mother to the Virgin Mary and wife to Ioachim a woman of great sanctitie and vertuousnesse of life An other of the same name was sister to Queene Dido a woman of great commendation among the heathen both of them as wel she of the Hebrues as the Heathen were worthy to be had in continual memory Dido as appeareth by her true story was the daughter of King Belus sister to Pigmalion wife of Sichaeus who after the death of her husband made a vowe neuer to marry againe forsooke the countrie where her husband was murdered by the meanes of her traiterous brother Pigmalion comming into Affrica founded the stately Citie of Carthage Where while shee purposed to liue a sole and a chaste life beeing required in marriage by the King Hiarbas and vtterly refusing she was by the saide Hiarbas strongly besieged and brought to so hard a poynt that seeing no other way to escape and to preserue her chastitie chosing rather to die then to liue thus violated threw her self into a great flame of fire so ended her daies This story although Virgill doe otherwise declare yet is he not considering the liberty of a Poet greatly to be blamed Virginea with what earnestnesse she was required by Appius Claudius to consēt to his dishonest and vnlawfull lust is sufficiently declared by Liuie in his second Decade and likewise by Iohn Boccace in his Booke Of the fall of Princes where it is at large declared with howe great constancy the chaste mayden preserued her virginitie 54. Prefer a life with libertie aboue all other things A vertue great it is and worthy of the paines it bringes A shamefull great reproch it is without it for to flye An honourable thing it is for such a good to dye The Paraphrase THe auncient Philosophers were of opinion that all the Vertues were to be reduced into the number of foure which they named Cardinall or principall vertues whereof they accounted to bee chiefe Fortitude or manhood which as Aristotle in the thirde of his Ethicks testifieth is so much the more excellent and praiseworthy as the subiect and matter wherwith it dealet his dreadful and difficult for manhood hath for his obiect or contrary Death which is as Aristotle saith the last of all dreadfull and terrible thinges beside the great dangers and sharp and cruell aduentures So as by reason of the difficultie or hardnesse of the obiect there are but few that happen to attaine to this vertue And as it is written in the Ciuil lawe those that lose their liues for the libertie of their countrey are counted to liue for euer for muche better is it for a man to dye freely in fight for the libertie of his Countrie then escaping to liue with a shamefull and cowardly flight And as the Prouerb heere saith and they be the very words in effect of Aristotle in the 3. of the Ethicks The death that is honourable is to be preferred before a dishonourable life which the Marques doth plainly set foorth by examples following 55. Oh what a death had Cato dyed if it had lawfull beene And had not by the iust decrees of God beene made a sinne No lesse doe I the worthy fact of Mucius heere commend That Lyuie in his story hath so eloquently pende The Paraphrase AFter that Pompey was ouerthrowen by Caesar at the battail of Pharsalia had retired him selfe to Lesbos where his wife Cornelia lay passing from thence to Aegypt was slaine by the hands of Photinus and Achillas at the cōmaundement of king Ptolomei who was at that time his seruant Cato who saw that the side of Pompey went in such sort to wrack as was not by any meanes to be recouered fled vnto the citie of Vtica where fearing by some misaduenture to fall into the handes of Caesar his mortall enemie he presently dispatthed him selfe Mucius Sceuola was a man of great courage among the Romanes who when Porsenna the King had with a great power besieged the Citie determined with a noble minde to raise the siege and to bring his matter to better effect went secretly alone out of the Citie with full intent to kill the Kinge and happening to spye in the Campe a Secretary of the Kings appareled in Princely roabes supposing that it was the King thrust him thorowe the body with his swoorde wherevpon beeing presently taken by the Guarde and such as stoode by hee was shackeled and brought before the King who demaunding of him what foolishe presumption had brought him to this misery he aunswered that not onely hee but diverse others to the number of an hundred more had professed by solemne othe for the deliuerance of the Citie to doe their vttermost indeuour in killing of the king Whervpon Porsenna giuing credite to the words of Mucius Sceuola presently raysed his siege commaunding that Sceuola should foorthwith be burned who when hee was brought vnto the fire thrusting out his hand with a valiant courage into the flame there held it til such time as the whitenes of the bones the flesh beeing scorched away appeared and when he was asked what made him to vse such crueltie to his owne fleshe he aunswered that since his hand had failed of his vertuous purpose it was good reason that it should suffer such punishment for so greate an offence 56. For sonne if thou do much esteeme thy selfe and seekst to liue Thou neuer shalt receiue the crowne that mightie Mars doth giue But if thou doost abandon all faint hart and foolish feare Thou shalt not want the honour nor the state thou seekest to beare The Paraphrase ACcording to the true opinion of both the Astronomers and the Catholike diuines we are not in such sort constrained by the starres to doe any thing as we bee thereby depriued of our owne will to doe of necessitie that which they foreshowe but by inclining vs to doe certaine actions they moue al our bodyly forces to do such things as they signifie Which doth not so farre inforce vs but that as Ptolomy saith in his Centiloquium A wise and a vertuous man may rule reigne ouer the starres That is though the starres doe stirre and moue a man to doe euill yet the partie him selfe hath sufficient power if he will to doe wel But the olde people beeing ignorant of this vertue and seeing the Planet Mars did mooue men to be venterers and souldiers held opinion that he was the onely god of battailes and that hee aduaunced and rewarded all such as were valiant and venterous which olde maner of speaking is here by the Marques at this time followed And most certaine it is that such as make much of them selues doe shunne as much as they may the comming into any perill or daunger Of which sort of people Seneca in his first tragidie speaketh where he saith That great yeeres and gray heares happeneth to faintharted and such as loue to sleepe in a whole skin For such manner of persons will be sure to
