be presumed the if rest were as redy as if trouble but that he would sooner take that thaÌ„ this Neither is it to be thought that Leander if he had ben able to haue had Hero without passing the tempestuous arme of the sea wherin after he perished wold not rather haue taken hir thaÌ„ haue swom the same It is conuenient to take fortunes happes what time she giueth them For no gift is so small that is not better than a promised greater And as for future things let remedies be taken and the present gouerned according to their qualities It is a naturall thing to desire rather the good than the euil wheÌ„ as equally they concurre and who that dothe the contrarye followeth not naturall reason but his owne folly We confesse that after troubles quietnesse is more gracious and better knowne than before but yet not that it is rather to be taken than the other It is possible for wise men and fooles to vse the Counsels both of fooles and wisemen accordyng to their liking but for all that the infallible veritie is not altered the which doth giue vs leaue to sée that rather the faire yong woman than the lothsome olde is to be taken of him to whom was made suche a choise The thirtenth question proposed by MASSALINE MAssaline the whiche sate on the right hande of the Quéene and next to Parmenio performing the circle sayde in this wise It is méete that I lastly propound my question And therfore to the ende that I may make the pleasaunt tolde tales and the before propouned Questions to séeme more swéete I shall tell you a short tale worth the hearing wherein there falleth a Question very propre to make an ende withall I haue héeretofore heard say that there was in this our Citie a Gentleman who was very rich that had to wyfe an exceeding faire yong Gentlewoman whom he loued aboue al worldly things This gentlewoman was intierly beloued of a Knight of the fame Citie but shée loued him not at all neither cared for hym by occasion wherof the Knight was neuer able to get from hir either good wordes or curteous countenance and while he thus liued comfortlesse of suche loue It happened that he was called to the regiment of a Citie not farre distante from this of oures And accordingly he went thither hauing honorably gouerned the same all the time of his abode there during the which it happened that there came a messanger vnto hym who after other newes thus sayd Sir ye shal vnderstand that the Gentlewoman of our Citie whom you so intierly loued aboue all others this morning labouring with great griefe to be deliuered of child died not being deliuered and was in my presence of hir parents honourably buried The knight not without great sorrow gaue â—are to this tale and with a strong heart endured the telling thereof without shewing any alteration of countenance at all and to himself thus said Hawretched death cursed be thy power thou hast depryued me of hir whom I loued aboue all others and whom I desired more to serue although I knew hir cruell vnto me than any other worldly wight But since it is thus come to passe that which loue in hir life time woulde not vouchsafe to graunt me now that she is deade he can not deny me That assuredly if I should dye therfore I wil now kisse the face of hir béeing deade that liuing I loued so well And so staying vpon this determination he taryed vntill it was night and then tooke one of his seruants whom he best trusted with him and trauayled the dreadfull darke wayes till at the last he came to the Citie And being entred the same he went streight to the sepulture wherein the gentlewoman was buried and after he had comforted his seruaunt that he without any feare shoulde attende him there he opened the same went thereinto wheras lamenting with a piteous plaint he kissed the gentlewoman and tooke hir in his armes and not satisfied therwith he began to féele hir here and there and to put his hand into hir frozen brest among the colde dugs But afterwards being become more bolde than was méete to seke out vnder the rich attire which she had on the secrete parts of the body going féeling with a feareful hand hither and thither til at the last he spred the same vpon hir stomack where as with a féeble motion he felt the weak pulses somewhat to moue He then became very fearefull but yet loue made him bolde and therefore trying further with a more assured héede he knew that she was not dead and first of all with a swéete mutation he drew hir out of that place and after wrapping hir in a great mantell leauing the sepulture open he and his seruant caried hir secretly to his mothers house whereas he coniured his sayd Mother thorow the power of the Gods that shée neyther this nor any thing else should manifest to any person liuing He caused great fires to be made to the ende to comfort the colde membres whereunto the lost forces did not therby returne in due sort by occasion wherof as one peraduenture discrete