wyse women to be neyghbours to fooles Great peryll it is to them that be shamefast to be with them that be shameles great peryl it is to them that be of a meke and styll maner to be with them that be bolde and rude great perylle it is for them that be chaste to be with them that lyue in auoutrie great peryll it is for the honourable to be with them that be disfamed For the women defamed thinke that all other be defamed and desyre that they shulde be defamed and procure to haue them defamed and say they be yll famed And to thentent to couer theyr owne infamy they infame all other that be good O you ladyes in amours it is longe syth ye knew me and I you and if ye speke I speke if ye knowe I knowe if ye be styll I am styll if ye speke openly I wyl not speke in secret Thou knowest wel Auilina that made the ieste how Eumedes solde calues deter in the boucherie than thou soldest the innocent vyrgins in thy house Thou knowest wel Turinga that one day thou recknedst all thy louers but thou coudest not recken them on thy fyngers but desyredst to haue a bushell full of peason And thou Lucia Fuluia knowest welle whan thou were thou wotest where with Breto and madest peace with thy husbande thou tokest hym a syde and saydeste but if thou myghtest lye out of thy house ones a weeke he shuld not lye in the house And thou Retoria knowest wel that in thy yonge dayes two yeres thou were appoynted on the see with a Pyrate so that he shulde take no moo to satisfie a. C. men of warre in the galey Thou Egna Corcia knowest well that whan the censure entred to take the he founde .v. mens gownes in which thou wentest euer by nyght thou haddest but one womans gowne that thou warest on by day Thou knowest well Pesylane Fabrice that Aluinus Metellus thou beinge maried before the Censure demaunded openly his part of that thou gatest in thy house with thy secrete louers And thou Camil knowest well not beinge content with thyn owne nation but by reason of the great hauntynge that thou haddest with straungers thou canst speake all maner of languages I wyl marke them that haue marked me hurte theym that haue hurte me persecute theym that haue persecuted me and infame them that haue infamed me All other my pen doth pardon bicause they haue perdoned me in their play And bycause my letter hath begonne in that ye haue done to my person therfore I wyl end it in that it feleth of your good names And thus I conclude that a man may scape free fro all domages with absteynynge fro them But fro women there is no way but to fle fro them Thus I ende and demaunde of the goddis that I may see of you as ye desyre to se of me And sythe ye be louers I counsell you as ye haue sent me your ieste for a mocke in lykewyse for a mocke to receyue the answere Marke Rodian to the amorous ladies of Rome ¶ A letter sent by Marc the emperour to Boemia a louer of his that wolde haue gone with him to the warres The .xv. letter MArc pretour Romayn sent to the warres of Dacy sēdeth salute to y e his louer Boemia which art in y e pleasures of Rome I being scaped fro the cruel battel haue red the few lines writen with thy hande haue harde of the a long informatiō I say to the thou haste put me in a more great abashement than the feare of myn enmies In takynge thy letter into my hande forthwith the herbe of malyce entred into my herte Whan I tempre my body with thy delytes I thinke my hart is fre fro the venym of thy amours I of my wyll and thou bicause thou canste do no more we haue giuen vs to be free of our pleasures I thinke as wel as to make a deuorse of our enmies But suche as ye be so ye do banyshementes of amours and treasures of passions The loue of you al ought to be digested with pylles but the passion of one of you wyll not be oppressed with al the Rubarbe in Alexandrie Ye shewe your selfe cruell to pardon an ennemy and euery day light to chaūge louers Curiously I haue kepte you al the whyle that delytes ouerpressed my youth yet I coude neuer se in any woman no certayntie nor reason in loue but hate at the last Thy present lightnes quarelleth with my youthe past and it is bycause thou seest not in me the auncient will towarde the nor the present seruice And certaynly herynge thyn accusation and not my iustification as iustly thou paiest me with deth as I paie the with forgetfulnes The whiche forgettynge is as straunge to be in him that serueth as vngentilnes in the ladye that is serued Thinkest thou that I haue forgotten the lawe of Venus where as it commandeth that the curious louers shuld exercise their strēgthes in armes and occupie theyr hartes in loue and also that their apparell be very clenely their fete well compassed their bodies stedfast and not waueryng their voyces lowe and softe and sadde in coūtenance their eies open gasynge at wyndowes and their hartes redy to fle in the aire Of trouth my loue Boemia he is but