for the lampes must alwaies burne in the Temple Exod. 27. vers 20 The Church must alwaies be visible that men may know where to repaire for their soules health by vertue of the most holy imposition of hands I will not stay my time and in the latter end of my speech craue pardon for all my offeÌ„ces here rather I wil now snatch at the present occasion so fitly offered if I haue spoken any thing or shall hereafter speake in this Pamphlet vnaduisedly illiterately without good order or methode acknowledge I beseech thee the generall punishment of whole mankinde which more especially discouers it selfe in my weakenesse the confusion of tongues I am confounded I am confounded poore silly wretch that I am I am confounded my minde is distracted my tongue is confounded and my whole nature corrupted in me in mee alone see the punishment of whole mankinde learne now to be compassionate and pitifull for I cannot altogether 〈…〉 Nihil humani à te alienum putes here is thy benefite indeed my weakenesse appeares the presse hath proclaimed it this Pamphlet can witnesse it and thine is yet vndiscouered Now in this generall confusion I know not where to betake my selfe or what to speake in the next place for my tongue is confounded I will therefore suppose my selfe to be lost in the woods and that at length after much wandering I should recall my selfe and finding no way for my passage I should haue recourse to my Carde and consider the intended scope of my iourney from whence I came Natus ex muliere my present state and condition I am a soiourner and stranger as all my forefathers were the scope and end of my trauell Puluis in puluerem from dust to dust that so at length I might safely arriue to mine own natiue Country à statu viae ad statum patriae Now certainely right reason would thus informe and instruct mee Vt secundum rectam linâ—am incedam that borne of the dust and tending to the dust I should keep my straight way neither puft vp with pride aboue my naturall state nor sinking downe with despaire beneath my condition that I should not vpon any occasion start out of the way but remembring my beginning remembring my end I should square out my course and trauaile accordingly Intending therfore to speak of the Fall of Man the corruption of nature the punishment of the first sinne I will lay aside all other slighter punishments all chastisements and corrections of sinne which were infinite to repeate and I will onely insist in those two generall iudgements being indeed the extreames the first and the last including all other punishments within their bounds 1. In dolore paries thou shalâ— bring forth with paine and sorrow being spoken to the woman 2. Morte morieris thou shalt dye the death pronounced indifferently against both and thus his corruption shal appeare by his first welcome and salutation into this world and by his last adue and farewell out of his world you shall better iudge of the whole course of his entertainement in this world In dolore paries Gen. 3. vers 16. Vnto the woman God said I will greatly increase thy sorrowes and thy conceptions in sorrow shalt thou bring foorth children c. As the woman first sinned in tasting the forbidden fruite so she is punished in the fruite of her owne wombe here is the fruite of Gods iustice But is it possible that the most naturall action which indeede intends the highest perfection of nature generare sibi simile should notwithstanding proceede with such difficultie danger and torment In all other actions and workes of nature you shall easily obserue how they flow with the greatest ease and delight of the subiect O how sweete and acceptable is sleepe to the wearisome body meate to the hungrie drinke to the thirstie and so for al other naturall workes I will not insist in them take death it selfe as it is natural to man so vndoubtedly it is without sorrow or griefe for the punishment was morte morieris but not in dolore morieris if you will suppose man to rise by steps and degrees and to fall againe by the same steps and degrees suppose him I say growing vnto 25. yeers when the moysture seemes to bridle his heate then increasing in strength vnto 33. yeeres there to come to a state of consistencie vntill 50. yeeres be expired then by the same degrees declining and decaying so that his moysture and heate giues place to his coldnesse and drinesse comming at length to the disease of old age without any vnnaturall distemper assuredly his life shall end as doth a lampe for want of oyle fire for want of fuell without any paine or torment but as the breath proceedes from his nostrels so shall the soule take her flight and leaue the carkase behinde her for heerein consists the difference betweene naturall and vnnatural actions the one performed with the greatest ease and facilitie the other being wrung out with violence carrie in themselues torture and sorrow