giuing with the maide in marriage a great masse and quantitie of Treasure that was offered for their raunsome 41 Shunne idlenesse and giue thy selfe To honest exercise That neither wicked vice nor lewde Alurementes of the eies Haue power or force at any time To bring thy hart in thrall For to subdue the raging fleshe Is sure no matter small The Paraphrase SAint Hierome saith in a certaine aduice that he giueth to a friende of his Be alwaies busie in some labour or other that the Deuil may finde thee occupied And the reason is because idlenes is the roote and groundwoorke as the Prouerbe saith of all maner of sinne specially of lecherie which springeth sooner of idle imaginations then any sin beside VVhervpon Seneca in his fourth Tragedie bringeth in the olde Nurse who seeketh to disswade Phaedra from the beastly loue that she bare to her sonne in law Hippolytus where Phaedra saith that there was no blame nor fault in her since Cupid the God of loue had so mortally wounded her and that there was none to be blamed for it but the God himselfe The Nurse aunsweareth That brainsicke and wicked persons the better to cloake and coloure their naughtinesse and that they might the freelier attaine to their letcherous purposes haue vainely imagined a God-head to be in loue saying that there is a GOD of loue whose power extendeth not only to men but euen to the verye Gods which saith the nurse is a false and shamefull deuise For whosoeuer hath abundance of wealth liueth at pleasure giuing him selfe to idlenesse banqueting and surfeiting passing his life in dalliaunce and disport suche a one doeth loue continually torment yf it be not so aske of the Ladie Venus howe chaunce shee hath so colde entertainement in the poore labourers houses where you shall seldome or neuer see any of them goe mad for loue And the only reason of it is that they are continually painefully labouring and trauailing to get their liuing not hauing any time to be idle or euill occupied To liue in the fleshe as the Diuines say and not to folowe the fleshe is a woorke more proper to God then to man and cannot possibly be done without great labour and vertuous exercises And therefore the Prouerbe saith It is no smal matter to subdue the fleshe That is to say for a man to conquere him selfe And therefore those that first deuised Monasteries and religious orders did aboue all other things ordeyne that they shoulde neuer be idle nor haue any thing to occupie their mindes withall but vertuous exercises and this is the effect of the Prouerbe where it saith Shunne idlenesse and giue thy selfe to honest exercise 42. For not yenough it is to flee From actions lewde or il But also from the motion to offende in thought or wil. So muche we ought for to eschewe The foule and wicked thought Because it is the only seede And roote of doeing nought The Paraphrase THE faultes that we heere committe are of two sortes either they are doone by chaunce and vnwittingly or they are doone vppon knowledge which cannot be without imagination Also our thoughts and imaginations are as the Doccours say of two sortes One is the first motion that we haue to offende and this because it is not in our power being as we be naturally inclined to deadly sinne is not to be reckoned for sinne But if wee take pleasure in our euill thoughtes and continuing in them determine to put them in execution as soone as wee may haue time and place this is as great an offence as yf we had alredy doone it according to the saying of our Sauiour in the Gospel Whosoeuer looketh vppon a Woman to luste after her hath alredy committed adultrie in his hart For the euill thought was the seede and causer of the sinne and would yf time hadde serued haue perfourmed the deede And therefore Seneca in his fourth Tragedie bringing in the Nurse that disswadeth Phedra from her euill pretence that she had to play the Whoore with her sonne in lawe maketh her to saie thus O woorthie and moste renowmed Ladie descended of the woorthie Stocke of Iupiter and wife vnto Theseus banishe speedely from thy noble and chaste brest this moste hainous and shamefull imagination quenche quickly the raging flames of this vnnatural desire make not thy minde to be the woorker of so wicked and Diuelishe a deuise whosoeuer resisteth this franticke and fond affection of loue the same may be well assured that hee shall conquere and ouercome it But he that nourisheth the sweete poyson that is the wicked thought and delighteth in it it is very harde for suche an one to refuse the yoke to which they haue once submitted their necke And this is it that the Prouerbe heere saith That wee ought not onlie to flee from doeing of euill But also from thinking of euill for of euil thoughtes there neuer springeth as is said good seede 43 A goodly ornament to man I doe account the wife Where as shee is obedient To reason all her life In marriage looke thou be not led By fancy or opinion But in thy choyse beeware and wise With heede and great discretion The