in suche a case willed a solemne hotte house to be prepared wherein he caused first to be strowed many vertuous herbes and after placed the Gentlewoman therein causing hir as it was méete for one in that plight to be tenderly looked vnto In the which hâ—tehouse after shée had for a time made hir abode there the bloud coagulate about the heart began thorow the receyued heate to disperse by the cold vaines the spirites halfe dead began to returne to their places whervpon the Gentlewoman no sooner féeling the same begaÌ„ to cal to hir mother after to aske wher shée was to whome the Knight in stéede of hir mother made answer the shée was in a very good place and that shée should comfort hir self shée abiding in this sorte calling vppon the womaÌ„ Lucina for help was as it plesed the Gods aboue all expectation deliuered of a faire sonne therewith of great trouble and perill whereof remaining disburdened and being ioyful of hir new born childe there were out of hand prouided nourses bothe for the charge of hir as also of hir sonne The Gentlewoman now after all these heauie troubles returned to hir perfecte vnderstanding and the new sonne was also borne to the world before shée sawe either the Knight that thus loued hir or his mother who was prest to doe hir seruyce neither did she see any one of hir parents or kinsfolkes about hir for to looke vnto hir whereupon being come into a cogitable admiration as it were all amazed sayd Where am I what a wonder is this Who hath brought me hyther wheras I was neuer before To whom the Knight answered Gentlewoman maruell not comfort your selfe for that which you sée hath bene the pleasure of the Gods and I shall tell you how and
our life doeth greatly delight vs and is desired to be long is for to sée newe thyngs suche as wée haue yet neuer séene before And also for to sée thyngs moste newe we haue a great delight to runne wyth a dilygent pace to that which we aboue all other things doe endeuoure our selues to flée that is Deathe the laste ende of oure bodyes The maide knoweth not that delyghtfull coniunction thorowe the which wee come into the world and yet is it naturall to euery creature thorowe a desire to be drawne thereunto Further shée many times hath heard from them that know what manner a thing it is howe muche swéetenesse doth consist therein the which wyth woordes haue giuen fire to the desire and therefore drawne of nature and of a desire to proue the thing of hir not as yet proued dothe thorow the woordes whych shée hathe hearde desire boldly with a kindled heart thys concourse And with whome is it presumed to be had but only with him whom shée hathe alreadie made Lorde of hir minde This heat shal not be in the widowe bycause hauing once proued and felte what manner a thing it was shée is thereby prouoked thereunto So that the Mayde then shall loue more and be more diligent thorowe the reasons aforesayde to the pleasure of hir Louer than the widowe To what ende shall wée then wade any further in séeking that the Maide ought not rather to be loued than the Widowe You sayde the Quéene reason well and very well you defend your iudgement But yet we wil shewe you with apparant reason howe you likewise ought to holde the same opinion that we holde of thys contention if wyth a straight eye ye looke to the nature of loue Thus in the Mayde as in the Widowe and so in the Widowe as in the Maide we sée him to be firme strong and constant and that thys is true Dido and Adriana with theyr doings haue left vs an example And wher as thys Loue is neyther in the one nor the other none of the aforesayde operations will thereof followe Then is it conuenient that eche one of them doe loue if we wil haue that to folow wherof bothe you and I haue already talked And therfore in louing eyther maide or widowe without going about to séeke whether of them is most discretely enamored as we are certain of the widow we shall shewe you how the widowe is more diligent to the pleasure of the louer than is the maide For doubtlesse among those things that a woman estéemeth deare aboue the rest is her virginitie and this is the reason bycause therein consisteth all the honoure of hir following life And without doubt shee shall neuer be so much vrged forwardes to loue as she shal not willingly be courteous thereof but yet to him onely to whome shee beléeueth to be coupled as wife thorowe the matrimoniall Lawe And therfore we go not about seking for this for there is no doubt but that who will loue to marry ought rather to loue the maide than the widowe bicause shée shal be slow and negligent in giuing hir selfe to hym that loueth hir not if shée know it to that effect Further maydes are generally fearefull neither are they subtile enoughe to finde the wayes and meanes whereby they may take the stolne delights But the widow of these things maketh no doubt at all bicause that shée already hathe honorably