escape the effect of thy misfortune the more those things please thée the more thou displeasest God and the greater pride thou takest in sinne the greater paine thou heapest to thy soule Examine thine own conscience and sée whether thou hast done as is required if thou haue thancke the Lorde and praye for encrease of grace if not desire God to giue thée a willyng minde to attâ—yne fayth and constancie to continue to the ende Euphues to Ferardo I Salute thée in the Lord c. Although I was not so wittie to follow thy graue aduice when I first knew thée yet doe I not lacke grace to giue thée thankes since I tryed thée And if I were as able to perswade thee to patience as thou wert desirous to exhort me to pietie or as wise to comfort thee in thine age as thou willyng to instruct me in my youthe thou shouldest nowe with lesse griefe endure thy late losse and with little care leade thy aged lyfe thou wéepest for the deathe of thy daughter I laugh at the folly of the father for greater vanitie is there in the minde of the mourner then bitternesse in the deathe of the deceased but she was amyable but yet sinful but she was young might haue lyued but she was mortall and must haue dyed I but hir youth made thée often merry I but thine age should once make thée wise I but hir gréene yeres wer vnfit for death I but thy hoary haires shoulde dispise lyfe Knowest thou not Ferardo that lyfe is the gifte of God deathe the due of nature as we receiue the one for a benefitte so must we abide the other of necessitie Wisemen haue found that by learning which olde men should know by experience that in lyfe there is nothing swéet in death nothing sowre The Philosophers accompted it the chiefest felycitie neuer to be borne the second soone to die And what hath death in it so hard that we should take it so heauily is it strange to sée the cutte off which by nature is made to be cut or that melten which is fit to be melted or that burnt which is apt to be burnt or man to passe that is borne to perish But thou grauntest that she shold haue dyed yet art thou grieued that she is dead Is the death y better if the lyfe be longer no truly For as neither he that singeth most or praieth longest or ruleth the sterne oftenest but he that doth it best deserueth greatest prayse so he not that hath most yeres but many vertues nor he that hath grayest haires but greatest goodnes lyueth longest The chiefe beautie of lyfe consisteth not in the numbring of many dayes but in the vsing of vertuous doings Amongst plants those be best esteemed that in shortest time bringe forth much frute Be not the fairest flowers gathered when they be freshest the youngest beasts killed for sacrifice bicause they be finest The measure of lyfe is not length but honestie neyther do we enter into lyfe to the ende we should set downe the day of our death but therefore do we lyue that we may obey him that made vs and be willyng to dye when he shal call vs But I wil aske thée this question whether thou wayle the losse of thy daughter for thine owne sake or hirs if for thine owne sake bicause thou didst hope in thine age to recouer coÌ„fort then is thy loue to hir but for thy commoditie and therein thou art but an vnkinde father if for hirs then dost thou mistrust hir saluation and therein thou shewest thy vnconstant fayth Thou shouldst not wéepe that she hath runne fast but that thou hast gone so slowe neyther ought it to grieue thée that she is gone to hir home with a few yeares but that thou art to goe with manye But why goe I about to vse a longe processe to a little purpose The budde is blasted as soone as the blowne Rose the winde shaketh off the blossome as well as the fruite Death spareth neyther the golden locks nor the hoary head I meane not to make a treatise in the prayse of death but to note the necessitie neyther to write what ioyes they receiue that dye but to show what paynes they endure the lyue And thou which art euen in the wane of thy life whom nature hath nourished so long that now she beginneth to nod maist well know what griefes what laboures what paynes are in age yet wouldest thou be eyther young to endure many or elder to byde more But thou thinkest it honourable to goe to the graue with a gray head but I déeme it more glorious to be burted with an honest name Age sayste thou is the blessing of God yet the messenger of death Descende therfore into thine owne conscience consider the goodnesse that commeth by the ende the badnesse which was by the beginning take the death of thy daughter patiently and looke for thine owne spéedely so shalt thou perfourme both the office of an honestâ— man and the honour of an aged father and so farewell Euphues to Philautus Touching the deathe of Lucilla I Haue receiued thy letters and thou hast deceiued mine expectation for thou séemest to take more thought for the losse of an harlot then the life of an honest woman Thou writest that she was shamefull in hir trade and shamelesse in hir ende I beléeue thée it is no meruayle that she which lyuing practised sinne should dying be voyde of shame neyther coulde there be any great hope of repentaunce at the houre of death where there was no regard of honestie in time of lyfe She was stricken sodaynely béeinge troubled with no sickenesse It may be for it is commonly séene that a sinfull lyfe is rewarded with a soddayne deathe and a sweete beginning with a sowre ende Thou addest moreouer that she being in great credite with the states died in great beggerie in the stréetes certes it is an olde saying that who so lyueth in the courte shall dye in the strawe she hoped there by delyghtes to gayne money and by hir deserts purchased misery they that séeke to clyme by priuie sinne shall fall with open shame and they that couet to swimme in vice shall sinke in vanitie to their owne perilles Thou sayest that for beautie she was the Helen of Greece and I durst sweare that for beastlines she might be the Monster of Italy In my minde greater is the shame to be accompted an harlot then the praise to be estéemed amiable But where thou arte in the courte there is more regard of beautie then honestie and more are they lamented that dye viciously then they loued that liue vertuously for thou giuest as it were a sigh with all thy companions in the courtâ— séeme by thée to sound also that Lucilla béeing one of so great perfection in all partes of the body and so littlâ— pietie in the soule should be as it were snatched out of the iawes of so many young gentlemen