Thus all diseases proue therefore our torments because they are vnnaturall then why should nature be defectiue in her highest worke that conception and deliuerie should bee with such sorrow whereas the principall intent of nature is to preserue her selfe and to propagate her seed behold the punishment and corruption of nature when she cannot performe the one without the great hazard and danger of the other this certainly cannot consist with the first institution and integritie of nature but is a subsequent punishment accompanying our sinne Consider all other creatures and you shall finde that by the seate and disposition of their wombes by the forme figure and members of the embrion by the proportion and quantitie betweene both there should be as great if not a farre greater difficultie in their production then in the generation of man And yet you shall finde it farre otherwise notwithstanding the numbers which many creatures bring foorth at once and euery one of theÌ„ carrying the like proportion to the damme as the childe doth to the mother yet are they able to worke and continue in their full strength vntill the instant time of their deliuerie they know the iust time of their bearing and doe prepare themselues accordingly they can hasten or prolong the time of their bringing foorth which well argues their strength of nature and the action without paine they are neuer so perfectly sound vnlesse they are bearing some of them bringing foorth by great numbers at once others bring foorth euery day as our common hens and all of them seeme to promise a kinde of certaintie in their bearing and yet in all of them the proportion whether for weight quantitie or figure appeares to be the same with vs and therefore should inforce the like sorrow and difficultie in them as in the woman Yet they crie for no helpe of midwiues they want no keepers or nurses they are
whereby it pleaseth God to inlarge his owne kingdome to accomplish the whole number of his elect whereby they might continue their names and their memories and finde some comfort in their olde age leaue their posteritie behinde them to giue them a Christian buriall and to performe all other duties of children to parents This I could heartily wish but see the corruption of these times they turne this punishment to a point of their owne pride vaine-glorie and solemnitie their lying-in or bedding being performed in such state with such pompe so excessiuely costly and chargeable that I feare they haue little thought either of thankfulnes to God or of the punishment of sinne Now giue me leaue to relate some few accidencies which doe accompanie our conception whereof I may speake without offence Consider I pray' how duâ—â—ng the time of their conception while our parents are yet great what a longing and hungrie appetite possesseth them of things hard to be gotten most commonly vntimely and vnseasonable fruites sometimes of things vncleane and impure Is not this an vndoubted token and testimonie of that insolent and vnbridled appetite of the woman which first contrarie to Gods owne precept and ordinance seazed vpon the forbidden fruite But obserue I beseech you how this appetite and longing consisting onely in the fansie and imagination of the mother yet sometimes to the great wonder and astonishment of reason workes vpon the childe in the wombe and makes an impression answerable to the thing conceiued in the fansie the fansie can neither giue sexe nor beautie nor strength to the members yet doth it imprint a character answerable to the strong apprehension See heere a liuely patterne of the propagation of sinne there are hereditarie diseases of the bodie there are wants and defects proper to the minde there are infirmities and sins of both sin is intailed to our nature though it proceed froÌ„ the free-will and consent of man yet is it grounded in nature and therfore al the naturall actions of man are branded with sinne In the time of their deliuerie I haue heard it credibly reported and so I may affirme it vpon tradition that nothing so much asswageth their paine and giues them that ease as the cast-away skinne of a Serpent being fitly applied for that purpose I will not dispute of the naturall reason which assuredly consists in the strange antipathie betweene both only I do here blesse God that hath so ordained nature as it might best serue for a supernaturall end when all naturall meanes shall faile and cannot preuent a naturall griefe yet the remembrance and thought of the Serpent which was the first occasion of this griefe should mitigate this paine Here is a kinde of magicall inchauntment to heale wounds by the application of that sword which first gaue the blow like the Israelites in the wildernesse wounded by the Serpent they are likewise cured by the brasen Serpent It serues also as a memoriall of Gods great bountie and goodnesse