offer life to gain Some lazie lye and pampred are with ease And some industrious are the World to please Some are so quick their thoughts do move so fast They never stay to mold or to forecast Some take great pains to get and yet are poor And some will steal for to increase their store Some brains know not what Subjects for to chuse And with considering they their wit do lose Some only in designs do spend their time And some without designs do only rhime And some do take more pains a Plot to lay Than other some to plot and write a Play As for Ben Johnsons brain it was so strong He could conceive or judge what 's right what 's wrong His Language plain significant and free And in the English Tongue the Masterie Yet Gentle Shakespear had a fluent Wit Although less Learning yet full well he writ For all his Playes were writ by Natures light Which gives his Readers and Spectators sight But Noble Readers do not think my Playes Are such as have been writ in former daies As Johnson Shakespear Beamont Fletcher writ Mine want their Learning Reading Language Wit The Latin phrases I could never tell But Johnson could which made him write so well Greek Latin Poets I could never read Nor their Historians but our English Speed I could not steal their Wit nor Plots out take All my Playes Plots my own poor brain did make From Plutarchs story I ne'r took a Plot Nor from Romances nor from Don Quixot As others have for to assist their Wit But I upon my own foundation writ Like those that have a little patch of Land Even so much whereon a house may stand The Owner builds a house though of no shew A Cottage warm and clean though thatch'd and low Vitruvius Art and Skill he doth not take For to design and so his house to make Nor Carpenters nor Masons doth not hire But builds a house himself whole and intire Materials none from forein parts are brought Nor hath he Stone and Timber with art wrought But some sound Tree which on his ground did grow Which he cuts down with many a labouring blow And with his hatchet and his saw he cuts His Tree in many parts those parts he puts In several places beams posts planchers layes And thus a house with his own stock doth raise He steals nor borrows not of any Neighbour But lives contentedly of his own labour And by his labour he may thrive and live To be an old rich man and then may leave His Wealth to build a Monument of Fame Which may for ever keep alive his name Iust so I hope the works that I have writ Which are the buildings of my natural wit My own Inheritance as Natures child But the Worlds Vanities would me beguild But I have thriftly been houswiv'd my time And built both Cottages of Prose and Rhime All the materials in my head did grow All is my own and nothing do I owe But all that I desire when as I dye My memory in my own Works my lye And when as others build them Marble Tombs To inurn their dust and fretted vaulted Rooms I care not where my dust or bones remain So my Works live the labour of my brain I covet not ae stately cut carv'd Tomb But that my Works in Fames house may have room Thus I my poor built Cottage am content When that I dye may be my Monument AN INTRODUCTION Enter 3. Gentlemen 1. Gentleman Come Tom will you goe to a play 2. Gentleman No 1. Gentleman Why 2. Gentleman Because there is so many words and so little wit as the words tire me more than the wit delights me and most commonly there is but one good part or humour and all the rest are forced in for to enterline that part or humour Likewise not above one or two good Actors the rest are as ill Actors as the parts they Act besides their best and principle part or humour is so tedious that I hate at last what I liked at first for many times a part is very good to the third Act but continued to the fifth is stark naught 1. Gentleman The truth is that in some Playes the Poets runs so long in one humour as he runs himself out of breath 3. Gentleman Not only the Poet but the humour he writes of seems to be as broken-winded 1. Gentleman I have heard of a broken-winded Horse but never heard of a broken-winded Poet nor of a broken-winded Play before 3. Gentleman I wonder why Poets will bind themselves so as to make every humour they write or present to run quite through their Play 2. Gentleman Bind say you they rather give themselves line and liberty nay they are so far from binding as for the most part they stretch the Line of a humour into pieces 3. Gentleman Let me tell you that if any man should write a Play wherein he should present an humour in one Act and should not continue it to the end although it must be stretched as you say to make it hold out he would be condemned and not only accounted an ill Poet but no Poet for it would be accounted as ill as wanting a Rhime in a Copie of Verses or a word too short or too much in a number for which a Poet is condemned and for a word that is not spell'd right he is damned for ever 1. Gentleman Nay he is only damned if he doth not write strictly to the Orthographie 3. Gentleman Scholars only damne Writers and Poets for Orthographie but for the others they are damned by the generality that is not only all readers but all that are but hearers of the works 1. Gentleman The generality for the most part is not foolishly strict or rigid as particulars are 3. Gentleman Yes faith they are led by one Bell-weather like a company of silly Sheep 1. Gentleman Well if I were to write a Play I would write the length of a humour according to the strength of the humour and breadth of my wit Let them judge me and condemn as they would for though some of the past and present ages be erroniously or malitiously foolish in such cases yet the future Ages may be more wise and better natur'd as to applaud what the others have condemned But prithy Tom let us goe 2. Gentleman No I will not goe for the reasons before mentioned which is they tire me with their empty words dull speeches long parts tedious Acts ill Actors and the truth is there 's not enough variety in an old play to please me 1. Gentleman There is variety of that which is bad as you have divided it but it seemes you love youth and variety in playes as you doe in Mistresses 3. Gentleman Playes delights Amorous men as much as a Mistris doth 1. Gentleman Nay faith more for a man and his Mistris is soon out of breath in their discourse and then they know not what to say and when they are at
the Brides dance and the while the Bridal Torches are held in their hands Then a Poet speaks thus to them Speaker What Lines of Light doe from those Torches spin Which winds about those Ladies whiter skin But from their Eyes more Splend'rous Beams doe run As bright as those that issue from the Sun Wherein the lesser Lights wax dull and dim Or like as Minnes in an Ocean swim Enter Mall Mean-bred MAll Mean-bred By your good leave Gentlefolks The Lord Marquiss writ this Scene I am come here to complain of this Hog-grubber Sir Golden Riches who did tempt me with Gold till he had his desire you know all what it is and I like an honest woman as it were kept my word and performed truly as any woman could do Speak canst thou detect me either in word or deed and like a false and covetous wretch as thou art performed nothing with me as thou shouldst have done I am sure of that Is 't not a truth speak coverous wretch speak Sir Gold Rich. Why what did I promise you Mall Mean-bred Why thou didst promise me an hundred pounds in gold shew'd it me and then took it away again nay further thou saidst I should be a Lady and have a great parimanus Coach gilt with neighing Horses and a Coachman with a Postilion to ride afore Nay nay I remember well enough what you said you talkd of Gesemond Pomatum and Roman Gunpowder for my hair and fine gowns and stockings and fine lac'd silk garters and roses shining like Stars God bless us Sir Gold Rich. Did I did I Mall Mean-bred Yes that you did you know what you did and how you did and so do I and Gentlefolks as I am a true woman which he knows I am I never had more than this white fustion wastecoat and three pence to buy me three penyworth of pins for he would allow me no incle to tie it withall and this old flannel peticoat that was his great Grandmothers in Eighty eight I am no two-legg'd creature else Sir Gold Rich. But I bought you velvet to gard it withall Mall Mean-bred Yes that 's true an old black velvet Jerkin without sleeves that had belonged to one of Queen Elizabeth her learned Counsel in the Law of blessed Memory primo of Her Reign and you bought it of an old Broker at Nottingham and as I am a true Christian woman if our Neighbour Botcher could almost few it on it was so mortified Sir Gold Rich. I bought you shooes and ribbons to tie them withall She shewes her shooes Mall Mean-bred Look Gentlefolks a pair of wet-leather shooes that have given me a Cold and two leather points that he calls ribbons like a lying false man Sir Gold Rich. I am sure I bought you stockins and garters Mall Mean-bred Old Doncaster-stockins that I was fain to wash my self with a little borrow'd sope and they were footed with yellow fustion too and the garters he talks of were lists of cloth which a Taylor gave me for my New-years-gift and I cannot chuse but grieve to see his unkindnesse I gave you satisfaction often but you never satisfied me I will take it upon my death Sir Gold Rich. Go Gill Flirt pack away hence Mall Mean-bred Nay that puts me in mind of the Pedlars pack you promis'd me and I never had so much bought as that I might whissle for them but I will follow thee to Hell but I will have something more out of thee than I have had or else I will make all the Town ring of me Enter two Beadles Sir Gold Rich. Here Beadles take her to the Correction-house Bridewell and let her be punished Mall Mean-bred Is it so thou miscreant well I thought to be thy Bride and not Bridewel I never thought it in my conscience Here ends my Lords writing Lord Title Pray stay Enter Thom. Purveyor The Lord Title whispers to Thom. Purveyor then turns to Mall Mean-bred Lord Title Mall although you deceived me and broke your promise you I will not only save you from the punishment you were to suffer at the Correction-house but I will give thee a Husband here lusty Thom. Purveyor to whom for taking thee to Wife I will give him a lease of fifty pounds a year Here Tom take her and go marry her Mall Mean-bred Heaven bless your Honour Tom. Come Mall let us go Wed for fifty pounds a year is better than thy Maiden-head Exeunt FINIS This Scene was written by the Lord Marquiss of Newcastle The First Part of the Play called WITS CABAL The Actors Names Monsieur Heroick Monsieur Tranquillities Peace Monsieur Vain-glorious Monsieur Satyrical Monsieur Censure Monsieur Sensuality Monsieur Inquisitive Monsieur Busie Monsieur Frisk Liberty the Lady Pleasure's Gentleman-Usher Madamoiselle Ambition Madamoiselle Superbe Madamoiselle Pleasure Madamoiselle Bon' Esprit Madamoiselle Faction Grave Temperance Governess to Madamoiselle Pleasure Madamoiselle Portrait Mother Matron Wanton Excess Ease Idle Surfet Waiting-maids to Madamoiselle Pleasure Flattery Madamoiselle Superbe's waiting-maid Servants and others The First Part of the Play called WITS CABAL ACT I. Scene I. Enter Madam Ambition alone Ambition I would my Parents had kept me up as birds in darkness when they are taught to sing Artificial Tunes that my ears only might have been imploy'd and as those Teachers whistle to birds several times so would I have had Tutors to have read to me several Authors as the best Poets the best Historians the best Philosophers Moral and Natural the best Grammarians Arithmeticians Mathematicians Logicians and the like Thus perchance I might have spoke as eloquently upon every subject as Birds sing sweetly several tunes but since my Education hath been so negligent I wish I might do some noble Action such as might raise a monumental Fame on the dead Ashes of my Fore-fathers that my Name might live everlastingly Exit Scene 2. Enter Madamoiselle Superbe and Flattery her Woman Madam Superbe I hate to be compared to an inferiour or to have an inferiour compared to me wherefore if I were Iove I would damn that creature that should compare me to any thing lesse than my self Flattery Your Ladyship is like a Goddess above all comparison wherefore I think there is none worthy to match in Mariage with you unless there were some Masculine Divine Creature on Earth to equal you as surely there is none Superbe I shall not willingly marry unless it were to have a command over my Husband Flattery But Husbands Madam command Wives Superbe Not those that are Divine Creatures Flattery Husbands Madam are Reprobates and regard not Divinity nor worship Earthly Deities Superbe Whilst they are Suters they worship and women command their wooing servants Flattery The truth is all Suters do worship with an Idolatrous zeal but their zeals tire at length as most zeals do and men are content to be commanded whilest they are Courting servants and do obey with an industrious care and with an humble and respectful Demeanor a submissive and awful Countenance
again All speak at one time who is kill'd who is kill'd Sir Humphry Bold presses towards Sir Serious Dumb. Lady Bashfull Good Ladies hold Sir Humphry Bold and I will try to perswade Sir Serious Dumb They hold Sir Humphry Bold Lady Wagtail What you shall not stir I am sure you will not oppose us women Lady Bashfull Noble Sir to give me an assurance you will not fight give me your sword Sir Serious Dumb kisses the hilt of his sword then gives it her Sir Humphry Bold gets lose from the Ladies and goeth to assault Sir Serious Dumb He being an armed the Lady Bashfull seeing him steps betwixt them and with Sir Serious Dumb's sword strikes at Sir Humphry Bold and strikes his sword out of his hand Lady Bashfull What are you not ashamed to assault an unarmed man Sir Humphry Bold runs to take up his sword she also runs and sets her foot upon it Lady Bashfull Let the sword alone for it is my prize and by Heaven if you touch it I will run you thorough with this sword in my hand Sir Humphry Bold runs and catcheth Sir Timothy Compliments sword and offers to make a thrust at Sir Serious Dumb who puts the sword by and beats it down with one hand and with the other strikes it aside then closes with him and being skillfull at Wrestling trips up his heels then gets upon him and having both his hands at liberty wrings out Sir Humphry Bold's sword out of his hand then ariseth and gives the sword to the right owner who all the time trembled for fear and never durst strive to part them Sir Humphry Bold Hell take me but I will be revenged Lady I hope you will give me my sword again Lady Bashfull Never to fight against a woman but my victorious spoils I will deliver to this gallant Gentleman who delivered up his life and honour into my hand when he gave me his sword and I indangered the loss of both by taking it for which my gratitude hath nothing to return him but my self and fortunes if he please to accept of that and me Sir Serious Dumb bows with a respect and kisses her hand Lady Bashfull Sir I wish my person were more beautifull than it is for your sake and my fortune greater with more certainty of continuance as neither being subject to time or accident but this certainly I will promise you which is my chaste and honest life Now Sir pray take these two swords this was yours fear gave me confidence this I won love gave me courage Sir Serious Dumb leads out his Mistriss Exit Sir Humphry Bold I will be revenged Omnes Exeunt ACT II. Scene 9. Enter the Lord General and Affectionata LOrd Singul. Affectionata I hear thou hast bought Arms I am sure thou canst not fight Affectionata I am sure I will do my indeavour my Lord Lord Singularity Why the very weight of thy Arms will sink thee down Affectionata O no my Lord my desire shall beat them up Lord Singul. Alas thou hast no strength to fight Affectionata What strength my active body wants my vigorous spirits shall make good Lord Singul. Prethee my boy do not adventure thy self but stay in my Tent Affectionata That would be a shame for me and a dishonour to you since you have adopted me your son wherefore the World shall never say you have bestowed your favour and your love upon a coward Lord Singularity I well perceive I have adopted a very willfull boy Affectionata Indeed my Lord I have no will but what doth follow you The General strokes Affectionata on the cheek Exeunt Scene 10. Enter Sir Serious Dumb and his Mistriss the Lady Bashfull SIr Serious Dumb. The time I vowed to silence is expir'd and though my thoughts not gloriously attired with Eloquence for Rhetorick I have none yet civil words sit for to wait upon a modest Lady and to entertain an honest mind with words of truth though plain For 't is not Rhetorick makes a happy life but sweet society that 's void of strife Lady Bashfull Sir Rhetorick is rather for sound than sense for words than reason Sir Serious Dumb. Yet my sweet Mistriss I wish my voice were tuned to your eare and every word set as a pleasing note to make such musick as might delight your mind Lady Bashfull Your words slow thorough my ears as smooth clear pure water from the spring of Hellicon which doth not only refresh but inrich my dull insipid brain Scene 11. Enter a Captain and his Corporal COrporal The Turks never received such a blow as they have this time Captain A pox of them they have made us sweat Corporal Why Captain sweating will cure the Pox and though you curse the Turks yet it is we that live in Italy that is diseased with them Captain The truth is we lost more health in the Venetian service than we gain wealth Corporal Nay faith Captain we do not only lose our health but wast our wealth for what booties we get from the Turks the Courtezans gets from us Captain For that cause now I have gotten a good bootie I will return into mine own Country and buy a Corporal A what Captain Captain An Office in civil Government Corporal But you will never be civil in your Office Captain That needs not to be for though all Magisterial Offices bears a civil Authority yet the Officers and Magistrates therein are more cruel and ravenons than common souldiers Corporal Verily Captain I think common Souldiers are more mercifull and just than they Captain Verely Corporal I think you will become a Puritan Preacher Corporal Why should you think so Captain Captain First because you have got the Pox and that will make you Preach in their tone which is to speak thorough the nose the next is you have left the ranting Oaths that Souldier's use to swear and use their phrases as verily my beloved brethren which brethrens souls they care not for nor thinks thereof for though they speak to the brethren they Preach to the sisters which edifies wonderfully by their Doctrine and they gain and receive as wonderfull from their female Hocks for those Puritan Preachers have more Tithes out of the Marriage-bed than from the Parish-stock Corporal If it be so beneficial Captain I had rather be a Puritan Preacher than an Atheistical States-man Captain Faith Corporal I think there is not much Religion in either but if there be it lies in the States-man for he keeps Peace the other makes War Corporal If they make wars they are our friends for we live by the spoils of our enemies Captain 'T is true when as we get a victory or else our enemies lives on the spoil of us for though we have no goods to lose yet we venture our lives neither do we live on the spoil of our enemies but only in forreign wars for in civil wars we live by the spoil of our Friends and the ruining of our Country Corporal Then
