and was not founde faithfull to any But I lette that passe leaste thou come in againe with thy fa-burthen and hit me in the téeth with loue for thou hast so charmed me that I dare not speak any word that may be wrested to charity least thou say I meane loue and in truth I thinke there is no more difference betwéene them then betwéene a Broome and a Besome I wil follow thy dyot and thy counsaile I thank thée for thy good will so that I wil now walke vnder the shadow be at thy coÌ„maundemeÌ„t Not so answered Euphues but if thou followe me I dare be thy warrant we will not offende much Much talke there was in the way which much shortned their way and at last they came to London where they met diuers straungers of their friends who in small space brought them familiarly acquainted with certaine English gentlemen who much delighted in the company of Euphues whom they found both â—ober wise yet somtimes merry pleasant They wer brought into all places of the Citie lodged at the last in a Merchaunts house where they continued till a certaine breach They vsed continually the court in the which Euphues tooke such delight that he accoÌ„pted all the prayses he hard of it before rather to be enuious then otherwise to be parcial not giuing so much as it deserued yet to be pardoned bicause they coulde not It hapned y t these English Gentlemen conducted these two straungers to a place wâ—er diuers Gentlewomen were some courtiers others of the country where being welcome they frequented almost euery daye for the space of one moneth entertaining of time in courtly pastimes though not in the court insomuch that if they came not they were sent for and so vsed as they had bene countrymen not straungers Philautus with this continuall accesse and often conference with gentlewomen began to weane himselfe from the counsaile of Euphues and to wed his eyes to the comlinesse of Ladies yet so warily as neither his friend could by narrow watching discouer it neither did he by anye wanton countenaunce bewray it but carying the Image of Loue engrauen in the bottome of his hart and the picture of curtesie imprinted in his face he was thought to Euphues courtly and knowen to himselfe comfortlesse Among a number of Ladies he fixed his eyes vpon one whose countenaunce séemed to promise mercy and threaten mischiefe intermedling a desire of lyking with a disdaine of loue shewing hir selfe in courtesie to be familiar with all and with a certein comely pride to accept none whose wit would commonly taunt without despite but not without disport as one that séemed to abhorre loue worse then lust and lust worse then murther of greater beautie then birth and yet of lesse beautie then honestie which gate hir more honor by vertue then nature could by Art or Fortune might by promotion she was redy of aunswere yet wary shril of speach yet swéete in all hir passions so teÌ„perate as in hir greatest mirth none would think hir wanton neither in hiâ— déepest griefe sullom but alwayes to looke with so sober chéerefulnesse as it was hardly thought where she were more commended for hir grauitie of the aged or for hir courtlinesse of the youth oftentimes delyghted to beare discourses of Loue but euer desirous to bée instructed in Learninge somewhat curyous to héepâ— hir Beautie which made hir comelye but more carefull to increase hir credite which made hir commendable not adding the length of a haire to courtlynesse that might detract the bredth of a haire from chastitie In all hir talke so pleasant in all hir lookes so amiable so graue modesty ioyned with so wittie mirth that they that were entangled with hir beautie were inforced to preferre hir wit before their wils and they that loued hir vertue were compelled to preferre their affections before hir wisdome whose rare qualyties caused so straunge euents that y e wise were allured to vanities and the wantons to vertue much like the riuer in Arabia which turneth golde to drosse and durt to siluer In conclusion there wanted nothing in this English Angell that nature might ad for perfection or Fortune could giue for wealth or God doth commonlye bestowe on mortall creatures And more easie it is in the discription of so rare a personage to imagine what shée had not then to repeate all she had But such a one shée was as almost they al are that serue so noble a Prince such Uirgins cary lightes before such a Vesta such Nymphes arrowes with such a Diana But why goe I about to set hir in blacke and white whome Philautus is now with all colours importraing in the Table of his heart And surely I thinke by this he is halfe madde whom long since I left in a great maze Philautus viewing all these things and more then I haue vttered for that the louers eye perceth déeper with drew himselfe secretly into his lodging and locking his dore began to debate with himselfe in this manner AH thrice vnfortunate is he that is once faithfull and better it is to be a mercilesse souldiour then a true louer the one lyueth by anothers death the other dyeth by his owne lyfe What straunge fits be these Philautus that burne thée with such a heat that thou shakest for cold and all thy bodye in a shiuering sweat in a flaming Yâ—e melteth like wax hardeneth like the Adamant Is it loue then would it were death for likelyer it is that I