equinalled wyth all worldlye ryches How magnificente a thynge is it to be taken for good and faythfull in another mans house as it is written of Crates Thebanus vnto whome for his singuler goodnesse and loue that he bare vnto his wife Hypparchia was graunted to entre not onely into the gate but into the chambers and most secret places of all the citie and ther fore the Grekes called hym Thirepanictes that is a manne that might entre and go into other mennes houses For no man doeth mistruste or feare that he wyll defyle any other mās bed that agreeth so well with hys owne wyfe with so swete and so sure a knot is fastened vnto her All the whole familie do theyr dueties when the wife doth gladlye and wyllynglye helpe her husbande and the husbande his wyfe moued by the onely loue and concorde that is betwene them for he that is not moued nor styrde with y e furiousnes and commotions of the mynd may easely retayne and cause theym to doe theyr dueties so that he leaue not of nor fayleth not to doe hys owne duetye Thus they maye with diligence gouerne their goodes and substaunce so that neyther of them be alienate farre from their domesticall familier cares and busynesses and in their familie do rule tēperal thinges with loue He is far deceyued that doeth thinke that feare rewarde or anye other lyke thinge shal so quicken or prouoke a man to do his duetye as charitie and loue shal doe Menne perchaunce wyll not greatly meruel if theyr owne children be swete moste acceptable vnto thē the whiche yf they wer but y e chyldren of one of them yet loue myghte so worke that they shoulde be vnto eche other most accep table pleasaunt how much more then must the flame nedes burne vnto the whiche they bothe as it were putte torches vnder But this peraduenture shall seeme moore merueylous the which vnto those y t haue the knowledge of naturall thynges is moste playne sure that y e children of those whiche be married loue one another shalbe meke peaceable modeste amiable and apte to all kynde of benignitie and gentlenesse For why the qualities and affectiōs of y e father the mother the which do occupie the inwarde partes of manne are most commonlye transfuded into the bodies and soules of their children and of their pa rentes they learne placabilitie mekenes To lyue thus at home in tranquilitie concorde is muche lyke the celestial and heauenly lyfe wherof as sayeth that wise man in Homer greate ioye and cherefulnesse redoundeth vnto their frendes and to their enemies greate sorowe heauines and as the other reioyce these doe lament when they see or heare that we be other in hatred or in any discorde for the euyll and wycked man doeth desyre that is euyll exchueth vertue as a most pernitious poyson But all that I haue sayd hitherto although as ye doe see they are of great importaunce yet they can not be compared to thys one thynge that I wyll now saye At home we learne charitie the whiche we maye vse and shew towardes other that beinge in tranquillitie pleased with the suauitie and swetnes of mutual and correspondent loue we may y e ease lyer geue our selues to religion to contēplation to loue to geue reuerence to that om nipotēt diuine nature And our heartes being thus touched wyth matrimonial loue and with y e holy celestial fier we shal by litle and lytle be so kindled therwith that it shall conceyue bring forth great flames And what greater or more excellent gift may be desired or graunted of god vnto mākind then that we may be made true and faythful louers of that his diuine beauti fulnes ¶ Of those that haue no children VNto some the lord now and then geueth no childrē or els he taketh them agayne when he hath geuen them that by his secrete incomprehensible iudgement yea with a fatherly indulgēce and pitie For he seeth it to be for our profite y t it shuld be so lest y t we shoulde referre all thinges to fortune naturall causes the whiche thinge no wise man nor no christen man shuld do And let vs take it for no smal benefit y t we haue not proued of y t swete gal for after that we haue swalowed it we shall saye y t there is put vnto one drop of hony sixe hūdred droppes of gall And he did euē reasonably rekē it amongy e felicities of man to liue w tout childrē And August through his doughter his nyce was cōstrayned co rehearce euē w t alowd voyce these wordes of Homere Wold god I had ne uer bene married for then I shuld haue had no children I willet passe Cicero cōplaynts to Atticus Nor I wil not dis pute here of y e priuatiō of childrē but only monish exhort those y t be married y t they because the frute of chyldren is so vncertayn that oftenti mes they do bring vnto their parentes more calamitie then profite or pleasure seke not to haue children by anye flagitiousnes y t is with one certayn euil one vncertayn calamity Be not sharpe nor bitter to your baren wiues for y t chaun seth very often without anye faulte other of y e one or of the other or of thē bothe And ye shal vnderstand know y t the wyfe desyreth moore to haue childrē then y e husband as the wal that is falling desireth to haue shores to vphold it w t al. Anne