that if God in this miraculous manner by changing the skinne renewes the age of the Serpent then certainly man in his issue hath some kinde of eternitie for the young childe seemes to renew the age of his parents And the poore mother calling to minde Gods mercie to the Serpent who was the first seducer and greatest offender may well hope for a greater measure of that mercie and in her greatest torments and griefe acknowledging the iust punishment of sin may expect a better state and condition when God shall renew al things change their old habits and restore them to their first perfection Thus are the present miseries of this life seasoned with the assured hope and expectation of a better world to succeed I cannot thus leaue the punishment in the mother but I must likewise trace it in the infant Comming into the world wee come with our heads forwards as it were stumbling into life which vndoubtedly argues our fall for our birth is praecipitium a break-necke as if we were cast headlong downe from some mount Being thus borne wee carrie the image and representation rather of slaine men then of men beginning to liue such effusion of blood such vncleannesse as could not possibly stand with the integritie of our first nature as if wee were borne vnder that law condition that needs we must dye and therefore wee came into the world that indeede we might goe out of the world Many are borne with caules on their faces which betokens their modestie and shame as if Adam should couer his nakednesse with leaues here wee are fast bound vp with swadling-cloutes for wee are captiues and prisoners borne vnder the slauerie and bondage of Egypt and for a time wee can doe nothing but crie to moue pitie and compassion all our rest consists in motion wee sleepe while the cradle is rockt and so in the succeeding course of our liues wee seeme to flatter our sâ—lues with ease and securitie when as indeede all things are in an vprore At length wee begin to open our eyes and to looke about vs and here we wonder and admire all things as being strangers arriued in a new-found world we are apt to place our loue on euery obiect and cannot direct our selues aright there is nothing which seemes pleasant to the sight nor any prety toy but straight we must crie for it it must be ours we must possesse it otherwise the whole house shall not bee able to containe vs no fruite of the garden must be excluded See heere whether that fruite which was gustu suaue visu delectabile would not againe serue to allure man Not long after our hearing and speech will serue vs then wee begin to hearken after old wiues tales and fables wee cannot be content with our food and our raiment but we must heare some stories of Liâ—â—s of Beares and the like old women and nurses forsooth they must relate them Lord what skilfull teachers wee haue gotten as if Adam were againe to be instructed by Eue and that wee should all learne our lesson and take aduice from the Serpent see how this curiositie of knowledge possesseth young children as much as euer it did the first Adam but more immediatly and especially resides in the womankinde whereas a maide should be mute she is not afraid to dispute she should be a cooke for her sexe she would buy a booke for her sects in liew of a mate she must illuminate if once she proues gossip then she proceeds to a Doctorship and she can be no mistresse vnlesse she know mysteries Thus they haue degrees of schooles among them and therefore may lawfully weare their hoods and their habits they are not content to follow their seuerall callings and professions wherein they might serue God since it was God that ordained them not content with our ordinary Catechisme which they in their wisedome call beggerly rudiments or some implicite faith but as if euery part were
men suppose our naturall corruption The scope of 〈◊〉 third part The Serpent The punishment of the Serpent The Serpent creepes on the earth Herâ—eâ—dâ—ng on the earth How the dumbe creatures are punished The enmitie betweene Man and the Serpent A generall opposition betweene reason and sense Ominous creatures The Serpent assaulting Man Mins incounter with the Serpent The brazon Serpent The earth brings forth bryars and thornes Bryars seeme to be wholy vnprofitable Their production Nature seemes to be more carefull of thornes then of the best fruits The weeds of the earth argue the weeds of mans mind Of poysons How poysons should be generated or produced All countries do not bring forth poysons All poysons do not immediatly worke but after a certaine time The reason why poysons should so long conceale their conspiracie The punishment of nakednesse Mans clothing should proceed from his food as well as his nourishment Why some pars should be couered and not all Nature is heerin more beneficiall to other creatures then vnto man The inward and outward nakednesse The