3. The peace, and quietnes of ciuill societie, by composing and taking vp of quarrelles, and by directing iustice, makes the lawyer next, whose publike honour dyeth also with him: and declareth the substaunce of his worthines, though his priuate name remaine, and his children enioy the benefit of his getting. As why may not the diuines to, enioy that, which their parentes haue honestly saued, if they haue any surplus, whereon to saue, for necessarie reliefe of their necessarie charge in succession? Which among the Iewes was of such countenaunce, as Iosephus, vaunteth himselfe of his nobilitie that way. And. But it were to large a roming place, to runne ouer the port that the churchmen haue kept, not among christians and Iewes onely.
The Physician.
4. The Physician is next, and his circumstaunce like, and so furth in learning, where the preferment dying with the partie, and transposed to other, not by line in nature but by choice in valure, is the euidentest argument, that those thinges be most worthiely tearmed the best matter of honour, which die with the partie, and yet make him liue through honorable remembraunce, though he haue no successour but the common weale, which is generally surest, bycause priuate succession in blood is oftimes some blemish. And yet succession in state, is not allway so steddie, but that the old house may haue a very odde maister. These do I take to be the truest, and most worthy causes of nobilitie, lymited not by wealth, but by worth, which accompany the party, and expire with his breath. For sure that which one leaueth behinde him besides an honorable remembraunce of his owne worthynes, cannot noble him while he hath it, nor his, when he leaues it, bycause it bettereth not the owner, but oftimes makes him worse, though it be a necessary stay for that person which is of good worthynes to shew his worth the better. Therefore when wealth is made the way to gentilitie: or if it be exceeding great, the gap to nobilitie, it is like to some vniuersitie men, which for fauour or feasting lend their schole degrees to doltes to intercept those liuinges by borrowed titles which them selues should haue for learning, and might haue without let, if they hindered not them selues. But both gentlemen and scholers be well enough serued, for ouershooting them selues so farre: nobilitie being empaired in note, though encreased in number by such intruders, and learning empouerished in purses, though replenished in putfurthes by such interceptours.
Why so many desire to be gentlemen.
Yet it is no meruell if the base couet his best, as his perfection in nature, and his honour in opinion: no more then that the asse doth desire the lions skin, to be thought though but a while, very terrible to behold. But counterfeat mettall for all his best shew will neuer be so naturall, as that is, which it doth counterfeat: neither will naturall mettalles euer enterchaunge natures, though the finest be seuered, and the Alcumist do his best: And for all the lions skin, sure the asse is an asse as his owne eares will bewray him, if ye fortune to see them: or your eares will discerne him, if you fortune to hear him: he will bray so like a beast. I can say no better, though this may seeme bitter, where I see nobilitie betraid to donghillrie, and learning to doultrie. You gentlemen must beare with me, for I wish you your owne: you scholers must pardon me, I pity your abuse. Your apes do you harme, and scratch you by the face, for all the friendship they finde, which if they found not, they might tarie apes still. Their suttletie supplantes you, and your simplenes lettes them see, what fellowes you are. Call vertue to aide, and put slauerie in pinfold, let learning leade you, and send loselles to labour, more fit for the shouell, then to shuffle vp your cardes. Thus much for the causes which make nobilitie, whose leader is learning, and honour is vertue, not to vse more discourse to proue by particular, where the matter is so plaine, as either vertue will admit praise, or historie bring proofe.
For the finall cause it is most euident, that if some sufficiencie this way be the meane to nobilitie, the effect of such sufficiencie doth crowne the man, and accomplish the matter. But wherefore is all this? to shew how necessarie a thing it is to haue yong gentlemen well brought vp. For if these causes do make the meane man noble, what will they do in him, whose honour is augmented with perpetuall encrease, if with his nobilitie in blood he do ioyne in match the worthines of his owne person? Wherefore the necessitie of the traine appearing to be so great, I will handle that as well as I can in generall precept, for this present place, as hauing to deale with such personages, whose wisedom is their weight, learning their line, iustice their balance, armour their honour, and all vertues in all kindes their best furniture in all executions, and their greatest ornamentes in the eies of all men, all this tending directly to the common good.
The gentlemens train.
