3 34 Ofthev,tnitie ofworldly nebilitie. famous Emperour or contmanderwithbafenesofbirth; re- Plutarch. A- ceiued a fit anfwere:The honor (faith he)ofmy houfebegin - pothegm. neth with me, and the honor ofthine endeth with thee. So thewife Socrates anfwered avicious noble man, obieòhng Scobxus, rum. yamhimmeaneneffeof birth : Myparentage (faith he) is a 'o. difgrace vnto ine,and thou to thyparentage.Finally,another vrytelius di no- concludeth, that it is much better to be the parentofamans bilitatempepe- owne nobility, then tocorrupt and difgrace ir,hauing recei- rìQe Omac. ued it fromhis ancefiors. With thefe accordeth that ancient ceptam corru- pife.Salufl.inFather, who affinneth that iris much rather tobe chofen to Bello Iugurth. be adorned withverrue, though a man be ofobícureparen-' Præffáttaob- _ tae, then beingdefcended of famous progenitours, toa- eoritaa ere boundwith vices; evenas the rote is better whichyeeldeth ris tram inmale. a fragrant andTweet fine i, though it fpringfrom aprickling rumclarieate plant, then athorne or briar, growing in a fruitfull foils, vitÿs cirmulari. which is good for nothingbut for the fire. To the famepur_ Greg. Nazian. pore the Sonne ofSyrách faith, that Ifchildren ¡sue honeílly, in nobilem the (hallput y awa. thefhameoftheirparents,butiftheybeproud malémoratum. 3 Ecclefraflicus with hautinefe andfool:Jhneffe, they defilethe nobilitie of their sz.ß.9. kindred. §Sea.Io. But as this worldlynobilitie is vaine andofno worth: fo That worldly alto is it altogether vnprofitable, being feuered from thofe, nobilitie is vn- venues and good parts which were inchore progenitours, profitable. whodidfirfi ennoble the familie;foras it doth not profit the stemmata quid lireante that it floweth from a cleare fountaine, when as it faciunt ? quid felfe isfull offilthor mudde,by reafon ofthe filchineffe ofic prodetl Pontice owne channell: no moredoth it auaile any tohauenoble and eegeIi?pglos vertuons anceffors, when as themfelues are poifoned and oFfenderevul- corrupted with difhonorable qualities, anddifgracefull vi- tusmaiorum, ces.Who would not thinkehis folly ridiculous, who being &c. Iuuen. Sa-himfelfe lame,fhouldbe proud becaufe he is defcended from tyr.ß, able and a&iue parents ? or being himfelfe blind, fhould: boafiofhisprogenitors quickeeye- fight? orbeing dumbe, fhould braggeoftheireloquence : or finally being aflarke foole, fhould glorie andvaunt himfelfe inhis ancetiors veif- dome?And furely it is no lea abfurdefor any,tobears them- do felues high in the vertue and worth oftheir predeceffours, when there is nothing in them but vice andworchlefnefíe;' there
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