Of wisdom three books / written originally in French by the Sieur de Charron ; with an account of the author, made English by George Stanhope ...

CHAP. LIX. Of Nobility.

[unspec 1] NObility is a Quality or Distinction receiv'd and valu'd in all parts of the World: It is a Mark and an Attractive of Honour and Respect, institu∣ted and brought into Use for very good Reasons, and much to the Benefit of the Publick.

[unspec 2] It is not every where the same; but differently reputed, and taken in divers Senses,* 1.1 according to the different Judgments of Men, and the Customs of the Countries where they live. From hence we find several Sorts or Species of it pretended to; but according to the common and most general No∣tion of the thing, it is the Quality of a Man's Fa∣mily. Aristotle calls it, the Antiquity of the Family, and the long Continuance of an Estate in it. Plutarch terms it the Virtue of the Family; meaning by this, some certain Character, and particular good Qua∣lity, for which our Ancestors were eminent, and which hath been propagated in Succession, and is continu'd in the several Descendents of that House. Now what this Quality is in particular, which should merit such a Distinction, hath not been agreed on all hands. Some, and indeed the greater part, will have it to be Atchievements in War; others add, or equal to this, Politick and Civil Prudence; whereby Men become necessary to the State by their Counsels, as the former do in

the Field: To These have likewise been added Eminence in Learning, and particular Offices in the Courts of Princes, as Accomplishments thought fit and sufficient to distinguish a Man's Family, and deriv•• Honour down upon Those that descend from him. But I think it must be acknowledg'd by all considering Persons, that the Military Honours have the Advantage, and deserve a Preference above all the rest, both because the Qualities of this kind are most serviceable to the State in its greatest Exigen∣cies and Distresses; and because it is the most pain∣ful and laborious, and exposes Men's Persons to the greatest and most apparent Dangers. From whence it is, that a particular Veneration and Re∣spect, a louder Applause and Commendation is allowed universally to Them; and that These by way of Eminence and Privilege, have attain'd to that distinguishing Character of Valour or Worth. Now according to this Opinion, Two things are necessary, and must both contribute as Ingredients to the Composition of that which is the True and Perfect Nobility. First, There must be the Professi∣on and Appearance of this Virtue or good Quality serviceable to the Publick, and this is as it were the Form; and then there must be the Family, in which, as in the Matter or proper Subject, this Quality is inherent; that is, there is requir'd a long uninterrupted Continuation of it, thro' several De∣scents, and Time out of mind. Hence, according to the vulgar Jargon, they are stiled Gentlemen, that is, Persons who are Branches and Descendents of the same Blood, and House; Bearing the same Name, and the same Profession of this distinguish∣ing Quality, for several Generations. That Person then is truly, properly, and entirely Noble, who makes singular Profession of some Publick Virtue; that renders himself useful and remarkable in the Service of his Prince and his Country; and is

sprung from Relations and Ancestors, who have done the same before him, in the respective Ages when they liv'd.

[unspec 3] Some, it is true, have separated these two Qua∣lifications, and consider'd them apart;* 1.2 as being of Opinion, that One of these singly, that is, Personal Virtue and Worth, without any Advantages of Birth, is sufficient to entitle a Man to this Honour. They think it hard that Men should be excluded, merely upon consideration of their Ancestors want∣ing the Excellencies, which they have rendred Them∣selves conspi••uous for. Now This is a Personal and Acquir'd Nobility; and very valuable it is; but yet the Vogue and Custom of the World hath so far obtain'd, that They think it very hard too, for the Son of a Cobler, a Butcher, or a Plough Man, to start up Noble, and be rank'd among the most Anci∣ent Honours, let his Service to the Publick have been never so great and valuable. But yet this O∣pinion hath got good booting in several Nations, and particularly among the ••urks. For they have no regard at all to a Man's ••lood, the Nobility of his Ancestors, or the Antiquity of his Descent; They look upon These Considerations to be full of unreasonable Partiality, Ch••cks and Discou∣ragements to Men's bravery; and therefore, to cherish the In••••••nations of doing ••••••••ously, they lay the whole Stress upon Personal Performances and Accomplishments; and particularly upon Actu∣al Courage, and those Excellencies that are purely Military. The other pare of this Distinction, is That which consists in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of a Man's Fa∣mily only, where the Pre••••en••••••••s to Nobility are merely upon the account of his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 with∣out any Profession of such a Quality as w•••• before mention'd and explain'd; and this is a Nobility which runs in the Blood, and is purely Natural.

