some to haue bene so desirous of dominion that for the obteining of the same they haue murthered the children of their owne sonnes Yea aÌ„d some haue killed with crueltie their owne husbandes and children But to me it is sufficient because this parte of nature is not my moste sure foundation to haue proued that men illuminated onlie by the light of nature haue seen and haue determined that it is a thing moste repugnant to nature that women rule and gouerne ouer men For those that will not permit a woman to haue power ouer her owne sonnes will not permit her I am assured to haue rule ouer a realme and those that will not suffer her to speake in defense of those that be accused nether that will admit her accusation intended against man will not approue her that she shal sit in iudgemeÌ„t crowned with the royall crowne vsurping authoritie in the middest of men But now to the second part of nature In the whiche I include the reueled will and perfect ordinance of God and against this parte of nature I say that it doth manifestlie repugne that any woman shal reigne or beare dominion ouer man For God first by the order of his creation and after by the curse and malediction pronounced against the woman by the reason of her rebellion hath pronounced the contrarie First I say that woman in her greatest perfection was made to serue and obey man not to rule and coÌ„mand him As saint Paule doth reason in these wordes Man is not of the woman but the womaÌ„ of the man And maÌ„ was not created for the cause of the woman but the woman for the cause of man and therfore oght the womaÌ„ to haue a power vpoÌ„ her head that is a couerture in signe of subiectioÌ„ Of whiche words it is plaine that the Apostle meaneth that woman in her greatest perfection shuld haue knowen that maÌ„ was Lord aboue her and therfore that she shulde neuer haue preteÌ„ded any kind of superioritie aboue him no more then do the angels aboue God the creator or aboue Christ Iesus their head So I say that in her greatest perfection woman was created to be subiect to man But after her fall and rebellion coÌ„mitted against God there was put vpon her a newe necessitie and she was made subiect to man by the irreuocable senteÌ„ce of God pronounced in these wordes I will greatlie multiplie thy sorowe and thy coÌ„ception With sorrowe shalt thou beare thy children and thy will shall be subiect to thy man and he shal beare dominion ouer the. Herebie may such as altogither be not blinded plainlie see that God by his sentence hath deiected all woman frome empire and dominion aboue man For two punishmentes are laid vpon her to witte a dolor anguishe and payn as oft as euer she shal be mother and a subiectioÌ„ of her selfe her appetites and will to her husband and to his will Frome the former parte of this malediction can nether arte nobilitie policie nor lawe made by man deliuer womankinde but who soeuer atteineth to that honour to be mother proueth in experience the effect aÌ„d streÌ„gth of goddes word But alas ignoraÌ„ce of God ambition and tyrannie haue studied to abolishe and destroy the secoÌ„d parte of Goddes punishment For women are lifted vp to be heades ouer realmes and to rule aboue men at their pleasure and appetites But horrible is the veÌ„geance which is prepared for the one aÌ„d for the other for the promoters and for the persones promoted except they spedelie repent For they shall be deiected from the glorie of the sonnes of God to the sclauerie of the deuill and to the tormeÌ„t that is prepared for all suche as do exalte them selues against God Against God caÌ„ nothing be more manifest then that a woman shall be exalted to reigne aboue man For the coÌ„trarie senteÌ„ce hath he pronounced in these wordes Thy will shall be subiect to thy husband and he shall beare dominion ouer the. As God shuld say forasmuch as thou hast abused thy former condition and because thy free will hath broght thy selfe and mankind in to the boÌ„dage of Satan I therfore will bring the in bondage to man For where before thy obedience shuld haue bene voluntarie no we it shall be by constreint and by necessitie and that because thou hast deceiued thy man thou shalt therfore be no longar maistresse ouer thine own appetites ouer thine owne will nor desires For in the there is nether reason nor discretion whiche be able to moderate thy affectioÌ„s and therfore they shall be subiect to the desire of thy maÌ„ He shall be Lord and gouernour not onlie ouer thy bodie but euen ouer thy appetites and will This sentence I say did God pronounce against Heua and her daughters as the rest of the Scriptures doth euideÌ„tlie witnesse So that no woman can euer presume to reigne aboue man but the same she must nedes do in despite of God and in contempt of his punishment and malediction I am not ignorant that the most part of men do vnderstand this malediction of the subiection of the wife to her husband and of the dominion which he beareth aboue her but