reade in their apparrell as it were in a Cart. The description of all forraine Countries with such new additions of Art as seemes in dumbe shewes to say What lacke you Gentlemen This sort of women doe not follow the commaund of Saint Paul That a woman should be arrayed in comely apparrell with shamefastnesse and modestie And what sayes the Prophet Isaiah The daughters of Sion are haughtie and walke with stretched out necks and with wandring eyes walking and minsing as they goe making a tinkling with their feet And what sayes he more Woe be vnto them that draw iniquitie with the cords of vanitie And are not these things the true cords of vanitie which drawes both man and women to eternall destruction Our Saviour affirmes it saying Whosoeuer looketh on a woman to lust after her hath cōmitted adulterie with her in his hart And for all this how often falls men vpon the stumbling blocks of iniquitie the wise man sayes Stumble not at the beautie of a woman beware of all her insnaring-engines for they are many and very tempting CAn not thy eyes the eyes of man command Hath not thy face sufficient force to kill But that thou must vngloue thy juorie hand Whose beautie robs proud Cupid of his skill So with thy hand thou shootes Cupidous darts And shootes at naught but at poore Lovers harts But how can that man eschew such fleshly temptations who makes their companie his summum bonum when all his felicity is placed vpon their dauncing singing speaking playing and with sweet and serious notes moving her fingers vpon a Violl d'Gambo enchants his eares and allures his sight Can a man sayes Salomon take fire in his bosome and his cloathes not be burnt As he would say can a man hant the companie of wanton women and not be allured with their lascivious stratagems when a man beholds their legges cloathed with silke stockins ritch garters fine pearled and well wrought smocks Such Hermophradites such pretty tempting instruments with tenne thousand more artificiall tricks which doeth enrage the lustfull man and makes him Fremitando Come vno Stallone che à veduta la Caualla SOme Martiall men bewitch'd with beautie rare Are intricate in Laborinths of Loue And forc'd to trie in fancies flatt'ring snare What sweet-mixt-sowre or pleasing paines can proue Then Nymph-like-she with strange inticing looke Doth so enchant the gallant minded men The bayte still hides the poyson of the hooke Till they be fast and thus betray'd what then Poore captiue slaues in bondage prostrate lies Yeelding vnto her mercie-wanting-wîll She in disdaine scornes all their carefull-cries And Circes-like triumphes in learned skill With ambling trips of beauties gorgeous grace Aurora-like in firie colours clad And with bright reflex of her fairest face She tempting goes with brainsick humors lad Fearing that if she should but looke below Then Beames would from her burning eyes descend On Juorie brest proud swelling hils of snow Would melt consume and all their beauty spend And so she lets her curled lockes downe fall Which doe allure the gentle cooling winde To come and play still wrapping vp in thrall Chaines of her haire fond Louers hearts to binde Beautie in prime adorn'd doth feede the sight From crimson lips sweet Nectars gust forth flowes Odours perfumes the breath not Natures right White Iuorie hands a sacred touch bestowes And when those pearle of Orientall-rankes With treasure rich of tempting sound deuides From two bright daintie mouing-corall-bankes In-circkled eares calme smoothing speeches slides Each sencelesse sence on doting pleasure fast Doth in a carelesse Register inroule Wishing that course of swift-wing'd Time to last Which spots the spotlesse substance of the soule But oh behold Nature in mourning weede Weepes to be wrong'd with superstitious Art For what can braines of rare inuention breede Or what 's vnsought which pleasure may impart The sharpest wit whose quicke deceauing still Makes restlesse musing of their minde to trie Vaine trifling snares mixtur'd with Magicks skill So Art adds that which Nature doth denie And thus much more sweet Syrens songs she sounds To charme conjure and tempt his listning eare Oh then the poore Captiued wretch abounds In peruerse vowes and monstrous oathes to sweare By furious force of Fancie more than mad With fond desire in restlesse course he hunts Blinde Loue can not discerne the good from bad When on the eye-plum'd tayle of pride it mounts The curious minde makes choise of good or ill Then scales the Fort of his Engine to clym Aboue the top of Art exceeding skill Perfect in that predominates in him Drunke with the wonders of a worthlesse worth From prospect of a looking-glasse he takes Strange Apish trickes to set his folly forth Mock'd with the gesture that his shadow makes When foolish feates no waies will serue his turne All hope is drown'd in despaires groundlesse deepe In restlesse bed he martir'd man must mourne Thoughts sighes and teares admit no kind of sleepe Thus layes the Conquest Conquerour of fields On his hurt heart he caries Cupids skarre The scuruie fainting Coward basely yields To idle Loue the enemie of warre Now Trumpets sound braue Martiall musick turnes To fidling noise or else some am'rous song That glorious Fame her wings of worth now burnes When golden youth in prime must suffer wrong Thus gallant