World for knowledge yet so as it looks as out of a window on a prospect it uses the World out of necessity but not serves the World out of slavery it is industrious for its own tranquility fame and everlasting life for which it leaves nothing unsought or undone is a wise soul Monsieur Profession Madam my soul is tyed to your soul with such an undissoulable knot of affection that nothing no not death can lose it nor break it asunder wherefore wheresoever your soul doth go thine will follow it and bear it company Madam Solid Then your soul vvill be incognita for my soul vvill not know whether your soul will be with it or not Ex. Monsieur Comorade Faith Thom. it s happy for thy soul to be drawn by her magnetick soul for that may draw lead or direct thy soul to Heaven otherwise thy soul will fall into Hell with the pressure of they sins for thy soul is as heavy as crime can make it Mons. Prof. Why then the divel would have found my soul an honest soul in being full weight his true coyn the right stamp of his Picture or Figure for vvhich he vvould have used my soul vvell and if Heaven gives me not this Lady Hell take me Monsieur Comorade Certainly you may be the Divels guest but whether you will be the Ladys Husband it is to be doubted Mons. Profession Well I will do my endeavour to get her and more a man cannot do Ex. Enter Madamosel Caprisia and Monsieur Importunate MOnsieur Importunate You are the rarest beauty and greatest wit in the World Mad. Capris. Wit is like beauty and beauty is oftener created in the fancie than the face so wit oftener by opinion than in the brain not but surely there may be a real beauty and so a real wit yet that real wit is no wit to the ignorant no more than beauty to the blind for the wit is lost to the understanding as beauty is lost to the eyes and it is not in nature to give what is not in nature to receive nor in nature to shew what is not in nature to be seen so there must be eyes to see beauty and eares to hear wit and understanding to judge of both and you have neither judgments eyes nor understandings ears nor rational sense Monsieur Importunate VVhy then you have neither beauty nor wit Mad. Capris. I have both but your commendations are from report for fools speaks by rote as Parrots do Ex. Monsieur Importunate solus Monsieur Importunate She is like a Bee loaded with sweet honey but her tongue is the sting that blisters all it strikes on Ex. Scene 8. Enter Madamosel Volante and Monsieur Bon Compaignon Bon Compaignon Lady why are you so silent Madam Volante VVhy soul I speak to those that understands me not Bon Compaignon VVhy are you so difficult to be understood Mad. Volante No but understanding is so difficult to find Bon Compaignon So and since there is such a total decay of understanding in every brain as there is none to be found but in your own you will make a new Common-wealth in yours where your thoughts as wife Magistrates and good Citizens shall govern and traffick therein and your words shall be as Letters of Mart and your senses shall be as legate Embassadors that lives in other Kingdoms which takes instructions and give intelligence or rather your thoughts are destinies and fates and your words their several decrees Mad. Volante Do you think my thoughts can warrant Laws or can my words decree them Bon Compaignon I believe your thoughts are so wise and just that whatsoever they allow of must be best and your words are so witty rational positive and powerfull as none can contradict them Mad. Volante Good Sir contradict your self or Truth will contradict you Bon Compaignon Nay faith I will never take the pains to contradict my self let Truth do what she will Ex. ACT II. Scene 9. Enter Madam la Mere and her daughter Madamosel Caprisia Madam Mere Daughter did you entertain the Lady Visit civilly Mad. Capris. Yes Mother extraordinary civilly for I gave her leave to entertain herself with her own discourse Mad. Mere That was rudely Mad. Capris. O no for certainly it is the height of courtship to our sex to let them talk all the talk themselves for all women takes more delight to discourse themselves than to hear another and they are extreamly pleased if any listens or at lest seems to listen to them For the truth is that talking is one of the most luxurious appetites women have wherefore I could not be more civiller than to bar and restrain the effeminate nature in my self to give her tongue liberty Madam Mere But you should have spoken a word now and then as giving her civilly some breathing rest for her discourse to lean upon Mad. Capris. Her speech was so strong and long-winded as it run with a full speed without stop or stay it neither need spurre nor whip the truth is it had been well if it had been held in with the bridle of moderation for it ran quite beyond the bounds of discretion although sometimes it ran upon the uneven wayes of slander other times upon the stony ground of censure and sometimes in the soul wayes of immodesty and often upon the furrows of non-sense besides it did usually skip over the hedges of Truth and certainly if the necessities of nature and the separations of Neigh-bourhood and the changes and inter-course of and in the affairs of the VVorld and men did not forcibly stop sometimes a womans tongue it would run as far as the confines of death Mad. Mere But let me tell you Daughter your tongue is as sharp as a Serpents sting and will wound as cruelly and deadly where it bites Capris. It proves my tongue a womans tongue Mad. Mere VVhy should a womans tongue have the effects of a Serpents sting Capris. The reason is evident for the great Serpent that tempted and so perverted our Grandmother Eve in Paradise had a monstrous sting and our Grandmother whetted her tongue with his sting and ever since all her effeminate rase hath tongues that stings Ex. Scene 10. Enter Madamosel Doltche and Monsieur Bon Compaignon BOn Compaignon Lady Monsieur Nobilissimo is so in love with you as he cannot be happy untill you be his wife Doltche I wonder he should be in love with me since I have neither beauty to allure him nor so much riches as to intice him nor wit to perswade him to marry me Bon Compaignon But Lady you have vertue good nature sweet disposition gracefull behaviour which are sufficient Subjects for love to settle on did you want what you mentioned out you have all not only what any man can with or desire with a wife but you have as much as you can wish and desire to have your self Doltche I will rather be so vain as to strive to believe you than
unchaste lives would be as marks of disgrace and spots of infamie upon the Tombs of those dead Ancestors and their ashes would be full'd with their stains whereas a chast woman and a gallant man obliges both the living and the dead for they give honour to their dead Ancestors in their Graves and to those friends that are living in the World and to those that shall succeed them Besides their examples of their vertues for all Ages to take out patterns from Comorade Madam you have answered so well for your self and Sex as I can say no more in the behalf of my friend Ex. Scene 20. Enter Madam la Mere and Madamosel Caprisia her daughter MEre Daughter your tongue is so sharp as it is not only poynted but edged on both sides Capris. Use Mother will blunt the poynt and flat the edges Mere No Daughter the more 't is used the sharper it will be for words and passions are the whetstones to that Razor Capris. As long as that Razor shaves no reputation let it raze or shave what it will Ex. Scene 21. Enter Madamosel Solid Madamosel Doltche Madamosel Volante and a Grave Matron MAtron Madamosel Solid what say you to Monsieur Ralleries wit Solid I say of him as I would of a wild or skittish jade who hath only strength to kick and fling but not to travel or to bear any weight so Rallerie is antick postures and laughing reproaches not solid and judicious discourses or continued speeches the truth is a ralleying wit is like obstructed or corrupted lungs which causes difficult and short breathing So that wit is short and puffing spurting out words questions and replyes 't is squib wit or boys sport Matron Madamosel Doltche what say you of Monsieur Satericals wit Doltche As I would of frosty weather his wit is sharp but wholesome and though he hath a frowning brow yet he hath a clear soul Matron Madamosel Volante What say you of Monsieur Pedants wit Volante As I would of Leeches for as Leeches sucks bloud from the back parts of men and spues it forth when rubb'd with salt so Monsieur Pedant sucks wit from other mens pens and mouths and then spues it forth again being rubb'd with the itch of prayse But all the learned knows the wit was no more his own than the bloud that was suck'd was the Leeches Matron What say you of Monsieur Lyricks wit Volante As I would of a Bird that chirps more than sings Matron Madamosel Doltche What say you of Monsieur Tragedians wit Doltche As I would of Winter wherein is more rain than Sun-shines more storms than calms more night than day so his wit hath more melancholly than mirth causing or producing tears sighs and sadnesse the truth is his wit dwels in the shades of death Matron Madamosel Solid what say you to Monsieur Comicals wit Solid As I would of the Spring which revives and refreshes the life of every thing it is lightsom and gay So Monsieur Comicals wit is chearfull pleasant lively natural and profitable as being edifying Ex. Scene 22. Enter Madam la Mere and Madamosel Caprisia her Daughter MERE Daughter let me tell you you have brought your Hogs to a fair Market Capris. That is better than to keep them in a foul stye Mother Mere You cannot speak without crossing Capris. Nor readily crosse without speaking Mere I am sure your bitter discourses and crosse answers hath caused the Lady namely the Lady Hercules to send a rayling message by a Messenger to declare her anger for your abusive discourses against her Capris. I never mentioned her in my discourse in my life Mere But you speak against big and tall women Capris. I gave but my opinion of the size and Sex not of any particular and I may speak freely my opinion of the generalities Mere You may chance by your opinion of the generalities to be generally talk'd of Capris. VVhy then I shall live in discourse although discourse were dead in me and who had not rather live although an ill life than dye Mere But you might live so as to gain every bodyes good opinion if you would palliate your humour and sweeten your discourse and endeavour to please in conversation Capris. Which do you mean Mother either to please my self or the company Mere Why the company Capris. That is impossible for in all company there is diversities and contrarieties of humours passions appetites delights pleasures opinions judgements wits understandings and the like and for talking speaking and discoursing they are inter-changing inter-mixing reasoning arguing disputing which causes contradictions wherefore to agree in and to every humour passion opinion and discourse is impossible indeed one may seemly or truly agree and approve of any one opinion or discourse but not a diversity of discourses opinions also one may flatteringly applaud or sooth any particular persons humour but not diverse persons diverse humours but to flatter is base as to approve in their words and disapprove in their thoughts as to commend or applaud that or those that is not praise-worthy But howsoever for the soothing of any bodies humour I will never take the pains for why should I make my self a slave to the several humours of mankind who is never in one humour two minutes and why may not I think or desire to be flattered and humoured as well as others and when I am not flattered and humoured to be as much displeased at others as others at me VVherefore good Mother be not you displeased that I chose rather to displease my self than any body else besides your self Mere You will follow your own wayes Daughter Capris. I cannot walk safer than in my own ground Mother Ex. Scene 23. Enter Monsieur Perfection and Madamosel Solid SOlid Dear Mistress I fear my absence hath made you forget me Solid No certainly I cannot forget you by reason my brain is hung about with the memory of your worthy nature and meritorious actions which my love doth admire and takes delight for to view each several piece and part Perfection Do you love me Solid How can I chose but love when in my infancy such a number of words in your praise was thrown into my ears like seeds into the Earth which took root in my heart from which love sprouted forth and grew up with my years Perfection And will you be constant Solid As day is to the Sun Perfection Do you speak truth Solid Truly I have been bred up so much and so long in the wayes of truth as I know no tract of dissembling and therefore certainly my words will ever keep within the compass of Truth and my actions will alwaies turn and run with that byas but why do you seem to doubt in making such questions Perfection I will truly confess I have heard that since I have been in the Countrey you had entertained another Lover Solid It 's false but false reports is like breathing upon a pure and clear Glasse it dimns it for a time
will as to make a crooked body straight Ex. Scene 9. Enter Sir Thomas Father Love bringing in the Auditours into a large roome nobly furnished where at one end or side is a place raised and railed with guilt rayles for the Lady Sanspareille to stand on FAther Love Gentlemen pray do not think me rude by drawing you from your serious studies by an intruding invitation to hear a young student discourse 1. Philosopher 'T is true Sir we should have been glad to have heard you discourse for you might instruct us where as a young student is rather to be instructed for it is time that brings knowledg or gets wit or speakes eloquently Father Love 'T is true but yet in some naturall ingenuity it is as strong as time and produceth that which time of it selfe could not do 2. Philosopher Sir if your young students wit be as fine as her standing place it will be delightfull 3. Philosopher Sir you have adorned her Theater to inthrone her wit Father Gentlemen I wish her wit may furnish and so adorn your understanding but if you please to sit such as it is shall be presented to you Being all placed the Lady Sanspereille enters upon the mounted place drest all in black fit for the gravity of the Company The Company upon her entrance seems to be struck with amaze of her beauty they speak to her Father 1. Philosopher Sir we perceive now you have invited us to feast our eyes not our eares Father Gentlemen if you please to give her so much patience to hear her then judge or censure as you please Then they all cry Whist Whist After the Lady by her Civill bows had given respect to all the Company with a modest and amiable Countenance with a gentle and well pleased eye and a gracefull and winning behaviour thus speaks Lady Sanspareile The Majesty of Age and sage gravity are objects able to put unexperienced and unpracticed youth out of Countenance and bashfullness is the greatest enemy to discourse for it discomposes the Countenance disturbes the thoughts disorders the words and confounds the sence therein but youth hath many times this advantage that it apprehends not the disgrace that experienced years and deeper judgment doth For the truth is bashfullness proceeds from too great an apprehension but I not apprehending far enough may comit errours through a confident ignorance but if you think my confidence too much for my youth yet pray judge not my modesty to litle for my Sex for speaking belongs as much to the Female Sex as to the Masculine so as it be on sober Subjects and to grave Fathers and wise men or intruth to any degree of Age or Sex or Birth so as it be timely suitably rationably and modestly delivered And why may not women speak in publick and to publick assemblies as well as in privat visits and particular entertainments and to particular persons and acquaintance And in reason it should be more commendable that womens discourse and actions are such as they fear no witness Nay they ought never to speak or shew themselves to those persons that are not domestick without sufficient witness for privat discourses which are like whisperings and secret meetings and particular entertainments are subject to loos customs rude behaviours and lascivious discourses mischievous designes and dangerous plots all which takes leave without warrant and assaults without warning yet it is probable this Auditory will think my Father is too indulgent to his Child to let her to make publick Orations or that he is too vain glorious as to believe or hope his Child may get applause or esteem in the world by her discourses But First I must remember them that it is naturall for Parents to be fond of their Children Secondly it is no crime nor indiscretion for a Father to believe or think his Child may have as much wit as any other mans Child if he have given as good education Thirdly it is not against nature and reason