Meaning & Analysis
Even those who appear poor or humble in dress may still possess or conceal great pride.
Insights
Hidden Arrogance
The proverb suggests that pride is not limited to the wealthy or ostentatious; it can be found in anyone, even those who outwardly seem modest or impoverished.
Appearance versus Reality
Highlights the difference between external appearance and inner character, warning that humility in clothing or status does not guarantee humility of spirit.
Historical Symbolism
In early modern Europe, clothing was a primary marker of class and status. The proverb subverts expectations by indicating that pride may thrive among those least able to display it outwardly, making a mockery of appearances.
Moral and Social Critique
The proverb functions as a critique of self-righteousness or covert vanity among the poor, and as a reminder not to judge character by material circumstances.
Psychological Reflection
Reveals the universality of pride as a human trait, capable of manifesting in subtle or hidden forms, regardless of social standing or external signs.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
Pride is depicted as actively 'lurking' beneath clothing, animating the abstract vice and giving it a secretive, almost sinister quality.
Antithesis
Contrasts poverty ('threadbare cloak') with pride (a vice often associated with wealth), heightening the proverb’s paradoxical force.
Imagery
The vivid image of a threadbare cloak conjures a sense of humble poverty, making the lurking pride beneath all the more striking.
Transcription
Quotations
Pride is oftner seen through a threed-bare coat then through a silk cloak.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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