another time I should thinke that suing to thée for sauour thou wouldest bestowe frownes profering my seruice thou wouldst offer skornes If I sighed thou wouldst smile laughing at my teares and ioying at my griefe requiting euery kinde demande with so cruell answers as if thy bitter words could not force me to leaue my suite thy skornefull farewels should frustrate my wil offering to touch thine hand mée thought thou profereds thy foote and stouping to catch that being glad of any thing thou wouldst in a rage fling from me and leaue the doore barred against me There should I sit till my téeth chattered in my head and my heart aked in my bellie then should I shake for colde and sigh for sorrowe when thinking to knock my legges against the ground to get heate I should kick al the cloathes off me being in the end constrained to awake through colde At what time that colde fare would better content me then the former flattering cheare did please me being as glad it was false as I would haue béen glad if the other had béen true Many like to these did I endure before my acquaintance with thée not knowing any meanes how to obtaine the same of thée vntill happely finding thee in a sommers euening at the dore I presumed to enter parlie with thée offering my selfe your seruant which had béen a tweluemoneth your sworne subiect doubting of your patieÌ„ce though you séeme to be a patterne of pittie How and after what order I haue since that time besought your sauour your selfe shall be my iudge for I list not to rehearse my dayly shiftes to shewe my zeale my manyfolde conclusions to obtaine your companie my giftes to wooe the seruants and my presents to gaine your good will But to be briefe thereby to come to that I like best one whole yeare I loued thée before thou knewest me thrée more are passed since first I spake to thée yet then was I as neare as now I am and now as farre off as I was then Say therefore swéete since to stay longer yéelds but little comfort shall my suite now end with the verdit You loue me To which long preamble shut vp with so whot a conclusion she no lesse prepared herselfe to answere him then Frier Tuck vsed ceremonies before he song mattens She cast her eyes vp to Heauen as if she had béen making her praiers to loue sighing so bitterly as I thought hir placket lace would haue brokeÌ„ then to the matter thus she answered Alas gentle sir I must confesse I haue found you kinde and you haue béen at a great deale more cost then I could wish you had your suite hath béen long and my kindenes not much nor doe I hope you eâ—pect more at my hands then you haue had before my friends haue granted their good will Maidens are modest and must not bée prodigall of their courtesie children are bound and cannot consent without their parents counsell pardon mée therefore I pray you if I say I loue you not since my father knowes you not and thinke not much if I desire you to leaue to loue mée vntill my mother giue me leaue to like of you At which time assure your selfe I will bee as ready to performe your will as they shall be forward to wish me that good and thus in the meane time I hope you will rest satisfied This was a shroade bone for my passionate youth to gnawe on that being so strucken on the head as his heart aked therewith thought to ease his sorrowe with this replie Ah my swéetest swéete quoth hée Thinke not on thy fathers counsel séeing a greater friend craueth his deserte nor let me rest their leasure without pitie that hath thus long remained constant vnto thée I loue thée nor for thy fréendes sake though I loue them for thy sake nor doe thou lothe me for their pleasure that liues but at thy pleasure But swéete and soueraigne of my hart as thy thoughts be not tied to their wils so let not thy loue be linked so fast to their liking as their mislike should end my life by remouing thy loue Say my goddesse and therewithall as he was procéeding she cut off the rest with this short answere I beséech you sir to leaue off your courting vnlesse you entend some other conclusion then as yet I can gather for of my faith loue you I wil not nor consent I dare not without my fréends giue their consents first and thereupon she thrusted through the throng and poasted out of doores leauing my passionate louer to say his pater noster alone where we will leaue them What I thought I will tell you and I hope you will not doubt of the matter for that Honestie speakes it One yéeres loue without acquaintance and thrée yéeres suite to be neuer the néerer either he was a bad lawyer or she a monstrous vniust iudge but be it both a passionate Asse and a péeuish wench were well met But marke his folly and her cunning he building Castles in the aire and setting trappes in the Sunne to catch the shadowe of a coye queane was pleased by her with wagging his bawble and ringing his bell while she pickt his pocket and cut his pursse A proper péece of seruice of a passionate Souldier and a prettie sleight of a flattering Slut I