The Apostles of Christ were marryed men as the Monuments of the auncient Writers testifie Saint Mathew Saint Marke and Saint Luke make mention of Peters wiues mother The Histories declare euidently that Saint Petronilla was Saint Peters Daughter And there are that write that Saint Marke the Euangelist was Saint Peters naturall Sonne Saint Paule in his first Epistle to the Corinth Chap. 9. testifieth that the Apostles of Christ led their wiues with them when they went about preaching the Word of God Saint Luke Acts 21. maketh mention of Phillip the Euangelist and his foure Daughters which were Virgins and did prophecye If wee search the Histories of auncient writers wee shall see that many reuerend Bishops and vertuous ministers were marryed in the primatiue Church many hundred yeares after Spiridion Bishop of Cyprus was married and had a Daughter called Irene Pelagius Bishop of Syracusa had both wife and children Gregorius Nazianzenus was a Bisshops sonne and succeded his Father in place and Office Policrates Bishop of Ephesus said Seuen of my Fore-fathers by order were Bisshops of this See and I am the eight Philogonius was a married Bishop as Chrisostome testifieth Cheremon a Bishop in Egypt of the Citie Nilopolis was married Philias also both Bishop and Martyr was marryed Adolphus Bishop of Colen had a VVife The Auncient Doctor Tertulian was mariyed Saint Hillary hauing wife and Children was made Bishop of Pictania Basilius Magnus was a marryed Bishops sonne and Epiphanius Archbishop of Constantinople was a marryed Priestes sonne The grauest and prudentest among the Heathen as the Romanes Grecians haue greatly reuerenced and honoured marriage The Romanes made a Law that such as liued amoÌ„g them vamaried till they were aged should pay certaine great summes of money for the defence and mainteinance of the common weale and that they should bee iudged and counted the enemies of the state The noble Lacedemonians made a Law that if any among them remayned vnmarryed til he was past 37. years of age he should by no meanes be suffered in Summer time to come vnto the playes Pastimes sports such other publike spectacles or fights as were vsed among them for their solace and delight The Grecian Ladies as Homer reporteth count their age from the time of their marriage not froÌ„ the day of their birth and if they be demaunded how olde they bee they beginne to recken from their marriage so answere accordinglie for then onelie say they wee beginne to liue And surely there is nothing in this world that makes a life more vitall and pleasant then this societie doth Without friendship and loue no Man can liue either in prosperitie or aduersitie It is friendship that maketh prosperitie more glorious and aduersitie more tollerable But in no kinde of society hath this friendship more gloriously appeared nor more constantly continued then betweene man and wife Which we shall presently yeelde vnto if wee goe no further then to the stories of the Heathen The friendship of Pilades and Orestes of Damon and Pythias of Achilles Patroclus so much admired and extolled of the Grecian Writers for continuance was neuer more stable for mutuall dutie and helpe more requisite or for tendernes of affection and sincerity of true and vnfayned loue and loyaltie more commendable then the loue of Alceste to her husband Admetus who vnderwent the weightie burthen of death for him Or of Tiberius Gracchus to his wife Cornelia who for her tasted of the same cup that Alceste did for her husband so that it is a matter vndecideable whether Alceste loued her husband or Gracchus his Wife better Damon and Pythias are much commended for beeing each others pledge in a capitall case and for the returne at the prefixed day But if you poyse with Damon and Pythias the loue of the Mynian wiues to their Husbands and the loue of the wife of Theopompus the Lacedemonian to him the VVomens scale will farre prooue the weyghtyer Achilles hearing tell of the death of his friend Patroclus so miserably lamented his losse that he could scarcely be restrained from laying violent handes vpon himselfe But Plancus the Romane for the death of his deare Orestilla could not be restrained Panthea killed her selfe vpon the carkasse of her slaine husband Portia the Daughter of Marcus Cato hearing of her Brutus death swallowed hote burning Coales to follow him For breuitie sake I referre the admirable loue of the Indian Wiues to their Husbandes to be read in the fift Booke of Tullyes Tusculan Exceeding admirable was the loue of Camma the Galathian to her Hushand Sinatus as appeareth by reuenging his death vpon the murtherer Sinorix with the losse of her owne life But that I may not bee too tedious in rehearcing examples which are almost innumerable I heare breake of and briefely conlude that there is no friendship more true nor amity more honourable nor any societiy more sacred or profitable then that which is coupled together by marriage bondes Therfore verie truely speaketh Propertiu Omnis amor magnus sed aperto conigue maior Great is all loue it maketh sweete mans life But greater is the loue between man wife And those most sweet plangors and lamentations euen hearkened too of infernall spirits if wee will heare the Poets of Thrâ—acian Orpheus for his dearest VVife Eurydice doe testifie this to be true But least this Epistle bee scoft at as Diâ—genes scoft at the Gates of the Cittie Myndus I referre your Worship to the present discourse which by proofe of sacred Scripture shall leade you to a due estimation of this honourable Ordinance and doe wholy dedicate and bequeath both the Censure of it and of my selfe to your Religious and vertuous Patronage hauing a longing desire to make knowne your VVorships curtesies extended to mee at your House at Auborne your forwardnes in preferring my successelesse suite to Maister Laurence Meres of Yorke sometimes of her Maiesties Counsell established for the North and your willingnes and readines for my longer abode and stay at Cambridge Thus in all humilitie and thankefulnes I beseech Iesus Christ the greate Shepheard of our soules to endue and blesse you with the Riche Giftes of his heauenly grace and with continuance of prosperous health both of soule and bodie to his honour and glorie your owne desire and comfort and to the profite of this your natiue Countrie From my Chamber in Saint Marie Buttolph-lane neere London-Stone this 10. of October 1597. Your Worships wholie to commaund Francis Meres Gods Arithmeticke Two are better then one Eccles. 