a grosse louer that holdethe his wylle in captyuitie and his vnderstandynge free The vnderstandynge oughte to be loste where as wyll is in prison I saye this to thentent that thoughe myne age haue lefte the exercyse yet my spirite hathe not forgotten the art Thou complaynest bicause I gyue my selfe to rest that I haue greatly forgotten the. I wyll not deny the trouthe the day of forgettynge maketh the muster of my thoughtes and reason whiche is prouisour declareth that it is not to my grauite to permyt that I shuld loue nor thy age to suffre to be beloued As nowe thou knowest that dyuers thynges that youthe dissimuleth in yonge persons in age meryteth greuous correction The dedes done in youthe procedethe of ignorance but the vilanies done in age procedeth of malyce Whan I kepte the Cautons I ietted in the stretes I sange balades I gased to the wyndowes I played on instrumentes I scaled the walles I wakened lyght persons thinkest thou that I wyst what I dyd in my youth and nowe that I se my selfe promoted fro these pleasures and decked with soo many whyte heares and apparayled with soo many dolours I thynke nowe I was not than or elles I dreame as nowe not knowynge the wayes that I haue gone not seinge the wayes full of stones I haue fallen ere I was ware I haue fallen in snares seking no guyde I was entred into the whirlepoole and by the grossenes of my boldnes I was lost and therfore I haue deserued pardon And nowe that I am out of the thornes and bushes thou woldest haue me farther in than euer I was And now that I can not take the purgations
passeth in my thoughte than the shorte clothe doothe in a false weuers handes Ye haue strayned it on the tentours and drawen it on the perche for to to lengthen the lyfe If ye were made faire and clere cordwainers waxe and swete of sauour that ye myghte be drawen out at lengthe hit were welle doone but ye are but as fruyte of almondes semynge drie without and worme eaten within For the loue that I haue to you and for neyghbourheed that ye haue had with me I desire styll frendshyppe of you that lyke as I knewe you yonge and very yonge so to knowe you olde and very olde I say not that ye surmoūt in age but your wytte fayleth you O Claudius and Claudine I wylle ye knowe that to susteyne youthe and to deface age to length the lyfe and driue awaye dethe it is not in mennes handes that desyre hit it is the goddis that doo gyue it whiche accordinge to iustyce and our couetyse giueth vs lyfe by weighte and deathe without measure Ye may know that our nature is corruption of our body and our bodye is putrifaction of our wytte and our wytte is guyde to our soule and our soule is mother of our desyres and our desires are sleers of our youthe our youth token of our age and our age spye of our dethe and dethe the house of our lyfe wherinto youthe gothe on fote and from age we canne not flee on hors backe I wolde wyte a thinge of you what fynde ye in this lyfe wherfore dothe lyfe content you after .lxxx. yeres of age eyther ye haue ben good or yl if ye haue bene good and vertuous ye shal not reioyce you with yll goddis if ye haue benne yll ▪ than as well desire dethe to thentente ye shulde be no more yll orels iustly ye might be slayn by iustice For he y t hath ben yll tyll .lx. yeres of age in him there is no hope of amendmente Whan the couragious great Pompeie and Caius Cesar were ennemies and beinge in cruell ciuil battailes Rome was infamed and them self lost The annales shew that suche as came in fauour of Iulius Cesar cam out of the west and the succours of Pompeie out of the easte among other there came certayne people out of Barbarie dwellyng amonge the mountayns Riffees toward Inde Their custome was whan they came to thage of .l. yeres to make great fyres and brenne them selfe quicke in sacrifyce to theyr goddis and the same daye the parentes and chyldren wolde make great feastes and eate of the flesshe halfe brente and drynke wyne with the ashes of the bones This was sene with the eies of Pompei bicause that som accomplyshed the yeres of fyftye in the campe O golden worlde wherin were suche men O happy people that in all the worldes to come hath left such a memorie of them They dispised the worlde and forgatte them selfe What strokes gaue they to fortune What delytes for the fleshe and howe lyttell sette they by theyr lyues and yet more to set so small store by deathe O what bridel was this for the vicious and what hope for the vertuous what confusion for them that loued this lyfe and what ensaumple not to feare dethe haue they left vs And sith they dispised their owne propre lyfe it is then to be thoughte that they dyed not to thentent to take other mens goodes to thynke that our lyfe neuer shall haue ende therfore our couetyse neuer hath ende O glorious people and .x. M. tymes blessed that lefte theyr sensualitie and vanquyshed theyr