but that women may discourse of several subjects as well as men and that they may have as probable opinions and as profitable inventions as fresh fancies as quick wits and as easy expressions as men if their education be answerable to their naturall capacityes and ingenuityes As for my selfe I must tell this assembly I have been bred industriously for I have been instructed with as much knowledg as my yeares was capable to understand but the truth is that my educatours strove to ripen my understanding before the naturall time like those that hastens fruit to be ripe forcing it by artificiall means not staying for the naturall heat of the Sun so was my understanding like as the tree and my wit as the fruit by which it wants the Aromaticall and delicious relish that naturall time gives which makes me fear my wit will relish to the eares of the hearers as such forced fruits to the tast of the eaters I have only this request that though you may dislike it for want of the naturall sweetness yet pray esteem of it for the rarity as being not usuall for one of my years and Sex to speak argue and make Orations in a publick assembly but it is likely this assembly may think this is a vain glorious Prologue to my following discourse But I must tell this worthy grave and learned assembly that I am not bound to follow a vain custome nay I may say a dishonest one as when Oratours do dissemble as on my Conscience most do selfe love being naturall to all besides many times they disgrace their birth by a dissembling humbleness and bely their thoughts knowledge and education when as they say they are unworthy to speak to such an assembly and that they are unlearned their knowledg is little their understanding dull their judgment weak their capacity narrow and that they are unexperienced and unfurnished of expressions to deliver the subject or matter of their discourse if this or the like which they say be true they abuse the Auditory and themselves to invite them or draw them to hear that they think is not worth the listening to and if they be not so as they say they bely the nature and education which heaven forbid I should be so ungratefull to nature so base to my birth so undutifull to my Educatour and so unthankfull to the Gods No no I will not be so for I will publickly acknowledg natures favours who hath given me more wit than time hath given me yeares she hath furnished me with ingenuity beyond an ordinary proportion and hath drawn the plat form of my mind Mathematically and pensiled me with her best coullourd dyes for which I am bound morally to serve her As for my birth as I am of the same kind of Mankind I am equall with the rest let my condition be never so poor I have no reason to be ashamed of the Kind but my birth is Honourable by length of time as for my education it
Terrestriall globes which globes are as Man and Wife the Coelestiall as the Husband the Terrestriall as the Wife which breeds and bears what the Coelestiall begets For the Coelestiall and the Terrestriall globes are Natures working houses where Animals Vegetables and Minerals are wrought into several figures shapt and formed into divers fashions like as Smiths makes diverse fashioned things out of mettals so Nature is as the Smith the Earth as the mettal the Sun as the fire the Sea as the quenching water the aire as the Bellows youth is the Furnace time is the Forge and motion is the Hammer both to shape and break assunder but for fear I should break your patience I shall desist from speaking any more at this time After a modest and humble respective bow to the assembly She goeth out The whilst the Audience holds up their hands in admiration 1. Philosopher Now you have heard her what do you say 2. Philosopher I say let us go home and make a funerall pile of our bookes that are Philosophy burn them to Ashes that none may file as Phenix like out of that dust 3. Philosopher No throw them at those foolish men that walk in black who would be thought learned by the outside although they are unlettered 4. Philosopher Take heed of that for so they may have hopes of a resurrection and so rise again in ragged covers and tattered torn sheets in old Duck-lane and quack their to be bought 1. Philosopher No no we will all now send for Barbers and in our great Philosophies despair shave of our reverend beards as excrements which once did make us all esteemed as wife and stuff boyes foot-balls with them 2. Philosopher Nature thou dost us wrong and art too prodigall to the effeminate Sex but I forgive thee for thou art a she dame Nature thou art but never shewed thy malice untill now what shall we do 3. Philosopher Faith all turn gallants spend our time in vanity and sin get Hawks and Hounds and running Horses study the Card and Dye Rich Cloathes and Feathers wast our time away with what this man said or what that man answered backbite and raile at all those that are absent and then renownce it with new Oathes Alamode 4. Philosopher No no honour this Virgin whose wit is supreme whose judgment is Serene as is the Sky whose life is a Law unto her selfe and us virtue her handmaid and her words so sweet like to harmonious musick in the Aire that charms our Senses and delights the Soul and turns all passions in our hearts to love teaches the aged and instructs the youth no Sophister but Mistriss still of truth Ex. Here ends my Lord Marquisses Scene 10. Enter the Lord de l'Amour and the Lady Innocence LOrd de l'Amour I begin to be so fond of your Company as I cannot be long absent therefrom Lady Innocence 'T is your favours to me which favours are above my merits indeed I have no merits but what your favour creates Lord de l'Amour You seem so virtuous and sweetly dispositioned and are so beautifull and witty as I cannot but admire and love you Lady Innocence I dare not be so rude not yet so ungratefull to speak against my selfe now you have praised me for your words are like to Kings which makes all currant coyn they set their stamp on although the substance should be mean and of no value Lord de l'Amour Thy words are Musicall Lady Innocence I wish I could speak as eloquently upon every subject as several birds sings sweety in several Tunes to please you Lord de l'Amour Do you love me so well as to wish it onely for my sake Lady Innocence Yes and how should I do otherwise for my affections to you was ingrafted into the root of my infancy by my Fathers instructions and perswasions which hath grown up with my Age The Lady Incontinent peeps in and sees them together speaks to her selfe in the mean time they seem to whisper Lady Incontinent Are you both so serious in discourse I will break your friendship or I will fall to the grave of death in the attempt Lady Incontinent goes out Lord de l'Amour Heaven make you as virtuous as loving and I shall be happy in a Wife Lord de l'Amour goes out Lady Innocence alone Lady Innocence Heaven make him as constant as I virtuous and I shall be sure of a gallant man to my Husband Ex. ACT IV. Scene 11. Enter the Lady Sanspareille and takes her place her Father and her Audience about her being all Morall Philosophers When she had done her respects speaks SAnsp. By my fathers relation to me I understand that all this worthy Assembly are students in morality wherefore I shall treat this time of passions wherein I make no question being all sage that you have not only learnt to distinguish them but have practiced how to temper and govern them but perchance you will say to your selves what need she speak of that which have been so often treated of only to make repetitions of former Authors but you all know without my telling you that new applications may be made on often preached Texts and new arguments may be drawn from old principles and new experiences may be learnt from former follies but howsoever my discourse shall not be very long least tedious impertinencies should make it unpleasant to your eares cause too great a loss of time to your better imployments but my discourse is as I said on the passions which I will first divide as the Ancient Philosophers into two love and hate First I will treat of pure love which is self-love for love to all other things is but the effects thereof And is derived therefrom self-love is the sole passion of the Soul it is a passion pure in it self being unmixt although all other passions do attend it this passion called self-love is the legitimated Child of Nature being bred in infinite and born in eternity yet this passion of self-love being the Mother of all other love is oftentimes mistaken for a fond or a facile disposition bred from a weak constitution of the body or a strong or rather exstravagant appetite of the Senses or from a gross constitution or evill habit or custome of life or an ill example of breeding but these Childish humours facile and easy dispositions foolish and earnest desires gross and greedy appetites Inconstant and evill Natures these are not pure love as the effects of self-love for it doth it self hurt but they are the effects of the body and nor of the Soul for some of them proceeds from a gross strength of body hot and active spirits others from a tenderness and weakness of body and faint spirits but the true passions of love which is self-love but mistake me not for when I say self-love 〈…〉 as is appertaining thereto as love of honour love of virtue humane love naturall love pious love Sympatheticall love which are the
true begotten Children of self-love This love hath no other object but perfection it hath an absolute command over life it conquers death and triumphs over torments but every soul hath not this pure love for there is a seeming self-love and a reall self-love but as I said every soul hath it not for it is with souls and the passions therein as with bodyes and the sensuall life some are more healthfull and strong others infirm and weak some are fair and well favoured others foul and ill favoured some are straight well shapt others crooked and deformed some high some low some are of long life others of short life some lifes have more actions than others some more sensitive relishes than others some good Natures some bad and all of that sort of Animals we call mankind and as the body and sensitive Spirits so for the Soul and rationall Spirits for some hath as I may say more Soul than others as some hath larger Souls than others some purer than others as being more Serene some hath more ingenuity and understanding than others So passions although one and the same sorts of passions yet in some Souls they are more Serene and elevated than others but many times the pure passions of the Soul is so allyed with the gross humours of the body as they become base and of no good use but in the passion of pure love for the most part dwels naturally Melancholly I mean not that dry cold sharp humour bred in the body which makes it Insipid inclosing the Soul as it were within Walls of stone which causeth a dull heavy and stupid disposition as it oppresseth and lyes like a heavy burthen on the Soul hindering the active effects thereof but this naturall Melancholly dwells not in every Soul but onely in the noblest for it is the noblest effect of the noblest passion in the noblest Soul As for the passion of hate it is not that lothing or aversion which is caused by a full or sick Stomack or surfetted Senses or glutted Appetites or cross humours or an Antipathy of dispositions or evill fortunes or the like but the true passion of hate is in the Soul not bred in the body yet hate is a bastard passion of self-love begot by opposition bred from corruption and born with disturbance this hate as it is derived from the bowels and loynes of self-love so it pursues self-loves enemyes which is suspect falshood and neglect With this passion of hate anger is a great Companion these two passions being seldome assunder but anger is oftentimes mistaken as all the rest of the passions are but this passion of anger is one of the uselest passions of the Soul and is so far from assisting fortitude as many think it doth as it is an opposite enemy to it for it cannot suffer patiently and oftimes knows not what it Acts or on what it Acts or when it Acts this passion is one of the furyes of the Soul which oftimes deposes reason but a Chollerick disposition is sooner to be pardoned and less to be feard being bred in the body and as the humour ebbes and flowes this disposition is less or more But to return to the two Principle passions which is love and hate I will at this time similize them to two several Kingdoms or Regions love being the largest for it reaches to the shades of death and strongest for it can indure and hold out the assaults of any torment being intrenched with fidelity fortified with constancy imbatled with courage victualled with patience and armed or manned with resolution and were it not for the many labyrinths of feats running in and out with continuall doubts wherein the content of the mind is oftentimes lost otherwayes it would be as pleasant a Kingdome as it is a strong one having large prospects of honour and Land-Skips of perfection green Meddows of hopes wherein grows sweet Primroses of Joy and clear springs of desires runs in swift streams of industry by the banks of difficulty besides this Kingdome is allwayes serene for the Sun of Fervency of allwayes shines there In this large Kingdome of love reigns naturall Melancolly who is the Heroick Royallest soberest and wisest Prince born in the mind he directs his Actions with prudence defends his Kindome with courage indures misfortunes with patience moderates his desires with temperance guides his Senses with judgment orders his Speech with Sence and governs his thoughts with reason he is the commander of the Appetites living in the Court of imaginations in the City of silences in the Kingdome of love in the little world called Man and the greatest favorite to this Prince is wit and the Muses are his Mistrisses to whom he applies his Courtship recreating himself in their delightful Company entertaining himself with Balls Maskes Pastorills Comedyes Tragedyes and the like presenting them in the Bowers of fancy built in the Gardens of Oratory wherein growes flowers of Rhetorick but the greatest enemies to this Prince is unseasonable mirth which oftimes disturbes his peace by bringing in an Army of empty words sounding their loud Trumpets of laughter shooting of bald jests beating the drums of idleness with the sticks of ridiculous Actions But hate although it be a Kingdome that is very strong by reason it hath high mountainous designes hard Rocks of cruelties deep pits of obscurity many Quagmires of subtilty by which advantages this Kingdome is inpregnable yet the Kingdome of its self is barren and Insipid bearing nothing but thorny Bushes of mischief and moss of ill Nature no noble thoughts or worthy Actions the climate is various for the Aire of the mind is gross having thick mists of envy which causeth several sicknesses of discontent other whiles it is very cold and sharp with spight other times it is sulphury hot with malice which flashes lightning of revenge which in a thundery fury breaks out In this Kingdome of hate reigns anger who is a Tyrant and strikes at every smale offence and many times on Innocence and so unjust as he seldome takes witnesses pride and jealousy are his favourites which governs all with scorn and executes with fury he imposes taxes of slander and gathers levies of detraction exception is his secretary to note both wordes and Actions he accuseth the Senses with mistakes and beheads the Appetites on the Scaffolds of dislike he strangles truth with the Cords of Erronious opinions and tortures the thoughts one Wheels of foul suspition whipping imagination with disgrace he confounds the Speech with disordered hast that neither Sence nor wordes can take their right places but anger dyes as most Tyrants doth being kild by repentance and is buryed in salt teares betwixt these two Kingdoms of love and hate runs a salt Sea of sorrow which sometimes breaks into the Kingdome of love and sometimes into the Kingdome of hate from this Sea arises thick vapours of grief which gathers into dark Clouds of sadness which Clouds dissolves into showring