giuen that which the other taryeth to giue and being without the same doubteth not in giuing hir selfe to an other that token which may accuse Whereby afterwardes shée becommeth the more aduenturous bicause as is sayd the chéefest occasion that bringeth doubt is not in hir besides shée knoweth better the secrete wayes and so putteth them in effect In that which you say that the maide as desirous of a thing which shée neuer proued may be made more diligent to this thā the widow that knoweth what maner a thing it is therof the contrary Maides do not at the first time for their delight run to suche effect although the thing the delighteth the oftener it is sene heard or felt the more it pleaseth and the more carefull is euery one to folowe the same bicause it is then more noisom thā plesant vnto thē This thing wherof we reason doth not follow the order of many other things that once or twice being séene are afterwards no more desired but rather the oftener it is putte in effecte with so muche the more affection it coueteth to returne and more desireth he the thing whom it pleaseth than dothe he whom it ought to please and hath not as yet tasted therof Wherfore the widdow forasmuche as she giueth least and is best able to giue she shall be the most liberall and the more sooner than the mayde that must giue the dearest thing she hath Also the widow shal be sooner drawen as we haue shewed than the mayde to suche effects For the which occasion let the widow be rather loued than the maide ⸫ ¶ The tenth Question proposed by ASCALIONE IT was conuenient that that Ascalione who in circle sat next vnto the duke Feramonte shoulde nowe propound and therefore thus he sayd Most excellent quéene I remember that there was heretofore in this our citie a faire noble gentlewoman lefte the widow of a worthye husbande the whiche for that hir maruellous beautie was of many a noble yong Gentleman beloued And of those many there were two gentlemen coragious knights eche one in what he could did endeuor him selfe to attaine hir loue And whilst this cōtinued by chance it hapned that an vniust accusation was brought against hir by certayne of hir kinsfolks before the Magistrate after by false euidence proued thorow whiche vntrue processe she was condemned to the fire But bicause the conscience of the Iudge was perplexed for that it séemed him as it wer to know the vniust profe he was willing to committe hir life to the Gods and to Fortunes happe and so tyed suche a condition to his giuen sentence as after the Gentlewoman should be ledde to the fire if any knight coulde be founde the which would combate in the defence of hir honour agaynst him that would maintayne the contrary and shoulde happe to ouercome she shoulde then be frée and if the contrary to be burned according to the domed sentence As the condition was vnderstoode of hir two louers and by chaunce sooner knowen to the one than to the other He which knew the same soonest foorthwith tooke him to his armour mounted on horsebacke and came into the fielde gainsaying him that wold come maintayne the death of the Gentlewoman The other that somewhat later than the first vnderstod of this sentence and hearing how that the knight was alredy in field in hir defence neither that ther was then place for any other to go thither in that enterprise therefore not knowing herein what to do became very sorowfull imagining that
swearing faithfully that if thou shalt take vppon thée to lye with either of them a yeare and the first yeare with the yong womā that as many times as thou shalt kisse or haue to do with hir as many times shalt thou kisse and haue to do with the old woman the seconde yeare And if thou shalt take the first yeare the olde woman looke howe many times thou shalt kisse and touche hir so many times likewise and neither more nor lesse shalt thou doe the lyke to the yong woman the seconde yeare The yong mā listening to the sentence and desirous to liue sayd that he would lie with these two two yeares It was graunted him But he remained in dout with which of them he shuld first begin either with the yong or with the olde Whether of them would you giue counsell he should first for his moste consolation begin withall The Quéene and likewise the whole company somewhat smiled at this tale and after shée thus made answere According to our iudgement the yong gentleman ought rather to take the faire yong woman than the fowle old bycause no present good turne ought to be left for the future neither the euil to be takē for the future good bicause we know that we are vncertain of thinges to come and in doing the contrary hereof many haue already sorowed to late and if any haue praysed him selfe herein not dutie but fortune hath therin holpen him Let the faire therfore be first taken Ye make me greatly to maruell sayd Parmenio seing the the present good ought not to be left for the future