should loose my life then win my loue Ah Camilla but why doe I name thée when thou dost not heare me Camilla name thée I will though thou hate me But alas y e sound of thy name doth make me sound for griefe What is in me that thou shouldest not despise what is there not in thée that I should not wonder at Thou a woman the last thing God made therefore the best I a man that could not liue without thée and therefore the worst Al things were made for man as a souereigne and man made for woman as a slaue O Camilla woulde either thou hadst bene bred in Italy or I in Englande or woulde thy vertues were lesse then thy beautie or my vertues greater then my affections I see that India bringeth golde but Englande bréedeth goodnesse And had not England béene thrust into a corner of the worlde it would haue filled the whole worlde with woe Where such women are as we haue talked of in Italy heard of in Rome reade of in Greece but neuer found but in this Islande And for my parte I speake softly bicause I will not heare my selfe would there were none such here or such euery where Ah fonde Euphues my déere friende but a simple foole if thou beléeue nowe thy cooling Carde and an obstinate foole if thou doe not recant it But it may be thou layest that Carde for the eleuation of Naples like an Astronomer If it were so I
no Philautus either swallow the iuyce of Mandrake which may cast thée into a dead sléepe or chewe the hearbe Cheruell which may cause thée to mistake euery thing so shalt thou either dye in thy slomber or thinke Camilla deformed by thy potion No I cannot do so though I would But suppose thou thinke thy selfe in personage comely in birth noble in wit excellent in talke cloquent of great reuenewes yet wil this onely be cast in thy téeth as an obloquye thou art an Italian I but al that be blacke digge not for coles all things that bréede in the mudde are not Euets all that are born in Italy be not ill She will not enquire what most are but enquire what I am Euery one y t sucketh a wolfe is not rauening there is no countrey but hath some as bad as Italy many that haue worse none but hath some And canst thou thinke that an English Gentleman will suffer an Italian to be his Riuall No no thou must either put vp a quarrell with shame or trye the Combatte with perill An Englishman hath thrée qualyties he can suffer no partner in his loue no straunger to be his equall nor to be dared by any Then Philautus be as wary of thy life as carefull for thy loue thou must at Rome reuerence Romulus in Boetia Hercules in England those that dwel there cls shalt thou not lyue there Ah Loue what wrong doest thou me which once beguildest me w t that I had and now beheadest me for that that I haue not The loue I bore to Lucilla was colde water the loue I owe Camilla hot fire the first was ended with defame the last must begin with death I sée nowe that as the resiluation of an Ague is desperate and the second opening of a veyne deadly so the renuing of loue is I know not what to terme it worse then death as bad as what is worst I perceiue at the last the punishment of loue is to lyue Thou art héere a straunger without acquaintaunce no friend to speak for thée no one to care for thée Euphues will laugh at thée if he know it and thou wilt wéepe if he know it not O infortunate Philautus borne in the wane of the Moone as lyke to obtayne thy wish as the Wolfe to eate the Moone But why go I about to quench fire with a sword or with affection to mortifie my loue O my Euphues would I had thy wit or thou my wil. Shal I vtter this to thée but thou art more likely to correct my follies w t counsaile then to comfort me with any prety coÌ„ceipt Thou wilt say y t she is a lady of great credite and I héere of no countenaunce I but Euphues low trées haue their toppes small sparkes their heat the flye his splene the Ant hir Gall Philautus his affection which is neither ruled by reason nor leade by appointment Thou broughtest me into England Euphues to sée and am blynde to séeke aduentures and I haue lost my selfe to remedye loue and I am now past cure much lyke Seriphuis that olde Drudge in Naples who coueting to heale his bleard eye put it out My thoughts are high my fortune low and I resemble that foolish Pilot who hoyseth vp all his sayles hath no winde lauÌ„ceth out his ship hath no water Ah loue thou takest away my tast prouokest mine appetite yet if Euphues wold be as willing to further me now as he was once wilye to hinder me I should thinke my selfe fortunate and all that are not amorous to be fooles There is a Stone in the floud of Thracia that whosoeuer findeth it is neuer after grieued I would I had that stone in my mouth or that my body were in that riuer that either I might bée without griefe or without lyfe And with these words Euphues knocked at the dore which Philautus opened pretending drousinesse and excusing his absence by Idlenesse vnto whome Euphues sayd WHat Philautus dost thou shun the Court to sléepe in a corner as one either cloyed with delight or hauing surfetted with desire beléeue me Philautus if the winde be in that doore or thou so deuout to fall from beautie to thy beades and to forsake the Court to liue in a cloyâ—ber I cannot tel whether I should more wonder at thy fortune or prayse thy wisedome but I feare