Objects unexpected preferments or advancements by Fortunes favour or partiall affections also great ruines losses and crosses also Plagues Deaths Famines Warres Earthquakes Meteors Comets unusuall Seasons extraordinary Storms Tempests Floods Fires likewise great strength very old Age Beauty deformities unnaturall Births Monsters and such like which time Records But Fame is the Godess of eminent and Meritorious Actions and her Palace is the Heaven where the renowns which are the Souls of such Actions lives I say Eminent and Meritorious Actions for all Meritorious Actions are not Eminent but those that transcends an usuall degree as extraordinary valour Patience Prudence Justice Temperance Constancie Gratitude Generosity Magnaminity Industry Fidelity Loyalty Piety also extraordinary Wisdome Wit Ingenuities Speculations Conceptions Learning Oratory and the like but it is not sufficient to be barely indued with those vertues and qualities but these vertues and qualities must be elevated beyond an ordinary degree insomuch as to produce some extraordinary Actions so as to be Eminent for Fame dwells high and nothing reaches her but what is Transcendent either in worth or power for it is to be observed that none but Ioves Mansion is purely free from deceit and corruptions for Nature is artified and fame is often forced by fortune and conquering power and sometimes bribed by flattery and partiality and in Times Records there is more false reports than true and in Infamous Dungeon which is deep although not dark being inlightened by the eye of knowledge and the lamp of Memory or Remembrance which divulges and shewes to several and after Ages the evill deeds which lyes therein as Thefts Murther Adultery Sacriledg Injustice evill Government foolish Counsells Tyrany Usurpation Rapine Extortion Treason broken promises Treachery Ingratitude Cosening Cheating Sherking Lying Deluding Defrauding factions Disobedience Follies Errours Vices Fools Whores Knaves Sicophants Sloth Idleness Injury Wrong and many Hundreds the like yet many Innocent vertues and well deserving deeds at least good Intentions lyes in the Dungeon of Infamy cast therein by false constructions evil Events Malice Envy Spight and the like Sometimes some gets out by the help of right interpretation friendly assistance or eloquent pleading but yet these are very seldome by reason the Dungeon is so deep that it allmost requires a supernaturall strength to pull out any dead therein for therein they are oftner buried in Oblivion than translated by pleading but as I said many Innocents are unjustly cast into Infamies Dungeon and lyes for ever therein and many a false report is writ in times Records and never blotted thereout And many vain and unworthy Actions feigned vertues and vitious qualities hath got not only into Fames Palace but are placed high in Fames Tower and good successes although from evill designs and wicked deeds doth many times usurp the most cheifest and highest places as to be set upon the Pinacle for fortune conquering power and partiality forceth carries and throwes more into fames Palace than honest Industry leads or merit advances therein or unto which is unjust yet not to be avoided for Fortune and victory are powerfull and so powerfull as many times they tred down the Meritorious and upon those pure footstoole they raise up the unworthy and base thus fames base Born thrust out the Legitimate heirs and usurp the Right and Lawfull Inheritance of the Right owners of fames Palace Wherefore worthy Heroicks you cannot enjoy fame when you will nor make her sound out so loud as you would nor so long as you would nor where you would have her unless you force her which is only to be done by the assistance of time the providence of forecast the diligence of prudence the Ingenuity of Industry the direction of opportunity the strength of Power the agility of Action the probability of opinion the verity of truth the favour of Fortune the esteem of Affection the guilts of Nature and the breeding of education besides that fame is of several humours or Natures and her Palace stands on several soyles and her Trumpet sounds out several Notes Aires Strains or Dities for some Aires or Strains are pleasant and chearfull others sad and Melancholly and sometimes she sounds Marches of War some to Charge some to Retreat also sometimes her Palace stands on Rocks of adversity other times on the flat soyles of prosperity sometimes in the Sun shine of plenty other times in the shade of poverty sometimes in the flowery Gardens of peace other times in the bloody fields of War but this is to be observed that fame at all times sounds out a Souldiers Renown louder than any others for the sound of Heroick Actions spreads furthest yet the renown of Poets sounds sweetest for fame takes a delight to sound strains of wit and Aires of Fancies and time takes pleasure to record them but worthy Heroicks give me leave to tell you that if time and occasion doth not fit or meet your Noble ambitions you must fashion your Noble ambitions to the times and take those opportunities that are offered you for if you should slip the season of opportunity wherein you should soe the seeds of Industry you will loose the harvest of Honourable deeds so may starve wanting the bread of report which should feed the life of applause but noble Heroicks when you adventure or set forth for the purchase of Honour you must be armed with fortitude and march along with prudence in an united body of patience than pitch in the field of fidelity and fight with the Sword of Justice to maintain the cause of right and to keep the priviledges of truth for which you will be intailed the Heirs and Sons of fame and my wishes and Prayers shall be that you may be all Crowned with Lawrell After she had made her respects She goeth out My Lord Marquess writ these following Speeches A Souldier Silence all thundring Drums and Trumpets loud with glistering Arms bright Swords and waving Plumes And the feared Cannon powdered shall no more Force the thin Aire with horrour for to roare Nor the proud steeds with hollow hoofes to beat The humble Earth till Ecchoes it repeat This Lady makes Greek Tactiks to look pale And Caesars Comentaries blush for shame The Amazonian Dames shakes at her Name Poets The Lady Muses are deposed unthroned from their high Pallace of Parnassus-Hill Where she in glory with Poetick flames there sits In Triumph Emperess of wits Where her bright beams our Poets doth inspire As humble Mortalls from her gentle fire She is the only Muses gives Phancy slore Else all our Poets they could write no more Oratour Were the oyled tongue of Tully now alive and all the rest of glibed tongued Oratours with their best arguments to force a truth or else with subtilty of slight to avoid it those tongues with trembling Palsies would be all struck dumb with wonder and amazement to hear truth Cloathed so gently as to move all Oratours their passions into love admired Virgin Then all the Auditory goeth
and obey But when a Kingdom is in a Glorious condition and is full of prosperity every particular Citizen or man thinks he can stand upon his own foundation flinging off their supporters which is Duty and obedience which makes them fall to ruine For when men comes to that height of pride caused by prosperity that they all strive to be Superiours and Commanders they become Factious and mutinous against the Magistrates Rulers or Governours which Factions begets warrs either by calling in Forriegners or by making or siding into parties amongst themselves for it is to be observed that States or Monarchies do oftner fall by the pride and Factions of the Commons or Subjects than by the Tyranny of the Rulers or Governours But it is the nature of the vulgar sort of man-kind to be the most basest fearfulest dejected Creatures in adversity that Nature hath made and in prosperity to be the proudest insultingest and imperious and cruelest of all Creatures But Kings and Royal Princes should do as Gods which is to keep their Subjects in aw with the Superstitious fear of Ceremonies wherefore Princes should do no actions no not the meanest without Ceremony to astonish the vulgar for Ceremonies begets fear fear begets Superstition Superstition Reverence Reverence Obedience Obedience brings Peace Peace brings Tranquility But where Ceremonie is not used the Gods are neglected and Princes dispised for Ceremonie is the Throne which Gods and Princes sits on which being pulled away they fall from their Glory for Ceremonie is the Royal Crown which makes them Majestical it is the Scepter by which they rule it is the Altar at which all the Subjects kneel do bow and they offer up there their natural free liberty But most glorious Princess you and your Subjects are like the Sun and the rest of the Planets moving perpetually keeping their proper Sphere they moving in civiler loyalty about you to receive the light of your Authority and you move in them as the just center spreading your glorious beams round about the Circumference of your Dominions and in the light of your commands they see their duty And your Laws are like the fixed Starrs which twinkling move in the night of great offences and doth assist the innocent with sparkling light And your Majesty governs like the Gods your wisdome by your Works is known and by your Wisdome is your Power Immense So doing her respects comes off from her standing and with three Reverences comes to the Queen Queen Young Lady let me tell you that you are fit to be a Governesse although you be very Young that can speak so well of Government Sanspareile 'T is happier for me to be a Subject to so gracious a Sovereign than if I were govern a people my self Ex. Scene 2. Enter the Lady Innocence and her Maid PAssive Madam you retire your self more to solitary than you were used to do Lady Innocence Because I find the world not only more foolish but more wicked than I thought it was but who would endure the world or the worlds folly since solitarinesse is sweet and melancholly Passive The truth is that words pleaseth the world more than reason and vice is exercised more than vertue Lady Innocence You say right for words takes the world of man-kind by the ears drawing them about even where they please when reason is not heard also vice will be imbraced and vertue kickt away thus words and vice will get a room both in the head and heart when reason and vertue are barr'd out but if perchance they are crowded in they are straight thrown out as unfit guests or troublesome intruders Passive But Madam let me advise you from so much solitude for obscurity shadows vertue and buries beauty Lady Innocence And Solitude doth hide defects as well as Excellencies Passive But you have no defects to hide Lady Innocence Nor Excellencies to divulge Enter the Lady Innocence the Lord de l'Amour Ex. Passive Lord de l'Amour T is strange you can be so crafty in dissembling and yet so young for you appear to me to be innocently modest and of a bashfull Nature and yet it is told me you are so impudently bold speaking so wantonly as it is a shame to Nature which makes me fear you will prove dishonest Lady Innocence Perchance I might learn modest words but not the signification yet surely I never spake such words I understood not nor have I many speaking faults to accuse me Lord de l'Amour I am told you speak so knowingly of marriage as if you were a mother of many children Lady Innocence The mystery of marriage I neither know nor guesse at neither do I know how children are bred or born Lord de l'Amour If you be so ignorant you may loose your Virginity for want of knowledge and wit to keep it Lady Innocence I have been taught none can be devirginated that suffers not immodest action if so I am a pure Virgin and my thoughts are so innocent and my life so honest as I wish the Chambers of my mind or soul which is the brain and the heart were set open to your view there should you see the pictures in the one and read the letters in the other for truth records all in the heart and memory pencils all that the imaginations or Senses brings into the brain Lord de l'Amour I cannot but believe what is so confidently reported but your words are such charms as they inchant my angry passions and makes my will a prisoner Lady Innocence Let reason as a Knight of Chevalry and truth as his Esquire set him free and open the gates of understanding then you might see vertue cloathed with white Innocency and truth free from the bonds of falshood Lord de l'Amour So you were as wife as witty Lady Innocence Wisdome is built upon the Foundation of Experience wherefore none can be wise but those that are old but though I am too young to be wise yet not to be vertously honest Lord de l'Amour Pray Heaven you prove so Ex. Lady Innocency alone Heaven blesse my innocency from Thieves of slander that strives to steal away my honest Fame Ex. Scene 3. Enter two Men or Scholars 1 GEntleman This Lady Sanspareile hath a strange spreading wit for she can plead causes at the Bar decide causes in the Court of Judicature make Orations on publick Theaters act parts and speak speeches on the Stage argue in the Schooles preach in the Pulpits either in Theology Philosophy moral and natural and also phisick and Metaphysick 2. Gent. The truth is she is ushered by the Muses led by the Sciences and attended by the Arts Ex. Scene 4. Enter the Lady Innocence alone Lady Innocence I do perceive my shiftlesse youth is round beset with enemies Suspitions round about me placed With slandring words my same disgraced My innocency as crast is thought My harmlesse life to ruine brought Who will adore the Gods if they Vice vertue in one ballance
help those in distresse his bounty heats his counsel and advice gives light Effem. Lovely I love you so much Sweet-heart that since you will not be my Mistris you shall be my VVife Poor Virtue Indeed I will not Effem. Lovely VVill you refuse me Poor Virtue Yes Effem. Lovely VVherefore Poor Virtue Because I know though you may use me well at first after a time you 'l be divorc'd Effem. Lovely I will never part from thee Poor Virtue O yes but you will for youth and beauty most commonly are inconstant for vain ambition and flattering praises corrupt that mind that lives therein and is pleased therewith Poor Vertue goes out Effeminate Lovely alone Effem. Lovely Well I will become a new man and cast off all vanity and study Moral Philosophy to gain this Maid for then perchance she will love me Exit Scene 17. Enter Lady Conversation and Sir Vain Complement LAdy Conversat. Complements are the worst sort of Conversation for they are not sociable besides Truth holds no intelligence nor correspondence with them Sir Vain Compl. Truth is no Complement as flattery and I speak nothing but what truth hath dictated to my tongue Lady Conversat. Those praises you gave me were writ by speech in so fine a style of Eloquence with such flourishing Letters of words as I cannot believe but that custome of self-conceited wit or passion hath given the Scribe which is the Tongue a bribe to flatter me Enter the Lady Contemplation and Mistris Troublesome to the Lady Conversation and Sir Vain Complement Lady Conversat. This is a wonder to see you Lady Contemplation abroad I doubt it doth Prognosticate some change of Fortune pray Iove it be good Lady Contempl. All the ill will fall on me Madam Mistris Troubles Nay faith Madam she accounts company a worse fortune than the ruine of a Kingdome and you cannot conceive with what difficulty I have got her abroad for at first I did perswade her with all the Rhetorick I had and pleaded with as powerful arguments as I could finde any promised more than I was able to perform and nothing of this could get her forth until I told her I would bring your Ladyship to visit her and that forced her out for she said she would rather trouble you than you should trouble her Lady Conversat. Faith Contemplation thou art only sit to keep beasts company for what difference is there betwixt beasts and men but Conversation Lady Contempl. Indeed beasts want that folly of idle Conversation and the error of speaking as much as the vanity of dressing and the custome of dissembling for they spend their time more prudently quietly easily honestly so more happily and if it were for no other reason than speaking I had rather be a beast than of mankinde Lady Conversat. O fie O fie you are a beastly Lady Lady Contempl. No Madam beasts have no false Titles of Honour their honour lives in their natures not in their names Lady Conversat. Who that may choose or have their liberty would spend their time in idle thoughts Lady Contempl. All that are wise and would be happy for should not we think that man were mad that leaves a peaceful habitation and thrusts himself in forein broyls or should not we think a King were most unjust that makes his peaceful and obedient subjects slaves to strange Princes The Mind 's a Common-wealth and the Thoughts are the Citizens therein and Reason rules as King or ought to doe But there is no reason we should vex our Thoughts with outward things or make them slaves unto the world Lady Conversat. But thoughts would want imployment were it not for the world and idlenesse were worse than slavish toyls Lady Contempl. The thoughts without the worlds materials can Create millions of worlds only with the help of Imagination Lady Conversat. Then your Minde and the World are meer strangers Lady Contempl. I say not so for though the World draws not my Minde to wander up and down yet my Minde draws the World to it then pensils out each several part and piece and hangs that Landskip in my Brain on which my thoughts do view with Judgments eyes Thus the world is in my Minde although my Minde is not in the world Lady Conversat. Then you inchant the world Lady Contempl. I had rather inchant the world than the world should inchant me Lady Conversat. If the Minde be a Common-wealth as you said even now it was Pray tell me of what degree the Passions are of Lady Contempl. They are the Nobles thereof and Magistrates therein each several Passion still governs in its turn and office Lady Conversat. And what are the Appetites Lady Contempl. The Appetites are none of the Mind's Citizens but they are an unruly Rout that dwell in the Senses which are the Suburbs of the Body Indeed the Appetites are the Out-Lawries and doe oft-times much hurt with their disorders insomuch as they many times disturb the mindes tranquillity and peace But Madam lest the appetite of talking should disturb the Mind I shall kiss your Ladyships hand and leave you to those that are more delightful and pleasanter company than I am Exit Mistris Trouble Lady Conversation I perceive you and Sir Vain Complement are grown dull with the Lady Contemplations company Lady Conversat. Mercury defend me from her for I would not keep her company for Ioves Mansion Vain Compl. And Cupid defend me from her for I would not be bound to Court her for the Favours Venus gives to Mars Conversat. Lord what a dull piece of gravity she is Vain Compl. She looks as if she convers'd with none but Ghosts and Spirits walking in Moon-shine and solitary and dismal places Conversat. Let us talk of her no more for I am so far from keeping her acquaintance as I hate to hear her nam'd Exeunt Scene 18. Enter the Lord Courtship and the Lady Ward LOrd Courtship My Sweet Fair Maid I cannot hope thy Pardon for my crimes are not only great but many for I have not only us'd you unkindly uncivilly ungentlemanly which are vices and crimes that Cankerfret the Fame of Honour and burie all noble qualities but I have used you barbarously cruelly and inhumanly which are sins sufficient to annihilate all the Masculine Race and surely if there be that we call Justice in Nature it will unless thy virtue redeem them and save them with thy pity wherefore for the sake of the generality though not for my particular pardon me Thus will you become a Deity to your whole Sex and ours Lady Ward I am sure your Lordship is a particular punishment to me which Heaven send me quit of She goes out he follows her ACT IV. Scene 19. Enter Sir Fancie Poet and the Lady Contemplation SIr Fan. Poet Lady you smother your thoughts and stifle your conception in the close Closet of Study Lady Contempl. No Sir I only keep them warm being tender and weak Sir Fan. Poet They will grow stronger in