As concerning the traine it selfe, wherof I said somwhat before, I know none better then the common well appointed, which the common man doth learne for necessitie at first, and auauncement after: the greater personage ought to learne for his credit, and honour, besides necessarie vses. For which be gentlemanly qualities, if these be not, to reade, to write, to draw, to sing, to play, to haue language, to haue learning, to haue health, and actiuitie, nay euen to professe Diuinitie, Lawe, Physicke, and any trade else commendable for cunning? Which as gentlemen maye get with most leasure, and best furniture, so maye they execute them without any corruption, where they neede not to craue. And be not sciences liberall in terme, that waye to be recouered from illiberalitie in trade, and can those great liuinges be better employed, then in sparing the pillage of the poore people? which are to sore gleaned: by the needie and neuer contented professours? which making their ende as to do good, and their entent but to gaine, do pluk the poore shrewdly, while they couet that they haue not, by a meane that they should not. Bicause though the professours neede do seeke such a supplie, yet the thing which they professe protesteth the contrarie: and prayes for ability in the professour to deale franckely himselfe in the freedome of his cunning, and not to straine her for neede. Doth Diuinitie teache to scrape, or Lawe to scratche, or any other learning, whose epithet is liberall? Diuines do vse it, lawyers do vse it, learned men do vse it. But their profession is free and liberall, though the execution be seruile and corrupt, and cryeth for helpe of nobilitie to raunsome it from necessity, which hath emprisoned it so, by the negligence of nobilitie who thinke any thing farre more seemly to bestow their time and wealth on, then professions of learning. But if it would please toward young gentlemen to be so wel affected towards their naturall countrey, or to suffer her to ouertreat them so farre, as to shoulder out corruption, by professing themselues, who neede not to be couetous for want of any thing, which haue all thinges at will, how blessed were our state, nay how fortunate were euen the gentlemen them selues? They may spare number enough that way, besides such furniture, as they do affoord vnto the court, to all martiall and militare affaires to all iusticiarie functions by reason of their multitude, which groweth on dayly to farre and to fast, and lessen the middle commoner to much: whose bignes is the best meane, if Aristotle say true, as his reason seemes great, for peace and quietnes in any publicke estate, to desire the rich gentlemen, which haue most, and the poore meany, which haue least, to holde their handes, and put vp their weapons, when they would be seditious, as the two extremities in a publicke body. If the couragious gentlemen took them selues to armes, and mynded more exercise: if the quieter tooke bookes, and fell vnto learning, calling home to them againe by their laudable diligence all those faculties, which they haue so long deliuered ouer for prayes to the poorer, thorough their to great negligence, were not the returne to be receiued with sacrifice? and would not the other aswell prouide for them selues by other trades, wherwith to liue? Whereby the honestie of that subiect, wherein they should trauell, would in the meane while, deliuer the honest gentlemen from such faultes, as they be now subiect vnto, while intending so good, they auoided so euill. This were better than brauerie, and more triumphant then trauelling, to remaine at home with their prince, not to rome abroad with the pilgrime, to see farre in other countries, and be starke blinde in their owne.
Trauelling beyond sea.
For what is it to trauell, seeing that word hath so sodainly crossed me? I will not here make any Epitome of other mens trauell, which haue set downe whole treaties against this trauelling in diuerse languages: neither will I amplyfie the thing with any earnest aggrauations, which though they may be true, and so may somewhat taint the vnaduised trauellour, yet they be not worthy the rehearsall here. For what reason carieth it, to finde fault with the forraine, and to foster the fault at home? or for particular misdemener, to condemne some whole nations? or for some error in some few to wish a general restraint? and by to sharp blaming to bitterly to eager not the meanest wittes: as commonly dawes be not most desirous to trauell. It is lightly the quintessence which will be a ranging. Silence in thinges peraduenture blameworthy, and friendly entertainement where there is no sting, by curtesie wil call, and by liking will winne such dispositions sooner to come to the lure where we would wish to haue them, then any either launsing, their woundes by to bytter speches, or aliening their hartes by too much harping on one firing: chieflie considering that trauell and going abroad for knowledge in learning, and skill in language haue for their protection much antiquitie, long time, and great number, though still chekt as either needeles or harmfull: and oftimes countermaunded, not onely by priuate mens argumentes, but by publike constitutions, of the best common weales, which were very vnwilling to haue their people to wander.