Meaning & Analysis
As a person's wealth and material possessions ('good') increase, so does their sense of pride, passion, or arrogance ('blood').
Insights
Wealth and Arrogance
The proverb asserts that accumulating wealth directly fuels arrogance and a sense of superiority. The 'rising blood' symbolizes an inflated ego and haughtiness that grows in direct proportion to material gain.
The Corruption of Status
Beyond mere wealth, 'good' can signify social status or power. The proverb suggests that as a person's influence and standing rise, their character often changes for the worse, becoming more demanding, volatile, or corrupt.
External Fortune, Internal Change
The proverb illustrates a perceived direct link between external conditions and internal disposition. It portrays a person's temperament as being mechanically dependent on their financial state, suggesting a lack of self-control or stable character.
Social Mobility and Pride
The proverb reflects the social anxieties of an era with emerging capitalism and social mobility. In a world where 'blood' (lineage) was traditionally fixed, the rise of 'good' (wealth) created a new class whose pride and perceived arrogance were seen as a direct, and often unwelcome, result of their newfound economic power.
The Psychology of Hubris
This proverb captures a timeless psychological observation: material success often inflates the ego. The 1659 quotation by Cradock, which notes that 'Prosperity is to many a kind of intoxication', frames this change not just as a moral failing but as a cognitive distortion, where wealth makes one 'giddy' and disrupts sound judgment.
A Moral Caution
As a moral caution, the proverb warns against allowing external circumstances to corrupt one's inner character. It critiques materialism by suggesting that an unchecked focus on acquiring 'good' leads inevitably to the negative trait of excessive pride, implying that true virtue lies in humility regardless of fortune.
Rhetorical Devices
Parallelism
The symmetrical 'As rises my X, so rises my Y' structure creates a powerful and memorable cause-and-effect relationship, reinforcing the idea that the two phenomena are inextricably linked.
Rhyme
The end rhyme of 'good' and 'blood' makes the proverb catchy and easy to remember, enhancing its proverbial quality and ensuring its transmission.
Symbolism
'Blood' is used symbolically to represent a complex of emotions and character traits, including pride, passion, and arrogance. 'Good' serves as a metonym for wealth, status, and material fortune.
Transcription
Quotations
And they are such as this common proverb noteth: As riseth my good So riseth my blood.
Of most men, the Proverb is true, Their good and their blood rises together. Prosperity is to many a kind of intoxication, it makes their heads giddy.
Cross References
- H577-8 The more rich the more honor
- H583 Honors change manners.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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