familiarity with a Gentleman with whom she never had any dishonest compliance to asswage her Husbands jealousie does thus admonish the Gentleman to refrain her house and society SIR IT is not with blushes but tears that I presume to write unto you for indeed it grieves me to publish my Husbands folly which by duty I am bound to conceal neither had I attempted it but that grief and necessity throws me on this exigent for so it is that my unspotted chastity is not capable to defend him from jealousie which makes me as much triumph in my own Loyalty as I grieve at his ingratitude and not content to wrong me his folly or rather his frenzy hath reflection on you whom he takes to be both the object and cause thereof but as your innocency can justly warrant and defend my honour and your honour my innocency from the least shadow of that Crime so that we may both indeavour rather to quench than inflame this irrigularity I most humbly beseech you to refrain our house and neither to visit me nor be familiar with him and so peradventure time may wear away from his thoughts that which at present truth and reason cannot your eloquent vertues and true Generosity assure me of this courtesie which I will repay with thanks and requite with prayers that your days may be as infinite as your perfections and your fame as glorious as your merits so prays Noble Sir The honourer of your Vertues and lover of your worth O. R. His Answer Noble and vertuous Lady Your Vertues and my Conscience make us as unworthy of your Husbands jealousie as he of so chaste a wife as your self and so true a friend as I am but as your affection to him hath still shined in your loyalty so it must now in your Patience since he in this base passion of his seeking his own shame will at last assuredly find out your glory Had his folly revealed me so much as your discreet Letter I would have exchanged my pen to a Sword and with the hazard of my life and loss of my dearest blood made known as well to him as to the whole World the truth both of your Chastity and Honour and of mine Honour and Innocency In the mean time I will both embrace and obey your request and will manage it with such observance to your Husband such respect to your Vertues and such regard to mine own Reputation as I hope he shall rest satisfied of your Chastity towards himself and of mine to you otherwise I Prize Ladies of your respection at so high a rate and set one of his humour and inclination at so low an esteem that I will know how to answer his choler with contempt and to requite your discretion both with Admiration and Praise Madam Your affectionate honourer in all noble Essays E. G. A merry but civil discourse betwixt Roger and Kate sitting up late together Roger. IT is time Kate that I should now discover my mind unto you we have long been Servants together and ever since my first coming I have born you good will which I would desire you to accept and grant me your love Kate. For that you must pardon me for I do not intend to marry and therefore let that serve for an excuse since I would be loth to discourage you and say I cannot love you Roger. I hope you will not for since I beheld you I have admired your perfections Kate. You know affection cannot be compell'd therefore I thank you for the good will which you have hitherto born but as for your love I cannot accept of it Roger. Then I perceive you love some other Kate. I desire you to excuse me I cannot frame my mind to fancy you though I know you deserve my betters but for me to settle affection where I cannot love would be an endless misery the Bryer and the Honey-suckle can't agree Roger. Then you compare me to a Bryer but I will with all humility put up your disdain hoping that the continuance of my love shall soften your mind to receive me into some degree of favour for I protest I love you intirely Kate. The utmost that I can do for you in requital of your love is to give you thanks and counsel to suppress your desire and not to proceed any further in this fuit which at last will become fruitless Roger. I shall be sorry then by this Kiss which I presume to take none hath power over me but your self I love you all over and if you would license my hand to stray about how happy shall I be Kate. Nay then I perceive your love is but rash and wanton desire neither can I stay with you any longer lest my absence out of my Mistrisses Chamber may breed some suspicion Roger. Nay I will hold you in the Prison of my Arms and if you will get your freedom you shall yield me some of your sweet kisses which are but shadows of that substantial happiness which you can afford me Kate. Nay pray be not so rude nor give me a cause to suspect that your love is dishonest I had formerly a better opinion of you but now I am jealous of your good intent Roger. Pardon me if Love hath made me to offend in some boysterous actions Kate. Come let me be gone I shall be angry if you hinder me Roger. Sweet Rogue I obey thy desire but let me prevail further with you at your next meeting On Love Love is a Game at Tables where the Dye Of Maids affection doth by fancy fly And if you take such pleasures in a blot 'T is ten to one if that you enter not But Gamester you may safely venture