the deedes dye wiâh thâ death of the Husband And therefore for troth I must giue praise to those whom you haue named but âouching their death for that the same was doone desperately there can be no cause of prayse preferred to such persons For that by sacred writ we are ãâã in what sorrow or ãâã soeuer we be not to shorten ãâã dayes by any stroke of death but paciently to take the same vntill by the prouidence of God we finde ease of all such euils And therefore Learning hath left no such lawde of the death of these Dames although their liues be woorthy the writing Therfore Madame you muste vale now and giue place to Learning or els you erre much in your oppinion for that you by their deathes make them to be renowned which rather deserue vtterly to be reprochefully reputed In that they to féede their fonde and amorous affection would by the losse of their ãâã breathe life into the bodyes of their buryed husbande ãâ¦ã wish with my hart all women ãâã follow the same but touching theyr deathes that I referre to Diuines but surely on my part it is vtterly detested For I can appropriate no ãâã to such a pernicious ãâã ne can any man commend the same to be doone of constancie but rather frantick or foolishly And therefore Madame I cannot allow your argument to be good Ladie Why Sir I am sure I haue forged no fable whereby to make theyr prayse a president ãâã my purpose âe séeke I to attribute to their dooinges any larger discourse then I can affirme ây authority And therefore iâ ãâã the contrary haue declared of ãâ¦ã âene dead And if by their deathes they haue rather merited reproche then renowne who then is in the fault but those y â haue painted their prayse in place of dysprayse For if their liues were honorable and their deathes odyous theyr liues should haue béene registred their deathes béene put in obliuion But I will not be perswaded although you deeme their desperation to be damnable but that those Dames doo yet liue in delight ãâã for at that time they rather chused death to winne a ãâã life thereây then to liue licenciously to die a double death And therefore ây opinion is these Ladyes although they knew not Christianity ãâã had and haue theyâ foules the glory and gaine of ãâã on and therefore Learning ãâ¦ã lâttle to contend with ãâ¦ã But now vnto a farther ãâã you will not allow Looue to be ãâã ouer Learning and therefore ãâã approoue it by an example ãâã shalbe no lesse familiar then faithfull What will you then giue ouer Scholler Madame I will âiue you the hearing and as I like your reason so shall you heare my reply if it be good I will allow it if otherwise I muste and will confesse the conârarie Ladie Well then Sir to the purpose WHen the King of Hetruria had sent his defâaunce to the Senate of Roome and that his Legats expected the aunswer of the Senatorâ Mutius Scââuola and Coclius then Consuls béeing in the Senate theââ was a controuersie betwéene ãâã they were deuided on contraâââ ãâã parte helde it best to make ãâã with the Hetrurians and ãâã some to giue aunswer to the âântrary but especially Coclius who ãâã an eloquent Oration openly ãâã the Senate perswaded the Roââines not to take truce but valiantly to prooue themselues as theyr noble Progenitors had doone before them Whose Oration béeing ended as you know Scaeuola replyed that Coclius had little care of his Countrey so to perswade them to warres when by their wisedomes they were able to appease the hatred of the Hetrurian King But whilest they contended about this case a Messenger came running ãâã into y e Senate house and brought ridings how the enemy was at ãâã the Feildes were couered with armed men and the Walles of Roome at point to bâ scaled Which Coâââus heaâing now my Lordes quoth he defend Roome by your wisdome and Learning I leaue you and with that woord sodainly departed and hastily ãâã himselfe came firste to ãâ¦ã where by an assault the enemy ãâã ready to enter But Coclius ãâã more the sauegarde of his ãâ¦ã then surety of himselfe stoode in ãâã fence and kept the Bridge ãâã the whole Hoste of Heârurians and when he sawe no remedy he fired the Bridge twixte him and the enemy and taking his halfe Shéelde which then he had left he refused not to leap into Tyber and so to hazarde his life rather then to leaue to his foes the conquest and spoile of his Countrey Héere was Looue more then Learning for if Learning could haue defended Roome I déeme it sufficiently supplied with