Prudence is a power or facultie of the mind gi|uen of God, whereby man is made wise,Prudence a noble vertue wherewith this erle was indue [...]. prouident and circumspect, and whereby man atteineth know|ledge, cunning, and expertnesse in all matters that EEBO page image 1264 the children of men haue to deale with in this world. This noble erle was of great wisedome, deepe iudge|ment, graue consideration, and so blessed with vn|derstanding, experience, and manifold vertues and gifts of God, that he was right worthie to serue hir maiestie in princelie and weightie affaires, both in warre and peace. He was of such prudent and excel|lent discretion, that he had a speciall grace to inter|teine all states of men, superiour, equall, and inferi|our, with such comelinesse and decencie, that for ci|uilitie, humanitie, maners, and honorable behauior, he was a paterne and an example for nobilitie to i|mitate and to follow.How he be|stowed his youthfull yeares. In his youth he bestowed not the time in vanitie, idlenesse, or voluptuousnesse; but in atchiuing and winning of such sciences, proper|ties and vertues, which might beautifie and increase his nobilitie, and preuailed therin so effectuallie, that be became excellent in all kinds of knowledge and qualities, méet, commendable, or necessarie for a man of honour. Concerning diuine matters, I haue in my time conferred with his lordship,The bishops report of him vpon his own knowledge. and therefore can saie somewhat therein: and amongst others, one thing is notable, which in conference I receiued at his mouth. He affirmed this in effect, that there was nothing in the world that could blemish and abase the heroicall nature of nobilitie so much, as to haue the eies of vnderstanding so closed and shut vp, that a man in honour should not be able to discerne be|twixt true religion, and the hypocriticall false religi|on; betwixt the right worshipping of God, & idolatrie; betwixt the traditions of men and Gods word: but remaine subiect to lies and superstition, and to call bad good, and good bad: and concluded that to be frée from this seruile state, was a necessarie point of true nobilitie.

The erle per|fect in the scriptures and matters of religion.He therefore in his time had diligentlie tra|uelled in the scriptures, and so furnished himselfe with principles of christian religion, that he was able readilie to discerne sermons and disputations, and to find out who had veritie on their side: and also pro|bablie to speake with authoritie of scripture in mat|ters of controuersie. His vnderstanding by the espe|ciall worke of the holie ghost was so illumined, that he claue & drew to true christian religion, as the ada|mant stone cleaueth and draweth to stéele. His lord|ship therefore furthered and fauoured all preachers of Gods word,He was a fa|uourer of preachers. so that whosoeuer will iudge of the suc|cesse of Christs religion by humane reason, must con|fesse that the gospell hath lost a mightie protector, and an earnest defender. But God in setting out of his word, vseth to worke beside the expectation of man, and beyond the reach of reason.His expert|nesse in chro|nicles, histo|ries, &c. I haue yet further to speake of his lordship, that I beléeue there be verie few noble men in England, more readie and expert in chronicles, histories, genealogies, and pedegrées of noble men, and noble houses, not onlie within the realme, but also in forren realmes, than this noble earle was in his time. He excelled in describing and blasing of armes, and in all skill perteining thereto: and to be short, his vnderstanding and capacitie was so liu [...]lie and effectuall, that it reached to all kind of matters that a perfect nobleman shall haue to deale withall in this world.

Fortitude a noble vertue wherewith [...] earle was [...].Fortitude is another founteine from whense nobi|litie floweth, of Cicero In Tusculanis quaestionibus thus defined: Est affectio animi qua grauia patiendo legibus obtẽ|peratur: It is an affection of the mind whereby to sa|tisfie the lawes a man is content to suffer hardnesse; he meaneth mans lawes, and not Gods law. It sée|meth therefore that it may be thus more euidentlie and fullie defined: Fortitude is an affection of the mind, wherby a man is made hardie and couragious to suffer difficulties and dangers, auoiding on the one side rashnesse, & expelling on the other side feare, to performe that which Gods law and honestie pre|scribeth and commandeth. Although by this definiti|on we find, that the effect of fortitude resteth much in banishing of feare of bodilie hurts: yet dooth it agrée verie well with the feare of God. Iethro therefore counselling Moses to choose men to gouerne vnder him, saith; Prospice viros fortes, timentes Deum; Exod. 28, 21 Séeke out men indued with fortitude, fearing God, &c. Whereby we perceiue, that fortitude and the feare of God va|rie not, but are linked togither. Déepe was the floud of nobilitie that this valiant earle had fetched out of this founteine.The earles chiualrie, mar [...]iall knowledge and prowesse aduanced. For in this togither with the well of prudence, he found that excellent knowledge of chi|ualrie, the cunning to lead an armie, to guide and to rule soldiors, that experience of stratagems & war|like policies, that notable magnanimitie and inuin|cible courage, whereby he indured and ouercame so manie dangers and perils, for the which he is renow|med in England and Ireland, and shall neuer be for|gotten. He was by nature the sonne of Mars; and by practising feats of war and exercise aforehand he had made himselfe in manner a perfect warrior, a|fore that euer he came to the wars; and was for pro|wesse, magnanimitie, and high corage to be compa|red to the old Romane capteins, that be so much in stories commended.Fortitude néedfull both in time of peace and warre. This fortitude is no lesse neces|sarie for nobilitie in time of peace than in time of war. For it belongeth vnto them to minister iustice betwixt partie and partie, without respect of persons, which cannot be performed without the assistance of this vertue. I haue good cause to thinke of this noble earle, that there was no subiect in England, that could feare or corrupt him from executing of iustice. He was to the proud and arrogant a lion, and to the méeke and humble a lambe, neither is there anie contrarietie in this: for true nobilitie discerneth a due and conuenient time and place to vse both the one and the other.