the way to try their constancy Temperance For my part if it were in my power to choose I would rather have Wit than Beauty for Wit pleaseth the Ear both longer and more than Beauty pleaseth the Sight and the sound of the one spreads farther than the sight of the other Besides Wit recreates the Mind and entertains the Reason Beauty only the Sense and but one sense as the sight when Wit is a companion not only to the sense of Hearing but the soul of Understanding and it is not only a delightful Companion but a subtil Observer an ingenious Inventer an excellent Artificer a politick Counsellour a powerful Commander a prudent Ruler and a divine Creator it observes all natures works it invents all useful Arts it frames all Common-wealths it guides the Senses rules the Appetites commands the Passions counsels the Thoughts regulates the Opinions creates the Conceptions Imaginations and Fancies it builds Poetical Castles and makes Gardens of Rhetorick and makes the sound Harmonical playing with words as on musical Instruments Besides Wit continues to old Age when Beauty vades in a year or two Superbe Come come Temperance if you were young you would prefer Beauty before a Wit by which you might get more pleasure by the one than profit by the other But all our Sex when they grow in years desire to be thought Wits when they can no longer be thought Beauties which makes them dispute for Wit and dispraise Beauty by undervaluing it Enter Madamoiselle Bon' Esprit Pleasure Madamoiselle Bon' Esprit you are welcom for we long to hear the success of your design since we have heard that Monsieur Satyrical hath been to visit you hath he not Bon' Esprit Yes Ambition But have you catch'd him Bon' Esprit Sure enough Portrait Then strangle him with Cupids bow-string Faction Hang him that 's not punishment enough Superbe No but when he 's a confirm'd Lover report he 's mad Ambition We shall not need to report that for when he is a confirm'd Lover he will do such ridiculous actions and behave himself so extravagantly vain and so constrainly foolish and speak such non-sense in striving to speak beyond the power of words insomuch as all that hear and see him will swear he 's mad Pleasure They will swear nothing but the truth for all Lovers are mad more or less But Madamoiselle Bon' Esprit are you sure you have him in Cupids snare Bon' Esprit I do verily believe I have him in Loves bonds Portrait O how I joy to think how we shall triumph Superbe What shall our Triumphant-Chariot be Faction Scorns scorns set on the wheels of laughter drawn by a company of lame sore scurvy words Bon' Esprit Will you have your Triumphant-Chariot drawn by a company of foolish words that will be as bad and as much disgrace as lean-jaded horses in a brave gilded Coach Pleasure No no sprightly jests were better Bon' Esprit They may chance to run you out of the field of Civility at least out of the right ways of Wit Ambition Let them run where they will so they carry his reproach with them Bon' Esprit Will you carry this reproach along with you and leave him behind you Faction We will carry his reproach about the World Bon' Esprit While you bear the burthen he will rest at home in ease and peace in his mind Faction Good Lord what makes you thus to contradict our Designs Bon' Esprit I do not contradict your Designs but shew you the Errour of your Conduct Pleasure Why then conduct us better Bon' Esprit So I shall if you will give me leave for I shall conduct you through the fair ways of peace and not through the foul ways of malice which are myery and deep with revenge in which you may stick or be thrown in disgrace but I will carry you through the sweet Meadows of good Nature wherein runs clear Rivulets of Charity in which you may bathe your selves under the fruitful trees of good works and take the fresh Air of Applause and be cool'd with the soft winds of Praise Thus wash'd cleans'd and refresh'd you will be fit to enter into the Palace of Fame Faction Heyday where will your Tongue carry us Bon' Esprit As high as it can even to the House of Fame which stands on the highest pinacle of Heaven Ambition Let me examine you Are you not carry'd by love to the top of Parnassus Hill Superbe By Iupiter she that went to catch Love is catch'd by Love her self Portrait Venus forbid for that would be such a disgrace as we shall be never able to pull off or rub out Bon' Esprit What you cannot rub out or pull off you must be content to wear with patience Exit Bon' Esprit Pleasure I suspect her Ambition I confess I doubt her Superbe I fear your doubts Faction I am confident we have lost her striving to catch him Portrait Let us follow her and examine her Exeunt Scene 18. Enter Monsieur Sensuality and Monsieur Censure SEnsuality I hear that thou intend'st to be a marry'd man shortly Censure Yes faith I am going to put my neck into the nooze Sensuality Nay if you nooze it hang it for the nooze of mariage is ten times worse than the halter of death Censure I am not of your Opinion Sensuality Why then thou art not of a wise opinion for in Death there is no trouble and in Mariage no quiet Censure A single life is melancholy being solitary Sensuality So I perceive rather than you 'l want company thou wilt associate thy self with cares and vexations Censure No I will associate my self with Wife and Children Sensuality Well let me tell you if that thou marriest a hundred to one but thou wilt be a Cuckold Censure I hope not Sensuality How canst thou have hopes when that the Gods are Cuckolds wherefore 't is impossible mortal men should escape Censure All the Gods are not so it is but only limping Vulcan that is one Sensuality Pardon me for if their divine Wives make them not Cuckolds yet their humane Wives do Censure But the Gods marry not humane creatures Sensuality But humane creatures marry the Gods and that is all one for in all Religions there are Nuns are the Gods humane wives and did not Cataline Cuckold the Gods when he lay with a Vestal Nun And many more are mentioned in Story and you may well believe all are not Recorded Censure Well if the Gods be Cuckolds I may have the less cause to murmur if I should be one for it is an honour to be like the God Sensuality VVell I wish as thy friend that thou mayst flourish in that Honour Exeunt ACT IV. Scene 19. Enter Ambition Faction Pleasure Portrait Superbe Temperance as following Madamoiselle Bon' Esprit PLeasure VVe do not like your dark Answers for Truth is clear Ambition Confess have you deceived us or not Bon' Esprit I have not deceived you for you did intrust me to
should express them after his manner fancy wit or judgment Thus the body or subject of those Speeches might be true only the dress is new 3 Virgin But by your leave let me tell you that Chronologers do not only new dress truth but falsifie her as may be seen in our later Chronologers such Writers as Camden and the like for they have written not only partially but falsly As for particular Families some Camden hath mistaken and some of Antient Descent he hath not mention'd and some he hath falsly mention'd to their prejudice and some so slightly as with an undervaluing as if they were not worth the mention which is far worse than if he should rail or disclame against them But I suppose he hath done as I have heard a Tale of one of his like Profession which was a Schoolmaster as Camden was which went to whip one of his Scholars and the boy to save himself promised his Master that if he would give him his pardon that his Mother should give him a fat pig whereupon the fury of the Pedant was not only pacify'd but the boy was strok'd and made much of so it is to be observ'd that most Schoolmasters commend those of their scholars most as to be the most apt and ingenious to their learning although meer dunces whose Parents and Friends fee or bribe them most which causes them both to flatter their scholars and their parents So Camden to follow the practice of his Profession hath sweeten'd his pen as towards his scholars and their families and 't is likely most towards those scholars that were more beneficial to him but to such persons whose parents had Tutors for them at home not suffering them to go to common Schools he hath pass'd over or lightly mention'd their Families or hath dip'd his pen in vinegar and gall 1 Virgin Nay faith is is likelyer that he might take some pett at those that did not entertain him at their Houses when he went his Progress about the Kingdome to inform him of the several parts of the Country before he writ of the same 2. Virgin I observ'd one Errour in his Writing that is when he mentions such Places and Houses he says the antient situation of such a worthy Family when to my knowledge many of those Families he mentions bought those Houses and Lands some one Descent some two Descents some three before which Families came out of other parts of the Kingdom or the City and not to the Antient and Inheritary Families but he leaves those Antient Families unmention'd 4 Virgin Perchance he thought it fit that those Famllies that were so ill Husbands or had so ill fortunes as they were forc'd to sell their Antient Inheritance their memories should be buried in their ruines 1 Virgin What say you of the Chronologer of the Gods and gallant Heroes which was Homer 3 Virgin I say he was a better Poet than an Historian 2 Virgin Why Homers Works are only a Poetical History which is a Romance for Romance Writers heighten natural actions beyond natural power as to describe by their wit impossible things yet to make them sound or seem probable 1 Virgin Nay faith impossible can never be described to be probable 4 Virgin I am sure Homer was our or else Noble Persons were not so well bred in his time as they are now in our time as when he makes them miscall one another giving one another ill names when they met to fight as dog and the like names when in these our days when Noble persons meet to fight they bring Complements in their mouths and Death in their hands so as they strive as much in Civility as Courage indeed true Valour is Courage 1 Virgin If you condemn Homer for making men to speak so you may condemn him much more for making the Gods to speak after that manner for he hath made the Gods to speak so as to call one another dogs and the like names 2 Virgin The truth is Homer as excellent a Poet as he is fam'd to be yet he hath not fitted his terms of Language proper to those he makes to speak or the behaviour of those persons he presents proper to their Dignities nor Qualities for as you say he makes the Gods in their contentions and fights not only to speak like mortals but like rude-bred ill-natur'd Clowns and to behave themselves like rude barbarous brutish and cruel men when he should have made the Gods to have spoken the most Eloquentest of Humane Language and after the most Elegant manner by reason Eloquence hath a Divine Attraction and Elegance a Divine Grace 3 Virgin For my part I can never read Homer upon a full stomack for if I do I am sick to hear him describe their broyl'd roast and boyl'd meats 1 Virgin For my part I can read him at no time for my stomack is always so weak or at least nice as the discourse of the large Thighs or Chines of Beef and Mutton with their larded fat suffocates my spirits and makes me ready to swoun for the discourse makes me imagine I smell the strong savour of the gross meats and the drunken savour of wine Matron They had meat fit for souldiers and not Ladies 1 Virgin I hope their Concubines that lay in their Tents had finer meats or else they would appear foul pursy sluts 4 Virgin Why if they were they would be handsom enough to serve those slovenly Heroes Matron Why do you call those great and brave Heroes slovens 4 Virgin Because they kill'd and drest their own meat and there are no such greasie fellows as Butchers and Cooks and therefore must needs stink most horribly 2 Virgin It was a sign they had excellent stomacks in Homers days 3 Virgin It was a sign Homer had a good hungry stomack himself that he could talk so often and long of meat Matron Let me tell you Ladies it was a sign those persons in those times were Hospitable and Noble Entertainers but in these times the Nobler sort are too curious and delicate 1 Virgin I have observ'd that one pen may blur a Reputation but one pen will hardly glorifie a Reputation 2 Virgin No for to glorifie requires many pens and witnesses and all little enough 4 Virgin It is neither here nor there for that for merit will get truth to speak for her in Fames Palace and those that have none can never get in or at least to remain there For have not some Writers spoke well of Nero and striv'd to have glorify'd him who was the wickedst of all the Emperours And have not some Writers done the like for Claudius who was the foolishest of all the Emperours yet they were never the more esteem'd in the House of Fame And have not some Writers writ ill and have indeavour'd to blot and blur the Renowns of Iulius Caesar and Augustus Caesar and of Alexander and yet they are never the worse esteem'd in the House of Fame but Heroick Actions
very handsom man well-behav'd and of a ready wit 2 Man 'T is strange it should not be known of what Parentage he is of 1 Man It is not known as yet Exeunt Scene 2. Enter two Men 1 MAn Sir were not you a servant to the Lord of Sage 2 Man Yes Sir 1 Man He was a Wise and a Noble Person 2 Man He was so Heaven rest his Soul 1 Man 'T is said he hath left but one only Child and she a Daughter which Daughter is sole Heir to all his Estate 2 Man She is so 1 Man And it is also reported she will be woo'd in publick or else she 'l never wed 2 Man The Report is true Sir for I am now going to invite all her Friends and acquaintance to whom she desires to publish her resolutions 1 Man Is she resolv'd of it 2 Man She hath vow'd it 1 Man Pray favour me so much as to give me a Character of her 2 Man She is Virtuous Young Beautiful Graceful and hath a supernatural Wit and she hath been bred and brought up to all Virtuosus which adorns her Natural Gifts she lives magnificently yet orders her Estate prudently 1 Man This Lady may be a sample to all her Sex Exeunt Scene 3. Enter two Grave Matrons 1 Matron Mistris Simple is the very'st Fool that ever I tutor'd or instructed 2 Matron Do you mean a fool by imprudence or a fool that speaks improperly 1 Matron I do not know what her imprudence may be but in her words there is no coherence 2 Matron Alas she is young and youth is a Cage of Ignorance and boys and girls are like birds which learn from their tutors and tutoresses artificial tunes which are several Languages Sciences Arts and the like But the truth is of all sorts of Birds the Cocks are more apt to learn than the Hens 1 Matron If she can be taught sense I am much mistaken for she hath not a reasonable capacity to learn 2 Matron Why then she hath a defect in Nature as a Changeling 1 Matron I think so 2 Matron Why should you think so since youths capacity cannot be measured by their Educators for Time is the only measure of the rational capacity And to prove it some boys and girls will be so dull as to seem stupid to Learning and yet in their strength of years may prove very rational understanding and wise men or women besides the Brain is like to the Air 't is sometimes thick with mysty Errours sometimes dark with clouds of Ignorance and sometimes clear with Understanding when as the Sun of Knowledge shines and perchance you heard her speak when her Brain was cloudy and dark 1 Matron So dark as her words could not find the right way to sense 2 Matron Perchance if you hear her speak some other times when her Brain is clear you may hear her speak wisely 1 Matron It is so unlikely she should ever speak wisely as it is near to impossible 2 Matron Indeed unlikely and impossible do some way resemble each other But let me tell you the Brain is like the Face it hath its good days and its bad for Beauty and Wit have not only their times and seasons but their foul and fair days 1 Matron You say true for the choisest Beauties that ever were or are will somtimes look worse than at other times nay so ill they will look sometimes as they might be thought they were not Beauties 2 Matron The like for Wit for certainly the greatest Wit that ever was or is may sometimes be so dull and unactive as it might be thought they were so far from being Wits as they might be judged Fools And certainly the most Eloquent Orators that ever were have spoke at some times less Eloquently than at other times insomuch that at some times although the subject of their Discourse is so full of Matter and Reason as might have oyl'd their Tongues smooth'd their Words and enlighten'd their Fancy yet they will speak as if their Wits had catch'd cold and their Tongues had the numb Palsy on which their words run stumbling out of their mouths as insensible when as at other times although the subject of their discourse be barren or boggy woody or rocky yet their Wit will run a Race without stop or stay and is deck'd and adorn'd with flowry Rhetorick And certainly the wisest men that ever were have given both themselves and others worse counsel sometimes than at other times and certainly the valiantest man that ever was had sometimes more courage than at other times But yet although a valiant man may have more courage at one time than another yet he is at no time a coward nor a wise man a fool 1 Matron But Orators may chance to speak non-sense 2 Matron They may so and many times do 1 Matron Why then may not a Valiant man be at some times a Coward and a Wise man a Fool as well as Orators to speak non-sense 2 Matron Because Valour Judgment and Prudence are created in the Soul and is part of its Essence I do not mean every soul but the souls of Valiant and Wise men for souls differ as much as bodies some are created defective others perfect but words are only created in the mouth and are born through the lips before the soul of sense is enter'd or inbodied therein 1 Matron An Orators tongue is powerful 2 Matron An Orators tongue doth rather play on Passions than compose the Judgment or set notes to the Reason like as a Fidler that can play tunes on musical Instruments but is no Musician to compose and set tunes But there are many men that have eloquent tongues but not witty souls they have the Art of words but not the Spirit of wit Exeunt Scene 4. Enter the Lady Prudence and a company of Ladies and Knights whom she had invited to hear her Resolutions She stands by her self and speaks Lady Prudence Kind Friends and worthy Acquaintance you may think it strange and perchance take it ill I invite you only to a simple Discourse for to declare a vain Vow as you may judge it so to be which Vow I made since my Father the Lord Sage's death The Vow is never to receive a Lovers Address or to answer a Lovers Sute but in a publick Assembly and 't is likely the World will laugh at this as ridiculous or condemn it for pride or scorn it as self-conceit But if they will be pleased to weigh it in Judgements Scales they will find it poysed with a good Intention and make a just weight of Conveniency against unaccustomariness for though it is not usual yet it is very requisite especially to such young women which are Orphans who like small and weak Vessels that are destitute of Guide or Pilot are left on the wide Sea-faring World to ruinous waves and inconstant weather even so young women are to the Appetites of greedy men and their own inconstant and changing Natures and