Paraphrase SOlomon sayth in his Prouerbes that the man that hapneth vppon a good wife is blessed of the Lorde and the tale of his yeeres shal be doubled that is he shall liue twise so long as he should haue doone And in an other place hee saith That no better lot can happen to a man then a good wife And this is it that the Prouerbe saith That the wife is an ornament to her husbande when shee will be ruled by reason In what sort this obedience ought to be the Apostle teacheth saying Let the husband be the head of the woman and as the head hath the preheminence and principalitie ouer all the rest of the members so ought the husbande to haue ouer his wife who as Aristotle in his Oeconomikes doeth say ought not to be vsed of her husbande like a Slaue but as his companion and his felowe And the husbande according to the doctrine of the Apostle Is bounde to vse her wel and to loue her and shee to honour and feare him Feare as Aristotle in the boke aboue mentioned saith is of two kindes The one is called a seruile feare the other a sonnely feare The seruile is that which is hadde for feare of punishment and not for any loue and this is the feare that the Slaue hath of his maister who as hee serueth against his owne will and by force hee doeth it more for feare then for loue The Sonnely feare is a meddlie of feare and loue togeather And this is the feare that the sonne hath of his father and that the wife ought to haue of her husband for if the wife feare her husband and doeth what soeuer he commaundeth her she ought not to doo it for feare of any punishment that shee shoulde haue yf shee did it not but for
feare of displeasing offending her husband and to the end her husband should thinke well of her in seeing her willingnesse in doeing whatsoeuer he cōmaundeth her And this is the meaning of the prouerbe A godly ornament to man I do accompt the wife where as she is obedient to reason all her life That is when she shall loue and reuerence her husband and while shee keepe her selfe honest and chaste looking carefully to such thinges as bee aboute the house as Aristotle at large discourseth in his said booke of Oeconomykes and Solomon in the ende of his Prouerbes whither because I would be short I referre the reader The Prouerbe sayth further That in mariage a man ought not to followe his fansie Wherein there are two things to be vnderstoode The first that he take a wife of a good vertuous kindred according as a Philosopher once answered whē it was asked of him what maner of wife were best to be chosen Marie quoth he such a one whose mother grandmother thou knewest to be honest chast for as the parents haue been such will cōmonly the daughter be So likewise in marying a man ought to choose a wife of like degree state to him self such a one as is answerable to his yeeres according to the olde Prouerbe Like good like blood like age maketh a good mariage And as Ouid sayeth The Oxen that are vnequally matched will neuer draw well together And therfore the Prouerbe saith Choose thy wife with heed and great discretion 44. For such as seeke a wife for goodes and do not greatly way Her vertues nor her honestie do seeke their owne decay A harme it is that hath no helpe such mariage for to make Wherefore my sonne let neuer such a fault thee ouertake The Paraphrase IT is generally agreed vpon amongst the Philosophers that good is deuided into two kindes the one of them profitable and commodious the other honest And where profite on the one side and honestie on the other side meeteth we ought alwaies to preferre honestie before profite And as their opinion is the vertues are cōteined vnder the kind of honest goodes and worldly goodes vnder the kinde of profitable goods And he that refuseth a vertuous wife for her want of worldly wealth and taketh a wife for riches not regarding her vertues trespasseth against reason and seeketh his owne disquietnesse and harme that will neuer be recouered For the goodes that hee hath shall quickly be consumed he shall be plagued at home with a froward foole For as the wise man in his Prouerbs saith A wise and a vertuous wife raiseth and setteth vp the house but a foolish woman bringeth it to ruine for shee will waste and consume the goods that she brought with her and whatsoeuer her husbande besides by his traualle getteth neither is it good to take a wife of greater parētage then he himself is but only to regard that she be vertuous and equal in degree to himselfe For as it is written in the Chronicle of the Philosophers Cleobolus one of the seuen wise men of Athens did euer say that the wife ought to bee of no greater blood than her husbande For if thou takest a wife of hier degree then thy selfe thou shalt alwayes bee sure to haue thy wiues kindred to bee as Lordes ouer thee And therefore the Prouerbe sayeth My sonne beware thou neuer commit such a follie 45. The beautie and the fauour sweete of women could I praise If them I found accompanied with wisedome anie wayes But verie hardly or by happe they agree togither right And many times they are the markes of persons that be light The Paraphrase MOst certain it is that the more good things do meete together the better it is As to haue a wife that is honest beautifull and wise is farre better then to haue one that is honest and neither wise nor well fauoured But because they seldome happen togither nor are not farre distant from loosenesse you shall verie hardly see a verie faire woman to be verie wise and as Ouid saith hautinesse and disdaine is naturally incident to faire women Pride is alwayes the cōpanion of beautie And herein is verified that which the Poets in their fables haue written and also Seneca in his seuenth booke declareth that the Goddesse Venus the better to hide her whordome enclosed herselfe and her mate within a verie darke house and yet not so