The Sin of Pride
Early modern thought about pride (an umbrella category for arrogance, hubris, vanity, the desire to be exceptional, and any actions that prioritize the self rather than humility and submission to God) was based on many biblical verses that condemn pride as one of the seven deadly sins. Three examples from the King James Bible include:
The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Many literary texts in early modern England warn against pride. In the first book of Edmund Spenser’s epic poem The Faerie Queene (1596), Redcrosse Knight struggles with pride and visits its physical manifestation: the House of Pride, which is ruled by Lucifera. The house is described as follows:
- A stately Pallace built of squared bricke,
- Which cunningly was without morter laid,
- Whose wals were high, but nothing strong, nor thick,
- And golden foile all over them displaid,
- That purest skye with brightnesse they dismaid:
- High lifted up were many loftie towres,
- And goodly galleries farre over laid,
- Full of faire windowes, and delightfull bowres;
- And on the top a Diall told the timely howres.
- It was a goodly heape for to behould,
- And spake the praises of the workmans wit;
- But full great pittie, that so faire a mould
- Did on so weake foundation ever sit:
- For on a sandie hill, that still did flit,
- And fall away, it mounted was full hie,
- That every breath of heaven shaked it:
- And all the hinder parts, that few could spie,
- Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly.
Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus (1604), a play about a man who sells his soul to the devil, includes an episode in which Lucifer tries to distract Faustus from thinking about repentance with a pageant of the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, covetousness, wrath, envy, gluttony, sloth, and lechery. The first to appear–the leader of the sins–is Pride, who delivers this speech:
I am Pride. I disdain to have any parents. I am like to Ovid’s flea; I can creep into every corner of a wench; sometimes, like a perriwig, I sit upon her brow; or, like a fan of feathers, I kiss her lips; indeed, I do—what do I not? But, fie, what a scent is here! I’ll not speak another word, except the ground were perfumed, and covered with cloth of arras.
Printed sermons and religious treatises regularly railed against pride. One representative example comes from William Whately:
Pride, what is that? Why shouldest thou ask? But indeed the sun in his brightness is not seen of him that doth wink; neither doth any truth prevail with them that will not hear and believe. Pride is as common as corn is like to be plentiful. For this, praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, and pray that corn may be kept in the land for the comfort of the poor. [… Pride] is as greedy as the lion of his prey. I will make her known unto you by this description. Pride is an untamed lust of the heart, rebelling against God, in exalting that which he would have cast down, even the flesh, and in casting down that which he would have exalted: that is the Spirit. Against which God made a law specially for princes because they should be good examples to their people, and generally, for all others because the subject should not be proud, saying the king must have the law, read the law, and keep all the words of this law, etc. that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren. That is, the more higher of calling, the more humble in condition they should be. If princes ought not to be proud, subjects ought not to adventure it. Therefore the Holy Ghost sayeth to all: be not high minded, but fear. Learn of me (sayeth Christ) that am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. As if he should say: if you be proud, you shall find no rest for your souls. For cursed are all they that do err from thy commandments.