thought And so farewel Exeunt Scene 15. Enter Sir William Holdfast and his Friend Mr. Disswader HOldfast Sir Thomas Letgo's Mistris that he is to marry is a pretty Lady Disswader But I do not perceive he is very hasty to marry her Holdfast If she were mine I would not prolong my Wedding-day Disswader For fear she should die and you should lose her Estate Holdfast No I am not covetous for my Estate will maintain a Wife according to my quality although she bring no Portion and upon that condition I might have her I would give a Portion for her so much I like and fancy her Disswader And would you marry her if you might have her Holdfast Yes Disswader Pray tell me what would you do with a Fool she would be neither good for Breed nor Conversation for she might bring you a Race of Fools and vex you with ignorant Follies Holdfast Why should you think her a Fool she neither appears froward peevish or spightful she hath a sober Face a bashful Countenance a natural Garb she is silent and pensive which shews she is no Fool but if she were always laughing or toying or singing or dancing or simpering or prating or had an affected countenance or affected garbs or postures I should conclude her to be a Fool But certainly she must needs have a wise Wit for she seems melancholy and contemplative which no fool is she hears much and speaks little which no fool doth wherefore I judge she hath Wit but either she is careless and cares not to express it or thinks the company fools and therefore will not express it or is so bashful as she cannot express it and there is nothing shews or discovers Wit so much as Bashfulness which shews the Mind and Thoughts so sensible as they apprehend beyond anothers perceivance and so fearful lest they should commit Errors in their Actions and Expressions as they obscure their Virtues and natural Excellencies for want of a confident Assurance and a good Opinion of their own Abilities besides Bashfulness thinks the least natural defect a Crime and every little errour a Disgrace never to be rubb'd out they will blush at their own thoughts and will pine almost into a Consumption if two or three idle words should slip out of their mouths or that they should mistake an Argument or that their Behaviour was not so or so The truth is they never think their Actions or their Words well enough done or spoken they are the first that shall condemn themselves and the last that shall give themselves a pardon But prethee Ned as thou art my Friend see if you can procure me or watch for an opportunity that I might speak with her alone Disswader I think that were not difficult to be done but I will enquire a way Holdfast Do not forget it Disswader No it is so remarkable you should be in love with so simple a creature as I shall remember it Exeunt Scene 17. Enter the Lady Prudence and her Suter a Divine The Divine goeth to the place where the Suters plead and the Assembly about them DIvine Madam I should not thus presume did not my Profession dignifie me to a Spiritual Office wherefore a fit Suter to a Divine Lady And since my Sute is holy by reason Mariage is sacred despise me not Prudence Worthy Sir all of your Profession require a solitary Habitation for studious Contemplation to a holy life wherein their Thoughts are Consecrated to Devotion that their Doctrine may flow from a pure Mind in Eloquent words to the ears of their Flock to instruct them with the light of Knowledge and to lead them into the ways of Truth whereas Mariage although it be sacred in it self yet it is rather apt to disturb than unite especially a double Mariage which are of different Natures for there are two sorts of Mariages as a Spiritual and a Corporal The first is betwixt the Gods and Mankind the other is betwixt Man and Woman The one is by a Consecration and Communion of Spirits the other is by a Combination and Communication of Persons wherefore those that are maried to Iove ought to keep themselves pure in that Unity As for the mariage of Combination and Communication of Persons although it is requisite for the continuance of Mankind and civil Common-wealths yet to spiritual Elevations is is a great hinderance for though a woman especially a Wife be accounted as a Helper and Comfort to man by her diligent attendance and loving service yet women are accounted not only unprofitable in learned Schools but obstructers to a studious life for which women are not suffer'd to inhabite in Universities Schools or Colleges indeed we are in a maner banish'd from the sight or entrance thereinto and men have reason so to do since learning especially Divine learning requires study and study requires a quiet solitary and silent life and certainly there can be neither solitariness nor silence where women and children are for Nature hath made women and children to have restless spirits unquiet minds busiless active and such voluble tongues as it is impossible they should be silent whilest life gives them motion so that a woman is a very unfit companion for Contemplations wherein there should be no other company but thoughts which thoughts in a Divine should be only such as are the Inquirers and Searchers of Ioves divine Mysteries and Scholars to Ioves divine Schools and Orators to explain plead in Ioves divine Laws and servants to Ioves divine Orders that they may be Instructers and Intelligencers of Ioves divine Commands And though women ought to be instructed in Divinity yet for the most part women are obstructers and disturbers of Divinity and Divines besides the Original Woman was a Tempter to Sin which all her Effeminate Posterity inherit as a Natural Right and Gift from their great Grandmother And though Divines ought to be industrious to cut off the Intail of that Original Inheritance with their holy Doctrine quenching the fire of Temptation with the spiritual dew of Divine Instructions yet ought they not to run themselves into that fire they should quench serving as fuel to increase it Wherefore those that dedicate themselves to Ioves Church ought to live separated from Natures daughters lest they should yield to humane frailties and become slaves to the Effeminate Temptations Exeunt Scene 18. Enter Mistris Trifle and Mistris Parle TRifle Friend I am come to ask thy counsel Parle Concerning what Trifle Concerning Mariage Parle I will give you the best I can but it is both difficult and dangerous to give counsel in so weighty a Concernment as Mariage Trifle You say very true and being so weighty a Concernment as you say I am come for thy Advice not trusting to my own judgment and thus it is There is a Gentleman that hath come two or three times thorough out street and the last time he came he look'd up to my Chamber-window wherefore I conceive he
and to obey and every Holyday you shall in Arbors sit shadow'd from hot Sun-beams whilst Country Maids and Country Men which Lovers are shall dance upon the grassy Green to the sound of the Horn-pipe Bag-pipe and such breathing Musick whose pleasant Strains and plain-set Notes rebound in Ecchos from the high-cast Banks the lofty Hills hollow Woods and murmuring Streams besides other Rural sports to entertain your Eyes and Ears and recreate your Minde with Mirth and harmless Plays to pass your Time withall No life so pleasant as the Country Life No woman so happy as the Farmers VVife Prudence Honest Friend could I as easily perswade my Affections to your Person as I could to the condition of a Shepherdesses life or Farmers wife you should be the only man I would choose but since I cannot I must only return you thanks for your good liking in that you have preferr'd me in your choise for which may neither nipping Frost nor burning Sun nor blasting winds nor weeds nor snails nor worms destroy your Labours nor ravenous Wolves nor crafty Foxes nor Polcats Weesels Kites or any such like Vermin fright or rob you of your young tender breed may all your grounds and flocks increase a treble-fold your fleeces long and thick your corn firm and full-car'd your grass sweet and broad-bladed your trees so full of fruits that every branch may bow under its load and may your plenty store all the Kingdom that neither want nor famine may be fear'd or felt may all your Country Neighbours and labouring Swains respect you as their Chief obey you as their Lord and worship you as their God Pan Exeunt Scene 22. Enter Sir William Holdfast meeting the Lady Mute she seeming as in a studious Thought HOldfast Lady you are in a serious Contemplation Pray what are you thinking of Mute I have heard that thoughts are free but I perceive they cannot pass without questioning Holdfast I would not boldly intrude upon them my humble desire is I might partake of the Excellency of them Mute I suppose you think my Contemplation is of Heaven and not of the World for there is no subject which can make Thought excellent but what is Divine for the World corrupts them Nature deceives them and Speech betrays them Holdfast If your speech never betrays more than it doth now which only expresses your Wit you may well pardon it but I now finde you are not so ignorantly simple as you are thought to be through your silence Mute I confess I have practis'd silence for I am of years fitter to learn than to talk and I had rather be thought ignorantly simple for being silent than to express folly by too much speaking Holdfast But I wonder you will suffer you self to be laugh'd at for a Natural Fool when your wit is able to defend you from scorns and scoffs and is able to maintain its own Arguments Mute If I had Wit there would be no Honour in the Arguing no more than for a Valiant man to fight with Cowards so wit to dispute with fools But I had rather they should laugh at me than I should weep for my self yet there were none in that company that laugh'd at me but were older than I and the older they are the more faults they have committed and if they laugh at me for my little wit I will scorn them for their many faults and hate them for their vices Holdfast The truth is 't is only fools that commit many faults and take delight in their own follies and do themselves hurt with their own errors and not those that have Wit for they have Ingenuity and Prudence to foresee and so escape errours and the mischiefs that may follow But you appear by not expressing your self to your disadvantage and your silence doth you wrong Mute I care not how I appear in my outward Aspect so my Life be honest my Actions just my Behaviour modest my Thoughts pure and that I obey to the utmost of my power the Laws and Customs of Duty Morality Divinity and Civility But 't is a sign of a foolish Age when silence is thought ignorant simplicitie and modesty accounted a crime when in Antient Times Youth was taught sober Attention and it was impos'd upon Scholars to keep silence five years before they were suffer'd to speak that they might afterwards be able to Teach and not always live to learn as School-boys which they would always be if they spent their time in words and not study and observe And silence is a discretion that few women practise being more apt to talk than men for women are fuller of words than thoughts but words should be weighed by Judgment in the ballance or scales of Sense and deliver'd by the tongue through the lips by Retail which cannot be if they throw them out so fast for there is required Reason Time and Understanding besides unstopped Ears to hear them But though mine Enemies laugh at me for a Fool yet I have so much Honesty Innocencie and Modesty to guard and defend my Reputation as they cannot wound that with their sharp words nor laughing faces Exeunt Scene 23. Enter the Lady Prudence and her strange Wooer a man that had a wooden Leg a patch on his Eye and Crook-back'd unhandsome snarled Hair and plain poor Cloaths on He takes the Wooers place and the Assembly about gazing with smiling faces at the sight of such a Wooer Strange Wooer Lady I come not now to plead with flourishing Rhetorick to make that which is false to appear like truth or paint a foul cause with fair smooth words But my cause of request is honest and what I shall speak is truth nor do I strive to hide my Deformities or Vices As for my outward deformities they are visible to your Eyes but Vices live in the Appetites Passions and Affections which are only exprest by the Actions and therefore the easier may be dissembled from the most part of the World yet not from Heaven to whom I am to make a just account And since my sins are only to the Gods and not you fair Godess I shall not at this time make a publick confession of them but I am come here to present you with my love which love is as pure as unspotted Angels it hath no by-respects unto your Wealth Beauty or Birth but barely and meerly to your Virtue in truth I come a wooing to your Soul not to your Body but yet mistake me not I would not have them parted I cannot say my Estate or Birth deserves you nor have I merits equal to your worth but since my love is as pure as your virtue it will be an equal Match And though you see my body a deformed bulk yet I am not asham'd of it because the owner which is my Mind is honest for I never betray'd my King or Country Mistris or Friend nor any Trust that was impos'd unto me by any although a Foe I never shut my
purse nor sheath'd my sword from helping the distress'd nor turn'd my back upon my assaulting Enemy I never stole good Fame nor rob'd good Names nor stab'd Innocency with slander I never scorn'd those below my self nor envy'd those above me I never infring'd the Laws of Honour nor disturb'd civil Society and though I cannot suffer an injury patiently yet I never did omit a duty willingly As for the truth of what I say I have none to witness for me as being a stranger but my own words from which this company perchance may think self-love and great desire hath brib'd my Tongue but if they do their thoughts make Truth no less no more than Eyes that are blind Ears that are deaf can rob you of your Wit and Beauty for though your Wit they do not hear nor Beauty see yet you passess them no less their want only robs you of their Admiration not of the Possession and say I am blind of one eye my other eye doth see and I have Hearing perfectly which doth inform my Knowledge and Understanding with that which makes my Admirations and Adorations perfect and sound within my Heart wherein your Picture is printed on which my Soul doth view and gazing kneels with wonder and astonishment that so much Wit Wisedom and Virtue should be in one so young fair And if you cannot love me despise me not for my pure Love is Divine as being divinely placed on you and it would grieve my Soul to have the zealous fire and immaculate flame of my Affection extinguish'd with your neglecting Thoughts and rak'd up in the ashes of your Forgetfulness But if any of my Sex shall seem to jest or scorn me for my outward form or shape My Courage and my Sword shall take my bodies part To cut their Limbs or thrust them through their Heart Prudence Worthy Sir you must excuse me from answering you at this time for I am taken on the sudden very sick Strange Wooer I wish you health although it were to be only purchas'd by my death Exeunt Scene 24. Enter Mistris Trifle and a Grave Matron MAtron What is the cause you weep Trifle Because my Father will not get me a Husband and Mistris Fondly will have a Husband before I shall have one for I hear she is to be maried she is happier in her Parents than I am for my Parents are unnatural and take no care how to get me a Husband and to see me maried Matron You may marry soon enough to repent Trifle I am sure I shall not repent for to be a Wife is a condition I am most desirous of and cannot be happy any other way Matron And Wives think Maids only happy because they are not vex'd nor troubled with a Husband Trifle Such women deserve no Husbands for certainly a Husband is a joy and a comfort as being a companion and a friend Matron But Husbands seldome keep in the company of their Wives and many times instead of a friend prove an enemy Enter a Servant Trifle What have you been at Mistris Fondly's House Servant Yes Trifle And have you inquir'd of her Maid as I bid you whether the Report is true that her Mistris is to be maried Servant Yes Trifle And what said she Servant She said that a Gentleman did Treat with her Mistrisses Father but they could not agree for the Gentleman would have more portion than her Father would give whereupon the Match is broke off Trifle I am glad of that for I would not have her maried before me for all the World But did you not see mistris Fondly Servant No for her Maid said her Mistris at the breaking off her Mariage almost broke her heart for she hath so afflicted her self and hath so wept and sigh'd as she is fallen sick and keeps her Chamber Trifle Alas good Friend I pity her extremely but I will go with her and try if I can comfort her Exeunt Scene 25. Enter the Lady Prudence to give her Answer to her Suter the Stranger The Assembly standing about the Lady and Suter take their places PRudence Noble Sir the Wit wherewith Nature Time and Education hath endu'd my tender brains is like new kindled fire that sparkling flies about the fuel being green and newly laid to burn there is more smoke than flame But since the time I heard you speak a newer fire is kindled in my Heart which equally doth burn with your profess'd Affections and though your Person is none of Natures exactest Peeces yet your Mind doth seem to be compos'd with all her best Ingredients and sure your Thoughts set notes of Honour Honestly and Love by which your Tongue plays Harmony 'T is not the sattin Skin that 's painted white and red nor near-carv'd Bodies can win my Love nor Wealth Titles Birth nor crown'd Power but Truth Sincerity Constancy Justice Prudence Courage and Temperance by which as Magistrates your life seems to be governed which life I wish the Gods may Crown with happy days and in Fames Tower long live your praise I will not ask you from whence you came nor what you are For though you seem but poor and mean Your Soul appears to me sublime Stranger And will you chuse me for your Husband Lady Prudence I shall be proud to be your Wife Sir Stranger The Gods are just to my pure Love rewarding it with your acceptance but I must beg your leave for some short time of Absence and then I shall return and claim your Promise Prudence You have the liberty Sir Exit Strange Wooer The Lady Gravity speaks to the Lady Prudence Gravity Lady surely you are in a High Feaver Prudence Why Madam Gravity As to do so extravagant an Action as to marry a man you know not what he is nor from whence he came and may prove as deformed in Mind as in Body as mean of Birth as poor in Parse as beggars that live on cold dry Charity Prudence If he be poor my Estate will make him rich if humbly born his Merits make him Honourable from whence he comes I do not care and where he will have me go I will wait upon him never questioning to what place Exit Lady Prudence Gravity Her Courage is beyond her Wit Liberty For the Example of this Lady I would have a Law made that there should be no more Publick Wooing Parle She hath cast away her self Minion Who can help it The Assembly go out holding up their hands as at a wonder Scene 26. Enter the Lady Mute as being in a melancholy Humour Enter Sir William Holdfast as meeting her HOldfast Lady why seem you so melancholy Mute My melancholy disposition is apt to catch hold on my evil Fortunes and both joyning together help to multiply my sad thoughts Holdfast Why should you be sad Mute How can I be merry when I am left destitute of Friends and unacquainted with Experience Holdfast Nature hath furnish'd you with all store you need none Mute If she