would we had more of them nay why wish I that since the worlde is too full of such alreadie Yet of my honesty she was as fitte a match for such a foole as might be found in the worlde A great deale of fond fancie repaied with a sharpe shorte deniall and thrée yéeres affection rewarded with an ounce of flatterie mingled with a pound of discurtesie a good cordiall to comfort so kinde a hart Oh the subtilty of the diuell that vnder the shadow of obedience couers yâ— craft of cosonage It is hotte loue that buildes on fréendes liking and pestilent affection that relies rather on the mothers loue then on the Louers loyaltie Such as stands so curiously on their Parents good will hauing dealt so craftily without their consent are worthie by Honesties doome to stand in a Cage vntill either their fréends good will be got or her swéet harts licence obtained for her deliuerie And this is too good for that the kinde Asse wil too too soone release her I thinke this punishment would be worse welcome vnto her namely that she be bound from mariage so long as she hath kept him without his answere which will so pinche her prodigall desire as either she will forsweare honestie or neuer commit the like knauerie Oh there is a companie of minions which delight to haue many sutors that they may bragge amongst their mates of their diuersitie of louers they thinke it commendable to haue store of customers But knewe they so much as I know they were better to goe once in a fortnight to Greenes Cunnyberries then to haue such resorte to haunt their companies Honestie honours
he makes the mis-rule and kéeps the open Christmas he desires the sporte and mainâ—â—ines the pastime so that though he be long in comming and staies but little in his Lordship yet the remembrance of his iolitie is not forgotten a long time after He kéepes his custome euery yéere and a yéere with him is but a short space so that after he comes to his full age he makes many Christmasses for Desire is not short liued It is therefore this lingring loue that dooth all the harme because by him Desire is onely begotten He that beating the market is willing to buye will not stand long a bargaining when he hath met with his liking for feare a francker customer steppe betwéene him and his longing but if he be careles he will not deale without a good penniworth Very easily then is the mischéefe of repentance taken from women séeing a true-meaning sutor may be as quickly discerned as a careles chapman may be perceiued And how fondly doo they entrude themselues into the néedles hazard of great discontent that will let their loue runne so farre without reason as it cannot be called backe without great gréefe at the least Though a buyer be not able to giue the seller his asking yet will he be earnest to haue it at such a price as he doth offer and although this louing customer be not of abilitie to answere thy fréends expectation yet shall he not be forward to be possessed of thée he is but a watcher for aduantages So that if either his abilitie be such as of himselfe he can maintaine thée or be thy possibilitie so great as by his good endeuour he may winne a liuing thy fréends good will by the possession of thée thy affection is too too colde if thou kéepes him lingring without his longing and his deuotion is small if he be not an vnceasing sutor for it And truely in Honesties minde and pardon me I pray you with whose conceipts it iumpes not those matches shall prosper best where lone is rather respected then wealth prouided there be a care had of the likelyhoode of possibilitie which must come with one of them But shall one that hath nothing ioyne louing issue with an other that hath or is like to haue as little he hauing no meanes to make a liuing he shewes himself to be afoolish follower of repentance and an vncharitable procurer of an others wretchednes There are many good wits that wanting matter to worke on wade into the triall of dangerous conclusions which otherwise being imployed would become profitable members of a common wealth All cannot be heires and many yonger brothers children are but barely left though they haue had good bringing vp which nothing hinders their gentrie onely now a daies it is a barre to their preferment For men wil sooner match their daughters with my yong maister arich Coblers Sonne though they be their heires then with a Gentleman of a good house being a yonger Brother Héerby comes the decay of a ancient gentilitie and this yâ— making of vpstart houses héerby those that haue had good bringing vp must either goe to plough and carte being drudges to such drones or their natures disdaining that and more abhorring to begge leade them to lewde practises to maintaine the state of their birth And did you Fathers which are to match your Children know the hart-breakings many parents which haue béene of your mindes haue found by triall then would the feare of vnciuill behauiour which springeth by succession from their carterly progenitors turne your