the maine shete of her minde and by the anckers of aduise so stayed her course that no wynde which my wilfull youthe could blow could cause her any thinge to bow or wauer and by assuringe her to a large ioynter hée was chosen to rule her sterne wher the other was kept stil vnder the hatches Who all this while that they were concluding the contracte was in his chaumber busily deuisinge verses in the praise of his Misteris but hearing of the sory successe of his sute by a handmaide of the Gentlewoman hée was so confounded in him selfe that his inuencion was cleane marred and his deuise vtterly dasht yea hée was so far from writinge that hée had not a woord to saye or a thought to thinke And surely in my iudgment hée reaped the right reward of his doatinge desire for there only grafts of greife must néedes grow where sutch raw conceite doth set and sutch rashe consent dooth sowe For neyther was his loue grounded vpon vertue wherwith shee was not indued neither vpon beauty wherwith shee was not adorned For neither can cruelty be cloaked vnder vertue neither the treason of vntruth couered vnder beuty for the disposition of the minde followeth the constitucion of the body so that it was his own selfe will and fond fancy that drewe him into sutch depth of affection and therefore with greife was faigne to gather the fruites of his folly And beeing come to him selfe hee began to rage in this sort And is my true loue thus triflyngly accounted of Shall hée with his trash more preuayle then I with my truth And will shée more respect gayne then good will O iniquitie of times O corruption of manners O waueryng of women Bée these the fruites of thy fayre lookes Is this the hap of the hope thou puttest mée in Is this the delight of the daliance thou vsedst with mee Here in truly thou mayst bée fitly resembled to the Cat whiche playeth with the Mouse whom straight shée meaneth to slay or to the Panther who with his gay colours swéet smell allureth other beastes vnto him and béeyng within his reache hée rauenously deuoureth them But if I should set thée foorth in thy colours I thinke the sauage beastes would bee lothe to bee likened vnto thee for crueltie thou mayest compare with Anaxarete who suffred Iphis to hange himself for her sake for inconstancie with Cressed who forsooke her trustie Troylus for pride with Angelica who contemned all men for treason with Helen who ran away with Paris from her husbande Menelaue But what rashnesse is this in mee to rage and rayle agaynst her whereas it is loue and the destines that haue decréed my distruction For Marriages are guided by destiny and God hath indued women with this propertie to bee wedded to their wils Neither doth loue learne of force the knots to knit shée serues but those which feele sweet fancies fit for as streames can not bée made to run against their course so vnwilling loue with teares nor truth cannot bée won So that this only choice is left for mée either to die desperately or to liue lothsomely and as the birde inclosed in cage the cage doare béeing set open and the Hauke her ennemy sitting without watching for her betwéene death and prison piteously oppressed standeth in doubt whether it bée better stil to remaine in prison or to goe forth to bee a pray for the hauke so stande I in doubt whether it bée better by loosing life to get liberty or by lyuinge to become thrall and bond and liue in continuall torment and vexation of minde For loue hath taken so déepe roote in mee that neither reason can rule neither wisdome wield my witched will. But as the bytinge of a mad dogge rageth and rankleth vntil it haue brought the body bitten to bane so the poyson of loue is so spread into euery part of mee that it will vndoubtedly bringe mee to death and distruction O cruell captaine cupid is this the pay thou giuest thy souldiours O vaine Venus is this the victory thou vouchsafest thy champions Wouldest thou haue bene content thy darlinge Adon should rigorously haue reiected thee when thou wert furiously inflamed with his loue But the parish priest forgetteth that euer hee was clarke and those that bée in happines themselues way not the heauinesse of other Yea perchaunce thou fauour the falshood of this woman the rather for that thou thy self playedst the false harlot with thy husband Vulcan the smith and madest him a forked toole more then before hée had in his shop but remember yet how hée tooke thee and the adultrour Mars tardie in your trechery and lechery together starke naked in an iron nette and then called all the goddes to take view of your victous conuersation to thy vtter shame and confusion And so it may fall out that this your pupill may so longe delight in deceit that shee may bee taken in the net which shee layeth to intangle other But what meane I to blaspheme against the gods who doe but punnish mee iustly for louing so lightly and ouely mine owne careles faut is the cause of this curelesse fate Wherefore O death to thee I make ernest request that thou wilt speedily send Atropos vnto mee to cut in sunder the twyst of my troublesome life and seing my loue doth loth mee good death doe thou desire mee I know thou sentst out processe for mee euen in my swath cloutes and now I beeseeche thee serue it on me when I am most willinge and ready to appeare beefore thy presence While this foreldrue gentleman continued in these carefull contemplations the mariage was consummated betweene the widdow and Amphiaraus who liued quietly together about a yeere or two shee shewinge a presentiall obedience towardes him and hee bearinge an ordinary affection towardes her but in short time it pleased god to giue occasion to try the trechery of the one to worke the distruction of the other For it fell so out that Adrastus king of y Argiues was vpon vrgent causes mooued to infer war vpon the Thebanes and in mustringe his men hee thought Amphiaraus a meete man to make one of his captaines and willed him to prepare him selfe for that voyage who beeing well seene in astronomy and other secret sciences knew if hee went to the warres hee should not returne aliue for which cause hee couertly hid himselfe in his owne house makeing only his wife priuy therto Now the kinge takinge muster of his men missed Amphiaraus and knowing the cause of his absence was in great rage sayinge hee thought hee had had no sutch cowardes in his kingdome and promised great rewardes to them that could bring tidings of him Eriphile hauinge intelligence of this riche reward promised was merueylously set on sier in the desire therof notwithstandinge she was plentifully indued with ritches yet was she in desire as greedy as if she had been in estate most needy and as dropsy pacients drink and still be
resteth for mee onely to beewayle my euill hap to lament my luckelesse loue and neuer to attempt that I am like neuer to attaine vnto By this time the earth was couered with a darke mantell and by reason that the Sun was departed out of our Horizon the light of the starres which the Sun lendeth them béegan to appeare in the firmamente where vpon this poore passionate louer weried with woe disposed him selfe to rest but hee whose bane loue hath brued neither by night nor by day neither in company nor solitary neither sléeping nor waking can take any rest or quiet For hee was no sooner in a slumber but the goddesse of his deuotions presently presented her selfe béefore him sayinge Myne owne why doest thou thus torment thy selfe for my sake who suffer no litle greife to see thy great sorrow wherfore be bolde to aske any thing at my hands honestly and bee sure I will graunt it willingly for I perswade my selfe the heauens haue reserued mee for thée Icilius hearinge as hée hoped this heauenly voice and séeing as hée thought that saint by his bed side with open armes reached to imbrace her but béeinge awaked with open eyes hée saw hee was deceiued which sodaine fall from heauen to hell tooke away his breath from him for a while but béeing come to him selfe hée began to cry out in this carefull manner O God is it not sufficient to vexe mée with vanities in the day time vnlesse thou torment mée with visions also in the night haue I not woe inough awake but that béesides I must haue sorrow in sleepe What gréeuous offence haue I committed that deserueth sutch gréeuous punishment if this bée the rewarde of them that loue woe woe bée to them that hate thou hast commaunded vs all to loue one another and if thou thus punishe the fulfillers of thy law what shall béecome of the transgressors therof but if thou bee disposed to punish mée and displeased with my deedes neuer suffer mée hereafter to do any thynge but cast mée into sutch a sleepe wherin I was erwhile and therein let mée continue continually O happy was Endymion who longe time inioyed the like sleepe O ten times happie are the dead if death bée any thynge like this sleepe But O hundred times vnhappie am I to whom wakyng is waylefull wheras to all thynges els it is ioyfull But was this but a vision which deluded mee was it but a dreame whiche I doated on And if it were but a dreame doth it portend nothyng and may there be effect in dreames Yea god wot commonly the contrary or as Cato saith wée sée sleeping that which wée wish for wakyng So that neither in dreaming nor doing neither in sleepyng nor séeyng neither in thinkyng nor sayinge finde I any cause of comfort or see any signe of solace This youthe passed his time so longe in these and sutch like passions that the carefull cariage of his eyes bewrayed his carefull minde and his pale countenance his painfull case Which a special fréend of his perceiuyng tooke sutch compassion and pitie on his painfull state that hée sought all meanes possible to sift out the cause of his sorrow to the intent to séeke some medicine for his maladie And hauyng oportunitie of time and place hée brake with him in this sorte Good freende if I should shew you what great sorrow I sustayne by your heauinesse you would perchaunce iudge my words to proceede rather of flattery and trifling then of truth but no more but trie how willyng I wil be to ease your payne and by that iudge how greatly it gréeueth mee But how great so euer my gréeif bee my wonder is more then great to sée you transfourmed from the estate of a pleasant Gentleman into sutch solitarie regardes that you séeme rather a Tymon of Athens then a courtier of Italy and so mutche the more cause I haue of meruayle by how mutch lesse I sée any apparent cause which should worke any sutch alteration in you For if want of worldly wealth coulde worke your woe why you want nothyng if you would eate golde as they say you might haue it If losse of freendes molest you why you haue an infinite number whiche loue you intirely If you bee disposed to trauayle to see straunge countries your parents wil bee well pleased with your departure If you bee wearie of your single life your freendes will foorthwith prouide for your Marriage If any repulse receyued of any dayntie dame doo daunt you why the Goddes them selues haue suffred the like as Daphne a seely damsel refused the God Phoebus Syrinx a simple mayde reiected the God Pan with infinite other If you haue fixed your fancie in place you thinke impossible to possesse why you haue reason to rule your affection you haue wit to compasse your desire you haue fréends to further it you want nothynge to finish it With this his colour beegan to chaunge and hee fetcht a deepe sighe or two whereby his freend perceiued hee had touched the cause of his calamitie and sore of his sorrow praying him very ernestly to vnfolde the secrets of his thoughtes vnto him sayinge two wittes are better then one and that which you blinded perchaunce by loue can not see I stirred vp by desire to doo you good may perceiue And for secrecy in your affaires assure your selfe that neuer Pithias to his Damon Pylades to his Orestes nor Gysâ—ppus to his Titus was more true then I will bee to you And though your learninge and wit to knowe what is best for your owne behalfe bee far better then mine yet the simplenesse of my wit shal bee supplied with the sincerenesse of my will which shal be alwayes so ready prest to pleasure you that if my seruice may satisfie you you shall commaund mee if my company may content you I will neuer be out of your sight if I may any way stand you in any steede account mee your owne only Icilius hearing this friendly discourse could not but say in his heart O friend vnfained O loue most loyall O curtesy incomparable and imbracinge fast his freend in his armes sayd if al the miseries in the world did muster in multitudes about mee yet this thing only is of force to fence mee from their furies to thinke I inioy so firme a friend as your selfe are and if I may liue but to requite some part of your good wil it is the second felicity I loke for in this life But touching the cause of my perplexity I must craue pardon if I make courtsy to disclose it for that many euils cary this nature rather to bee concealed with griefe then reuealed in hope of releife And as a greene wound by taking the aire spredeth farther abroad and is the hardlier healed so I thinke my tormente and greife beeinge once discouered would not bee so easely cured If sayth his frend the originall of your euil proceede of loue as in my fancy it doth then vndoubtedly the
able to requite good will the one belonginge to the minde the others incident to the body but from the equitie of my cause I appeale to your good grace and fauour and at the bar of your beauty I humbly holde vp my handes meaning to be tried by your courtesy and mine owne loyalty and minding to abide your sentence either of consent vnto life or of deniall vnto death Camma hearing this discourse assoâ—e loked red for shame as soone pale for anger neither would disdain let her make him answere neither would her greife giue her leaue to holde hir peace but standing a while in a maze betwéene silence and saying at length shee brake of the one and burst out into the other in this sort If Sir your banquet had bene no better then this your talke is pleasant to mée I am perswaded the dishes woulde haue béen taken whole from the Table without touchinge but as the one was far better then the company deserued so the other for a far worse woman might more fitly haue serued and if your swéete meate haue sutche sower sauce the next time you send for mée I will make you sutch answere as was made to Cratorus the Emperour by Diogenes when he sent for him to make his abode with him in his courte who answered he had rather be fed at Athens with salt theÌ„ liue with him in all delicacy so for my part I promise you I had rather be fed at home with bread and water then pay so derely for dainty dishes Touching the paines you haue indured for my sake I take your wordes to bee as false towardes mee as you would make my faith towards my husband but admit they were true seeing I haue not willingly been the cause of them I count not my self bound in conscience to counteruayle them only I am sory they were not bestowed on some more worthy your estate and lesse worthy an honest name then my selfe which beinge the cheife ritches I haue I meane most diligently to keepe The interest which cauilingly you cleime in me as it consisteth of false premises so though the premises were true yet the conclusion which you infer thereof followeth not necessarily for were it so that your loue were greater towardes me then my husbandes which you can not induce me to beléeue yet séeyng my husbande by order of law hath first taken possession of mée your title succéeding his your successe and sute must néedes bée cold naught for as your selfe say of lawes so of titles the first are euer of most force and the most ancient of most auctoritie Your Wolues example though it shew your Foxely brayne yet doth it inforce no sutch proofe to your purpose but that by my former reason it may bée refelled for y the Woulfe is frée from the proper possession of any but therin truly you obserue decoraÌ„ very duly in vsyng the example of a Beast in so beastly a cause for like purpose like proofe like man like matter Your manly marchyng vnder the ensigne of Iustice if reason bée your captayne generall to lead you I doubt not but soone to tourne to a retire for if it bée goodwill which you beare mée I must néedes graunt you duly deserue the like agayne but when you are able to prooue it goodwill to deflower my chastitie to béeréeue mée of my good name to despoyle mée of mine honour to cause mée to transgresse the boundes of honestie to infringe my faith towards my husband to violate the sacred Rytes of Matrimonie to pollute the Temple of the Lorde with other innumerable enormities when I say you are able to prooue these to procéed of good will then will I willingly yéelde consent to your request But sée the vnreasonablenesse of your suite would you haue mée in shewyng curtesie towards you commit cruelty towards my self should I in extendyng mercie to you bring my selfe to miserie should I place you in pleasure and displace my selfe of all ioy for what ioy can a woman inioy hauinge lost her chastitie which ought to bée the ioy Iewell and Gemme of al Gentilwomen of my callyng and countenance your appeale from your owne cause to my courtesie bewrayeth the naughtinesse therof for if it bée not ill why sticke you not to it if it bée good why appeale you from it but séeynge you haue constituted mée Iudge in this case you know it is not the part of a Iudge to deale partially or to respect the man more then y matter or to tender more mine owne case then your cause therefore indifferently this sentence definitiue I giue I condemne you hencefoorth to perpetuall scilence in this sute and that you neuer hereafter open your mouth herein beeing a matter moste vnséemely for your honour and most preiudiciall to my honestie and in abidyng this sentence if you can bee content with honest amitie for the curteâ—ie which I haue alwayes founde at your handes and for the good will which you pretend to beare mée I promise you you shall inioy the seconde place in my harte and you shall finde mée fréendly in all thinges which either you with reason can aske or I with honestie graunt Synorix hauing heard this angell thus amiably pronouncing these woords was so rapt in admiratioÌ„ of hir wisedom and rauished in contemplation of her beutie that though shée had not inioyned him to silence yet had hée not had a woorde to say and least his lookes might béewray his loue and his countenance discouer his case hée secretly and suddainly withdrew him selfe into his chamber to study what face to set on the matter casting him self vpon his bed after hée had dreamed a while vpon his dotinge deuises at length he awaked out of his wauering thoughtes and recouered the possession of his sences againe by which time the play was ended and his guestes ready to depart whervpon hee was driuen to come foorth of his chamber to take his leaue of them and bidding his Misteris good night 〈◊〉 gaue her sutch a looke that his very eyes séemed to plead for pity so that what his tongue durst not his eyes did His guestes beeinge gone he disposed him selfe to rest but loue which was then his good Maister willed him otherwise to imploy that night whiche was in examyning perticulerly euery point of her answere And though the first part seemed sumwhat sharpe and rigorous and the second contained the confutation of his cause yet the third and last part seemed to be mixt with mettell of more milde matter which he repeated to himselfe a thousand times and there vppon as vppon a firme foundacion determined to raise vp his building again with the two former partes of her answere had vtterly â—ansakt to the grounde But mistaking the nature of the ground wheron the foundation was layd his building as if it had been set in sandes soone came to ruine for by that promise of freendship which she freendly made him hee sinisterly conceiued hope of obtayning that
