Such as are bred in this Iland are men for the most part of a good
complexion, tall of stature, strong in bodie, white of colour, and
thereto of great boldnesse and courage in the warres. As for their
generall comelinesse of person, the testimonie of Gregorie the great,
at such time as he saw English capteins sold at Rome, shall easilie
confirme what it is, which yet dooth differ in sundrie shires and
soiles, as also their proportion of members, as we may perceiue
betwéene Herefordshire and Essex men, or Cambridgeshire and the
Londoners for the one, and Pokington and Sedberrie for the other;
these latter being distinguished by their noses and heads, which
commonlie are greater there than in other places of the land. As
concerning the stomachs also of our nation in the field, they haue
alwaies beene in souereigne admiration among forren princes: for such
hath béene the estimation of our souldiers from time to time, since
our Ile hath béene knowne vnto the Romans, that wheresoeuer they haue
serued in forren countries, the cheefe brunts of seruice haue beene
reserued vnto them. Of their conquests and bloudie battels woone in
France, Germanie, and Scotland, our histories are full: & where they
haue beene ouercome, the victorers themselues confessed their
victories to haue béene so déerelie bought, that they would not
gladlie couet to ouercome often, after such difficult maner. In
martiall prowesse, there is little or no difference betwéene
Englishmen and Scots: for albeit that the Scots haue beene often and
verie gréeuouslie ouercome by the force of our nation, it hath not
béene for want of manhood on their parts, but through the mercie of
God shewed on vs, and his iustice vpon them, sith they alwaies haue
begun the quarels, and offered vs méere iniurie with great despite and
crueltie.
Leland noting somewhat of the constitution of our bodies, saith these
words grounding (I thinke vpon Aristotle, who writeth that such as
dwell neere the north, are of more courage and strength of bodie than
skilfulnesse or wisdome.) The Britons are white in colour, strong of
bodie, and full of bloud, as people inhabiting neere the north, and
farre from the equinoctiall line, where the soile is not so fruitfull,
and therefore the people not so feeble: whereas contrariwise such as
dwell toward the course of the sunne, are lesse of stature, weaker of
bodie, more nice, delicate, fearefull by nature, blacker in colour, &
some so blacke in déed as anie crow or rauen. Thus saith he. Howbeit,
as those which are bred in sundrie places of the maine, doo come
behind vs in constitution of bodie, so I grant, that in pregnancie of
wit, nimblenesse of limmes, and politike inuentions, they generallie
exceed vs: notwithstanding that otherwise these gifts of theirs doo
often degenerate into méere subtiltie, instabilitie, vnfaithfulnesse,
& crueltie. Yet Alexander ab Alexandro is of the opinion, that the
fertilest region dooth bring foorth the dullest wits, and contrariwise
the harder soile the finest heads. But in mine opinion, the most
fertile soile dooth bring foorth the proudest nature, as we may see by
the Campanians, who (as Cicero also saith) had "Penes eos ipsum
domicilium superbiæ." But nether of these opinions do iustlie take
hold of vs, yet hath it pleased the writers to saie their pleasures of
vs. And for that we dwell northward, we are commonlie taken by the
forren historiographers, to be men of great strength and little
policie, much courage and small shift, bicause of the weake abode of
the sunne with vs, whereby our braines are not made hot and warmed, as
Pachymerus noteth lib. 3: affirming further, that the people
inhabiting in the north parts are white of colour, blockish, vnciuill,
fierce and warlike, which qualities increase, as they come neerer vnto
the pole; whereas the contrarie pole giueth contrarie gifts,
blacknesse, wisdome, ciuilitie, weakenesse, and cowardise, thus saith
he. But alas, how farre from probabilitie or as if there were not one
and the same conclusion to be made of the constitutions of their
bodies, which dwell vnder both the poles. For in truth his assertion
holdeth onelie in their persons that inhabit néere vnto and vnder the
equinoctiall. As for the small tariance of the sunne with vs, it is
also confuted by the length of our daies.
[Sidenote: Non vi sed virtute, non armis sed ingenio vincuntur Angli.]
Wherefore his reason seemeth better to vphold that of Alexander ab
Alexandro afore alledged, than to prooue that we want wit, bicause our
brains are not warmed by the tariance of the sunne. And thus also
dooth Comineus burden vs after a sort in his historie, and after him,
Bodinus. But thanked be God, that all the wit of his countriemen, if
it may be called wit, could neuer compasse to doo so much in Britaine,
as the strength and courage of our Englishmen (not without great
wisedome and forecast) haue brought to passe in France. The Galles in
time past contemned the Romans (saith Cæsar) bicause of the smalnesse
of their stature: howbeit, for all their greatnesse (saith he) and at
the first brunt in the warres, they shew themselues to be but féeble,
neither is their courage of any force to stand in great calamities.
Certes in accusing our wisedome in this sort, he dooth (in mine
opinion) increase our commendation. For if it be a vertue to deale
vprightlie with singlenesse of mind, sincerelie and plainlie, without
anie such suspicious fetches in all our dealing, as they commonlie
practise in their affaires, then are our countrimen to be accompted
wise and vertuous. But if it be a vice to colour craftinesse, subtile
practises, doublenesse, and hollow behauiour, with a cloake of
policie, amitie and wisedome: then are Comineus and his countrimen to
be reputed vicious, of whome this prouerbe hath of old time beene vsed
as an eare marke of their dissimulation,
Galli ridendo fidem frangunt. &c.
