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A10311
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The glorie of man consisting in the excellencie and perfection of woman Gathered out of Holie Scriptures, and most renowned wryters; as well ancient, as moderne; ecclesiaticall, as morall. Wherevnto is annexed The duetie of husbands.
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Raban, Edward, d. 1658.
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1638
(1638)
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STC 20596; ESTC S114010
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39,259
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142
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The glory of Man Consisting in The Excellencie and Perfection of WOMAN CHAPTER I. Of the Creation of WOMAN and Her Perfection HOwbeit THVCYDIDES THVCYDIDES the Philosopher out of an heathnicke humour was of opinion That as the Women ought to bee good House-keepers and seldome seene abroad neyther should their good Name Fame nor Beautie goe farder than the threshold of their doores Yet worthie Plutarch PLUTARCH a Man farre more excellent in Wit Learning treating of the Excellencie of renowned Women agreeth with the learned Gorgias Leontanus and Gorgias â—eontanus sayeth That not onlie Her Beautie but also Her rare Vertues good Behavior comelie Manners and other angelicall Perfections should no wayes be smoothered But in the Orations of learned men made knowne even to the encowragement of Posteritie according to the Lawes of the ancient Romanes who held it for great impietie only to make the grossest halfe of Mankynde renowned and let the more excellent deeds of the Nobler sort bee buried in oblivion And therefore according to my slender Skill and abilitie I vow to doe my best herein though I presume nor to bee called absolutelie the Author hereof but by way of gathering together and truelie translating of learned mens just Tryalls and sound Iudgementes in the prayse of so rare glorious comelie wyse louelie perfect amiable and precious a Creature as is WOMAN the Crowne and Glorie of MAN even the Mother of all living Soules Neyther will I speake onlie of late tymes since the dayes of Annacus or Annac Deucals Deucalion but even froÌ„ the beginning and first creation of WOMAN whereby Her splendant Brightnesse maye shyne the clearer dazeling the dustie deeds of slalow-witted Man NOw it is sayd in the first and second Chapters of Genesis That the LORD created the first man Adam even of the dust and slyme of the earth breathing into his nostrils the breath of lyfe and so he became a living soule being innocent and perfectlie holie eveÌ„ according to the Image of GOD. Then marke That Man was made of a dead lumpe and of the worst of the earth And when GOD had put His owne Spirit therein and made it a comelie fayre yea holie and divine Creature then out of the same purified substance Hee made a more excellent Angelicall Creature even EVAH the Woman and Mother of vs all Here might justlie be showne innumerable Testimonies for the Honour and Prayse of Women from the verie creation vntill this day 1. That everie worke of GOD exceedeth excelleth and out-reacheth each other in greatnesse and goodnesse and still the last for to bee best 2. That Man was the cause of the Womans fall by neglecting her companie 3. That the Woman made denyall to eate of the forbidden Fruit and was overcome by great and subtile temptations and that Man verie impudentlie and vnadvysedlie without anie gayn-saying at the first offer tooke and ate and so verie rashlie brake the LORD'S Commandement 4. That whereas the Scripture sayeth that Wyues should bee subject to their Husbands is not meaned That therfore the Men are better than Women but in respect of Her Fall 5. That the fall of Evah was greatlie to the manifestation of the Glorie and Power of GOD yea and a most happie Fall to the Elected people of the LORD These I say with thousandes moe might heere truelie and playnlie bee proven but I omit the rest vntill my second worke of this qualitie which if this bee jangled agaynst shall shortlie compeare even to the vtter shame of all the Fame-stayners of Women And thus I proceede in Their due and just Prayse Now it is sayd Genes 3. that the seed of the Woman should bruize the head GENE SIS 3. of the Serpent And by this Seed is meant our gracious Redeemer IESUS our Saviour Blessed for ever Amen And who so would rightlie vnderstand what Woman is vnto Man Shee is in verie deed the first chiefe essentiall Good and Perfect Benefit of GOD vnto Man For without that goodlie Creature Man had never bene perfected but in more miserable state on earth than anie beast for each of them had his Maike for his solace recreation and