gréedie desire of golden gaine to a ioyfull gaining of your posterities happines But fie of couetousnes that is the roote of all mischiefe for men that haue enough to make their Daughters Gentlewomen by matching them with houses of no small antiquitie will with the desire they haue therevnto wooe men of great liuing with large offers to match their sons and heires with them Who being drawen therunto will vse them their wiues méeâ—â—ly well during the life time of their owne and wiues Fathers for that their estates are by their great portions better maintained and their best fréends thereby well pleased But let your Daughters beware after your and their Fathers death when all hope is taken away of a further gaine and a search made of their auncestors alliance for then seeing the basenes of your pettigrée and yâ— noble descents of their predecessors that corruption of blood which you with your corruption of money hath made and their Fathers couetousnes hath purchased to their succession will as for the most parte it doth in the like cases moue such hartbreakinges as either quarrelles of diuorcement or sutes of separation will surely followe When on the contrary parte if respecting gentrie thereby to aduaunce your houses you would match theÌ„ with Gent. yonger brothers of whom there ought to be lesse regarde the chiefe house being maintained your Daughters portions being the onely maintenance of their estates would be so strong a helpe to encrease their affection towards your children with purchased happines to their posterities as knowing no housholde quarrelles can be without charges they will be glad to studie to encrease the swéetenes of vnitie thereby to continue euerlasting prosperitie to their following ages Honestie knowes what the fairing-monger will saye when he shall heare of one so flat against his opinion touching mariages not letting to affirme that it is most necessarie that the consent of parents should be last sued for and little regarded in respect of loue especiallye séeing his Pamphlet buildes so diuinelye on farre-fetcht arguments to proue the contrarie Therfore to preuent him and to prouide against the great danger their matches-making procure Honestie must tell him and assure all those that are of his minde that were the worlde like vnto that wherein Abraham liued or were Fathers of these daies of his disposition his argument drawen from the gift of Euah to Adam by God and such like might séeme to proue some thing But séeing these times in effect are quite contrary to those and the dispositions of men in our daies altogether disagréeing to theirs of that age his time had béene better spent in a worke to some other purpose For a little to séeme to flie from my matter and to haue a fling at him how many Fathers now a daies are there so carefull of prouiding conuenient mates for their children at a seasonable time as our great Grandfather Abraham was Againe how manye haue children that are so obedient to bend their loue to their Parents liking as was Isaac Oh Sir you are deceaued our yong ones are of riper wits and far forwarder then Children were in those daies and our olde ones are of more couetous mindes and far forwarder to be drawen to their childrens good for what greater good then to enioye them they loue and what will offend our parents more then to entreat that he sent his seruant to search forth one of his next kinne
the consent of Parents but abhorres such loue as is built on their liking if there be no remedie but that either they shall like or thou wilt not loue let him haue thy Fathers good will before he obtaines thy countenance for doubtles she that will entertaine louers and repay their courting with kindenes will care as little for her fréends counsell hapning on a mate she can fancie as the horse wil for haye that hath his manger full of prouender And what is the cause why so many stande so curiously on their fréends consent nought forsooth but the presumption of a double baite that being sure of their countenance they may be assured of an other dinner if their owne likes them not or otherwise to haue a hole to hide a For in for that her owne denne is not secret enough If her Husband controlle her for any misdemeanour or reproue her of any dishonest behauiour then on goes her pantoples building the reckoning of her honesty on her fathers countenance so far presuming of his bounden duetie for the match making as if he kept the keye of her huswiferie Her long toung vtters large spéeches standing at defiance vnder the banner of her Fathers defence and his house must be her Castell to kéepe her from her Husband This is the commoditie a man shall reap by such a match and this is their meaning that would couer their rebellion with the cloak of obedience Is not he wel preferred that is so well married and how can he mend it Marry no way but this that he which is mated with the like inconuenience to learne more wit against the next time striuing in the meane time to please