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A06163 Catharos. Diogenes in his singularitie Wherein is comprehended his merrie baighting fit for all mens benefits: christened by him, a nettle for nice noses. By T.L. of Lincolns Inne, Gent: 1591. Lodge, Thomas, 1558?-1625. 1591 (1591) STC 16654; ESTC S109562 41,902 68

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Philoplutos and Cosmosophos although Diogenes be blunt I would haue you witnesse with me that I wish all vertuous Ladies should vnderstand that none but Lais and her faction are toucht in this inuectiue for them that are honest I haue a cup of good fountaine water a dish of Coleworts and a hartie welcome Cosmo Well Diogenes since thy discourse hath prooued the monstrous mother Lecherie so deadly and each of her abortiue daughters so dangerous wee pray thee so much farther to fauour vs that in opening Scillaes gorge thou teach vs to auoyde Charybdis gulph and hauing tolde vs the rage thereof we intreate thee to prescribe a remedie Dio I will performe your request and before I finish my discourse chop one thrust further in and talke of the remedies of luxurie by which as with a preseruatiue and antidote some of our vnreclaymed Athenian yongsters may following the example of those happie soules and good Christians which pretend their part in heauen keépe and preserue themselues from this contagion First of all we ought to call to minde that sensualitie and lust destroyeth and dissipateth a mans goods in such sort as it handled the prodigall Childe who consumed all his substance with harlots The goods of a man are of three sorts the goods of the spirite the goods of the bodie and the goods of fortune that is to say golde siluer lands and possessions and finally all that which a man may haue in this mortall life either concerning pleasure or profite Therefore the same it is which Salomon saith he that nourisheth a harlot looseth his substance It is not requisite to discourse hereupon any further since experience daily declareth vs by one an other howe many prodigall men fall in the pitfold As touching the goods of the body it causeth a thousand maladies as the Surgians may testifie who heale the poxe the sicknes of Naples cankers and other villanies which come thereby it consumeth the vital humour and weakeneth the braine and consequently the nerues of the whole body as Aristotle and after him Galen which also naturall reason sufficiently teacheth vs for the act of lasciuiousnes after it hath consumed the naturall heat maketh all the hote body chill nay more cooleth the braine which according to some Philosophers is the siege of humane séed which is cold of it self From thence oftentimes procéedeth the Epelepsie and falling sicknes to which diuers sorts of men are subiect I beléeue this was the reason that mooued Auicen the Arabian to say that the exercise of palliardise is more permcious to the body of man than if hee had diuers time indured letting of bloud In briefe Lechery weakeneth the forces inféebleth the member depriueth the body of his beauty defaceth the crimson taint of the visage furroweth the browes maketh the eies dim and heauy causeth the Feuer and gout and finally abridgeth mans life By reason whereof the Philosopher said that they which are luxurious liue not so long time as those that are chast and continent All this being well considered by the great Philosopher saint Paul he said vnto the Corinthians that he which addieteth himselfe to fornication and vncleannesse of the body beside the offence that is committed against the diuine Maiestie of God sinneth against his owne flesh in abbridging his dayes and by consequence is a homicide of himselfe If there néede anie question to speake of the goods of the spirite it is most certain that Iubricitie consumeth them farre more than any other sin First of all it destroyeth the infused vertues which are the grace of God and the seuen gifts of the holy spirite which are incompatible with luxuriousnes and of which one onely ounce out valueth all the goods and benefites of this flattering world Secondly it consumeth the foure Cardinall vertues to wit Prudence Temperaunce Fortitude and Iustice so famous among the Philosophers it obscureth the vnderstanding blindeth the memorie dulleth frée will and in most taketh awaye humane iudgement and maketh him blinde and inconsiderate in matters aswell moderne as necessarie to his saluation If all this were well considered our picked yongsters hauing their peakes starched for feare of stirring their coates perfumed their garments iagged would leaue to iybe with this cursed letcherie for feare they Iigg them selues out of heauen and our pretie mistresses that set no foote on the ground but as if they tread on Mosse and trauerse more on the héele than they trip on the toe they would finde here a good bridell for them to drawe them from the loue of this infected letcherie Secondly they ought to consider how much this filthie follie is both dishonest and vndecent for a soule which is created according to the image of God Nay more how detestable it is to a man to showe himselfe in this licentious act like vnto brute beastes to loose the vse of reason and to make himselfe the slaue of iniquitie which also the Philosophers themselues haue helde in horror Moreouer we ought to regarde how vaine this pleasure is and of how small continuance and that it is but as a winde that passeth which is followed with a thousand and a thousand remorses For the Prouerb lyeth not which sayeth Pour vn plaisir mille doleurs The frute also of lasciuiousnes is but repentance as Demosthenes declared to that great harlot Lais. It is I saye a true repentance to a sinning soule which séeth that the pleasure is goue and the sinne and shame remaineth with him Ah las said the Apostle what frute haue you receiued of these things of which you are ashamed Knowe that the rewarde of sinne is death Now little contentment this pleasure yéeldeth it sufficiently apeareth since al creatures but a Cocke as the Philosopher saith Contristantur post coitum as that féeling alreadie the repentance and blot that remaineth men and reasonable creatures séeing themselues reduced by one so villanous an act to the life of brute beasts which is a great shame for them The third remedie is to flie the occasions in not regarding amorous bookes nor estéeming vaine thinges nor hearing immodest purposes nor frequenting Women except vnder the title of vertue and in summe to auoyde the other occasions which are incident to incite vs to this cursed errour The fourth we ought to fast watch and pray endeavouring by all good meanes to subdue the flesh vnto the spirite which is a singular remedie so as in times past the auncient Fathers haue experimented oftentimes in the solitarie Desarts where they mortified their bodies Benet and Frauncis two myrrors of chastitie whereof the first on a time being stirred with fleshly motions hee cast off his cloathes and all naked layd him downe vpon sharpe pricking thornes til being at last ouer-bloudied he ouercame the temptation The other being agitated with this passion laid him downe naked in depth of winter in a pit of snowe and another time séeing himselfe tempted by a woman hee set his naked féete O incredible thing