Schollers But héer was Looue conquerââ and whilste Looue labored by life to frée Roome froÌ ruine Learning lay soft at home expectyng when the enemie would come to fight with words But had Looue bothe by Coclius and after by Mucius Scaeuola â béene no better Soldiers to their Countrey by theyr Looue then such Sâhollers by their ãâ¦ã walles of Rome should then ãâã at this day the sloth of theyr ãâã Senators and prayse the Looue and vertue of Coclius and ãâã And though the one held ãâã a wrong opinion against the other when Mutius Scaeuola had heard what a valliant exployt was by Coclius atcheiued What quoth he shall Mutins he mewed vp in the Senate and heare such fame ringe in Rome of Coclius No. And with that woord he departed to the Campe of his enemy where he by his endeuor shewed such a Looue to his Countey as neuer was the like since the death of Curtius Whose example if I séeme to passe with out prayse I should sure ecclipse the honour that by him was doone to Roome and also wrong much the Knight who for his CouÌtry counted his lyfe to be as nothing These and such other examples are ryfe in memory and therefore I but giue notyce of theyr noble nature But Sir how many were in Roome of your profession that for the publique weale would put himselfe in perill like to any of these that is to say Coclius Curtius or Mutius Scaeuola And how if I named Marcius Regulus Manlius Coriolanus yea or Scipio surnamed Africanus these were all Schollers yea and Senators But how many shewed like Looue to Roome as they did and had so small a guerdon for their good will Manlius after long and manye yeares venturing his life in the quarrell and right of his Countrey When he came vnto Roome was throwne ouer the walles into the riuer Tyber Coriolânus was banished and when he ãâ¦ã Voltians against the ãâã Roome they then fearing theyr destruction sent out his Mother Wife and children with charge not to returne till they with him had gotten truce Which once vnderstood of the Voltians when he returned to his Campe he âas of them trayterouslie slaine Mârâus Regulus after many notable things by him aâchieued was cruelly stoned or presâ to death by his owne
when Diophes was Kinge of Egipt whose substaunce treasure and reuenues were vtterly consumen and spent to maintaine a sumptuous woorke which he had then in hande the number of whose workemen was not so fâwe as one hundred thousand Who labouring long tyme vppon a pyle as the Author affirmeth wasted so much wealthe as that he was not onely destitute but also desperate to comprehend the same And séeing by no meanes possible the same could be finished but onely by the meane of money which then he did want He commeth to his Daughter and commaundeth her earnestly to giue her selfe to sensuall prostitution menacing her not onely to pitch a great price vpon her honor but also to embrace euery one that brought to her commodity Which soone after she fulfilled no lesse with regarde to her owne profit then also to performe her promise to her father For looke how many dealt or had dalliauÌce with her of euery such she demaunded a Stone whereby at last she gathered such a gayne that the price thereof builded the Piramides a certaine hill which beareth on the top one hundreth and fiftie foote This Looue you must néedes confesse was neither good nor godly and therfore Learning in this place had béene better then Looue For then the excessiue expence of the father had neuer sought the sale and the spoyle of his owne séede but héere was Luste and no Learning which forced folly bothe in Father and Daughter Farther more as I remember Lodouicus Vartomanus writeth of a straunge and wonderfull wooing or looue making which in a prouince in India named Tarnassery is commonly vsed and thus it is WHat time as any young man becommeth amorous of any Dame he commeth to her and taking a péece of woollen cloathe which he dippeth in Oyle he clappeth the same to his naked arme and setting fier thereto he protesteth by his Gods to endure no lesse torment for her whom he looueth then that which in her sight she séeeth him to receiue signifying therby that there is no torment or martirdome that may be ministred to a man but that he is able to abyde the same for her sake But what thinke you Madame wrought Looue or Learning first the effect If it were Looue what néede he then to scorche his skinne If it were Learning as it caÌ be no other vnlesse Diuine inspiration