wee thinke wee neuer haue inough wee thinke all to mutch that is spent wee take litle pleasure in any thing wee thinke the world is changed and that it is far worse then it was when wee were younge only bicause our bodies are changed and our vitall heat so vanished away that nothing seemeth pleasaunt vnto vs though it bee the same it was woont to bee so that wee thinke the alteration to bee in the thing when it is in our selfe And then not onely our memory fayleth our wits waxe weake and returne to infancy againe but our bodies also are broken with cares taken with crampes shaken with paulseies tormented with the stone lamed with the goute dried with dropsies our sight waxeth dim our hearing deafe our smelling smal our tasting vntoothsome our feelinge feable yea all our sences are almost without sence yet we are loth to die leaue our worldly mucke the feare of approching death doeth dayly daunt vs and at length his deadly dartes doe vtterly distroy vs And surely the consideration of this our miserable estate doth so resolue mee into sorrow that if your presence did not sprinkle mee with some deawe of delight I should hardly frame my wittes to procure you pleasure by any pleasant history but rather continew a dolorous discourse of our calamity And yet the history I meane to tell shall not bee altogether estraunged from the argument of my former discourse but though it manifest not our manyfolde misery yet shall it at least set foorth the frailty of our felicity The history is this The flowrishynge common wealth of Athens had to their prince one Pandion whose estate bothe fortune beutified with great wealthe and God blessed with goodly children to wit two daughters of excellent beutie the eldest named Progne the youngest Philomela Now fame béeyng a tatlyng Goddesse blazed the brute of Progne abreade into diuers countries vntill at length the rumour of her renoâ—me ronge about the eares of Tereus kynge of Thrace who béeynge a younge lustie gallant made no great account of the commendations whiche were giuen her knowyng if hée were disposed to marrie hée might make his choyce amongst a great number as good as shée was and more nere neighbours vnto him then Athens was But destinies so draue that shortly after this on a night in his sleape hée séemed to sée her stand apparently before him only a stronge imagination assurynge him that it was shee which sight sunke so deeply into his heart and brought him sutch excessiue delight that hee presently awaked and missyng the partie that procured him such pleasure his ioy was tournd to anoy neither coulde hee euer after that finde any contentation in any thought or deed but only in this determination to goe haue a true sight of her whose seemyng shadow had so dazeled his eyes and with all speed repayred his shippes and prepared al thyngs necessary for sutch a voyage and by the help of good wynde and will shortly arriued there where his hart had already cast anker and sent ambassadours to the kyng to certifie him of his commynge who receyued him with royaltie fit for his regall estate And at the first incountry of the two princes Tereus sayde My commyng vnto you O noble prynce is not as an open enemie to inuade you for you see I am vnarmed neither as a secret traytour to intrap you for you know I am your freend but that you may not meruayle at my sodayne cummyng you shall vnderstand it is to sée your daughter the Lady Progne for you shall soone perceyue I pretende well vnto her Pandian answered As most worthy prince the cause of your comming is friendly so can I not but friendly accept it and how much I thinke my selfe honoured therby so mutch I count my selfe bound vnto you And after a litle parlee passed betweene them of the estates of their realmes and manners of their countreies Pandion preferred him to the sight of his daughter whom after Tereus had saluted with a curteous conge hee entred into discoursing with in this sort If faire Lady I should tell the truth of my comming into this country I thinke you would take it but for a trifling toy yea if I should in woords plainly set downe y cause of this my interprised iourney and the case which through your meanes I remaine in I doubt you would neither beleeue the cause neither reléeue my case for y the straungnesse of the one would bréed great incredulity for the other the small acquaintance I haue with you lesse deserts towards you can craue smal curtesy yet if it please you to know neither the desire to see this country neither the renoume of your vertue beauty brought me hither for though the report therof be great yet now I se I must néedes say y fame hath rather framed your praise maliciously then reported it truly for one good part reported to bée in you I perceiue by your countenance such confluence of good conditions that I can not but counte the rumor which run of you rather sparing speeche then right reporte But the cause of my hasty comminge and heauy case is this it pleased the goddes to presente your seemely selfe to my presence in the same louely likenesse wherin you are at this present what time I tooke sutch veiwe of your sweete face that approchinge this daye to your fathers palaice béefore I knew who you were what you were or where you were as you looked if you remeÌ„ber it out at your chamber window I said to my seruaÌ„ts loe yonder standes the péereles peragon princely Progne and since y sight in my sléepe I take the heauens to witnesse I neuer inioyed one quiet sleepe but continued in coÌ„templation how I might be placed in possession of that personage which draue me into sutch admiration Now seinge it pleased the gods thus miraculously to moue mée to traueile to see you and seeing the sight of your sweete face hath fast fettred my fancy in links of loue these may bee humbly to desire you neither to resist the motion of the goddes neither to reiecte the deuotion of my good wil. And if I haue preferred your loue before all the Ladies of my owne land if I make you that profer which many princes haue pressed for if neither wearines of way neither perils of sea could prohibite mee from pursuing your good will if I bee content to resigne my kingdome liberty and all that I haue into your handes I shall desire you not to coÌ„temne my curtesy but to counteruaile my paine and to returne my goodwill with like loue and affection This request also resteth to make vnto you that you driue mee not of with trifeling delayes for neither will the extremity of my perplexity permit longe delay neyther will the estate my kingdome standeth in suffer mee longe to bee away Progne hearing the ernest sute of this prince and seeinge nothing in him to be misliked considering also what
effect and séeyng the cause of this chaunce was good I doubt not but the effect wil folow accordyngly and if any euill do insue therof I trust it will light on my head through whose negligence it happened Agrip. answered As I know not the cause so I feare not the effect greatly and in deed as you say hethervnto you haue had the worst of it for that thereby you haue been put to double paynes If that bée all saith hée rather then it shalbée sayd any euill to haue insued of this chaunce I will perswade my selfe that euery payne whiche you shall put mee to shal be double delight and treble pleasure vnto mee You must vse sayth shee then great eloquence to your selfe to perswade you to sutch an impossibility Oh if it please you sayth hee there is an oratour which of late hath taken vp his dwelling within mee who hath eloquence to perswade mee to a far greater matter then this If sayth shee hee perswade you to thinges no more behouseful for your selfe then this if you follow my counsayle you shall not giue him house roome long Madame sayth hee it is an assured signe of a free and freendly minde to giue good counsayle but it is harde for one in bondage and out of his owne possession to followe it For what knoweth your honour whether hée haue already taken intire possession of the house wherin hée is which if it bee so what wit is able to deuise a writ to remoue him from thence If sir sayth shée hée entred by order of law and payd you truely for it it is reason hée inioy it marie your folly was greate to retaine sutch a tenant but if hée intruded himselfe by force you may lawfully extrude him by strength In déede sayth hée hée entred vi et armis forcibly but after vpon certaine parlance passed betwéene vs I was content hée should remaine in peacible possession marie hee hath payd mee nothinge yet but hee promiseth so frankely that if the perfourmance follow a house with beames of beaten golde and pillers of precious stones will not counteruaile the price of it yea if I were placed in quiet possession therof I would thinke my self ritcher I wil not say then the Emperour but which is most then god him selfe who possesseth heauen and earth and as the hope of obtayning the effecte of that promise heaueth mee vp to heauen so the doubt to bee deceiued therof driueth mee downe to hell And what ioyly fellow sayth shee is this that promiseth so frankely will hée not promise golden hils and perfourme durty dales Would to god sayth hee your semely selfe were so well acquainted with him as I am then would I make you iudge of the worthynesse of the thinge hee hath promised for that you know the goodnes thereof none better The lady smellinge the drift of his deuises and seeinge the ende of his talke seemed to tend to loue and that touching her owne selfe thought not good to draw on their discourse any longer but concluded with this answere As I am altogether ignorant what your obscure talke meaneth so care I not to bee acquainted with any sutch companion as your Landlord is for so methinkes by you I may more fitly call him then terme him your tenaunt and so departed away into her lodginge Germanicus likewise his Misteris beeing gone gat him to his chamber to entertaine his amarous conceites and béeing alone brake forth into these wordes O friendly fortune if continually hereafter thou furiously frowne vpon mée yet shall I all the dayes of my life count my selfe bound vnto thee for the onely pleasure which this day thou hast done mee in giuinge mee occasion of talke with her whose aungels voice made sutch heauenly harmony to my heauy heart that where before it was plunged in perplexity it is now placed in felicity and where before it was oppressed with care it is nowe refreshed with comfort Yea euery louely lookes of her is able to cure mee if I were in most deepe distres of moste daungerous disease euery sweete woord proceeding from her sugred lips is of force to fetch mee from death to life But alas how true do I trie that saying that euery commodity hath a discommodity annexed vnto it how dooth the remembraunce of this ioy put mee in minde of the annoy which the losse of this delight will procure mee Yea it maketh all my sences shake to thinke that some other shall inioy her more woorthy of her then my selfe and yet who in this court nay in all Christendome nay in the whole worlde is worthy of her No if shée neuer haue any vntill shée haue one worthy of her euery way shee shall neuer haue any And shall I then beeing but a poore gentleman seeke to insinuate my selfe in place so high Shall I by my rude attempt purchase at least the displeasure of her friendes and parentes and perchaunce hers also whom to displease would be no lesse displeasant vnto mée then death Alas and must loue needes bee rewarded with hate Must curtesy néedes bée counteruayled with crueltie Must goodwil needes be returned with displeasure Is it possible y bounti should not abide where beuty doth aboūd that curtesy should not accompany her comlinesse Yes I am sure at the least she wil suffer me to loue her though her younge yeeres high estate will not suffer her to loue mee though shée will not accept me for husband yet I am sure shee will not reiecte mée for seruaunt and though shee will not receiue my seruice yet I doubt not but shee will courteously take the tendringe therof vnto her And touchinge her parentes displeasure what care I to procure the ill will of the whole world so I may purchase her good will. Yea if I should spend the most precious bloud in my body in the pursuite of so pereles a péece I would count it as welbestowed as if it were shed in the quarrell of god my prince or country For shée is the goddesse whom I wil honour with deuotion shée is the prince whom I will obey with duty shee is the country in whose cause and quarrell I will spend life liuing and all that I haue Neither is there mutch cause why her friendes should storme much at the matter for though my lands reuenewes are not great yet am I of y bloud royall nere kinsman to themperour who wil not suffer me to want any thing pertayning to my estate degree Why Alerane a youth like my self practised the mightie emperour Otho his daughter darling Adalesia stole her away married her and do I sticke to attempt the like with one of far meaner estate though of far more worthinesse And though frowning fortune tossed him for a while in y tempestious seas of aduersiti yet at the length he arriued at the hauen of happy estate and was reconciled to the good grace and fauour of the Emperour againe And though at the first my
and parentes it is not vnknowen likewise to you that for your sake I haue sustained some labour in séeking our preferment and getting the Emperours good will who only may prefer vs now as the one hath made your life lesse pleasant then I desire or you deserue so the other shal aduaunce our state so high as your self can wish or I be able to wield so y the commodities of the one shall counteruaile the inconueniences of the other For you shall vnderstand that the Emperour doth not only for the present time prouide for me as if I were his owne child but also for the time to come hath proclaimed mâ—e sole heire to his Diademe and realme Which estate as I neuer sought so mutch as in thought for my selfe knowing mee to bee altogether vnworthy of it so I thinke my selfe most happy to haue aspired therto only for your sake whom I know woorthy of all the honour in the world For as it would haue been a hel and horrour to my hart to haue séene you liue in meaner callinge then you are woorthy of so will it bee a heauenly mirth to my minde to see you a prince in state as well as in stature beauty and vertue Master Germanicus sayth shee I promise you by the loue which I beare you for greater bonde I haue not to confirme my woords by that it doth mee more good to sée you thus pleasantly disposed then to here y newes which you haue imparted vnto me for th' one I am sure cannot hurt you but what harme the other may procure you I feare to thinke and faint to say Alas my Germanicus are you to know the perils which princely stat bringeth the falshood in friendes the treason in nobilyty the rebellion in comminalty the enuy of the weake the iniury of the strong Besides you see boystrous windes do most of all shake the highest towers the higher the place is the sooner and sorer is the fall the tree is euer weakest towardes the top in greatest charge are greatest cares in largest seas are sorest tempestes enuy alwayes shooteth at high markes and a kingdome is more easyly gotten then kept For to get is the gift of fortune but to keepe is the power of prudency and wisdome especially where there bee many that catch for it yea and when a man shall haue no faithfull frendes in sauyng it For Ennius saith flatly there is no fréendly or faithfull dealinge to be looked for at any mans handes in matters pertayninge to a kingdome and Euripides makes it in a manner lawfull for a kingdomes sake to transgresse the limittes of law nature and honesty Which opinions I may iustifie by many examples as of Numitor and Amulius c. who though they were naturall bretheren yet Amulius beeinge the younger deposed his elder brother from the kingdome of Rome sâ—ue his sonnes and made his daughters virgin Vestales that they might not marry and haue issue male to succeede the crowne likewise of Romulus and Remus who beeing bretheren borne at one birth yet bicause Remus should inioy no part of the kingdome Romulus found meanes to make him away The like is reported of Eteocles and Polinices of Iugurth towardes Hyempsal and Adherball all which were bretheren and by natures lawes most neerely linked together But of others that by bloud haue not beene so neere which in cases of kingdomes haue dealt far worse the examples are in straungnesse wonderfull in number infinite and in successe so sorowfull that it maketh mee colde at hart to consider of it I spake not this my Germanicus to forespeake you you may inioy the Empire quietly and so I trust you shall but I know not what the matter is methinkes my minde giues mée some mischiefe will insue thereof Alas good husband was it for my sake you sought the Empire Doo you thinke I can not be content with th' estate which fortune shal assigne to you Yes if it were to beg my bread from doore to doore as Adalesia did with her Alerane I could bee contented therwith so you were not tormented therewith It is you sweete husbande that are the ritches which I séeke to possesse you are the only honours which I looke for you are the only kingdome which I care for for so longe as I may inioy you come pouerty come meane estate come sicknesse yea come death it self so I may die betwéene your armes Therefore good Master Germanicus if you followe my counsayle resigne your title to the Emperour againe to bestow on some that hath more néede of it then thanks bée giuen to god wee haue for for my part I thinke my selfe indued with the greatest riches in the world to wit your person and mine owne contented minde And béesides the euils béefore rehersed incident to a kingdome this inconuenience is commonly incurred therby that it altereth the nature of the person which taketh that name vpon him for honours chaung manners and no doubt the diuersity of delightes which a prince possesseth bée but prickes to pleasure inticementes to folly and allurementes to lust Was not Saull I pray you in the beginning of his raigne a good prince but after declined to impiety Salomon beegan his raigne godly but afterwards gaue him selfe in pray to women Caligula Nero and Hannibal béegan to raigne like good princes but after the whole world was troubled with their tiranny I could aledge infinite other examples to like purpose but these shal suffice neither do I alledge these for that I feare y chaunge of your good nature but to feare you from the chaunge of your estate and yet the better I knowe your nature to bee the more cause haue I to feare the alteration therof For freshest colours soonest fade ripest fruit are rifest rotten But to leaue the louringe lottes which light on high estate which are more then I am able to reherse let this request take place with you that séeinge for my sake onely you coueted the empire at my sute only you will forgoe it againe Ah swéet wife saith hée imbracing her in his armes what is it vnder the Sunne whiche you may not commaunde mee to do without desiryng But I béeseche you suffer not the tender care you haue of mée to depriue you of the honour due to you For to cast the worste of it though open enemies or trecherous traytours or rude rebels shall set mée béesides my regall seate and depriue mée of life yet shall you remayne a princesse and be matched agayne with some other more worthy your estate and so longe I care not what béetide of my selfe Alas sir saith shée I bée séeche you vse no more of those wordes onlesse you count my great greif your great good Can I liue when you are dead shall I bée married again and you made away In deed saith hée I néede not vse sutch extréeme doubtes in a matter nothyng daungerous for the numbers are infinite of those who haue wielded far more waightie empires then