me if I lyue to sée thée so holy I shall be an olde man before I dye or if thou dye not before thou be so pure thou shalt be more meruayled at for thy yeares then estéemed for thy vertues In sooth my good friend if I shoulde tary a yeare in England I could not abide an houre in my chamber for I know not how it coÌ„meth to passe that in earth I think no other Paradise such varietie of delyghts to allure a Courtlye eye such rare puritie to drawe a well disposed minde y t I know not whether they be in Englande more amorous or vertuous whether I should thinke my time best bestowed in viewing goodly Ladyes or hearing godly Lessons I had thought no woman to excel Liuia in the world but now I sée that in England they be all as good none worse many better insomuch that I am enforced to thinke that it is as rare to sée a beautifull woman in England without vertue as to sée a faire woman in Italy without pride Curteous they are w tout coynes but not without a care amiable without pride but not without courtlines merry without curiositie but not with-out measure so that conferring the Ladies of Greece with the ladies of Italy I finde the best but indifferent comparing both countries with the Ladies of England I accompt them all starke naught And truelye Philautus thou shalt not shrine mée like a Ghostly father for to thée I will confesse in two things my extreme folly the one in louing Lucilla who in comparison of these had no spark of beautie the other for making a cooling carde against women when I sée these to haue so much vertue so that in the first I must acknowledge my iudgement rawe to discerne shadows and rash in the latter to giue so peremtorye sentence in both I thinke my selfe to haue erred so much that I recant both being readye to take any penaunce thou shalt enioyne me whether it be a Faggot for Heresie or a fine for Hipocrisie An hereticke I was by myne inuectiue against women and no lesse then an Hipocrite for dissembling with thée for nowe Philautus I am of that minde that women but Philautus â—aking holde of this discourse interrupted him with a sodaine reply as followeth STAYE Euphues I can leuell at the thoughtes of thy heart by the wordes of thy mouth for that commonly the tongue vttereth the minde and the outward speach bewrayeth y e inward spirite For as a good roote is knowen by a faire blossome so is the substaunce of the heart noted by the shew of the countenaunce I
lightes to suche as are in darkenesse salt to those that are vnsauozie leauen to such as are not seasoned Uisitations are holden oftentimes wher-by abuses and disorders either in the laitie for negligence or in the clergie for superstitiō or in al for wicked liuing ther are punishments by due execution wherof the diuine seruice of God is honoured with more puritie and followed with greater senceritie There are also in this Island two famous Uniuersities the one Oxforde the other Cambredge both for the profession of all sciences for Diuinitie Phisicke Lawe and all kinde of learning excelling al the Uniuersities in Christendome I was my selfe in either of them and like them both so well that I meane not in the way of controuersie to prefer any for y e better in England but both for the best in the world sauing this y t Colledges in Oxenforde are much more stately for the building Cambridge much more sumptuous for the houses in y e towne but the learning neither lyeth in the frée stones of the one nor y e fine streates of the other for out of them both doe dayly procéede men of great wisedome to rule in y e common welth of learning to instruct y e common people of all singuler kinde of professions to do good to all And let this suffice not to enquire which of them is the superiour but that neither of them haue their equall neither to aske which of them is the most auncient but whether any other be so famous But to procéede in England their buildinges are not very stately vnlesse it be the houses of noble men here and ther the place of a Gentleman but much amended as they report y t haue tolde me For their munition they haue not onely great store but also great running to vse them and courage to practise thē their armour is not vnlike vnto that which in other countryes they vse as Corslets Almaine Kiuetts shirts of male iacks quilted and couered ouer with Leather Fustiō or Canuas ouer thick plates of yron that are sowed in the same The ordinance they haue is great and therof great store Their Nauie is deuided as it were into thrée sorts of the which the one serueth for wars the other for burdē the third for fishermen And some vessels ther be I know not by experience yet I beléeue by circumstance that wil saile nine hundred miles in a wéeke when I should scarce thinke that a birde could flye foure hundred Touching other commodities they haue foure bathes the first called Saint Vincents the second Hallie well the third Buxton the fourth as in olde time they read Cair Bledud but now taking his name of a towne néere adioyning it is called the Bath Besides this many wonders ther are to be found in this Iland which I wil not repeat bicause I my self neuer saw them and you haue heard of greater Concerning their dyet in number of dishes chaunge of meat the Nobilitie of England do excéed most hauing all things that either may be