put it in his head which if it were yet was it Learning although applyed leawdely to a more lasciuious Luste How thinke you Madame haue you examples enowe or wyll you any more Ladie My sence is almoste surprised with these detestable yea or rather diuelish discourses for amongst all these euils although I confesse they haue béene contributores to Cupid there hath not yet beene any without spot and yet the bad is as good as the best to reasoÌ with you But leauing them as they are not yéelding any whit to Learning What thinke you now Sir of such Dames whose vertues haue béene vaunted of the wisest praysed of Philosophers and Poets yea and so lamented of the learnedst as that neither Pen nor Poet was able to discourse the Looue and loyaltie which in their liues they ought to their husbandes ne like case to Recorde the reuenge with lyuing with theyr Husbands losse they vsed on themselues FIrste to begin with Porcia the Daughter of Cato and wife vnto Brutus who when shée vnderstoode of the slaughter of her spowse not hauing an instrument for death so ready as she wisht to shew the looue and loyalty she bare to her Brutus deuoured burning coales Cleopatra Quéene of Egipt at such time as the death of her Anthonius was once to her reuealed no myrthe no meate no delight was so much desired of her as death Whom when Octauius Caesar had perceiued and sawe by her passions that she could not preuent the same without perill of her person hee caused her to be strongely garded warâly watched yea and so circumspectly conducted as that he déemed her safe from séeking slaughter of her selfe But how brought she to passe her will she approoued a straunger torment then either sworde or fier and that which moste deare she alwayes reserued for Anthonius she refused not to bestow bountefully on venemous Serpents wherewith her corpes was cleane consumed Thyrdly let vs not forget that loyall Ladye Arthemezia Quéene of Caria and wife of Mansolus who when her Husbands death was blowen into her eares wepte so bitterly with such aboundaunce of teares that well nighe all the moysture in her body conuerted into watry humores yea or rather floods of Salte droppes Whose death when with mourning and sorrowing shee had sufficiently supplyed she caused a moste sumptuous Sepulcher or Shrine to be made and as the bodys wasted and consumed so dranke she vp still the duste of her deare Mansolus neuer leauing til the very bones had satisfyed her as the rest before Thus was her selfe the Sepulcher of her spowse déeming the woormes vnwoorthy for him although they were fed with her selfe Furthermore Liuie reciteth that when it was reported to Iulya how Pompaeus her husband was slaine in the féelde she tooke the same so sorrowfull that in the presence of Pompaeus she passed her life Also the wife of Brucollo an Allemaigne when for treasoÌ her husband was by the Emperor Claudius Marcello condemned to be deuoured of Lions she sued vnto the Emperor to participate the torment of her Husband And when she sawe no intercession would serue neither for his suretie of life nor for her selfe who desired to accompany him to death shée brake into such a furie as not regarding the torment she spake the moste vyle and reprochefull woordes she could inuent against the Emperor Claudius Yea and if his Garde had not béene shee had slaine him Which the Noble Emperor séeing and considering of the cause not onely pardoned her Husband and her selfe but also gaue them largely for to liue How thinke you now sir whether dooth Looue or Learning héere get moste prayse Learning in this place preferres Looue or els there had béene no memorie made of the liues of these chaste and constant Ladyes And therefore Learning hath made a Register and vollume of their vertues wishing others to immitate the like as did these honest Matrons whose liues is the onely Lampe or Loadestone for Ladyes How thinke you Sir can you alledge any thing to the contrary Scholler I cannot well condemne them ne will I els commend any partâââler person Ladie Why were they not chaste and constant to theyr husbandes that would not refuse to accompany them to the death Scholler I will not deny but theyr death did argue a great signe of constanâie for that in such extremeties the losse of lyfe is a Touchestone either to trye Looue to be faythfull or els to bee fayned For otherwise there are many that wyll vowe in showe to taste any torment for the health or surety of their husbands but