her father Virginius Apius answered that hee thought it good the matter should hange in suspence vntill the returne of her supposed father but it was no reason but that hee who pretended yea and had prooued to haue sutch right to her should haue her in his custody vntill the matter were more examined and vpon his honour hée promised shee should bee foorth comminge to appeare at the time of her fathers approche The people hearinge this iniurious iudgment of Appius rather murmured at it then durst make resistance against it by reason wherof Marcus Cloudius béegan to draw the maid to bee defloured as the tiger in Hyrcane wooddes haleth the lambe to bée deuoured But god the righter of al wrongs and protector of all pure virgins preuented the perill which hong ouer her head sent home from the warres to succour her her vncle Numitorius and her spouse Icilius who hearinge the haynousnesse of the matter presently presed to the place where Appius sate in iudgement but hee commaunded his officers to kéepe Icilius backe whervpon Icilius inueighed against him in this sort Albeit O Appius by force you keepe mee from keepeinge mine owne out of your handes yet shall you not stay my toung from detecting the villany which you indeuour to doe For the truth is this virgin is betrothed to mée and my minde is to marrie her a chast maide therfore assure your selfe if it lie in mee to let shee shal not remaine one minute of an houre out of her fathers house Is it not sufficiente for you to depriue the people of the cheife pillors of their liberty but that our wiues and children also must liue in slauery to your tirranny Exercise your cruelty on our bodies at least let chastity bee in safety Ought princes to giue light of life to their people and wil you make your selfe a mirrour of mischeife to your posterity But if you minde to take her away from vs by force and from her her virginity neuer thinke to doe it while I haue any breath left in my body for in this iust cause and quarrell of my wife life shall sooner leaue mee then loyalty Appius thinkinge the power of Icilius would preuaile aboue his for that the multitude meruaylously inclined to his side sayd hée would haue another time to represse the rebellious rage of Icilius and touchinge the maide for her fathers sake hee was content to defer the pronouncinge of sentence against her vntill the nexte court day that her father might bee present in the meane while hée would intreate Marcus Cloudius to forbeare his right but if her father came not by the next court day hee would defer the execution of iustice for no mans plesure Presently vpon this hee dispatched letters to the captaine generall of the army that hee should not in any wise dismisse Virginius or suffer him to come home but Icilius had sent for him with such spéede that he had leaue to depart beefore those letters came to the captayne so it pleased god to preuent the pollicy and wicked purpose of Appius Now Virginius béeinge come to Rome went with his daughter to the iudgement place and did there lamentably implore the helpe of the people sayinge while I with the rest of the souldiours haue hazarded our liues in the defence of you and your children I am in daunger to haue mine owne daughter dispoyled wheras by my helpe our city is preserued from enemies I my selfe am brought to sutch misery as if it were taken by our enemies and vtterly razed to the ground For what greater villany can bée done to the vanquished then to sée béefore their eyes their wiues and children desloured and defiled But neighbours and freindes if you suffer mée to sustaine this iniury assure your selues your staffe standeth next to the dore and looke no longer to bée husbands ouer your wiues and parentes ouer your children then it shall please these tirantes to giue you leaue Any euill at the first entring in of it may easely bée auoyded but let one or two presidentes passe patiently without resisting and it will run into a custome and from thence to a law and you will neuer bée able after to rid your handes of it And if your owne safety driue you not to succour mée yet let my old yeeres my hoary heires the honest port which I haue euer maintained and the chast life of my daughter moue you to put to your handes to helpe redresse my wronge By this time Appius was come to the iudgement place with a great troupe of armed men and séeing Virginius there contrary to his expectation and perceyning no colour of law could cloud his dooings hée set down his owne will for a law and sayd hée would defraud Marcus Cloudius no longer of his right and séeinge the maide was conuicted by proufe and witnes to bée his bond maid he gaue sentence that he should presently haue her away not suffering her father to alleage any thing for her fréedome Virginius seeing this extreeme dealing of Appius threatningly shooke his hands at him saying I haue béetrothed my daughter to Icilius not to thee O Appius I haue brought her vp to bee an honest maried woman not thy harlot What doest thou thinke vnder the pretence of bondage to make her bound to thy beastlinesse Appius not regarding his rayling caused his officers to make the multitude giue place to Marcus Cloudius that hee might quietly cary away his bond mayd by reason wherof Virginia was left voide of helpe and rescue which her father perceiuing and séeing him self not able to deliuer her out of her enemies handes to defer the time hopinge still for helpe hée vsed this pollicy hée desired Appius hee might haue his daughter aside and betwéene her nurce and her examine the matter that if it were found hée were but her fained father hée might the more willingly depart with her Which béeing by Appius graunted they thrée went aside together where Virginia fell downe vpon her knees and made this ruthles request vnto her father I perceiue deare father it is not without great cause that the philosophers were of this opinion that the greatest felicity is neuer to bée borne and the second soone to die now séeing by your meanes I am depriued of the first I beseech you by your meanes let mee inioy the second and to counteruayle the lucklesse and lothsome life which you haue giuen mée vouchsafe to bestow on mee an honourable death And as by your fatherly care I haue continued a continent virgin hetherto so by your furthering aide I praye you let mee dye an honest mayde presently least my life hereafter contaminate y commendation of my life heretofore and seeing I can bee no longer suffred to liue honestly good father let mee die honourably For an honourable death is alwayes to bee preferred beefore an infamous life of euils the least is to bee chosen and death of body is to bee counted a lesse euill then distructiō
you to execute the rigour of the lawes vpon you yet to your vtter shame and reproche it can not but conuert Tush saith his master the case is light where counsayle can take place what talkest thou to mée of shame that am by iniurious and spitefull dealyng depriued the vse of reason and dispossessed of my wittes and sences Neither auâ— I the first that haue played the like parte did not Dauid the chosen seruant of God béeyng blasted with the beutie of Bersabe cause her husband Vrias to bée set in the forefront of the battayle to be slayne which doone hée married his wife And why is it not lawfull for mée to do the like But I know the worst of it if thou wilt not take it vpon thee I will either do it my selfe or get some other that shall The man séeyng how his Maister was bent bothe to satisfie his minde and to gaine so good a summe of money promised to perfourme his charge which with oportunity of time and place hée did And séeyng Synnatus on a time in ill time passyng thorow a blind lane of the Citie hée shrowded himselfe in a corner and as hée came by shot him thorow with a Pistol which doone hée foorthwith sled the countrey Camma hearyng of the cruell murther of her husbande and by the circumstances knowyng Synorix to bée the authour thereof tearynge her heyre scratching her face and beatyng her body agaynst the ground sâ— soone as the fluddes of teares had flowen so longe that the fountayne was drie so that her spéeche might haue passage whiche before the teares stopped shee began to crie out in this carefull manner O God what vniustice is this in thee to suffer the earth remayne polluted with the bloud of innocentes Diddest thou cursse Cain for killing his brother Abel and wilt thou not crucifie Synorix for sleayng Synnatus Is thy hart now hardned that thou wilt not or are thy hands now weakened that thou canst not preserue thy seruantes from the slaues of Sathan If there bee no safetie in innocencie wherin shall wee repose our selues If thou bee not our protectour who shall defend vs If the wicked vanquish the vertuous who shal set foorth thy honour and glory or who will so mutche as once call vpon thy name But what meane I wretched wight to exclayme agaynst God as the aucthour of my euill wheras it is only I my selfe that am guiltie of my husbandes death It is I that pampred vp my beutie to make it glister in the sight of euery gazynge eye in the thriftlesse threade wherof this Tirant was so intangled that to vnwinde himself thereout hee hath wrought all this mischeif It is I that would not detect his doynges to my husband wherby hee might haue preuented the perill which hung ouer his head And seeyng I haue been the cause of his death shall I beyng a murtherer remayne aliue Did Alcyone seeynge the dead carkas of her husbande Ceix cast on shore willingly cast her selfe into the Sea to accompany his death And shall I see my sweet Synnatus slayne and not drinke of the same cuppe Did true Thisbe goare her gorgious body with the same sworde wherwith princely Piramus had prickt him selfe to the hart and are not my handes stronge inough to do the like Did Iulietta die vpon the corps of her Romeo and shall my body remayne on earth Synnatus beyng buried No gentle death come with thy direfull dart and peirce my paynefull harte and with one death rid mee out of a thousande deathes at once For what thought do I thinke on my Synnatus which doth not procure mee double death What thing do I see belongyng to him which is not a treble torment vnto mee But it is cowardlinesse to wish for death and couragiousnesse valiantly to take it Yes I can and will bestow my lyfe for my Synnatus sweete sake but O God shall that Tyrant remayne aliue to triumphe in his trechery vaunt in his villanie Shall I not sée his fattall day béefore my finall end It is his bloud that wil be a most swéete sacrifice to the ghost of Sinnatus not mine and then can I ende my life contentedly when I haue offred vp this acceptable sacrifice and vntill sutch time as I haue oportunity hereto I will prolonge my dolefull dayes in direfull greefe and onely the hope of reuengment shall heauily holde my lothsome life and sorowfull soule together For other cause why I should desire life I haue not for that I am vtterly depriued of all ioyes of life For as the bird that is bruised with some blow lieth aloofe on the leaues and heares his felowes singe and is not able to vtter one warblinge note out of his mournfull voice but rather hates the harmony which other birdes doo make so I my heart beeing broosed and broken sit solitarily alone and sée some hange about their husbandes neckes some closely clepe them in their armes some trisle with them some talke with them all which sight redoubleth my paine to thinke my self depriued of those pleasures yea to a wretched wounded heart that dwels in dole euery pleasaunt sight turnes to bitter spight and the onely obiecte which shall euer content my eyes shall bee the distruction of that tyraunt which hath brought mee to this desolation Now Synorix thinking that time had taken away her teares and sorrow and supposinge that neither shée neither any other had suspected him for the murther of her husband began to enter into the listes of lust againe and with a new incountry of incontiuency to set vpon her But shée so mutch abhorred him that if shee but heard his name it caused her nature to fayle in her and all her sences to faint so that when hee saw no posibility to impell her to impiety hee ment to moue her in the way of mariage and caused her nere kinsfolke and friends to solicite his sute vnto her who partly for feare of his displeasure partly for that they knew it would bée greatly to her adâ—auncement laboured very ernestly in the matter and were so importunate vpon her that no answere would satisfie them Now Camma séeing shée could not be rid of her fréends and foreséeing that by this meanes shée might bée rid of her enemies agréed to take him to husband And the day of the solemnizing of the mariage béeinge come they went together to the temple of Diana wher al things according to custome beeing consummated the bride wife as the vse was dranke to her husband in drinke as hée thought but indéede in poyson which shée had prouided of purpose and when shée saw hée had drunke vp his death shée sayd vnto him goe now and in stéed of thy mariage bed get thée a graue for thy mariage is turnd to murther a punishment most iust for thy outragious lust and cruell tyranny ' for vengeance asketh vengeance bloud bloud and they y sowe slaughter shalbée sure to reape ruine and destruction Now Synorix hearing these
haste his request required stood not vpon the nice termes of her virginity but with a reuerence of maiesty made him this answere Most worthy prince whatsoeuer were the cause of your comming into this countrey the kinge my father hath to holde himselfe mutch beeholding to your maiestie that it would please you too do him the honour to visite him but touching the cause you pretend I doubt not but your wisdome knoweth that dreames are doubtfull and visions are altogether vaine and therfore I must craue pardon if I hardly beleeue y vpon so light a cause you would vndertake sutch heauy trauayle and I mutch muse that in your sleepe the goddes had no seemelier sight then my selfe to present vnto you but whether beefore you came hether the goddes moued your minde or whether beeing here your owne fancy forced your affection towards mee assure your selfe this if your loue bee as loyall as your wordes seeme wonderfull in shewing the originall therof you shal not finde mee either so discourteous as to contemne your goodwill either so vngratefull as not to requite it mary as I may which is for your harty goodwil to giue you my hart for any benefit of my body it is not in mee to bestow on you for if you do mee that iniury to exacte any thing at my handes lasciuiously honesty will not allow it whose boundes I meane not to transgresse and if you doe mee that honour to pursue my good will in the way of mariage perchance my parents will not permit it who onely haue power to place mee at their pleasuer So that as the one halfe and moytie of mee is not mine so the other part if your goodwill bee as greate as you pretend shal bee yours Presently vpon this he preferred his sute to her parentes who were no lesse glad of sutch a sonne in law then hee of sutch a wife And so out of hand y mariage with great solemnity was celebrated Which done hee ioyfully departed from his sorowfull father in law and in short time safely lande with his wife in his owne land where they liued together the space of fiue â–ª yéeres in sutch ioy as they commonly inioy who cary fortune as it were vpon their shoulders and abound in al thinges which they can wish or desire But see the frailty of our felicity marke the misery which mortall men are subiect to A man would haue thought this maried couple in loue so loyall in estate so high in all thinges so happy had bene placed in perpetuity of prosperity But alas what estate hath fortune euer made so inuencible which vice can not vanquish Who hath euer bene established in sutch felicity but that wickednesse can woorke his ouerthrow What loue hath euer beene so fast bound but by lust hath been loâ—sed Yea the most faithfull bond of frendship betwéene Tytus and Gysippus thorow luste was violated the most natural league of loue betweene Antiochus and his owne sonne through lust was broken and this moste loyall loue betweene Tereus and Progne through lust was turnd to lothsome hate For it fortuned that Progne after they had bene maried together a whyle entred into greate desire to see her sister Philomelia and lay very importunately vpon her husband to go to Athens and request her father Pandion to let her come vnto her Tereus loued his wife so intirely that hee would deny her nothinge but presently imbarkte him selfe and went to fetch Philomela vnto her And beeing arriued at Athens hée made Pandion priuy to y cause of his comming The olde man was assailed with great sorrowe to thinke hee must parte from his faire Philomela the only stay and comfort of his olde yeeres but Tereus intreated so ernestly that hee could not denie him easely and Philomela was so desirous to see her sister that had so louingely sent for her that shee hung about her fathers necke kist him and vsed al the flatteries shee could to force him to yeelde his consent to her departure wherwith hee béeinge vanquished with weeping eyes in great griefe and dolour delyuered his daughter to Tereus saying It is not my daughter onely I deliuer you but mine owne life for assure your selfe my life can not last one minute longer then I shall heare shee doth well and if her returne beâ— not with speede you shall heare of my speedy returne to the earth from whence I came Tereus desired him to bee of good chere promisinge to be as carefull of her well dooing as if shee were his owne sister or childe Where vpon the olde man blessinge his daughter gaue her vnto him But like a simple man hee committed the seely sheepe to the rauening Woulfe Nay there was neuer blouddy tiger that did so terribly teare the litle Lambe as this tiraunt did furiously fare with faire Philomela For beeing in ship together hee began filthily to fixe his fancy vpon her and castinge the feare of god front before his eies rootinge the loue of his wife out of his heart contemninge the holy rites of matrimony and the sacred state of virginity hée fell to fleshly daliance with her and attempted to win that point of her which shée held more dere and precious then her life and which ought to bée of curious regard to al women of honest behauiour But hauing no other weapon but wéepyng to defende her selfe by pitiful exclemations and cries shée kept him from satisfiyng his insaciable desire But as the rauenyng Woulfe hauing seazed in his tearyng clawes some seely Lambe séekes some den to hide him in that nothyng hinder him from quietly inioyinge his pray so hée was no sooner arriued on the coastes of his owne countrey but that hée secretly conuayed her to a graunge of his owne far from any towne or citie there by force filthily deâ—lowred her The poore mayde thus piteously spoyled so soone as her greif would giue her leaue to speake spit foorth her venome agaynst his villanie in this sort Ah most tirrannous Traytor hast thou thus betrayed my father and sister haddest thou no other to worke thy wickednesse on but mée who was the iewell of my father and the ioy of my sister and now by thy meanes shal be the distruction of the one and the desolation of the other O that my handes had strength to teare these starynge eyes out of thy hatefull head or that my mouth were able to sounde the trumpet of this thy trumpery either to the court of my sister or country of my father that thei might take reuenge on thy villanie O cursed bée the wombe from whence thou camst and the paps whiche gaue thee sucke O cursed bée the cause of thy conception and the Father that begat thée who if hée neuer otherwise in his life offended yet doth hée deserue to bée plonged in the most paynfull pit of Hell only for begetting so wicked a sunne Tereus not able to indure this talke and fearyng least her words might bewray his wickednesse made no
disalow mariage and that you pretend otherwise in words then you intend to doo in workes I am content to giue you the honour of the fielde and thus far to yéelde my consent to your opinion that virginity considered of it owne nature simply without circumstance is better then Matrimony but bicause the one is full of perill the other full of pleasure the one full of iepardy the other full of security the one as rare as the blacke swan the other as common as the blacke crow of good thinges I thinke the more common the more commendable If sayth shée I haue gotten any conquest hereby I am to thanke mine own cause not your curtesy who yéeld when you are able to stand no longer in defence Nay Madame say not so sayth hée for in that very yelding to your opinion I proued mariage better then virginity for that is more common neither would I haue you turne my scilence in this matter into lacke of science and knowledge or reprehend mée if I spare to inforce further proufe in a matter sufficiently prooued already no more then you would rebuke a Spanniel which ceaseth to hunt when hée séeth the Hauke seazed on the Partridge But you may meruaile madame what is the cause that maketh mée perswade you thus earnestly to mariage which as mine owne vnworthinesse willeth mée to hide so your incomparable curtesy incourageth me to disclose which maketh mée thinke that it is no smal cause which can make you greately offended with him who beareth you great goodwil and that what sute soeuer I shal prefer vnto you you wil either graunt it or forgiue it pardon it or pitie it Therfore may it please you to vnderstand y since not long since I tooke large view of your vertue and beauty my hart hath beene so inflamed with the bright beames therof that nothing is able to quenche it but the water which floweth from the fountayne that first infected mée and if pity may so mutch preuaile with you as to accept mée I dare not say for your husband but for your slaue and seruaunt assure your selfe there shall no doubt of daunger driue mée from my duty towardes you neither shall any Lady whatsoeuer haue more cause to reioyce in the choice of her seruaunt then your selfe shall for that I shall account my life no longer pleasaunt vnto mée then it shall be imployed in your seruice Agrippina dying her lily chéekes with Vermilion red and castinge her eies on the grounde gaue him this answere As I am to yéeld you thankes for your goodwill so am I not to yéeld consent to your request for that I neither minde to marry neither thinke my self worthy to retain any sutch seruaunt but if I were dispoled to receiue you any way I thinke the best manner meane inough for your worthynesse Immediatly here vpon there came company vnto them which made them brake of their talke and Agrippina béeing got into her chamber began to thinke on the sute made vnto her by Germanicus and by this time Cupid had so cunningly carued and ingraued the Idoll of his person and béehauiour in her heart that shée thought him worthy of a far more worthy wife then her selfe and perswadinge her selfe hy his woordes and lookes that his loue was loyall without lust true without triflinge and faythfull without faygninge shée determined to accept it if her parentes would giue their consent therto Now Germanicus nothinge dismayed with her former deniall for that it had a curteous close so soone as oportunity serued set on her againe in this sort Now Madame you haue considered my case at leasure I trust it will stand with your good pleasure to make mee a more comfortable answere I béeseech you sir sayth shee to rest satisfied with my former answere for other as yet I am not able to make you Alas Madame sayth hée the extremity of my passion will not suffer long prolonginge of compassion wherfore I humbly beseech you presently to passe your sentence either of bale or blisse of saluation or damnation of life or death for if the heauens haue conspired my confusion and that you meane rigorously to reiecte my good will I meane not long to remaine aliue to trouble you with any tedious sute for I account it as good reason to honour you with the sacrifice of my death as I haue thought it conuenient to bestow vpon you the seruice of my life Alas sir sayth shée this iesting is nothing ioyfull vnto mée and I pray you vse no more of it for the rememberaunce of that which you speake of in sporte maketh mée séele the force therof in good ernest for a thousand deaths at once can not bée so dreadful vnto mée as once to thinke I should liue to procure the death of any sutch as you are If sayth hée you count my wordes sporte iest and daliance assure your selfe it is sport without pleasure ieste without ioy and daliance without delight as tract of time shall shortly try for true But if you loue not to heare of my death why like you not to giue mée life whiche you may do only by the consent of your good will. Why sir sayth shee you know my consent consisteth not in my selfe but in my parents to whom I owe both awe and honour therfore it bée hooueth you first to séeke their consent Why Madame sayth hée shall I make more account of the meaner partes then of the heade you are the heade and cheife in this choice and therfore let mée receiue one good worde of your good wil and then let heauen and earth doo their woorst It is not the coine countenance or credite of your parentes that I pursue for to winne sutch wealth as your good will. I could bée content to leade a poore life all the dayes of my life so that you bée maintayned according to your will and worthinesse Well saith shée séeing I am the only marke you shoot at assay by all the meanes you may to get my freindes good will and if you leuell any thinge strait you shall not misse mée Germanicus vpon this procured the Emperours letters to her father in his beehalfe who hauinge perused those letters sayd hée trusted the Emperour would giue him leaue to dispose of his owne accordinge to his owne pleasure and that his daughter was to nere and deere vnto him to see her cast away vpon one who for lacke of yéeres wanted wisdome to gouerne her and for lacke of landes liuyng to maintaine her and calling his daughter béefore him hée béegan to expostulate with her in this sorte Daughter I euer here tofore thought you would haue been a solace and comfort to my olde yéeres and the prolonger of my life but now I se you will increase my hoarie heares and bee the hastner of my death Doeth the tender care the careful charge and chargeable cost which I haue euer vsed in bringyng you vp deserue this at your handes that you should passe a
