Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

34° Of the vanitie of reerldly nebilitie. the faults of their fuperiours,as foule (laines in finer clothes and asblacke clouds hiding from their eyes the Suns bright - Trope eft bent nes;and to paffe thatcenfure,that is moll vncomely for thole natismalèvi- off° good birth, to difgrace themfelues with foeuill a life. sere. So that they who are of reatefl a &ate haue in theiraá}ions Ixi maxima fur- Y g trine minima and cariage the leaf+ liberty, becaufe their doings are more elI licentia. Sa. curioufly obferued, and fharpely cenfured, and much being lu&inconlpir. ex eóled from them, they are much more blamed then o- Gatclin. they men,when as they come fhote ofexpeólation. In which refpeól, one compared' thefe nobles to fuck Mufitians, as in with coftly clothes and excellent infiruments, do mooue great expeólation in the beholders; but having harflr and vntunable voices, and a rude and vnskilfull touch, Cicero. 11..4. all their brauery tendeth to their more difgrace,not only be- adHerenni- caufe theinfeluesare ignorant bunglers, but alfo.doabufe um. and deceiue the beholders expeelation. Againe, as it Both difgracetheinfelues and fheweth their faults, fo alto having difcoueredthem,it much aggrauateth them,both as it fhew- eth greater vnthankfulneffe towards God, by abuing his Rüantoills. more rich mercy, wherewith he hath priuiledged: them a- firiores bon/hies boue others, and allo becaufe their finnes,by reafon of their in fecula dagenere; greatnes,being more exemplary,do draw on theirinferiours tondo pluribus to-theirimitation. And confequently as it doth aggrauate fun: perditionis fin,fo it doth increafe their condemnation,Gods iuflice pro - excmplum.Ber- portionating the punifhnaent according to the meafure of nard.epüt.to9-mens faultines; fo that where finne hath run ouer, there alto adGaufrid. iudgement cloth ouer-flow. Now the vices of nobilitie are greater, and more inexcufable then other mens, both in re- fpeól of the formerreafons,and alfobecaufe:they haue dege- nerate from their anceflors, and with their negleólofother meanes,haue not at all profited by domeflicall examples,nor bin bettered, although their worthie progenitors haue left vnto them the memoriall of' their vertuesi asapaterne.for their imitation. But of thefe points I (hall haue occafion to fpeake more hereafter,and therefore will heere briefly paffe them ouer. 4,sea..14 Seeing therefore this worldly nobility is ofno excellen- That fptrituall cie,vnprcñtable and.momencany,and fo farre from bringing vnto