[unspec 4] If we would state the Comparison between These Two Sorts thus divided, and each imperfect,* 1.3 when single and by it self, That which is purely Natu∣ral cannot but appear to any Man of sound Judg∣ment, the less worth and more defective of the Two, tho' a great many People think, or at least ex∣press themselves, otherwise upon the Matter: But it is the effect of most egregious Folly, or insuffe∣rable Vanity so to do. The Natural is an Accom∣plishment entirely anothers, and not in any Degree one's own.

* 1.4For Ancestors Divine Original, And Deed not done by Us, we Ours miscall. Sandys.

No other Person hath lived for our Honour; nor ought that to be reputed Ours, which was, long before we had a Be∣ing; And what can be more senseless, than for a Man to look big, and to value Himself upon a thing which is none of His? This is what may hap∣pen to the most vicious and profligate, the most trisling and insignificant Wretch alive; it may be the Portion of Fools, and Knaves, and Villains. Nor is it of any manner of Use or Advantage to Others; It is not capable of being communicated to the profit of those with whom we have any Dealings or Conversation; It contributes nothing of Pleasure or Satisfaction in Society, as Learning, and Justice, and Goodness, and Beauty, and Ri∣ches do, but is perfectly idle and fruitless. Those who have nothing else to recommend Them to the Respect of Others, but only This Nobility of Flesh and Blood, cry it up at a great rate, and have their

Mouths perpetually full of it. They swell, and vapour, and you are sure to hear of their Families and great Relations every third Word. And in∣deed they do wisely, and as becomes them; for This is making the best of their last and only Stake. And by this Mark they commonly distin∣guish Themselves; for you may depend upon it, there is no good Bottom, nothing of true Worth of their own, when they insist so much, and rest their Credit upon that of other Men. But alas! this is all Vanity and Shadow, and their Glory will be as fleeting and frail, as that which the Prophet re∣proaches Ephraim with, when it arises from such mean and wretched Instruments, as from the Earth,* 1.5 and from the Womb, and from the Conception; and lies all bury'd in Dust and Rubbish, underneath the Monuments of their Ancestors. These Men are like Criminals when they are hard pursu'd, that take sanctuary at the Altars and Sepulchres of the Dead; and in some former Ages, laid hold on the Statues of the Emperours for Refuge; so when they are beaten out from all Pretensions to true Merit and Honour, from any Qualifications properly their Own, they retreat behind the Banners and Atchieve∣ments of their Fore-fathers, and make their last Recourse to Monuments, and Pedigrees, and Coats of Arms. But what Advantage can it be to a Blind-Man, that his Parents had good Eyes? Or how does it help the Infirmities of a Stammerer, that his Grandfather had a smooth and voluble Tongue? Does the former of These see one whit the better? or is the latter ever the more eloquent or intelligi∣ble for This? And yet they are the Men of Infir∣mities and great Defects, that are commonly your vain Boasters, haughty in their Deportment, inso∣lent in Conversation, and treating with Contempt Men better than Themselves, because some body who is long since rotten in their Grave, was good

in his Generation: So extremely absurd, and con∣trary to all the Rules of Equity and Common Sense, is this extravagant Notion of Nobility by Descent only. A Father by his Frugality and Prudence raised the Family; and therefore the Prodigal Son, who squanders all away, and beggars the Family, values himself upon the Prudence of his Father. A brave General deserv'd the first and best Promo∣tion, and therefore his Great-Grandson, though a rank Coward, shall not only inherit his Titles and Estate, (in which there may be reason, because Men esteem Themselves rewarded by the Conti∣nuance of those external Forms and Honours to their Posterity) but this Coward, shall really think himself a better Man than another brave Fellow with whom he converses, because his Great-Grand∣father was brave. And yet, as extravagant as this Folly is in it self, it will be, and always hath been Epidemical. For Salust observ'd even in his Time,* 1.6 That Pride and a Disdainful Temper, was an Evil that usually went along with Quality and good Birth.