and churlishuesse in a man to deny his wife any thing which is reasonable so is it great imbecillity and childishnesse to graunte her any thing which is vnreasonable and hereof commeth the vtter vndooing of a great number of young gentlemen And as it is wise and louinge carefulnesse to prouide well for ones wife so is it fond and doatinge curiousnesse to seeke and prouide better for her then bee would do for himselfe whereof came the confusion of this noble Gentleman Germanicus Amphiaraus and Eriphile AMPHIARAVS a Gentleman Argiue sueth for marriage to Eriphile a widow either likyng others possessions better then persons Infortunio burnyng in fonde affection toward the same trull seeyng Amphiaraus land preferred beefore his loyaltie is at poynct to destroy himself Amphiaraus hidyng himself to escape from the warres is betraide by Eriphile for couetice of rewarde and settynge foote within the Theban soyle the earth openeth and swaloweth him vp Eriphile eftsoones a widow profereth her loue to her olde suter Infortunio by whom beeyng repulsed in choler she consumeth away and dieth THe aunciet Ppilosophers are of this mynde that there is nothyng that doth more argue and shew a base mynde then couetous desire of coyne ritches and nothyng more signe of a noble heart then not to desire wealth if one want it and liberally to bestow it if hée haue it But I am of this minde that nothynge doth more argue a mad minde then to desire goods which neuer did good but which haue been alwayes the cause of all our calamities What a world of men hath desire of wealth wasted in war What huge heapes hath it drowned in the Sea What infinite numbers hath it caused Phisitions to kill How many hath it mooued Lawiers to vndoe How many hath it driuen Deuines to sende to the Diuell Of how many Murthers thefts flaughters parricides patricides treasons rebellions periuries forgeries adultries fornications hath it been the cause As Iupiter himselfe abused golde and pelfe to abuse Danae that virgin But you will say though the desire of goods bee detestable yet the possession is profitable Wherto I pray you to maintayne vs in brauery in gluttony in venery in securitie in impunitie in pride in prodigalitie yea to brynge vs to perdition and distruction as kynge Midas wished that euery thynge which hée touched might bee gold wherby hée was starued to death Fabritius an auncient Romain waighed wealth so litle that though hée had béen Prince and Consul of Rome three or foure times yet at his death hée had not so mutch goods as might suffice to bring him honorably to his graue but was faine to bée buried at the common charge of the citie But though the immoderate desire of ritches bée to bée reprehended yet must I néedes say that moderately to account of them is not bée misliked for they are giuen vs by God to passe the pilgrimage of our life withall and we may vse them and yet not abuse them wée may make of them and yet not make our Goddes of them And as by duely desiryng and truly vsyng them they conuert to our commoditie so by gréedy couetinge and naughtie consumyng them they turne to our trouble care and confusion as partly béefore hath béen shewed and plainly here after by the hystorie folowing is prooued which is this In Greece amongst the people called Argiues dwelt one Amphiaraus who béeyng a man of great possessions and wealth heard of a Widdow in the same country of like liuyng vnto him selfe her name was Eriphile and her nature was sutch that shée thought gaine swéet how so euer shée got it It fortuned this Gentleman to come to her house to sée and assay her in the way of Marriage and not withstandyng hée had more likyng to the liuyng then wil to the woman yet hée laboured his sute as ernestly as if hée had loued vehemently and at conuenient time commenced his sute in this sort Gentlewomā I think it not néedful to enter into termes in commendation of mariage therby to perswade you the sooner therto for that you know the dignity thereof and haue already tasted the pleasures and commodities béelonginge to the same but this chiefelye lieth mée vpon earnestly to perswade and humbly to requeste at your handes that when it shalbée your good pleasure to enter into that life againe you will count mee worthy though altogether vnworthy to serue you in steede of a steward to order and dispose your thinges as your seemely selfe shall please to appointe and to ease you of the trouble of trauailinge in your owne affaires which I am sure for that you haue not beene accustomed thereto must needes mutch molest you For it is not méete your young yeres should bée tied to any trouble or trauaile but to passe your time in pleasure according to your bringinge vp and callinge and accordinge to the custome of your kinde and sexe And that you may not thinke my sute to procéed of any desire to your goods your selfe I thinke partly know and by litle inquiry may perfectly vnderstande that my landes and liuinges are sufficient to maintaine the port and countenance of a Gentleman of worship all which I willingly yeeld into your handes to bée disposed at your pleasure if it shall please you to yéeld your body into my armes to bée imbraced at my pleasure so y in acceptinge my offer you shall not only increase your substance but also haue a gentleman at your commaundement who shall make more account of you then of all the goods in the world His talke ended Eriphile smylinge made him this smooth answere Sir by how mutch more I know the inconueniences and infinite troubles mixed with mariage by so mutch lesse do I like to enter into that estate againe And as I was once linked with one according to my liking so looke I not to bee placed againe with any in whom I can take sutch pleasure And as by holy oth I firmely bounde my fayth vnto him so in this minde I am in only my death shal dissolue that bond and y sower remembrance of my sweete husbandes death shall take away the renewinge of all pleasures of life and altogether mortifie in mée the minde to marry any more For his loue was so excéeding great towardes mee that I feare to finde the like at your handes or any mans els For where you professe to be my steward and seruant I am sure if you were once sure of that you seeke for you would thinke your selfe good inough to bee my Lord and maister and you would dispose my goods neither at my pleasure neither to my profite but that which is mine should bée yours and yours your owne And where you pretend to prefer mee before al worldly goods I take it rather for wordes of course then talke of troth for as in the fayrest rose is soonest found a kanker so in fairest spéech is falshood and faigning rifest For I knowe the fashion of you men is by
sute of the beseiger Neither is y prisoner to bée pitied who beeinge iudge ioyed only in staerity and cruelty neither is that clientes cause to bée considered who beeing a counsaylor dealt in the cases of other without conscience The gentlewoman séeinge her selfe thus reprochfully repulsed in very colorike conceites consumed away and died I am héere gentlewomen to admonish you not to suffer your selues to be caryed away with couetousnesse you sée to what miserable ende it brought this maried disloyall couple and as wel for your sakes as mine owne I would wish you who are indued with wealth sufficient to make a man as they say who are at your owne disposition and choice not to yéeld your selues as a pray to any who hath no néede of your wealth neither will gratefully accept your goodes but rather frankly to bequeath your selues to some poore younger brother who may thinke himself made by marrying you who may thanke his wise onely for his wealth who may impute his happinesse onely to hauing you whom you may binde to you by benefits who will no doubt indeuour to counterpeise your lyuing with his loue and your goodes with his good will who will rather serue you then séeke superiorytie ouer you who will rather be your man then your master your Liege then your Lorde your subiect then your soueraigne wherby you shal liue as you list your profits shall pleasure you your gooddes shall do you good And what so euer bee your common saying that you must as well loue to liue as liue to loue yet surely in my fancie I thinke it farre better for a married couple to liue together without liuinge then without loue for what litle liuing will suffice nature who knoweth not but what lothed liues be where loue doth lack looke but into the liues of the parties but now reported vnto you And if you credite not my report of them no more but marke your poore neighbours how quietly and merily they passe theyr time in pouertie assisted only by the calme of contentment and loue and then conuert your eyes to the view of many oother estates and looke how vnpleasantly and vncontentedly they spende their daies molested by the stormes of strife debate and hate Which contemplation I hope wil so confirme your iudgements that you will alwaies prefer loue before liuing or at least not so to respect th one as to neglect the other or at least if it be posible to ioine the one with the other Another thing also the death of Eriphile may driue into your mindes that you rage not lyke tyraunts ouer those whom your beautye hath made your bonslaues for you must know that it is more glory to vse the victory moderately then to get it mightely and farre more holdes haue bene woonne by clemencie then by crueltie For when the inhabitants know the captaines curtesie they wil rather yéeld to his assured mercy then stand to the doubtfull euent of battayle so gentlewomen if you minde to make breach into the harts of many and to win the fort of their faithes vnto you if you craue to conquer the goodwilles and to be courted with the seruice of suters you must with modestie make much of them with curtesie counteruaile their kindnesse with gratefulnesse accept their good wil with liberalitie requight their loue and with honest plainenesse answer to their demaundes you must not féede them with falshod draw them en with delay and torment them with trifling as Eriphile dyd her Infortunio to her owne infortunate hap as it luckely afterwards did light for it is Gods word and will that such measure as is met shall be measured againe and they that delight to drowne other in dolour shall not swimme long in pleasure them selues I knowe not what effecte my wordes will take for that I know not how you courtlye dames accounte of my cunninge but before mine owne face I am able to assure you this that the girles of our parish think that welch Sir Richard him selfe can not make a better preache then I can but it may be you wil thinke me ouer saucy with my lisping lips to prefer persuasions to them who are as voyde of folly euery way as my selfe of wit any way Yet considering how quietlye you tooke the rude railing of Amphiaraus against you I neede not doubt but that you will take in good part wordes whiche are well ment towardes you and if not follow them yet not mislike them and rather waigh the will of the speaker then the worth of the wordes Icilius and Uirginia ICILIVS a younge Gentleman of Rome fallynge in loue with Virginia is refused by her friendes for want of sufficient wealth but priuily contracteth himselfe vnto her and departeth into the warres Appius Claudius burning with vnchaste lust of the same mayden the better to obtayne her causeth Clodius his client to clayme her for his bondslaue and giueth wrongfull iudgement on his side But Virginius her father at her ernest request slayeth her with his owne handes to preserue her virginitie from the villainie of Appius who for that fact is cast into prison where desperatly hee doth himself to death IT is a doubt often debated but not yet decided whether loue discendeth from the heauens deriueth of our owne nature procéedeth of the similitude of manners commeth of acquaintance and familiarity taketh originall of our education and bringinge vp together whether it ariseth of beauty or of vertue whether it entreth in at the eyes or first bée rooted in the hart whether the cause come from the party that loueth or the party loued or whether it bée in our power to loue or to leaue I leaue to other to resolue vpon for for my part I yeeld god thankes for it I haue as yet been so litle troubled with loue that I know not what it is nor from whence it commeth and when I muse theron I am as bad troubled as Symonides was to thinke and say what god was but if an opinion grounded vpon reason without any proper experience on mine owne part may take place I thinke loue cheifly to bee grounded vpon the similitude of manners shewed and signified by familiarity and abode together For it is daily seene that those parties who at the first incountry and vew haue rather disâ—iked then loued ech other by continuance of conuersation and by conferring eche others conditions and nature together haue fallen into the fire of most feruent affection For true loue and faythful freindship is to will and to nill one thinge to haue one obiect of appetite and to haue like effect of affection I know there are infinite instances to bee giuen to this assertion for that some haue beene surprised with loue only vpon a louing looke some vpon a curteous word some vpon a single sight some vpon a vaine vision some vpon a doubtful dreame some vpon an vncertaine report and some some other way But as one swallow makes not sommer so one
more it is vncouered the sooner is it cured for as coales of fire couered cloase with ashes keepe their heate longe time but lying open soone waxe colde and blacke so the firy flames of loue raked vp in silence burne furiously within a man but béeinge by discourse disclosed they soone conuert from flame to fume and smoake Wherefore good freinde sticke not to imparte vnto mée this matter which doth import you so nere promising you by the inuiolable bond of freindship to trauaile so ernestly in your affaires that what wanteth in power you shall finde in the paines which I will take in your cause Alas swéet freind saith Icilius rather then you should thinke I haue any diffidence or distrust in you or thinke you vnwoorthy of credite in any cause whatsoeuer I will make you priuy to the cause of my paine what pange or perill so euer I incur therby Wherefore you shal vnderstand that since the time I was at the house of L. Virginius as you partly know the conditions of his daughter did so well content mée her nature agréed so well with mine her affections were so framed to my fancy that I am constrained to resigne my liberty captiue vnto her and to make her person the prison of my hart And the lesse hope I haue of obtayning her the more doo I loue and the more déepely I doo desire her the more deadly doo I dispaire of her which is the cause of all my care and summe of all my sorow yea this is it which hath made mee an enemie to my selfe a straunger to my freindes to abandon all good company to sit in solitarinesse and this is it which if it bée not in time prouided for will preuente by death all other mischeifs God forbid good freind sayth his freind that so light a cause should so déepely distres you what doo you thinke either so superstitiously of her either so abiectly of your selfe that you deeme this matter so impossible to bee brought to passe Why her person is not of sutch perfection but that yours may match it her freindes are not of sutch state but that yours may stand by them her portion is not so greate but your parentes are able to make yours equall vnto it No doubt not but your loue shall sort to lucky ende and haue sutch successe you seeke for and I am hartely glad that seeinge it was your chaunce to loose your liberty it is lodged in sutch a place which is rather to bée counted a Paradise of pleasure thē a prison of paine of whose worthynes I would somwhat say but that perchaunce you will thinke mee partiall to the party and besides that I should rather kindle newe coales in you then quench olde flames But bicause I perswade my selfe I may doe somewhat with the partie which putteth you to this paine doubt not to commit this charge to mee and I warrant you I will discharge it to your contentation Ah deare freind sayth Icilius if I thought you as well able to giue order to my sorrow and redresse my woe as I see you willing to comfort my carefulnesse and keepe mee from dispaire I should thinke my self the happiest wight in the world and I would account of you as the preseruer of my life but I can not tell what the matter is méethinkes the more feruent is my fire the more faint is my feare Phy sayth his freind you shew your selfe to very a coward fortune you knowe fauoureth not the faint hearted neither are they woorthy to win the pray you presse for and therefore for shame take a good heart vnto you and doe your indeuour and let mee alone with the rest there is no hauke soareth so highe but shee will stoupe to some praye neither any so rammishe and wilde but in time shee may bee reclaimed and made to the lure And if you follow my aduise I think good you solicite her by letters vntill sutch time you haue conuenient time to goe thither your selfe Which counsayle hee forthwith put in execution and indited a letter to his Mistris in this manner Good Mistris to set foorth in woordes the feruency of my affection vehemency of my passion I thinke would be both tedious to you and I am sure greeuous to my self for that the remembraunce of my passions would bee as it were a renewing of my paine and though I altogether vse silence therein yet the lothsome life which I leade may by report aduertise you of my lucklesse loue and my drousy lookes to all which see them are signes sufficient of my drouping heart Therfore may it please you plainly to vnderstand that beeinge at Mayster Virginius your fathers house I receiued sutch contentation in your company and sight that since I haue bene depriued therof I thinke my selfe depriued of all the pleasures of life And onlesse your curtesy surmounte my desertes and that you vouchsafe to pity my painfull estate I shal haue iust cause to say that at your fathers I receiued in stéede of meate misery for drinke dolour yea I may count my fare fire and my chéere very déere which must cost mee no lesse then the losse of my liberty at least But if yet at the last course it shall please you to send and serue in to the table of my troubled minde some confectes of comfort with the fruites of freindship I shall thinke my selfe to haue fared most daintily wheras otherwise I shall count my selfe intreated disdainfully Looke not good Mistris to my liuyng but to my loue way not my wealth but my will marke not my mony but my meaning in the way of honest and lawfull mariage and spéedily send the messenger of present consolation to him which pineth away in paine and is yours only and euer ICILIVs Virginia hauinge vewed this letter and likinge it neuer the worse for his sake that sent it replied vnto it in this short and sober sort Sir bicause I knowe in my selfe no sutch due desert any way to driue you to sutch déepe desire I am the hardlyer induced to beléeue your wordes and though I adhibited full credite vnto them yet perchaunce as yet my fancy is not fully framed to like so well of you as you eyther desire or deserue and though I coulde finde in my heart to like you aboue all other yet I know not whether my freindes will yeeld their consent therto So that it is in mée only to thanke you for your goodwil but not to satisfie your request Yours as shee may VIRGINIA This letter bringinge some comforte to his carefull mimde made him make hast to repaire in person to the place of her presence where hee presented her his sute with sutch assured signes of perfect loue and loyalty that shee thought with good conscience shée could not contemne his good will. But her parentes for that hee was not able his father béeing aliue to make her sutch ioynter as they inioyned him to deferred the consummation of the mariage from
