CEVX qui escriuent la vie d’Auguste Cæsar, remerquent cecy en sa discipline militaire, que des dons il estoit merueilleusement liberal enuers ceux qui le meritoient: mais que des pures recompenses d’honneur il en estoit bien autant espargnant. Si est-ce qu’il auoit esté luy mesme gratifié par son oncle, de toutes les recompenses militaires, auant qu’il eust iamais esté à la guerre.
Those who write the life of Augustus Caesar note this about his military discipline: that he was marvelously generous with gifts to those who deserved them, but quite as sparing with purely honorary rewards. And yet he himself had been granted every military reward by his uncle before he had ever been to war.
Ç’a esté vne belle inuention, et receuë en la plus part des polices du monde, d’establir certaines merques vaines et sans prix, pour en honnorer et recompenser la vertu: comme sont les couronnes de laurier, de chesne, de meurte, la forme de certain vestement, le priuilege d’aller en coche par ville, ou de nuit auecques flambeau, quelque assiette particuliere aux assemblées publiques, la prerogatiue d’aucuns surnoms et titres, certaines merques aux armoiries, et choses semblables dequoy l’vsage a esté diuersement receu selon l’opinion des nations, et dure encores.
It was a fine invention, and one accepted in most governments of the world, to establish certain marks that are empty and of no monetary value in order to honor and reward virtue: such as crowns of laurel, of oak, of myrtle; the cut of a certain garment; the privilege of riding in a carriage through the city, or of going about at night with a torch; some special seat at public assemblies; the prerogative of certain surnames and titles; certain marks on coats of arms; and similar things, whose use has been variously received according to the opinion of nations, and still endures.
Nous auons pour nostre part, et plusieurs de nos voisins, les ordres de cheualerie, qui ne sont establis qu’à cette fin. C’est à la verité vne bien bonne et profitable coustume, de trouuer moyen de recognoistre la valeur des hommes rares et excellens, et de les contenter et satisfaire par des payemens, qui ne chargent aucunement le publiq, et qui ne coustent rien au Prince. Et ce qui a esté tousiours conneu par experience ancienne, et que nous auons autrefois aussi peu voir entre nous, que les gens de qualité auoyent plus de ialousie de telles recompenses, que de celles où il y auoit du guain et du profit, cela n’est pas sans raison et grande apparence.
We, for our part, and several of our neighbors, have orders of knighthood, which are established for this purpose alone. It is truly a very good and profitable custom to find a way of recognizing the worth of rare and excellent men, and of contenting and satisfying them with payments that are no burden at all on the public and cost the Prince nothing. And what has always been known from ancient experience, and what we too could once see among ourselves—that people of quality were more eager for such rewards than for those that brought gain and profit—is not without reason and strong likelihood.
Si au prix qui doit estre simplement d’honneur, on y mesle d’autres commoditez, et de la richesse: ce meslange au lieu d’augmenter l’estimation, il la rauale et en retranche. L’ordre Sainct Michel, qui a esté si long temps en credit parmy nous, n’auoit point de plus grande commodité que celle-la, de n’auoir communication d’aucune autre commodité. Cela faisoit, qu’autre-fois il n’y auoit ne charge ny estat, quel qu’il fust, auquel la Noblesse pretendist auec tant de desir et d’affection, qu’elle faisoit à l’ordre, ny qualité qui apportast plus de respect et de grandeur: la vertu embrassant et aspirant plus volontiers à vne recompense purement sienne, plustost glorieuse, qu’vtile.
If with a prize that ought to be purely one of honor we mix other advantages and wealth, this mixture, instead of increasing its esteem, debases and diminishes it. The Order of Saint Michael, which was in credit among us for so long, had no greater advantage than this: that it brought with it no other advantage. That is why there was once no office or position, whatever it might be, to which the nobility aspired with as much desire and eagerness as to the Order, nor any rank that brought more respect and grandeur: virtue more willingly embracing and aspiring to a reward that is purely its own, glorious rather than useful.
Car à la verité les autres dons n’ont pas leur vsage si digne, d’autant qu’on les employe à toute sorte d’occasions. Par des richesses on satisfaict le seruice d’vn valet, la diligence d’vn courrier, le dancer, le voltiger, le parler, et les plus viles offices qu’on reçoiue: voire et le vice s’en paye, la flaterie, le maquerelage, la trahison: ce n’est pas merueille si la vertu reçoit et desire moins volontiers cette sorte de monnoye commune, que celle qui luy est propre et particuliere, toute noble et genereuse. Auguste auoit raison d’estre beaucoup plus mesnager et espargnant de cette-cy, que de l’autre: d’autant que l’honneur, c’est vn priuilege qui tire sa principale essence de la rareté: et la vertu mesme.
