or no or whether that any other man can do the same whether she had rather y t he as of necessitie should do it agayne whether she be familiar with him All these thinges wil sone declare what wil folowe what she loketh for what she woulde what she deliteth in That womanne which doth gladly haunt the cōpany of fatte well likinge men but ignoraunte and vnskilful of any honest art apper teyning vnto women or that doth gladly talke with suche inuitinge him to her table what should a man beleue or saye that she loketh for but to do euill Men by the life that is paste do take aknowledge of the life that is to come for the force strengthe of a custome is great and howe she hath vsed her self with yong men with maydens with ser uauntes how she hath supported both good euill fortune yf euer she proued them that is prosperitie mekelye equally or fearcely impotētlye aduersitie strongly moderatly or desperatly and ab iectly Pietie and religion is a secrete a hidden thinge knowen of God onelye vnto whome it perteyneth both to reward to punishe and it is no mans part to iudge therof nor Christes wil they should as a thinge vnto his iudgement only reserued But yet his iudgemente is not lighte iudgemente vnto those y t do gladly speake of God and his holy word heare it without any arrogancy or ostentation of witte or to be honoured of other but with reuerence submission that through the preceptes cōmaundementes therof both she and other might learne to liue well and vertuously Nor to speake or commen of exterior thinges pertayning to the actes and dedes of the body do in suche wise opē religiō as to speake and reason of y e inward thinges of those that do eleuate and exalt the mind vnto god The first be as to dispute and reason vpon fastinges the number of prayers of vowes and of holy peregrinations And notwithstandinge that fasting and prayer are verye good thinges that good deuout women shuld oftentimes practise and vse thē yet in asmuche as the euill maye like wise vse thē they do not clerely shew and setforth the true sincere religion But to speake of him that is iudge both of the quicke the dead of him that beholdeth the actes and dedes of men of the fugacitie of life of the va nitie of those thinges which men desire of the contempte of honour riches dignitie of the care that God hath to defende vs sustayne vs and to kepe vs of y e loue of Christ towardes vs of our mutuall loue and charity of our ayde and helpe vnto the poore of our loue honour vnto our husbandes of the rule and bringing vp of our children seruauntes of deathe of the paynes of the sinful of the eternall felicitie and of those that are vertuous and good are more euidente promises and witnesses therof And of these thinges we haue compendiouslye intreated spoken of Dissimulation in all these thinges is sone speied perceaued or els it endureth but for a season and oftē times euen sodenlye it openeth it selfe For why a mās mind beinge set and disposed to dissemble doth easelye euē of it selfe returne to hys proper nature Let vs therfore nowe returne vnto our purpose and speake of all those thynges the whiche we haue set in the soule in the bodye and in the exterior and outwarde thynges for whose cause we haue somewhat digrest vnto the thinges that we hitherto haue spoken of Pietie is the head of al thinges She that is pitifull doeth neuer euel nor any thing that may be iusiely rebuked Thys is the true and natiue iustice of the whiche the olde prouerbe doeth saye that it embraseth all vertue But the wycked womā at no time doeth anye thynge well but when she iudgeth it to be for her owne vt ilite and profite So my preceptes shall haue an eye and regarde those whiche are not wycked nor perfectly pitifull for there is not one that is perfectlye pitifull For Paule doeth saye that he doeth runne and laboure yf by anye meanes he maye optayne and comprehend But a great and a well growen pitie is accepted and counted for an absolute and perfect pitie Unchast womē are intollerable what wyse man can suffer any suche excepte he be wytles Salomon sayeth he that expelleth a good woman expelleth a good thing and he y t kepeth an harlote is a foole and vnwyse What loue can a man haue to suche a woman For the Lorde sayeth that she hathe violated the mistery of matrimonye And yet they that amende returne from their enyll life oughte not to be numbred among the euel in asmuche as they haue turned theyr euyl lyfe into a bet ter She is not muche vnlyke a shameles woman that beynge naturallye inclyned to euyll doeth not geue her diligence to erect it but folowynge her naturall pleasure and desyre doeth by an vse and custome kepe it vnder and by softe and gentle intreatynge nouryshynge of the same doth augment and increase it And so it chaunseth that daye by daye she ta keth more pleasure more in it when that it were farre more conuenient to represse it and by good motions and exercises to wynde tourne it to better Of y e which Ouide not withoute a cause doeth speke saying She y t for fear committeth not the faute is an aduoutres in asmuche as she desyreth it And this woman is much worse then she that declareth her