cast out of her minde the liking shée had conceiued of him and therfore humbly craued pardon if sayth shee it bée an offence to loue him honestly which deserueth it worthily But her father in a fury flunge from her sayinge shée should neuer inioy him with ioye and that shee should neuer finde any more fatherly furtherance at his handes then the greatest enemy hee had The younge princesse perceiuinge her fathers goodwill thus alienated from her reposed her onely comforte and confidence in Admetus hoping that hée would stande her in stéede of both a freind phere and father And with as conuenient spéede as shee could wrought a letter to him to this ende If most péerelesse prince necessity or loue had law I might bée thought perchaunce to transgresse the law and limyttes of modesty in first giuinge the onset where as I ought not easely to haue yelded béeing assaulted But séeinge necessity and lacke of oportunity by reason of the rigour of the warres perchaunce causeth you to conceale that which you would discouer and vehemente loue and feruent desire forceth mée to discouer that which I should conceale I thinke it lesse offence by this meanes to supplye your wante and satisfie mine owne desire then by standing vpon the nice termes of my maidens estate to suffer both of vs to pine away in paine for lacke of béeing priuy to eche others minde and purpose Therfore you shall vnderstand the cause of my writing is this What time your good hap I hope was to bee at my fathers court I did perceiue if desire to haue it so did not deceiue mée that your affection was great towardes mee and that you seemed not a litle to bee pinched with my payne to ease you of which greife I thought it my duty to certify you that the certaine hope which I therby conceiued of your loue and good will did presently restoare mée to perfect health and further to let you vnderstand that the only cause of my sicknesse was the first sight which I had of you and the dispaire that I should neuer bee so fortunate as to obtaine you Now as the same hand which did hurt mee did helpe mee so if I haue any way wounded you I shal bee ready to make you what playster it please you to heale your hurt And iudginge the sincerity of your minde by the cléerenesse of mine owne conscience I commit my selfe wholy into your handes presuminge thus far of your perfect loue towardes mee that you will not any way seeke the disperagement of mine honour which I hold far more deere then loue or life but accept mee for your lawfull and louing spouse And that way you only and at any time shall dispose of mee at your pleasure My father by ill fortune hath found out our loue and stormeth greatly therat so that I thinke his haggard hart is by no meanes to bee reclaimed But I thinke indirect dealinge by the daughter may bee vsed when the father by rage rather then reason is ruled Therfore if you thinke so good I will secretly conueigh my selfe to what place you will haue mee but I commit this matter to your wisdome and my selfe to you remayninge yours onely and euer ALCEST Now Admetus euer after his returne from the court of Lycabas was driuen into sutch dolefull dumpes and gouerned his charge of men with sutch heauy cheere that his father examining him very stractly of the cause therof inforced him to confesse his carefull case Which hee no sooner heard but hee forthwith discharged him of his charge saying hee was fitter to bee one of Cupids carpet captaines then to march vnder the mainly ensigne of Mars and that he would haue no sutch lasciuious knights is his army For sayth hee if any part of the body be putrified it must bee cut of for feare of infectinge the whole body And tolde him plainly if hée went forward with his folly hée woulde neuer take him for his sonne neither should hee euer succéed in the kingdome by this consent The younge prince withdrew himselfe out of his fathers presence and got him to his pauilion or tente where hée was no sooner sadly set downe but hée was presented by a trusty messenger with the letter of Alcest which so soone as hee had red hee séemed to bee rapt into the thirde heauen but considering on the other side the difficulty of reapinge the fruites of his loue and wayinge the perill of his fathers displeasure hée was throwen into the déepest dungeon of hell And as a boate borne by the tide against the winde féeleth double force and is compeld to yéelde both to winde and waue so this young prince béeinge driuen by the force of loue againste the minde and pleasure of his father felte double dolour and was tormented with both But at length loue gat the victory and all other doubtes cast aside hee returned his Misteris this answere Who was euer exalted to the highest degrée of happinesse and driuen to the deepest extremitie of euill at once but I who euer flowrished in felicitie and faded in miserie together but I who was euer placed in paradise and plunged in perplexitie ioyntly but I for heauen it selfe cannot yeelde mée better blisse then the consent of your goodwill and loue most peerlesse prince princely péece and hell it selfe cannot yéelde mee more bitter bale then to bée destitute of meanes to inioy the fruites of your fauour and benefite of your beutie If Craesus came and offered mee all his wealth if Alexander yeelded mée his empire if Iuno came from heauen with her kingdomes Pallas with her wisdome or Venus with her Helen assure thy selfe sweet Mistris that neither any one of them neither all of them together should bee so gratefully or gladly receiued of mee as the profer which your letters haue made mee And canst thou deare wenche prefer my loue before thine owne life my plesure before thy fathers displeasure my contentment before thine owne commoditie and shall any doubt of daunger driue mee from the dutie whiche I ought to doe vnto thee No let father fret let freindes frowne let lyuing bee lost let kingdome bee made from mee let hap what hap wil thou hast promised to bee mine and I protest by the heauens to bee thine What though the kinge your father bee greatly incensed agaynst mee what care I for any mans freindship if I haue your fauour What though the way vnto you bee longe and daungerous What passe I to passe a thousande perils to pleasure you what though mine enemies lie in wayte for mee What way I to be hewen in an hundred peeces in your presence Yea if I had a thousand liues I thinke the loosinge of them all litle inough to requite the greate goodwill and curtesie you haue shewed mee But meethinkes I heare you say the spendyng or losse of my life is the greatest losse and euill that possibly can happen vnto you and therefore I must take heede how I hazarde it
aspyre to the height of her haughtie minde The younge Gentleman thinking that his â—kle for feare of displeasure durst not deale in so daungerous a matter neither gaue great credit to his wordes neither yéelded him any thankes for his paines but determined notwithstanding of hymselfe to pursue his sute And knowing that proper Gentlewomen delight in prety Iewels and that the Goddes them selues are pleased with gifts he gat the most precious Pearles dearest Diamonds in the country and caused them to be presented vnto the Princesse from hym But disdainfull rigour so ruled her that she would not so mutch as looke vpon them saying she had no néede of his giftes that he might better bestowe them on those who were not his betters and that she thought it shame a Princes person should be purchased with perles The Gentleman though greatly dismaide to sée both his goodwill neclected and his giftes reiected yet lyke a valiaunt Souldiour he gaue a freshe onset vppon her with friendlye louing Letters whiche hee wrote in this wise Most péerelesse Princesse though loue hath almost blinded me in all thinges yet I humbly beséeche you not to thinke me so forgetfull either of the meanesse of myne owne estate either of the maiestie of yours as to presume to practise you in the waye of mariage for in my iudgemente I thinke no man on earthe worthy that honour but my pitifull petition is this that you wyll accept mee for your slaue and seruant and the what country soeuer you shall be married into I may geue attendance vpon you to y intent still to inioy the sight of your swéete face féede my fansy in y conteÌ„plation of your beuty For I am so vowed to your vertue y onely the swéet remembrance of you shal mortifie in me y mind to any other woman whatsoeuer For I perswade my selfe to finde more felicity in one friendly looke of yours then in any others faithfull loue And though these blotted wordes be to base an obiect for your heauenly eyes yet waighing the cause in the skales of curtesye I trust you will take them in good part The cause of the blots was the teares whiche fell from my eyes at the making hereof the cause of the words is the good will of the writer Thus prayinge you to pittie the one and to accept the other I leaue lyving onely to doe you duty and seruice Yours though not yours IPHIS The Princesse hauing this letter deliuered vnto her by one of her waiting women so soone as she knew front whence it came floung it from her sayinge shee had nothing to deale ether with him or his letters and straightlye charged her women not to salute her with any thing from him But Fortune so framed that as she flung the letter from her in came the king her father caused the letter to be reacht vnto him and knowing the contentes therof sent for my youth Iphis shooke him vp with sharp threatnings and charged him vpon paine of punishment neuer after to be séene at the Courte The younge Gentleman séeing the ground which he tilled altogether barren and that it yéelded him but care for Corne and griefe for graine determined to bestowe no more cost or labour thereon and besides fearing the Kings fury and displeasure with as conuenient spéede as he could coueied hymselfe in to the countrie and there asswaged his sadnesse with solitarinesse setting her crueltie towardes him against his curtesie towards her her visdainfulnes against his owne dutifulnes he soone set himself free froÌ„ his folly This matter thus enued greater stormes began to brue such a tempest arose that Scilla who beefore kept other in bandes was now her selfe set in the sandes where before shee sailed in ship with top and top gallant setting out flag of defiance now she was driuen to strik saile and vaile bonnet euen to her fathers enemy For it fell so out that King Minos moued iustly therto for the murther of his sonne waged warre and came with a puisaunt power against King Nysus and layde so harde to his charge that he made him kéepe his Castle Now while Minos lay at the siege therof it fortuned the younge Princesse to haue a sight of him out at the window of the tower wherin shee lay and now Cupid ment to bee reuenged on the crueltie which she vsed to his Captaine Iphis who fought so faithfully vnder his banner and shot sutch darts of desyre into her towards King Minos that vnlesse she might haue him to husbande shée thought her selfe but a woman cast away and after a sobbinge sigh and tricklynge teare she fell out with her self in this sorte Ah fond foolish girle and canst thou finde in thine hart to beare freindly affection to thy fathers feendly foe Can I loue him kindly who seekes to spoyle my country cruelly Coulde I valiauntly withstande the assaultes of a flourishinge young man and shall I cowardly yeeld to a fadinge olde man without any assault O loue without law O rage without reason O will without wit O fansy fraught full of fury and frensy Good God where are now beecome those lofty lookes I was wonte to vse to louers Where are the coy countenances the haughty wordes the solemne salutacions the dainty dealinges the curious congies and sutch like Alas now I am made to stoupe without stale to come without call or lure yea to the empty fist But alas who is priuiledged from the force of loue no there are none so stout but loue maketh them stoupe none so wise but loue maketh them fooles none so shamefast but loue maketh them bolde And though I should first bewray my affection and make loue to kinge Minos the offence is rather to bee pitied then punished Yea the more frankly I offer him my goodwil the more freindly no doubt but hee will accept it and the lesse hée hath deserued it the more will hée indeuour himself to bee thankful for the same Neither can hee but take it as an vndoubted signe of deepe goodwill if I giue the first onset in this skirmishe neither can it any way redound to my shame the end béeinge honest and my meaninge in the way of mariage And if it bee lawfull to follow the example of creatures without reason doth not the Cow loe to the Bull doth not the Mare neigh to the Horse doth not the Yeaw blea to the Ramme doth not the Faulcon call to the tossell gentle the gerfaulcon to the Gerkin the sparehauke to the Musket And so of all other creatures the females are more forward that way then the males Besides that by how mutch weaker women are then men by so mutch the more they are to bee borne with all if they bee lesse able to beare the heauy burthen of loue then men Againe by how mutch more the loue of women is more feruent then of men the more fiery flames of force must fry within vs whiche without great griefe cannot be concealed or
pangues of death For as the colte the first time he is ridden snuffeth at the snaffle and thinketh the bit most bitter vnto him so the yoke of loue séemeth heauy vnto me beecause my neck neuer felte the force thereof béefore and now am I first taught to drawe my daies in dolour and griefe And so mutch the lesse I lyke this lot by how mutch the lesse I looked for it and so mutch the more sower it is by howe mutch the more soddaine it is For as the Bird that hops from bough to bough and vttreth many a pleasant note not knowinge how néere her destruction draweth on is caught in snare before shée bée ware so while I spent my time in pleasure assoone playing assoone parling now dawncing now dallying sometime laughing but always loytering and walking in the wide fields of fréedome and large leas of lybertie I was sodenly inclosed in y strait bonds of bondage But I se I sigh and sorow to see that there is no clothe so fine but moathes will eate it no yron so harde but rust will fret it no wood so sounde but wormes will putrifie it no mettall so course but fire will purifie it nor no Maide so free but loue wil bring her into thraldome and bondage But seeing the Goddes haue so appointed it why should I resist them séeing the destinies haue decreed it why shuld I withstand them seeing my Fortune hath framed it why should I frowne at it seeing my fancy is fast fixed why should I alter it seeing my bargaine is good why should I repent it seing I lose nothing by it why should I cōplain of it seing my choice is right worthy why should I mislyke it seeing Cephalus is my Saint why should I not honour him seeing hee is my ioy why shoulde I not inioy him seeing I am his why should not he be mine yes Cephalus is mine and Cephalus shall be mine or els I protest by the Heauens y neuer ani man shal be mine Euer after this shee obserued all oportunities to giue him intelligence as modestly as shee might of her goodwill towards him And as it happened a company of Gentlewomen to sit talkinge together they entred into commendation of the histories whiche beefore had bene tolde them some commending this Gentlemans stories some that according as their fancy forced them but Pro. seemed to preferre the histories of Cephalus both for that saith she his discourses differ from the rest and beesids that mee thinkes the man amendeth the matter mutch Cephalus though out of sight yet not out of hearing replied in this sorte And surely Gentlewoman the man thinketh himselfe much mended by your commendacion and assure your selfe you shall as readily commaunde him as you curteously commend him The Gentlewoman blushing hereat saide she thought hee had not bene so néere but touchinge your answere saith she I haue not so good cause to commaunde you as commend you for as I thinke you well worthy of the one so I thinke my selfe farre vnworthy of the other but bee bolde of this if at any time I commaunde you it shall bee to your commodytie I can not sayth hée but count your commaundment a cōmodytie only in that you shall thinke mée worthy to doe you seruice neither will I wish any longer to liue then I may be able or at least willing to doe you due and dutifull seruice If sir saith she softly vnto hym it were in my power to put you to sutch seruice as I thought you worthy of you should not continue in the condition of a seruant longe but your estate should bee altered and you should commaunde another while and I would obey It shal bée good misteris saith he in your powre to dispose of mée at your pleasure for I wholy cōmit my selfe to your curtesy thinking my estate more frée to serue vnder you then to raigne ouer any other whatsoeuer and I should count my selfe most happy if I might either by seruice duty or loue counteruaile your continuall goodnesse towards mee Upon this the companie brake of and therewith their talke But Cephalus seing her goodwil so great towards him began as fast to frame his fancy towardes her so y loue remained mutuall beetweene them Which her father perceuing and not lyking very well of the match for that hee thought his daughter not olde inough for a husbande nor Cephalus ritch inough for sutch a wife to breake the bond of this amitie went this way to worke Hee wrought so with the Duke of Venice that this Cep was sent post in ambassade to the Turk hoping in his absence to alter his daughters affection Which iourny as it was nothing◠ioyful to Cephalus so was it so painfull to Procris that it had almost procured her death For beeinge so warely wacht by herwaspish parents that shee coulde neither see him nor speake with him beefore his departure shee got to her chaumber window and there heauily behelde the Ship wherin hee was sorowfully sayling away Yea shee bent her eyes with such force to beehold it that shee saw the ship farther by a mile then any els could possibly ken it But when it was cleane out of her sight ▪ she sayd Now farewell my swéete cephalus farewell my ioy farwell my life ah if I might haue but geuen thée a carefull kisse and a faintinge farewell beefore thy departure I should haue bene the better able to abide thy aboad from mée and per chaunce thou woul dest the better haue mynded mée in thy absence but nowe I knowe thy wyll wyl wauer with the windes thy faith wil fleete with the flouds and thy poore Procris shall bee put cleane out of thy rememberance Ah why accuse I thée of inconstancy No I knowe the seas will first be drie beefore thy fayth from mee shall flye But alas what shal constancy prenayle if thy lyfe doe faile mée thinkes I sée the hoysinge waues lyke a huge army to assaile y sides of thy Ship me thinkes I sée the proulyng pirats which pursue thée mée thinks I heare the roaring Cannons in mine eare which are shot to sinke thee mée thinkes I see the ragged rocks whiche stande ready to reaue thy Ship in sunder mee thinkes I see the wilde beastes which rauenously runne with open mouthes to deuoure thee mee thinkes I see the théeues whiche rudely rushe out of the woods to robbe thee mée thinkes I heare the trothlesse Turke enter into conspiracy to kill thee mee thinks I feele the furyous force of their wicked weapons pitiously to spoyle thee These sights and thoughtes depriued her both of seeing and thinkinge for shee fell herewith downe dead to the grounde and when her wayting woman could not by any meanes reuiue her shee cryed out for her mother to come help who beeing come and hauinge assayed all the meanes shée could for her daughters recouery and seeinge no signe of lyfe in her shee fell to outragious outcries saiing O vniust Gods why are you the authours