y t wife of Helcana y t Ephraite was baren howe did her husband cōfort her Am not I qd he better to thee then tēne childrē It was very meete cōuenient y t Samuel y t prophete shoulde be gotten of a man If god do send the childrē receyue thē as y e gift of god ioyfullye instruct thē wel y t theyr goodnes honestie may profite thē selues the to not on ly for thy solace good name but also to augment the merites of this life by y t which the immortal reward of the eternal life is obtayned gotten ¶ Of her that is in age AFter y t an honest a wel nourtured wo mā waxeth old we must do as men vse to do to al faithfull diligent seruaūtes we loose vnbind our old horse and oxe suffer them to wander and to feede wher they wil thē selues and put them to lesse laboure we make our bondemen free and we assigne to olde souldiers certain possessions and feldes to lyue vpon we make oure free minister and seruaunt af ter that he hath well faythfullye serued vs equall as it were vnto vs and call him to our affinity Now much more oughtest thou then honorificently to intreate thy wyfe be ing aged and olde the whiche is no brute beast no bōdmayd nor of no worse cōdition then thou thy selfe nor thy hyred
abroade to gayne to bring home to their wiues familie to rule them their children also all their houshold And to y e womā nature hath geuen a feareful a couetous an humble mind to be subiect vnto man to kepe y t he doeth gayne Husbandes must remembre that they are men and therfore thei ought to be stronglye mynded and farre aboue all thoughtes and cares Nature doeth inuite and call manne to suche offices maketh hym ready and fre from bearing bringing vp of children the which thynges women do at home but yet with so great heauynes and waight both of body and minde that scantly they can moue theymselues And what payne is it for a lustye man to gette prepare those thynges abroade that shalbe necessary meete for his wife and familie let him therfore be waking exercise al good and honest wayes both of wit and of bodye that there lacke nothyng nother for wyfe nor familie for so shall euerye one do their duety Who is so cru el or so vngentle that wil not see and prouide that his wife lacke nothyng nor he doeth not his duetye that wyll not prouide for his wife euē with hys owne bloude And who perceyueth not how vile min ded they be that do robbe or take any thing from their wi ues to deuour consume it nor it was neuer seene in any beast that euer the male toke any thing that should norishe her from the female and ther fore suche menne as do so are worse thē bestes iu nothing but onelye in face are vnlyke them In the olde time there was in Grece an habitacion for men onely another for wo men the third for virgines the reste were common But we haue no suche differences althoughe that the kytchen be moore apte and conuenient for the woman than for the man where that she in a maner doeth reygne all alone but yet in such wise ma ner that she put to her hande to dresse her husbādes meate and not to cōmaunde it to be drest being absent She must often tymes ouer looke her house housholde stuffe and repayre all suche thynges as be woren and broken and yf there lacke any thynge she in tyme muste shew her husbād therof and be muche conuersaunt w t her chyldren with her maidēs but sildom w t her seruaūtes nor thou with her maidens Nor thou shalt not suffer her to be ydle for when a woman as Publius Sirus doeth sai doth thinke alone she thynketh euyl Let her be do ing not that that is delitious and pleasaunt but that is pro fitable althoughe y u be ryche for there is nothynge moore chaūgeable then fortune notwithstandinge she appeareth to thee to be stedfast stable And profitable thynges doe kepe close y e minde thought of her y t worketh nor lightlye doth not suffer it to wander vage aboute other thinges And whē it is thy mind plea sure y t she be occupied aboute some busines or some labor y u must haue a respect vnto the health the state of her body Thou must not leaue her idle norso ouercharge her w t labor y t we fal sicke namely yf she be troubled w t the infitmities of nature as w t mēstrua w t berīg of childrē w t laboring of child She muste not be geuen to play for vpon what goodnes can she thinke when she playeth and a womā is muche inclined to pleasure The house shalbe vnto her in steede and place of a great a large citie she must go so sildom forth that when she setteth her fote ouer the thresholde she muste thinke y t she goth a pilgrimage She must go onely to necessary places seking no occa sion to viset mother parētes or any other frēdes Paul doeth blame those widows y t as ydle persōs do wāder aboute other mēs houses wherof cōmeth curiosite garrulite w t many other vices for al suche vertues as be keping y e house were mainteined kepte do by decay And Paule willeth vs to auoyd y e cōpany of such widowes Let deuotiō be loked vpon in the churche and not y e pompe the multitude of the people for through deuout prayer many of our sinnes are remitted I woulde wishe y t this custome of Flanders were euery where vsed that womenne when