How these latter points take hold in Italie, I meane not to discusse.
How they are dailie practised in manie places of the maine, & he
accompted most wise and politike, that can most of all dissemble; here
is no place iustlie to determine (neither would I wish my countrimen
to learne anie such wisedome) but that a king of France could saie;
"Qui nescit dissimulare, nescit regnare, _or_ viuere," their owne
histories are testimonies sufficient. Galen, the noble physician,
transferring the forces of our naturall humors from the bodie to the
mind, attributeth to the yellow colour, prudence; to the blacke,
constancie; to bloud, mirth; to phlegme, courtesie: which being mixed
more or lesse among themselues, doo yéeld an infinit varietie. By this
meanes therefore it commeth to passe, that he whose nature inclineth
generallie to phlegme, cannot but be courteous: which joined with
strength of bodie, and sinceritie of behauiour (qualities vniuersallie
granted to remaine so well in our nation, as other inhabitants of the
north) I cannot see what may be an hinderance whie I should not rather
conclude, that the Britons doo excell such as dwell in the hoter
countries, than for want of craft and subtilties to come anie whit
behind them. It is but vanitie also for some to note vs (as I haue
often heard in common table talke) as barbarous, bicause we so little
regard the shedding of our bloud, and rather tremble not when we sée
the liquor of life to go from vs (I vse their owne words.) Certes if
we be barbarous in their eies, bicause we be rather inflamed than
appalled at our wounds, then are those obiectors flat cowards in our
iudgement: sith we thinke it a great péece of manhood to stand to our
tackling, vntill the last drop, as men that may spare much bicause we
haue much: whereas they hauing lesse are afraid to lose that little
which they haue: as Frontinus also noteth. As for that which the
French write of their owne manhood in their histories, I make little
accompt of it: for I am of the opinion, that as an Italian writing of
his credit; A papist intreating of religion, a Spaniard of his
méekenesse, or a Scot of his manhood, is not to be builded on; no more
is a Frenchman to be trusted in the report of his owne affaires,
wherein he dooth either dissemble or excéed, which is a foule vice in
such as professe to deale vprightlie. Neither are we so hard to
strangers as Horace wold séeme to make vs, sith we loue them so long
as they abuse vs not, & make accompt of them so far foorth as they
despise vs not. And this is generallie to be verified, in that they
vse our priuileges and commodities for diet, apparell and trade of
gaine, in so ample manner as we our selues enioy them: which is not
lawfull for vs to doo in their countries, where no stranger is
suffered to haue worke, if an home-borne be without. But to procéed
with our purpose.
With vs (although our good men care not to liue long, but to liue
well) some doo liue an hundred yéers, verie manie vnto foure score: as
for thrée score, it is taken but for our entrance into age, so that in
Britaine no man is said to wax old till he draw vnto thrée score, at
which time God spéed you well commeth in place; as Epaminondas
[Sidenote: Salutations according to our ages.]
sometime said in mirth, affirming that vntill thirtie yeares of age,
You are welcome is the best salutation; and from thence to thréescore,
God kéepe you; but after thréescore, it is best to saie, God spéed you
well: for at that time we begin to grow toward our iournies end,
whereon manie a one haue verie good leaue to go. These two are also
noted in vs (as things apperteining to the firme constitutions of our
bodies) that there hath not béene séene in anie region so manie
carcasses of the dead to remaine from time to time without corruption
as in Britaine: and that after death by slaughter or otherwise, such
as remaine vnburied by foure or fiue daies togither, are easie to be
knowne and discerned by their fréends and kindred; whereas Tacitus and
other complaine of sundrie nations, saieng, that their bodies are "Tam
fluidae substantiæ," that within certeine houres the wife shall
hardlie know hir husband, the mother hir sonne, or one fréend another
after their liues be ended. In like sort the comelinesse of our liuing
bodies doo continue from midle age (for the most) euen to the last
gaspe, speciallie in mankind. And albeit that our women through
bearing of children doo after fortie begin to wrinkle apace, yet are
they not commonlie so wretched and hard fauoured to looke vpon in
their age, as the French women, and diuerse of other countries with
whom their men also doo much participate; and thereto be so often
waiward and peeuish, that nothing in maner may content them.
I might here adde somewhat also of the meane stature generallie of our
women, whose beautie commonlie excéedeth the fairest of those of the
maine, their comlinesse of person and good proportion of limmes, most
of theirs that come ouer vnto vs from beyond the seas. This
neuerthelesse I vtterlie mislike in the poorer sort of them, for the
wealthier doo sildome offend herein: that being of themselues without
gouernement, they are so carelesse in the education of their children
(wherein their husbands are also to be blamed) by means whereof verie
manie of them neither fearing God, neither regarding either maners or
obedience, doo oftentimes come to confusion, which (if anie correction
or discipline had béene vsed toward them in youth) might haue prooued
good members of their common-wealth & countrie, by their good seruice
and industrie. I could make report likewise of the naturall vices and
vertues of all those that are borne within this Iland, but as the full
tractation herof craueth a better head than mine to set foorth the
same, so will I giue place to other men that list to take it in hand.
Thus much therefore of the constitutions of our bodies: and so much
may suffice.