to what end then is it conuenient for vs with a valiaunt mind to follow beare worldly troubles wheras we may flée them if it were not thorow the future eternall kingdoms promised to vs thorow hope It is a maruellous thing that suche a shocke of people as are in the worlde al moyling to the ende at one time to tast of rest and béeing able to reste before trouble shoulde remayne so long whyle in suche an errour as trouble after rest were better than before It is a thing verye iuste as it séemeth to me after troubles to séeke rest but to desire to rest without trouble in my iudgement ought not to be neither can it bring delight Who then will giue counsell to any that he lye first with a fayre Gentlewoman one yere the whiche is the onely rest and ioye of him that must lye with hir in shewing him after that there must follow so great annoy and vnpleasaunt lyfe as he muste in euery acte wherein he abode with the young woman haue to do as long with a lothsome olde woman Nothing is so noysome to a delightfull lyfe as to remember that after death we shall be founde spotted This death returning to our memory as enime cōtrary to our being doth disturbe vs of al goodnes plesure and whilst this is remembred there can neuer be ioy tasted in worldly things Likewise no delight can be had with the yong woman that is not troubled or destroyed in thinking remembring that it behoueth him to do as muche with a most vile old womā who shal alwais be remayning before the eyes of his minde The time that flyeth with an inestimable wing shall séeme vnto him to ouer-flie lesning eche day a great quantitie of the due houres and this mirth is not tasted where as infallible future sorow is taryed for Wherefore I would iudge that the contrary were better counsell that is that all trouble wherof gracious rest is hoped for is more delightfull thā the delight whereof anoy is taryed for The colde waters séemed warme and the dreadfull time of the darke night séemed cleare and sound day and turmoils rest to Leander at what time he went to Hero swimming wyth the force of hys armes thorow the salt sourges betwéen Sesto and Abido for the delight that he conceyued to haue of hir tarrying his cōming God forbid then that a man shuld couet rest before trauaile or reward before the doing his seruice or delight before he hath tasted tribulatiō forasmuch as if that way as we haue alredy sayd should be taken the future annoy should so muche hinder the present ioy that not ioy but rather annoy it might be sayde What delight could the delicate meats and the instruments sounded with cunning hande and the other maruellous ioyes made to Dionysius the tyrāt bring when as he sawe a sharp pointed sword hang by a fine thréede ouer his heade Let then sorowful occasions be first fled that afterwards with pleasure and that without suspition gracious delightes may be followed The Queen made him answere saying You answer in part as though we did reason of eternall ioyes for the purchasing whereof there is no doubt but that all troubles oughte to be taken in hand and all worldly wealthe and delight to be left aparte but at this instant we do not speake of them but do moue a Question of worldly delightes and of worldly annoyes Wherunto we answere as we sayd before that euery worldly delight that is followed wyth worldly anoy ought rather to be taken than the worldly annoye that taryeth worldly delight bicause who that hath tyme and tarieth time loseth time Fortune graunteth hir goodnesse with sundry mutations the which is rather to be taken when as she giueth than to moile to the ende after turmoyles to gette the same If hir whéele stoode firme and stable vntil that a man had toyled so much as he should nede to toyle no more we would then say that it wer to be graunted to take paynes first but who is certayne that after the euil may not folow the worse as well as the better that is taried for The times together with worldly things are al transitorie therfore in taking the old woman before the yere be complete the which shall neuer seeme to waxe lesse the young woman may dye and hir brethren repent them of this they haue don either elfe she may be giuen to some other or peraduenture stolne away so that after one euil there shal follow a worse to the taker But cōtrarywise if the yong woman shall be taken the taker shal therby haue his desire so long time of him desired neither shall there after follow that annoy of thought that you say must follow thereby bicause that we must dye is infallible but to lye with an old woman is a hap able enough with many remedies to be of a wise man auoyded worldly things ar to be taken of the discret with this condition that ech one whiist he holdeth and enioyeth them he dispose himself with a liberal mind when he shal be required to restore or leaue them Who that busieth himselfe to the ende to rest bringeth a manyfest example that without that he can not haue rest since he therefore taketh troubles to the ende to haue rest how much more is it to