they go forth were so couered thatno man might knowe thē that thei loking right forth might see al men Nor it is not expe dient y t she go forth alone nor that she be accōpanied with many that as wel to auoyd great costes charges as to exchue pompe pride for being so accōpanied she will couet desire to be seene Let her cōpanye be of suche honestie that nother her conditions and maners nor yet the dignity of matrimony be blemished or with any spotte infected ¶ Of the exterior and outward thinges FOr why in the societie cōpany of men one doth infecte the other as in frute beastes And this contagious infection corruption doth penetrate al our senses the wor des by the eares the dedes by y e eyes And therfore Dauid doth saye y t we shulde vse the cōpany of good and innocent men auoyd those that be wicked euil He in the fable doth marueyle wonder at the nature of the yong mā y t being so long in cōpani with the euil he was not infected but yet incōtinently after the thing it selfe did manifestly de clare y t he was not vntouched nor vnbespotted Therfore if it may be thou must choose to dwel in a wel instituted ordred citie in the which be few corrupt fewe euill maners fewe corruptors of the same But yf thou canste fynde no suche citie choose thou suche places as are about thee The straungers and gestes the which that thou doste receaue into thy house do oftentymes become thy enemies throughe a certayne beneuolence do cause muche wickednes Thou must therfore consider the cōpany and searche what maner of men they be lest they cōueye anye flagitious personne into thy house they which may bringe it into an euil name and fame Such a one was Sergius Catilina as sayeth Cicero y e which left the house y t he entered in at defamed although he com mitted there no faulte at all Nor this saying of Pitagoras y t amonge frendes al thinges shulde be common taketh no place in this thinge I do speake of this vulgare com mon amitie for y t perfect loue amitie is sildome seene for yf it might be found we wold no more holily regarde oure owne mother then we wold regard our frendes wife and such correspōdent loue shuld be able to saue chastitie all other vertues for what amitie is that when one man calleth another his frend The customes also maners of thi wiues parētes must be
come as wel as men vnto the beatitude and therfore they ought shulde be instructed taught as we men be And that they are no better it is our falt inasmuch as we do not our duetyes to teache them If the husbande be y e womans head the mind the father Christ he ought to execute the office to suche a man belongyng to teache the woman for Christ is not onelye a sauiour and a restorour of hys churche but also a Mayster The father oughte to nouryshe and to teache hys chyldren And what neede is it to reason of the mynde and of the heade In the mynde is wytte coun sell and reason In the head are all the senses wherwyth we doe guyde and rule thys lyfe and therefore he doeth not hys duetye that doeth not instructe and teache hys wyfe And the selfe same Socrates doeth saye that menne shoulde be ruled by Pnblyke and commune lawes and womenne by theyr owne hnsbandes And Paule forbyddynge womenne to speake in the Congregation and commaundynge that they yf they doubted of anye thynge shoulde aske theyr husbandes at hooine doeth bynde theim to teache theyr wyues To what effect or purpose shoulde she aske her husbande that he nother wyll nor can teache her O howe great warres hath there bene made for women We take great payne and laboure to see y t they lacke nothinge and that oure doughters maye haue a conuenient dowrye and yet we flee and auoyde the easye workes by the whiche they maye be the better for yf they were so theyr flagitiousnes shoulde not cause vs to warre nor they beynge contente with a lytle shoulde neede nothyng but alure many to loue them with y e beautifulnesse of their vertue A woman after my iudgement oughte to knowe her selfe of what begynnyng she was made of and to what ende what the order and vse of thynges be and speciallye what Christes religion is without the whiche nothing can be well done nor iustlye But yet it muste be religion no superstition to the ende she maye knowe what difference there is betwene them Religion doeth make them verye simple and good and superstition verye hypocrytes molestious And thus shall she perceyue and vnderstande in what thynges true religion doth consiste how they shoulde honoure God loue theyr neyghboure and thereby knowe howe she oughte to loue and honor her husbande whome she shoulde take as a diuine and a holye thyng obey his wyl as the lawe of God Her house shall be vnto her as a common wealth and she muste learne what her duetye office is at home what is her husbandes There are two principal vertues of a woman the religion of nature chastitie althoughe that religion doe coÌ„prehend all vertues But we wyll seperatlye and exactlye geue preceptes of chastitie for it muste be the chastitie of the wise virgyns not of the folyshe She must know that shamfastnes is coupled with chastitie take heede to her good name