occasion to snaffle his skill but he doated on delight Scholler Yet excepting his folly who was comparable to him either in life or learning Ladie Marrie that was Looue by whome Learning lost his liberty and Luste receaued the benefite of bothe For the fancie of the flesh killed the desire of knowledge and therefore luste at that time restrained Reason and Ladie And why Sir Scholler For that Plato rather was amorous to try the inconstancie of Looueâ then for any affection borne to Archenasse Ladie Now certaynâly Plato ãâ¦ã beholding to you ãâ¦ã more beholding to ãâ¦ã would not ãâ¦ã vnwisely haue defended ãâ¦ã But since you are ãâ¦ã farre of trothe take ãâ¦ã losopher and then make ãâ¦ã to Venus as well for the ãâ¦ã best I am sure you were ãâ¦ã of Sâcrates and for ãâ¦ã beare him you will not âeare ãâã abused but yet I praye ãâ¦ã angrye with Aspasiâ though shee Schooled your Socrates according to her owne skill If she béeing a womaÌ had power to teach such a Tutor How then can you deny but Looue is the onely Lampe of Learning the Adamant which drawes you to amorous delight yea the very Idoll whom you séeke although you ferue the Sainct and sew vnto the shrine Tush Sir if Trées could speake Stones bewray their meanings or ãâ¦ã the delight which they ãâã by Looue what were ãâ¦ã more then now there ãâ¦ã And yet I dare auouche ãâ¦ã naturall coniunction as ãâ¦ã creatures as for examâââ ãâ¦ã Female from the Mals âhe ãâ¦ã dyeth yea bothe perhapââ ãâã therefore generally in all things Looue is to be preferred ãâ¦ã For why Learning ãâ¦ã estéemed but with the wiâe nor âath any lasting perpetuitâ ãâ¦ã permit But Looue is immortall not to be by death destroyed And therefore Sir you play on a wronge Pipe to condemne Looue and commend learning Scholler Certainely Madame you weary your selfe although to small purpose for you chuse such occasions as best may serue your ãâã but you neuer regarde the wronge which you dââ to the Author Ladie Why haue I ãâ¦ã Scholler Not one but all Ladie Oh Sir I blame you ãâ¦ã seueare séeing that your ãâ¦ã Science is almost spoyled ãâ¦ã You could doo veryâ ãâ¦ã should not saye somewhat for them and your selfe But ãâã that I now will somewhat digreâââ to show you of a rare example that happened by ãâã â if you wyll bestowe time to heare it Scholler Certainely Madame y â I will or els you might déeme me very ingrate Ladie Wâll then Sir attend As I remember Athineus wryteth that a certaine Courtezan named ãâã Milesienna no lesse adorned with regardes of Nature then ãâã âer person preferred in hart of ãâ¦ã personages was desired of many not of the inferior sort but of the best insomuch as that in the end she fixed her fancie to fauour ãâ¦ã the named Colophomen ãâ¦ã ââquisite in beautie with ãâ¦ã her dearest and daintiest ãâã she chose to performe her amorous pleasures although others had some interest yet to him she was at ãâã commaund Neuerthelesse as I wyll not héerein commend her lastâuious life so I will not forget to ââwe a rare regarde of loyaltye to be in this common Courtezan Shée determined ãâ¦ã to giue him ouer first ãâ¦ã should vnderstand she ãâ¦ã new made choyce and ãâ¦ã one day to put the same ãâ¦ã what time her loouer ãâ¦ã thinking to be no lesse welcome tâen before he found his Lady had chaunged her coppie the ãâã was altered her countenaunce séemed to him ãâã could as the Ise of the Mountayââ making no accoumpt either of his proffers or of his complaints Which when Colophomen once conceaued ãâ¦ã The youngman departing ãâã rate of all hope either to ãâã grace of his Lady or the ãâ¦ã compasse the Chaine of ãâ¦ã last hazarding the hap of bothe ãâã me thâto Bachide and vnto her ãâã the dollerous discoârse late hapâpened twixt him and his ãâã frâeâd Not forgetting to beséeche ãâã of her âountie in committing to the courtâfie of his aâncient ãâ¦ã Chaine whom he so dearely ãâã Bachide which behelde with what care her Colophomen was ãâã and how beside of long time the familiarity was great twixt ãâã ãâ¦ã young man saying ãâ¦ã shall neuer cause my ãâã to be contemned take the ãâã therefore and present thy Lady ãâã therewith and say that ãâã then she should be ielous ãâ¦ã of her Iewel I send her my Iewell to driue away her ielousie The young man hauing the Chaine depaâted how glad that I commit to the ãâã of Loouers And finding his fréend Milisienna presenteth her therewith not forgetting to adde thereto the woordes of