selfe to be an open harlote for amonge these there maye be founde that geue them selues to honesty the whiche perchaunce were led to dishonestye not by necessitye for there can be no necessitie to doe euyl but by some appearaunce or spice of necessitie withoute the whiche manye myghte lyue more honestlye Nor no man can lyue pleasauntlye with her that is euyll spoken of nor haue amitie or anye concorde with her that is not naturally and stedfastly witted And what thynge is more intollerable or more greuous to a wyse man then to supporte or to suffer a foolyshe companion And in asmuche as to lyue together doeth not onelye consiste in confabulation and wordes but in all other thynges that pertayne to the lyfe of man Therfore it is to be con sidered and wayed who it is that wyll be maryed and whether he be sharpe or dull witted what his customes and maners be whether he be peaceable or angrye vehement or softe impetuous fearefull a dronkarde or an abstayner from wyne a nyggarde or prodigal a wydowe man or whether he hath ben maryed or no hauynge chyldren or withoute chyldren howe and by what occupation he lyueth vpon hys landes or by other gayne whether he be an occupiour or a craftes man learned or vnlearned a magistrate or a pri uate persone of what age of what health and strength
tēperā cie of mind is most aproued most effectuous as whē thou she west thy selse to be moued wyth the greatnesse of the faulte not for any disdaine nor to satisfye and contente thine affections but to amēd her whome thou rebukest Thou muste obserue bothe tyme and place leaste that throughe feruentnes of reprehention thou bespot thy wyfe and cause thy chaunces to be openlye knowen to straungers and other thy familiars whereby in tyme to come thy wyfe shall continuallye hate thee Be not longe angry leaste y t thy desperate wyfe fall headlonge into vice and noughtynes The apostle sayth ye husbandes loue your wyues and be not bitter vnto theym And yf the lorde forbyd vs to be angrye wyth oure brother howe muche y e lesse ought we to be angrye with our wyues the which exceade all brotherlye loue and beneuolence as we haue tolde you before and it is meate it be often times repeted And yf manne be the head of the woman Christe the head of the man he must vse hym selfe vnto the womanne as Christe doeth vse him selfe vnto us that is beniglye and frendelye And the selfe same Apostle doeth call the womanne the bodye of the manne as the churche is the bodye of Christe And not wythstandynge we sustayne and suffer manye incommodities of the bodye yet we hate it not but suffereth it nourysheth it and gouerneth it The husbandes reprehention muste be short for yf it shoulde continue hatred would ensue the whiche woulde coule matrimoniall loue kyndle disdayne and chaunge the swetenesse of theyr conuersation into bytternes Furthermore thou muste alledge the reason and cause that moueth thee to rebuke her that bothe nowe and in tyme to come she may be admonished The force and strengthe of reason hath great power in the mynde of man nor there is nothynge that so cleaueth vnto it nor lesse penetreth the same as thys sentence Thus I wyll and thus I commaunde Thou muste so rebuke her that she maye perceyue it to procede come of good loue to make her better and to be without vice or faulte y t the loue whiche is betwene you maye be the more feruēt and without anye quarel or complaynt at al. Therfore assone as thou hast chastened corrected her and that she other by worde honeste shamefastnes or silence doeth declare that she wyll obey thee geue her then fayre wordes again and a gentle countenaunce as thou waste wonte to doe Ther are in noble women as ther is among men certayne excellente motions of the mynde the whyche to those that be not wyse and doe marcke the thynge but slenderlye seme to come of arrogancye and pryde Nor these ought not vtterly to be kept vnder and cleane extinguished for without theym they canne not approche nor come to that hyghe and memorable ornament that exciteth and moueth man to maruaile and to prayse extolle them Such affections of the mind are apte meete to conserue and kepe the honestye chastitie of women Such noble women shuld not be greuously or sharpely reprehēded or rebuked but drawen frō vice other by y e example or vertue of such women as be gone alreadye or of those that they were aquaynted wyth all or elles by puttynge theym in remembraunce of theyr olde vertue and godlye lyuynge To some woman a becke of her husbande is sufficient to declare y t there is somewhat amisse y t displeaseth him and specially yf she beare her hus bād any reuerēce An honest matrone hath no nede of any greter staffe but of one worde or one sowre coūtenaunce of her husband But where y t this can not helpe but that brawling staues acre must nedes be vsed I geue no pre ceptes nor rules for there they vse violence but yet by mine aduice the husband shal neuer come to y t extremitye for yf thy wife be often rebuked will not bowe but waxeth more stiffe croked yet inasmuche as she kepeth her selfe pure chaste she must be supported and borne withal Nor the bow must not be bro ken with