When that your point is opposite to th' centre And watch your play for now and then Do what you can they will be learning Men. A Whimsie to his Mistress Venus naked in her Chamber Wounds more deep than Mars in Armour Her Reply Which an Enemy you fear Book to it see you come not there A Description of true Love Two Hands two Feet two ears two eyes One Tongue one Heart where love ne're dyes A Lady to whom she affects SIR I Should have been happy if Heaven had given me merits to deserve your affections since I hold it no great difficulty to afford you mine but that we may discourse with a little freedom I will borrow so much time from my other affairs as to meet you only I shall give this caution that as I am a Virgin you will show your self so far a Gentleman as not to offer any thing that may savour of incivility pardon me that I lay such an injunction on you it is not that I question you are otherwise Noble but only what is commonly expected from a Maiden that hath respect to her own modesty and credit and may therefore very well become Sir Your Friend and Servant R. T. The Answer The Lover to his Amorous Lady Dear Madam I Do so
well understand my respect to you that Pardon my boldness if I say your care was somewhat needless Lady it is you that I adore and can you then imagine I would injure you you that I would gladly make mine own and be proud of such a Purchace Again my Birth is not so base as to tyrannize over Ladies especially you the best of Ladies When the Sky puts on her bespangled Garments the glittering Stars I will expect you with all the revereneâ— and submission due to your Noble merits from Divine Lady Yours if you think me worthy R. P. A SONG I am comfirmed a Woman can Love this or that or any Man To day her Love is melting hot To Morrow swears she knows not what Let her but a new object find And she is of another mind Then hang me Ladies at your door If e'er I dote upon you more And yet I love the fair own Why For nothing but to please my Eye For he that 's Musical long When I am sad to sing a Song And for that fair and smooth-skin'd Dame I flatter to appease my flame Then hang me Ladies at your Door If e'er I dote upon you more I give my fancy leave to range In every face to find a change The Black the Brown the Fair shall be But Objects of Variety I Court you all to serve my turn But with such flames as shall not burn Then hang me Ladies at your Door If e'er I dote upon you more A Letter of Love from John Downright to his Sweet-heart Sweet Susan YOu know I am no Miller and therefore will make no cogs with you nor no Gamester and therfore will not play a false Card with you but as true as I live I told you now that is the plain truth and therefore believe it for by my kerson Soul I do not hault with you for at the last turn when I last danced with you your hand gave such a quitch to me heart that it was ready to leap out of my mouth to deliver me mind to you therefore I have gotten the School-master of our Town to write this to you Now if you be as you are and I hope still to be as kind to mâ— as I shall be to you it shall not be long e'er it come to that up-shot that shall not in haste he put back again And therefore I pray you wear these Gloves that I send you they cost me two groats I would then were better for you So till I see you at the Wake the next Week where I hope a good bargain shall not be long a making when good ware shall be worth money and an honest Man will take pains for his living I rest Your own Sweet-heart J. D. Her Answer TRuly John I know not what to say to you but I would be loath that you should be so ill that I could not help you but had I known your mind when I was last with you I could with more content have written to you for I will tell you what after you were gone from me here came a youngster unto me that kept such 〈◊〉 stir with me that there was no ho but he would have me For by his troth he swore and â—ll the troths that he could swear by that for â—his whole year he hath had a months mind to â—e and do what I could I could not be rid of â—im before I did tell him that I could love him â—nd so indeed I could if I had known him for â—e was a handsome fellow but being a Stranger â—e should pardon me for the main chance Now therefore yet John all is whole and I am a true Maid and since an honest Batchelor is worthy of a good Wench without Cogs or Cards by my Holidum I swear there shall be no â—ove lost betwixt true hearts but I am my Faâ—hers jewel and you are your Mothers joy and therefore if they will think well of the matter I hope it shall be as it will be for your Gloves I thank you but why are you at such charges with me but 't is no matter there will be more gotten or lost by that time ere the bargain be made up at the wake I hope to meet you and therefore be not asleep when you should be there I will have a trick to get my Father thither and if you can bring your Mother I hope we shall make a merry day Farewel Thine own if good hap hit M.J. What Love is Love is a blinded God and angry Boy A slave to beauties will a witless toy A Ravening Bird a Tyrant most unjust A private Hell a very Sea of lust A Love Letter to a most worthy Gentlewoman FAir Creature to tell you I love