both her and her fréends since he had so much reason to woo both her fréends and her to be bound to so bad a bargaine It is follie quoth a wise man to be sorrowful for things irrecouerable and Honestie thinkes it madnes to repent for déedes done whereof her selfe is culpable can any man be so witles especially in matter wherein wisedome is so much required as to doe and wish vndoone in a moment yea dâ—ubtles Honestie knowes such they being the hotte spurres of our age that thinke euery day a twelue moneth vntill they be married and after they are matched euery houre seauen yéeres vntill they are parted It was hotte loue that will be so soone colde some of you will say but I say if it bad béen hot loue as it was burning lust it would not haue béen so soone colde For whereas yâ— prouerb goes that hot loue wil be soone colde it is ment by such affection as wants matter therby to continue longer For as that is the purest wood which yéelds the perfectest heat and yâ— purer it is the sooner it wil be it own destruction leauing the sitters by without fire vnles a fresh supply be as néede requires added so wil our hotte loue whose kindled affection is come vnto it perfection the hart being on such a blaze as euery part of it is on a light flame decay as reason and nature requireth vnles new faggots of kindenes adde fresh matter for fiering the supply thereof remoning all suspition of want of affection How pure yâ— loue is where there is so light a regarde of proffered kindenes as my Fathers will or my Mothers leaue must be a Spurre to my liking let euery one iudge that knowes loue But â—n my opinion as I confesse that the duetie we owe to our Parents may doo muche where the knowledge thereof bindes to obeye so must I confirme that loue is a duetie himselfe bâ—nding to so great obedience and tying with such strong conuaiances as he remoues all thoughts of lower dueties I tearming al dueties lower for that by commaundement those dueties must be reiected in respect of the louing duetie that a Husband shall require Now how far my nice Mimon was from knowing this duetie her coye demeanour and cunning behauiour hath manifested Yet how happie was my youth at lâ—st to be rid of such a monster And monster may I tearme her in respect of her lewde behauiour for was it not much better that her inconstancie should haue béene knowen before he was fast linked vnto her then it should haue béene found when it had béen incurable Doubtles it was a good cause he had to double his orisons vnto loue for so louingly preseruing him from so pestilent a prittie-bird I should haue said pricking-burre or paultry bauble BVt to come to my second couple which were seated opposite to these in an other corner being a lustie widdower that was courting a gallant wench both of them being highly beholding to nature for her liberall skill in their making which were thus placed She was set down ouerlooked by him standing before her hauing â—ne of his hands leaning on her lap and the other resting on the wâ—l hauing therby as I gesse the more libertie to vse his pleasure in bestowing kinde kisses and louing fauours so he waâ— seated and thus he began to sue Faire Maide quoth he I know my experience to be greater then your practise for that I haue tried rules me by reason hauing loued and liued with my loue vntill by the fates I was bereâ—ued of that fruit so well liked I of my last losse as my former good hap bréeds an assured hope of the like good fortune that being a helpe to further my will and a meane to make a now choise which change what good it shal yéeld your selfe shall challenge whose good reporte hath bound me to commence my deserts to receiue their censure by your doome To boast what I am were frinelous for that your fréends are alreadie priuie to my estate and to say how well I loue you were booteles for that women loue to trie ere they trust yet vnles I should say more then I haue saide I should séeme to say nothing though to say more then is spoken already were â—éerely foolish For thus stands the case I haue made choise of you for my second wife and haue already your fréends good will there restes therefore nothing but a confirmation of your duetie in agréeing to that they haue confirmed thus conuning to a full point he closed vp his period with a brace of smirking kisses which wrought with his Louer as a strong pyll dooth with a sore sicke patient namely they forced her to answere him thus threwdely The assurance of your good fortune Sir hath made you highly beholden to her deitie that dauncing in the morrice of good matches you should be led by her to so good hap but belike it was ouer good to continue long either her kindenes being ouermatched with your vnconstancie or your good happe ouer ruled by fortunes cruelty They euer change and lightly neuer but for the worse which the rather séemes so vnto me by the sure knowledge I haue of your second choice that is so far vnequall to your reported first match as I know your liking would