nourisher of wantonnesse Had it not bene better for thée to haue eaten salt with the Philosophers in Greece then sugar with the courtiers of Italy But behold the course of youth which alwayes inclyneth to pleasure I forsooke mine olde companions to search for new friends I reiected the graue and fatherly counsayle of Eubulus to follow the brainesicke humor of mine owne will. I addicted my selfe wholy to the seruice of women to spende my lyfe in the lappes of Ladyes my lands in maintenance of brauerie my witte in the vanities of idle Sonnets I had thought that women had bene as we men that is true faithfull zealous constant but I perceiue they be rather woe vnto men by their falshood gelousie inconstancie I was halfe perswaded that they were made of the perfection of men would be comforters but now I sée they haue tasted of the infection of the Serpent and will be corasiues The Phisition saythe it is daungerous to minister Phisicke vnto the patient that hath a colde stomacke and a hotte lyuer least in giuing warmth to the one he inflame the other so verely it is harde to deale with a woman whose wordes séeme feruent whose heart is congealed into harde yce least trusting their outwarde talke he be betraied with their inwarde trechery I will to Athens ther to tosse my bookes no more in Naples to lyue with faire lookes I will so frame my selfe as al youth héereafter shal rather reioice to se mine amendmeÌ„t then be animated to follow my former lyfe Philosophie Phisicke Diuinitie shal be my studie O the hidden secrets of Nature the expresse image of morall vertues the equall ballaunce of Iustice the medicines to heale all diseases how they beginne to delyght me The Axiomaes of Aristotle the Maxinis of Iustinian the Aphorismes of Galen haue sodaynelye made such a breache into my minde that I séeme onely to desire them which did onely earst detest them Iâ— witte be employed in the honest study of learning what thing so pretious as witte if in the idle trade of loue what thing more pestilent then witte The proofe of late hath bene verefied in me whome nature hath endued with a lyttle witte which I haue abused with an obstinate will most true it is that the thing the better it is the greater is the abuse and that ther is nothing but through the mallice of man may be abused Doth not the fire an element so necessarie that without it man cannot lyue as well burne the house as burne in the house if it be abused Doth not Treacle as wel poyson as helpe if it be taken out of time Doth not wine if it be immoderately taken kill the stomacke enflame the lyuer murther the droncken Doth not Phisicke destroy if it be not well tempred Doth not law accuse if it be not ryghtly interpreted Doth not diuinitie condemne if it be not faythfully construed Is not poyson taken out of the Honnysuckle by the Spider venime out of the Rose by the Canker dunge out of the Maple trée by the Scorpion Euen so the greatest wickednesse is drawne out of the greatest wit if it bée abused by will or entangled with the world or inueig-with women But séeinge I sée mine owne impietie I wyll endeuoure my selfe to amende all that is paste and to be a myrrour of godlynes héereafter The Rose though a lyttle it be eaten with the Canker yet béeing distilled yéeldeth swéete water the yron thoughe fretted with the ruste yet béeing burnte in the fire shyneth brighter and witte although it hath bene eaten with the canker of his owne conceite and fretted with the rust of vaine loue yet beeinge purified in the still of wisedome and tryed in the fire of zeale will shine bright and smell swéete in the nosethrilles of all young nouises As therefore I gaue a farewell to Lucilla a farewell to Naples a farewell to woemen so now doe I giue a farewell to the worlde meaning rather to macerate my selfe with melancholye then pine in follye rather choosinge to dye in my studye amiddest my bookes then to courte it in Italy in the company of Ladyes It happened immediatly Ferardo to retourne home who hearing this straunge euent was not a lyttle amazed and was nowe more readye to exhorte Lucilla from the loue of Curio then before to the lykinge of Philautus Therefore in all haste with watryâ— eyes and a wofull heart began on this manner to reason with his daughter Lucilla daughter I am ashamed to call thée séeing thou hast neyther care of thy fathers tender affection nor of thine owne credite what sprite hath enchaunted thy spirite that euery minute thou alterest thy minde I had thought that my hoary haires should haue found comforte by thy golden lockes and my rotten age greate ease by thy rype yeares But alas I sée in thée neyther witte to order thy doinges neyther will to frame thy selfe to discretion neither the nature of a child neyther the nurture of a mayden neyther I cannot without teares speake it any regarde of thine honour neyther any care of thine honestie I am nowe enforced to remember thy mothers deathe who I thincke was a Prophetesse in hir lyfe for oftentimes shée woulâ—e saye that thou haddest more beautie then was conuenient for one that shoulde bée honeste and more câ—ckering then was méete for one that shoulde bée a Matrone Woulde I had neuer lyued to bée so olde or thou to bée so obstinate eyther woulde I had dyed in my youthe in the courte or thou in thy cradle I woulde to God that eyther Iâ— had neuer bene borne or thou neuer bredde Is this the comfort that the parent reapeth for all his care Is obstinacie payed for obedience stubbernnesse rendred for duetie mallitious desperatenesse for filiall feare I perceiue now that the wiâ—e Paynter saw more then the foolish parent can who paynted loue going downeward saying it might well descend but ascende it coulde neuer Danaus whome they reporte to bée the father of fiftie children had amonge them all but one that disobeyed him in a thinge most dishonest but I that am father to one more then I would be although one be all haue that one most disobedient to me in a request lawfull and reasonable If Danaus séeing but one of his daughters without awe became himselfe without mercie what shall Ferardo doe in this case who hath one and all most vnnaturall to him in a most iust cause Shall Curio enioy the fruite of my trauailes possesse the benefite of my labours enherit the patrimony of mine auncestors who hath neither wisedome to increase theÌ„ nor wit to kéepe theÌ„ wilt thou Lucilla bestow thy self on such an one as hath neither comlines in his body nor knowledge in his minde nor credite in his countrey Oh I would thou haddest eyther bene euer faithfull to Philautus or neuer faithlesse to Euphues or would thou wouldest be more fickle to Curio As thy beautie hath made thée blaze of Italy so will thy