of sutch vnnatural and vntimely death O furious féende not god of loue why dost thou thus diuelishly deale with my daughter O ten times cursed bee the time that euer Cephalus set foote in this court At the name of cephalus the maide beegan to open her eies which before had dazeled which her mother perceiuing saide beeholde daughter thy Cephalus is safely returned and come to see thee Wherewith shee start from the bed whereon they had laied her and staring wildly about the chamber when shee coulde not sée him shee sunk downe againe Now her parents perceiuing what possession loue had takē of her thought it labour lost to indeuour to alter her determination but made her faithful promise shee should haue their furtherance and consent to haue her cephalus to husbande at his returne wherewith shee was at length made stronge to indure the annoy of his absence It were tedious to tell the prayers the processions the pilgrimages the Sacrifices the vowes shee made for his safe returne let this suffice to declare her rare good will towardes hym that hearing of his happie comming towards the courte shee feared least his sodayne sight would bring her sutche excessiue delight that her sences shoulde not bee able to support it and therfore got her into the highest place of the house and beheld him comming a far of and so by litle and litle was partaker of his presence and yet at the méetinge shee was more frée of her teares then of her tounge for her greetinge was only wéeping word shee could say none Cephalus inflamed with this her vnfaigned loue made all the freindes hee could to hasten the mariage beetweene them But the olde saying is hast maketh waste and bargains made in spéede are commonly repented at leasure For married they were to both their inexplicable ioy which shortly after turned to both their vnspeakable annoy For the increase is small of seede to timely sowen the whelpes are euer blinde that dogs in haste doe get the fruites full sone doe rot which gathered are to sone the mault is neuer swete onlesse the fier bee softe and hee that leapeth before hee looke may hap to leape into the brooke My meaning is this that Cephalus his share must needes bée sorow who would so rashly and vnaduisedly enter into so intricate an estate as wedlocks is The Philosophers will vs to eate a bushell of salte with a man béefore wée enter into strict familiarity with him but I thinke a whole quarter litle inoughe to eate with her with whom wee enter into sutch a bond that only death must dissolue Which rule if Cephalus had obserued hée had preserued him selfe from most irkesome inconueniences But hee at all aduentures ventred vppon one of whom he had no trial but of a litle triflynge loue I like but litle of those mariages which are made in respecte of ritches lesse of those in respect of honours but least of al of those in respecte of hasty foolish and fond affection For soone hot soone colde nothing violent is permanent the cause taken away the effecte vanisheth and when beuty once fadeth whereof this light loue for the most part ariseth goodwill straight fayleth Wel this hot loue she bare him was the only cause of his hasty and heauy bargaine for womanlines she had none her yeres were to young vertue shee had litle it was not vsed in the court modesty shee had not mutch it belongeth not to louers good gouernment and stayed wit shee wanted it is incident to few woomen to bee shorte his choyce was grounded rather vpon her goodlinesse then godlinesse ▪ rather vppon her beauty then vertue rather vppon her affection then discretion But sutch as hee sowed hee reapte sutch as hee sought hee founde sutch as hee bought hee had to wit a witles wenche to his wife Therefore I would wishe my freindes euer to sow that which is sound to seeke that which is sure to buie that which is pure I meane I would haue them in the choice of sutch choyce ware cheifly to respect good conditions and vertue that is the only seed which wil yéeld good increase that is the onely thinge worthy to bee sought that is the only thinge which can not bée too derely bought And who soeuer he bee that in any other respecte whatsoeuer entreth into the holy state of matrimony let him looke for no better a pennyworth then Cephalus had which was a lothsome life and desolate death For within a yeere or two after they had bene maried his fancy was in a manner fully fed and his disordinate desire of her began to decay so that hee beegan plainly to see and rightly to iudge of her nature and disposition which at first the parciality of his loue or rather outrage of his lust would not permit him to perceiue And seeing her retchles regardes and light lookes which shee nowe vsed towardes al men rememberinge therewithall howe lightly hee him selfe won her hee began greatly to doubt of her honest dealinge towardes him and hauing occasion of far iourny and longe absence from her hée wrought this practise to try her truth Hee told her his aboade from her must of necessity bee fourty wéekes but at the halfe yeeres end by that time his haire was wildly growen hee apparelled him self altogether contrary to his wonted guise and by reason of his haire so disguised him selfe that hee was not knowen of any which done his necessary affayres dispatched he returned into his owne country and came to his owne house in manner of a straunger which trauayled the country where hee founde his wife in more sober sorte then hée looked for and receiued sutch courteous entertainment as was conuenient for a guest Hauing soiourned there a day or two at conueniēt time hée attempted her chastity in this sorte If faire Gentlewoman no acquaintance might iustly craue any credite or litle merites great méed I would reporte vnto you the cause of my repaire and craue at your handes the cure of my care but séeinge there is no likelyhoode that either my wordes shalbée beléeued or my woe releeued I thinke better with paine to conceale my sorrow then in vaine to reueale my sute The Gentlewoman somewhat tickled with these triflinge woords was rather desirous to haue him manifest the mistery of his meaning then willing hée should desist from his purpose and therefore gaue him this answere I am Sir of opinion that credite may come diuers wayes besides by acquaintance I my self haue knowen mutch good done to many without desert and therefore if your wordes bée true and your desire due doubte not but you shal bée both credited and cured For the truenesse of my wordes sayth he I appeale to the heauens for witnesse for the duenesse of my desir◠I appeale to your curtesy for iudgment The wordes haue to vtter are these There chaunced not longe since to traueile thorowe the countrie wherein lyeth my liuing a Knighte named Cephalus and though
the report of the porte and house which I mayntaine be not greate yet it is sutch that it sendeth me many guestes in the yéere it pleased this Cephalus to soiourne the space of thrée or foure dayes with mee and in way of talke to pas away the time hée made relation at large vnto mee of his country of his condition and state of his speciall place of abode and dwelling of his landes and liuing and sutch like I demaunded of him whether hee were married saying all those thinges béefore rehearsed were not sufficient to the attaininge of a happy life without a beutiful saire and louing wife With that hée fetcht a deepe sigh sayinge I haue Sir I would you knew a wife whose beuty resēbleth y brightnesse of the sunne whose face doth disgrace all the ladies of Venice yea Venus herselfe whose loue was so excéedinge great towardes mee that béefore I was married vnto her hauinge occasion to goe in Ambassage to the Turke shee almost died at my departure and neuer was rightly reuiued till my returne Good God sayd I how canne you bée so longe absent from so louinge a wife How can any meate doe you good which shee giueth you not How can you sleepe out of her armes It is not lawfull sayth hee for euery man to doe as hee would I must doe as my businesse bindeth mée to doe Besides that euery man is not of like minde in like matters Lastly it is one thing to haue bene happy it is another thing to bée happy For your businesse sayd I it séemeth not to bée great by the good company whiche I thanke you you haue kept mée this foure daies For your minde I know no man that would willingly bée out of the company of sutch a wife For your present happinesse in déed it may bee your wife is dead or that her loue is translated from you to some other No sayth hée shée liueth and I thinke loueth mee but what good doth golde to him that careth not for it And can you sayd I not care for sutch a golden girle Then may I say you haue a wife more faire then fortunate and shée a husbande more fortunate then faythfull Alas sayth hee with teares in his eyes it is my great care that I doe so litle care but no more hereof I beseech you But my bloud beeing inflamed with the commendation which hée gaue to your beuty and pityinge your case to haue so careles a husbande ouer you I lay very importunately vpon him to impart the whole matter vnto mee with mutch adoe I wrung these wordes from him Sir sayth hee I shall desire you to impute my doings not to my fault but to the fates and to thinke that whatsoeuer is done ill it is done against my wil. It is so that I remained married with my wife the terme of two whole yeeres what time I did not only make of her but I made a goddesse of her and rather doltishly doated on her then duely loued her now whether it were the punishment of the gods for my fonde Idolatry committed vnto her or wehther they thought her to good for mée or whether the destinies had otherwise decréed it or whether loue be lost when fancy is once fully fed or whether my nature bée to like nothing long I know not but at the two yeeres ende I beegan sodainly in my harte to hate her as deadly as beefore I loued her déepely yea her very sight was so lothsome vnto mée that I could not by any meanes indure it And bicause her freindes are of great countenance and I had no crime to charge her withal I durst not séeke diuorcement but priuily parted from her pretendinge vrgent affaires which constrained mée therto Hereafter I meane to béestow my self in the warres vnder the Emperour not minding to returne while shée liueth And for my maintenance there I haue taken order secretly with my freinds to conueigh vnto mee yeerely the reuenewes of my lande Thus crauing your secrecy herein I haue reuealed vnto you my carefull case The straungnesse of this tale made mee stand a while in a maze at length I greatly began to blame his disloyalty to conceiue without cause so great disliking where there was so great cause of good likinge But Gentlewoman to confesse the truth vnto you my loue by this time was so great towardes you that I neuer perswaded him to returne vnto you meaning my selfe to take that paine and knowinge him better lost then found being no better vnto you Shortly after this hee departed from mee towarde the Emperours courte and I tooke my iourney hither as you sée And this is the tale I had to tell you Procris hauinge heard this forged tale with diuers alterations and sundry imaginations with her selfe sometime fearing it was true for that hee rightly hyt diuers pointes which had passed betweene her husband and her sometime thinkinge it false for that shee had firme confidence in her husbandes fayth and loyalty towardes her assoone castinge one likelyhoode one way assoone another another way at length fully resoluing with her self that his wordes were vtterly vntrue shee replied vnto them in this sorte Good God I see there is no wool so course but it will take some colour no matter so vnlykely which with wordes may not be made probable nor nothinge so false which dissembling men will not fayne and forge Shall it sinke into my head that Cephalus will forsake mée who did forsake all my freindes to take him Is it likely hee will leaue country kinsfolke freindes landes liuinge and which is most of all a most louinge wife no cause constrayning him therto But what vse I reasons to refell y which one without eyes may sée is but some coyned deuise to cosen mee No sir knight you must vse some other practise to effect your purpose this is to broad to bée beleeued this colour is so course that euery man may sée it and it is so blacke that it will take no other colour to cloud it the thread of your hay is so big that the Connies see it before they come at it your hooke is so longe that the bayt can not hide it and your deuise is to far fetcht to bring your purpose neere to an ende Gentlewoman sayth Cephalus I see it is some mens fortune not be beléeued when they speake truly and others to bee well thought of when they deale falsely which you haue verified in your husbande and mee who doubte of my wordes which are true and not of his deedes which are false And this I thought at the first which made mee doubte to discloase this matter vnto you for I knowe it commonly to bee so that trauaylors wordes are not much trusted neither great matters soone beleeued But when the time of your husbandes returne is expired and hee not come then will you say that Sir Sulahpec for so turning his name hee termed him selfe tolde you true For my part not withstanding the
was done for his misteris sake yf not hee was beecome a carpet Knight if hee fell out with any it was some open enemie to his priuye friend if hee were friendes with all men hee durst displease none least they should detect his doinges to her if hee went curiously in his apparel it was to please his misteries if negligently hee liued in absence if hee ware his haire longe hee mourned beecause hee coulde not bee admitted if shorte he was receiued into fauour if he bought her any apparrell or any other prety trifling trickes it was to please her and a bable for the foole to play with if hee bought her nothinge hee had inough to do to maintaine other in brauery if he entertained any seruant hee was of his misteris preferment if hee put away any hee had some way offended her if hee commended any man hee was out of question his baude if hee praysed any woman shee was no doubte his whore and so of all other his thoughtes wordes and déedes she made this suspicious suppose and ielous interpretation and as the Spider out of most sweet flowers sucketh poyson so shee out of his most louing and friendly déedes towards her picked occasions of quarrell and conceyued causes of hate And so long shee continued in these carefull coniectures that not onely her body was brought low by reasō that her appetite to meate failed her but also she was so disquieted in minde that she was in a manner beesides her selfe whereupon in great pensiuenesse of hart shee fell to preaching to her selfe in this sorte Ah fonde foole wilt thou thus wilfully woorke thine owne wrack and ruine if thy husbande commit treason against thée wilt thou commit murther vpon thy selfe if he consume himselfe away with whores wilt y then consume thy selfe away with cares wilt thou increase his mischief with thine owne misery if he be so wickedly bent it is not my care can cure him for that whiche is bred in the bone will not out of the flesh If hee bee disposed to deale falsly with mée it is not my wary watching which wyll ward him from it for loue deceiued Argus with his two hundred eies If hee should bee forbidden to leaue it hee will vse it the more for our nature is to runne vpon that which is forbidden vs vices the more prohibited the more prouoked and a wilde coult the harder he is rained the hotter he is If I should take him tardy in it it would but encrease his incontinent impudency for beeing once knowne to haue transgressed the lawefull limits of loue and honesty hee would euer after bee carelesse of his good name which hee knew hee could neuer recouer againe And why should I séeke to take him in it should I séeke to know y which I ought not to séeke no not so mutch as to thinke on was euer wight so bewitched to run headlong vpon her owne ruine So long as I know it not it hurteth mee not but if I once certainly knew it God knoweth how sodainly it would abridge my dayes And yet why should I take it so gréeuously am I the first that haue bene so serued Hath not Iuno her selfe sustained the like iniury But I reason with my self as if my husband were manifestly conuicted of this crime who perchaunce good Gentleman bée as innocent in thought as I wrongfully thinke him to bée nocent in déede for to consider aduisedly of the matter there is not so mutch as any likelyhood to lead mee to any sutch leud opinion of him hee vseth mee honestly hee mantayneth mée honorably hée loueth mee better then my leude dealinge toward him hath deserued No it is mine owne vnworthynesse that maketh mee thinke I am not worthy the proper possession of so proper a Gentleman it is myne owne lustful desire that maketh mee afrayde to loose any thing it is myne owne weakenesse y maketh mée so suspicious of wronge it is mine owne incontinency which maketh mée iudge him by my selfe Well the price of my preiudiciall doings towardes him is almost paide and if paine be a punishment then haue I indured a most painfull punishment but let this déere bought wit doe mee some good let mee now at length learne to bee wise and not to thinke of euils before they come not to feare them béefore I haue cause not to doubte of them in whom is no doublynge nor to mistruste them in whom is no treason and faithfully to loue him that vnfainedly loueth mée After this shee indeuoured to do sutch fonde toyes foorth of her head for a while shée liued louingly and quietly with her husband but sodaynly by reason of one looke which hée cast vpon one of his neighbours shée fell into her olde vayne of vanitie agayne And as second fallynge into sicknesse is euer most daungerous so now her folly was growen to sutch furie and her disease so incurable that shée could not conceale it any longer but flatly tolde her husbande to his teeth that she thought hee did misuse her Cephalus knowyng his owne innocencie and seeyng her imbecillitie gently prayed her not to conceiue any sutch euill opinion of him saying If neither regarde of God neither respect of men neither reuerence of the reuerent state of marriage could feare mée from sutch filthinesse yet assure your selfe the loyal loue I beare you would let mee from sutch lasciuiousnesse For béeleeue me your person pleaseth mee so well that I thinke my selfe sweetly satisfied therewith Yea if Venus her selfe should chaunce vnto my choice I am perswaded I should not prefer her béefore you For as her beutie would intisingly draw me to her so my dutie wold necessarily driue mee to you Therfore good wife trouble not your selfe with sutch toyes which will but bréede your owne vnrest and my disquiet your torment my trouble yea and in time perchance both our vntimely deathes Let Deinyra bée a president for you who suspecting her husband Hercules of spouse breache sent him a shert died with the bloud of the Centaure Messus who tolde her that shert had vertue to reuiue loue almost mortified but Hercules had no sooner put it on but it stocke fast to his flesh fried him to death as if it had been a furie of hell Which when shée knew with her owne hands shée wrought her owne destruction See y vnworthy end which that monster ielousy brought this worthy couple too foresee sweet wife that it bring not vs to the like bane These wordes could worke no effect with her but rather increased her suspition perswading her selfe that as in faire painted pots poyson ofte is put and in goodly sumptuous sepulchers rotten boanes are ryfe so fairest wordes are euer fullest of falshood Yea the more curteous hée shewed him selfe the more culpable shee thought him to bée Which Cephalus seeing bicause hee would take away all causes of suspition abandoned all good company and spent his time so lytarily hunting in the wooddes and séekinge the spoyle of