close but the iealous Sunne was peping in with his bright beames at the small cranies holes where he discouered all Whereat the good Ladie taking greate displeasure with the Sunne because he had so vncurteously handled her laide her heauie cursse vppon him causing that all the womankinde that were discended from the Sunne should be as good as euer twigged Now of the linage and kinred of the Sunne are all welfauoured and beautifull Dames and therefore because you shall hardly find a faire woman that is not foolish and dishonest it is said that the curse of Venus did light vpon them And this is the signification of this tale And Solomon saieth in his Prouerbes That beautie in a woman without wisedome is like vnto a ring of golde in the snoute of a sowe And this is it That beautie and wisedome seldome meete nor are farre distant from lightnesse 46. Yet here withall I do not count the kinde of women all To be vnprofitable or of vse or value small For why I know they haue been praisd of diuerse worthily And that their vertues haue been pende in manie an hystorie The Paraphrase PYthagoras and his followers were of opinion that there were two chiefe heades the one the authour of all goodnesse the other the authour of euill And vnto these two they referred al things that were wrought in the worlde and sayd that of the God of goodnesse proceeded and came the light and all things that were good and perfect of which number they accounted man Of the God of euill sprang darknesse and all vnperfect things amongst which they reckened the woman And in verie deede hauing respect to man the woman is an vnperfect creature although not so vnperfect ▪ but by teaching shee may bee brought to some perfection and to be profitable in her kind For as Aristot saith in his Oeconomikes and they be also the wordes of saint Isidore that to bring things to a perfection it behoueth to haue the man the woman the oxe that ploweth And in the name of the woorking oxe hee includeth all maner of Instrumentes that are necessarie about an house And further he sayth that it proceeded of the great wisedome and discretion of nature that man was made of more perfection then the woman because he was to commaund and she to obey and that man was of more actiuitie and abilitie then the womā because his office was to trauail in matters abroad without doores hers only to sit at home and to keepe that which is brought
Brutus and Cassius as is more at large set foorth by Eutropius in his booke of the Emperours of Rome Valerius Maximus doeth also recorde the same and Iohn Boccace in his booke of Ladies where he entreateth of the vertues of women commending Porcia the daughter of Cato and wife of this Brutus The Paraphrase of the doctour IN this Prouerbe the Marques proueth by familiar example that which hee hath shewed in the Prouerbe before by naturall reason For as Aristotle saith in the second of his Rhethorikes In the workes and actions of men that which commeth after doeth commonly resemble that which hath been done before therfore it is a cōmon vse with writers when they woulde perswade or haue their doinges well thought of to bring in examples of thinges that in the like case haue happened And for the same cause the Marques hath in this Prouerbe made mention of that which happened to Iulius Caesar whose doinges are largely set out by Lucan in his booke that hee wrote of the ciuill warres This Iulius Caesar by force and tyrannie sought to aspire which nothing appertained vnto him to the gouernement of Rome and subdued and ouercame both Pompey and all his fauourers who fought for the lawes and liberties of their countrie In the prosecuting whereof Caesar slue manie disinherited a great sorte and iniuried a number And for the mainteining of this his tyrannicall iurisdiction hee was forced to make himselfe to be feared to the intent hee might keepe them from rebelling But for al that euer he could doe two gentlemē citizens of Rome whose names were Brutus and Cassius conspired against him and in the Parliament house where he mistrusted no such thing sette vpon him and siue him giuing him as it is written foure and twentie woundes whereof he presently died and therefore the Prouerbe sayeth Great Caesar as the stories tell and so saieth Lucan most cruelly was slayne Although hee was a mightie Prince and had a strong and a puysant garde yet at the time that Brutus and Cassius trayterously murdered him they found him without anie of his friendes or seruantes all alone It followeth Who on the earth so mightie is that when hee is alone can of him selfe doe anie more then can a seelie one That is to say though a man be neuer so mightie yea though he be a king of many landes and countries yet is he but a man and for his owne person can doe no more then a man maie doe And although we reade in the second booke of the Kinges that the person of a King in an armie is of more value then a thousand souldiers and that the death of a Prince or a Captaine is more hurtfull to an armie then the death of a thousand others because of the worthinesse of the Prince or Captaine yet as S. Hierom in one of his Epistles affirmeth though in the ordering of a battaile the worthinesse of a Prince or a Captaine is chiefly considered when it comes to the fight not the degree but the dooinges of euerie partie is respected for when it commeth to the shout the force and prowesse of euerie one is his safegarde be he King or Emperour If he fight not as he ought to doe he is of none account And though he be neuer so valiant being but one man he can as the Prouerb is do no more then an other man. 4. Howe many haue I seene by loue aduaunced hye But many more I haue beheld cast downe for tyranny For vertuous minds in bōdage brought will slacke no time but trie By all the force and meanes they can to come to libertie