Euphues is as colde as a clock though he be a Cocke of the game yet Euphues is content to bée crauen and crye creeke though Curio bée olde huddle and twange ipse hée yet Euphues had rather shrinke in the weeting then wast in the wearing I knowe Curio to be stéele to the backe standerd bearer in Venus campe sworne to the crewe true to the crowne knight marshall to Cupid and heire apparaunt to his kingdome But by that time that he hath eaten but one bushell of salt wyth Lucilla he shall taste tenne quarters of sorrow in his loue then shall he finde for euerye pynte of honnye a gallon of gall for euerye dramme of pleasure an ounce of payne for euery inche of mirth an ell of moane And yet Philautus if there be any man in despayre to obtayne his purpose or so obstinate in his opinion that hauing lost his fredome by solly would also lose his lyfe for loue lette him repaire hether and hée shall reape suche profite as will eyther quenche his flames or asswage his furye eyther cause him to renounce his Ladye as most pernicious or redéeme his lybertie as most pretious Come therefore to me all ye louers that haue bene deceiued by fancie the glasse of pestilence or deluded by woemen the gate to perdition be as earnest to séeke a medicine as you wer eager to runne into a mischiefe the earth bringeth forth as well Endyue to delyght the people as Hâ—mlocke to endaunger the patient as well the Rose to distill as the Nettle to sting as well the Bée to giue honny as the Spider to yéeld poyson If my lewde lyfe Gentlemen haue giuen you offence lette my good counsayle make amendes if by my folly any be alluâ—ed to lust let them by my repentaunce be drawne to continencie Achilles speare could as well heale as hurte the Scorpion though he sting yet hée stints the paine though the hearb Nerius poyson the Sheepe yet is a remedie to man agaynst poyson though I haue infected some by example yet I hope I shall comforte many by repentaunce Whatsoeuer I speake to men the same also I speke to women I meane not to runne with the Hare and holde with the Hounde to carrye fire in the one hande and water in the other neyther to flatter men as altogether faultlesse neyther to fall out with woemen as altogether guyltie for as I am not minded to picke a thancke with the one so am I not determined to picke a quarrell with the other if women be not peruerse they shall reape profite by remedye of pleasure If Phillis were now to take counsayle shée would not be so foolish to hang hir selfe neyther Dido so fonde to dye for Aeneas neyther Pasiphae so monstrous to loue a Bull nor Phedra so vnnaturall to be enamoured of hir sonne This is therefore to admonish all young Impes and nouises in loue not to blow the coales of fancie wyth desire but to quench them with disdayne When loue tickleth thee decline it lest it stiâ—fle thée rather fast then surfette rather starue then striue to excéede Though the beginning of loue bring delyght the ende bringeth destruction For as the first draught of wine doth comfort the stomacke the seconde inflame the lyuer the thirde fume into the heade so the first sippe of loue is pleasaunt the seconde perilous the thirde pestilent If thou perceiue thy selfe to be entised with their wanton glaunces or allured with their wicked guyles eyther enchauÌ„ted with their beautie or enamoured with their brauerie enter with thy selfe into this meditation What shall I gayne if I obtayne my purpose nay rather what shall I loose in winning my pleasure If my Lady yeelde to be my louer is it not lykely she will bée an others lemman and if she be a modest matrone my labour is lost This therfore remayneth that eyther I must pine in cares or perish with curses If she be chaste then is she coy if lyght then is shée impudent if a graue Matrone who can woe hir if a lewde minion who woulde wedde hir if one of the Uestall Uirgins they haue vowed virginitie if one of Venus courte they haue vowed dishonestie If I loue one that is fayre it will kindle gelousie if one that is fowle it will conuerte me into phrensie If fertile to beare children my care is increased if barren my curse is augmented If honest I shall feare hir death if immodest I shall be weary of hir lyfe To what ende then shall I lyue in loue séeing alwayes it is a lyfe more to be feared then death for all my time wasted in sighes and worne in sobbes for all my treasure spente on Iewells and spilte in iollyâ—â—e what recompence shall I reape besides repentaunce What other rewarde shall I haue then reproch What other solace then endles shame But happely thou wilt say if I refuse their courtesie I shal be accoÌ„pted a Mecocke a Milkesoppe taunted and retaunted with check and checkemate flowted and reflowted with intollerable glée Alas fonde foole arte thou so pinned to theire sléeues that thou regardest more their babble then thine owne blisse more their fruÌ„pes then thine own welfare Wilt thou resemble the kinde Spaniell which the more he is beaten the fonder he is or the foolish Eiesse which will neuer away Dost thou not knowe that woemen déeme none valyaunt vnlesse he be too venturous That they accompte one a bastarde if he be not desperate a pinche penny if he be not prodigall if silente a sotte if full of wordes a foole Peruersly do they alwayes thinck of their louers and talke of them scornfully iudging all to be clownes which be no courtiers and all to be pinglers that be not coursers Seing therefore the very blossome of loue is sower the budde cannot be swéete In time preuent daunger least vntimelye thou runne into a thousande perrills Searche the wounde while it is gréene to late commeth the salue when the sore fesâ—ereth and the medicine bringeth dubble care when the maladye is past cure Beware of delayes What lesse then the grayne of Mustarde séede in time almost what thing is greater then the stalke thereoff The slender twigge groweth to a stately tree and that which with the hand might easely haue bene pulled vpp will hardly with the are be hewen downe The least sparke if it bee not quenched will burst into a flame the least Moth in time rateth the thickest clothe and I haue reade that in a shorte space there was a Towne in Spayne vndermiâ—ed with Câ—nuyes in Theslalâ—â— with Mowles with Fregges in Fraunce in Africa with Flyes If these silly Wormes in tracte of time ouerthrowe so statelye Townes how much more will loue which creepeth secretly into the minde as the rust doth into the yron and is not perceiued consume the body yea and consound the soule Defer not from houre to day from day to month from month to yeare and alwayes remayne in misery He that to day is not willyng will to