outward nakednesse of man The abuse of apparell The wantonnes and pride in apparell Euery man is a labourer Mans continuall labours both for the maintenance of his body and for the instructing of his mind Why should not the earth bring forth corne is well as other fruits No such difficulty in the production The progresse and degrees of mans labour Man is a druge to the dumbe creatures His pouerty notwithstanding his drudgery Mens continuall labours in husbandry and tillage Gods mercy and prouidence appeares in our labours All honest callings appointed by God Men must liue by their labours and not by their wits The great hurt and the shamefull abuse of inclosures A prophesie against our inclosures The disagreeing betweene man and wife The large extent of this punishment The branches cannot couple if the root be diuided Man is sometimes subiect to the tyrannie oppression of others Princes haue their authority from God The degrees of gouernment How strange it is that there should be enmity in marriage The motiues to preserue loue How vnnaturall is this enmity in marriage The allurement of beauty should assvvage man The wife is informed in her duty In the house there are seuerall duties belonging to the husband to the wife The fond iealousie of the husband The abuse of marriage may breed an ill disposition A bitter inuectiue against marriage after diuorse Man is accursed of God The limitation of this curse The causes of reprobation The guiâ—tines of crying sins Mans curse appeares in his reason and in his religion The strange different iudgements of men The different sects of Philosophers Petrus Ramus censured Second causes do not detract from the first agent There is a great difference between the birth of things their continuance Gods power doth wonderfully appeare in the continuance of the world Mans greatest curse in the point of his religion Mans greatest curse in the point of his religion The persecution of true Religion The cloakes and pretenses of Religion The Author makes a small digression The controuersies of Religion There are seeming controuersies which may be reconciled Gods prouidence and goodnesse appeares in these controuersies of religion Saint Peters calling and reprehension Persecutions of the Church Pretenses of religion how they should instruct vs. The generall deluge Losses sustained by the deluge The naturall meanes were not sufficient to cause a deluge The wonder was greater in the ceasing of the floud The wonders of God in euery element Proofes of the deluge from the resting of the Arke Reliques of the deluge in nature Trees Buildings Rocks Barrennesse The different mould The veines of the earth Marle-pits Cole-pits Mountaines are shelues vallies are the channels Proofes amongst the Iewes Testimonies of the Gentiles concerning the deluge Of the Rainebow The burning of Sodom and Gomorrha is an earnest of the last generall combustion Thunder and lightning tokens of the last combustion The author recalles himselfe The confusion of tongues How agreeable the punishmeÌ„t was to the offence The punishment is agreeable to mans condition The extent of this punishment The strangenes of this iudgement The strangenes appeaâ—es by way of comparison Meanes to retaine the same language The Monarchies and conquests The necessity of trading and commerce The vniformity of lawes and of religion The punishment appeares not only in the variety of tongues but likewise in the distraction A difficulty for a man to expresse his own thoughts A wise man can hardly be a good speaker The difficulty in learning tongues Defects in Grammar Periury and lying proceed from this confusion The very tongues doe sometimes obscure and hinder our knowledge Whether man should speake naturally Hebrew Whether we shall speake Hebrew after the last resurrection The inconueniences proceeding from this confusion of tongues Great controuersies about words Gods mercie in the vnion of these kingdomes of England and Scotland Ancient and straÌ„ge tongues adde lustre to Sciences Against translations That the title of Christ and Scripture should coÌ„tinue vnchangeable The gift of tongues The holie Ghost came in fierie tongues The Author here humbly craues pardon for all his errors He recals himselfe The punishment in womens conception and deliuery Other creatures are compared with maÌ„ in his birth How this punishment is to be vnderstood Naturall causes cannot demonstrate the paine The continuall danger and paine in conception Men-midwiues Men bearing their owne children Why God so punisheth the husband Why there are secret qualities which cannot be knowne The extent of Philosophy concerning her subiects Why the husband partakes in the wifes passions A defence of Philosophie The strange diseases of the wombe The diseases of the paps The French or Neapoliâ—an disease An aduice to women Womens longing An impression vpon