The Paraphrase FOr the proofe and confirmation of that which goeth before the Marques affirmeth that he hath seene in his time great numbers aduaunced and set vp by loue and manie ouerthrowne and tumbled downe that haue sought to rule by feare which proofe in hauing had the experience is the truest and certainest that may be For easier shall we be deceiued by olde recordes or sooner erre in trusting our owne naturall reason then faile in knowledge of the truth in a thing that we haue had experience of And therefore is it commonly sayd that experience is the mother and mistresse of all things and as Aristotle in the first of his Phisickes sayeth If any that be wise doe erre touching their opinions in learning they may well be called backe againe and brought to the knowledge of the truth by natural reason and perswasion But he that denieth that which he seeth with his eyes heareth with his eares and knoweth by the triall of his other senses with suche a one we ought not to dispute For he that denieth his senses is altogeather without sense And therfore the proofe that is made by experience is most strong and assured The Marques saieth that in his time he hath seene many aduaunced by loue Loue bringeth with it vnitie Peace concorde where feare alwaies causeth hatred as is witnessed afore by the testimonie of Tullie in his booke of Friendship howe great the force of friendshippe and concorde is may easily be knowne by the harmes that arise of discention and discorde Which our Sauiour in the Gospel expresly sheweth where he saith That euery kingdome diuided within it selfe shal be destroyed and come to nothing suche as liue in peace and amitie do prosper and encrease And Salust in the conspiracie of Cateline saith that by loue and concord the smallest thinges that be encrease and growe to be great where by discorde great and mightie thinges decay come to nothing For vertuous minds in bōdage brought will slacke no time to trie by al the force and meanes they can to come to libertie It is lawful for euery man by the lawe of nature to defend his life his goodes and his good name by al the meanes waies that he may Insomuch as if any man will kill me it is lawful for me for the safegard of my lyfe to kill the partie that doth so assault me neither ought I to forbeare as the lawiers saie till I be stricken or hurt for it is yenough for me the feare that I am in to be murthered and that yf I kill him not I am sure to be slaine my selfe In so much that it hath been the opinion of some Doctours That if I stande in feare of a mightier man then my selfe and knowe that whersoeuer he meete mee he will kill me and am not able to stand vppon my guard nor to bande with him in this case I am not bounde to forbeare but may kill him at the best aduantage that I can take him The lyke opinion is of some Doctors that yf I be wrongfully deteyned in prison and stande in feare of some violence or vniustice that in this case I may lawefully breake prison and if a iudge shall wrongfullie condemne me whereby I shall greatly bee damnified in my person and that the execution be out against me it shall be lawfull
Valerius writeth in his first booke that the women of Rome to keepe themselues chast and sober did neuer drinke wine Of such sobernes temperance was the greate Alexander as Vegetius writeth in his booke Of the art of warres that he was so farre from setting his delight in eating drinking that he neuer vsed to eate but as he trauailed We likewise reade that hard by the campe of Hanniball there grew an appletree being as ful of apples as it might hang And so great was the continence and temperance of the souldiers that the tree after their departure remained as full of fruite as it was when they firste encamped For they counted it a greate shame and dishonour to eate any thing that was deyntie while they were in the fielde And of Iulius Caesar the Emperour wee reade that his dyet was grosse and common as herringes sprattes cheese and greene figges that he did eate at all times and in all places whensoeuer he was hungry and with this temperance and modestie he bridled the furie and disorder that followeth of to much eating and drinking For the bellie being stuffed with good meates and wines doeth presently yeeld to the rage of riot and Lecherie And therefore sayeth Solomon in his Prouerbes That wine ought not to be geuen to Princes For where drunkennesse hath place no secrete can bee kept And therefore the Prouerbe sayeth Temperance stayeth the raging lust of youth and of small and temperate feeding there ariseth neither disordinate lust nor other euill Saint Augustine did euer vse to saie that he liued not to eate but did eate for to liue and this is the Temperance which as the Prouerbe sayeth is woorthie of honour 36. But seeldome pouertie is seene such persons to molest As are of heedfull gouernement aud slouthfulnesse detest But idlenes and gluttonie where once they doe infect No vertue euer doe regarde nor honour doe respect The Paraphrase SAint Bernarde in an Epistle that hee writeth of the ordering and gouerning of a house to one Raimond a gentleman doth specially amongst other things exhort him to haue a careful eye to his liuing and to his expenses and to take heede that his receits be greater then his charges For if his expenses and his reuenues be one as much as the other hee shall bee sure to bee ouershoes and vndone before he be aware and therefore his counsell is that he that is wise shoulde alwayes set his bellie and his purse at discorde and vppon their strife be taught to knowe whose parte he shoulde take The belly proueth his purpose by the present delight that he feeleth and the purse prooueth his by the trial of the present harme and the miserie to come and farre better is it for a man to prouide and be carefull before hee come in neede