Bachide Which when Milisienna had well ãâã and sawe the courtesie ãâ¦ã also resignes her ãâ¦ã Colophomen to be at her ãâ¦ã for her selfe to be at the ãâ¦ã pleasure of them bothe ãâ¦ã not to put in practise ought ãâã should be preiudice to either ãâ¦ã persons So to conclude they ãâã were conteÌted to impart then ãâã alike to Colophomen I doo ãâã now which of these had the greater conquest she y â bestowed her Chaine so bountefully or shée that retoâned it with so great a rewarde as to commit her fréend to the liking of the other Scholler Certainely shee that gaue the Chayne was the greatest Conquerour for that shee did hazarde it without hope of any happe â and ãâ¦ã Ladie ãâã is this your oppinion Scholler ãâ¦ã but to what end serues ãâ¦ã I cannot perceiue it Ladie Naye you will not and that is ãâã for if you did you then might ãâã how secreat the effects of Looue wrought in these thrée but especially in the man for he béeing forsaken of Milesinna with charge neuer to preââââ her presence without the ãâã of Bâchide did ãâã hazâââ ãâ¦ã so that his hap hung ãâ¦ã vnlesse he brought the ãâ¦ã Scholler Alas Madame this is but ãâã example to approâue this ãâ¦ã loyall either of the one or ãâ¦ã for you confesse them ãâã theÌ are they common by ãâã and looke what kinde dooth ãâ¦ã hardly be reformed Therefore ãâã Loâue was Luste theyr courteâââ ãâã vnchaste yea all theyr praise ãâã to be counted perniciâus then to be preferred for perfect But now Madame âéeing we are entâed ãâã farre into examples of Looue ãâ¦ã you of oâe more notable then any yet rehearsed which Plutarche hath written in contempte of Looue and his lawe and that is this ãâ¦ã yeares in her vnchaste and lasâiuious looue she was aâ lengthe demaunded ãâ¦ã and so delightfull to ãâã that by the sodaine glauÌce ãâ¦ã from her inticing lookes ãâã caught in the mischéeuââ ãâã and nette of her beauty In ãâã as his owne former pleaââââ ãâã were vtterly abandoned and ãâã his fancie fixed to behold the ãâ¦ã fauour of his Lamia In so much as that he would uâuallye sweaâe by Lamia as had shée béene a Goddeâââ and as Pluâaâ ãâ¦ã at such time when the Athenianâ to assist him in his warres ãâ¦ã of theyr courteâies eleuen Tallents of siluer to paye his Souldiours
Countreymen whom he had doone so much for Scipio likewise spending all his time in the wars and defence of his Country neuer found any such enemy as Roome which rewardeâ him with banishment So that he dyed in a Uillage in the Countrey accusing Roome to be the enemy and author of all his euils Hanniball likewise found Carthage so vnkinde that flying in his olde age to Prusius âor succour ãâ¦ã and so rather then to yeelde to his foes poysoned himselfe These fellowes looued not to praââ of Table Philosophie nor to make a ãâã sitting in theyr Ladyes lappâs For these Loouers neuer went to studie what elloquencâ they should vse to please theyr Loouers but bluntly powred it out that bothe earth and Skies resounded the Eccho df theyr enuie And furthermore when as Dametria vnderstood that her sonne sent in the defence of his Countrey fayled to shew his valliancie according as it was in charge to him committed How aunswered she the Messenger Hath not my sonne quoth she wun fame to his Countrey No certainly quoth he but vtter dishonor by his cowardnes Well quoth shee and what he hath loste among his foes at his returne he shall finde amongst his freends he shall neuer bring confusion to his Countrey nor sorrow to my soâle ãâ¦ã rewarde ãâ¦ã sonne within a while came home and hauing then prooâââ valiant indéedâ came according to the auncient custome of Cânquerââs Which whâ she sawe she with teares séemed tenderly to welcome him But in the dead time of his sléepe she murthered him And béeing demaunded the cause shée replyed thus Héereby quoth shée I haue fréeed my selfe and âountrey from a cowarde and giuen victory to him by death that could not attayne it by life meaning that by his death his Countrey should neuer come to ruine by his cause Héere was a straunge kinde of Looue when the Common wealth was nourished before nature and the libertie thereof pawned by the pryce and corpes of her owne Childe But shee estéemed not his life so much as the Looue she ought to her Countrey yet was she Learned and ãâã Lawe of nature thought her sonne woorthye to taste such a torment Also Genutius when his enemyes Campe and his were so nigh as that the one would in time of truââ visit âhe