NOB 
the real hereditary nobility paid none, and it is well 
known that the church paid none. Further provifions 
of this edift may be feen in James’s Military Dictionary; 
and the whole of it in a treatife Des Elemens Militaires, 
vol. iii. 
As to the real nobility, it is declared, by an edi6t of 
the French king, that trade fhall not derogate from no¬ 
bility, provided the perfon do not fell by retail. In Bre¬ 
tagne, by ancient cuftom, a nobleman lofes nothing by 
trading even in retail: for he re-affumes all his rights as 
foon as he ceafes to traffic, his nobility having flept all 
the time. 
In Germany, a woman, not noble by birth, doth not 
become, v. gr. a countefs, or baronefs, by marrying a 
count, or baron : a lady of the higher degree, indeed, be¬ 
comes a princefs by marrying a prince 5 but this does not 
hold of a lady of the lower nobility. With us, it is well 
known that a lady, of whatever degree, gains the rank of 
the lord who choofes to marry her; and there have occurred 
three inftances within thefe few years of noblemen who 
have thus bellowed rank upon aCtreffes. A lad)', on the 
contrary, does not ennoble or raife the rank of her lord 1 
witnefs, the dowager duchefs of Dorfet, who re-married 
with lord Whitworth. See the article Heraldry, vol. ix. 
p. 416, 17. 
NO'BLE, udj. [Fr. from nobilis , Lat.] Of an ancient 
and fplendid family.—Choofing rather to die manfully, 
than to come into the hands of the wicked, to be abufed 
otherwife than befeemed his noble birth. 2 Mac. xiv.42.— 
Exalted to a rank above commonalty : 
He claim’d no title from defcent of blood. 
But that which made him noble made him good. Dryden. 
Great; worthy; illuftrious : both men and things.—Thus 
this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble 
courage, and a memorial of virtue. 2 Mac. vi. 31.—Thofe 
two great things, that fo engrofs the defires and defigns of 
both the nobler and ignobler fort of mankind, are to be 
found in religion; namely, wifdom and pleafure. South. 
To vice induftrious, but to nobler deeds 
Timorous. Milton's P. L. 
Exalted; elevated ; fublime: 
My lhare in pale Pyrene I relign 
And claim no part in all the mighty nine: 
Statues, with winding ivy crown’d, belong 
To nobler poets for a nobler fong. Dryden. 
Magnificent; ftately : as, a noble parade.—Free ; gene¬ 
rous; liberal; ingenuous.—Thefe were more noble than 
thofe in Theffalonica, in that they received the word with 
all readinefs of mind. Ads xvii. n.—Principal ; capital: 
as, The heart is one of the noble parts of the body. 
NO'BLE, f. One of high rank.—In England, the word 
noble is of a narrower import than in other countries; 
being confined to perfons above the degree of a knight; 
whereas, abroad, it comprehends not only knights, but 
what we fimply call gentlemen. Chambers. 
See all our nobles begging to be Haves, 
See all our fools afpiring to be knaves. Pope. 
To NO'BLE, v. a. To ennoble. Not in ufe .—Thou no- 
bledejl fo far forth our nature. Chaucer's See. Nonnes Tale. 
NO'BLE, f A coin rated at fix findings and eight- 
pence; the fum of fix and eight-pence. — Upon every 
Writ procured for debt or damage, amounting to forty 
pounds or more, a noble, that is fix findings and eight- 
pence, is, and ufually hath been, paid to fine. Bacon. 
Many fair promotions 
Are daily given, to ennoble thofe 
That fcarce, fome two days fince, were' worth a nolle. 
■ ■ Shakefpeare. 
The noble was anciently a real coin, under the denomi¬ 
nation of rofe-noble. Authors obferve, that there has 
not been any piece of gold or filver of this name coined 
Vol. XVII. No. 1165. 
NOB 113 
with us fince 9 Hen. V. They were firft coined by Edw. III. 
in 1334. The noble contained 8od. the fame with the 
prefent money of account. Its half was called obolus, 
containing 4od. its fourth part the quadrans , or farthing 
in thofe days, sod. 
