
Vertu meilleure que richesse.
Vertu par la palme notée
Est de plus grand pois que richesse,
Richesse est par elle emportée,
De vertu vient vraye noblesse.

SY nous pesons à la juste balance
Contre vertu la richesse mondaine
Nous trouverons plus grande excellence
Ceste vertu que toute chose humaine,
Tout son povoir & son siege est assis
Dedans le cueur d’homme sage & rassis,
Et la fleurit comme la palme belle
Qui tous les jours en beaulté renouvelle,
Mais au contraire une richesse passe
Vertu conduict son bien aymé aux cieulx,
Mais l’affollé riche avaricieux
N’emporte riens de ses biens qu’il amasse.
★ Sy on povoit doncques vertu peser
Elle seroit au tresbucher plus forte
Que la richesse, ou on void abuser
Tout le commun, qui est de telle sorte
Qu’il prise plus richesse que vertu,
Et tasche d’estre au dehors bien vestu
Plus richement qu’il ne luy appartient,
Et de vertu aulcun compte ne tient,
Devant les boeufz va mettre la charrue
C’est mal esleu, prenons vertu durable
Et delaissons richesse variable
Qui par dedans rend l’ame corrompue.
1. For the palm as symbol of Virtue, see Psalm 91 (92 in the Vulgate):13. See also Erwin Panofsky, Hercules am Scheidewege, Studien der Bibliothek Warburg XVIII (Leipzig/Berlin, 1930), fig. 61 and 63. See Mathew 6:19-20. For the proverb “Devant les boeufz va mettre la charrue”, see Cotgrave, s.v. ‘charrue’.
Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- (high) hill [25H113] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm held downwards [31A2515] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm stretched forward [31A2512] Search | Browse Iconclass
- coast [25H13] Search | Browse Iconclass
- crown (symbol of sovereignty) [44B191] Search | Browse Iconclass
- drapery, draped garment, 'Gewandgebung' [41D27] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown [41D211] Search | Browse Iconclass
- holding something «« KEY (933) TO 31B6 morphology of human expression [31B6(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- landscape with tower or castle [25I5] Search | Browse Iconclass
- plants and herbs [25G4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- rowing-boat, canoe, etc. [46C232] Search | Browse Iconclass
- running [31A27112] Search | Browse Iconclass
- scales [46B3311] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sceptre, staff (symbol of sovereignty) [44B192] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sea (seascape) [25H23] Search | Browse Iconclass
- shoes, sandals [41D2332] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees [25G3] Search | Browse Iconclass
- trees (with NAME) [25G3(PALM-TREE)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Virtuousness; 'Amor di Virtù', 'Attione virtuosa', 'Guida sicura de' veri honori', 'Virtù', 'Virtù insuperabile' (Ripa) [57A6] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Virtus as Roman personification [96A5(VIRTUS)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- weight used on scales [46B3312] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- (farm) wagon, freight wagon, cart [46C145] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Beauty; 'Bellezza' (Ripa) [51D4] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Corruptibility, Venality, Corruption [59CC221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- flowers, blossom, blossoming [47(+8932)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Greed, Covetousness, Cupidity; 'Cupidità' (Ripa) [55CC11] Search | Browse Iconclass
- heart [31A2221] Search | Browse Iconclass
- heaven, celestial paradise, New Earth [11S] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Immutability [51KK2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Nobility; 'Nobiltà' (Ripa) [57A68] Search | Browse Iconclass
- ox [47I21111] Search | Browse Iconclass
- spirit (or soul) versus body [31C] Search | Browse Iconclass
- treasures of heaven; not approached by thieves, neither destroyed by moths ~ doctrine of Christ on the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 6:20; Luke 12:33) [73C7464] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Wealth, Opulence; 'Opulenza', 'Richezza' (Ripa) [55B1] Search | Browse Iconclass
- weighing of the soul [31G331] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Wisdom; 'Sapienza', 'Sapienza humana', 'Sapienza vera' (Ripa) [52A51] Search | Browse Iconclass
Hint: You can turn translations and name underlining on or off using the preferences page.