then to seeke for helpe when hee is in miserie And this is it that is meant by the Prouerbe That pouertie is seeldome knowne to come to a person of good gouernement And gluttonie and sloth where they once come haue neuer regarde to Nobilitie For as Sainte Bernarde saieth The negligence and pouertie of the Maister of the house is as it were a burning and consuming fire in the toppe of it 37 His time he may not idlely spend that seeketh for to gaine For knowledge is not gotten but by industrie and payne So oughtest thou for to rule thy life and order such to keepe As thou preferre a gaineful watche before a harmefull sleepe The Paraphrase SOlomon in his Prouerbes willeth the slugard the loyterer that he go to the Emoth and consider her order and her tratrauayls which hauing neyther Captaine nor gouernour seeketh and prouideth in Sommer for her liuing and gathereth and layeth vp in the Haruest time as much as shall suffise hee to liue by in the winter And sayth that if a man will take paynes be diligent his haruest shal flow like a foūtayne and pouertie shal presently flie from him and therefore doth the Prouerbe bid To preferre a gaynefull watche before a harmeful sleepe For learning is not to be got without trauell for all men haue not knowledge by the inspiration of the holy Ghost But he that will atteine to knowledge must seeke and take paines for it and he that will come to be able to liue must as the Prouerbe saith preferre a good watching before an euil sleepe 38. For procreation onely and encrease of mortall kinde Forsake the chast virginitie with wise and sober minde Consider that this vaine delight was once the wofull fall Of Solomon for which he lost both wit and grace and al. The Paraphrase of the Marques THe perfection and profoundnesse of Solomon the king of Israel as wel in natural iudgement as in knowledge of the lawe is both at this day sufficiently knowne and shal be alwaies hereafter manifest who in his latter age being waxen effeminate and altogether ruled by women laied aside his obedience to GOD and became an idolatour as may be seene at large in the booke of the kinges The Doctour THe Marques hauing in his Prouerbs before declared the inconueniences that men fall into by gluttonie and excesse in eating and drinking doeth shewe vs in this Prouerbe and a fewe that folowe the inconueuiences and harmes that proceede of carnall and fleshly lust For where as men cannot liue for euer nor alwaies continue and that it is incident and common to them that some be borne and some die it is therefore of necessitie prouided by nature that men should haue the company and vse of women and so breake the bondes of virginitie And this ought to be doone with great modestie and consideration as the Prouerbe heere sheweth For a man to lie with any other then his owne wife though it be with intent of encreasing the worlde is hainous and deadly sinne Yea yf a man lie with his owne wife vpon a fleshly desire and not for procreation hee doeth offend For a man ought not to haue the vse of a woman for any other end then for the encreasing of posteritie Or for auoiding of whoredome he may vse his own wife And those that doe otherwise doe fal into that filthie sensualitie that brought Solomon to all his miserie wherof the Marques hath partly spoken aboue 39. And for the selfesame greeuous sinne Was Dauid brought full lowe And in the midst of mortall plagues was taught his fault to knowe ▪ The loftie Tarquin in his pride Was punished therfore And from the stately gates of Rome Was thrust for euermore The Paraphrase of the Marques DAuid that most holy Prophete and king of Israel after Saul was a man that did many woorthie and notable acts and a man of great wisedome hee doeth greatly set foorth the glory and Maiestie of GOD in his Booke of Psalmes Notwithstanding hee dyd greeuously fall and offende in fleshly and beastly affection committyng moste horrible adulterie howbeit hee afterwardes turned to GOD with great repentance and with
great griefe and mourning bewailed his offence Hee committed adulterie with the wife of Vrias who was mother to Solomon for the which greeuous offence the Lorde was more offended with him then for all that euer hee did as is to be seene at large in his life The Doctour SExtus Tarquinius was the sonne of Tarquinius the King as Liuie in the first of his Decades writeth The like is affirmed by Saint Augustine in his boke of the Citie of GOD Valerius Maximus and many other auncient writers No lesse was Lucretia famous for her vertue then was this Tarquine to be abhorred for his wickednesse Amongst many that haue written of the woorthinesse of this Ladie none doeth so greatly delite me as M. Iohn Galensis in a booke that hee wrote of the foure principal vertues whō I only determin to folow His words as I haue translated thē out of the Tuscan tongue are these Well woorthie of immortall and euerlasting remembraunce is the noble vertuous Lady Lucretia Who refusing to liue any longer did rip out the stain of the villany and violence done vnto her with the death of her owne person The maner wherof S. Augustine telleth in his boke of the citie of God saying that Sextus Tarquinius came with Collatinus the husbande of Lucretia to a house of his called Collatinū where they found Lucretia vertuously disposed amongst her maidens and women the only Paragon of her time most commended of all others was this Lucretia Whom when the sonne of Tarquinius king of the Romans had throughly behelde he was presently inflamed with disordinate and wicked loue towardes her whereuppon within a fewe dayes after accompanied only with one man he returneth vnknowne to Collatinus vnto the aforesaide place where he was honourably entertained and receiued of Lucretia who made him great cheare and lodged him according to his estate supposing that she