On her chéekes the Lilly and the Rose did striue for interchange of hew her haire cumly curld glistered lyke golde her pierceinge eies twinckled like starres her alabaster teeth stoode as a ranke of precious pearles her ruddy lippes were soft and sweete her handes fine and white yea all her partes so perfectly proportioned that nature sought to winne great commendation in caruing so cunningly so curious a carkas But as a rusty Rapier is no trusty Rampier to defende a man though the Scabbord bee of fine veluet so a woman with foule conditions is coursly to bee accounted of though her face bee faire and body bewtifull But destinies so draue that this King by chaunce cast a glaunce vpon this gorgious goddes and at the first view was so vanquished by vanitie that hee thought his life no longer pleasaunt vnto hym then hee was in her sight And fayled not dayly familierly to frequent the misteris company for the maides cause And hauing attempted her chastitie by shewing her his great goodwyll by beestowinge on her great giftes by large promises of preferment and many other meanes and neuerthelesse fayling of his purpose in pensiue perplexitie fell to parley with himselfe to this purpose I euer heretofore thought a Princes life to bee voyde of strife and that they had alwaies passed their time in pleasure without paine but now I sée wee are subiect to sorow so soone as the meanest subiect we haue Lykewise beefore this I was of opinion that number of frindes aboundinge in wealth abidinge in health and sutch lyke things which pertaine to the body were sufficient to attaine to a happy life in this lyfe but now I see it is the minde whiche maketh mirth and stirreth strife yea the contented minde is the onely ritches the onely quietnes the onely happinesse Good God how vnsauery seeme those sweete meats vnto mee wherein I was woont to delight how vnpleasāt are y sports wherin I was woont to take pleasure how cūbersome is y cōpany which was woont to content mee no game glads mee no daunsing delights mee no iusting ioyes mée no playes please me no triumphes no shewes no hauking no hunting no nothing vnder the Sunne doth solace mee And would I know the cause why I haue not a contented minde the perfect parts of Pasiphae do so diuersly distract my minde that only her sight is swéete onely her company is comfortable onely her presence is pleasaunt vnto mee And would I know the cause why in her y fates haue fixed my felicitie in her the heauens haue heaped my happinesse with her must I liue and without her must I die Why I haue pursued her goodwil with praiers and with presentes with loue and with liberalitie with gifts and with goodwill and yet am neuer the néere And would I know the cause why I sought not her goodwill in the way of marriage Only marriage is the meane only wedlock must locke and lincke vs together And shal I so much debase the height of my estate as to match in mariage with so meane a mate as though many princes haue not as meanely matcht themselues as though the Gods thēselues haue not maried with earthly creatures And for my Pasiphae though shee bee inferriour to me in parentage yet in personage shee is good inough for God himselfe And for her dowry or wealth what neede I way it who haue the most part of the world vnder my dominion no there shall no regard of honour or respecte of ritches detaine mee from that which doth only containe the contentment of my minde And in this minde ment to attempt her in the way of marriage but runninge frō Charibdis hee rusht vppon Scilla flying from one rocke hee fell vppon another thinkinge to quench the coales of his desyre hee fell into hot flames of burninge fier as hereafter you shall heare Now so soone as hee had oportunitie offered him hee made Pasiphae partaker of his purpose in these termes Séeing the onely touchstone to trie true and loyall loue from lothsome lust is marriage I meane if you bee content to consent therto to seale the sincere affectiō I beare you with the sacred ceremonyes and holly rites of matrimony and as I haue preferred your loue beefore all worldli respects so I trust you wil return my loue with such loyalty that I shall haue cause to count my selfe as well matcht as if I had married with the greatest princesse in the world Pasiphae hearing these wordes was so rauished with ioy that shée could not on the sodaine make the kinge an answere but hauing chaunged colour twice or thrise from red to white and from white to red in token of a minde mooued with hope assayled with feare and passioned with pleasure at length shée sayd vnto him As most worthy prince I euer thought my selfe far vnworthy of any sutch honour so if it please your highnes plainly to heare the truth I euer thought my selfe far to worthy to yéeld to your desire in the way of wickednesse which was the cause I made so course account of your curtesy heretofore But seeinge it hath pleased you to lodge your loue thu◠low and to thinke mée worthy the honour of wedlocke with so worthy a wight assure your selfe your maiesty shall finde mée in loue so loyall and in obedience so dutifull towardes you that in the one I wil supply the part of a louing wife and in the other satisfie the duty of a diligent handmayd Neither would I you should thinke that it is the name of a queene or estate of a prince y winneth mee thus willingly to your will for I know that name to bee vaine and that estate full of paine but it is your exceedinge loue towardes mee O noble prince that linketh my lykinge with yours it is your incomparable curtesy which forceth mee to yeelde the forte of my fayth and virginity into your handes For as the sunne the higher it doth ascende in the firmament the more heate it doth extend to the earth so vertue and curtesy in the more high and princely person it is placed the more force it hath to win the wils binde the heartes of people to imbrace it And as my loue is grounded vpon your vertue so I trust so to behaue my selfe that hereafter you shall haue as great lyking to my conditions and vertue as now you haue loue to my colour and beuty that when yéeres shal take away the pleasure of y one you may take delight solace in the other The king was so déepely delighted with this dutifull discourse that hee had not a woorde to reply but satisfiyng him selfe for the time with a few swéete kisses presently gaue commaundement to his officers to make preparation for the sumptuous celebrating of his mariage which shortly after was consummated with sutch royalty as is requisite in a matter of sutch maiesty So this married couple consumed two or three yeres in the highest degrée of happinesse But the sunne
for that in nature and conditions there is sutche difference beetwéene vs But repentaunce now commeth to late this only resteth to bee foreséene that vnto the greate greife which mine owne conceite procureth me her abuse adde not infamy and dishonour And if the heauens haue assigned mee sutch heauy fate as due to my doatinge desyre yet this at least let mée take heede that with the losse of her owne honour shee procure not the losse of my lyfe And herevpon appointed certaine of his assured friends to haue the custody and kéeping of the queene who seeinge her selfe thus disloyally without cause abridged of her liberty béegan to curse the time that euer shée came to bee quéene wishing shee had continued in meaner callinge with fruition of liberty rather then to sit in chayre of dignity with suspicion of dishonesty What pleasure sayth shee doth my princely estate procure mee whiche must liue as a prisoner Who wil honour mee for queen which am suspected for a queane and harlot How shall I dare to shew my face in the Courte when the kinge doubteth of my dealinge towardes him My lookes haue not bene so light my curtesie hath not bene so common my glaunces haue not bene so garish wherby hee shoulde enter into this sinister suspicion of mee But loue they say is light of beeleefe and ielousy is grounded vpon loue Auant fond foolish loue God send my husbande rather to hate me then to beare mée any such loue which bereueth him of rest and mee of renowme which breaketh the bond of faythfull freindship and intire amity betwéen vs which causeth him to doubt mee and mee to dread him which maketh both our liues so lothsome that I wishe death to dispatch ether the one of vs or the other But this froward fate I must ascribe only to mine owne fault and fraud towardes Verecundus who hath now iust cause to triumph that I my selfe am fallen into the pit I digged for him Wel I must retire to patience perforce and hange in hope of some good hap to redresse my woe and misery But you shall vnderstand Gentlewomen this was not all her punnishment nay this was but a trifle in respecte of that which after followed a matter in haynousnesse so horrible in desire so detestable and in lust so lothsome that it is no lesse strange to bée tolde then hard to bée beléeued so that I thinke my wordes will rather carry wonder then credite with you For whether it were gods plague for y husbands ielousy or for her iolity pride and subtelty I know not but thus it pleased him to suffer the diuell to deale with her Beeing by her husbandes commaundement in his absence kept from company her cheife solace was to walke in a pleasaunt groue ioyned to her palaice where vsed to feed a heard of beasts amongest which was a goodly white bull I dare not say shee fell in loue with the bull least I should driue you rather to laughinge at my story then listninge to it but surely so it was Yea shee was not only in loue with the beast and went euery morninge and with her owne hands brake downe boughes for him to brouse vpon but which was more shee was ielous ouer him for what cow in all the herd shee saw hee liked best shee caused to bée had from the heard and killed as she pretended for sacrifice but in deed for fatisfiyng her ielous minde And as the beast was opening shee would take the inwardes in her hand saying now goe thy way and please my loue if thou canst And taking delight a while in this daliance at length her lust grew to sutch outrage that shee felt in her selfe an impossibility to continue her cursed life without the carnall company of the bull And notwithstandinge shee assayed the assistaunce of reason the pollicy of perswations the helpe of herbes and the meane of medicines to mortyfy her beastly desire to the beast yet nothinge would preuayle yea beeinge often in minde to make her selfe away her hart would not suffer her hands to doe it not that death feared her but that desyre forced her first to fulfil her filthy lust But GentlewomeÌ„ because you shal not enter into colorick conceites against me for publishing in this presence a hystorie whiche seemeth so mutch to sounde to the shame of your sexe I meane not to iustifie the truth of it but rather will proue it false by the opinioÌ„ of one Seruius who writeth that Pasiphae indéede played false with one Taurus which signifieth a Bul secretary to her husband in the house of Dedalus and after being delyuered had two sonnes the one lyke Minos the other lyke Taurus and therevpon the Poets faigned the fable aforesaide but whether béeing a woman shee vsed the carnall company of a beast or whether lyke a lewde wife shee gaue her husbande the badge of a beast her offence was sutch that I cannot though gladly I woulde excuse it Yet must I néedes say that in my fancy her husbande deserued some blame for no doubt his suspicion without cause caused her in sutche sorte to transgresse marriage lawes For seeing her honestie doubted of and her good name as good as losâ—e shee thought as good to bee naught for somewhat as to bee thought naught for nothing And surely the experience is to common y suspicion and slaunder maketh many to bee that which they neuer ment to bee But some are of this foolish opinion that it is simple and sottishe folly for a woman to deale truly with him whiche dealeth ielously and cruelly with her some againe lewdly thinke y if a woman cannot coÌ„ceiue by her husband y she may lawfully enter into coÌ„uer sation with some other some wickedly wéene that if the husbande bee not able to satisfie the insatiable desyre of his wife that to auoyde concupiscence shee may communicate with some other but surely Gentlewomen I am setled in this opinion that no suspicion or ielousie ought to cause a woman to transgresse the boundes of honesty that rhastitie is the only Iewell which women ought to bee chary of that women hauinge lost their chastitie are like broken glasses which are good for nothing that they make shipwrack of all if the cabels of constancie be once crakt the anchors of honestie slipt y it is better for theÌ„ to be fooles then false to be simple then subtil to be doues then diuels to be abused then abuse y it is better for theÌ„ to be barren then beastly to bée without fruite then faith children then chastitie that concupisence is only to desire other besides their husbandes that they which burne in sutch desire shall burne in hell fire y no adultresse shall inherite the kingdome of heauen that all women ought to bee like y matronesse of Rome which knew y sauour of no mans breath but of her husbandes like the wife of Fuluius Torquatus who died with longinge rather then shée would goe forth of her chaumber in
haue heard of some that haue beene so possest with melancholy passions that they haue thought themselues to bee made of glasse and if they had gone in any streete they would not come neere any wall or house for feare of breaking them selues and so it may bee that this Pigmalion thought him selfe some stoane and knowinge that like agree best with their like hee thought he could make no better a match then to match him self to a stone Or it may bee hee was one of those whom after the generall floud as Ouid reporteth Ducalion his wife Pirraha made by casting stoanes at their backes and then no meruaile though hee beare meruaylous affectioÌ„ to stones beeing made of stoanes Or whether his religion were to loue images I know not neither is it any more to be meruayled at in him then in an infinite nuÌ„ber y liue at this day which loue images right well verely perswade theÌ„selues y images haue power to pray for them help them to heauen Or whether it proceeded of this that euery one is lightly in loue with that which is his owne I knowe not but this I read reported of him that when neither by the feelinge of his sences neither by the force of reason â–ª neither by the assistance of time neither by any other meane hee could rid his tender heart of this stoany loue hee tooke his image and layd it in his bed as if it had bene his birde which done hee went to the temple of Venus there sendinge vp sighes for sacrifices and vttering his passions in steed of prayers rufully repentinge his former rebellion against the maiesty of the Goddesse Venus for that hee had blasphemed wickedly against women and neglected the lawes and lore of loue and sought to lodge himselfe in liberty hee humbly requested her now to rue his ruthles case and hee would remaine her thrall all the dayes of his life after And that if it seemed good to her godhead to giue him a wife that shee might bee hee durst not say his image but like vnto his image Venus very wel knowing what he ment by this request remembring also the wrong which Penthea beefore had profred him for that hee loued her loyally the space of three or foure yeres with out any rewarde except it were double disseÌ„bling for his singuler affection therfore had some reason to rage against women as he did she thought her self bound in conscience to cure his calamity and seeinge how Idolatrously hee was addicted to his Image shée put life into it and made it a perfect woman The like miracles wée haue had many wrought within these fewe yeres when images haue béene made to bow their heads to holde out their handes to wéepe to speake c. But to Pigmalion who hauing done his deuotions returned to his lodging and there according to custome fell to kissing his Image which séemed vnto him to blush thereat and taking better taste of her lips they began to waxe very soft and sweete and entringe into deeper dalâ—aunce with her shée bad him leaue for shame and was presently turned to a perfecte proper maide Which hée séeinge magnified the might and power of Venus ioyfully tooke this maide vnto his wife And so they liued together long time in great ioy and felicitie You haue heard Gentlewomen what broad blasphemie y ficklenes of Penthea caused vnworthily to be blown forth against you all wherefore to auoide the like I am to admonish you that you prefer not new fangle freindes beèfore olde faythfull freindes that you neither lightly leaue the one neither lightly loue the other for it is great lightnesse to doe either the one or the other And beesides the incurring of the blot of inconstancy and wauering it is very perilous for you to commit your selues your secrets to those of whose trustines you haue made no trial For all is not golde which glistereth counterfayte coine sheweth more goodly then the good and it is most easy to deceiue vnder the name of a freind The common saying is the chaunge is seldome made for the better and your owne sayinge is that of your seruauntes you had rather kéepe those whom you know though with some faultes then take those whom you knowe not perchaunce with moe faultes How mutch more then ought faythfull freindes to bee kept and accounted of whom you know to bee perfectly good They are not surely for any chance to beè chaunged they are not for any respect to bee reiected they are the only Iewels to bee ioyed in the onely perles to bee preserued the only pillers to bee trusted to Wee like a picture made in marble better then in waxe bicause it will last longer wee like the ritch Diamonde chiefly bicause it lasteth longe and will not lightly lose it bright hew so likewise you ought to like those freindes best which last longest haue liued longest with you For you must coÌ„sider true freinds are not like new garmeÌ„ts which will be the worse for wearing they are rather like the stoane of Scilicia which the more it is beaten the harder it is or like spices which the more they are pounded the swéeter they are or like many wines whiche the older they are the better they are But to leaue true friendship and come to trifling friendship consisting in pleasant priuie practises I would wish those women which deale that way although they beé no sheepe of my flocke yet for their sexe sake I wish them wel I mould I say aduise them to vse wary héed in ridding away those freinds they are weary of It is a daungerous peece of worke and importeth as mutch as their good name commeth to for if they shall without discretion and great cause disclaime a mans freindship it is the next way onlesse his gouernment of himselfe bée very great to make him proclayme what freindship hee hath had of them in times past This was it whiche made Fausline so famous as shee was thiâ— is it which blazed the bruite of Blanch maria thorowe out the world And surely I know not well what counsayle to giue in this case it is a matter of harde digestion to a man to see her become straunge to him who was wonte to bee most familier with him to haue her his enemy who was wont to be his freind Therfore I would aduise them to sticke to their old freindes still but if they cannot frame their fickle nature to sutch firmenes the best way is by litle and litle to estraunge them selues from their freindes to pretend some ernest or honest cause to professe that neuer any other shall possesse that place with theÌ„ to promise that in hart they wil be theirs during life Alexius ALEXIVs giuen ernestly to follow the studie of his booke and the knowledge of the liberall Sciences is diligently exhorted by his father to take a wife whereunto though vnwillinge hee applyeth himselfe and is matched with sutch a one that in respect of
her good graces he vttereth great commendation of woman kinde But shortly after fallinge into lothinge of that which beefore hee most loued hee repenteth himselfe of his bargaine and forsaking both house wife and all worldly pleasures consumeth the remainder of his life in Pilgrimage and traueile CIcero was of this opinion that the greatest doubt which doth most déepely distresse a younge man is to determine with himselfe what life in this life it bee best to enter into wherein no doubt hee had reason for beesides the diuersitie of liues which are to bee chosen there is sutch a confused Chaos of conceits in yong mens heads that our wits are confounded with them are lost as it were in a Labyrinth not findinge any way out so that if we chaunce to enter into this deliberation we are assonâ— in one vaine as soone in another and so many vaines so many vanities if vertue draweth vs one way vice driueth vs another way if profite perswade one way pleasure prouoketh vs another way if wit way one way will wresteth another way if friends counsel one way fancy forceth vs another way yea some lyke Horace his guestes are so daintily disposed that no lyfe at al wil like them Kingdomes they say are but cares in honour is enuie no maiestie in meane estate penury in pouertie in single lyfe solitarinesse in marriage troubles and touching studies and faculties diuinitie is contemptuous Phisick filthy law laboursome touchinge other trades of life marchandise is but base the country life is clownish warfare is dangerous in trauaile is perrill liuinge at home is obscure yea what life so euer it bee they count it lothsome so that it is hard sor them to resolue vpon any one who can frame them selues to fancy none But for sutch as couét to bee of the corporation of the common wealth and to bee profitable members thereof I thinke these two points in this choice of our life chiefly to be coÌ„sidered First that we apply ourselues to that life wherto by nature we are chiefely inclined for it is not possible well to goe forward in any thing Inuita Minerua nature not consenting therto Then not so to addict our selues to any one lyfe but that wee may adopt our selues to another if néede shall require For no man is so surely setled in any estate but that fortune may frame alteration like as no ship sayleth so directly to the wisshed hauen but that some contrary winde may conuert her course against the wrackfull rocks Which may bee iustified by the example of a younge Gentleman named Alexius who béeing setled in a stedfast state of lyfe as was to bee thought yet was hee driuen to change and change againe For first béeing desirous to passe the pilgrimage of this short life in pleasure hee auoyded so néere as heé could al worldly vanities reposing his chiefe pleasure in serching out the sacred skill of learned books so that studie was his only pleasure in prosperitie his onely solaco in aduersitie his only exercise beeing freshe his only refreshing beeing wery his only sport his only play And notwithstanding hee had good skill in hauking huntinge diceing carding with sutch lyke and somtime for recroation sake vsed them yet hee counted all those pastimes a paine in the respect of the pleasure whiche study procured hym His Father séeinge him setled in this solitary life séemed to mislyke thereof and disswaded hym from it in this sorte I sée sonne there is nothinge so good but by il vsing may bée made naught and true that sayinge is that euery excesse is turned into vice I meane your study whiche of it selfe is lawdable yet the immoderate vse therof makeeth it rather to bee reprehended then commended and while you séeke your owne carelesse securitie you neglect your countries commoditie and liue lyke a drone by the hony of other mens handes and by the swéete of other mens swet For you must know al the praise of vertue consisteth in doing from the which to be withdrawn with the doubt of daunger or trouble is a signe of one which preferreth his owne priuate safetie beefore the common societie And yet he y wil not indeuour to defend other is commonly left destitute of help himselfe What wonne Archimedes by his earnest study who while Marcellus woonne his citie Syracusis was so busily drawing figures of Geometry in the ground that he knew not the citie was taken and Marcellus sendinge for him to come vnto him hee answered hee woulde not come vntill hee had finished his figures wherupon the messenger in a great rage finished his life An ende fit for all sutch who to satisfie their owne mindes wyll not satisfie their duties to their rulers Country and common wealth Therefore I thinke good you leaue this labourlesse life and to enter into the worlde and take a wife whereby you may beecome a profitable and fruitfull member of your country You knowe the law maker Lycurgus valued in a maner with manâ—ears those which would of set purpose abide barren saying that hee did in a maner depriue a man of lyfe which did not helpe to bringe a man into this life when hee might and the difference is litle beetwéene doynge an iniury and sufferinge an iniurie to bee done when one may prohibite it You know also the reproche which he suffered that ancient vnmaried captaine Dercillidas to receiue who passing by a yonge princocks had no reuerence done vnto him whiche amongst the Lacedemonians was the greatest dishonour that might be the Captaine complayning hereof the young man answered him why sir you haue got none which may do reuerence to mee when I come to age and therefore it is no reason you receiue that honour at my handes which answere Lycurgus allowed of thinkinge none worse Citizens then sutch as woulde not marry Wherefore if you will auoyde the like inconuenience and frame your selfe to enter into that honorable state I will depart with sutch part of my liuing vnto you that you shal be able to liue in good credit and countenance in your cuntry and haue cause to think your life as pleasaunt as this you now leade Alexius hauinge diligently giuen eare to his fathers wordes dutifully made answere in this sort Sir if it please you I am of this opinion that a good thinge can not bée to mutch vsed and that the more common it is the more commendable it is neither is it possible to séeke learning to mutch whereof there was neuer any man yet but had to litle and I thinke it shame to cease from séeking when the thinge sought is the onely thing worthy to bée thought For what toyle can séeme tedious to finde the way to wit and path to prudency the line of life and vaine of vertue And for the commodity of my country I doubt not but you know that the studious standithe common wealth in as great steed as the industrious otherwise Yea who first brought men within the compasse of a