4. 9. THat there is a good in humane society if men can hit vpon it Salomon in this place is plaine wheÌ„ he saith Two are better then one concerning which speach some offence at a blush may arise as if it did befit neither the grauitie of the Preacher nor the reuerence of the Scripture nor the Wisdome of Salomon For what shall we call it doth Salomon heere set out an Arithmomachia a combat of
he sayth It is honourable Heb. 13. To be good is the smallest commendation that can be giuen to any thing for God made nothing but was good and whatsoeuer is not good is of the Deuill But to be honourable is the excellencie and perfection of good and striues among other goods like the Sun among the starres which when it appeares they are not knowne to bee But what if S. Paule sayd the single life was good that prooues not that mariage is not good nay wherein is the single life so good but marriage is as good It is good for a Man not to touch a woman how meanes he that doth he meane it is good generally for mankinde No for Christ sayth all men cannot take that gift Math. 19. but it is good particularlye for this man or for that man for thee or for mee but marriage is good generallye for mankinde and who preferres not a common good before a priuate and the single life but a priuate good for when he sayth It is good for a man not to touch a Woman he meaneth it is good for that man that he can abstaine from marriage that is yet more plainely that it is good for him selfe because he feedes none but himselfe he clothes none but himselfe But heerein doth marriage excell because it doth good to other first to her whom hee takes into his protection which if all men should abhorte to doe then might women goe with Iephthes Daughter to bewaile the dayes of their Virginitie Secondly it doth good to the Church in begetting an holy seede to the kingdome of Christ. Thirdly it doth good to all the world in replenishing it with people and Lots Daughters chose rather to lie with their Father then to leaue the world vnpeopled therefore Two are better then one But wherein doth the single such good to himselfe yee will say in easing himeselfe of care because he hath none to labour for but himselfe but looke verse 8. and Salomon rekoneth that among the miseries of this life to see a man labouring and trauelling for the world and knowes not for whom and in deede it is an ease and comfort amidst our labours that when we are gone we haue to whome to leaue them which no man hath that is alone therefore two are better then one Or will yee say the single life is freer from temptation for that when the sword comes when affliction or when persecution comes thou haste none to withdraw thee from GOD thou haste no wife to tempt thee with teares thou haste no children to pearce thy soule with pitty thou haste no hinderance to holde thy heart in thrall I answere againe that as the temptation is lesse so the glorie shall bee lesse for he that forsooke more he loued more and what is more admirable in the Church of God then to see a man for Christes sake for religions sake forsake wife and children For there is nothing that calles so importunately vpon the heart of man as the cry of nature in the teares of wife and children and it is a thing at which the Barbarous Tyrantes are many times amazed to thinke what religion should be whē they see that for loue of it men forsake wife and children it makes them thinke that there is somewhat in the peace of GOD which passeth al vnderstanding Or which of yee all is there who if yee saw two Martyrs at a stake whereof the one was single the other had wife and children would not conceaue more reuerently of him that was maryed because he ouercame the greater temptatiō in leauing wife childrē which the single martyr could not because he had thē not to leaue therfore in him that is mathe patience is more admirable the victotie more honorable the reward more glorious the wages better therefore two are better then one for Salomon heere sayth thei shall haue better Wages for their labour Well yee will graunt all this that the victorie is more glorious in them that are maryed whē they doe ouercome these temptations but that they seldom ouercome thē because of the clogge Surely this were somewhat if it were true but amongst other slanders against this honourable ordinance of God I must needes avouch this to be one for let your single Saintes come in and spread foorth the Ensigne of their honour what euer was done by men not marryed but the matryed haue done as much as they yea I say as much as often as honourable If yee speake of patience whom haue yee to come into the ballance with Iob he maryed ifyee speake of obedience whom haue yee like Dauid a man after Gods owne heart and he maried if of Faith whom like Abraham if of Wisdom◠whom like Salomon if of courage whom like Sampson and all marryed and it is no small commendation of marryage to see all the patternes of perfection in men that were marryed If yee speake of perfit sortitude in contempt of the world marriage hath been no hinderance but the maried haue hazarded as much as any Wher euer saw yee such a sacrifice as that of Abraham who sacrificed his owne sonne for Gods sake or when euer heard yee such a worke as that of