had had her friende and not her enimie in her house Tarquinius being now a bed al a fire with the flames of beastly desire perceiuing that they were all fast a sleepe in the house taking his swoorde in his hande leapeth out of his bed and goeth directly to the chamber of Lucretia whom he founde fast a sleepe where laying his hande vpon her brest he said vnto her Lie stil Lucretia I am Sextus Tarquinius yf thou makest any noise thou shalt die for it Wherewithall the Lady beeing with great feare awaked and seeing no succour about her nor any waye too escape death Tarquinius beginneth to disclose vnto her his great affection and somtime with faire woordes intreating her and sometime againe terribly threatning her assaieth all the waies that he can deuise to bryng her to graunt to his desire But when he saw that she was by no waies to be remooued from her stedfast and chaste minde and that the terrour of death coulde nothing preuaile he casteth about againe and thinkeeth to boorde her on an other side and saith vnto her I will tel thee what I will doe if thou wilt not consent vnto me I wyll first kill thee and afterwards kill an euil fauoured knaue that I haue heere in the house and laye him in bedde with thee whereby it shal be reported to the worlde that thou wert taken in shameful and filthie adulterie And with this feare he ouercame the chaste minde of the vertuous Ladie and hauing obteined his desire with great disdaine departed Wherewith the poore Lucrecia beeing now ouerwhelmed with sorowe and pensiuenesse for her great and greeuous mishappe sendeth with al speede possible to her father her husbande and all other their friendes at Rome earnestly desiring them to come vnto her with as muche haste as they coulde VVho when they were come Lucrecia all heauie and sorowfull in her bedde at their entring into the house fell into a great weeping and when her friendes began to salute her and to bid her bee of good comfort Alas quoth she What comforte can there be to a woman that hath lost her chastitie and lookeing stedfastly vppon her husbande shee cried out and saide O Collatinus the feete of a straunger hath been in thy bed But I sweare vnto thee of a trueth only the body is defiled for the mind was neuer consenting and that shal my death presently declare And therefore I require you all to shewe your selues men and not to suffer this horrible act to remaine vnpunished Sextus Tarquinius was he whom I receiued not as an enimie but as a supposed friende who hath this laste night depriued me and you also yf you be men of al ioy VVhen shee had vttered these wordes they all beganne to comfort her and to tel her that her offence was nothing beeyng forced and constrained thereunto and that where there was no consent there coulde be no offence VVhereunto Lucrecia replied and saide As for that looke you to those thinges that concerne your selues I though I dooe cleare my selfe of beeing guiltie of any offence yet doe I not discharge my selfe of punishment There shal neuer chaste woman take occasion to be euyll by the example of Lucrecia And with these wordes plucking out a knife that she had secretly hidden and thrusting it to her hart she fell downe dead whereat both her husbande and Brutus her father makyng great lamentation presently drewe out the knife out of the wounde being al stained embrued with blood which knife Brutus takyng in his hande sware to reuenge the iniurie and the death of his daughter and to destroy both Tarquin the king his wife and his children either by fyer by swoord or by al the waies that he might and neuer to suffer any of the kindred to reigne in Rome VVith which he gaue the knife to Collatinus and so from one to another Whereby this mourning chaunged into wrath and desire of reuenge they all made promise to folowe Brutus and taking with them the body of Lucretia they brought it to Rome and laide it in the middest of the market place to the ende that the horrour of so strange a facte might stirre vppe the people to reuenge it At the sight wherof the people were straight in armes and folowing Brutus they thrust out of Rome Sextus Tarquinius who after miserably died in prison 4◠No lesse was worthie Scipio Commended for the deede That from his chaste and worthie mind Did worthily proceede Then for his valiant manly actes Esteemed in his daies By which he to his Countrey got A neuer dieyng praise The Paraphrase of the Marques COrnelius Scipio as Valerius rehearseth in his thirde booke hauing taken the Citie of Carthage was tolde by his souldiours that in the sacke of the Towne there was taken a young maiden of woonderful beauty great parentage who was affianced to a Gentleman of the nobilitie which as soone as he vnderstoode he commaunded that the Damsel her husbande and her parentes should be brought before him and caused the young maide safe and vntouched to be deliuered vnto them
in And therefore the Prouerbe saieth that the woman is not vnprofitable nor vnperfect Neither ought we to thinke that because some women haue been to blame therefore they are all to be condemned For as the nurse sayth to Hippolytus as Seneca in his fourth Tragedie sheweth where Hippolitus saith that if there had neuer been other euill woman but Medea the wife of Aegeus her onely villanies were sufficient to cause all other women to be abhorred Wherto the nurse answereth that it were greatly against reason that the offence of one or two should be the blame of all the rest And therefore sayeth the Prouerbe that notwithstanding the faultes of a fewe the vertues of women haue been highly commended and set out with the pen. 47. For setting here aside that sweete and blessed worthie rose That ouer all the rest doth shine and farre beyonde them goes The daughter of the thundring God and spouse vnto the hiest The light and lampe of women all who