the child in the wombe The skinne of a Serpent Obseruations in the birth of man Obseruations in the infancie of man The curiositie of women taxed The corruption of yong children How exceedingly children doe loue fruits The author iustifieth his method by lawe Mans death is compared with the death of dumbe beasts Mans death in respect of the elements Mans death in respect of the heauens and the Angels The soule receiues a kinde of perfection from the body The soulâ— builds the frame of our body The immortal soule is the cause of corruption How easily the soule may preserue life by a naturall course How the death of man is against the whole scope of nature in generall How death serues to instruct vs. Death is a very powerfull meanes to recall a sinner Death â—ights in defence of religion The Christian man desires death as the meane of his happinesse Death is the sacrifice of our selues Death is our comfort in all our worldly miseriâ—s Death giues the Chrisâ—â—aâ— man an excellent resolutioÌ„ The first and second death The fearefull circumstances of the last iudgement How wee should preuent Gods wrath What effects the
deliuered without paine or sorrow they haue foorthwith strength to make their owne prouision for themselues for their brood yea their courage seems much to be increased that vpon any slight occasion they are so ready to fight in defence of their yong ones Will you see their ioy immediatly vpon their deliuerie hearke hearke the pratling gossip the cackling henne as soone as an egge is laid though at all other times she seemes to be mute yet now she sings and disquiets the whole house either to boast of the fruitfulnes of her wombe or to discouer her hidden treasure lest the goodwife should thinke her barley and corne ill spent behold a free oblation and profit to recompence the losse or to be a president and example to vs to teach women their manner in Churching which ought to be with a song of ioy and thankfulnes to God for the fruits of their wombe and for their happy deliuery If some other creatures seeme to labour in the birth then acknowledge that for mans sinne the whole earth was accursed and the dumbe creatures groane vnder the burthen of our sinne and therfore no maruaile if sometimes they share with vs in the punishment for thence we conclude the great offence the malignitie and infection of sinne but I speake vt plurimum for the most part it fals out among them not in one of a hundred but in mans kinde it doth most eminently appeare and therefore acknowledge vs to be the principals and them only as the accessaries in sinne Againe if some women be of that strong constitution so made and fashioned by nature so helpt and furthered by art that they are easily deliuered yet still are they deliuered with some paine and I speake vt plurimum for the most part generally in the whole kind you shall obserue it a punishment if some do better escape then others it is Gods mercy to them not one of a hundred but suffers a great torment more or lesse griefe alters not the truth of Gods iudgements when sorrow it selfe was the punishmeÌ„t As likewise in that other punishment of death some die without paine as many in their ould age when their body is not so sensible the least stopping of their breath puts out their candle whereas the yong man sicke of the stone or the pluriâ—ie dies in great tortures for heere the paines and torments of death were not the punishment but death it selfe so likewise in child-bearing more or lesse sorrow was not appointed the measure of sorrow was not prescribed but sorrow in generall here was the punishment though Scripture and all ancient writers do number it amongst the greatest torments sometimes indeed Gods iustice is allayed with his mercy and his wisdome permits the workes of nature to passe vncontrolable that so it might appeare that our sorrowes and infirmities proceed not from the necessity of our nature but from the incident malignity of our sinne Reasons I know there are alleaged in Physicke and Philosophy for this great paine in the birth and generation of man suppose it did proceed from natural causes yet would it then argue a great corruption of nature that should thus ordaine the beginning of man with the great sorrow and griefe of his mother as if man were of a viperous kinde and brood gnawing the bowels that first hatched and conceaued him but I do assure you that if you shall well weigh all those causes which seeme to produce the torments you shall find them very much defectiue and such as cannot giue you any satisfaction but herein I must be sparing in regard of my profession and speaking in a common and vulgar tongue these are secrecies proper to woman yet I may boldly say it that nature heerein seemes to outstrip her selfe and to torment the poore woman beyond all natural causes For the trees in producing their fruit seeme then