so declaring from the beginning to the ende all that which was happened hir concluded that throughe him shée and hir sonne were aliue By occasion wherof they were alwayes bounden to be at his pleasure The Gentlewoman perceiuing this to be true knowing assuredly that she could not by any other meanes but onely by this which he shewed hir be come to the hands of the knight first of all with a deuoute voyce rendred thanks to the immortall gods and after to him offring hir self to be always at his pleasure and seruice Then sayd the knight gentlewoman since you know your selfe to be beholding vnto me ▪ I wil that in guerdon of my wel doing ye comforte your selfe here in this place vntill I returne from mine office wherevnto it is now so long since that I was chosen as the date hereof is almost at an end Besides ye shall promisse me faithfully neuer to bewray your selfe without my licence either to your husband or any other person To whom the Gentlewoman answered that shée was vnable to denye him eyther this or any other request and that assuredly she would comfort hir selfe and so by othe made vnto him she affirmed neuer to cause hir selfe be knowen without his pleasure The knight séeing the Gentlewoman out of all perill to receiue comfort after he had abode two dayes in hir seruice recommended hir and hir childe to his mothers charge and so departed returning to the gouernment of his said office the whiche after a little while he honorably ended and returned home to his owne house and possessions where as of the Gentlewoman he was graciously receyued Certayne days after his returne he caused to be prepared a great banquet wherevnto he inuited the husbande of this Gentlewoman whom he loued hir brethren and many others of hir friendes and his and the bydden guestes beeing sette downe at the table the Gentlewoman according to the pleasure of the knight came apparelled in those garments and decked with that crowne ring and other precious ornaments as the vse was then wherwith she was buried And by the commaundement of the knighte placed hir selfe on the one side by hir husband on the other side by himselfe where as shée sedde that morning without speaking any worde at all This Gentlewoman was oftentimes behelde of hir husband and hir attire and ornaments also and as it séemed vnto him he knewe hir to bée his wife and those to be the garmentes wherein shée was buryed But yet for that he thought he had buried hir dead into hir sepulture and not beleuing that shée was rysen againe durste not once giue hir a word doubting least shée had bene some other that did resemble his wife imagining that it were more easie to finde one woman in attire and ornamentes like to an other than to raise vp a dead body But yet for all this he tourned many times towardes the Knighte and asked him who shée was To whome the knight answered Aske of hir whome shée is for I can not tell out of so vnplesant a place I haue brought hir Then the husband asked the wife who shée was to whome shée answered I was brought by this Knight by vnknowne wayes inte this place to that gracious life that is of euery one desired At these words there wanted no admiration in the husbande but rather the same increased and so they remayned vntill the banket was ended Then the knight ledde the husbande of this gentlewoman into a chamber and with him the Gentlewoman and the other likewise that banketted with them where as they found the Gentlewomans fayre gracious sonne in the neurses armes whome the knighte deliuered into the fathers handes saying This is thy sonne and giuing him the right hande of his wife sayde This is thy wife and mother of this childe shewing to him and to the rest how it happened that she was brought thither They al after gret wonder made great ioy and chiefly the husbande of his wife and the wife with hir husbande of their sonne And so both two thanking the knight retourned merily home to their house many dayes after making maruelous ioy This knight entreated this gentlewoman with that tendernesse and that pure fayth as if she had bene his sister and therefore it is doubted whiche of these two was the greter either the loyaltie of the knight or the ioy of the husbande that had now gotten agayne his lost wyfe whome he reputed as dead I pray you to say your opinion and what you woulde iudge hereof Most great as we beléeue answered the Quéene was the ioy of the agayne gotten wife and of hir childe and likewise noble and very great was the loyaltie of the knight But for that it is a naturall thing to be glad of the getting agayne of things lost neither could it otherwise be bicause it woulde an other and specially in the getting agayne of a thing before so gretly loued with a childe wherof there could not be made so gret ioy as was