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by the meanes of fortune, for that one of base birth may become most noble above all kings and contrariwise one wel borne may become the most wretched and contemtible BOOKE of the worlde: and that therefore wee are to boast of the giftes of the minde, not of the gentry of our auncestours, which is alredie extinguished by the unknowen and degenerated posteritie. * Wherupon I thinke them worthy of great commendation, who from very lowe place with the ladder of their owne vertue climbe to most respected highnesse. As many Popes, Emperours, and kings have done beeing the sonnes of very meane men.*

GUAZ. Yet for al that you see how the world commonly reputeth gentry by byrth as legitimate, and gentry by vertue as bastardily, and farre inferiour to the other. And if you do but sounde the opinion of the Gentlemen of this Citie, they will, I warrant you, in a manner all of them say unto you that they had rather bee borne Gentlemen and have nothing in the worlde but their rapier and cloake, then to bee discended of base parentage, and to bee Senatours or Presidents.

ANNIB. It is reported that the foxe cast his tayle about a yong tree ful of fruite to the intent to shake it and make the fruites fal to the ground, but fayling of his purpose he went his way, finding fault with the fruite, saying, they were without tast and not good ynough for him. The like doe those whom you speake of, who being not by vertue able to aspire to those degrees, mislike of the degrees, and of those persons who by their vertue have attained unto them. But assure your selfe that those which hold that erronious opinion, are for the most part voide of vertue. But if shal talke with a Gentleman that is so by birth, who by the helpe either of learning or of armes hath gotten this second gentry, he wil no doubt make more account of the gentry purchased by his owne vertue, then of that which is discended unto him by birth. So that I mervaile nothing though that common opinion take place, seeing that the number of Gentlemen without vertue is farre greater then of those which bee vertuous. Yet you remember that it

you

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was sayde yesterday, that the common opinion consisteth SECOND not in the number, but in the qualitie of the persons and BOOKE therefore the opinion which you have brought foorth shall not bee called common.

GUAZ. This same is one of the abuses of divers countries and specially of Fraunce, where learning is so litle accounted of, that a Gentleman, though he bee scarce able to maintaine himselfe, thinketh scorne too applye his minde too the studie either of the lawes or of phisick. And though there be no gentrie in a manner, to bee compared to that of the Presidentes and Counsellours of the King, yet you see those that are Gentlemen borne, count them to bee but base and ignoble. But I have seene many rightly served, for this their corrupt opinion, or rather obstinacie : For I have seene one of these Counsellours or Presidents (to keepe their state) suffer these Gentlemen which have occasion to use them, to knocke a great while at their gates, and when they are come in, they walke long time in the Court, or in the hall of the house, before they shall be admitted to their presence, and they are driven oftentimes (after that he shal be mounted in hast upon his Mule, to goe to the Palace) to lackey after like slaves, to infourme him of their causes and sutes. But there was nothing in Fraunce which went more against my stomacke, then to see the Secretaries of noble men in so litle credite and reputation whereas in Italy the Secretaries of Princes are had in great honor, and justly, for that they are partakers of their inward thoughtes, and the keepers as it were upon trust of their honor and estimation. And in Fraunce he that hath a servant which can coppie out writinges, and keepe count of his revenewes in a booke, he giveth him forthwith the name of Secretarie.

ANNIB. I have reasoned many times with your brother about that matter, who amongst other pleasant matters told mee, that in the voyage which hee made last, by post in Fraunce, being sent by the Duke our maister to the King, being to chaunge Horses in a certaine place, the Postmaister came unto him, and called twise aloude (Secretary)

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and foorthwith there came out of the stable a foule great Groome with a pen and inkehorne at his girdle, and a pen SECOND at his eare, who had charge given him to make ready three BOOKE horses wherupon the secretary set hand to the harnesse, and sadled one of them, and two other servants did the like: one of which, your brother asked why his maister made the secretary dresse horse? who answered, that his maister tooke him for a Groome of the stable, and for their companion about the loking to the horse: but for that hee coulde wryte and keepe a reckoning of the horses which were let out, his Maister had likewyse made him his secretary. GUAZ. Hee might wel say hee was secretarie in Utroque, to wit, with the pen and the currycombe.