to muche bendynge therof Thus dyd Socrates forbeare his wife Xantippa whom we should folow yf we wer so wvse as to thinke that our pacience by reason of the womā is exercised proued to y e augmentation increase of vertue as Iob Toby did to theyr great profite and to the womans rebuke shame as y t lord whensoeuer it shall be wyl declare iudge aswel of the one as of the other Also he must thinke that she fell vnto him by lotte as his kinred hys countrey hys body hys soule and hys wyt dyd wherwith euery man ought to holde hym contente thynkynge with him selfe that the omnipotente and euerlasting God doeth dispence and order al thynge moste wyselye and moste iustelye Finallye it is meete and conueniente that the authoritye of God whyche coupled theym together shoulde sette them at one yf they were out agre thē And what man durste be so bolde to breake the peace that the king hath made Or who wolde reiect him that by some noble man was cōmaun ded deliuered vnto him yf in thys thyng the reuerence that we haue and beare vnto those whyche are of greate power be of suche force and strengthe or elles loue it selfe howe muche shoulde it be towardes god for who is so mighty or so louinge vnto vs as he him we shuld reue rence loue aboue all other thinges Also he ought to remēber what Paule sayeth y e the wife the husband are al one flesh Of y e body do come continually many incōmodities but yet no manne dothe hate it but to his power doth nourish it yf at any time he be miscontent there with by and by he pleaseth it agayne Such like loue shuld euerye man beare his wise and this after the minde of y e Apostle ¶ Of the proceding and going forwardes in matrimony AFter y e thou haste had experience of thy wife y u oughteste to loue her more tenderlye And nature doth induce a man to that y t which doth make swete familiar and customable thinges be thei neuer so sharpe or greuous for the vse continuall cōpany doth so establishe and cōfirme loue beneuolence y t we vpon that occasion doe loue dogges cattes horses other brute beastes and do mourne sorow their death and absence And what thing is lesse conueniente for a wise a well nourtred man then not to loue his wife whose cō pany he hath so longe so familiarly vsed Meleager Oeneus sōne being both angry w t him selfe all hys sat him downe in his chamber The Curetes whiche made warre agaynst the Calidonians assayled the citie molested them so sort that ther was no hope nother in man nor woman The elders of y t citie came vnto Me leager the only saue garde of al the countrey desiryng
Adā as it were diuining sayd y t two men shuld be in one fleshe vnto y e which wordes the lord our god dyd adde this y e matrimony once cōsumed made perfect they are no more two but one mā y t it might euidently appeare that true matrimonie cā not be betwene thre or foure but betwene two onelye And as oft as god him selfe speaketh of matrimony he neuer sayth husbandes wiues but wife and husband And the Apostle S. Paul to auoyd fornicatiō geueth counsel that euery man shuld haue his wife but he neuer sayeth hys wyues And truly whē the lord doth inhibite that men shuld not re fuse their wiues for any cause except it be for fornication he forbiddeth the multitude of wiues for if he mary another he calleth him an aduouterer Why shuld he be an aduouterer that marieth another his first wyfe beinge yet alyue yf it were lawfull for him at one tyme to haue manye wiues These he the lawes of nature the which in very dede shuld haue sufficed yf oure malitiousnes had lefte oure nature pure and whole as it came frō the handes of his maker But being now violated thorough vice inclininge vnto malitiousnes the age time y t ensued found remedies for this infirmitie as it were cer tayne barres doores to represse vice withal y t it creepe no farther For the worlde in the fyrst encrease of mans generation being yet but yong part of our old rude elders dyd dwel in caues and parte whē the cities were buylded in houses And at the begynginning the husband and the wife kept house together thē were children begotten and borne vnto the whiche there arose an incredible loue kind led with the fyrebrand of nature These childrē beyng of age maried wiues to encrease mākind withal their childrē encreased by whose meanes the loue of the fathers paste on vnto the sonne and doughter in law frō thence vnto theyr neues all these coupled together by the selfe same loue and charitie remay ned in one house beyng parta kers of one fyre loue makyng althinges cōmon or to speak more truly one thing onelye But consanguinitie affinity crepte in alytle further beyng many in nūber wold not depart frō y t familye because they of youth were broughte vp together for there is no sweter thinge then of childrē to haue bene conuersaunte acquaynted because they were suche persons whome they loued as thē selues they could not be departed except they shuld haue bene seperated drawen frō thē selues And although certayn of thē were remoued gone as it were to dwel in another place yet that notwithstandinge they oftentimes returned vn to theyr originall house and were most familiarly conuersaunt