cōuenient We do not repute it to be so great a matter as to do that wherevnto a man is of his proper vertue constrayned to doe the which in béeing loyall cōmeth to passe bicause the béeing and not béeing loyal is a thing possible We say then that from whom procedeth the being loyall in a thing so greatly loued that he doth a most great and noble thing in keping loyaltie that in a far greater quantity layaltie doth increase in him than dothe ioy in the other thus we iudge Truly sayde Massaline Most renoumed quéene I beléeue it be as you say but yet it semes vnto me a great matter to think that with so great ioy as was in him that had gotten agayne his wyfe there could be made comparison of greatnesse in an other thing forasmuch as greater griefe is not supported than when as thorow death a thing loued is lost Further if the knight were faythfull as is already sayd he did therin but his dutie bicause we are all bounden to the working of vertue and he that dothe that whervnto he is of duetie bounden doth but well but yet it is not to be reputed for so great a matter Therfore I imagine that there may be iudged greater ioy than loyaltie You with your words do contrary your selfe sayd the quéene bicause man ought as well to reioyce in the goodnesse of god in taking him away as thorow the working of vertue but if the one could be in the one case as sorowful as the other could be in the other case disloyall it might be consented to your iudgement To follow the laws of nature which can not be fled is no great matter but to obey the positiue lawes is a vertue of the minde and the vertues of the minde bothe for greatnesse as for euery other respecte are to be preferred before bodily works And if vertuous workes making due recompence do surmount in greatnesse euery other
working it may be sayd that the hauing ben loyall dureth always in béeing Ioy may be turned into sodayn sorow either else in a shorte space of time become little or nothing losing the thing thorow the whiche it is become mery And therfore let it be sayde of him that vprightly will iudge the knight to haue bene more loyall than the other mery Not one there was that followed Massaline that had any thing more to say for that they all had now propounded their Questions The sunne now in setting left the place replete with a temperate aire By reason whereof Fiametta moste reuerente quene of this amorous people raised hir on foote and thus fayd Gentlemen and gentlewomen your questions are finished whervnto the Gods be thanked we haue according to our small knowledge made answere following rather pleasant reasoning than matter of contention And we know that much more might haue bene answered vnto the same yea and in farre better sorte than we haue done But yet that whiche we haue said may suffize to our pastime and for the rest let it remayne to the Philosophers of Athens We sée Phoebus now not to beholde vs with a straight aspect we féele the ayre refreshed and knowe this Feast which we at our comming hither left through the excessiue heate to be agayne begonne by our companions And therfore it séemeth vs good that we returne to the same and this being sayd she toke with hir delicate hande the laurell crowne from hir heade and in the place where she sate she laide it downe saying I leaue here the crowne of my honour and yours vntill that we shall retourne hither to the like reasoning And hauing thus sayde she toke Philocopo by the hand that now with the rest was risen and so returned with them al to their Feast Thence was heard of all sides the pleasant instruments and the aire resounding of amorous songs no part of the Garden was without banketting wherin they all abode merily all that day euen to the last houre but night béeing come vppon them and the starres shewing foorth their light it séemed good to the lady and to them all to depart and to returne to the citie wherin bring entred Philocopo taking his leaue thus sayde vnto hir Most noble Fiametta if the Gods should euer graunt me that I were mine owne as I am an others without doubt I should be presently yours but bicause mine owne I am not I can not giue my selfe to an other Howe be it for so muche as the miserable heart coulde receiue straunge fire so muche the more it féeleth thorow your inestimable worthynesse to be kindeled and shall feele alwayes and incessantly with more effecte shall desire neuer to be forgetfull of your worthinesse She thanked Philocopo greatly of this curtesie at his departure adding that it would please the Gods quickely to bring a gracious peace to his desire ⸪ FINIS â–ª Fiametta chosen Queene to define the questions propounded The Queene commaundeth Philocopo to propound Tvvo Gentlemen enamored of one Gentlevvoman Wheras loue is there peace ought to be The loued giueth cause of argument to hir louers The queenes iudgement vpon the question Dido Aeneas Philocopo replieth to the