natural wyll beleue not that ye se but gyue faythe to that ye neuer sawe as they that se nothyng go agaynst the fatal destenies who goethe agaynste the waye of fortune gyue a wrynche to the lyfe robbe the body at the dethe wynne honour of the goddis not that they shulde length your lyfe but to take the reste of the lyfe Archagatus surgien and Anthonius the phisitien and Esculapius the father of medicines I thynke wanne but lyttell in that lande Who commaunded these Barbariens to take sirope in the mornyng and to take pylles at night and to refreshe them with mylke to take clere barly to annoynt theyr lyuers to daye to be lette blode and to morowe to take a purgation to eate one thing and to absteyn fro many thinges Than me thinke that they beynge of .l. yere of aege and you of lxxx at the leaste shulde be egall with them in wysedome And if ye wyll not take deth in good worth yet at the leest amende the yll lyfe I remembre well of a long tyme that Fabricius our neybour wylled vs to beware of a mockerie the whiche if it be not broken there shall folowe great dysshonour And sith he shewed me soo good a lesson I wyll paye you with the same money I wyll shewe it you if ye poore aged folkes doo not knowe it ye be suche that your eyes are bleared your noses droppynge your heares whyte your herynge dulle your tongue faulterynge your tethe waggynge your face wrincled your fete swollen your shuldres croked and your stomake distempered finally if the graues coude speake they myght ryghtfully calle for you to come and inhabite in them Of trouthe it is great compassion to beholde yonge ignoraunce that open theyr eies to knowe the infortunes of this lyfe whan it is tyme to close them and to entre into the graue And therof cometh that it is in vayne to giue counsaile to vain yong peple For youth is without experiēce of that it doth is suspect of that it hereth wyl not beleue that is said and disprayseth other mens coūsel is ryght pore of their owne And therfore I saye Claudius and Claudyne my frendes I fynde without comparison none so ylle an ignorance of goodnes that holdethe these yonge personnes as is the obstinacy of these aged personnes in yll The diffinition of yll is a manne not to knowe that he oughte to knowe yet it is wors to haue the knowlege of wysedome and to lyue lyke a brute beaste O ye olde goutye people ye forgette your selfe and renne in poste after the lyfe and ye neuer regarde whatte shall falle tyll ye be suche as ye wolde not and without power to retourne backe herof cometh that ye lacke of lyfe ye wyll supplye it with foly Than awake ye that be slombringe haue no force to slepe open your slepy eies and accustome you to do well Take that is nedeful for you and fynally appoynt you betimes with dethe or he make execution of your lyfe Lii yeres I haue knowen them of the worlde yet I could neuer know none so olde nor so putrifyed in their membres but that their hartes were hole to thynke vnhappynesse and their tongues hole to make lyes Take hede ye poore olde persons me thynke syth somer is paste ye haste forward with the tyme and if ye tary a small season yet ye make haaste to take lodgynge
of good inhabitauntes oughte to be praysed and not the great edifices Our predecessours haue triūphed on strangers as weake and feeble and nowe they may triumphe on vs also as menne that be more vanquysshed with vyces than any of the other By the myghtynes and prowesses of our predecessours we that be nowe are greattely honoured and exalted and by the smalle estimation of vs that be now they that come after vs shall be greatly ashamed Of a very trouthe it is a great shame to saye and no lesse infamy to doo that the goodnesse and trauayle of the auncientes shuld nowe be tourned and conuerted to folies and presumption My sonne loke wel on thy selfe that the reyne of thy youthe and lybertie of the empire cause the nor to commytte vyce He is not called onely free that is free borne but he that dieth within the same O how well are the sclaues borne that after their deth are free by their goodnes howe many haue died sclaues by their noughtynes that were borne free There is fredome where noblenes abydeth The prowes of thy persone shal gyue the more hardines and libertie than thauctoritie of thempire It is a generall rule that euery vertuous man of necessitie is to be holden hardye and euery vicious man of necessitie is to be reputed a cowarde Nowe boldely they be chastised that be noted with any vice and coldely they be chastised that deserue chastisement Let the prince be in a certayn that the loue of his people and the lybertie of his offyce hath not wherwith to vpholde hym in armes spred abrode on the erth without the dyuers vertues assembled in his person ¶ Certaynly Octauius Cesar subdewed mo nations by the renoume of his vertues than dydde Gaius his vncle with his army of many