was neuer wished for héere so earnestly of any as of hymselfe whether it might bée to renewe his talke or to recant his sayinges I cannot tell But whilest hée was yet speakinge Ferardo entered whome they all duetifully welcomed home who rounding Philautus in the care desired hym to accompany him immediatly without farther pausinge protesting it shoulde bée as well for his preferment as for his owne profite Philautus consentinge Ferardo sayd to his daughter Lucilla the vrgent affaires I haue in hande wyll scarce suffer mée to tarrye wyth you one houre yet my retourne I hope will bée so short that my absence shall not bréede thy sorrowe In the meane season I commit all thinges into thy custody wishing thée to vse thy accustomable courtesie And séeinge I must take Philautus wyth mée I will bée so bolde to craue you gentleman his friende to supplye his roome desiring you to take this hastye warninge for a hartye welcome and so to spende this time of mine absence in honest mirth And thus I leaue you Philautus knewe well the cause of this sodayne departure which was to redéeme certeine landes that were morgaged in his Fathers time to the vse of Ferardo who on that condition had before time promysed him his daughter in marriage But retourne wée to Euphues Euphues was supprised with such increadible ioye at this straunge euent that hée had almost sounded for séeing his coryuall to be departed and Ferardo to gyue him so friendly entertainment doubted not in time to get the good wyll of Lucilla Whome findinge in place conuenient without company with a bolde courage and comely gesture he began to aâ—â—ay hir in this sort Gentlewoman my acquaintaunce béeing so little I am afraide my credâ—te will bee lesse for that they commonly are soonest beleeued that are bâ—st belâ—ued and they liked best whome we haue knowne longest neuerthelesse the noble minde suspecteth no guile wythout cause neither condemneth any wight wythout proofe hauing therefore notise of your heroycall heart I am the better perswaded of my good hap So it is Lucilla that coÌ„ming to Naples but to fetch fire as the by word is not to make my place of abode I haue founde such flames that I can neither quench them wyth the water of free will neyther coole them wyth wisedome For as the Hoppe the poale béeing neuer so hye groweth to the ende or as the drye Béeche kindled at the roote neuer leaueth vntill it come to the toppe or as one droppe of poyson disperseth it selfe into euerye vaine so affection hauinge caught holde of my hearte and the sparkles of loue kindled my liuer wyll sodeinely thoughe secretlye flame vp into my heade and spreade it selfe into euerye sinewe It is your beautie pardon my abrupte boldenesse Ladye that hath taken euery part of mée prisoner and brought me to this déepe distresse but séeinge women when one praiseth them for their desertes deeme that hée flattereth them to obteine his desire I am héere present to yelde my selfe to such tryall as your courtesie in this behalfe shall require Yet will you coÌ„monly obiect this to such as serue you sterue to winne your good wil that hot loue is soone colde that the Bauin though it bourne bright is but a blaze that scaldinge water if it stande a while tourneth almost to yse that pepper â—hough it be hot in the mouth is colde in the mawe that the faith of men though it frye in their woordes it fréeseth in theire works Which things Lucilla albeit they be sufficient to reproue the lightnesse of some one yet can it not conuince euery one of lewdenes neither ought the constancie of all to be brought in question through the subtiltie of a fewe For although the worme entereth almost into euery woode yet he eateth not the Ceder trée Though the stone Cylindrus at euery thunder clappe rowle from the hill yet the pure sâ—éeke stone mounteth at the noyse though the rust fret the hardest stéele yet doth it not eate into the Emeraulde though Polypus chaunge his hew yet the Salamander kéepeth his coulour though Proteus transforme himselfe into euery shape yet Pygmalion retaineth his olde forme though Aeneas were to fickle to Dido yet Troylus was to faithfull to Craessida thoughe others séeme counterfaite in their déedes yet Lucilla perswade your selfe that Euphues will bée alwayes curraunt in his dealinges But as the true golde is tryed by the touch the pure flinte by the stroke of the yron so the loyall heart of the faithfull louer is knowen by the tryall of his Lady of the which tryall Lucilla if you shall accompte Euphues worthy assure your selfe hée wyll bée as readie to offer himselfe a sacrifice for your swéet sake as your selfe shall bée willinge to employe hym in your seruice Neyther doth hee desire to bée trusted any way vntill he shall be tried euery way neither doth hée craue credite at the first but a good countenaunce til time his desire shall be made manifest by hys desertes Thus not blynded by lyght affection but dazeled with your rare perfection and boldened by your excéeding courtesie I haue vnfolded mine entire loue desiring you hauing so good leasure to giue so friendly an aunswere as I may receiue comforte and you commendacion Lucilla although she were contented to heare this desired discourse yet did shee seeme to bee somewhat displeased And truely I know not whether it bée peculyar to that sex to dissemble with those whome they most desire or whether by craft they haue learned outwardely to loath that which inwardely they most loue yet wisely did she cast this in hir head that if she should yéelde at the first assault he woulde thinke hir a lyght huswife if she should reiect him sâ—ornefully a very haggard minding therefore that hâ— shoulde neyther take holde of hir promise neyther vnkindenesse of hir precisenesse she fedde him indifferently with hope and dispayre reason and affection lyfe and death Yet in the ende arguing wittilly vpon certeine questions they fell to suche agréement as poore Philautus woulde not haue agréed vnto if hée had bene present yet alwayes kéepinge the body vndefiled And thus shée replyed GEntleman as you may suspecte me of Idelnesse in giuing eare to your talke so may you conuince me of lyghtenesse in answering such toyes certes as you haue made mine eares glowe at the rehearsall of your loue so haue you galled my hart with the remembrance of your folly Though you came to Naples as a straunger yet were you welcome to my fathers house as a friend And can you then so much transgresse the bounds of honour I will not say of honestie as to solicite a sute more sharpe to me then deathe I haue hetherto God bethancked liued wythout suspition of lewdenesse and shall I nowe incurre the daunger of sensuall lybertie What hope can you haue to obtayne my loue seeing yet I coulde neuer affoord you a good looke Doe you therefore thinke me easely entised to the bent of your
