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sorte And the opinion of Bartholo is trewe but not generall be:
cause somme there are noble by discente from their predicessors, be:
inge noble though not from the Prince, who maye depriue them
of their nobilitie only for offence committed. Therfore I saye
who so descendeth from a noble ffather, shalbe also noble, though
percase the Prince dooth not giue him anie dignitie or honnor
And that is affirmed by the booke of wisedome saienge the
glorie of a man proceedeth of his ffathers honnor. Tullio
saithe that virtue ought allwaies to be ioyned wth nobilitie
ffor oftentimes of noble ffathers dishonnorable condicioned
children doe descende. Boetio therfore affirmeth that yf a
mans owne virtue dooth not make him noble, the nobilitie
of his ffather cannot doe it. And because a man is a rea:
sonable creature, he ought to be called a man for his owne
virtue and not for anie others, wch virtue yf he wanteth he
maye not be reputed reasonable nor noble. ffor wch reason, a
man of an obscure condicion & vicious cannot become noble by
the virtue of an other, but his owne, ioyned to the nature
of his ffather. Ouid saith that that virtue wch we have
not of ourselues cannot be called ours. And that childe which
descendeth of a noble ffather is presumed to be of good nature
And of this nobilitie of nature or kinde Bartholo speaketh not
but of that wch proceedeth of the Princes favour, and that
nobilitie of nature and race is the true nobilitie when the
same is accompanied wth good behaviour & virtuous manners
of wch naturall nobilitie proceedeth naturallie the virtue wch
is the ornament of nobilitie, wthout wch nobilitie cannot be
perfecte or true, because the naturall nobilitie proceeding of
noble seede wthout virtue or good customes, is not vnlike to
faire graine sowed vppon drie & barreine grounde, wch brin:
geth forth for the moste parte vnkinlie corne. Nobilitie can:
not be wthout a mixture of virtue. Therfore Ian Andrea
saith, The nobilitie of man is a certeine ofspringe of virtue
and nobilitie receaveth not fowle & dishonnest things. Nobi:
litie ought to bridle nature, and though there be diuers kinds
of nobilitie, yet that is the true nobilitie wch proceedeth of
nature ioyned wth virtue wch is cause of good nature. And
that Bartholo speaketh not of this nobilitie it is declared by
reason naturall, because God created all of nature genrally
or in spetialitie wth somme exellencie or goodnes & more perfecte
then an other, and more precious then an other, one noble & an other