bought for mony or gotten for the season Gentlemen and Merchaunts féede verye finely a poore man it is that dineth with one dish and yet so content with a little that hauing half dined they say as it wer in a Prouerb that they are as wel satisfied as the Lord Maior of London whom they thinke to fare best though he eate not most In their meales ther is great silence and grauitie vsing wine rather to ease the stomarke then to load it not like vnto other nations who neuer thinke y t they haue dined till they be drunken The attire they vse is rather led by the imitation of others then their owne inuention so that ther is nothing in England more constant than y e inconstancie of attire now vsing the French fashion now the Spanish then the Morisco gownes then one thing then another insomuch that in drawing of an Englishman y e painter setteth him downe naked hauing in the one hand a payre of shéeres in the other a péece of cloth who hauing cut his cholar after y e French guyse is ready to make his sléeue after the Barbarian manner And although this were the greatest enormitie that I could see in England yet is it to be excused for they that cannot maintein this pride must leaue of necessitie and they that be able will leaue when they sée the vanitie The lawes they vse are differēt from ours for although the common and ciuill law be not abolished yet are they not had in so great reputation as their own cōmon lawes which they tearme the lawes of the Crowne The regement that they haue dependeth vppon statute law that is by Parliament which is the highest court consisting of thrée seuerall sorts of people the Nobilytie Clergie and Commons of the Realme so as whatsoeuer be among them enacted the Quéene striketh the stroke allowing such things as to hir Maiestie séemeth best Then vpon common law which standeth vpon Maximes and principles yeares and tearmes the cases in this law are called plées or actions and they are either criminall or ciuill the meane to determine are writs some originall some iudiciall Their trialls recoueries are either by verdit or demur confession or defalt wherin if any falt haue ben committed either in processe or forme matter or iudgement the partie grieued may haue a writ of error Then vpon customable law which consisteth vpon laudable customes vsed in some priuate countrey Last of all vpon prescription which is a certeine custome continued time out of minde but it is more particuler then their customary law Murtherers théeues are hanged witches burnt al other villanies that deserue death punished w t death insomuch that ther are very few haynous offences practised in respect of those that in other countries are commonly vsed Of sauage beastes and vermyne they haue no great store nor any that are noysome the cattell they kéepe for profite are Oren Horses Shéepe Goates Swine and such like wheroff they haue abundance wilde foule fish they want none nor any thing that either may serue for pleasure or profite They haue more store of pasture then tillage their meddows better then their corne fields which maketh more grasiors then Cornmongers yet sufficient store of both They excell for one thing their Dogs of all sorts spaniels hounds mastifs diuers such y t one they kéepe for hunting and hawking the other for necessary vses about their houses as to draw water to watch théeues c. and thereoff they deriue the word Mastife of Mase and théefe There is in that Isle Salt made Saffron ther are great quarries of stones for building sundry minerals of Quicksiluer Antimony Sulphur black Lead and Orpiment redde and yeolow Also ther groweth the finest Allum y t is Uermilion Bittament Chrisocolla Coporus the mineral stone whereoff Petreolum is made and that which is most strange the mineral pearle which as they are for
more notable then peace This peace hath the Lorde continued with great and vnspeakeable good-nesse amonge his chosen people of England How much is that nation bounde to such a Prince by whome they enioye all benefites of peace hauing their barnes full when others famiâ—â— their Cofers stuffed with golde when others haue no siluer their wiues with-out daunger when others are defamed their daughters chast when others are defloured their houses furnished when others are fired where they haue all thinges for superfluitie others nothing to sustaine their néede This peace hath GOD giuen for hir vertues pittie moderation virginitie which peace the same GOD of peace continue for his names sake TOuching the beautie of this Prince hir countenaunce hir personage hir maiestie I can-not thinke that it may bée sufficiently commended when it cannot be too much meruayled at So that I am constrayned to saye as Praxitiles did when he beganne to paint Venus and hir sonne who doubted whether the worlde coulde affoorde coulours good enough for two such fayre faces and I whether our tongue canne yéelde woords to blase that beautie the perfection whereof none canne imagine which séeing it is so I must do like those that want a cléere sight who béeing not able to discerne the Sunne in the Skye are inforced to beholde it in the water Zeuxis hauing before him fiftie fayre virgins of Sparta where-by to drawe one amiable Venus sayde that fiftie more fayrer then those could not minister sufficient beautie to shewe