men All the worlde ioy of a vertuous prince and it semeth that al the world ryseth ageinst a vicious prince Vertue is a strong castell and can neuer be wonne it is a riuer where nedeth no rowing a see that moueth not a fire that quencheth not a treasure that neuer hath ende an army neuer ouercome a burden that neuer werieth a spie that euer retourneth a sygne that neuer deceyueth a playne waye that neuer fayleth a syrope that healeth forthwith and a renoume that neuer peryssheth O my sonne if thou knewest what thyng it is to be good and what a man thou shuldest be if thou were vertuous thou woldest doo seruyce to the goddes good renoume to thy selfe pleasure to thy frendes and engender loue of straungers and finally all the worlde shulde feare and loue the. I remembre that in the boke of yeres of the battayle of Tarentyne I founde that the renoumed Pyrrhus king of the Epyrothiens bare in a rynge grauen these wordes To a vertuous man is but a smalle rewarde to be lorde of all the erthe and it is but a small chastisement to take a vicious mans lyfe fro hym ¶ Truly it was a worthy sentence of such a prince What thinge is it be it neuer so difficile begonne by a vertuous man but there is hope to haue a good ende therof Sothly I haue sene in dyuers parties of myn empyre dyuers men very darke of good fame very lowe in goodes and vnknowen of their kynne and bloud vndertake so great thynges that to my semyng it was a feareful audacitie to begynne And yet by the wynges of vertue all onely they haue had good renoume at the last By the immortal goddis and as the god Iupiter bryng me in his mancion and stablyshe the in all that is myne There were ones a gardyner and a potter dwellynge in Rome whyche only by their vertues caused to put tenne vycious senatours out of the senate and the fyrste occasyon was for makynge a hedge of thorne and a potte for the workemanshyp and labour whereof the Senatours wolde not paye theym I tell it the my sonne bycause that vyce maketh a bolde personne thoughtefulle and vertue causeth hym that is in thought to take strengthe and boldenes I was wel ware of two thinges in my lyfe not to pleade agaynst the clerenes of iustyce nor to take part ageynst a vertuous person For with vertue god susteyneth vs and with Iustyce the people are well gouerned and ruled ¶ Of other more partycular counsaylles gyuen by the emperour to his sonne Cap. xlvi NOwe to come to thinges more particular Seinge sonne that thou arte yonge and that nature can not denye the And as in all dyfficile thinges ripe counselle is necessarie no lesse to comfort thestate of our lyuing we desire some recreations For thy youth I leue y e with gret lordis children with whom thou mayst passe the tyme And to teache the I leue olde Romains that haue nouryshed the serued me of whom thou shalt take counsell The inuention of interludes of theatres to fyshe in pōdes to hunt wilde beastes to course in the fieldes to hauke for byrdes and to exercise dedes of armes are the thynges that thy youthe desyreth And youth with youth ought to kepe companye in doinge the same But behold my son that in orderyng of armies to apply the warres to pursue vyctories to accepte truce to confyrme peace to reyse tributes to make lawes to promote some and dismisse other to chastyse the yll and recompence the good in all these thinges that be so chargeable they that be of clere mynde redy broken and trauayled of their bodies whyt heared ought to be takē to coūsel the. And sith thou art yōge lusty of body reioyce sport with them that be yong whan thou art emperor than touching thy secrete affaires take coūsel of them y t be old Beware my son of all extremities For as yll may the prince be vnder the colour of grauitie to be rulyd by the ancient persones as vnder the colour of pastyme to kepe cōpany with yonge folkes It is no generall rule that all yonge persons shall alwayes be yonge and lyght nor that all olde persons shulde be always wyse I am sure of one thynge that if the yonge man be borne with foly the olde man lyueth and dieth with couetyse Therfore my sonne beware be not extreme in extremities For the yonge people wyll corrupte the with their lyghtnes and olde folkes wil depriue thy mind with theyr couetousnes What thing can be more monstrous than a prince that commaundeth euery man to be commaunded of one Sothely the gouernyng of diuers can not be gouerned wel by the opinion of one alone Than the prince that gouernethe many oughte to haue the intention and opinion of dyuers ¶ In the annales of the Pompeyens I founde a lyttell boke of remembrance the which great Pompeie bare alway with hym wherin were dyuers good counselles and aduertisementes the which were gyuen in diuers parties of the worlde Amonge the whiche I founde these wordes He that gouerneth the common welthe and putteth the gouernance to them that are old sheweth hym selfe vnable and he