[unspec 5] As for that other kind of Nobility, which is Per∣sonal and Acquired,* 1.7 the Condition of it is the very Reverse of the Former. It hath very excellent Qualities and Effects; It is peculiar to the Possessor; he hath a full and indisputable Title, and Merit hath made it all his Own: It cannot be dispensed promiseuously, nor fall upon a Man that will be a Dishonour to it; and it is of infinite Benefit and Advantage to all who converse, or can any way come to be concerned with it. Nay, if we examine the Matter, it will be found that This hath the Advantage, even in the darling and so much-boa••ied Point of Antiquity too; and we are very fare, by sad Experience, that it is much

more rare and uncommon than the Natural. For from This it was, that the Natural first took its beginning; the so much celebrated Ancestors got their Nobility this way; and their degenerate Off∣spring are beholding to it in the Persons of Them, for all the Subject of their Vanity ever since. In short; This is real and substantial, it consists in Virtue, and Usefulness, and good Consequences to all Mankind; not empty, and dry, and a gay Idea; a Dream, and Creature of a deluded Ima∣gination only: This proceeds from the Mind and the very Man, not from the Blood and Body; and Minds are the same; every whit as ge∣nerous and great, and by Improvement and Indu∣stry frequently rendred more so in Others; tho' the Blood may differ, and not be Noble.* 1.8 Who (says S••n••ca) is a Gentl••man? The Man, whom Na∣ture hath disposed, and as it were out out sor Virtue; this Man is well born indeed: For the Man wants no∣thing else to make him Noble, who hath a Mind so generous, that be can rise above, and triumph over Fortune, let his Condition of Life be what it will.

[unspec 6] But these Two kinds dwell most amieably to∣gether, and often meet in the same Person,* 1.9 (as indeed there seems a great Aptitude and Dispositi∣on for them to do) and when they center thus in one Person, then the Nobility is perfect and com∣plete. The Natural is an Introduction, an Occa∣tion, a Spur to the Personal; for all things have a strong tendency, and very easily revere to their first and natural Principle. And as the Natural first took its Origine and Existence from the Personal, so it inclines and leads the Persons so descended to imitate, nay, to emulate the Glories of their Noble

Progenitors. The Seeds of Virtue and Honour are in them already.

* 1.10In Sons Their Father's Virtues shine, And Souls as well as Faces keep the Line.

This one Advantage is observable in being Nobly born, that it makes Men sensible they are ally'd to Virtue, and lays strong Obligations upon them not to degenerate from the Excellencies of their Ancestors. And sure there cannot be a more forcible Motive to spur and quick∣en Men in the pursuit of Glory, and the attem∣pting Great and Noble Actions, than the being conscious to Themselves, that they are come out of the Loins of those very Persons, who have be∣haved themselves gallantly, served their King and Country, and been eminent and useful in their Generations. Is it possible Men can please Them∣selves with these Reflections to feed their Vanity, as it is manifest they do, and not think at the same time how vile and reproachful it is in Them, to bastardize and bely their Race, to serve only as a Foil to their Forefather's Virtues, and cast back Darkness and Disgrace upon the Lustre of their Memories?

Nobility granted by the particular Patent, and partial Favour of a Prince, without any Merit to give a Title to it, and neither personal Accom∣plishments, nor an Antient Family to support and set it off, is rather a Blemish and Mark of Shame, than of Honour. It is a poor, pitiful, Parch∣ment-Nobility; bought to supply a needy King, or to feed a hungry Courtier; the Price of Silver and Gold, or the effect of Countenance and Ac∣cess; not the purchase of Blood and Sweat, as such Honours ought to be. But if it be granted

for any singular Desert, and signal good Services, then it falls not within the compass of this Notion; but is to be reputed personal and acquired, and hath a Right to all those Privileges and Com∣mendations, which were said to belong to that sort of Nobility before.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Description of it.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 guished.
• * 1.3

  Of Natural Nobility.
• * 1.4

  Genus & Proavos, & quae non fecimus ipsi, Vix ea nostra voco.

  Ovid.

  Nemo vixit in gloriam nostram; nec quod ante nos fuit, nostrum est.
• * 1.5

  Hosea ix. 11.
• * 1.6

  Contemptor animus & superbia commune nobilitatis malum.
• * 1.7

  Acquired and Perso∣nal
• * 1.8

  Quis generosus? Ad Virtutem à Naturà bene compositus, Animus facit nobilem, cui ex quàcunque conditione su∣pra fortunam liceat surgere.
• * 1.9

  Both toge∣ther.
• * 1.10

  Fortes creantur Fortibus & Bonis, &c.

  Horat. Ode 4. Lib. 4.