the goddsse of beautie therefore being in dispayre either by Arte to shadowe hir or by immagination to comprehende hir he drewe in a table a fayre Temple the gates open and Venus going in so as nothing could be perceiued but hir backe wherein hée vsed such cunning that Appelles himselfe séeing this worke wished that Venus woulde turne hir face saying that if it were in all partes agréeable to the backe hée would become apprentice to Zeuxis and slaue to Venus In the like manner fareth it with mée for hauing all the Ladies in Italye more then fiftie hundred whereby to coulour Elizabeth I must saye with Zeuxis that as many more will not suffice and therefore in as great an agonie paint hir court with hir backe towards you for that I cannot by arte portray hir beautie where in though I want the skill to doe it as Zeuxis did yet viewing it narowly and comparing it wisely you al will say that if hir face be aunswerable to hir backe you will like my handi-crafte and become hir handmaides In the meane season I leaue you gasing vntill shée turne hir face imagining hir to bée such a one as nature framed to that ende that no arte should immitate where-in shee hath proued hir selfe to be exquisite and Painters to bée Apes This Beautifull moulde when I behelde to bée endued with chastitie temperance mildenesse and all other good giftes of Nature as heereafter shall appeare when I sawe hir to surpasse all in beautie and yet a Uirgin to excell all in pietie and yet a Prince to be inferiour to none in all the liniamentes of the bodye and yet superiour to euery one in all giftes of the minde I béeganne thus to praye that as she hath liued fortie yeares a virgin in greate maiestie so shée may liue foure-score yeares a mother with greate ioye that as with hir wée haue longe time hadde peace and plentie so by hir wée may euer haue quietnesse and aboundaunce wishing this euen from the bottome of a hearte that wisheth well to England though feareth ill that either the worlde maye ende before shée dye or shée liue to sée hir childrens children in the worlde otherwise hawe tickle their state is that now triumph vpon what a twist they hang that now are in honor they that lyue shall sée which I to thinke on sigh But God for his mercies sake Christ for his merits sake the holy Ghost for his names sake graunt to that realme comefort without anye ill chaunce and the Prince they haue with-out any other chaunge that the longer she liueth the swéeter she may smell like the bird Ibis that she may be triumphant in victoryes like the Palme trée fruitfull in hir age like the Uyne in all ages prosperous to all men gratious in all places glorious so that there be no ende of hir praise vntill the end of all flesh Thus did I often talke with my selfe and wish with mine whole soule What should I talke of hir sharp wit excellent wisedome exquisite learning and all other qualities of the minde wherein she séemeth as farre to excell those that haue béene accompted singular as the learned haue surpassed those that haue bene thought simple In questioning not inferiour to Nicaulia the Quéene of Saba that did put so many hard doubts to Salamon equall to Nicostrata in the Greeke tongue who was thought to giue precepts for the better perfection more learned in the Latine their Amalasunta passing Aspasia in Philosophye who taught Pericles excéeding in iudgement Themistoclea who instructed Pithagoras adde to these qualyties those that none of these haddâ— the French tongue the Spanish the Italyan not meane in euery one but excellent in all readier to correcte escapes in those languages then to be controlled fitter to teach others then learne of anye more able to adde newe rules then to erre in the olde Insomuch as there is no Ambassadour that commeth into hir court but she is willing and able both to vnderstand his message vtter hir minde not like vnto the kings of Assiria who aunswere Ambassades by messengers whyle they themselues either dally in sinne or snort in sléepe Hir Godlye zeale to learning with hir great skill hath bene so manifestly approued y t I cannot tel whether she deserue more honour for hir knowledge or admiration for hir courtesie who in great pompe hath twice directed hir Progresse vnto the Uniuersities with no lesse ioye to the Students than glory to hir State where after long and solempne disputations in Law Phisicke and Diuinitie not as one wearyed with Schollers argumentes but wedded to their Orations when euerye one feared to offend in length she in hir owne person with no lesse praise to hir Maiestie than delyght to hir subiects with a wise and learned conclusion both gaue them thankes and put hir selfe to paynes O noble patterne of a Princely minde not like to the Kings of Persia who in their progresses did nothing els but cut stickes to driue away the time nor lyke the delicate liues of the Sybarites who woulde not admit anye Art to be exercised within their Citie that might make the least noyse Hir wit so sharpe that if I should repeate the apt aunsweres the subtill questions the fine speaches the pithie sentences which on y e sodayne she hath vttered they would rather bréede admiratioÌ„ than credit But such are the gifts that the liuing God hath indued hir withall y t looke in what Art or Language wit or learning