bow bicause I was easely entreated to lysten to your late discourse Or séeing mée as finely you glose to excell all other in beautie did you déeme that I would exceed all other in beastlynesse But yet I am not angry â—upheus but in an agony for who is shée that will not fret or fume with one that loueth hir if this loue to delude mee bée not dissembled It is that which causeth me most to feare not that my beautie is vnknown to my selfe but that commonly we poore wenches are deluded through lyght beliefe and ye men are naturally enclined craftely to leade your lyfe When the Foxe preacheth the Géese perishe The Crocodile shrowdeth greatest treason vnder most pitifull teares in a kissing mouth there lyeth a gallyng minde You haue made so large proffer of your seruice and so fayre promises of fidelytie that were I not ouer charie of mine honestie you would inueigle me to shake handes with chastitie But certes I will eyther leade a Uirgins lyfe in earth though I leade Apes in hell or els follow thée rather then thy giftes yet am I neither so precise to refuse thy proffer neither so péeuish to disdain thy good will So excellent alwayes are the giftes which are made acceptable by the vertue of the giuer I did at the firste entraunce discerne thy loue but yet dissemble it Thy wanton glaunces thy scalding sighes thy louing signes caused me to blush for shame and to looke wanne for feare least they should be perceiued of any These subtill shiftes these paynted practises if I were to be wonne woulde soone weane mee from the teate of Vesta to the toyes of Vâ—nus Besides this thy comly grace thy rare quallyties thy exquisite perfection were able to moue a minde halfe mortified to transgresse the bondes of maydenly modestie But God shielde Lucilla that thou shouldest be so carelesse of thine honour as to commit the state thereoff to a stranger Learne thou by me Euphues to dispise things that be amiable to forgoe delightfull practises beléeue mée it is pietie to abstayne from pleasure Thou arte not the first that hath solicited this sute but the first that goeth about to seduce mée neyther discernest thou more then other but darest more then any neyther hast thou more arte to discouer thy meaninge but more hearte to open thy minde But thou preferrest mée before thy landes thy lyuings thy lyfe thou offerest thy selfe a Sacrifice for my securitie thou proferest mée the whole and onelye soueâ—â—igntie of thy seruice Truely I were very cruell and harde hearted if I should not loue thée harde hearted albeit I am not but truely loue thée I cannot whome I doubte to be my louer Moreouer I haue not bene vsed to the court of Cupide wherin ther be more slights then there be Hares in Athon then Bées in Hybla then stars in Heauen Besides this the common people héere in Naples are not onelye both verye suspitious of other mens matters and manners but also very iealous ouer other mens children and maydens eyther therefore dissemble thy fancie or desist from thy folly But why shouldest thou desist from the one séeinge thou canst cunningly dissemble the other My father is nowe gone to Venice and as I am vncerteine of his retourne so am I not priuie to the cause of his trauayle But yet is he so from hence that he séethe me in his absence Knowest thou not Euphues that kinges haue long armes rulers large reches neither let this comfort thée that at his departure he deputed thée in Philautus place Although my face cause him to mistrust my loyaltie yet my fayth enforceth him to giue mée this lybertie though he be suspitious of my fayre hew yet is he sâ—cure of my â—irme honestie But alas Euphues what truth can there be found in a trauayler what stay in a stranger whose words bodyes both watch but â—or a winde whose féete are euer fleeting whose fayth plighted on the shoare is tourned to periurie when they hoiste saile Who more trayterous to Phillis then Demophoon yet he a trauailer Who more periured to Dido then Aeneas and he a stranger both these Quéenes both they Caytiffes Who more false to Arâ—adâ—e then â—heseus yet he a sayler Who more fickle to Medea then Iason yet he a starter both these daughters to great Princes both they vnfaythfull of promisses Is it then lykely that â—uphues will be faithfull to Lucilla béeing in Naples but a soiourner I haue not yet forgotten the inuectiue I can no otherwise terme it which thou madest against beautie saying it was a deceiptfull bayte with a deadly hooke a swéete poyson in a paynted potte Canst thou then be so vnwise to swallow the bayte which will bréede thy bane To swill the drinke that will expire thy date To desire the wight that will worke thy death But it may bée that with the Scorpion thou canst féede on the earth or with the Quaile and Roebucke be fatte with poyson or with beautie lyue in all brauerie I feare me thou hast the stone Contineus about thee which is named of the contrarye that thoughe thou pretende faithe in thy words thou deuisest fraude in thy heart that though thou seeme to prefer loue thou art inflamed with lust And what for that Though thou haue eaten the séedâ—s of Rockatte which breede incontinencie yet haue I chewed the leafe Cresse which mayteineth modestie Though thou beare in thy bosâ—me the hearbe Araxa most noisome to virginitie yet haue I the stone that groweth in the mounte Tmolus the vpholder of chastitie You may gentleman accompte me for a colde Prophet thus hastely to deuine of your disposition pardon mée Euphues if in loue I cast beyonde the Moone which bringeth vs women to endlesse moane Although I my selfe were neuer burnt whereby I should dread the fire yet the scorching of others in the flames of fancie warneth me to beware Though I as yet neuer tryed any faithles wherby I should be fearefull yet haue I read of many that haue bene periured which causeth me to be carefull though I am able to coÌ„uince none by proofe yet am I enforced to suspect one vppon probabilyties Alas we silly soules which haue neyther witte to decypher the wyles of men nor wisedome to dissemble our affection neyther crafte to trayne in young louers neither courage to withstande their encounters neyther discretion to discerne their dubling neither hard hearts to reiâ—ct their complaynts wée I say are soone enticed béeing by nature simple and easily entangled béeinge apte to receiue the impression of loue But alas it is both common and lamentable to beholde simplicitie intrapped by subtilytie and those that haue most might to be infected with most mallice The Spider weaueth a fine webbe to hang the Fly the Wolfe weareth a faire face to deuoure the Lambe the Merlin striketh at the Partridge the Eagle often snappeth at the Fly men are alwayes laying baytes for women which are the weaker vessells but as yet I
