Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

3 34 Of thev,tnitie of worldly nebilitie. famous Emperour or contmanderwith bafenes of birth; re- Plutarch. A- ceiued a fit anfwere:The honor (faith he)ofmy houfe begin - pothegm. neth with me, and the honor ofthine endeth with thee. So the wife Socrates anfwered avicious noble man, obieòhng Scobxus, rum. yam him meaneneffe of birth : My parentage (faith he) is a 'o. difgrace vnto ine,and thou to thy parentage.Finally,another vrytelius di no- concludeth, that it is much better to be the parentofa mans bilitatem pepe- owne nobility, then to corrupt and difgrace ir,hauing recei- rìQe Om ac. ued it from his ancefiors. With thefe accordeth that ancient ceptam corru- pife.Salufl.inFather, who affinneth that iris much rather to be chofen to Bello Iugurth. be adorned with verrue, though a man be ofobícure paren -' Præffáttaob- _ tae, then being defcended of famous progenitours, to a- eorita a ere bound with vices; even as the rote is better which yeeldeth ris tram in male. a fragrant and Tweet fine i, though it fpring from aprickling rumclarieate plant, then athorne or briar, growing in a fruitfull foils, vitÿs cirmulari. which is good for nothing but for the fire. To the fame pur_ Greg. Nazian. pore the Sonne ofSyrách faith, that If children ¡sue honeílly, in nobilem the (hall put y awa. the fhameoftheirparents,butiftheybeproud malémoratum. 3 Ecclefraflicus with hautinefe and fool:Jhneffe, they defile the nobilitie of their sz.ß.9. kindred. §Sea.I o. But as this worldlynobilitie is vaine and ofno worth: fo That worldly alto is it altogether vnprofitable, being feuered from thofe, nobilitie is vn- venues and good parts which were in chore progenitours, profitable. who did firfi ennoble the familie;for as it doth not profit the stemmata quid lireante that it floweth from a cleare fountaine, when as it faciunt ? quid felfe isfull of filth or mudde,by reafon of the filchineffe ofic prodetl Pontice owne channell: no more doth it auaile any to haue noble and ee ge I i? pglos vertuons anceffors, when as themfelues are poifoned and oFfenderevul- corrupted with difhonorable qualities, and difgracefull vi- tusmaiorum, ces.Who would not thinke his folly ridiculous, who being &c. Iuuen. Sa- himfelfe lame,fhould be proud becaufe he is defcended from tyr.ß, able and a&iue parents ? or being himfelfe blind, fhould: boafiofhis progenitors quicke eye- fight? or being dumbe, fhould bragge oftheir eloquence : or finally being aflarke foole, fhould glorie andvaunt himfelfe in his ancetiors veif- dome ?And furely it is no lea abfurdefor any,to bears them - do felues high in the vertue and worth oftheir predeceffours, when there is nothing in them but vice and worchlefnefíe;' there