sprights doe quintesence their wits Spending the rare invention of their braines On idle toyes at which high honor spits Nor memoriz'd memorials remaines IS it not said that faire windowes lascivious lookes curled locks the discovered mountaines of the moving breast often crossing of streetes and the hanting of assemblies are the true harbingers and fore-runners of venarie A leacherous bed is commonly decored with all kinde of allurements for the better execution of vulgar actions and the secret discharge of Venus lascivious misteries painted with the true colours of Ouids works as the disguising of naked Gods and Venus dallying with Adonis Tarquin at strife with Lucrece Hero sporting with Leander and such other wanton Objects with prettie conceites to encourage the vnwilling and to warme the cold humor of frostie desires besides all this the sheetes must be perfumed and sundry fine drying cloathes some well furnished glasses of delicate reviving liquors to giue a new life and to make a more swift resurrection to the fatigated creatures The often change mixtures of many sundry natures doth hinder the propagation and issue of children and so reguardlesse women by this meanes giues lust free libertie so to the eyes of the world with simple denials they liue long honest There is nothing more profitable to a Tavern then well-skilled and pretty wenches it makes the wine to haue an excellent gust it covers the imperfections of the house and giues a Curtaine to all kinde of corruption To mercenarie women all sorts of men are welcome the Clowne as well as the Courtier the Rascall the Gentleman the Boy as well as the Maister it is
onely gold and gifts makes choise if they conceaue with childe what then some women fearelesse of Gods heavie wrath will take drinks to destroy her conception and so commits a murther against Nature and what 's more against Nature then that abhominable sinne of Sodomie O what filthy and strange inventions hath mankinde to sloken the fierie lust of the flesh but beholde what is the end of all such filthinesse such beastly lust worse then beastly because the brute beasts keepes the rule and direction of Nature they against Nature hath no appointed time in particular but takes their time in all maner of times And I say againe what is the end of this abhomination and what reward hath God prepared for such wilde creatures Gli scadali Gli homicidi la pregione le Crapuli gli morbi ele bestemmie sono la legitima prole del putanisimo They are the true children of whoring the true off-spring of filthy lust the tormented Italian lying martired cries out Donna ma fatto E donna ma disfatto Who should pittie such sort of miserable Caitiues Non si doilga d'altrui non si lamenti Chi da Cagion ai sui propitormenti That honest and vniversall woman Mistres Werolle gaue a generall command that Mounsieur Camuis should by no meanes brangell his joynts nor yet play at Iaktaleg Is it not said that fire water and women are the greatest three daungers in this world The old and learned Father giving his opinion of the lustfull person and what harme it brings with it he sayes Luxuria sensum habetat confundit intellectum memoriam obdurat euacuat sensum obnubilat visum reddit hominem pallidum ac foeà um senectutem inducit mortem denique maturat All these miserable things are the true revenewes of leacherie when vanishing beautie begins to decay and then lookes in a Mirror then it shall see the strange ruines of time the wrinkled impression of vnwelcome age which blinde vanitie never did looke for they shall beholde their eyes sunke in their head and their face all disfigured Let the most beautifull body that ever was in the world be but foure houres deprived of life how hard favoured will it be how loathsome both to the sight and smell will it become then where shall the Prophet of Painting be where is the vertue of complexions and where is all the Engines that did abuse beautie all thy fairding can not helpe the defects of Nature at last it will bewray it selfe O but heare what that learned and godly Father S. Augustine sayes Fucare figmentis quo vel rubicundior vel candidior vel verecundior appareant adulterina fallacia est quanta amentia effigien mutare naturae picturam querere tollerabiliora prope modum in adulterio crimina sunt ibi enim pudicitia hic Natura adulteratur And what sayes that devine man Saint Ambrose Deles picturam Dei mulier si vultum tuum Materiali candore oblinisti Againe Saint Cyprian with the rest of these learned and devout Fathers sayes Foeminae manus Deo inferunt quando illud quod ille formauit reformare contendunt How detestable a thing is it to see a filthie creature seeke to reforme the handy-worke of God how vnthankfull and ingrate art thou to thy Creator when thou seest the blinde the cripple or any strucken with Gods hand how shouldst thou thanke God who hath created thee with all the joynts of thy bodie stretcht and even and hath given thee all thy right members he might haue made thee a monster to the world But O! thy pride considers not this but thou with Art will correct the wondrous works of God O come è indegna è stomacheuole cosa il vederte talhor con vn pinello pinger le guance occultar le mende di natura è del tempo è veder Come il liuido pallor fai parer di ostro Le rughe apiani è il bruno imbianchi