casteth down houses gret waters bereth away bridges frostes freseth the vines sodein thondring and tempestes breketh down toures scarsitie of water causeth derth corrupt aire maketh an ende of thē that be wise yet there is nothinge that can make an ende of these fooles All thinges at this day faileth at Rome excepte all only these ydel trewandes gestours tomblers players or dromslayes iuglers suche other of whom there is inowe to many O what a seruyce shuldest thou doo to the goddis what profyte to Rome that for thre barkes ful of foles to sende one lade with wyse men One thyng I wyl say that with the bones of the wyse men that yle is halowed that anciently were banysshed by the malyce and enuye of them of Rome if thy smellynge wyttes be not lost as Italy stynketh of them that be symple soo that yle smelleth swete of wyse men Whan I came fro the warres of the Parthes the .iiii. yere of myn empire I passed into that yle by dyuers sees to see the sepulchres of ancient wyse men and in the citie of Dorbite in the myddes therof lyeth Ouide that was banyshed by August and vnder the mountayne Arpines is the sepulchre of the renomed Armeno oratour banyshed by Sylla at the porte of Argonaut thou shalte fynde the bones of Colliodorus recapituler of the antyke lawes that was banysshed by Nero the cruell and in the felde of Elinos vnder a marble is the pouders of Sysifo Seteno that was so wel lerned in the .vii. artes liberal as though he had newe founde them he was banyshed by the Marians I say for trouthe thou shalte fynde it thus for with my knees I haue touched their sepulchres And all that season my tender eyes were as fulle of water as theyr bones were harde in the erthe These were not banyshed for no vylanies that they had done but it was the meryte of our forefathers that they wolde be priuated fro the company of so noble barons and we theyr chylderne fro the pouder of so renowmed sages I can not tell whiche is the greatter the fantasye that I haue to thyn yle or the compassion of myserable Rome I do pray the as my frende and commaunde the as my seruant to regarde the places that I haue shewed the. For it is a iuste thyng and most iuste that suche cities be priuileged by them that lyueth whan they are peopled with suche deade wyse men And more ouer Centurion knoweth by wordes the heuy case that these prisoners had with vs and we with them the day of the feaste of mother Berecyntia I saye I sawe not that day so moch crueltie in Rome as we caused infamye throughe all the empire Rome that neuer was ouercome by them that were valyant and vertuous that daye we sawe ouergone and troden vnder foote by those foles The walles of Rome that were neuer touched by the Poeniens had that day their lowpes ful of armed trewandes Rome that triumphed ouer al realmes was triumphed vpon that day with tomblers and iuglers I am so abashed in this case that I wot not what to say or to write Yet one thing cōforteth me that sith Rome the Romayns vniustly doo reioyce with these fooles she and the famous wyse men iustly shalbe chastised for these foles And in this the goddis shall not be displeased that sythe Rome laugheth at these trewandies and mockeries one day she shal wepe with these tomblers and iuglers I banysshe all these for euer fro Rome not for the bloudde that they haue shedde but for the hartes that they haue peruerted not for the occasion of any that be deed but bicause they were maisters of folies Without cōparison it is greatter offence to the goddis and more domage to the cōmon welthe these trewandes to take away the wyttes fro the wyse folkes than the murtherers to take away mens lyues If the greattest gyfte amonge all gyftes of fortune be to kepe a good wit let no manne presume to be of a restfull vnderstandynge that is an extreme frende to these trewandes Beleue me one thinge As one byrde loueth an other and one beste an other and one wyse man an other so one fooole loueth an other foole ¶ I remēbre on a day as I reuolued the regysters in the Capitoll I redde a ryght meruaylous thyng of Oruetus a famous oratour which is buryed in the yle of Helespōt on the moūt Adamantine Whan great Scipio came fro the warre of the Poeniens better accompanied with hunger storuen trewandes than with valyant capitaynes he sayde to hym Of trouthe it is great shame to the and a small honour to the senate that thou that haste ouercome the wyse Affres and beinge soo wyse thy selfe and of the blode of the wyse Romaynes wylte be accompanied with these trewandes and fooles In that vnhappy realme all the wise men coude not ouercome one that was thoughte so mighty amonge so many fooles I say to the that thy wyt is in more peryll here in Rome thā thy life in Affrike ¶ These were good wordes and not of no worldely malyce And within a shorte whyle after and by dyuers lyght persons and