Iudah Beniamin who thrust away their owne wiues for Gods sake or who euer left more then Peter who left all he had for Christes sake and they all marryed The Prophet Ezechiell Cap. 14. rekoneth vp the three worthies of the world Noah Daniell Iob though these three men Daniel Noah Iob were among them yet should they saue but thēselues there were but three worthies in the world and two of them Noah and Iob were marryed and marryage had the odde one Nay what honourable thing atcheiued in Scripture but the marryed had a hand in it or what honour in Scripture ascribed to any but the marryed had a share in it The translation vp to heauen in Enoch who was maried the building of the Arke preseruing of the world in Noah and his three sonnes all maryed the building of the Temple in Salomon who was marryed If yee speake of vision and reuelation then against Daniell in the old Testament and Iohn in the new I oppose Iacob among the Patriatkes Samuel among the Iudges Ezechiel among the Prophetes and Peter among the Apostles who had as many reuelatiōs and saw as many visions as any Or if yee speake of Paule the Apostle of the Gentils of whom it is like he was not marryed against him I oppose Moses the leader of the Iewes who in deede was marryed what was there in the one which was not in the other Paule was a great Scholler a Pharisee brought vp atthe feete of Gamaliel Acts. 22. so was Moses a man well seene in all the learning of the Egyptians Act. 7. to shew that marryage is no enemye to learning Paule was a man feruent in prayer for by his very prayer he healed the sicke Acts. 28. so was Moses
must not be a sumptuous wife by excesse of diet or pompe in apparel to consume her husbaÌ„d SalomoÌ„ sayth of the good wife that she is profitable she spinneth woâ— with her handes laieth her hands to the and so doe our women now a daies to thâ— wheele for they make all run on wheeles they turne spinning into speÌ„ding looke how much one is worse or lesse then two so much they make a rich husbaÌ„d worse or lesse then one thei make him none for thei vndoe him It is true of the proude wife that SalomoÌ„ saith of the profitable though in an other sence that she is like a MerchaÌ„ts shippe for so is a proude woman vaine foolish fantastical carried with euerie winde euery faÌ„cie it must be hers eueri new sangle it must be hers if she haue it not theÌ„ is she like Rachel for her childreÌ„ giue it her or els she dies if she haue it she loaths it while she lookes vpoÌ„ it The Poets pretily scoft at the vanity of womeÌ„ in a fable of Mercury the Moone for wheÌ„ Mercury had takeÌ„ measure of the moone to make her a coat he could neuer make it fit but it was alwaies either too large or too scaÌ„t because she was alwaies either increasing or decresing so it is with you your faÌ„cie wil not holde while the coate is in fashioning and well yee may bee sayde to bee like a Merchants ship for before yee can be full fraught and furnisht yee must haue one thing from Egypt another thing from Spaine and another from Italie you must haue your bracelets froÌ„ one â—ountrie your girdle from another and your perfumes from another and all the world must bee trauelled too to rigge out one woman when she is once furnisht then she cuts her Ankor all a flaunt vnder sayle and abroad she goes like a Gyant to runne her race Of such an vnprofitable wife I must needs say one is better then two I know of all poyntes it pleaseth not to write against the pride of women and if I tempred my penne to please I would write none of this but I must needes write because I see that many who otherwise are good and vertuous are ouertaken heere Nay which of yee all is there if yee will shriue your selues who is not longer in tricking vp your selues then at your prayers and what a shame is that among Christian womeÌ„ Salomon was 20. yeares in building the Temple and his own house but hee was but 7. yeares in building the Temple and 13. about his owne house and what a foule oddes was that thirteene for him self but seueÌ„ for God but it is not so well with you for if you diâ—de the time of your attyring and your 〈◊〉 is into twentie partes I thinke your â—ing hath nineteen with such trimming 〈◊〉 setting and smoothing and correcting â—yee meant immediately to haue your pictures taken with such waiting attendance and solemnitie as if there were some solemne sacrifice to be performed â—yee doe for yee make Idoles of your selues and set vp your Image in a glasse Wel will ye haue a glasse to looke in then â—oke vpon Sarah Abigall and Rebecca â—n them yee shall see what is amisse in your â—elues for what should I write of many other women moe of Rachell of Leah of Ruth and Deborah of Annah and Penniâ—ah in them yee shall see how to behaue your selues toward God In Rebecca yee shal see how to behaue your selues toward your children in Sarah how toward your â—usbands if they be good in Abigall how 〈◊〉 they bee bad for loue wisdome and oâ—edience is the perfect beauty of a woman â—nd all other beautie is blackenes if ye be â—ot saife with in which if yee bee then shall the King haue pleasure in your beautie and it shall appeare that yee came out of Paradice and that yee be wiues of Gods making and as in this life yee were ioyned with an earthly companion so in the neâ— yee shall bee ioyned with Christ the Husband of the Church Therefore loue your husbandes heere and if they reward it not it shall bee rewarded in Heauen bee obedient to them heere and yee shall bee made equall with them in Heauen bee humble and lowly heere and yee shall bee exalted in Heauen be clothed with modesty here and yee shall bee clothed with honour in Heauen bee patient heere and yee shall be crowned with glorie in Heauen and as heere for your bettring you did tutne one into two so there for your further bettring you shall turne two into one and haue vnitie and societie with Christ for euer FINIS