to be most beautifull and do yeerely afford it all the beasts of the field do the like in the time of their greatest growth and best perfection only the the woman notwithstanding her strength and ablenesse of body it will not excuse her notwithstanding her good complection and sound constitution it will not auaile her for she is only subiect to sorrow Sorrow I say for there is no sorrow comparable to the sorrow of a woman in the time of her trauaile from their first quickning or conception you shall obserue them with pale lookes heauy eyes apt to faint vpon euery occasion they are a burthen to themselues their stomackes faile them and the night giues them no rest all the deuouring and rauenous wilde beasts are aptest to seaze vpon them the least knocke or blowe the least ill sauour or bad sight the least sorrow conceiued in the fansie is able to indanger all to hazard the life both of the mother and of the childe in her wombe Not to speake of the naturall greife arising from natural causes sometimes nature seemes with too much expedition to hasten her woe and then ye haue an vntimely brood as if Autum should fall out in the spring sometimes the wombe proues likewise the tombe and the place of conception serues for his buriall after seauen or nine moneths expectation behold hee comes carrying the forme of a slaine and a murthred man and so he presents himselfe to his sad mother to comfort her heauie heart being once thus deliuered the danger is not past but she must be attended on with safe keeping and good diet and thousands daylie miscarry when in mans expectation they seeme to haue ouerpassed al danger of child-birth But heere I will acquaint you with a strange point of crueltie men must become wiues men among wiues men-midwiues I meane who with the strength of their limbes and in the hardnesse of their hearts must execute that which the weaker sex compassionat women durst neuer attempt pittie it were that there should be such a profession of men were it not that necessity inforceth it before I can speake of them with patience I will first fall downe on my knees hould vp my hands lift vp mine eyes and if I can I will shed forth a few tâ—arâ—s and humblie desire God to helpe and comfort all those poore sillie women which shall haue occasion to vse their helpe heere you shall see sometimes the bellies opened the flesh rent the tunicles cut in sunder to finde out a new passage for the poore infant who must come into this world through the bowels of his dead mother and vpon his first approch may be iustly accused and arraigned for a murtherer if his mother escape then sometimes you may see the poore innocent childe mangled executed and quartered in the wombe there was no great offence I confesse vnlesse it were the sin of his first father but indeed I am affraid to speake any longer of these bloudy cruelties I will not lay open my nakednesse I will not defile mine owne neast the punishment sufficiently
should therefore thinke our knowledge vnprofitable I would gladly aske what inuention in the world was euer more beneficiall to man then was the Mariners Carde to direct him in his passage thorow the huge wildernesse of the vaste Ocean yet can you conceiue that the world could bee exquisitely diuided by 32. parts for so many windes are assigned shall acres miles leagues whole Countries huge Nations make no sensible difference in this Card and yet is the Carde so exquisite and of such necessary vse Or take an Almanacke though it faile in prognostication of weather is it therfore not of excellent vse Learning it is which opens mans eies to all humane knowledge though it cannot or will not vouchsafe to looke vpon the basest things of this life yet it containes the grounds the roots the causes of euery the meanest profession and is able to direct euery man in his owne Trade course and vocation and I may boldly speake it absit inuidia verbo all other professions whatsoeuer if they be not spiced and seasoned with learning they are base and barbarous if they bee not sanctified and hallowed with Religion they are prophane and heathenish I haue forgotten my selfe and whether out of the loue of Philosophie or out of mine owne modestie desiring to conceale these points of secrecie the paines and labours in child-birth I am fallen into this discourse I will now againe retire my selfe and I will instance in the two sexes This punishment was not only inflicted on the woman in the time of her trauaile but it is further extended and generally comprehends all the diseases and griefes of the wombe so that the maid and the widow shall not freely escape for infinite are the diseases and those strange and wonderfull beyond the common course of nature which the wombe of a woman doth make her subâ—ect vnto what strange pangs and conuulsions doth it suffer as if it had no stable foundation in the bodie such