the holie ghost geueth to vs an other interpretation of this place taking from all women all kinde of superioritie authoritie aÌ„d power ouer man speaking as foloweth by the mouth of saint Paule I suffer not a woman to teache nether yet to vsurpe authoritie aboue man Here he nameth women in generall excepting none affirming that she may vsurpe authoritie aboue no man And that he speaketh more plainlie in an other place in these wordes Let women kepe silence in the congregation for it is not permitted to them to speake but to be subiect as the lawe sayeth These two testimonies of the holy ghost be sufficient to proue what soeuer we haue affirmed before aÌ„d to represse the inordinate pride of women as also to correct the foolishnes of those that haue studied to exalt womeÌ„ in authoritie aboue man against God and against his sentence ê“nounced But that the same two places of the apostle may the better be vnderstand it is to be noted that in the latter which is writen in the first epistle to the Corinthes the 14 chapitre before the apostle had permitted that all persones shuld prophecie one after an other addinge this reason that all may learne and all may receiue consolation And left that any might haue iudged that amongest a rude multitude and the pluralitie of speakers manie thinges litle to purpose might haue bene affirmed or elles that some confusion might haue risen he addeth the spirites of the prophetes are subiect to the prophetes As he shuld say God shall alwayes raise vp some to whome the veritie shalbe reueled and vnto such ye shal geue place albeit they sit in the lowest seates And thus the apostle wold haue prophecying an exercise to be free to the
monstres that a woman shalbe exalted aboue a hole realme and natioÌ„ Of the same minde is Origen and diuers others Yea euen till the dayes of Augustine whose sentences I omit to to auoide prolixitie Augustine in his 22. boke writen against Faustus proueth that a woman oght to serue her husbaÌ„d as vnto God affirming that in no thing hath woman equall power with man sauing that nether of both haue power ouer their owne bodies By whiche he wold plainlie coÌ„clude that woman oght neuer to pretend nor thirst for that power aÌ„d authoritie which is due to maÌ„ For so he doth explane him selfe in an other place affirming that woman oght to be repressed and brideled be times if she aspire to any dominion alledging that dangerous and perillous it is to suffre her to procede althogh it be in temporall and corporall thinges And therto he addeth these wordes God seeth not for a time nether is there any newe thinge in his sight and knowledge meaninge therby that what God hath sene in one woman as concerning dominion and bearing of authoritie the same he seeth in all And what he hath forbidden to one the same he also forbiddeth to all And this most euideÌ„tlie yet in an other place he writeth mouing this question howe can womaÌ„ be the image of God seing saith he she is subiect to man and hath none authoritie nether to teache nether to be witnesse nether to iudge muche lesse to rule or beare empire These be the verie wordes of Augustine of which it is euident that this godlie writer doth not onelie agree withe Tertullian before recited but also with the former sentence of the lawe whiche taketh frome woman not onelie all authoritie amongest men but also euerie office apperteining to man To the question howe she can be the image of God he answereth as foloweth WomaÌ„ saith he coÌ„pared to other creatures is the image of God for she beareth dominion ouer them but coÌ„pared vnto man she may not be called the image of God for she beareth not rule and lordship ouer maÌ„ but oght to obey him c. And howe that woman oght to obey man he speaketh yet more clearlie in these words the womaÌ„ shalbe subiect to man as vnto Christ. For womaÌ„ saith he hath not her example frome the bodie and from the fleshe that so she shalbe subiect to man as the fleshe is vnto the spirite Because that the flesh in the weaknes and mortalitie of this life lusteth and striueth against the spirit aÌ„d therfore wold not the holie ghost geue example of subiection to the womaÌ„ of any suche thing c. This senteÌ„ce of Augustine oght to be noted of all women for in it he plainlie affirmeth that woman oght to be subject to man that she neuer oght more to desire preeminence aboue him then that she oght to desire aboue Christe Iesus With Augustine agreeth in euerie point S. Ambrose who thus writeth in his Hexaemeron Adam was deceiued by Heua and not Heua by Adam and therfore iust it is that woman receiue and acknowledge him for gouernor whom she called to sinne lest that again she slide and fall by womanlie facilitie And writing vpon the epistle to the Ephesians he saith let women be subiect to their owne husbandes as vnto the Lorde for the man is heade to the woman and Christ is heade to the coÌ„gregation and he is the sauiour of the bodie but the congregation