For in truth other gifts are not put to so worthy a use, since they are employed on all sorts of occasions. With riches we pay for a valet’s service, a courier’s diligence, dancing, vaulting, speaking, and the vilest services we receive; indeed vice is paid with them too—flattery, pimping, treachery. It is no wonder if virtue accepts and desires this sort of common coin less willingly than the kind that is proper and peculiar to it, wholly noble and generous. Augustus was right to be much more thrifty and sparing with the latter than with the former, since honor is a privilege that draws its principal essence from rarity—and so does virtue itself.
Cui malus est nemo, quis bonus esse potest? On ne remerque pas pour la recommandation d’vn homme, qu’il ait soin de la nourriture de ses enfans, d’autant que c’est vne action commune, quelque iuste qu’elle soit: non plus qu’vn grand arbre, où la forest est toute de mesmes. Ie ne pense pas qu’aucun citoyen de Sparte se glorifiast de sa vaillance: car c’estoit vne vertu populaire en leur nation: et aussi peu de la fidelité et mespris des richesses. Il n’eschoit pas de recompense à vne vertu, pour grande qu’elle soit, qui est passée en coustume: et ne sçay auec, si nous l’appellerions iamais grande, estant commune.
If no one is bad, who can be good? We do not mention, in praise of a man, that he takes care to bring up his children, because it is a common action, however right it may be—any more than we notice a tall tree where the whole forest is the same. I do not think any citizen of Sparta prided himself on his valor, for it was a common virtue in their nation; and just as little on loyalty and contempt for riches. No reward falls due to a virtue, however great it may be, that has become customary; and I am not sure, besides, that we would ever call it great when it is common.
Puis donc que ces loyers d’honneur, n’ont autre prix et estimation que cette là, que peu de gens en iouyssent, il n’est, pour les aneantir, que d’en faire largesse. Quand il se trouueroit plus d’hommes qu’au temps passé, qui meritassent nostre ordre, il n’en faloit pas pourtant corrompre l’estimation. Et peut aysément aduenir que plus le meritent: car il n’est aucune des vertuz qui s’espande si aysement que la vaillance militaire.
Since, then, these rewards of honor have no other value and esteem than this, that few people enjoy them, the only way to destroy them is to hand them out freely. Even if there were more men than in times past who deserved our Order, its esteem should not therefore have been corrupted. And it may easily happen that more do deserve it; for there is no virtue that spreads so easily as military valor.
Il y en a vne autre vraye, perfaicte et philosophique, dequoy ie ne parle point (et me sers de ce mot, selon nostre vsage) bien plus grande que cette cy, et plus pleine: qui est vne force et asseurance de l’ame, mesprisant également toute sorte de contraires accidens; equable, vniforme et constante, de laquelle la nostre n’est qu’vn bien petit rayon.
There is another valor, true, perfect and philosophical, of which I am not speaking (and I use this word in our ordinary sense), much greater than this one and fuller: a strength and assurance of the soul, despising equally every kind of adverse accident; even, uniform and constant; of which ours is only a very small ray.
L’vsage, l’institution, l’exemple et la coustume, peuuent tout ce qu’elles veulent en l’establissement de celle, dequoy ie parle, et la rendent aysement vulgaire, comme il est tres-aysé à voir par l’experience que nous en donnent nos guerres ciuiles. Et qui nous pourroit ioindre à cette heure, et acharner à vne entreprise commune tout nostre peuple, nous ferions refleurir nostre ancien nom militaire. Il est bien certain, que la recompense de l’ordre ne touchoit pas au temps passé seulement la vaillance, elle regardoit plus loing. Ce n’a iamais esté le payement d’vn valeureux soldat, mais d’vn Capitaine fameux.
Practice, education, example and custom can do all they wish in establishing the kind I am speaking of, and easily make it common, as is very easy to see from the experience our civil wars give us. And if someone could unite us now and set our whole people fiercely upon a common enterprise, we would make our ancient military name flourish again. It is quite certain that in times past the reward of the Order did not concern valor alone; it looked further. It was never the pay of a valiant soldier, but of a famous captain.
La science d’obeïr ne meritoit pas vn loyer si honorable: on y requeroit anciennement vne expertise bellique plus vniuerselle, et qui embrassast la plus part et plus grandes parties d’vn homme militaire, neque enim eædem militares et imperatoriæ artes sunt, qui fust encore, outre cela de condition accommodable à vne telle dignité. Mais ie dy, quand plus de gens en seroyent dignes qu’il ne s’en trouuoit autresfois, qu’il ne falloit pas pourtant s’en rendre plus liberal: et eust mieux vallu faillir à n’en estrener pas tous ceux, à qui il estoit deu, que de perdre pour iamais, comme nous venons de faire, l’vsage d’vne inuention si vtile. Aucun homme de cœur ne daigne s’auantager de ce qu’il a de commun auec plusieurs.