è togli col defetto il defetto All their inventions their ever-devising conceites are naught else but snares to entrap our owne soules the man with enticing vanities doeth allure and perswade the women and the women with superstitious and superfluous follies tempts the man and yet for all this there is manie women no doubt who meanes well are deceaved with the subtill deceites of false and perjured men they will make their owne sex by an instrument to overthrowe them when a woman will for gold or mony tempt another woman and vse all deceaving tricks to ensnarcher so I say a woman to a woman is a great enemie such Pandrosses cares not the wrack of young damosels and then the distressed woman becomes an out-cast to her friends ashamed of themselues and a slaue to all kinde of miserie But can such sort of women be excused who desiring to be deceaved will compound and yeeld vpon reasonable conditions This sort of women are the weaker vessels who imputes their wantonnes to their too-much weaknes and whose naturall infirmities must be excused with their simple ignorance who trusted so much to oathes and vowes O God was ever man bewitched to think that the conques of a woman can crowne honor or can it raise any Trophies to vertues victorie or was ever the stealing of a Maids virginitie registred in any chronicle for a valorous act of worth and being got what is it A hastie-past-pleasure with a speedie following repentance where a swarme of tortring thoughts still works a swift revenge a trifling toy and like a feather blowen with the winde before children for when one boy gets it hee opens his hand to see it thē the wind blowes it straight away againe then others runs and gets it againe againe and againe and so it goes still from hand to hand And what 's all this they runne for it is but a feather let it goe Who builds his hopes vpon the ruenous ground of a wauering womans Constancie shall haue a suddaine fall And well may he with a pare of crossed armes breath forth and say Donna adorata e vn nume del inferno IF haples I had harbord in my heart The festred sting of euer-tortring greefe Reuthles disdaine had neuer scornd my smart Nor I haue baisde my selfe to beg releefe But O my Mistres hath a womans minde Who loues her best there proues she most vnkinde Doe what she can O cruell faithles faire Be still ingrate and neuer grant me grace For why the proud triumph of my Despare Hath lade my hopes before her slaughtring face There must they sterue murthred with mis-regarde My Loue is loath'd and I haue no rewarde Then fare-well Loue a woman is a toy Which being got some other gets againe Curst be that man whose jelousie is joy And yeelds him seruile to a Sluaish paine Who courts a woman must not thinke it strange That want of wit still makes her minde to change O man whom GOD his cheefest wonder made And Treasure ritch of his
al-seeing Eye The winter blast thy floorish fare shall fade Swift-posting-time still tels thee you must dye In fansies lap spend not thy dayes for shame Go spend thy dayes where honour liues with fame Then get you gone sweet Syrins of deceat Full well I knowe your strange inchanting skill I scorne that Coward of a base conceat That Pandor-like waits on a womans will O let him dye deceaud that will not doubt you And happiest he who best can liue without you When a man hyreth an horse either to ryde Post or Journey as it pleases the ryder at his journeies end he receaues but a hyrelings pay and so he is presently gone But when a man hes an horse of his own he will haue a care of him and spare for no expenses to see him well furnished well fed and well dicht neither will he burst him nor spur-gall him but he will ryde him softly and spare him Now what if his horse should learne gades and doe nothing without the Bastenado kick with his feete and not be answerable to the Rainzie but must be ridden with a French bit in faith then I think that man had better ridden on a Caronze hyrling when his owne horse proves noght else but a wearied jad If a man could say this word My owne he were happy so being he could say it with contentment as my owne house my owne wyfe my owne children is it not written Let euery man haue his owne wife But now in these dayes such is the detestable abhominations cropen into the hearts of men which makes them to polut the sacred band of Matremonie Now in this godles tyme a man cares not to put away his own wyfe and take another he wil alledge a thousand lyes he will corrupt men and wemen to beare false witnes or else he is not ashamed to discover his owne filthines and take the fault on himselfe What God hath coupled together let no man separate And againe our Saviour sayes VVhosoeuer shall put away his owne wife and maries with another committeth adultery And if a woman put away or deuorse her selfe from her owne husband committed adultery incase she marie with any other man Said not the man to the woman at their first Creation This is now bone of my bones and fleshe of my fleshe and for that cause she shall be called woman And againe S. Paul speaking of the loue should be betwix the wife and the husband and what authority he hath over his wife he sayeth The man is not of the woman but the woman of the man for the man was not created for the womans sake but the woman for the mans sake And why