Page:A short history of social life in England.djvu/402

 well to remind ourselves of Thackeray's definition of a gentleman: "It is," he says, "to be honest, to be gentle, to be generous, to be brave, to be wise, and possessing all these qualities, to exercise them in the most graceful outward manner. He should be a loyal son and a true husband; his life should be decent, his bills should be paid, his tastes should be elegant, his aims in life lofty and noble. He should have the esteem of his fellow-citizens and the love of his fireside; he should bear good fortune, suffer evil with constancy, and through good or evil always maintain truth."