The science of obeying did not deserve so honorable a reward. In former times a more universal military expertise was required for it, one that embraced most of a military man’s qualities, and the greatest of them—for the skills of a soldier and those of a general are not the same—and the man was also required to be, in addition, of a rank suited to such a dignity. But I say that even if more people were worthy of it than were found in former times, one should not therefore have become more liberal with it; and it would have been better to fail to bestow it on all those to whom it was due than to lose forever, as we have just done, the use of so useful an invention. No man of spirit deigns to pride himself on what he has in common with many.
Et ceux d’auiourd’huy qui ont moins merité cette recompense, font plus de contenance de la desdaigner, pour se loger par là, au reng de ceux à qui on fait tort d’espandre indignement et auilir cette marque qui leur estoit particulierement deuë.
And those today who have least deserved this reward make the greatest show of disdaining it, so as thereby to place themselves among those who are wronged when this mark, which was particularly due to them, is unworthily scattered about and cheapened.
Or de s’attendre en effaçant et abolissant cette-cy, de pouuoir soudain remettre en credit, et renouueller vne semblable coustume, ce n’est pas entreprinse propre à vne saison si licentieuse et malade, qu’est celle, où nous nous trouuons à present: et en aduiendra que la derniere encourra dés sa naissance, les incommoditez qui viennent de ruiner l’autre. Les regles de la dispensation de ce nouuel ordre, auroyent besoing d’estre extremement tendues et contraintes, pour luy donner authorité: et cette saison tumultuaire n’est pas capable d’vne bride courte et reglée. Outre ce qu’auant qu’on luy puisse donner credit, il est besoing qu’on ayt perdu la memoire du premier, et du mespris auquel il est cheut.
Now to expect, by effacing and abolishing this order, to be able suddenly to restore a similar custom to credit and renew it is not an undertaking suited to so licentious and sick a season as the one we find ourselves in now; and the result will be that the new one will incur from its birth the drawbacks that have just ruined the other. The rules for dispensing this new order would need to be extremely tight and strict to give it authority; and this tumultuous season is not capable of a short, controlled rein. Besides, before it can be given credit, the memory of the first must be lost, along with the contempt into which it has fallen.
Ce lieu pourroit receuoir quelque discours sur la consideration de la vaillance, et difference de cette vertu aux autres: mais Plutarque estant souuent retombé sur ce propos, ie me meslerois pour neant de rapporter icy ce qu’il en dit. Cecy est digne d’estre consideré, que nostre nation donne à la vaillance le premier degré des vertus, comme son nom montre, qui vient de valeur: et qu’à nostre vsage, quand nous disons vn homme qui vaut beaucoup, ou vn homme de bien, au stile de nostre Cour, et de nostre Noblesse, ce n’est à dire autre chose qu’vn vaillant homme: d’vne façon pareille à la Romaine. Car la generale appellation de vertu prend chez eux etymologie de la force.
This might be the place for some reasoning on the nature of valor and how this virtue differs from the others; but since Plutarch has often returned to this subject, I would be meddling to no purpose if I repeated here what he says of it. This is worth considering: that our nation gives valor the first rank among the virtues, as its name shows, for it comes from “value”; and that in our usage, when we speak of a man who is worth a great deal, or a man of worth, in the style of our court and our nobility, it means nothing other than a valiant man—in a way similar to the Romans. For with them the general term for virtue takes its etymology from strength.
La forme propre, et seule, et essencielle, de noblesse en France, c’est la vacation militaire. Il est vray-semblable que la premiere vertu qui se soit faict paroistre entre les hommes, et qui a donné aduantage aux vns sur les autres, ç’a esté cette-cy: par laquelle les plus forts et courageux se sont rendus maistres des plus foibles, et ont acquis reng et reputation particuliere: d’où luy est demeuré cet honneur et dignité de langage: ou bien que ces nations estans tres-belliqueuses, ont donné le prix à celle des vertus, qui leur estoit plus familiere, et le plus digne tiltre.
The proper, sole and essential form of nobility in France is the military profession. It is likely that the first virtue to show itself among men, and to give some the advantage over others, was this one, by which the strongest and most courageous made themselves masters of the weaker and acquired special rank and reputation; whence this honor and dignity of language has remained attached to it. Or else these nations, being very warlike, gave the prize and the worthiest title to the virtue that was most familiar to them.
Tout ainsi que nostre passion, et cette fieureuse solicitude que nous auons de la chasteté des femmes, fait aussi qu’vne bonne femme, vne femme de bien, et femme d’honneur et de vertu, ce ne soit en effect à dire autre chose pour nous, qu’vne femme chaste: comme si pour les obliger à ce deuoir, nous mettions à nonchaloir tous les autres, et leur laschions la bride à toute autre faute, pour entrer en composition de leur faire quitter cette-cy.
Just as our passion and the feverish anxiety we have about the chastity of women also brings it about that a good woman, a woman of worth, a woman of honor and virtue, in effect means nothing else to us than a chaste woman: as if, to bind them to this duty, we neglected all the others and gave them free rein for every other fault, striking a bargain to make them give up this one.