together But suche as were wyse and by longe expe rience witty perceauing that chastitie through the feruent nes and heate of youth was in great daūger iudged that such feruentnes motions of youth ought by some religiō lawes to be 〈◊〉 repressed for vnto nature it appeared truely a thing most abhominable to mary other wyth mother nece or doughter y e which thing Adā nature not beyng yet corrupted dyd suf ficiently ynough declare whē that he lokyng vpon his wife sayd Beholde now the bone of my bones the flesh of my fleshe for this shall man leaue both father and mother the which he wold not haue lefte yf he might haue maried her Necessitie scarcenes of peo ple coupled brother syster together But humanitie by a litle litle the world being somwhat more replenyshed begā to despise refuse y t kind of mariage manye nations auoyded it by lawes by religion forbad y t suche as were so nighe of cōsanguinitie and kind should not marye together for it semed vnto thē vn mete that any such should be coupled together and that al such mariages shuld be thoughte incestious agaynste all right by the auctoritie and wil of the superior inhibited for whether we beholde humayne thinges the law that is the consente of the citezins forbiddeth them or diuyne thinges the maiestie of god forbiddeth thē so it foloweth that chastitie shuld be in sauegarde within the walles and houses of those y t are of consanguinitie for it was sufficient ynough vnto the simplici tie and innocencye of oure elders to abstaine 〈◊〉 the thing not wonte to be vsed vnto whome it was ynough in times paste to saye I wil not 〈◊〉 Quirites But in the tyme age y t folowed they coulde not be 〈◊〉 frō 〈◊〉 no not 〈◊〉 manye 〈◊〉 threatninges terrours prysons nor 〈◊〉 wyth death so feble are we to goodnes and so strong mightye agaynste modestiousnes nor we do nothing more coragiously then to disprayse contemne vertue And for asmuche as there is no beast vnto whome concord beneuolence is so profi table or so necessary to ioyne amitie to amplifie loue and charitie withal as to man it is prouided as Cicero S. Augustine do write most notablye that menne shoulde take their wiues from other places and their doughters theyr husbandes out of their families and houses wherby great loue should aryse encrease by such bondes of affinitie the one shuld greatlye fauour the other cōsideryng y e therby great frendshyp and kyured shuld ensue folowe that finally both gods lawe and mans shoulde make and knyt vp as it were a knot of pietie faythfull loue And so it is come to passe that charitye which nature had sprinckled thorowout al humayne generation was restrayned through the affections of the iniquitie of man vnto a feaw is now by the meanes of matrimony spred abroade not in one or two houses only but in cities kinredes nations y e which throughe one sole mariage haue bene reuoked frō sharpe dissentiōs vnto louing and swere agreament concord But how farre it is law ful or vnlawful to procede in these thynges by the ciuill canon lawe defined it is not to be disputed vpon at thys time but hereafter we shall speake thereof when that we by the helpe of Christe shall write of the common welthe But when so great darcknes was in the soule of man and in his wil so great iniquitie that corruption was encreased in man by y e continuaūce of euyll it semed good vnto god to restore his worke for he sente his sonne by whome he made the world to reconcile vs after to great dissention discord vnto the father and to be the clarifier of oure 〈◊〉 an ensample of y e woorkes and dedes of lyfe And he puttinge forthe hys hande lifted vp mankinde lyinge vpon the earth and waloyng in mire to looke vp into heauen and to be partaker of the light thereof And although he hadde blowen hys trompet all they that hearde that celestiall and heauenlye voyce contemning and leauing all other thinges apart dyd hye them towardes so
standing that with their owne eyes they do see as in a glasse how good a thynge that beautye is and doe soone forget it But consider with the eye of the mynde and vnderstandynge makyng a coniecture of them selues by other how vnstable a thyng that be auty is And besydes al thys that that thynge is hardely kept that manye doe desyre And therfore a certayne poet doeth say that there is a great stryfe where beauty and honestye are ioyned together And that often tymes vnder fayre faces are hydden filthy mindes But she that is very deforme and foule not withstandynge she be most tender lye beloued yet she beleueth it not thinkynge her selfe vn worth ye and is gelous of all those that her husband doth other behold or speake vnto Amonge the whiche ther are some in whom this sentence may be well applied and veri fied The foule euyl fauoured are ofte chaste although there lacke no wyll but the aduouterer onelye But yet in thys thynge after as the qualitie of the man is there are certayne commodities that the luxurious fastidious man may haue to satiate and fulfyl hys wyl with all he that is suspitious and in gelosye maye be in suretye All these thinges are not catholike and yet it is wont to chaunce thus All thynges be in manne as the mynde of is