other he commaunded vpon paine of death no man for any cause the Trumpet of truce once sounded should encounter his enemy Not long after it hapened a noble youth comming towards the Campe of Genutius from the other side bothe in signes and woords of reproche challenged Briaro the sonne of Genutius who knowing the daunger yet séeing the hautie heart of his enemie answered Neuer shall it be sayde that a Consulles sonne of Roome will suffer himselfe to bee so scorned and turning himselfe towardes his foe gaue him that which to crakers and praters is moste due in so muche that hée slewe him Whereat the Souldiours reioysyng thinking to haue had praise of ãâã bewrayeth the whole summe Which when he heard béeing mââued therewith that his commaundement was no more regarded Goe quoth he take him whippe him at a ââake and after strike of his head Neuer shall the Lawe of the Romaines be broken by Genutius How thinke you Sir hee was Consull and he bothe knew Looue Learning and Lawe yet was Looue preferred héere before bothe Therefore you now cannot otherwise but accoumpte this saying true Amor vinciâ omnia For héer generally Loue is still Conqueror and Learning the onely Uassaile and Subiect vnto Looue Scholler You haue waded very farre in searching authorityes but sure Madame you are yet wide of the white your Shaftes are well shotte but they light very short of the Marke and therefore Madame I hold it best you rather giue ouer with indifferencie then to weary your selfe and loose all in the end Ladie Well sayde Sir I am content that I serue you vaine ãâã to giue you delight by my ãâã to trye your wit and capacetie and séeing you are so plesauntly disposed haue with you for company but first I pray you make me resolution ãâã this demaund Who was the wisest that ãâã was the Learnedst that euer was the Loouingst that euer was the liberallest that euer was and the strongest that euer was Loe this is all therefore commaunde your wittes into your counting house and let me sée how finely you can define of this Demaund it is as good for you as a Doncaster bitte therefore hemme and to it with a courage What faynte you all readie nay soft you must yet sift a little farther turne the backside of your braynes once the backside of your braynes once more ouer ãâã now man no metuas be not afraide Scholler Tush Madame these your quippes I ãâ¦ã delightfull as your disputation ãâã etting that passe I now apply my selfe to the aunswer of your demaunde The ãâã that euer was sinââ ãâ¦ã was Sâllomon for that there was no Riddle nor Allegor ãâ¦ã but by his wisdome he made ãâã âaâe open But yet for all his wisdome he fell from God and was by Looâe made thrall to a number of vices But why Madame stande we héere vpon Me thinkes you inâer ãâã vpon necessitie because you want matter to follow your argument which if you doo I shall not onely ãâã in ãâã a Ladie but reioyse that by my meanes your minde shall bee altered from Looue Ladie Forwarde Sir you haue yet mist the marke and gon some what downe the winde but shoote once more Who was the Learnedst that euer was Scholler If a man may aime ãâ¦ã then were the sonnes of ãâã the learnedst for knowing and ãâã the secreates and Misteries of the Heauens they found that the world should be destroyed either ãâã fire or water And therefore to leaue a memorie behinde them of such ãâã hidden misterie they erected ãâ¦ã the one of earthe and the ãâã of brasse in which they orderly engraued the Science of Astrologie and Astronomis thinking that if the worlde were consumed with fire the ãâã of Earthe should yet be ãâã and if with water then the other of Brasse So that I déeme them the Learnedst for that they were the founders of Learning Ladie All this is labour lost well what and who was the loouingst that euer was Scholler The ãâã that euer was I déeeâ ãâ¦ã our Sauiour Christe whose ãâã was such towarde vs poore sinners that he disdayned not to leaue Heauen to come and take ãâã nature héere vpon him on earth ãâã so of his mercy he might make ââtisâaction for our sinnes whose ãâã otherwise had béene âleane ãâã of saluation So that I affirmâ his Looue towards vs neuer was is or shalbe the like Ladie So sir come no more aâ that scantling I pray you for you haue hit the Clowte in the middest ãâ¦ã againe who was the liberalleââ that euer was Scholler The liberallest that euer was was Esau for he solde bothe his inheritaunce and also the blessing of God to his