Selected quad for the lemma: honour_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
honour_n	image_n	represent_v	worship_v	1,652	5	9.3382	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33912	Miscellanies in five essays ... the four last by way of dialogue / by Jeremy Collier ...; Selections. 1694	Collier, Jeremy, 1650-1726.	1694 (1694)	Wing C5256; ESTC R20832	94,227	232

gladly understand how they came to be so much distinguished afterwards for there are different reasons assigned Philot. I suppose the distinctions you mention were founded upon extraordinary performances and won at the expence of Industry and Merit For how can you imagine any persons should emerge out of the common Mass of Mankind unless by the advantages of Capacity Labour and Resolution Their mounting argues that Fire was the ruling Element in their Composition and that they were of a more vigorous and enterprizing Spirit than their Neighbours Philal. I am willing to suppose with you that they made a generous use of these advantages and employed them for the benefit of Mankind being as remarkable for their Justice Fidelity and good Humour as for their Conduct and Courage and therefore I am not willing to believe the account which some pretend to give concerning the Original of Nobility Philot. What is that Philal. They will tell you that it has been often founded upon Rapine and Injustice It seems they have observed out of Thucidides that in antient times it was counted an Heroick Atcheivement to Plunder lustily and he was a Man of the best Quality who was able to steal most Cattle These Nimrods say they grew great by the strength of their Limbs and their Vices engraved their Murthers upon their Shields and Hectored all the little and peaceable People into Peasantry Philot. This looks so like a Chimerical and ill natur'd Opinion that I shall not do it the honor of a Confutation Philal. I have no exceptions to your Resentment but to go on for the more distinct consideration of the Argument we will divide Nobility into two kinds Hereditary or Acquired The first is transmitted to us from our Ancestors the other is immediately conferred by the favour of the Prince Philot. Proceed upon the several parts of your Division Philal. 1. Then Hereditary Nobility seems no just ground for a high Opinion because it is borrowed Those great Actions which we had no share in cannot properly be any part of our Commendation especially if we want abilities to imitate them 'T is true they ought to be taken notice of by others for the encouragement of Vertue and the ornament of Society But then he that depends wholly upon the worth of others ought to consider that he has but the honor of an Image and is worshiped not for his own sake but upon the account of what he represents To be plain it is a sign a Man is very poor when he has nothing of his own to appear in but is forced to patch up his Figure with the Relicks of the Dead and rifle Tomb-Stones and Monuments for Reputation Philot. Notwithstanding your rallying I cannot conceive what crime it is to possess the Inheritance of our Forefathers Now Honor is part of their Estate which was raised on purpose that we might be the better for it And since their Children were the occasion of their merit and pushed them on to generous undertakings ought they not to share in the glory of the Success Philal. Yes But it should be managed with great modesty because though an honourable Title may be conveyed to Posterity yet the ennobling Qualities which are the Soul of Greatness are a sort of incommunicable perfections and cannot be transferred Indeed if a Man could bequeath his Virtues by Will and settle his Sense and Learning and Resolution upon his Children as certainly as he can his Lands a brave Ancestor would be a mighty privilege Philot. I hope those fine Qualities are not so incommunicable as you suppose for methinks there is a Ie ne scay quoi in persons well born there is a peculiar Nobleness of Temper in them their Conversation is inimitably graceful and a Man may distinguish their Quality by the Air of their Faces Philal. I wish that Spirit of Honor and Bravery you mention was inseparable to their Quality but it is too plain that great Minds and great Fortunes don't always go together however I grant there is some Truth in your observation but am afraid the distinction does not always spring from the cause you assign For by the gracefulness of Conversation I suppose you mean a decent Assurance and an Address in the Modes and Gestures of Salutation Now these are pretty accomplishments I confess and recommend a Man to Company with some advantage but then they are easily gained by Custom and Education and therefore we need not fetch them ex Traduce And moreover these little Formalities are often magnified beyond all Sense and Reason and some People are so Fantastically fond of them as if they were the topper perfections of Human Nature and that it were in reality a more valuable and gentile quality to Dress well and come handsomely into a Room than to take a Town or to be fit to discharge the Office of a Privy Counsellor Now with submission to these Ceremonious Gentlemen I am not of their mind in this matter but think it much better for a Mans Parts to lie in his Head than in his Heels Philot. I think so too but you have not answered the whole Philal. True Your Air was omitted now if this was a constant privilege of Birth which you know it is not yet in this deceitful Age of ours there is no Arguing from an Outside Besides I doubt this Advantage is sometimes the effect of a slothful and Effeminate Life When Men will attempt nothing either in the Field or in their Closets when they will neither trouble themselves with Thinking nor endure to be exposed to the Weather This Niceness though it renders them insignificant to the great purposes of Life yet it Polishes their Complexion and makes their Spirits seem more moving and transparent Sometime this Sprightliness and Grandeur of Face is Painted by Flattery for when Men are once made to believe they are very Considerable they are presently for trying to write the Inscriptions of their Quality upon their Forehead Now Conceit when it is Corrected with a mixture of Gravity is an admirable Wash and will make one look as Wise and as Great as you would wish Philot. This Grandeur of Face as you call it may possibly be explained upon kinder Principles for I am apt to believe that a quick Sense of Honour a Consciousness of Worth an Elevation of Thought will sometimes break out into a Lustre and make the great Soul sparkle in a Man's Eyes Philal. I cannot deny what you say and therefore the best Construction ought to be made where the known Character of the person does not disallow it Philot. I see you can be fair when you list therefore I shall venture to go on with you to another Advantage of Nobility viz. Antiquity Now to begin in your own way Don't you think it is a great addition to ones Birth to stand at the bottom of long Parchment Pedigree and be some yards removed from the first Escocheon Is not that Family substantially Built which can