for a small occasion this poore olde oratour and ryche philosopher by the frendes of Scipio was banyshed Rome and sent into that yle ¶ Than behold Lambert let vs returne to these iuglers and trewandes Whan they ar landed in that yle let them go franke fre so that they vse not their accustomed toys Thou shalt constrayne them to labour and chastise them yf they be ydell For these myserable folke fleing from iust trauayle take on them vniust ydelnes conuert mo men with their trewandyse than if open scooles of vacaboundes were kepte There is nothing that our forfathers did that displeaseth me soo moche as the sufferaunce of these vnthrifty trewandes ¶ In the yere CCxxvi of the foundation of Rome in the tyme of an horrible pestilence in Italy to reioyce the people was first founde out the inuention of Theatres by the aduise of the trewandes It is a shameful thynge to here that the pestylence duryd but two yeres and the rage of these vnthriftes dureth .iiii. C. yeres ¶ Lamberte I beleue well that the complayntes that these prisoners haue begon here shall neuer haue an ende there Howe be it I care not for the grudge of them that be ylle iustifieth the iustice and sentence of theym that be good As the mayster of Nero sayde As moche as the shame of synne oughte to be fledde of them that be good so moche prayse is the infamye of the yll I shall telle the one thynge to the intent that the chastysement shulde not seme cruell to the. Seynge the emperours of Rome are ful of clemency to straungers it is no reason that they shulde be to sharpe to theyr owne Sythe fatall destenyes hath brought me into this worlde I haue sene nothynge more vnprofytable to the common welthe nor greatter folye in them
of bokes and to cowardes to babble of armes I say it bycause the answerynge to a letter was not of necessitie to reherse to a woman as I am whether it were before the battayle or after I know well thou art scaped fro it for thou were not the first that fought nor the laste that fled Whan thou were yonge I neuer sawe the go to the warre that euer I dredde or had suspecte of thy lyfe for knowyng thy cowardyse I neuer toke care for thyne absence for therin I was mooste sure of thy persone Than Marc tell me nowe what thou dost in thyn age I thinke thou bearest thy speare not for to iust in the warre but for to leane on whan the gowte greueth the. Thy helmette I deme thou bearest with the to drynke within tauernes and not to defende the fro the strokes of swerdes for I neuer sawe the stryke man with thy swerd but I haue knowen the slee a. M. women with thy tonge O malicious and vnhappy Marc if thou were as valyaunt as thou arte malycious thou shuldest be as greatly dredde of the barbarycke nations as thou arte hated as reasonne is of the matrones of Rome Tell me what thy lyste at the least thou canste not denye but as thou haste ben a weake and slacke louer soo thou arte nowe a weake and slacke cowarde knyght an vnknowen frende auaricious infamed malicious cruell ennemy to euery man and frend to no body And we that haue knowen the yōge stronge and lusty condempne the for an olde foole Thou sayest that takynge my letter into thy handes thy harte toke the poyson of malyce I beleue it wel without swearynge for any thyng beinge malicious forthwith fyndeth lodging in thy house Beastes that be corrupt lightly take the poyson that they that ben of good complexion caste away Of one thyng I am in certayn thou shalt not die of poyson For one venyme oftentymes dystroyeth an other venym O malycious Marc yf all they in Rome knewe the as well as sorowfull Boemya dooth they shuld soone se what difference were betwene the wordes that thou spekest and the intention of thy hart And if by the writinges that thou makest thou meritest to haue the name of a philosopher by the ylnes that thou doest inuente thou doste merite to haue the name of a tyraunt Thou sayest thou sawest neuer certitude in the loue of a woman nor ende of her hate I haue great glorie that other ladyes besyde me haue knowlege of thy small wysedome A se Marc I wyll not mocke the thou arte suche one as neuer deserued that one shoulde begynne to loue the nor leaue to hate the. Wylte thou haue certitude in loue and thou vnfaythfull of thy seruyce Wylt thou serue with mockeries and woldest be loued truely Wylte thou enioye the personne without spendynge of any of thy goodes Wylt thou haue no complayntes of the and thou not ceassynge thy malyces Thou sayest thou knowest the ylnes of women I wil thou know we be not so folyshe as thou thinkest nor thou so wyse as thou weneste to prayse thy selfe ▪ yet hytherto hath ben sene mo men to folowe the appetyte of women than there hath ben women folowynge the wylle of men 〈◊〉 none of bothe is great truste and yet we both practyse that one man hath his harte so myghty to be more wyser than thre wyse women and one