ANNIB. Hee sayde moreover, that when the Duke of Nevers sent him to the lodging of some Prince, or of the great chauncelour, or some other, he was soone let in, if he termed himself one of the Dukes gentlemen, but if hee named himselfe secretarie, they made him tarie longer, and regarded him the lesser. Nowe to returne to my purpose, I say againe, that the Gentleman by vertue, is more excellent then the Gentleman by birth. Yea I coulde say unto you, that many count gentry by blood to bee foolish, and nothing at all and amongst others a certaine wise man saide, that gentry of the minde, is, to bee indued with woorthy thoughts: and the gentry of the body, is the gentlemanlike minde: meaning, that the gentry of the body, was not to bee attributed to the house wee came of. Another Philosopher affirmeth likewise, that it is in vaine called gentry, whiche referring it selfe to the worthinesse of blood, is not ours, but others. And therefore the light of another cannot make mee shine, if there be no brightnesse in my selfe.

Guaz. That is noted to us by the saying of Dant, that only he is bright, who shineth of him selfe.

ANNIB. A man may also adde here the saying of our Galen, that those who beeing voide of vertue themselves, have recourse to the cognisances and armes of their predecessours, see not how that vaineglorie is like certaine kinde of coyne, which is currant in those townes and places

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where it hath been stamped and made, but it cannot bee SECOND put away in other places, but is taken for counterfayte BOOKE and naught. But I wil not here omit that which is excel

lently written in a letter, by his brother Frauncis Coronato, our Academike doctour in divinitie, that they are to bee laughed at, whiche take so much uppon them, to put difference betweene themselves and other, as if they had been made by some other creatour then God, for that the fleshe maketh no difference, nor one more excellent then another. And though a vessel of gold bee more esteemed then one of Copper, for that it is of more precious and fine matter, yet that cannot bee saide of us, who come all of one lumpe of fleshe. Yea the soule it self maketh no difference betweene us, for so much as wee come all of one father and creatour. But that which putteth a difference betweene us, is the vertue of the minde. So that neither in respect of the matter, nor of the fourme, nor of the mind, considered of it selfe, but in respect of the vertue gotten and acquired by our owne industry, wee are more excellent one then another. And therof we may nowe see that touching the original wee are all one thing, and as one sayde, wee are all made of durt and as wee have one selfe beginning, so have wee likewise one selfe ende. Wherefore wee are to conclude, that gentry and renowme is not got by our birth, but by our life, yea and sometyme by our death, according to that saying,

A worthy death doeth honour al our life.

GUAZ. It may be well sayde also that a right Gentleman is not borne as the Poet, but made as the Oratour.

ANNIB. It is saide also that philosophy received not Plato a Gentleman, but made him one.

GUAZ. Yet for al that in my opinion it is a good thing to be discended of a good and honorable house.

ANNIB. I graunt you that, for gentle race, besides other good effects, maketh a man ashamed to degenerate from the vertue and valour of his auncestours. Yea and gentry is to be honored for this respect, that for the most part the

better lineage we come of, the better behaviour wee are of. THE And therefore Q. Max. Scipio, and others said, that behold- SECOND ing the pictures and ymages of their auncestours, they felt BOOKE themselves marvaylously stirred up to vertue. Wheretoo princes have a regard, indevouring alwaies to make gentlemen their chiefe officers. And truely it happeneth seldom that he doeth ill, who seeth thereby the honour of his auncestours together with his owne brought in danger.

GUAZ. There remaineth for you now to speake of the third sort of halfe Gentlemen.

ANNIB. I need not use many words to you touching that sorte, and it sufficeth to say, that those same get their gentry by custome: and that this gentry is so weake, that it extendeth not generally, but hath place only in some part. And albeeit a common soldiour, or a merchant, or other living of his owne revenewes, bee not altogether taken for a Gentleman, yet there are some countries and townes, where, according to the custome, or by some other accident, they are taken for Gentlemen, and admitted indifferently into the companie of Gentlemen. And therefore according to that common opinion, those same may be called Gentlemen in their countrie, but not else where.

GUAZ. In few woordes, your minde is that those amongst the Italians, Spaniards, Frenchmen, Lombardes, or of any other nation, are Gentlemen, which are termed and taken so: and that a man may bee a gentleman or a yoman according to the custome of the place where hee is, out of which he shalbe otherwise by a contrary custome.

ANNIB. My meaning is even so. But seeing wee have spoken sufficiently of halfe Gentlemen, let us speake nowe of Gentlemen which have the two first kindes of gentry joined together to witte, that by blood, and that by vertue. The Philosophers make great account of gentry by birth, when it is accompanied with vertue, without whiche it may bee said to be dead, as a body without breath. And therefore if wee looke thorowly into the matter, wee shall finde that it happeneth seldome, that a house doth maintaine it selfe long in honour without vertue, or is able