fame that in all places she may be vnto y e lord a good sauour to y t example quietnes of her husband and how proÌ„pt ready the coÌ„mon sort of people be to iudge euil and with what diligence thei do nourish teach theyr children She must learne also to contemne worldly chaunces that is she muste be somwhat manly strong moderatly to beare suffer both good euil lest y t she being vnmete to suffer aduersite be coÌ„strained other to do or to thinke wickedly If she caÌ„ not read these thinges nor yet by Nature learne them for there be also such men her husband muste so familierlye and playnelye teache her that she maye remembre theym and vse them when nede shall require Let her heare those that doe reade and speake of such thin ges yf she can reade lette her haue no bookes of Poetrye nor suche tryfelynge bookes as we haue spoken of before for nature is ynoughe inclined to noughtines although we put not fier to towe And Seneca doth saie that the time is shorte althoughe it be all spente in well doynge Such vertuous and holy bokes as may learne her to be wyse inflame her to liue vertuouslye muste be delyuered vnto her wherein yet a certayne iudgemente and prudencye muste be vsed that is that they delyuer her no vayne no chyldyshe no barbarous nor no superstitious bookes Likewise she shal not be med linge with those curious and depe questions of diuinitie y t which thinge besemeth not a woman And as concerning morall Philosophie those religious vertuous bokes do suffise for vertue doth teache vs all good fashions and maners But yet yf we wil or in tende priuately to teache theÌ„ any customes let theÌ„ be suche as shal stirre prouoke them to liue wel vertuouslye and suche as be farre froÌ„ al conten tion altercation wher vnto womenne are but to much of theÌ„ selues inclined Let her read many thinges to subdue bring vnder the affections to appeace and pacifie the teÌ„ pestes vnquietnesses of the minde A woman hath verye great nede of this moral part of philosophi in y t which these auctours are excellent Plato Cicero Seneca and Plutarche And in this thinge those writers do helpe that declare the notable examples of vertue worthy to be ensued folowed as Valerius Maximus Sabellicus and in like maner the lau dable workes of the holy and vertuous men of oure re ligion and likewise of those that haue folowed the worldly wis dome Aristotle and Zenophon do write how men shuld rule gouerne their house and fa mily of the educatioÌ„ bringing vp of childreÌ„ Plutarche lately Paulus Vergerius Francis Philelphe There are annexed vnto these thinges certayn preceptes and rules of a quotidiane a dayly life of simple medicines for y e lighte inâ—irmities of yong childreÌ„ y t which haue no nede to hire any phisitions I do remeÌ„ber y t I haue already in other places written of these thinges yet it shal not be withoute a cause here to write somwhat of theÌ„ again for it perteyneth to the husband to see y t these thinges be done And I doo thinke y t with this the womaÌ„ be sufficiently ynough instructed to liue coÌ„modiously religiouslye But yf she delite to read verses prepare her these thristeÌ„ poetes Prudentius Aratus Sedulius Iuuencus other in Latin or els in their vulgare natiue language And as for the knowledge of grammer logike histories the rule and gouernaunce of the common welth the arte mathematical they shalleaue it vnto meÌ„ Eloquence is not conuenient nor fitte for women although the Cornelians of the Graccis the Mutians y e Lelians and the Hortentians be much coÌ„mended nor y t because they spake many thinges eloqueÌ„tlye but because they spake a fewe thinges purelye incorruptlye nor they neuer learned that arte but receaued it by y t
him to put on his harnes and to defend thē yea the priestes with their ceremonies were present promised a greate rewarde but he dispised all this Then came Oneus his fa ther a man worthy of great veneration kneled downe before hys obstinate sonne Hys mother also whose angre was nowe chaunged into humble prayer and piticion came vnto hym hys systers and hys moste pleasaūt companions wyth whom he hadde lyued moste iocundly the best part of all hys tyme prayed him not to forsake thē now in this their extreme pe ryi ieoperdie But y t fearce mynde of hys was nothynge moued but denied the helpe that all they with exhortacion prayer and promis desyred In the meane whyle the enemyes entred the cytye and sertynge it a fier in dyuers and manye places murdered and loore vexed the people Hys wyfe Cloopatra beynge soore afrayed came vnto hym sayinge Helpe vs O my husbande for yf thou helpe vs not we are all but deade for oure enemyes haue and posesse all That implacable and fearse heart moued with the only voyce and peryll of hys wyfe armed hym selfe and driuynge hys enemyes out delyuered the citye from extreme daunger and peryll That noble man had wrytten in his heart that precept of nature the whyche he neuer read nor hearde by the whyche he knewe that hys wyfe and he were all one and that all other notwithstandyng they were knytte vnto hym by greate loue and amitie were without hym and that a mans