is subiect to Christ euen so oght womeÌ„ to be to their husbaÌ„des in all thin ges He procedeth further saying women are commanded to be subiect to men by the lawe of nature because that man is the author or beginner of the woman for as Christ is the head of the churche so is man of the woman From Christ the church toke beginning and therfore it is subiect vnto him euen so did woman take beginning from man that she shuld be subiect Thus we heare the agreing of these two writers to be such that a man might iudge the one to haue stolen the wordes and sentences from the other And yet plain it is that duringe the time of their writinge the one was farre distant frome the other But the holie ghost who is the spirite of concorde and vnitie did so illuminate their hartes and directe their tonges and pennes that as they did conceiue ceiue aÌ„d vnderstaÌ„d one truth so did they pronounce and vtter the same leauing a testimonie of their knowledge and concorde to vs their posteritie If any thinke that all these former senteÌ„ces be spoken onelie of the subiection of the maryed womaÌ„ to her husband as before I haue proued the coÌ„trarie by the plain wordes aÌ„d reasoning of S. Paule so shal I shortlie do the same by other testimonies of the forsaid writers The same Ambrose writing vpon the second chapitre of the first epistle to Timothie after he hath spoken much of the simple arraymeÌ„t of women he addeth these wordes woman oght not onelie to haue simple arraymeÌ„t but all authoritie is to be denied vnto her for she must be in subiection to man of whome she hath taken her originall aswell in habit as in seruice And after a fewe wordes he saith because that death did entre in to the world by her there is no boldenes that oght to be permitted vnto her but she oght to be in humilitie Hereof it is plain that frome all woman be she maried or vnmaried is all authoritie taken to execute any office that apperteineth to man Yea plain it is that all woman is commanded to serue to be in humilitie and subiection Whiche thing yet speaketh the same writer more plainlie in these wordes It is not permitted to womeÌ„ to speake but to be in silence as the lawe saith What saith the lawe Vnto thy husband shall thy conuersion be and he shall beare dominion ouer the. This is a speciall lawe saith Ambrose whose sentence lest it shulde be violated infirmed or made weake women are commanded to be in silence Here he includeth all women And yet he ê“cedeth further in the same place saying It is shame for them to presume to speake of the lawe in the house of the Lord who hath commaÌ„ded them to be subiect to their men But moste plainly speaketh he writing vpoÌ„ the 16. chapitre of the epistle of S. Paule to the Romaines vpon these wordes Salute Rufus and his mother For this cause saith Ambrose did the apostle place Rufus before his mother for the election of the administration of the grace of God in the whiche a woman hath no place For he was chosen and promoted by the Lorde to take care ouer his busines that is ouer the churche to the whiche office could not his mother be appointed albeit she was a woman so holie that the apostle called her his mother Hereof it is plaine that the administration of the grace of God is denied to all woman By the administration of
Goddes grace is vnderstād not onely the preaching of the worde and administration of the sacramentes by the whiche the grace of God is presented and ordinarilie distributed vnto man but also the administration of ciuile iustice by the whiche vertue oght to be mainteined and vices punished The execution wherof is no lesse denied to womā then is the preaching of the Euangile or administration of the sacramētes as herafter shall most plainlie appeare Chrysostome amongest the Grecian writers of no small credit speaking in rebuke of men who in his dayes were becomen inferior to some women in witt and in godlines saith for this cause was woman put vnder thy power he speaketh to man in generall and thou wast pronounced Lorde ouer her that she shulde obey the and that the head shuld not folowe the feet But often it is that we see the contrary that he who in his ordre oght to be the head doth not kepe the ordre of the feet that is doth not rule the feet and that she that is in place of the foote is constitute to be the head He speaketh these wordes as it were in admiration that man was becomen so brutish that he did not cōsider it to be a thing most monstruouse that woman shulde be preferred to man in any thing whom God had subiected to man in all thinges He procedeth saying Neuer the lesse it is the parte of the man with diligent care to repel the woman that geueth him wicked counsel and woman whiche gaue that pestilent counsel to man oght at all times to haue the punishment whiche was geuē to Heua soūding in her eares And in an other place he induceth God speaking to the womā in this sorte Because thou left him of whose nature thou wast participant