procreation Thus to conclude our first Chapter let none denye But that Woman is Man's Equall and more in every good poynt and formost part-taker of every Heavenlie Gift and Grace froÌ„ Aboue Being as sayd is composed both of the more excellent Substance and Qâ—alities And in Her as in a rare sumptuous costlie and precious Boothe or Shop and from Her doe shyne the beams of Beautie Comelinehe Constancie Vertue Prudencie Pietie Charitie and practise in good manners Farre exceeding grosse Man except indeed in strength wherein he exceedeth Woman mightilie to commit all manner of Crueltie and Naughtinesse and Shee the weaker Vessell both in bodie and mynd to commit anie evill And though Man seeme to brag of his strength yet let him know That what Man holdes hanges but by slender Twyne By sudden chance the strongest thinges declyne CHAPTER II. Of the fayre and goodlie Priviledges granted and given vnto Women even from the Beginning ALtho WOMEN had no farder Advantage of Men than sayde is alreadie to wit That Shee is made in fayre Paradyse and Man there-out and Of a good purified and liuelie substance and hee of a grosse heavie and dead matter This I saye might bee sufficient to stop the injurious wicked mouthes of such calumniators as are not worthie to be called The Sonnes but The Shame of Women And yet there will remayne a worlde full moe of perfectious Excellencies and vertuous Qualities to be found in Women farre excelling the grosse and churlish conditions of Men. The smallest part whereof to collect together and set downe in Print would be a Labyrinthiall and Herculean Travell Neyther could all the Paper in the worlde contayne Their Worthinesse nor the worlde contayne the Bookes which rightlie might be written In Their just Prayse And therefore I request you at this tyme to accept onelie of this my little Knot drawne out of other mens great Gardens No more but to signifie vnto the worlde the pretence of my good Will if possiblie my Power could bee amounted to the Spheare of my soaring Mynd Then for Brevities cause hearken well vnto these few yet notable Remembrances of Honourable Women in tymes past even to the encowragement of our gracious Matrons now-a-dayes yea and to Succession hereafter together with a strong Confutation of all gracelesse Vilependers of this renowned Sexe of Women Which sort of men may fitlie be compared with the worst sort of Serpents or Vipers which after generation having receaved lyfe in their mothers bellies gnaw and eate thorow their mothers side and so come foorth whereby of necessitie shee loseth her lyfe Firstlie then There was never such a wicked and vnjust Deed wrought by all the Women that ever were as was showne on our Saviour flat and directlie contrarie to the will counsell and disposition
Despysers of WOMEN and take example by Cyrus the Emperour who as long as his Emperesse lived being a good and mercifull Prince afterwards became a cruell vnmercifull Tyrant But what followed The Historie sayeth that Thomyris Queene of Scythia waged Battell THOMYRIS agaynst him whom she tooke and caused cut off his head And for a reward of his bloodie crueltie she put his head into a vessell full of mens blood saying Satisfie nowe thy selfe with blood which here-to-fore thou couldst never get anough More-over Amongst the rest of worthie Women let vs speake somewhat of Ieane of Orleans or of Arke IEANE of ORLEANS for whom the French-men haue great cause to praise GOD for by her godlie Skill and willing forewardnesse the kingdome of France was fred from conquering English-men who had imperiouslie possessed that kingdome aboue fourtie years together But yet as the English-men were alwayes valourous Conquerours so also haue they ever beene knowne to bee verie mercifull Enemies and friendlie Foes For though they had conquered all yet of their courtesie they suffered the King of France to possesse Bourdeaux with some other adjacent little Townes for his mayntaynance whereby hee might spende everie day a Sheepe at the least and two Capons besides Leekes Salats c. as sayeth Iohn Marconville in his book of the Prayse of Women chap. 7. Now I will not lose my tyme for the prseut to argue the matter with William Bellay of Lange in his learned Booke Deremilitari concerning the aforesayd Ieane named from Vacolours and called The Mayd of France or The Mayd of Helpe whether thorow the hand of GOD or by Witch-Craft she brought such great things to passe How-so-ever true it was that France by her meanes was set free at that tyme all except Cales which the English-men kept still from the dayes of Philip of Valoys till the Reygne of Heurie the second which was two hundreth and eleven yeares But at last the English Armie lying in siedge before the citie of Campaigne and Jeane making her selfe