you were 〈◊〉 phrase of too plain a fashion and yet when truth is indeed the best eloquence affection needs no invention to express the care of her contents which being in the Letters makes a word soon to be read which being Y O U nothing doubting your spelling I hope you will so kindly put together that a conjunction of Love shall have no separation during Life and thus beseeching you to learn this Lesson by heart without a cross iâ— conceit to hinder the course of Loves comfort tâ—â— I hear from you in that nature that may make me a happy Creature I rest Yours wholly and only if you will T. H. Her Answer KInd Sir to tell you I love you were to cross an Answer with a comfortable request yet when dissimulation is the worst fruits oâ— invention discretion may be pardoned in concealing of Love touching your Letters they are sooner read than understood while imaginative hopes may be deceived in their haphappiness and yet to avoid all touch of ingratitude in that nature of kindness that may give honour content as a simple Scholar in the art of Love loth to have that by heart that may trouble more than my head when separations of Conjunctions may endanger the Death of Comfort wishing nothing amiss to them that mean well I rest Yours as I may be mine own F. S. An Old Mans Letter to a Young Widow WIdow I have neither a smooth-Face nor a filed Longue to clear your Eyes nor abuse your Ears withal but a true heart and a constant mind that doth inwardly love you and will never deceive you fickle heads and unbridled wills know not where or how to bestow themselves when their Wits go a Wool-gathering among shrews that have had fleeces they may be kind but not constant and love loves no out-lookers but besides light heads have no stayed heels and a little wealth is soon spent Who knoweth the woe of want can tell you the difference between an Old Mans darling and a Young Mans Warling Why how can they love that scarce know how to like I know you have many Suitors of worth but none that I think more worthy than myself for none can love you so much nor esteem you so well for
I have known the World 〈◊〉 are not for it nor for any thing but you If therefore all I have may please you and myself to love and honour you make my comfort your contentment and I will seek no other Paradise in the World Thus hoping that reason in your favour will effect the hope of my affection leaving you to your self to be your self I rest Yours or not mine J. C. Her Answer SIR I Could never see you but in a Letter I should delight much in your presence but contraries are not correspondent A gray head and a green mind fit not your perswasions were forcible were not your self of too much weakness but though for your good Will I thank you yet for nothing will I be indebted to you no not for a World would I be troubled with you for as our years so I fear our fancie will be indifferent and the patience moving choler may breed anger when to be an Old mans Darling is a kind of a curse to nature You say well who can love that know not how to like when the senses are uncapable of their comfort what is imagination but a Dream A blind Man can judge no colour A Deaf Man hath not skill in Musick a Dum Man no Eloquence and an Old Man little feeling in loâ—es passion For my Suitors they suit my time and serve their own and for their worth I shall judge of the most worthy Now for their wits if they lose not their own fleeces let them gather wool where they can but for your love I will not venture on it lest being too old it be not sweet and for my young Suitors I hope I shall take heed of a shadowned sowerness As for fortune while vertue governs affection I will not fear my felicity So hoping your town reason will perswade you to have patience with your passion and leave me to my better comfort meaning to be as you wish me my self and no other I rest Not yours if my own P. M. On Maids Inconstancy SHall I weep or shall I sing I know not best which fits mourning â—f I weep I ease my brain â—f I sing I sweeten pain Weeping I 'll sing and singing weep To see how Maids no love can keep On Virginity Jewels being lost are found again This never this lost but once is lost for ever To his Mistress When first I saw thee thou didst sweetly play The gentle Thief and stole my heart away Render me mine again or leave thy own Two are too much for thee since I have none But if thou wilt not I will swear thou art A sweet-fac'd Creature with a double heart Posies for Rings and other pleasant things As I expect so let me find A faithful heart a constant mind God hath kept my heart for thee Grant that our love may faithful be God hath thee chosen a Mate for me I 'll honour him in loving thee Such liking in my choice I find That none but Death shall change my mind Innumerable are the Stars I see But in my heart no Star like thee Had I not spoke My heart had broke I fancy none But thee alone Heart and Hand At your Command Where Hearts agree No strife can be A SONG He that will court a wench that 's coy that 's proud that 's peevish and antick Let him be careless to sport and toy And as peevish as she is frantick Laugh at her and slight her Flatter her and spight her Rail and commend her again It is the way to