but specially after as it is infourmed of youth and stablished by vertuous customes and maners Hys wyfe that with his handes doeth labour for hys lyuing ought to be robuste and stronge so that she maye helpe and laboure with hym as in plowinge and harrowynge of hys lande The wyfe that is sickly is verye moleste and greuous yf it lette her to beare children or to do suche thynges as of necessitie muste be done at home Hesiodus Plato and Aristotle wyl that y e man be thre and thyrtye yeares of age and the woman eyghtene or euer they doe mary For the man beynge vnder those yeres is not of sufficiēt strength to get children and the chyldren are but feeble nor encrease not as they should doe nother in stature nor in strēgth And he being inexpert doth not rule his fa milie houshold as he should do where he beareth because of his youth but litle authoritie nor his children do not re uerence hym the which doth appeare vnto them not as a father but a brother And yf he be verye olde he can not helpe his yonge children nor they hym but haue nede of other mens ayde helpe and doth depart or euer he make any prouision for them And women before they be eyghtene yearrs of age are not mete to beare children doe trauell of chylde with greate parel and daunger Nor it is not expedient to accustome her beinge so tender yonge to venerialcopul ation for lecherye is there by enflamed and y e body can not haue hys due increase Nor such a yong thing can not rule her family being inexpert of all thinges and cōming to a more perfect age she wyll not be ruled by her husband for her conditions and maners are so growen and rooted in her that they can not be chaunged Finallye the foresayde ages doe well agree and are conueniente bothe for theym to lyue together in Matrimonye and also to eugender and bring forth children for their whole power and strength shall fayle theym at one tyme and season theyr mariage shoulde haue lytle ioye or pleasure yf the one were fruitfull and the other feble for age All thys haue I sayde after the mynde and opinion of the Philosophers but speciallye of Aristotle in hys booke of the common wealthe But yet in these thinges the causes why they dyd so define the thynge are more to be considered and lo ked vpon then the definition Or elles when soeuer anye other lyke causes or the selfe same the whiche certes are verye good doe perswade it Lette vs perceyue vnderstande that all ready nature vath defined it the which hauing respecte to the time and place doth with secrete qualities alter mans body But first we must consider reason and pitie the only goodnes of the mind And for the time that we liue chaste vnmaried we must vse such a waner and measure of liuing y t before the iust age of procre ation we be not much pricked nor stirred with the flesh Caesar doth cōmende the custome of the olde Almanes y e which he prayseth because they wēt long without any skinnes or rayment vpon them y e which thing after the mind opinion of some did stablishe their stature their force sinnose And also their women were greatly estemed the whiche before they were twenty yea res of age would cōpany nor lye with no man But yf we cānot liue chast let vs esteme religion aboue al thinges and folow the precept of Paule y e it is better to marrye then to burne Let vs eleuate oure eyes to the euerlasting countreye and care litle for this life y t which is but for a time And oure Lorde that is the voyce of the diuine and godly wisdome doth saye that it pro fiteth a man nothing to winne all the worlde wyth the losse of his soule Yf she that is aged dothe marrye she muste be voyde from all natural vices and of all suche as she was nourished and broughte vp withal for being indured and hardened with suche euil vices when shall she be reformed But she that is younge may euen as it were waxe be fashioned formed to what soeuer a man will fashion her vnto In parentage and kinred let vs remembre the olde prouerbe that of a good mother cometh a good doughter My countreye men pronounce that with two senses thus Of a good vine take a good braunche to thy wife take the doughter of a good mother And wanderynge aboute the citie firste inquire thou of the mother and then of the doughter But yet it importeth verye muche wyth whome and where 〈◊〉 was nourished brought vp for it is seene often times that suche as be borne of euill parentes waxe good euen as they be that nourishe them And borne of good vertuous parentes to waxe 〈◊〉 tye and euill for youth dothe most aptly expressely ensue and folowe that euill is The womans frendes muste be wayde and considered whether they be to mightye or to greuous for y e or no. Nor I cā not saye whether thou shalte haue her sufficiently ynoughe vnder thy power dominiō y t trusteth much in the mightie strength of her kinred Tiberius Caesar maried Iulia Augustus doughter a shamelesse woman and of a verye euyll name but when y t he could no ther chastē her nor yet chace her the doughter of so mightie a father oute of his house nor durst not accuse her vnto him of adultery being vncertayn howe he wolde take it to kepe her still to continue in her cōpany was most