lyghtnes make thée the bye word of the world O Lucilla Lucilla woulde thou wert lesse fayre or more fortunate eyther of lesse honour or greater honestie eyther better minded or soone buryed Shall thine olde father lyue to sée thée match with a younge foole shall my kinde hearte be rewarded with such vnkinde hate Ah Lucilla thou knowest not the care of a father nor the duetie of a childe and as farre art thou from pietie as I from crueltie Nature will not permitte me to disherit my daughter and yet it will suffer thée to dishonour thy father Affection causeth me to wishe thy life and shall it entice thée to procure my death It is mine onely comfort to sée thée florishe in thy youth and is it thine to see me fade in mine age to conclude I desire to liue to sée thee prosper thou to sée me perish But why cast I the effect of this vnnaturalnesse in thy téeth séeing I my selfe was the cause I made thée a wanton and thou hast made mée a foole I brought thee vpp lyke a cockney and thou hast handled mee lyke a cockescombe I speake it to mine owne shame I made more of thée then became a Father thou lesse of me then beséemed a childe And shal my louing care be cause of thy wicked crueltie yea yea I am not the first that hath bene too carefull nor the last that shall bée handled so vnkindely it is common to sée Fathers too fonde and children to frowarde Well Lucilla the teares which thou séest trickle downe my â—héekes and the droppes of bloude whiche thou canst not see that fall from my heart enforce me to make an ende of my talke and if thou haue any duetie of a childe or care of a friende or courtesie of a straunger or féelinge of a Christian or humanitie of a reasonable creature then release thy Father of gryefe and acquite thy selfe of vngratefulnesse otherwyse thou shalte but hasten my deathe and encrease thine owne defame which if thou doe the gaine is mine and the losse thine and both infinite Lucilla eyther so bewitched that shee coulde not relente or so wicked that shée woulde not yelde to hir Fathers request aunswered him on this manner Déere Father as you woulde haue mée to shewe the duetie of a childe so ought you to shewe the care of a parent and as the one standeth in obedience so the other is grounded vpon reason You would haue me as I owe duetie to you to leaue Curio and I desire you as you owe mée any loue that you suffer me to enioye him If you accuse mée of vnnaturalnesse in that I yelde not to your request I am also to condemne you of vnkindenesse in that you graunt not my petition You obiecte I knowe not what to Curio but it is the eye of the maister that fatteth the horse and the loue of the woman that maketh the man To giue reason for fancie were to weighe the fire and measure the winde If therefore my delight bée the caâ—se of your death I thincke my sorrowe would bée an occasion of your solace And if you be angrye bicause I am pleased certes I déeme you woulde be content if I were deceased which if it be so that my pleasure bréede your paine and mine annoy your ioye I may well say that you are an vnkinde Father and I an vnfortunate childe But good Father either content your selfe wyth my choice or let me stand to the maine chaunce otherwise the griefe will be mine and the fault yours and both vntollerable Ferardo séeinge his daughter to haue neither regarde of hir owne honour nor his requestâ— conceyued such an inwarde gryefe that in short space hée dyed leauing Lucilla the onely heire of his landes and Curio to possesse them but what ende came of hir séeing it is nothing incident to the history of Euphues it were superfluous to insert it and so incredible that all women would rather wonder at it thou beléeue it which euent being so strauÌ„ge I had rather leaue them in a muse what it should bee then in a maze in telling what it was Philautus hauing intelligence of Euphues his successe and the falshoode of Lucilla although he began to reioyce at the miserye of his fellowe yet séeinge hir ficklenesse coulde not but lamente hir follye and pittie his friendes misfortune Thinckinge that the lightnesse of Lucilla enticed Euphues to so great liking Euphues and Philaâ—tus hauing conference betwéene themselues castinge discourtesie in the téeth each of the other but chiefly noting disloyaltie in the demeanor of Lucilla after much talke renewed their olde friendship both abandoning Lucilla as most abhominable Philautus was earnest to haue Euphues â—arrie in Naples and Euphues desirous to haue Philautus to Athens but the one was so addicted to the court the other so wedded to the vniuersitie that each refused the offer of the other yet this they agréed betwéene themselues that though their bodyes were by distaunce of place seuered yet the coniunction of their mindes shoulde neither bée seperated by the length of time nor alienated by chaunge of soyle I for my parte sayde Euphues to confirme thys league gyue thée my hand and my heart and so likewise did Philautus and so shaking handes they bid each other farewell Euphues to the intent hée might bridell the ouerlashing affections of Philautus conuayed into his studye a certeyne pamphlet which hée termed a coolinge carde for Philautus yet generallye to be applyed to all louers which I haue inserted as followeth ¶ A cooling Carde for Philautus and all fond louers MUsing with my selfe béeing idle howe I myght be well unployed friend Philautus I could finde nothing either more fitte to continue our friendshippe or of greater force to dissolue our follye then to write a remedy for that which many iudge past cure for loue Philautus with that which I haue bene so tormented that I haue lost my time thou so troubled that thou hast forgot reason both so mangled with repulse inueigled by deceite and almost murthered by dysdain that I can neither remember our miseries without griefe nor redresse our mishaps without groanes How wantonly yea and howe willingly haue wee abused our golden time and mispent our gotten treasure How curious were we to please our Lady how carelesse to displease our Lord How deuoute in seruing our Goddesse howe desperate in forgetting our God Ah my Philautus if the wasting of our money might not dehort vs yet the wounding of our mindes should deterre vs if reason might nothing perswade vs to wisdome yet shame should prouoke vs to wyt If Lucilla reade this trifle she will straight proclaime Euphues for a traytour and seeing mée tourne my tippet will either shut mee out for a Wrangler or cast me off for a Wiredrawer either conuince mee of mallice in bewraying their sleightes or condemne me of mischiefe in arming younge men against fléetinge minions And what then Though Curio bée as hotte as a toast yet