woo her If that you mean to come close to her Such Girls will love such Men. He that will court a Wench that is mild That is so soft and kind of behaviour Let him kindly wooe her Not roughly come to her 'T is the way to win her favour Give her Kisses plenty She 'll take them were they twenty Stroak her and kiss her again It is the way to wooe her If that you mean to come close to her Such Girls do love such men He that will court a Wench that is mad That will squeak and cry out if you handle her Let him Kiss and fling Till he makes the house ring 'T is the only way to tame her Take her up and towse her Salute her and rouse her Then kiss her and please her again It is the only way to wooe her If that you mean to come close to her Mad Girls do love Mad Men. Another Song My Mistress loves no Woodcocks yet loves to pick the bones My Mistress loves some Jewels and other Precious Stones My Mistress loves no hunting yet loves to hear the Horn My Mistress loves not Irish yet loves to see men Born My Mistress loves no Wrestling yet loves to take a fall My Mistress loves not all things yet loves my Master withal On the Representing of a Nosegay of Roses with a Nettle in it Such is the Posie love composes A stinging Nettle mixt with Roses On the representing of Ring with a Picture and a Jewel on it Nature hath fram'd a Gem beyond compare The World 's the Ring but you the Jewel are On the Presenting of a pair of Gloves These will keep your hands from burning Whilst the Sun is swiftly turning But who can any veil devise To shield my heart from your fair eyes The Butler and the Chamber-Maid having passed the night merrily towards morning enter into a pleasant discourse ad follows Butler LOok by this light day the time has stoln from us strangely Chamber-Maid By this light sayest thou 't is day not by this by t'other 't is indeed Butler Thou art such another piece of temptation my Lord raves by this time for his cup of Purl Chamber-Maid Fye upon thee thou art as fearful as a young Colt boglest at every thing as if Lovers had considered hours I 'll peep in Butler I am as weary of this Wench as if I were married to her she hangs upon me like an Ape upon a Horse she is as common too as a Barbers-glass conceit too like Dye-dapper Chamber-Maid There 's no body within my Lady sleeps this hour longer at the least A Letter of discontent after the falling out of two Lovers Most discourteous and painted Friend IT 's the custom of Lovers after the breach of their League and amity to send back those Gratuires which formerly passed as Tokens of their natural affections You have taken up the fashion and believe me I abhor any longer to have nearness with one of your qualification who for meer trifles can dissolve the knot of Friendship and shake hands with familiarity For know hat your memory which was something dear in my thoughts is now abhorr'd seeing that the firmness and stability of affection you have so carelesly brought to annihilation I may paralâ—el my present condition to the state of the Sun when pitchy Clouds environing him round about seem to extinguish his splendor But time the perfecter of all Terrestial things may in due season impart a lustre correspondent to my hopes and suitable to my disposition till when I will scorn the blasts of adversity and all those who having little or no merit are endowed by the dispensation of the Owl-eyed Goddess Fortune with large possessions However if I can find no better to converse and spend my time with than your self I will turn Momus and for ever hate the society of Men but having a better Opinion of the generality I casheer you with this Ultimum Vale and rest A Stranger T. P. A Virgin to her Parents that would have her matched to one she cannot love Most dear Parents I Beseech you let the Rules of nature be so prevalent with you as not to marry me to the Man you design but if you do resolve that I shall marry let it be to one that I shall love or to my Grave be not over-ruled by the thought of Avarice lest you become inhumane to your own blood and make me Your sad sorrowful and afflicted Daughter L. C. FINIS
THE ACADEMY OF COMPLEMENTS Or A new way of Wooing Wherein is variety of Love-Letters very fit to be read of all Young Men and Maids that desire to learn the true way of Complements Love with his Golden Arrow wounds the heart To cure it learn this 〈◊〉 way of Lovers Art London Printed for Thomas Passinger at the Sign of the Three Bibles on London-Bridge 168◠The Academy of Complements OR A Neat way of Wooing A Letter of Complements to a fair young Gentlewoman Mistress FOr me to express over your beauty which hath been done by many would appear a rude boldness I will therefore acknowledge that my skill in blazing your precious perfections cannot come near your worth and that it is fitter for me to admire a far off your excellencies than to make my addresses too near since all that I can perform in the way of Writing is but a shadow a piece of that beauty which you glory in and which Venus beholding would blush even to paleness finding her self so far exceeded Your person is able to make the rugged brow of Winter smooth as the Spring while the drooping Flowers would lift up their withered heads and