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have gained Augistino writeth to Juliana a virtous woman sayenge
that nobilitie and riches of our auncestors is theirs & not owres
wch the lawe affirmeth saienge, the honnor we gett of our selues
is more ours, then that is lefte vs from our auncestors. So conse:
quentlie the nobilite gotten by ourselues is more worthie then that
descendeth by our Parents, wherof they onlie are to receive the
praise. The cheife nobilitie is that wch commeth by virtue, so
it must needes be more honnorable to become noble, by a mans
owne virtue, then by predicessors wthout thy virtue. whosoevr
is not borne noble, must be virtuous to attaine to nobilitie, and
yf nobilitie & virtue be not mixed, he cannot well be called no:
ble, wherfore who so is by his owne virtue noble he is most wor:
thie. By virtue of the aucthorities before alleadged we
may conclude that the sonnes of doctors in lawe liuinge in
virtuous liffe & good customes may come to fight wth men
noble by nature, and may not be refuzed, though their fathers
were not noble borne, seinge for knowledge & their owne
virtue they were moste noble. we have harde that yf A
doctor hath redd in skole by the space of twentie yeares
he sholde ba called Conts. The lawe doth priviledge suche
doctors as have well perfourmed their offices of aduocats
longe time, and gives them the title of Conts. Therfore
their sonnes maye be noble from their father as descended of
noble bloude, because the priuiledges of the ffather doe exte:
nde to the sonne. Andrea de Iserina saithe that the sonns
of doctors maye be called men of warre, though they vse not
that exercise, because their ffathers did traveill in knowledg
But Salustio writeth that a man of warre is he that for
the space of Twentie yeares hath wth glorie bene gene:
rall of an armie. And the sonns of doctors have their pri:
viledge geven them, diuers other priuiledges we have writ:
ten in our laten booke, thoughe certeine writers borne beyonde
the mounteines do affirme, that such as be called noble for
learninge are not noble in deede, because they are to seeke their
liuinge. But this opinion is not trewe, for theron followth
great absurditie. ffor such as vse the warrs by travell to seek
their breade, and take vppon them office wth small rewarde
or serue the Prince in Courte, doe it also for liuinge, and
sometimes do hazarde them selues in warrs or other placs
of perill onlie for breade. The lawe Emperiall wch firste
of all brought in the Priuiledgs of nobilitie by nature