sinneth is of the Dyuell the rewarde of sinne is death thou shalte not suffer the wicked to lyue take all the Princes of the people and hange them vp agaynst the Sunne on Iybbets that my anger maye bée tourned from Israell these sayinges of holy Scripture cause mée to tremble and shake in euery sinnewe Agayne this saith the holy Byble nowe shall the scowrge fall vppon thée for thou hast sinned beholde I set a curse before you to daye if you shall not harken to the commaundementes of the Lorde all they that haue forsaken the Lorde shall be confounded Furthermore where threates are poured out agaynst sinners my heart bléedeth in my bellye to remember them I wyll come vnto you in iudgement sayth the Lorde and I wyll be a swifte and a seuere witnesse offenders adulterers and those that haue committed periurie and retained the duetie of the hirelinges oppressed the widowes misused the straunger and those that haue not feared me the Lord of hoasts Out of his mouth shall come a two edged swoorde Beholde I come quickly and bringe my rewarde with me which is to yelde euery one according to his desertes Great is the day of the Lord and terrible and who is he that may abide him What shall I then doe when the Lord shall arise to iudge and when hée shall demaund what shal I answere Besides this the names that in holy scripture are attributed to God bring a terrour to my guiltie conscience He is said to be a terrible God a God of reuenge whose voice is like the thūder whose breath maketh al the corners of the earth to shake tremble These things Euphues testifie vnto my conscience that if there be a God he is the God of the righteous one that wil confound the wicked Whether therefore shal I goe or how may I auoide the day of vengeance to come if I goe to heauen that is his seate if into the earth that is his footstoole if into the depth he is there also Who can shrowde himself from the face of the Lord or where can one hide him that the Lord cannot finde him his wordes are like fire and the people lyke drye woode and shal be consumed Euphues Although I cannot but reioyce to heare thée acknowledge a God yet must I néedes lament to sée thée so much distrust him The Diuell that roaring Lyon seing his pray to be taken out of his iawes alledgeth al Scripture that may condemne the sinner leauing al out that should comfort the sorrowful Much like vnto the deceitfull Phisition which recounteth all things that may endomage his patient neuer telling any thing that may recure him Let not thy conscience be agrieued but with a patiēt heart renounce all thy former iniquities and thou shalt receiue eternall life Assure thy selfe that as God is a Lord so he is a father as Christ is a Iudge so he is a Sauiour as ther is a lawe so there is a Gospel Though God haue leaden handes whiche when they strike paye home yet hath he leaden féet which are as slow to ouertake a sinner Heare therfore the great comfort flowing in euery leafe line of the Scripture if thou be patient I my selfe am euen hée which doth blotte out thy transgressions and that for mine owne sake and I will not be mindefull of thy sinnes Beholde the Lordes hande is not shortned that it cannot saue neither his eare heauy that it cannot heare If your sinnes were as Crimosin they shall be made whiter then Snow though they were as red as Scarlet they shall be made like white Woll If we confesse our offences hée is faythfull and iuste so that he will forgiue vs our sinnes God hathe not appointed vs vnto wrath but vnto saluation by the meanes of our Lorde Iesus Christe the earthe is filled with the mercye of the Lorde It is not the will of your Father which is in heauen that any one of the little ones should perishe God is riche in mercye I will not the death of a sinner sayth the Lord God retourne and lyue The sonne of man came not to destroye but to saue God hath mercy on all bycause hée can doe all God is mercifull longe sufferinge and of much mercy If the wicked man shall repent of hys wickednesse which hée hath committed and kéepe my commaundementes doinge Iustice and iudgement hée shall lyue the lyfe and shall not dye If I shall saye vnto the sinner thou shalt dye the death yet if hée repent and doe Iustice he shall not dye Call to thy minde the great goodnesse of God in creating thée his singuler loue in giuing his sonne for thée So God loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeur beléeued in him myght not perish but haue euerlasting life God hath not sent his sonne to iudge the world but that the worlde might be saued by him Can the Mother sayth the Prophet forget the chylde of hir wombe though she be so vnnaturall yet will I not be vnmindefull of thée There shal be more ioye in heauen for the repentaunce of one sinner thē for nintie nine iust persons I came not saith Christ to cal the righteous but sinners to repentāce If any mā sin we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christe the righteous hée is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole worlde I write vnto you little children bicause your sinnes be forgiuen for his names sake Doth not Christ saye that whatsoeuer wée shall aske the Father in his name wée shall obtayne Doth not God saye this is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him I haue reade of Themistocles which hauing offended Philip the king of Macedonia could no way apease his anger méeting his young sonne Alexander tooke him in his armes met Philip in the face Philip séeing the smilyng countenaunce of the childe was well pleased with Themistocles Euen so if through thy manifolde sinnes and haynous offences thou prouoke the heauye displeasure of thy God insomuch as thou shalt tremble for horror take his onelye begotten and welbeloued sonne Iesus in thine armes and then he neyther can nor will bée angry with thée If thou haue denyed thy God yet if thou goe out with Peter and wéepe bitterly God will not deny thée Though with the prodigall sonne thou wallow in thine owne wilfulnesse yet if thou retourne agayne sorrowfull thou shalt be receiued If thou bée a grieuous offender yet if thou come vnto Christ with the woman in Luke and wash his féete with thy teares thou shalt obteyne remission Consider with thy selfe the great loue of Christ and the bitter torments that he endured for thy sake which was enforced through the horror of death to crye with a loude voyce Eloi Eloi Lamasabathani My God my God why hast thou forsaken mée and with a groning spirite to say my soule is heauie euen