the deceived Birds thinking that Summer was come would sit and sing on the warm Boughs and all for joy of your approaching to them Thus nature doth rejoyce to behold you who are the joy of my heart Thus subscribed Yours not his own B. M. The Gentlewomans Answer SIR IF you did attribute these praises unto me out of Judgment it would appear a great weakness in you but I know that led on by a fancy you have thus Complemented your self into an error and think to make me believe more of my self than my modesty will permit Sir alass my eyes are full of my own wants and by your praises I find out my own perfections wanting that which you ascribe to me may I carry a fair mind in my breast and I care not for outward beauty some other might be taken with your praises which I imagine are the effects of passion not reason But I shall desire you to pardon me if I return you no thanks for your flattering Complements 't is best to write truth A natural kind of sweetness doth move best and in such honest addresses of Love I shall regard your affection Your humble friend J. M. A Lover to his Mistress Bright Lady I Am now in love with my own eyes and wit for were not the first exceeding good they could not endure the lustre of your beauty and I am apt to believe the latter may be sharp since it hath so exact a Character of your worth Be more just to your self and me then to think I flatter you look into your self and then you will wrong neither and when you find I have done you right call not my affection in question for making the discovery since it is my duty to serve you and truth in all things honourable but if in my commending my own services I am so presumptuous as to exceed your pleasure let your pity seal my pardon since my default was only the defect of love and I shall doubly be engaged to be Madam Yours now and ever R. P. The Answer A Lady to her Lover SIR YOU do well to love your own eyes and wit and I will own the first to be good and the latter sharp but if they both went together as you place them your brains might be on the outside of your head and then if you prove mistaken blame your self your eyes your wit and not me but that I may be just to you where there is no fault there is no need of pardon though the worth of ones affections oftentimes appear more in words than in reality however if you will take the liberty and trouble to commend me I must and will claim the privilege to subscribe my self Sir Your obliged servant S. D. A rich old Gentleman to a fair young virgin Young Lady LEt not my years be an obstacle to your love since I have those gifts of Fortune that will not only maintain our affections and keep the fire of love in a continual flame but will also afford you all those Ornaments which he hath designed for the adorning such tender and beautiful Birds of Nature Besides though I come not to you with a powdered Lock or in the Mode of a young Gallant yet know my Girl my zeal for you can be as hot and as sincere as the sprucest pretenders in the World and if age doth make me seem in your apprehension as a withering Tree yet I have Gold which will keep its colour and it is that which in this world is ones best friend pray have me in your thoughts and I shall watch for an opportune season wherein I may make my self farther known to be farirest Lady Your most affectionate Servant R. K. The Answer A beautiful young Virgin to a decrepid rich old Gentleman Grave Sir YOu are too far distant from me in years to be admitted into my affection since you are arrived to the pitch of dotage and I yet ignorant of what is love However I must do you so much justice as to commend your discretion for fishing with a Golden bait for believe me next to beauty I cannot imagine any thing to be more taking among Mortals than the glorious name of wealth I could be content to keep my Coaches my Pages my Lacqueys and Maids but I confess I could never endure the society of a bald pate How can you think Reverend Sir that I should love you when by the temptations which you offer you clearly manifest your Opinion that if I should marry it must be to your Gold rather than to you I confess a silver Mine is a pretty toy for a thing of my years to dote on but I have a Childlish humour peculiar to my self that is never to humble my affections so as that they suffer treasure as a load-stone to draw me to its beck 'T is true wealth will be welcome to me to maintain my train but the person of that more lovely Creature Man will be ever more welcome to a Maids imbraces Can you think me so weak as to exchange the flower of my youth for a bundle of Snow or rotten dirt No Sir Gold with a Man is good admirable good but it is a man that in the School of Love passes for the principal verb for my own part rather than joyn my self to a mear wedge of Gold I shall chose to accept of a bundle of rags so they have any affinity to a Man Old-men are Grey Old-men are grey I am a lusty bonny young Lass And I prethee Old-man away By this time good Old man you know my mind be wise and Wed your self to Heaven and I shall thank you if in your Death you remember to bequeath your Gold to Your young Adviser M. M. A Gentlewoman being unjustly charged by her Husband for having too much