cases and ioyninge of genders together And this was the lesson in déede that liked him this hée thought y lesson of al lesson y only lessoÌ„ which led to perfect learning y only instructioÌ„ which truly taught right construction the onely lesson of lyfe the only pathway to Paradise This lesson hée soone had learned and yet thought with himself that hée neuer had sufficiently learned it which made him in short time make repetition of it a thousand times And for recreation after his study his exercise alwayes was either to triumph of his owne happinesse either to trisle and talke with his misteris either in verse curiously to commende her or els in prose liuely to paint foorth the praise of women and amongst many other his frantick fancies hée presented in writing to his wife this mutch in effect As it somewhat easeth the afflicted to vtter their annoy so no doubt it greatly increaseth our happinesse to expresse our ioy And I am perswaded that al the delightfull things we sée all the ioyfull things we heare and all the pleasaunt thinges we feele woulde procure vs litle pleasure if we had no meanes to manifest theÌ„ or freinds to impart them to Therefore I will vnfolde my ioyes to my ioy my pleasures to my Peragon my mirth to my mistris For who euer swamme in sutch seas of delight who euer bathed in more perfect blis for first what could I haue wished more of God then to haue mine owne Father the author the béeginner the perswader the practiser the furtherer and the finisher of my felicitie to impart vnto mée his counsayle to depart with his coyne to geue mée his goods to leaue me his lands to do more for me then I had ether reasoÌ„ to require or so mutch as durst to desire O Father thou only knowest how to blesse thy children then what more happines could happeÌ„ vnto me then to haue a wife whose countenance coueteth only to content mée whose lookes are framed only to my lykinge whose wordes are only wrested to my wyll whose deedes are only directed to my delight whose beautie then the sun beames is more bright whose bounty wit and vertue is more rare then to be comprehended in a mortal wight who in shape Venus in wit passeth Pallas her selfe who is the only starre which giueth right light who is the only worship of the worlde the only honour of her age the only Phaenix of the earth whose gouernment is sutch that she can guide her selfe wisely in all companies in all causes whose discretion is sutch that shee can applie herselfe fitly to all times to all places to all persons who loueth mée so loyally that I cannot but like it who honoureth mee so dutifully that I cannot looke for more who at all times entertaineth mée so curteously that I cannot but bee content with it who dayly filleth my eares with sutch sugred words that they can not but delight mée who at borde feedeth mée so daintily that a prince would bée pleased with it who at bed feasteth mee so delicately that Cupid him selfe would bée glad of it O Misteris thou only knowest how to make thy husband happy But what meruayle is it to sée a good trée bring forth good fruit what wonder is it to sée one woman good when there are none ill And how is it possible there should bée any ill when y matter wherof they are made causes wherof they come are right good For first they are made of the purified mettall of man wheras man was made of y grosse earth And as in stils out of herbs is gotten pure water so out of man was gotten y pure mettall of women as may bée plainly perceiued by the finenesse of their fourme by the softnesse of their flesh by the clerenesse of their colour sutch like TheÌ„ for the constitution of their bodies they are most coÌ„monly colde by reason wherof they are most patient modest milde and mercifull most constant without lightnesse most continent without leudnesse neither offende either in excesse of meate either in fleshly heate so often as men of firy and hot complexions doe Besides that the purity of their bodies may bée perceiued by this that no corruption comminge by the grosenesse of meat or otherwise can continue long within them but that they haue continually euacuation of all yll humours sutch force hath that which is fine to expel that which is filthy And as their bodies are most perfecte so also their soules are most pure For wheras men receiue from Adam origynall sinne women are altogether voide of that infection which may be partly coniectured by the excellency of many of their complexions cleerenes of their skins so that no man almost would think y there could lurke any lothsomnes to be misliked of vnder so cumly a couert as their faire faces are but only they y haue proued the contrarie But notwithstaÌ„ding this perfectioÌ„ wherw t they are indued yet as things most excelleÌ„t are euer most enuied their want not those which want so mutch gouernmente that they will not sticke ernestly to inueigh against the noble feminine sexe and amongest the rest as who is so bold as blind bayard Mantuan like a mad man most rudely and rashly raueth and rayleth against them But his wordes are so voyde of wit and his railing so without reason that if hee were aliue I thinke him rather with tormentes to bee confounded then with argumentes to bee confuted Before him Aristotle as an Asse sotted with ouer mutch studdy maketh a great speake sayinge women are monsters in nature and he alleageth a profound reason to proue it for that nature forsooth alwayes intendeth to bringe forth that which is most perfect and therfore would bring forth only men if shee might Apythy argumente hee reasoneth as though it were graunted him that men were more perfecte then women which with all his philosophy hee shall neuer bee able to proue And if hee make this reason that the male is euer more perfect then the female nature her selfe will quickly confute him who in most of her creatures hath made the female far more perfect then the male And not to vse many instances what need wee goe any farther then consider the kinde of Hawkes where wee shall see the Goshauke far better then the Tossell the Gerfaulcon then the Gerkin the Lanar then the Lanaret the Sparâ—hauke then the Musket and so of all the rest But Aristotle can make a better reason for that women by mutuall coniunctions receiue their perfection from men a reason truely without all reason What woman was euer more perfecte then the virgin Mary who neuer knew man Then the Romaine vestall virgins Then our vowed virgins who continued the whole course of their life without the company of men But Ceny forsooth beeinge a mayd desired to bee made a man But will you know the cause Not for that shee coueted to bee of the kinde of man but that shee might
and women is as mutch difference as beetweene light and darknesse beetween vertue and vice beetweene God and the diuell Therfore séeing women excell men in perfection of body soule in wit and gouernment in courage in learning in life conuersation what merueile is it if my misteris make mee happie what wonder is it if she winne mee to her wil what méede do I deserue if I serue her all the daies of my life For duty no doubte is due vnto her and I thinke my seruice not sufficient to shew the goodwil which I am bounde to beare her You haue harde Gentlewomen what praise Alexius for his misteris sake hath bestowed vppon you all whiche I doubt wil driue you into so good an opiniō of your selues that you will thinke so meane a man as my selfe not worthy of your company but I would wish you to take héede for in so doyng you might shew your selues to want that wit and curtesie whiche Alexius hath attributed vnto you and if you prooue him false in one poynte it is as likely he hath lyed in all the rest But to speake my fancie fréely of the praise which hee hath geuen you though some particuler examples bée so manifestly true that all the world doth acknowledge them yet his general reasons are altogether sophisticall and full of fallacies set forth without any liuely colour only with fayning painting and the fine Marble you know needeth no painting that is néedfull only for ragged walles I meane not that hée ment women were ragged walles and therfore painted them out in sutch sort but surely the sequele of his dooings was sutch that it euidently appeared hee thought not so well of women in déede as hée set foorth in wordes For hauing as I sayd béefore often saide his lesson of the coniunction of cases genders together vpon the booke and either séeing it impossible to attaine it without the booke either béeinge wery with the often repetition of it either seing there was no end in it or els béeing desirous to learne farther and take foorth a new lesson he left this lesson with dispaire and procéeded to the declensons hee beganne now to decline which lesson hee sayde to himselfe in this sort Good God I sée there is satietie of all thinges Hony it selfe if one haue to mutch of it séemeth nothing swéete vnto him How vnpleasant now séemeth the pleasure of practising with my misteris which but euen now I thought heauenly happinesse How are my firy flames vanished to dead coales How is my lust turned to lothsomenesse but what shoulde be the cause of this sodaine alteration The beauty of my misteris blazeth as brightly as euer it did her affection towards me is as feruent as euer it was and my flesh as apt to follow folly as euer it was The cause is this I perceiue by this pleasure of the body my minde to be molested I sée that by this vanitie vice hath vanquished vertue in mee I se hereby my wit dulled my vnderstanding blinded my memorie weakned my sences sotted and all my parts able to play but one part which is pleasantly to practise with my misteris I sée hereby all exercise of vertue al respect of religion all care of godlinesse vtterly extinguished in mée I sée pleasure the very pathway to perdition I sée women the way to wrack and ruine Which seeinge I see shall I wilfully woorke mine owne destruction shal I greedely deuoure the baite whiche I knowe hath a hooke hidden in it to hurt mee shal I frequent y pleasure which I know wil turne to poyson shal I continue her company which wil conuert to my confusion shal I with the Dog redire ad vomitum shall I with the diuell dessendere ad infernum shal I preferre a faire wife before a verthous life my goddesse before my God transitory pleasure béefore eternall blisse No let me first séeke my beloued who is gon downe into his garden to the beds of his spicerie to gather vp Lilies and then shall I know how to loue my earthly beloued as I ought to doe First let mee lay vp for my self treasure in heauen and then shall I inioy true pleasure in earth First let mee seeke the heauenly kingdom and then shal I abound in earthly blisse First let me learne to serue my Lorde aright and then shall I serue my Lady without any vayne delight Euer after this this Gentleman gaue himself to sutch godlynesse that he gaue ouer all vaine delights of the flesh reposing his cheifest pleasure in diuine contemplations and seeing the sight of his sweet Misteris to be a great hinderance to his heauenly cogitations hée altogether separated himself from her companie left freindes and country and spent the remaindour of his life in pilgrimage trauel You Gentlemen may learne hereby not to doate to mutch of wiues or women but to vse them as necessary euils and that if you be bidden to the heauenly banquet you ought not to returne answer that you haue married a wife and therfore cannot come but rather to forsake wife and wealth take vp the crosse of Christ and follow him as Alexius did You Gentlewomen may also learne hereby not to repose any permanent pleasure in practising with your husbands but only to vse their companie as a solace to swéeten y sowernesse of this life withal and to thinke that sutch supersticions loue towards your husbands doth withdraw you frō the true loue which you ought to beare towards god But I could preache better to you in a more pleasant matter I wil leaue this text to maister parson who while he is vnmaried I warrant you will disswade you so earnestly from sutch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doting on your husbands that hée will not sticke to tell you béesides that you ought to haue no respect of persons ▪ 〈◊〉 to loue an other man or him selfe so well as your husband◠▪ FINIS Printed at London by R. W.
vpon the Queene tooke a troupe of women with her and gat to the graunge where Philo. was brake open the doores and brought her home with her to her Palaice and there they two the one with signes and the other with woords entred into consultation how to bée reuenged on the trecherie of Tereus and surely if a man bee disposed to do his enemy a displeasure in déed if he folow my counsayle let him folow the counsayle of a woman nay all the Deuils in Hell could not so haue tormented Tereus as they did so that I thinke your selues wil say her fury excéeded his folly and her seuerity in punishyng his crueltie in offendyng For he had by her one only swéete sunne named Itys My tounge is not able to tell aâ—d my hart rendes in twayne to thinke that a reasonable creature should so rage in rigour that a woman should so want compassion that a mother should woorke sutch mischiefe to her owne childe For as I was about to tell you shée had by her husband one onely sonne and shée his owne mother miserably mente to murther him therby to bee reuenged on her husband O ruthlesse rage O merciles mother I haue read of a woman named Althea who wrought the death of her owne sonne Meleager for that hee before had slaine two or three of her bretheren likewise Agaue helped to teare in péeces her own sonne Penâ—hey for that hee would not do honour to the god Bacchus but for a mother to murther to mangle to make mans meate of her own childe beeing an innocent an infant that neuer did or thought amisse who euer heard any thing more monstrous in nature more beastly in Tiranny or more blouddy in cruelty For marke the manner of this murther as her sister and shee sate in her priuy chaumber meditatinge of this mischeife in came Itys the prety elfe beeing two or three yeeres of age and seeing his mother sit sadly sayd vnto her Mam how doost why doest weepe and tooke her about the necke and kist her saying I will goe call my dad to come and play with thee but shee like a tirannous Tiger â—long him from her saying Away impe of impiety how like thy father thou art not onely in fauour but in slattery also I will make thee make thy Dad sport shortly the infant rose againe and came run dugling to her saying why do you beate me mam I haue learned my Criscrosse to day so I haue and my father sayth hee wil buie mee a golden ceate and then you shannot kisse mee so you shannot but this trisling daliance could not turne her diuelishnesse But O dreadfull déede O lamentable case shee tooke her prety babe by the heare of the heade and drew him into a priuy corner prouided for the purpose and first cruelly cut of his harmeles head then butcherly quartered his comely carkas and betweene her sister and her dressed it in order of meate which done as the custome was in those feastes of Bacchus shee sent for the kinge her husband to suppe with her and set beefore him for the first seruice his owne sun Who after hee had fiercely fed on his owne fleshe and filled his belly with his owne bowels hee asked for his litle sonne Iâ—ys the queene answered why do you not se him I am sure you feele him and as he stared about the chamber to haue seene him out stept Philomela from behinde a cloath of Arras and slang the childes head in the fathers face wherby hee knew what banquet hee had bene bid to and so soone as his sences were come to him which that sower sight had taken away hée drew his rapier and thought to haue offered vp the bloud of his wife and her sister for a sacrifice vnto his sonne but they fled from him and as Ouid reporteth were turned into birds meaninge they were not worthy humaine shape or the vse of reason which were sutch cruell monsters altogether deuoyd of ruth and reason It were hard here gentlewoman for you to giue sentence who more offended of the husband or the wife seeing the dooinges of both the one and the other néere in the highest degrée of diuelishnesse such vnbridled lust and beastly cruelty in him sutch monsterous mischiefe and murther in her in him sutch treason in her sutch trechery in him sutch falsenesse in her sutch furiousnesse in him sutch deuilish desire in her sutch reuengful ire in him sutch hellish heat in her sutch haggish hate that I thinke them both worthy to bée condemned to the most botomles pit in Hell. Germanicus and Agrippina ¶ GERMANICVS a younge Gentleman of small liuyng â–ª of the kin and in the court of Octauian the Emperour becummyng amorous of the Lady Agrippina through great sute getteth her to wife and through his valiencie winneth to bee proclaymed heyre apparant to the Empyre Whose state Tiberius his cusin enuying dispatcheth him priuily with poyson and Agrippina for greif therof refusing all bodily sustenance most miserably famisheth her self to death THe Astronomers are of this opinion that the Planets haue preheminence ouer vs and that the Starres stir vs vp to all our enterprises but I am rather setled into this sentence that not the Planets but our passions haue the cheife place in vs and that our owne desires not the destines dryue vs to all our doynges whiche opinion I may iustifie by the example of a Gentleman named Germanicus whose fortune neither the Fates fixed neither the Planets planted neither the Starres stirred neither the destines draue neither the Shies caused but first his owne fonde fancie framed and then his owne ambitious desire finished as by the sequele of this Hystorie you shall sée For this Gentleman Germanicus frequentynge the court of Octauian the Emperour chaunced to fixe his eyes on the face of a noble Gentlewoman named Agrippina the daughter of M. Agrippa and as the Mouse mumpeth so longe at the bayte that at length she is taken in trap so hee bit so longe at the bayte of her beutie that at length hee was caught in Cupids snare and on a time as shée was at Cardes in the Presence chamber this youth stoode staryng in her face in a great studdy which shée perceiuynge to bryng him out of his studdy prayed him to reache her a boale of Wyne which stoode vppon a Cupboord by and as hée approched therewith to the place of her presence his sences were so rauished with the sight of her sweete face that hee let the boale fall foorth of his handes and retiryng backe with seemly shamefastnesse went for more and béeing come therwith shée thanked him for his paines saying I pray God that fall of the Wyne hinder not my winnyng and bryng mée ill lucke for I know many that connot away to haue Salt or Drinke or any sutch like thynge fall towardes them Madame saith Germanicus I haue often heard it disputed in schooles that sutch as the cause of euery thing is sutch wil be the