vnto the deathe tarry héere and watch and agayne father if it be possible lette this cuppe passe from mée Remember how he was crowned with thornes crucified with théeues scourged and hanged for thy saluation how hée swette water and bloude for thy remission how he endured euen the torments of the damned spirites for thy redemption how he ouercame death that thou shouldst not dye how he conquered the Diuell that thou mighâ—est not be damned When thou shalt record what he hath done to purchase thy fréedome how canst thou dreade bondage When thou shalt beholde the agonyes and anguish of minde that he suffered for thy sake how canst thou doubte of the release of thy soule When thy Sauiour shall be thy Iudge why shouldest thou tremble to heare of iudgement When thou hast a continuall Mediator with God the father howe canst thou distrust of his fauour Turne therefore vnto Christ with a willyng hearte a waylyng minde for thy offences who hath promised that at what time soeuer a sinner repenteth him of his sinnes he shal be forgiuen who â—alleth al those that are heauie laden that they might be refreshed who is the dore to them that knocke the waye to them that séeke the truthe the rocke the corner stone the fulnesse of time it is he that can will poure oyle into thy wounds Who absolued Marie Magdalene from hir sinnes but Christ Who forgaue the théefe his robbery and manslaughter but Christ Who made Mathew the Publycane and tollgatherer an Apostle and Preacher but Christ Who is that good shepehearde that fetcheth home the straye shéepe so louingly vppon his shoulders but Christ Who receiued home the lost sonne was it not Christ Who made of Saul a persecuter Paul an Apostle was it not Christ I passe ouer diuers other histories both of the olde and new Testament which do aboundantly declare what great comâ—orte the faithfull penitent sinners haue alwayes had in hearing the comfortable promises of Gods mercy Canst thou then Atheos distrust thy Christ who reioyceth at thy repentaunce Assure thy selfe that through his passion and bloudshedding death hath lost his sting the Diuill his victory and that the gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst thée Lette not therefore the bloude of Christ be shed in vayne by thine obstinate and harde hearte Let this perswasion rest in thée that thou shalt receiue absolution fréely and then shalt thou féele thy soule euen as it were to hunger and thirst after rightuousnes Atheos Well Euphues séeing the Holy Ghost hath made thée the meane to make me a man for before the tast of the gospell I was worse then a beast I hope the same spirite wil also lyghten my conscience with his word confirme it to the ende in constancie that I may not only confesse my Christ faithfully but also preach him fréely that I may not only be a Minister of his word but also a Martir for it it be his pleasure O Euphues howe much am I bound to the goodneâ—â— almightie god which hath made me of an infidell a beléeuer of a castaway a Christian of an heathenly Pagan an heauenly Protestant O how comfortable is the féelyng tast of grace how ioyfull are the glad tidings of the Gospell the faithfull promises of saluation the frée redemption of the soule I will endeauour by all meanes to confute those damnable I know not by what names to terme them but blasphemers I am sure which if they be no more certeinly they can be no lesse I sée now the ods betwixt light darkenes faith frowardnes Christ Belial be thou Euphues a witnes of my faith séeing thou hast ben the instrument of my beliefe and I will pray that I shewe it in my lyfe As for thée I accompt my selfe so much in thy debt as I shal neuer be able with the losse of my life to reÌ„der thée thi due but god which rewardeth the zeale of al men wil I hope blesse thee I wil pray for thée Eu. O Atheos little is the debt thou owest me but great is the comfort that I haue receiued by thée Giue the praise to God whose goodnesse hath made thée a member of the mysticall body of Christe and not onely a brother with his sonne but also a coheriter with thy Sauiour There is no heart so hard no heathen so obstinate no miscreaunt or Infidell so impious that by grace is not made as supple as oyle as tractable as a shéepe as faithfull as any The Adamant though it be so harde that nothinge can bruse it yet if the warme bloude of a Goate be poured vpon it it bursteth euen so although the heart of the Atheist and vnbeléeuer be so hard that neither reward nor reuenge can mollyfie it so stout that no perswasion can breake it yet if the grace of God purchased by the bloude of Christe doe but once towch it it renteth in sunder and is enforced to acknowledge an omnipotent and euerlasting Iehoua Lette vs therefore both Atheos I will not nowe call thée but Theophilus fly vnto that Christ which hath through his mercy not our merits purchased for vs the enheritaunce of euerlasting lyfe ¶ Certeine Letters writ by Euphues to his friendes Euphues to Philautus IF the course of youth had any respect to the staffe of age or the liuing man any regarde to the dying moulde we would with greater â—are wheÌ„ we were young shunne those things which should griue vs when we be olde and wyth more seueritie direct the sequele of our lyfe for the feare of present death But such is eyther the vnhappinesse of mans condition or the vntowardnesse of his crolâ—ed nature or the wilfulnesse of his minde or the blindnesse of his heart that in youth he surfiteth wyth delightes preuenting age or if he liue continueth in dotage â—orgetting death It is a world to sée how in our flourishing tyme when we best may we be worst willing to thriue And howe in fadinge of our dayes when we moste shoulde we haue least desire to remember our ende Thou wilt muse Philaâ—tus to here Euphues to preach who of late had more minde to serue his Ladye then to worshippe his Lorde Ah Philantus thou art now a Courtier in Italy I a scholler in Athens and as hard it is for thée to follow good counsayle as for me to enforce thée séeing in thée there is little will to amend and in mée lesse authoritie to commaunde yet will I exhort thée as a friende I woulde I myght compell thée as a Father But I haue heard that it is peculier to an Italian to stande in hys owne conceite and to a courtier neuer to be controlde which causeth me to feare that in thée which I lament in others That is that either thou séeme to wise in thine owne opinion thinking scorne to be taught or to wilde in thine attempts in reiecting admonishmeÌ„t The one procéedeth of selfe loue and so thy name importeth the other of méere