bare our sauiour Christ 48. Manie Ladies of renowne and beautifull there bee That are both chast and vertuous and famous for degree Amongst the blessed holy saintes full many a one we find That in this cōpasse may be brought for liues that brightly shinde 49. What should I of Saint Katheren that blessed martyr tell Among the rest of Virgins all a flowre of preecious smell Well worthy of remembrance is her beawty and her youth And eke no lesse deserueth praise her knowledge in the trueth The Marques SAint Katherin was a virgin and a holy Martyr and among the whole company of Saintes of speciall commendation touching whose life and death beeing a thing so commonly knowne I refer the Reader to the booke called The Flower of Saints 50. We finde that Hester wanted neither beawtie great nor grace Whose noble minde was ioyned with the fauour of her face Of Iudith likewise doe we reade the bewtie great to bee And how she vertuously behaude her selfe in eche degree The Paraphrase of the Marques HEster the Queene was the wife of King Assuerus of whom it shall not bee needefull to speake much considering that in the Paraphrase to the prouerbe of Assuerus in the beginning of the Booke there hath been enough saide It is sufficient to knowe that she was a holy woman and a deuout seruaunte of God as appeared by her vertuous life and by the earnest Prayers that shee made vnto God in the case of Hamon and Mardocheus Iudith as her Booke testifieth which is one of the 24 bookes of the Bible was reputed among the Iewes for a woman of singular wisdom and of great honestie in life who slewe the great Holofernes that being sent by the King Nabuchodonosor with a great and puisant Campe had besieged the Citie of Ierusalem as her Booke at large declareth where it also appeareth by what great policicie after shee had slaine him shee conueyed his hed passing thorowe the watch of the Camp to the aforesaid Citie This only fact renowmed Prince strake such a feare and terrour to the harts of the enemies as they speedily and without order to their great losse brake vppe their siege So as shee is greatly commended in the Scripture for her beautie and for her noble and valiant stomacke 51. The famous worthy women that among the heathen warre No reason that of good reporte among the rest we barre For why their valure and renoume was woundrous in their dayes And therefore not to be depriude of due deserued praise 52. In Athens and in Thebes too wer Ladyes great of fame The Troians Sabynes Greeks Arge had many a worthy dame The Laurentines the Amasons may triumph for the same And Rome of vertuous women can remember many a name 53. No fairer creatures coulde be seene then Vagnes and Diana Daphnes Dido Anna and the vertuous Lucretia Nor vnrembred let wee passe Virginia the same Whose passing chastitie procurde her euerlasting fame The Paraphrase VAgnes as Statius in his Booke of the Warres betwixt the Thebanes and the Argians reporteth was the cheefe among the Argian Ladies that went altogether to King Creon with humble petition for the deliuery of the dead bodyes of their husbandes and kinsemen that were slaine at the battaile of Thebes fighting against Ethiocles the Sonne of Oedippus and nephew to King Layus who was of the linage and stock of Cadmus Who hauing receiued a flat denyal went altogither to Theseus that then was Duke of Athens declaring vnto him with great exclamation the great crueltie and extremitie that was showed vnto them Theseus who was then newly come from the warres of the Amasons as Iohn Boccace the poet of Florence in his Booke of Theseus at large discribeth vowed that before he entred the Citie he would go out of hand with his whole forces against Creon requiring him yet before by his Embassadours to graunt vnto the poore Ladyes this their so iust and reasonable request which when he disdainfully refused to doe hee made warres vpon him and slew him wherby the gentlemen of Argos by the industrie and diligence of the vertuous Vagnes came in the ende to bee honourably buryed At the ende of this battaile wherin Creon was slaine by the handes of Theseus beginneth the story of Arcyt and Palemon the seruants and great louers of Emilia the sister of Hypolitus which because of the tediousnes and that the matter maketh nothing to our purpose I heere passe ouer Diana was counted the goddesse of Chastitie a Lady that set all her delight vpon the feeld in the chase and hunting of wilde beastes Lucretia and other the famous Ladies of Rome are sufficiently mencioned as wel by Lyuy and Valerius in their storyes as by Saint August a man of more credit in his Boke Of the Citie of God and Iohn Boccace in the fall of Princes and commendation of woorthy women where it is shewed how she beeing the wife of Collatinus was violently forced by Sextus Tarquinius wherevpon with a knife or a swoord shee slewe her selfe saying I free my selfe from the faulte but not from punishement which I heere but briefely touch because I haue writen thereof before in the story of Sextus Tarquinius Daphnis was daughter to Peneus a Virgin dedicated to Diana the Lady of Chastitie who as Ouid writeth beeing greatly desired of Phebus and not consenting nor able to withstande the force of her furious louer commending her selfe to all the gods but specially to Diana whom shee serued was as the Poets faine transformed into the Laurell a tree of continuall greenenesse sweete of sauour and of a delectable shadowe The morall whereof beeing declared by diuers Authors as Fryer Thomas of Capua in his Moralls vpon the Metamorphosis Iohn Boccace in his Genealogie of the heathen gods and Maister Iohn the Englishman commenting vppon the same Booke I heere leaue to declare as a thing to long to entreate off It may suffice that shee was counted among the heathen for a mayden of singular beawtie Anna was