thither-wardes to relieue the French-men shee was betrayed by John of Luxemburgh and delivered vnto the English who burnt her to powder at Rowane in the moneth of May 1340. To testifie Shee had done good Her deeds were sealed with her blood And therefore Let FORTVNE smyle or frowne bee still content In all Essayes beare still an Heart true bent CHAPTER VI. Of the wonderfull goodnesse of GOD towardes Man whicth He hath wrought by Religious Women And how by a Woman Britayne first receaved the Christian Fayth IT is manifest vnto all men who are not bereaft of their wits and altogether voyd of Understanding That the greatest Benefite vnder the Sunne is THE GIFT OF FAYTH and TRVE BELIEFE whereby wee come neare vnto GOD frame our selues to loue and feare Him and so attayne to the knowledge of His just Iudgements and tender Mercies And this great and excellent Gift of GOD is manifested vnto Mankynde next vnto His Sacred Word even by chosen holie Women whom it pleased GOD to make the first Heraulds of Christ's Glorious Resurrection as sayde is before in our second Chapter And also manie worthie Ecclesiasticall Writers testifie That Marie Magdalene Martha c. did first publish the Gospel and preached CHRIST Crucified and His Resurrection and Ascension in the Countrey of Illyrica which is nowe called Slavonia and also in the Land of Provence where they converted the people and brought them to the true Fayth Wee reade of Apollos a learned Jew of Alexandria an eloquent Man and mightie in the Scriptures And altho hee was alreadie well instructed in the way of the LORD yet Aquila by the ACTS 18. 24. 25. 26. helpe of Priscilla his wyfe expounded vnto him the way of GOD more perfectlie than ever hee knew of before And the great King Agrippa was ACTS 26. 27. 28. 29. but almost perswaded by Paul to bee a Christian But to the contrarie GOD had mercie on good Lydia opened her ACTS 16. 14. 15 heart and not almost but altogether made her His chosen Vessell Reade the Chronicle of fayre England and you shall vnderstand that in the dayes of King Egilbert the whole Realme was infected with the damnable Heresie of Pelagius And Saynct Augustine comming thither to preach the Christian Religion by mediation of the Queene after great and serious paynes and loving intreatie the King gaue eare and was converted together with his People See thus did England first receaue the true Fayth by the meanes of a Woman sayeth Gaguinus Hermigidus King of Gothes beeing GAGUINUS infected with the Heresie of Arrius is also converted and brought to the true acknowledgement of CHRIST crucified even by his Wyfe Nigegond as sayeth the same Gaguinus in his second Booke Also thorow the earnest travell of Clotildis Queene of Perthan the King Clowis her Husband was baptized and greatlie rejoyced with thanksgiving vnto GOD who had brought him from Darknesse to Light and that by the meanes of a Woman sayeth John Marconville Amongst aboundance of other worthie Authors it is manifest by Plutarch Boccace and Symphorian Champer That manie men both mightie and wyse haue gotten their best Education even by Women and receaved from Them next vnto GOD their best and most wholsome Benefites as well concerning the good of the Soule as the profit of the bodie And this was more than manifest on Flavius Clemens in the dayes of Domician the Emperour But now I will not tarrie vpon such an extraordinarie Subject lest our pievish Disgracers of Women should run mad and altogether despare of their Pardon for their misbehaviour in chatting agaynst Women MERCURIUS TRISMEGISTUS Mercurius Trismegistus duelie considering the wonderfull Goodnesse of GOD towards Man in Women sayth That such a Man as in all manner of wayes showed not his full indevour in the Honour yea service of Women let him bee accursed And that such a Man as avoydeth the Companie of Woman let him bee buried quicke But foolish senselesse and irregular Man who will not bee perswaded neyther by Reason nor Trueth to shun his objections That they are but Men and dead long agoe whom I cite for my Warrandize in the just prayse of Women let him hearken then what GOD sayeth vnto Righteous Abraham In all that Sarah sayeth vnto thee GEN. 21. 12. hearken vnto her voyce sayeth the Lord. Then thou that wilt not hearken vnto the voyce of thy Gracious Wyfe I denye thee to bee a sonne of Abraham but rather of Satan the Enemie of all Loue Concord and good Connsell Thus doe we find that Womē in all things Health happines vnto the man still brings And yet envious vnbelieving Man His hardned heart hee never settle can For to implore the Heavens to be so kinde To keepe her state according to her minde CHAPTER VII Of the Wisedome Learning Discipline and good Manners wherein Women haue proven farre more excellent and perfect than Man THE