woman thynketh her soo strong to put vnder her feete and ouercome .iii. C. suche as be lyght Thou sayest thou arte abashed of my lyghtnes to leaue Rome and come to the being in the warres Great is the loue of the countrey sith that many leaue dyuers welthes that they haue in straunge landes and lyue straitly for to lyue in their owne lande but greatter is my loue syth that I wolde leaue Rome with al the pleasures to go and serche for the in strange landes among the cruel battayles O malicious Marke O straunge louer yf I leaue Rome it were to go and seke my harte beynge in the battayles with the. And certaynly dyuers tymes whanne I doo thynke on thyne absence I swowne and sorowe as my hart were not with me and yet I fynde no perfyte remedy I thynke our loue is not lyke these beastes that ioy of their pleasures without to wyll and desyre theyr wylles I sweare to the by the goddesse Vesta and by the mother Berecinthia that thou owest me more for one day of loue that I haue had to the than for the seruyces that I haue done to the in .xxii. yeres Beholde vnhappy Marc howe moche in thy presence I haue always regarded the and in thyn absence I haue alwayes thoughte on the and slepynge I haue alwayes dreamed of the I haue wepte for thy trauayle and laughed at thy pleasure and finally all my welthe I haue wyshed the and al thyn ylles I haue wyshed me I ensure the one thynge that as nowe I fele not soo moche the persecution that thou doest to me as I do the mysknowlege that thou makest to me It is a great sorowe for an auaricious man to see his goodes loste but without comparyson it is farre greatter for the louer to se his loue yll bestowed It is a hurt that is alway soore a peyn alway peynful a sorow alway sorowful it is a deth that neuer endeth O ye men if ye knewe with what loue women loueth you in perfytenes whan they loue with what harte they hate whan they are set to hate I swere to you ye wold neuer cōpany with thē in loue or if ye do loue them ye wold neuer leue thē for feare of their hate there is neuer gret hate but where as moch loue was fyrst But thou shalt neuer be gretly hatid for thou were neuer truly loued of ladies The sorowfull Boemia hath loued y e .xxii. yere of her lyfe now she only hateth y e tyl after her deth Thou sayest I may be eaten for veriuyce and yet I wold be solde for wyne I knowe wel I haue erred as one that hath ben yonge and lyght and whan I perceyued that I had loste my way and that my mysaduenture can fynd no way nor remedy It is the greatest losse of al losses whan there is no remedy I haue erred lyke a feble and a weake woman but thou hast erred as a stronge man I haue erred by simple ignorance but thou haste erred of a prepensed and wilfull malice I haue erred not knowinge that I shulde haue erred but thou knewest what thou diddest I haue trusted to thy wordes as to a faythfull gentylle man and thou haste begyled me with a thousande lesynges as a lier Telle me diddest thou not seke occasion to comme into my mothers house Getulia to allure me her doughter Boemia to thy minde Dyddeste thou not promise my father to teache me to rede in one yere and thou taughtehe me to rede the boke of Duidius of the arte of loue Diddest thou not sweare
to be my husbaunde and than withdrewest thy hande as a false aduoultrer Doest thou not knowe that thou neuer foundest villanie in my personne nor I neuer founde trouthe in thy mouthe At least thou canst not denie but thou hast offended the goddis and arte infamed of men odious to the Romaynes sclaundred of good folkes and example to the yll folkes and fynally a traytour to my father and mother a breker of thy faythe and to me sorowefull Boemia an vnkynde louer O malycious Marc hast thou not cutte me in leaues offrynge to my father to kepe his vines surely Ill may the chekyn truste the kyte or the lambes the wolues worse the to bring vp the doughters of thē that be good O cursed Marke a domageable keper of vines hathe the matrones of Rome founde the in kepynge their doughters I swere that there was neyther grape nor cluster but it was eaten or cut by the. Thou dydst eate me beinge grene I promyse the it hathe sette thy tethe on an yl edge Thou sayeste I ryped by power of heate and strawe It displeaseth me not so moche that thou sayest as thou gyuest me occasion to say to the. Thy shame is so shamefull and thy malyce so vnshamefaste that I can not aunswere the to the pourpose withoute hurtynge or touchynge the quycke I wolde wytte of the whan thou maryedste Faustyn whether thou foundest her grene or rype Thou knowest well and lyke wyse so do I that other beside the gauged the vessel and thou drankest the lies other gathered the grapes and thou gleynedst the vine other dyd eate the grapes and thou haddest the huskes O wycked Marc beholde thyne euylles and howe the goddis haue gyuen the iuste chastysemēt that thou