Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
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A06898
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The iewel of ioye
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Becon, Thomas, 1512-1567.
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1550
(1550)
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STC 1733; ESTC S116427
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101,881
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346
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worthines of bloud can there be more in the noble personage thaÌ„ in the base slaue Their beginniÌ„g is like ther ende is al one Twise mad are thei therefore y t brag of their noble bloud esteme theÌ„ selues y e more worthy because they desceÌ„d of noble parentages neither do such any other thing thaÌ„ bost of y t which is none of theirs King Dauid sayth what profite is ther in my bloude seinge I go douÌ„e vnto corruptioÌ„ And y e wise maÌ„ sayth why art y u proude O y u earth ashes We are al earth ashes boeth noble vnoble We al shal returne vnto corruption be so coÌ„sumed as coÌ„cerning our bodies as though we had neuer bene The Prophet also saieth al flesh is gras al his glori is like a floure of the field Wher is any meÌ„cioÌ„ made here of noble bloude I know sayth s. Paule that ther dwelleth in me y t is to saye in my flesh no goodnes wher is carnal nobilitie thaÌ„ become Doth not y e same lothsum vilenes come froÌ„ y e noble y t isueth out of y e vnnoble Are not the carcasses of al personages meate for wormes a lyke Pour the bloud of the vilaine in one basen and the bloude of the gentleman in an other what differeÌ„ce shal there be proued Dig vp the bones out of the sepulchers both of y e noble vnnoble and who can deserne of the sight of them which was the seruaunt whych the Lord who was rich who was poore who beautifull who deformed which were noble and which vnnoble Ther is no differeÌ„ce as S. Ambrose sayeth betwene the carcasses of the deade except paraduenture it be thys that the deade corps of the rych stincke more greouslye than the pore because it was more den tely fed Euse. So far as I perceiue they erre greatly that bost of the kind red esteme theÌ„ selues the more worthy because they come of wor they parentes although they theÌ„ selues be neuer so greate dronckardes glotones diceplayers Whoremongers swerers fightters theues ruffians pickers of quarels riotous persons c. For litle doeth it profite a man to des cend of a noble house if he hym selfe be of base and vile maners and leade a life defiled with wyckednes yea it rather bringeth vnto hym ignobilitie than nobilitie Well is it sayde of our golden mouthed doctor the nobilite and goodnes of oure kinsefolke auaileth nothyng except we our selues be good For what doethe noble generacion profite hym whom hys maners do defile Or what doeth vile generacion hurt hym whome good maners dooe garnishe and adourne Certes he sheweth hym selfe voyde of al goodnes y t glorieth in his parentes To glorie vpon y e nobilitie of other sayth Petrarche is a bostinge euen to be laughed at And suche as haue nothynge but the badges counisauces and armes of their Auncestours to set out their nobilitie with al they differ not much frome Esopes crowe which decked him selfe wyth other birdes fethers he hym selfe being altogither blacke vnami able Theo. The true nobilitye consisteth neither in strength beautie nor riches no nor yet in any other exernall bodely thyng but in the suppressing of vice and embraseinge of vertue Uertue is the alone and onely nobilitie as Antisthenes was wonte to saye thei that are endued with vertue they haue the true nobilitie Notably is it sayd of the goldeÌ„ mouthed doctor Iohn Chrisostom He is a man of great renoume he is a worthye personage he is the true noble man that disdayneth to serue vices and by no meanes wyl be ouer come of them And Cocceus Nerua the Emperour sayde that the vertue of a man and not hys kynnered nor hys contrye is to be considered Chri. Woulde God all menne of nobilitye were perswaded that vertue and godlye conuersation were the alone and onelye true nobilitie Than woulde they not repose their glorye in their auncestours as many very folishely do at thys present but rather endeuoure them selues so to traine their life in al godlines and vertue that euen for their owne god ly and vertuous enterprises thei should be coÌ„pted noble and worthy of prayse Euse But what say you vnto beautie Phile. Euen as Solomon saieth fauoure is deceitefull and beautye is a vayne thynge They are muche 〈◊〉 â—…ro the course of true reasonne that reioyse in so fraile a thynge For it is more britle theÌ„ glasse more transitorye than the flowre more inconstant than the wynde more vaine than the smoke and more fâ—…ittynge away than the tyme. Beautye is a thousande maner of wayes corrupted and defaced Howe doeth one lytle feauer make the fayrest woman in the worlde the fowlest the must vnpleasauÌ„t in aspect And to saye the trueth is beauty anye other thynge than a litell thine skyne wel coloured If the inwarde partes myghte be sene howe greate filthynes woulde there appeare euen in the moste beautifull personne Neyther is the fayrest bodiein the world any other thing theÌ„ a dunghyl couered w t a clothe as it wer of white and purple coloure And what a madnes is thys for anye person to glorye in beautye seynge that the beholder of it hath more delectation and pleasure in it as one that hath the vse and fruition thereof then suche as are endued with the beautie I leaue of to speake that beauty is a entisement vnto vncleannes and a very enemy to chaste and pure conuersation as we reade in diuers histores Chri. This semeth to be true by the sayinge of the wise man Loke not to narrowly sayeth he vpon the beautye of a womaÌ„ lest y u be prouoked in desire toward hir Againe he saith Turne away thy face froÌ„ a beau tiful womaÌ„ loke not vpon the fayrenes of other Many a man hath perished thorowe the beautye of women for thorowe it the desyre is kyndled as it were fyre Hereto agreeth the sayinge of SolomoÌ„ Let not thine hert lust after the beauty of a womaÌ„ least thou be taken w t hir faire lokes What kindled Dauids hert w t loue toward Bethsabe the wyfe of Urias caused him to coÌ„mit adultry w t hir but only hir beau ti Dauid saith y e scripture arose out of his bed walked vpoÌ„ the roufe of the kinges palaice froÌ„ y e roufe he saw a womaÌ„ washing hir selfe the womaÌ„ was verye beutiful to loke on Again how came it to passe y t the. ii Iudges burned so ferueÌ„rly w t the loue of Susanna Ioachims wife and soughte all meanes possible to haue defiled hir but y t they were drowned w t the sight of hir beau ty The scripture saieth she was a very faire womaÌ„ but ther is a goodli additioÌ„ she was also such one as feared god WheÌ„ beuty y e fear of god are licked togither beuty is not to be discoÌ„meÌ„ded otherwise it is but a nette wher