NO'BLE (Euftache le), a copious and very mifcella- 
neous writer, remarkable for the viciffitudes of his life 
and fortune, was born in 1643 of a diftinguilhed family at 
Troyes. Brought up to the law, he rofe by bis talents to 
the poll of procureur-general in the parliament of Metz. 
He was in the height of reputation when he underwent a 
charge of having forged a£ts of court for his own emolu¬ 
ment. Being committed to the Chatelet, he was con¬ 
demned to an amende-honorable, and baniflnnent for nine 
years. From this fentence he appealed, and was tranfi- 
ferred to the Conciergerie. In that prifon was then con¬ 
fined Gabrielle Perreau, known by the name of La Belle 
Epiciere, whom her hulband had Ihutupfor mifeonduft. 
Le Noble became fond of her, and undertook to be bet- 
advocate ; and a connexion enfued between them, the 
confequences of which caufed the woman to be lent to a 
convent to lie in. She afterwards made her efcape; and 
le Noble, who found means to get out of the Concier¬ 
gerie, joined her, when they palled fome time together, 
frequently changing their abode through fear of difico- 
very. Le Noble was at length re-taken, and remanded 
to prifon, where he was tried on the former charge, and 
in 1698 was condemned to the fame amende and banilh- 
ment. He however obtained permiffion to remain in 
France, on the condition of ceafing to execute any ju¬ 
diciary office. His punilhment produced no amendment 
of his life, which continued as diffipated and irregular as 
ever, till his death in 1711, at the age of fixty-eight. He 
was reduced to fuch a ftate of indigence, that he was 
buried at the charge of the parilh, though his works are 
faid to have produced above 100,600 crowns to his 
printers. Thele have been collected in 19 vols. 121110. 
and may be divided into three dalles : Firlt, the ferious, 
confifting of hiltorical and political pieces, and even of 
works relative to religion ; of thefe, his “ Entretiens 
Politiques fur les Affaires du Terns,” a periodical publi¬ 
cation, was highly popular at its firft appearance, on ac¬ 
count of its keen and lively fallies, and low pleafantries. 
Secondly, the romantic, compriling a number of works, 
halfhiltory, half romance, in which there are fome in- 
terefting paffages, but in general they are trivial and 
flight effufions. Thirdly, the poetical, confiding of 
tranllations, fables, tales, comedies, epiftles, &c. Thefe 
have very little merit as poems, but the application of 
fome of them to the purpofe of pafquinade gave them 
temporary popularity. Gen. Biog-. 
NO'BLEBOROUGH, a town of Maffachufetts, in the 
province of Maine : ten miles fouth-eaft of Newcaftle. 
NO'BLEBOROUGH, a town of the ftate of New York : 
150 miles north of New York. 
NO'BLEMAN, J'. One who is ennobled: 
The nobleman is he, wliofe noble mind 
Is fill’d with inborn worth. Dryden's Wife of Bath. 
. NO'BLENESS, f. Greatnefs; worth; dignity; magna¬ 
nimity.—He that does as well in private, between God 
and his own foul, as in public, hath given hirnfelf a tef- 
tomy that his purpofes are full of honefty, noblenefs, and 
integrity. Bp. Taylor. 
Greatnefs of mind, and noblenefs, their feat 
Build in her lovelieft. Milton's P. L. 
Splendour of defcent; luftre of pedigree.—Statelinefs._ 
For noblenefs of ftru&ure, and riches, it [the abbey of 
Reading] was equal to moftin England. A/hmole. 
NO'BLESS, f [iioblejfe, Fr.] Nobility. This word is 
not now ufed in any fenfe. JohnJbn .—It certainly was in 
ufe, as Mr. Mafon alfo has obferved, at the time Dr. 
Johnfon made this remark; and has been fince fupported 
by good authorities. Todd .—True nobleffe confifts in a li- 
G S beral 