being yong meritedst not to be desyred of thy louers nor that thy wyues kepe feithe to the in thyne age For to be aduenged of thy personne I nede none other thinge but to se the maried to Faustyne By the mother Berecynthia I promyse the y t if thy small wysedome myght atteyne to knowe entierly what is said of her and the in Rome surely thou woldest wepe nyghte and day for the lyfe of Faustyn and not leue the thoughtfull Boemia O Marc lyttell thoughte is taken for the how fer is our vnderstādyng vncoupled fro thy thoughtes bycause that with thy great doctrine by day tyme thy house is made a schole of philosophers and the wantonnesse of thy wyfe Faustyne by nyghte maketh it a bordell of ruffiens It is a iuste iugement of the goddis that sith thyn onely malyce suffiseth to poyson many that be good that one alone may suffise to vnbend and lose thy renome One difference there is betwene the and me and thy wyfe Faustine for my dedes are but in suspecte and yours are openly knowen in dede myn are secrete and yours are euident I haue stōbled but ye haue fallen Of one thyng alone I haue merited to be chastised but ye haue deserued no forgyuenes My dishonour is deed with the faut and is buried with myn amendmēt but your infamie is borne with your desyres and is broughte vp with your wylles and lyueth styll with your werkes finally therfore youre infamie shall neuer dye for you lyued neuer well O malicious Marcus with all that thou knowest wotest thou not that forlosynge of a good name an yll fame is recouered and in the ende of a good lyfe begynnethe a good faame Thou ceassest not to saye ylle onely by suspicion the whiche thy false iugementes shewe the and yet thou woldest we shulde not speake that we se with our eies Of one thynge be thou sure that neyther of the nor of thy wyfe Faustyne there is no false wytnesse for the trouth is so euident that there nedeth not to inuent any lyes Thou saist that it is an olde quarel of amorous ladies of Rome that in takinge fro many we are the pooreste of all other bicause we faile in credence we are honoured for syluer It is of certayntie that we mystruste the hollie bicause of his prickes the acornes for his huskes the roses among nettyls and thy mouth for thy malyce I haue curiouslye taken hede that thou neuer saydest well by women nor I neuer coud fynde that any wolde the good What greatter correction shuld I haue of thy wickednes or more vengeance for myn iniuries but to be certayne that all the louynge ladies of Rome are sorye of thy lyfe and wolde be gladde of thy dethe The lyfe of that man is wycked that many bewayle and in whose dethe euery body reioyseth It is the propertie of poore vnkynde persons as thou art to forgette the great goodnesse done to them and to be sory for the lyttell that they gyue As moche as noble hartis glorifie them in gyuinge to other so moche are they ashamed to receyue seruices vnrewarded For in giuinge they make them selfe lordes and in receyuyng they are as sclaues I wolde wytte what thou haste gyuen me or what thou haste receyued of me I haue aduentured my good name and gyuen the possession of my personne I haue made the lorde and mayster of all my goodes I haue banyshed my selfe out of my countrey and putte my selfe in peryll only for thy sake and in recompence of al this thou reprochest me now of miserie Thou neuer gauest me any thing with thy good wyl nor I neuer receyued it willingly nor it dyd me neuer profyt Il thinges recouer a name not for the common warke that we see but for the secrete intention with the whiche we worke And thou vnhappy man desiredst me not to enioy my personne but rather to haue my money We ought not to cal the a clere louer but a thefe a wyly see rouer I had a litel ringe of the whiche I am determyned to caste into the ryuer and the clothynge that I had of the I haue brente in the fire And yf that my body were any thing amēded with the breade that I haue eaten of thyn I wolde cutte my fleshe and let out the blode without any feare O cursed Marke thy darke malyce wolde not suffre the clerely to vnderstande my letter for I entended not to aske moneye to releue my pouertie and solytarynesse but reknowlegynge and thynkynge to satisfie my wyllyng harte Suche vayne and couetous menne as thou arte thy selfe are pleased with gyftes but the hartis incarnate in loue are lyttell satisfyed with syluer For loue onely is payde with loue agayne The manne that loueth not as a manne of reasone but as a brute beaste and the woman that loueth not but for the interest of her person suche ought not to be trusted in theyr wordes nor their persones desyred For the loue of her endeth whan the goodes fayle and the loue of hym whan her beautie fayleth If thy loue proceded onelye of the beautie of my face and my loue only for the money of thy pours it were no ryghte that we were callyd wyse louers but