rising such falling sometimes prouoked with a sent so strange and miraculous to nature that the ignorant â—ort not considering the naturall causes crie A possession a possession then straight some poore old woman is had in suspition brought before a Iustâ—ce accused for a Witch c. whereas in all other creatures the wombe doth no way offend or annoy them for then certainly it would appeare in their cries their groanes their complaints their feeding their thriuing in flâ—sh somthing at length would easily discouer it but indeede there is none I would I could say as much for the woman but alas here are too many I cannot reckon all some shall appeare and those I will conceale in the habit of an vnknowne tongue Phlegmone abscessus vlcus cancâ—r scirâ—hus mola inflatio hydrops calculus rhagadâ—s câ—ndylomata haemorrhoïdes Will you see the symptomes signes and proper passions mensium suppressio mensium profluuium atque stillicidium albus fluor vterinus gonorrhaea duplex vteri strangulatus ascensus descensus prolapsio conuulsio sterilitas abortus c. To conclude the Physitian as well as the Clergie man is sometimes tied to his secrecie and silence Yet giue me leaue to instance in those parts which appeare to the sight The sweete paps which serue to allure the husband and to put the children in minde of their dutie how apt are they to bee tormented with griefe being spungious parts some ill humours sâ—ttle there and the softnes is turned to a stonie hardnes the fresh and beautifull colour is changed to palenesse and wannesse in stead of sweete and delicious milke the filth breakes out into issues and sores and therein assures man that he is not onely conceiued in sinne and corruption but likewise feedes vpon corruption for what is milke it selfe but onely impure blood the colour changed Now if these parts which border so neere vpon the heart be corrupted then assuredly the heart it selfe is full of corruption the roote of life and nature her selfe is wholly corrupted and therefore those parts which were ordained for the nourishment of poore sucking babes together with life together with foode for the continuance of life doe by a law of necessitie impart their owne corruption For the males they are not excused from the like sorrow what strange and noysome diseases doe befall the generatiue parts lues venerea priapismus gonorrhaea I am ashamed of my selfe and me thinkes my mouth is defiled with speaking of them onely giue me leaue to reckon vp one among the miseries proper to this time among the inuentions and monsters of this last age for the ancients neuer heard of it There is a disease begotten amongst vs and no nation will father it all are ashamed of it we cast it on the French the French on the Italian the Italian on the Spaniard the Spaniard on the Indian as if it were some excellent treasure brought from a new-found world a disease which ariseth from imâ—oderate lust noysome infectious corrupting the bones rotting the flesh loosing and dissoluing the ligaments A iust punishment for mans lust that since beautie allured him his own natural strength prouoked him therfore God wil punish him with the losse of his beautie his fauour shall faile him hiâ— eye-sight shal leaue him his colour forsake him his nose shal drop off his lips shall be eaten his palate shall be cankerd and his strength shall be like a broken staffe he shall goe like a criple shame and reproch shall attend him Fully to describe this disease I will leaue it to the skilfull Physitian let it suffice for me to obserue that although some other creatures seeme to be as much inclining to their lust as is man yet none are tainted with such a noysome disease saue only man as likewise in all former times among the Heathen and Pagans there is no mention of any such disease much lesse of the cure only amongst vs Christians who professe a more strict austere and mortified life this disease first tooke her beginning That seeing God had giueÌ„ vs a greater knowledge of his truth of the foulnesse of sinne together with a larger measure of his grace therefore God punisheth the vncleannes incontinencie of these times with a greater iudgement and vengeance and as the woman partakes in the mans punishment both of them sweating in their labours both of them made subiect to death so man as farre foorth as it will stand with the condition of his sexe partakes in her sorrow These things being duly considered if I were worthy I would giue this aduice to Ladies and Gentle women who now labour in the paines and perill of child-birth that during this time they would better bethinke themselues of the occasion that their danger and sorrow is the iust punishment of sinne for the first offence of the woman and that they would giue God most humble and heartie thankes for that greatest blessing of all other temporall blessings the fruitfulnes of the wombe