then should a man hate his owne flesh and bones Why should not a wel-deserving wife be well cherished and aboue all things most respected as his second-self yea even all in al as himself But many men are to blame who maries a woman and presently after he is maried goeth to farre Countries and longsome journeyes and lives her to the mercy of all misery it is a great signe and token that this man whatsomever hes neither respect to GOD nor shame of the world and he is a Rebel to the command of GOD When a man taketh a new wife he shall not goe a warfare neither shall he be charged with any bussinesse but he shall be free and remaine at home one yeare and rejoyce with his wyfe It were better never to marie then to mary and abuse Mariage But the originall of this mischeef proceeds partely of Parents and partely of the parties themselues whose avarice and gread of geare is such that they care not whom with they joyne so being they be ritch they looke not to education to qualaties not birth ritches hides all imperfections and what followes noght else but hatred greefe a languishing repentance a mutuall contempt a continuall battell and a loathsome bed when daies of anger and nights of sorrow are waited-on with Argus-eid jelousy The wise man saith in his Canticles Ielousie is cruell as the graue and the coles thereof are fyrie and coles of a vehement flame And the Italian making a description of jelousie he crieth out with a vehement passion Da quell sospetto rio da quell timore da quell Martir da quella frenesia da quella rabia detta gelesia How many are they who are robd both of shame and honour yeelding to insatiable lust no restraint nor yet setting limits to modesty but gives their own desire fre scope to a more then beastly appatyte intertainde with all kinde of delicat allurements that their filthy flesh may ever be craving and the better furnished with that consuming pleasure And again when some shameles creatures makes their body the moving stage of licherous sin where all the fates of activaty and walting trickes giues a generall tryall in a particular forme when base bloud corrupts Nobility makes wrongous heires possesse other mens lands when voluntarie ignorance becomes a Nurse to vnlawfull children And when the sacred vowe of Matrimonie is made a jugling maske to oversyle the eies of true simplisetie The wrongde Spaniard cryde out De la mala muger te guarda y de la buena no fies nada Alas poore horned bucks whilst they judge charetably and makes their foolish ignorance impute all to a kinde courtasie which brings nothing with it but an homely honestie even then is least misdeming mindes made a mocking stock to secret villany and if the partie who is wrongde appeare to misconster any thing or to smell knavery then presently is there a complementing application of borrowed imbracements accompaned with vrged teares fained kisses false perjuries flatring speaches with broken vowes and a number of vnperformde protestations All this villanous dissimulation hoodwinks verity maks one become the pointed-outsport of anothers pleasure one beat the bush whilst others catch the bird and the righteous owner feed on idle showes whilst strangers injoies the true substance This tricking Humor takes both chesses and belles from many a one sends them to the Rangild But heare what opinion the word of GOD hath of such The lippes of a strange woman drop as a honey combe and her mouth is more soft then Oyle but the end of her is more bitter then wormewod and more sharpe then a two edged sword And againe to that same purpose Then why shuld thou delite my son in a strange woman or imbrace the bosome of a strāger With what eies can thou looke vpon thine own wife when thou giuest thy bodie to another woman is not her face a booke that vnfolds a volume of accusations to thy spotted soule Is not the Echo of these words I take thee before God still sounding through the corners of thy Conscience tooke thou not her to thy wyfe did thou not vowe before GOD and the world to keep thy body cleane onely for her Why should thou then imbrace
the bosome of a strange woman And heere againe what description the word of GOD maketh of an Harlot and how it paints forth the filthinesse of a shameles woman And I saw among the fooles and considered among the children a young man destitute of vnderstanding And behold there met him a woman with an harlots behauiour and subtle in heart so she tooke him and kissed him and with an impudent face said vnto him I haue peace offrings this day haue I payde my vowes therefore came I forth to meete thee that I might seeke thy face and now I haue found thee I haue deckt my bed with ornaments Carpits Laces of Aegipt I haue perfumde my bed with Mirrh Aloes and Cynamon Come let vs take our fill of loue till the morning let vs take our pleasure in dalliance for my husband is not at home he is gone a journey farre off and he followed her straight wayes like an Ox that goeth to the slaughter The pryce of such pleasures are great and ever brings with it a swift repentance and the end of it is noght else but Misery Povertie shame and Beggery O what pleasure is it to see the man the woman both of one minde comporting with others imperfections and still yeelding to others waiknes El consejo de la muger es pocoy quien no le toma es loco When a