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And concludeth that the minde wch God had predestined to felicitie
sholde allwaies doe good & become noble. Bartholo misliketh this opinion
because it might happen a slave to be virtuous, and therfore sholde he be:
come noble. And likewise might a villaine or rusticall man be noble
because perhapps he is virtuous. Innocentius saith, that is dignitie wch is re:
puted dignitie. Bartholo declareth that nobilitie, according to the opinion
of common people, resembleth the nobilitie of God, before whome they
be noble to whome God hath graunted his grace. So in the worlde
he is noble whome the Prince or lawe maketh noble. Bartholo
saith that nobilitie is a certeine grace or favour of the Prince
wherby a man semeth more noble then the reste of the honnest sorte
of common people. Nobilitie saith he is a qualitie that may be
or not, as we see in a noble woman, marienge her selfe to a man
of a base condicion becommeth dishonnorable, and a woman of base
sorte maried to a man of honnor becommeth honnorable. A man
that committeth anye heynous offence doth lose his nobilitie, as
an infidell gent beinge taken prisoner loseth his nobilitie. No
man can receive any dignitie from him self vnles the same be
geven him from others or his Prince. wheruppon Bartholo
concludeth that whom so ever the Prince accepteth is noble, &
shall so be reputed, and it suffizeth not to be only favoured of
the Prince a hundred yeares, but it is necessarie that the
Prince doe giue him somme dignitie or nobilitie, wherby he
maye differ from the common sorte, either makinge him a gent
expreslie or els placing him in office of dignitie, or givinge him
fee wherunto somme dignitie is annexed. Baldo is of opinion
that virtue & knowledge maketh a man noble, Also nobilitie
sholde be a dignitie by discente from the ffather & graundfather
In an other place he writeth that somme be noble virtuous &
Riche. It is also saide that virtue is not called nobilitie nor
riches alone. Somme thinke nobilitie beginneth in one, somme
suppoze it encreaseth and somme that of it self it is perfecte
concludinge a man may be noble in thre sorts. ffirst by nature
or linage wch is the opinion of the common sorte, next by virtue
according to the Philosophers. Thirdlie by nature & virtue
mixed wch is the perfect nobilitie, beinge furnished wth cour:
tesie & magnaminitie. And this naturall nobilitie re:
quireth good manners and honnest behaviour. Also it is to
be noted that there by iij estats of men, as firste they that
be called to great office and dignitie of fortune, the seconde be
they of meane condicion wch be gentlemen, wthout greate office
or dignitie. The thirde be such as be of the base & commun