This sort of people have a
certain pre-eminence, and more estimation than labourers and the
common sort of artificers, and these commonly live wealthily, keep
good houses, and travel to get riches. They are also for the most part
farmers to gentlemen (in old time called _Pagani, et opponuntur
militibus_, and therefore Persius calleth himself _Semipaganus_), or
at the leastwise artificers, and with grazing, frequenting of markets,
and keeping of servants (not idle servants, as the gentlemen do, but
such as get both their own and part of their masters' living), do come
to great wealth, insomuch that many of them are able and do buy the
lands of unthrifty gentlemen, and often setting their sons to the
schools, to the universities, and to the Inns of the Court, or,
otherwise leaving them sufficient lands whereupon they may live
without labour, do make them by those means to become gentlemen. These
were they that in times past made all France afraid. And albeit they
be not called "Master," as gentlemen are, or "Sir," as to knights
appertaineth, but only "John" and "Thomas," etc.
Pages:
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421