and for whome thou wast formed ād hast had pleasure to haue familiaritie with that wicked beast and wold take his counsel therfore I subiect the to man and I apointe and affirme him to be thy Lorde that thou maist acknowledge his dominion ād because thou couldest not beare rule learne well to be ruled Why they shulde not beare rule he declareth in other places saying womankinde is imprudent and soft or flexible imprudent because she can not consider withe wisdome and reason the thinges which she heareth and seeth and softe she is because she is easelie bowed I knowe that Chrysostome bringeth in these wordes to declare the cause why false prophetes do commonlie deceiue women because they are easelie persuaded to any opinion especiallie if it be against God and because they lacke prudence and right reason to iudge the thinges that be spoken But hereof may their nature be espied ād the vices of the same whiche in no wise oght to be in those that are apointed to gouerne others For they oght to be constant stable prudent ād doing euerie thing with discretion and reason whiche vertues women can not haue in equalitie with men For that he doth witnesse in an other place saying womē haue in them selues a tickling and studie of vaine glorie ād that they may haue common with men they are sodeinlie moued to anger and that they haue also common with some men But vertues in which they excell they haue not cōmon with man ād therfore hath the apostle remoued thē from the office of teachinge which is an euidēt proof that in vertue they farre differ frome man Let the reasons of this writer be marked for further he yet procedeth after that he hath in many wordes lamented the effeminate maners of men who were so farre degenerate to the weaknes of womē that some might haue demanded why may not women teache amongest suche a sorte of men who in wisdome and godlines are becomē inferior vnto women He finallie concludeth that not withstanding that men be degenerate yet may not women vsurpe any authoritie aboue them and in the end he addeth these wordes These thinges do not I speake to extolle them that is women but to the confusion and shame of our felues and to admonish vs to take again the dominion that is mete and conuenient for vs not onelie that power which is according to the excellencie of dignitie but that which is accordinge to prouidence and according to helpe and vertue For then is the bodie in best proportion when it hath the best gouernor O that both man and woman shulde consider the profound counsel and admonition of this father He wolde not that mā for appetit of any vaine glorie shuld desire preeminence aboue woman For God hath not made mā to be heade for any suche cause but hauing respecte to that weaknes and imperfection which alwayes letteth woman to gouerne He hath ordeined man to be superior and that meaneth Chrysostome saying then is the bodie in best proportion when it hath the best gouernor But woman can neuer be the best gouernor by reason that she being spoiled of the spirit of regiment can neuer attein to that degree to be called or iudged a good gouernor Because in the nature of all woman lurketh suche vices as in good gouernors are not tolerable Which the same writer expresseth in these wordes womākind saith he is rashe and fool-hardie and their couetousnes is like the goulf of hell that is insaciable And therfore in an other place he will that woman shall haue no thing to do in iudgement in common affaires or in the regiment of the cōmon welth because she is impaciēt of troubles but that she shall liue in tranquillitie and quietnes And if she haue occasion to go frome the house that yet she shal haue no mater of trouble nether to folowe her nether to be offered vnto her as commonlie there must be to such as beare authoritie And with Chrysostome fullie agreeth Basilius Magnus in a sermon which he maketh vpon some places of scripture wherin he reproueth diuers vices and amōgest the rest he affirmeth woman to be a tendre creature flexible soft and pitifull whiche nature God hath geuē vnto her that she may be apt to norishe children The which facilitie of the womā did Satā abuse ād therby broght her frome the obediēce of God And therfore in diuers other places doth he conclude that she is not apt to beare rule and that she is forbidden to teache Innumerable mo testimonies of all sortes of writers may be adduced for the same purpose but withe these I stand content iudgeing it sufficient to stoppe the mouthe of such as accuse ād condemne all doctrine as hereticall whiche displeaseth them in any point that I haue proued by the determinations and lawes of mē illuminated onelie by the light of nature by the ordre of Goddes creation by the curse and maledictiō pronounced against womā by the mouth of saint Paule who is the interpreter of Goddes sentence and lawe and finallie by the mindes of those writers who in the church of God haue bene alwayes holden in greatest