambitiosos rogatus non ivi, &c. Sudat pauper foras in opere, dives in cogitatione; hic os aperit oscitatione, ille ructatione; gravius ille fastidio, quam hic inedia cruciatur. Ber. ser. *In Hysperchen. Natura æqua est, puerosq; videmus mendicorum nulla ex parte regum filiis dissimiles, plerumque saniGallo Tom. 2. Et è contubernio fœdi atque olidi ventris mors tandem educit. Seneca ep. 103. + Divitiarum sequela, luxus, intemperies, arroganta, superbia, furor injustus, omnisque irrationibilis motus. Sat. 6. ores. Juven. with with their variety of dishes, many such maladies of body and mind get in, which the poor man knowes not of. As Saturn in Lucian, answered the discontented commonalty, (which, because of their neglected Saturnal feasts in Rome, made a grievous complaint and exclamation against rich men) that they were much mistaken in supposing such happiness in riches; "you see the best (said he) but you know not their several gripings and discontents:" they are like painted wals, fair without, rotten within: diseased, filthy, crasie, full of intemperance's effects; "And who can reckon half? if you but knew their fears, cares, anguish of mind and vexation, to which they are subject, you would hereafter renounce all riches." "* O si pateant pectora divitum, O that their breasts were but conspicuous, Yea, but he hath the world at wil that is rich, the good things of the earth; suave est de magno tollere acervo, he is a happy man, adored like a God, a Prince, every man seeks to him, applauds, honours, admires him. He hath honours indeed, abundance of all things: but (as I said) withal "pride, lust, anger, faction, emulation, fears, cares, suspicion enter with his wealth;" for his intemperance he hath aches, crudities, gowts, and as fruits of his idleness, and fulness, lust, surfeiting and drunkenness, all maner of diseases: pecuniis augetur improbitas, the wealthier, the more dishonest. "He is exposed to hatred, envy, peril and treason, fear of death, degradation," &c. 'tis lubrica statio & proxima præcipitio, and the higher he climbs, the greater is his fall. celsæ graviora casu Decidunt turres, feriuntque summos the lightning commonly sets on fire the highest towers; in the more eminent place he is, the more subject to fall. a * Flamma "Saturn. Epist. • Vos quidem divites putatis felices, sed nescitis eorum miserias. Et quota pars hæc eorum quæ istos discruciant? si nossetis metus & curas, quibus obnoxii sunt, planè fugiendas vobis divitias existimareais. *Seneca in Herc. Oeteo. 2. * Et diis similes stulta cogitatio facit. simul Ibidinis ingreditur; ira, furor & superbia, divitiarum sequela. Clays. Omnium oculis, odio, insidiis expositus, semper solicitus, fortunæ ludibrium. d Quid me felicem toties jactastis amici ? Qui cecidit, Hor. 2. 1. od. 10. stabili non fuit ille loco. Boeth. |