modest discretion and silent patience is applyde to their owne infirmities for when the woman is in rage and stormes at her houshald affaires correcting wrongs with the furious rage of her tongue O then the man should labor to pacifie her with sweete words gentle admonitions and large promises Is it not a common Proverb that wyles helps wake folke And when the man is in rage the woman should not then tempt his patience but holde her peace and with loving words obedient duety and all kinde of courtasie carres him and be quiet Saieth not S. Paul I permit not a woman to vsurpe authoritie ouer the man but to be in silence This is the true duety of a woman towards her husband and this woman is the woman of wisdome as it is written A peaceable woman and of a good heart is the gift of the Lord and there is nothing so much worth as a woman well instructed this is great ritches and a ritch treasure This woman bringes peace with her she hes a carefull desire and an earnest loue towardes her husband and discharges an vpright duetie to her children with many eyes watchfull over her house And what is such a woman worth The Scripture tels thee That her pryce is far aboue the pearles the heart of her husband trusteth in her and he shall haue no need of spoyle she will doe him good and not euill all the dayes of her life she seketh wooll and flax and laboreth cheerfully with her hands This is the woman whose eares doeth not itch for strange teddings nor is she curious to search secreets of others affaires nor yet goes she abroad to seeke newes nor hes she any disease to be curde with the aire taking she breeds not her childe with the languishing disease of a new fashiond gowne nor yet needs she any molefying Ceir-cloath to be lade at her stomack because she can not get her will her domestick affairs is a pleasant pastime which brings profiet by the purches of her own hands She putteth her hands to the whele and her hands handle the spindle she is it not afraide nor ashamed to fyle her fingers for the well of her family and so by her handy-labor helps to sustaine them Her husband is knowne in the gates when he sitteth with the Elders of the land she hath a care to see him civill in all things his honour is her glory she is not a pratler but she openeth her mouth with wisdome and law of grace is in her tongne she over-seeth the wayes of her houshould and eateth not the bread of idlenesse her children ryse vp and call her blessed her husband also shall praise her O what a world of happines liueth that man and woman in where mutual concotde peace and quietnesse true tranquillity of minde triumphs wher external dissimulation is not aplyde to cover the inwarde deceit of the heart and where a modest discretion excuses and dantons the fleshly desire of insatiable lust This may be called felicitie All their prayers are acceptable to GOD what they pretend is prosperous because all their actions feares the Lord it is onely to such as these that GOD will keepe his promise spoken by the mouth of Dauid the Prophet He hath giuen a portion vnto them that feare him he will euer be mindefull of his Covenant And what is it Even this Thy wyfe shall be as the fruitefull wynes on the sides of thine house and thy Children lyke the Oliue plants round about thy table thus are they blessed that feareth GOD. For all these kynde promises and large blessinges bestowed on mankinde Yet there are many men and women whom God hath blessed with children who are vnworthy vnnatural Parents they are careles of their childrens education and cares not what becomes of them how far is it against Nature to see a woman cary the Infant in her belly nyne Moneths and that whyle vexed with so many sundry sorts of intollerable paines and when she approches neere the delivery of her birth what a feare and terror will posses all the parts of her bodie what pittifull exclamations will she make through her grieuous tortour what an extreame agony and perrell of her lyfe will she be in before the Childe parte from her belly This is a great and stupendeous miracle of Nature ordained by GOD Almighty and for all these torments greefes and vexations some vnnaturall mothers will forget their children she will be so delicate she will not nourish them nor fyle her fine cloathes with slobbring younglings she must haue a stranger to nource her childe for the bewtie of her snowe-white skinne must not be blabered with sucklings It appeares very well that these sorte of women gettes and ingenders their children onely for pleasures sake and delivers them to the worlde for meere necessitie to empty their wombe Again when they come to perfite yeares some Parents will giue over their children to all kinde of misery When GOD in his super-aboundant mercy speakes to Sion be his Prophet he saieth Can the mother forget her owne infant or can she not be mercifull to the childe of her own wombe if she could be forgetfull yet I will not forget thee nor can I reject thee for beholde I haue written thee in the fleshe of my owne hands In this comparison our GOD showes how farre it goeth beyond all naturall reason that the Parents should forget their children But there are many children who deserueth the wrath of their Parents through their owne ingratitude and through their great over-sight of duety Honour thy Father and thy