wyfe is so vnited with such a coniunction and knotte bounde vnto her husbande that he doth many thynges for her the whyche he woulde not doe for hym selfe Doeth that noble and moste worthye boron in Homer cry this alone doth Agamemnon Menelaus onlye loue theyr wyues For so doeth euerye honeste man that hathe anye poynte of iudgement as I loued moste heartelye Loryseis althoughe I toke her in warre That king as Salust writeth lyinge nowe a diynge exhorted his chyldren to concorde after thys sorte and maner Who is moore frendlye then one brother to another Or who shalte thou fynde to be thy frende yf thou be enemye to thyne owne Who canne thynke that thou louest hym that perceyueth thou louest not thy wyfe beynge good and honeste And yf thou offended w t certayne her vices doest hate her it shall cause thy frendes to forsake thee to y e whyche it is not vnknowen that no manne lyueth withoute faulte and do trust that throughe vse and tyme they shall waxe tollerable but seynge thou the whiche haste bene so longe acquaynted conuersaunte with thy wyfe canste not beare her what other thynge canne he hope or truste but y t the more strayghtlye and familiarlye thou arte conuersaunt wyth him and the better that thou knowest hym the lesse frendlye thou shalte be vnto hym Canne there be anye vyce I speake of these common vyces so farre frome the nature of any man as the nature and maners of beastes be And yet conuersation doeth so worke that they lyue pleasauntly vnder one roofe and that manne doeth playe and sporte hym selfe with the Lion and the nature and dedes of eche of them doeth so please contente the other y t beinge absent they seeke eche other for familiaritie is of suche vehemencye and force that it coupleth those thynges whyche are of contrarye natures and that because malice is farre of for yf it were mixed the rewith it coulde not clapse nor fasten those thynges whyche are most lyke eche other so great a poyson is malice vnto concorde good agrement Nor thys herbe called mynt doth not as the naturall Philosophers doe saye so muche let mylke to be tourned into chese as the malyce of the hearte doeth lette veneuolence to encrease and growe And in matrimoniall debate and discord the man is more blamed then is the woman because that he beynge the chiefe ruler and heade doeth not as sayeth Uarro purge her of that vice the whyche ingendered that discorde or els pacientlye beare and suffer the same for the blame of al discorde is moste commonlye layed vnto hym that is best because he would not moderate nor let the thynge to come to suche a stryfe and discorde or els because he was not able to doe it In the first there appeareth manifest ma lice in the seconde impacience and weakenes the whyche oughte to be far from him y t is estemed to be moste worthyest appoynted to rule gouerne other And thus he commeth into hatred for asmuch as he hath begiled vs lefte of to do hys duetye and office when it neded not That loue vnto thy wife after thou haste enioyed her for a season doeth waxe feble and colde is a thynge moste mete and cōuenient for those that are kindled with bodely luste and letchery the which are verye beastes and no men hauinge no reason but are drawen to those deades through the motions of their senses the whiche after that the heate be a lytle paste shall cleane chaunge their opinion Also there are other occasions that should cause thys beneuolence and loue in case he be not duller then a stone As that hys wyfe hathe suffered so greate trauell and labour that she hath brought hym for the chyldren the heyres of hys name and substaunce and the vpholders of hys familye and that she hathe forsaken her fathers goodes and ryches to folow hym and to suffer wyth hym bothe good euyll and that she settynge her whole mind nowe vpon hym knoweth nother father nor yet anye of all her kynne What one thynge then shall suffyce to knytte theym in loue yf manye thinges canne not do it who so wil then obey nature humanitie and wisdom shall euery day loue his wife more and moore And the better he knoweth her the more he wyll truste her and to open disclose hys loue shal shew her greater signes tokens of beneuolēce manifestinge y t to be borne and nouryshed throughe the expience of her vertue through hope to be cōtinued kepte that in time to come she maye be like her selfe and as Plato writeth stryue to ouercome her selfe with vertue Thou shalt only loue thy wyfe thus tender ly but frō her as srom a foun tayne y u must extende it vnto her parentes kinsfolke to thende that they maye well know perceiue how greatly their cosyn doeth ayde and helpe them that she in lyke maner maye vnderstande that thy beneuolence loue to her is suche that it red undeth amonge her frendes and parentes and of thys thou shalte receyue no lytle profite at home And yf we wil that her kinsmen be loued for her sake how muche more ought we thē to loue her chil dren the whiche yf thou loue their mother can not be but most dearly beloued moste acceptable vnto thee she in like case shall loue thine yl y u haue anye they seinge this mutual loue betwene