Queene Paris Helene The queenes solution of this first question Tvvo sisters complayne them of being in loue The first lameÌ„teth the loste of hir enioyed louer The seconde hindered by ielousie sorovveth hir hap The Queene decideth the question Fabritius Pompey Medea Iason Longano of contrary opinion to the Queene Tantalus The Queenes solution or the ij question The gentlevvoman praieth to be resolued vvhether oughte sonest to be loued either the strong the liberall or the wise The queenes ansvvere The reply of the Gentlewoman Biblys Leander Pasiphe The queenes last sentence to the thirde question First Menedon telleth a tale Tarolfo a knight was enamored of a Lady Tarolfo found an olde manne called Theban Tarolfo reciteth to Thebane his promis made too his Lady of a Garden full of floures in the moneth of Ianuary The inuocation magical of Thebane Theban vvas caried in the air in a chariot led by tvvo Dragons The ceremonies vsed in making the garden Ceres Tarolfe offereth his ladie the Garden vvhich shee demaunded The Ladie goeth to see the garden The Lady presenteth hir self to Tarolfo The liberalitie of Tarolfo tovvardes the Lady in releasing hir of hir promisse Liberalitie of Thebane tovvardes Tarolfo The conclusion of the proposer The iudgement of the Queene vpon the fourthe question Diuers Romaynes in tymes past pore and yet vertuous The reply of Menedon Euery one flieth pouertie Olde folkes commonlye couerous The queenes solution to the fourthe question Flee vice and follow vertue Chastitie a vertue most excellent The ioy of a man is to haue a good wife The grief of a maÌ„ hauing an euil wife The care which riches bring Pouertie highly estemed in times past Foure yong damsels to a barke vpon the sea Clonico at taynted of Loue. The .ij. shafts of loue are different Clonico an vnbeloued louer A louer infected vvith iealousie reciteth to Clonico the good entertainment of his Lady A godly sentence The queenes iudgement vppon the fifte question The contrary opinion of Clonico The Queene replieth The effectes of iealousie The miserie of a iealous life The conclusion of the Queene vpon the fift question Tvvo daÌ„sels amorous of a gentleman he not knovving thereof and that vvhich happened The ansvver of the Quene Loue is accompanyed vvith feare The Gentlevvoman replyeth to the Queene The Queene to the Gentlevvoman maketh ansvver Biblis Phedra and Hippolito Alcides Paris Pasiphe Shame prescribeth the honoure of Ladyes Semiramis Cleopatra The conclusion of the Quene vpon the sixt question Of vvhat degrees one should chose his louer The Quenes ansvvere The coÌ„trary opinion of Pola vvith hir reasons The Queâ—â—â— solution vpon the eight question The crueltie of Pisistratus The meanest man of better condition than the noblest vvoman The Queene concludeth that vve should rather loue the more noble vvoman than the lesse noble Whether is to be chosen in louing either the vvife the vvidovve or the maide The Quenes ansvver The vvidovve is to be loued before the maide The contrary opinion of Feramonte The constancie of maides in loue The Queenes solution vpon the nynthe question Maides ought not to loue but in respect of mariage Tvvo knightes amorous of one gentle vvoman did in sundry vvise shevve their loue The queenes iudgement vpon the contrary doings of the tvvo knights Ascalion contrarieth the queene The queenes solution of the tenth question Whether is greter pleasure to a louer to see the present or to think on the absent The iudgement of the queene Laodomia and Prothesilaus The queenes solution of the xj question defining that the thought is to be preferred before the looke The effects of fond amorous lookes A gentleman a gentlevvoman and an old vvoman vvere taken by the brethren of the gentlevvoman The gentleman condemned to lye vvith the yong and olde vvoman eyther of them a yeare The Queene decideth the xij question The contrary opinion of Parmenio Dionysius The Quenes solution of the .xij. questioÌ„ defining that the yoÌ„g is to be lyen vvith before the olde A smal giftâ— in hand is better than a promised greater A GentlevvomaÌ„ vvas loued of a Knight The Knyght aduertised of the death of hir vvhom he loued The knighte seeketh his loued gentlevvoman in hir graue The Knight caryeth his Lady to his mothers house Lucina the goddesse of child bearing The Gentlevvoman abiding vvith the Knight vvas deliuered of childe The Knyght declareth to the gentlevvoman hovv she vvas brought into his house The knighte biddeth the husbande of the gentlevvoman to a banquet The knight restoreth the gentlevvoman to hir husbande The questioÌ„ is vvhether the loyaltye of the knighte or the ioye of the husbande vvas the greater The queenes iudgement The contrary opinioÌ„ of Massaniâ—â—e The queenes solution vpoÌ„ the last question Imprinted at London by Henry Bynneman for Rycharde Smyth Anno. 1571. IAMES POOLE OMNIA TEMPUS HABENT