so restless as it gives no time for content Spightfull The truth is content only lives in words but never lives in deeds for I never heard or saw any one truly content in my life Tell-truth The truth is Content is like the Shadow of a Substance or the Thought of an Act and therefore let us leave it as we would idle or vain Thoughts or vading or vanishing Shadows Exeunt Scene 6. Enter Monsieur Heroick and Monsieur Phantasie PHantasie Sir it is reported you are a Servant to my Mistriss Heroick I am a Servant to the whole Effeminate Sex and to her if she be a woman Phantasie Yes she is a woman and the fairest of her kind Heroick Why then I am her Slave Phantasie I desire you will inslave your self to some other and not to her Heroick You must pardon me if she be the fairest for I am bound to the absolutest Beauty Phantasie Draw Heroick Nay I am not so rash for by your favour I will view her with mine own Eyes and take the opinion of my own Judgment and not venture my life on your bare word Phantasie I say draw Heroick I shall but know I only fight in mine own defence not for her Beauty unless I saw her and approved her such as you affirm her to be for though I am Servant to all yet t is impossible all should be an absolute Beauty Phantasie Know I account all those my Enemyes that question it besides you give me the lye in doubting the truth Heroick I perceive it is your violent passion that perswades you or rather forces you to fight and not your Reason and if your passion were to be counselled I would counsel you to stay untill we choose our Seconds to witness how we fought not in a furious rage but when our spirits are fresh and cool our Minds as equal temper'd as our Blades and that our valours are not ashamed to own the quarrel so shall we sight on just and honest grounds and honour will be the purchase we shall gain Phantasie He hear no more but fight Heroick Nature I ask thy pardon I must ingage thee to a furious rage of sudden fit or frantick humour which are for thee to scorn and flight and not to fight Exeunt Scene 7. Enter Monsieur Nobilissimo and Monsieur Poverty NObilissimo Monsieur Poverty shall I never have the honour of your Company Poverty My Poverty will disgrace you my Noble Lord Nobilissimo I were no noble Lord if virtuous Poverty could disgrace me Poverty Howsoever your Servants Friends and Acquaintance will forsake you if I should wait upon your Lordship Nobilissimo They may be my Acquaintance but neither my Friends nor Servants that will forsake me for the sake of virtuous Poverty for though I would not have thee intail'd to my line and posterity nor to live constantly in my family yet I am neither ashamed nor afraid to shake thee by the hand as long as thou art an honest man and I desire to take Plenty in own hand but to serve Poverty with both hands Poverty May Plenty be always your Lordships Hand-Maid Nobilissimo And your Reliever Sir Exeunt Scene 8. Enter Madamoiselle Amor and her Sister Madamoiselle La Belle MAdamoiselle La Belle Sister be not jealous of me for I have no design to rob you of your Servant I study not those Amorous allurements for I would not be otherwise known unto the Masculine Sex than Angels are to one another yet I may respect honour and admire without a doteing fondness or a surprized affection or an incaptivated love Madamoiselle Amor Yes Sister when I consider your Virtue I cannot be Jealous of you but when I look on your Beauty I cannot be Confident of my Servant for Beauty is victorious and most commonly triumphs in all hearts binding the Passions and leading the Affections as Prisoners and the Thoughts run a-long as Slaves and Constancy if it be not kill'd in the Battell yet it is sore wounded and if it should recover yet never to the former strength again Enter Monsieur Nobilissimo Madamoiselle La Belle My Lord what say you hath your Mistriss my Sister Amor any reason to be Jealous Nobilissimo Yes if my Mistriss were any other but her self Madamoiselle I thank you for I had rather be kill'd with civill although dissembling words than live with rude Inconstancy Nobilissimo Why do you think I speak not truth Madamoiselle Amor I hope your words are marks of truth for all belief to shoot at Nobilissimo But Hopes are built on Doubts and Fears and do you Doubt and Fear my Love Madamoiselle Amor How can I love without attending Fear being inseparable Nobilissimo Pray do not fear for though there is none that seeth your Sister La Belle but must confess she is most beautifull yet all fancy not Beauty alike but were she above what she is as much as Heaven to Earth or Gods to Men yet I am fixt and not to be remov'd no more than is Eternity Exeunt ACT III Scene 9. Enter Madamoiselle Esperance very fine and her Cousin Madamoiselle Tell-truth MAdamoiselle Esperance Am not I very fine to day Tell-truth Yes very fine Madamoiselle Esperance Do I look handsome to Day Tell-truth Yes very handsome Madamoiselle Esperance If I were a Stranger should I attract your Eyes to take notice of me Tell-truth As you are my Cousin and intimate Friend and known acquaintance and see you every day yet I cannot choose but look on you and take notice of your rich Garments but why do you ask for you do not use to make such questions Madamoiselle Esperance I will tell you when I was new Married my Husband took so much notice of my Dress that the least alteration he observed nay he grew jealous at it and thought each curl a snare set to catch Lovers in after I had been Married some little space of time he condemned me for carelessness and desired me to various dresses and now drest or undrest he never observes for were I drest with splendrous light as glorious as the Sun or Clouded like dark Night it were all one to him neither would strike his Sense yet I observe he doth observe my Maids as that one hath a fine Pettycoat and another hath handsome made Shooes and then he pulls up their Pettycoats a little way to see what stockings they have and so views them all over and commends them saying they are very fine when all these Garments he commends on them were mine which I had cast off and given to them when those Garments though fresh and new when I did wear them he never took notice of besides when my Maids do come into the Room where he and I are he strives to talk his best as if he wisht and did indeavour their good opinion when only alone with me the rubbish of his discourse doth serve the turn Tell-truth Madam I perceive you do begin to be Jealous
naturally an eloquent Orator yet the bare truth of his worthy Virtues and Heroical actions will be sufficient to make the story both profitable delightfull and famous also I must intreat you to choose out a Poet one that doth not meerly write for gain or to express his own wit so much as to endeavour to Pencil with the pen Virtue to the life which in my Lord was so beautifull as it was beyond all draughts but the theam will inspire his Muse and when both these works are writ printed and set out as divulged to the World as a patern for examples which few will be able to imitate then I would have these books ly by me as Registers of memory for next unto the Gods my life shall be spent in Contemplation of him I know I shall not need to perswade you to do this for your affection to his memory is ready of it self but love and duty binds me to express my desires for his Fame leaving nothing which is for my part thereunto Doctor Educature Madam all the service I can do towards the memory of my dear Pupil and noble Lord and Patron shall be most devoutly observed and followed for Heaven knows if I had as many lives to dispose of as I have lived years I would have Sacrificed them all for to haue redeemed his life from Death Doctor Educature goes out Madam Jantil alone Madam Iantil. When I have interred my Husbands body and all my desires thereunto be finished I shall be at some rest and like an Executrix to my self executing my own will distributing the Rites and Ceremonies as Legacies to the dead thus the living gives the dead but O my Spirits are tired with the heavy burden of Melancholy and grow faint for want of rest yet my senses invite me thereunto yet I cannot rest in my Bed for frightfull Dreams disturb me wherefore I will ly down on this floor and try if I can get a quiet sleep on the ground for from Earth I came and to Earth I would willingly return She lays her self down upon the ground on one side of her Arm bowing leaning upon her Elbow her Forehead upon the palm of her hand bowing forwards her face towards the ground but her grief elevating her passion thus speaks Madam Iantil. Weep cold Earth through your pores weep Or in your bowels my salt tears fast keep Inurn my sighs which from my grief is sent With my hard groans build up a Monument My Tongue like as a pen shall write his name My words as letters to divulge his fame My life like to an Arch over his Ashes bend And my desires to his grave descend I warn thee Life keep me not Company I am a friend to Death thy Enemy For thou art cruell and every thing torments Wounding with pain all that the World presents But Death is generous and sets us free Breaks off our Chains and gives us liberty Heals up our wounds of trouble with sweet rest Draws our corrupted passions from our breast Layes us to sleep on Pillows of soft case Rocks us with silence nothing hears nor sees She fetches'a great sigh O that I may here sleep my last After a short slumber she wakes If it were not for Dreams sleep would be a happiness next unto Death but I find I cannot sleep a long sleep in Death I shall not dye so soon as I would Love is so strong and pure it cannot dy Lives not in sense but in the Soul doth lye Why do I mourn his love with mine doth dwell His love is pleas'd mine entertains it well But mine would be like his one imbodied Only an Essence or like a Godhead Exeunt Scene 22. Enter Doctor Comfort and Doll Pacify DOctor Comfort How doth our Lady Doll Doll Pacify To day she began to sit up but yet she is very weak and faint Doctor Comfort Heaven help her Doll Pacify You that are Heavens Almner should distribute Heavens gifts out of the purse of your mouth and give her single Godly words instead of single silver pence to buy her some Heavenly food to feed her famisht mind Doctor Comfort Thou are a full-fed wench Doll Pacify If I were no better fed than you feed me which is but once a week as on Sundayes I should be starved Doctor Comfort You must fast and pray fast and pray Exeunt ACT V. Scene 23. Enter two Gentlemen 1 GEnt. All the young Gallants in the Town are preparing themselves with fine Cloths and Feathers to go a woing to the two rich Widows the Lady Iantil and the Lady Passionate 2 Gent. Riches are the Loadstone of affection or at least professions 1 Gent. The truth is Riches draw more Suters than Youth Beauty or Virtue Exeunt Scene 24. Enter two or three Gentlemen Monsieur Comerade Monsieur Compagnion and Monsieur la Gravity Monsieur Comerade For Heavens sake let us go and address our selves to the two Rich Widows Monsieur Compagnion For my part I will address my self to none but the young Widow the Lady Iantil and to her let us go without delay Monsieur la Gravity It will be uncivil to go so soon after their Husbands Death for their Husbands are not yet laid in their Graves Monsieur Compagnion If they were we should come too late for I knew a man which was a great friend of mine who was resolved to settle himself in a married course of life and so he went a wooing to a Widow for a Widow he was resolved to marry and he went a wooing to one whose Husband was but just cold in his grave but she told him she was promised before so he wooed another whilst she followed her Husbands Corps but she told him he came too late whereat he thought with the third not to be a second in his Sute and so expressed his desires in her Husbands sickness she told him she was very sorry that she had past her word before to another for if she had not she would have ma le him her choice whereat he curst his imprudence and wooed the fourth on her wedding day who gave him a promise after her Husband was dead to marry him and withall she told him that if she had been married before it had been ten to one but he had spoke too late for said she when we are Maids we are kept from the free conversation of men by our Parents or Guardians but on our wedding day we are made free and set at liberty and like as young Heirs on the day of one and twenty we make promises like bonds for two or three lives wherefore I fear we shall miss of our hopes for these two Widows will be promised before we address our Sute Monsieur la Gravity No no for I am confident all do not so for some love to have the freedoms of their wills for every promise is a bondage to those that make a Conscience to keep their promise besides it is not only variety that pleaseth women but
neither instructed her in the knowledge of Wisdome nor Wit but learn'd her hurtful dissimulation to which she hath bred all her Female Generations successively as from Female to Female but your question is whether women are capable of Wit and Wisdome truly in my opinion women are more capable of Wit than VVisdome by reason they are both of the Female Gender which may cause some sympathy in their Natures and in some things they do plainly sympathy and agree for VVit is wild and various and so are women and VVit is busie and meddles with every thing cause or subject so do women Wit is fantastical and so are women VVit is alwayes in extremes and so are women Wit doth talk much and so do women Wit is humoursome and so are women VVit is prodigal and so are women VVit loves praises and so do women VVit doth sport and play dance and sing the time away and so do women VVit is many times wanton and so are women Thus far are women capable of the Society and Conversation of Wit but I doubt of her subtile Invention quick Apprehension rare Conceptions elevated Fancy and smooth Eloquution As for Wisdome women seem to all outward appearance to have a natural Antipathy abhorring his severe and strict Rules hating his mediciable Admonitions his profitable Counsels and Advice his wary wayes his prudent forecast his serious actions his temperate life and sober disposition all which makes them uncapable of the Society of Wisdome Exeunt ACT II. Scene 3. Enter two Gentlemen 1 GEntleman I suppose you have heard that a company of young Gentlemen have set up an Academy next to the Ladies Academy 2 Gentleman VVe heard nothing of it 1 Gentleman VVhy then I will tell you the men are very angry that the women should speak so much and they so little I think for they have made that Room which they stood in to see and hear the Ladies speak in so a place for themselves to speak in that the Ladies may hear what they can say 2 Gentleman Faith if you will have my opinion it is that the men do it out of a mockery to the Ladies 1 Gent. 