Behold the heauie hand of God for our sins, vpon all the whole countrie in the death of this noble man,The place of the erls birth: what losse all Englãd hath of him. which is not onelie a messenger of Gods wrath to|wards this towne and countrie (wherein he was borne) but also in verie déed a great losse to the whole realme. And although this countrie, who shall misse so noble and so worthie a ruler and magistrate, that bore them so great affection, so readie to benefit all, and hurt none, and for the high calling he was of so able to pleasure and to doo good: although I saie this countrie by the death of this noble earle is most ear|nestlie & e [...]ectuallie cited to appéere before the Lord, and to fall to a reckoning: yet doo I beléeue that the queenes maiestie, hir highnesse councell, and all the nobilitie of the realme may hereby receiue admoni|tion, and cause of further circumspection and aduigi|lancie. For such valiant and couragious noble men are the bulworks and walles of defense of the whole realme. They saie the realme is walled about,What noble|men are the wals of the realme. bicause it is inuironed with the sea: but I hold rather with their iudgements, that make the fidelitie and true harts of the subiects, and especiallie of such of the no|bilitie that haue made themselues (by Gods especiall grace) expert to gouerne and rule vnder hir maiestie, aswell in warre as peace, the strong towers of de|fense both of hir maiestie and hir highnesse realme. This noble earle was one of these number:The praise of the earle for sundrie consi|derations. for I be|léeue there is no prince in the world, that had a more faithfull noble subiect, than hir maiestie had of him in his time. And for the notable valiantnesse, expe|rience, and vertues that were in him, I am persua|ded that hir maiestie (if he had liued) might haue v|sed his seruice to be a terrour to all enimies, forren or domesticall. And now that I may speake some|what of his great nobilitie, his excellent, vertuous, and worthie qualities: first I thinke I may saie thus much in a generalitie, that it was easie for a man of any iudgement, that should behold his coun|tenance and behauiour, to find in him nobilitie, ma|iestie and honor, planted by the especiall gift of God, euen from his mothers wombe.Comparison of true nobili|tie vnto a ri|uer or floud, &c. When I consider the nature of nobilitie with the causes efficient and finall, it séemeth vnto me that nobilitie may be com|pared vnto a riuer or a floud, which in the originall issueth out of foure principall wels, and all the foure rise out from the compasse of one hill. The welles of nobilitie are prudence, fortitude, iustice, and tempe|rance: the hill whence they spring is the feare of God, or true religion.

Although this worthie earle by progenie was of noble bloud, whose ancestors were of great honour, which of it selfe, if a man degenerat not too far from his forefathers, deserueth honorable acceptation in this world: yet was he not therewith satisfied, as it may appéere by his studie and trauell in his life time: for he séemed to be of that iudgement that Alphonsus king of Aragon (of whome we read in stories) was of. [...]anor. lib. [...]. it reb [...] ges [...] Al|pho [...]si. When a certeine man tooke in hand to set out the land and praise of his nobilitie, he stood much in reci|tall that he was a king, a kings sonne, a kings ne|phue, a kings brother, and such like titles. The king interrupting his tale answered, that he neuer estée|med much of that kind of glorie: and that it was the praise and commendation of his ancestors, who by vertue and worthie qualities had deserued such high callings and honour, and not of him: and that his praise stood not in that which might fall vnto him by testament, but in the imitation and performing of the noble acts, prowesse, and valiantnesse of his fore|fathers. This noble earle likewise,The dispositi|on of the earle to inlarge and augment his nobilitie. not answered to his expectation in that he was a noble man by bloud and inheritance, gaue himselfe wholie all the daies of his life to purchase and win the nobilitie that springeth immediatlie from the verie originall foun|teins of the same, as par [...]lie I will put you in re|membrance of. We will begin with prudence, which may be thus defined.

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.