'T is likely so for they rail extremely that so many fair young Ladies are so strictly inclosed as not to suffer men to visit them in the Academy 2 Gentleman Faith if the men should be admitted into their Academy there would be work enough for the Grave Matrons were it but to act the part of Midwives Exeunt Scene 4. Enter the Academy Ladies and their Grave Matrons another of the young Ladies sits as Lady Speaker in an Armed Chair the rest on stools about her MAtron Lady at this time let the Theam of your discourse be of discoursing Lady As for Discourse it is differently various some discourses are delightfull and pleasing others tedious and troublesome some rude and uncivil some vain and unnecessary some gracefull and acceptable some wise and profitable but in most discourses time is lost having nothing that is worthy to be learn'd practised or observed But there are two sorts of discourses or manner of wayes of discoursings as there is a discoursing within the mind and a discourse with words as for the inward discourse in the mind it is to discourse to a mans self as if they were discoursing to others making Questions or Propositions Syllogisms and Conclusions to himself wherein a man may deceive himself with his own false arguments for it is an old saying That it is one thing to oppose himself and another thing to be opposed by others and it is easie to argue without opposition As for discoursing with words it is more difficult than to discourse with thoughts for though words are as high and substantial as thoughts yet the Mouth is not so ready in speaking as the Brain in thinking and the Brain can present more thoughts at one time than the Mouth can deliver words at one time but words or Rhetorick is apt to deceive a man as his Concepceptions especially Orators which draw themselves with the force of Rhetorick from the right and the truth so as an Orator is as apt to delude himself as to delude his Auditory if he make words or eloquence the ground of his Questions Perswasions or Judgement and not Reason for Reason must find out the truth and right and Truth must judge the cause but Rhetorick is for the most part a Vizard to right Reason for it seems a natural Face and is not so Rhetorick seems right Reason but is not Also there are extemporal discourses and discourses premeditated extemporal sounds best to the ears of the hearers although of lesse wit than premeditated discourses because they are delivered more naturally and so flow more freely and easily which makes the noise not only to sound more sweetly but the discourse to be more delightful both to the ears and the mind of the hearers and more ready to the understanding but of all discourses the disputive discourses are harshest Indeed all disputive discourses are like Chromatick Musick wherein is more Skill than Harmony but all discourses should be fitted measured or chosen to the time place persons and occasions for that discourse which is proper for one time place or person is improper for another time place or person as a discourse of mirth in a time of sadnesse a familiar discourse from an Inferior to a Superior a vain discourse to a serious humour or an Effeminate discourse to a man or a Masculine discourse to a woman and many the like examples might be given Also there are discourses that are sensible discourses rational discourses and witty discourses also there are other discourses that have neither Sense Reason Wit nor Fancy in them Also there are Clownish discourses and Courtly discourses Also there is a general discoursing and particular discoursing also Scholastical discourses and Poetical discourses but of all the several wayes manners or sorts of discourses and discoursings Let me commend the Poetical discourses and discoursings which are brief and quick full of variety curiosity and newnesse being as new as peep of day as refreshing as the Zephyrus wind as modest as the blushing morning sweet as the flowry Spring as pleasant as a Summers Evening as profitable as Autumns Harvest as splenderous as the mid-day Sun as flowing as the full Tide Sea as dilating as the spreading Ayre as fruitfull as the fertile earth and have as great an influence upon the Natures Dispositions and Humours of men as the Stars Planets in the Heavens have it takes life from the Coelestial flame and is produced from the Gods on high and this discourse makes Man resemble to a Deity Exeunt Scene 5. Enter two Gentlemen as meeting each other 1 GEntleman Whither so hastily 2 Gent. I am going to hear them speak in the Academy 1 Gent. They have done for this time 2 Gent. And did they spaek well 1 Gent. As they use to do 2 Gent. Why they never
in a bashfull Countenance and if to tremble for fear to describe the fear as being the Nature of the Sex also to describe their Behaviour after a Noble Garb and their answers to their Suters to be full of Reason Sense and Truth and those answers to be delivered in as short discourses and as few words as Civility will allow of and not like an ignorant innocent a childish simplicity an unbred Behaviour expressing themselves or answering their Suters with mincing words that have neither Sense nor Reason in them Also Poetical and Romantical VVriters should not make great Princes that have been bred in great and populous Cities glorious Camps and splendrous Courts to woo and make Love like private bred men or like rude bred Clowns or like mean bred Servants or like Scholars that woo by the Book in Scholastical Terms or Phrases or to woo like flanting ranting swearing bragging Swaggerers or Rusters or to woo a Country wench like as a Noble Lady or great Princesse Also not to make such women as have been bred and born Nobly and Honourably to receive the Courtship of great Persons like a Dairy-maid Kitchin-maid or like such as have been bred in mean Cottages as to behave themselves simply or rudely as to the answer and speak Crossingly or Thwartingly as contradicting every word that is spoken unto them as if they did believe what they said was not truth for Civil and Honourable bred women who have Noble and Generous Souls will rather seem to believe all their Superlative Praises than make Doubts as if they knew they lyed for to make Doubts is in the mid-way to give the Lye Matron Lady how approve you of those Lovers that kisse the Letters Tokens Pledges and the like that are sent unto them from their Lovers or such as wear Letters Tokens or Pledges in their Bosomes and next their Heart and take them and view them a hundred times a day Lady Speaker Approve it say you you mean disapprove it but let me tell you most Reverend Matron that the very hearing of it makes the sick and the seeing of it would make me die I have so great an Aversion against such actions for those actions like as whining Speeches proceed from filthy Amorous Love and Mean Lovers for true Love in Noble Persons receives gifts as an expression of their Suters or Lovers Loves and will carefully keep them as an acknowledgment of the receipt and accept of them as a great Seal to their affections yet they keep such Presents but as Treasurers not as Owners untill they be man and wife neither do they make Idols of such gifts nor do they adore the Owner the more for the gift nor the gist for the Owner nor do they think fit they ought to give such outward expressions of Love by such uselesse actions when as they have a high esteem of their Suters Love a perfect belief of their Merit and a constant return of their affection and a resolution to dye or suffer any misery for their sakes if need required besides true Lovers have ever the Idea of their beloved in their Thoughts by which they cannot forget their Memory indeed Love-letters they may read often because Letters are an injoyment of their discourse although their persons be at a distance and are also a recreation and delight in their Wits if there be any Wit therein but to kisse the Paper they neither find pleasure delight non profit neither to themselves nor to their Beloved the truth is not one Writer amongst a thousand make Lovers woo either wisely wittily nobly eloquently or naturally but either foolishly meanly unmanly unhandsomely or amorously which is corruptly Matron Lady you say very true and some Romantical Writers make long and tedious Orations or long and tedious and fruitless discourse in such times as requires sudden action Lady Speaker You say right as to speak when they are to fight but for my part I hate to read Romances or some Scenes in Plays whose ground or Foundation is Amorous Love Matron VVhen you read such Books you must never consider the Subject that the VVriter writes on but consider the Wit Language Fancy or Description 2 Matron Most Reverend Sister I suppose few read Romances or the like Books but for the Wit Fancy Judgement and lively Descriptions for they do not read such Books as they do read Chronicles wherein is only to be considered the true Relation of the History Lady Speaker Most Grave and VVife Matronesse I believe though none read Romances or such like Books whose ground is feigned Love and Lovers as they read Chronicles whose ground should be unfeigned Truth yet certainly few read Romances or the like Books either for the Wit Fancy Judgement or Descriptions but to feed their Amorous Humours on their Amorous Discourses and to tune their Voice to their Amorous Strains of Amorous Love for it is to be observed that those Books that are most Amorously penned are most often read Exeunt Scene the last Enter the Academical Gentlemen to them enters a Servant MAn Servant May it please your Worships there is an Antient Gentlewoman that desires to speak with your VVorships 1 Gent. I lay my life it is one of the Matrons of the Academy 2 Gent. Faith if the Humble Bee is flown out the rest of the Bees will follow 3 Gent. I fear if they do they will swarm about our Ears 4 Gent. Yes and sting us with their Tongues 5 Gent. Let us send for her in 6 Gent. I will go and Usher her in He goes out Enters with the Matron All the Gentlemen pull off their Hats Matron Gentlemen the Ladies of the Academy have sent me unto you to know the Reason or Cause that you will not let them rest in quiet or suffer them to live in peace but disturb them in both by a confused noise of Trumpets which you uncivilly and discourteously blow at their Grate and Gates 1 Gent. The cause is that they will not permit us to come into their Company but have barricadoed their Gats against us and have incloystred themselves from us besides it is a dangerous example for all the rest of their Sex for if all women should take a toy in their heads to incloyster themselves there would be none left out to breed on Matron Surely it is very fit and proper that young Virgins should live a retired life both for their Education and Reputation 2 Gent. As for their Education it is but to learn to talk and women can do that without teaching for on my Conscience a woman was the first inventer of Speech and as for their Retirement Nature did never make them for that purpose but to associate themselves with men and since men are the chief Head of their kind it were a sign they had but very little Brain if they would suffer the youngest and fairest women to incloyster themselves Matron Gentlemen pray give me leave to inform you for I perceive you are in great Error of mistake for these Ladies have not vowed Virginity or are they incloystred for an Academy is not a Cloyster but a School wherein are taught how to be good Wives when they are married 3 Gent. But no man can come to woo them to be Wives Matron No but if they can win their Parents or those they are left in trust with and get their good liking and consent the young Ladies have learn'd so much Duty and Obedience as to obey to what they shall think fit 4 Gent. But we desire the Ladies good liking we care not for their Friends for the approvment and good liking of their Friends without the Love of the Ladies will not make us happy for there is no satisfaction in a secondary Love as to be beloved for anothers sake and not for their own Matron If you be Worthy Gentlemen as I believe you all are their Love will be due to your Merits and your Merits will perswade them to love you All the Gentlemen Well if you will be our Mediator we will surcease our Clamour otherwise we will increase our noise Matron If you can get leave of their Parents and Friends I will endeavour to serve you and shall be proud of the imployment that you shall be pleased to impose to my trust and management Gentlemen And we shall be your Servants for your favours They all go out with the Gentlemen waiting on her with their Hats in their hands Scraping and Congying to her FINIS
out Here ends my Lord Marquesses FINIS This written by my Lord Marquess THE SECOND PART OF Youths Glory and Deaths Banquet ACT I. Scene 2. Enter the Lord de l'Amour and the Lady Innocence the Lord de l'Amour seems to appear angry LAdy Innocence My Lord what makes you frown on me surely I never willingly offended you Lord de l'Amour But the report I hear of you offends me Lady Innocence I hope my behaviour is not lyable to any aspertion or evil censure for as you have used me civily so I have behaved my self modestly Lord de l'Amour I perceive you are a subtil insinuating young Lady Lady Innocence Think me not subtil for being so brod as not to slight your Love not so uncivil as to scorn your noble favours but strive to merit your worthy affections but if I have erred in my endeavours pray pardon me and if you please to tell me my errour I shall rectify it Lord de l'Amour I hear you will speak more lyes than tell truths Lady Innocence Truly I am too strict a Votary to truth to tell a lye Lord de l'Amour I should be glad you were vowed one of her Order Lady Innocence I am so and have taken the habit of sincerity upon me Lord de l'Amour Tell me truly do you never use to lye Lady Innocence If you have opinion that I never or seldome speak truth let me say what I will you will still believe it is a lye but truly I did never tell a lye as I do know of but did alwayes speak truth Lord de l'Amour I hear to my great grief you have many faults pray mend them Lady Innocence I am sory there are so many ill reports or rather aspersions laid on me as to grieve you but surely youth cannot commit many faults but Age that hath had time to commit faults in but if you can believe my faults surmounts not all accounts I shall desire to know them Lord de l'Amour Examine yourself and you will find them Lady Innocence I shall call a particular Councel and make a General search and what thoughts words or actions I can find guilty or prove Criminal I shall condemn and sacrifice them on the Altar of Repentance and crave mercy and forgiveness Lord de l'Amour Pray do so Ex. Lady Innocence alone 'T is strange his humour should be so suddenly changed from loving professions kind expressions and pleasing smiles to sharp words and angry frowns and that he should seem to love me as much as he did now to believe me so little as it seems he doth I hope it is only the superfluities of his affections that runs into the indiscretion of jealousie Ex. Enter Sanspareile and her Audience As soon as she hath taken her standing place A Messenger Enters Messenger The Queen of Attention is come to be one of your Audience The Company makes a bustle Enter the Queen of Attention and her Train Sir Thomas Father Love kneels down and kisses her hand Queen I am come to hear and see your Daughter whom fame reports to be the wonder of this Age Father It had been more proper and fit for my Daughter to have waited at your Court-Gates untill your Majesty had comanded her into your presence than for your Majesty to come hither to hear and see her but she being a plain bred girle durst not be so bold Queen If your Daughters wit be answerable to her beauty she is a wonder indeed Sanspareile comes off from the place where she stands and makes 3. Obeysances and coming near kneels down and kisses the Queens hand Lady Sanspareile Madam this gracious honour and honourable grace is beyond the management of my young years the evil of my weak confidence and the compass of my little wit and my obscure breeding hath made me so Ignorant that I know not in what manner I should behave or address myself towards your Majesty but if I commit faults in misbehaviour pray impute it to my ignorant youth and not to disobedience Queen I see nothing yet in your behaviour but that you may be not only a pattern for young but also for grave Age to take example from Sanspareile Madam the generosity of your Maiesties Nature the Magnificence of your Majesties mind and the Charity of your Majesties disposition gives an overflowing commendation like to the goodness of the Gods that gives more to the Creature than the Creature can deserve Queen Let me tell you young Lady your speeches are as pleasing to the eare as your beauty is delightfull to the eye Sanspareile Your Majesty is like a Deity can turn or translate words like poor Mortals into a glorified sence like as into a glorified body Queen Sir Thomas Father Love if your Daughter speak at all times and alwayes so eloquently I should not wonder you let her speak in publick Father I beseech your Majesty that you will rather judge me an over fond Father which is natural than a vain opiniatour in that I give her liberty to speak in publick Queen If it were a vanity it might be well forgiven but pray let me hear her speak Sanspareile makes three obeysances as she steps back from the Queen to her standing-place and then ascends Sanspareile Great Queen I nor no other should offer or dare to speak before or to such Supreme persons as your Majesty without a sore premeditation for the words and behaviours of speakers should be fitted to the degrees and qualities Powers Offices and Authorities of the Auditory But your Majesties commands makes that an obedient duty that would otherwayes be a presumption wherefore on the ground of duty I speak at this time before your Majesty but the Royalty of your person the brightnesse of your beauty the fame of your vertues and the glorious splendour of your Majestical Grandeur hath so amazed me that my understanding is as it were blind which will cause my tongue to stagger and my words to run stumbling out of my mouth but I hope your Justice will pardon them For as Divine Justice belongs to the Gods moral Justice to Nature so humane Justice to Monarchial Princes which justice is weighed and measured out according to merit or desert be they good or bad For which Justice Gods and Princes are both feared and loved and Justice is the chief Pillar or upholder of Monarchical States and Common-wealths for without Justice there can be no Government and without Government there can be no Rule and without Rule there can be no peace and where peace is not there will be warrs and warrs causeth ruine and destruction But for the most part those Kingdomes that have arrived to the height of Glory declines or falls to ruine The reason is that a low condition is necessitated and weak wherefore they seek for help to strengthen themselves which makes or rather forces every particular person to associate unite either by Laws of Covenants to which they submit