had been a little overseen, should divine Plato be defamed? no, rather as he said of Cato's drunkenness, if Cato were drunk, it should be no vice at all to be drunk. They reprove Plato then, but without cause (as Ficinus pleads) d " for all love is honest and good, and they are worthy to be loved that speak well of love." Being to speak of this adinirable affection of love (saith "Valleriola) "there lyes open a vast and philosophical field to my discourse, by which many lovers become mad: let me leave my more serious meditations, wander in these Philosophical fields, and look into those pleasant Groves of the Muses, where with unspeakable variety of flowers, we may make Garlands to our selves, not to adorn us only, but with their pleasant smell and juyce to nourish our souls, and fill our minds desirous of knowledge," &c After an harsh and unpleasing discourse of Melancholy, which hath hitherto molested your patience, and tired the author, give him leave with Godefridus the Lawyer, and Laurentius (cap. 5.) to recreate himself in this kind after his laborious studies, "since so many grave Divines and worthy men have without offence to manners, to help themselves and others, voluntarily written of it." Heliodorus, a Bishop, penned a love story of Theagines and Chariclea, and when some Cato's of his time reprehended him for it, chose rather, saith Nicephorus, to leave his Bishoprick then his book. Æneas Sylvius an ancient Divine and past 40 years of age, (as he confesseth himself, after Pope Pius Secundus) endited that wanton history of Euryalus and Lucretia. And how many Superintendents of learning could I reckon up that have written of light phantastical subjects? Beroaldus, Erasmus, Alpheratius, twenty foure times printed in Spanish, &c. Give me leave then to refresh my muse a little, and my weary Readers, to expatiate in this delightsome field, hoc deliciarum campo, as Fonseca terms it, to season a surly discourse, with a more pleasing aspersion of love matters: Edulcare vitam convenit, as the Poet invites us, curas nugis, &c. 'tis good to sweeten our life with some pleasing toyes to rellish it, and as Pliny tells us, magna pars stu b • Carpunt alii Platonicam majestatem quod amori nimium indulserit, Dicearchus & alii; sed male. Omnis amor honestus & bonus, & amore digni qui bene dicunt de Amore. • Med. obser. lib. 2. cap. 7. de admirando amoris affectu dicturus; ingens patet campus & philosophicus, quo sæpe homines ducuntur ad insaniam, libcat modo vagari, &c. Quæ non ornent modo, sed fragrantia & succulentia jucunda plenius alant, &c. f Lib. 1. præfat. de amoribus agens relaxandi an mi causa laboriosissimis studiis fatigati; quando & Theologi se his juvari & juvare illæsis moribus volunt? Hist. lib. 12. cap. 34. Præfat. quid quadragenario convenit cum amore? Ego vero agnosco amatorium scriptum mihi non convenire: qui jam meridiem prætergressus in vesperem feror. Ancas Sylvius præfat. Ut severiora studia iis amænitatibus lector condire possit. Accius. diosorum 1 diosorum amanitates quærimus, most of our students love such pleasant subjects. Though Macrobius teach us otherwise, that those old Sages banished all such light Tracts from their studies, to Nurse's cradles, to please only the ear;" yet out of Apuleius I will oppose as honourable Patrons, Solon, Plato, Xenophon, Adrian, &c. that as highly approve of these Treatises. On the other side me thinks they are not to be disliked, they are not so unfit. I wil not peremptorily say as one did † tam suavia dicam facinora, ut male sit ei qui talibus non delectetur, I will tell you such pretty stories, that foul befall him that is not pleased with them; Neq; dicam ea quæ vobis usui sit audivisse, & voluptati meminisse, with that confidence, as Beroaldus doth his enarrations on Propertius. I will not expect or hope for that approbation, which Lipsius gives to his Epictetus, pluris facio quum relego: semper ut novum, & quum repetivi, repetendum, the more I read, the more shall I covet to read. I will not presse you with my Pamphlets, or beg attention, but if you like them you may. Pliny holds it expedient, and most fit, severitatem jucunditate etiam in scriptis condire, to season our works with some pleasant discourse; Synesius approves it, licet in ludicris ludere, the Poet admires it, "Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci ;" And there be those, without question, that are more willing to read such toyes, then I am to write: "Let me not live," saith Aratine's Antonia, "If I had not rather hear thy discourse," then see a play!" No doubt but there be more of her minde, ever have been, ever will be, as Hierome bears me witnesse. A far greater part had rather read Apuleius then Plato Tully himself confesseth he could not understand Plato's Timæus, and therefore cared lesse for it; but every school-boy hath that famous testament of Grunnius Corocotta Porcellus at his fingers ends. The Comicall Poet, "Id sibi negoti credidit solum dari, Populo ut placerent, quas fecisset fabulas," made this his onely Care and sole study to please the people, tickle the car, and to delight; but mine earnest intent is as much to profit as to please; non tam ut populo placerem, tentes. * Discum quam philosophum audire malunt. * In Som. Scip. è sacrario suo tum ad cunas nutricum sapientes eliminarunt, solas aurium delitias profiBabylonius et Ephesius, qui de Amore scripserunt, uterq; amores Myne, Cyrenes, et Adonidis. Suidas. + Pet. Aretine dial. Ital. + Hor. Legendi cupidiores, quam ego scribendi, saith Lucian. Plus capio voluptatis inde, quam spec andis in theatro ludis. major pars Milesias fabulas revolventium quam Platonis libros. • Proœmio in Isaiam. Multo quam quam ut populum juvarem, and these my writings, I hope, shall take like guilded pills, which are so composed as well to tempt the appetite, and deceive the palat, as to help and medicinally work upon the whole body; my lines shall not only recreate, but rectifie the minde. I think I have said enough; if not, let him that is otherwise minded, remember that of * Maudarensis," he was in his life a Philosopher (as Ausonius apologizeth for him), in his Epigrams a Lover, in his precepts most severe; in his Epistle to Cærellia, a wanton. Annianus, Sulpitius, Evemus, Menander, and many old Poets besides, did in scriptis prurire, write Fescennines, Attellanes, and lascivious songs; letam materiam; yet they had in moribus censuram, & severitatem, they were chast, severe, and upright livers. "Castum esse decet pium poetam Ipsum, versiculos nihil necesse est, Qui tum deniq; habent salem & leporem." I am of Catullus' opinion, and make the same Apologie in mine own behalf; Hoc etiam quod scribo, pendet plerumq; ex aliorum sententia & authoritate; nec ipse forsan insanio, sed insanientes sequor. Atqui detur hoc insanire me; Semel insanivimus omnes, & tute ipse opinor insanis aliquando, & is, & ille, & ego, scilicct "Homo sum, humani à me nihil alienum puto:" And which he urgeth for himself, accused of the like fault, I as justly plead, "Lasciva est nobis pagina, vita proba est," Howsoever my lines erre, my life is honest, "Vita verecunda est, musa jocosa mihi." But I presume I need no such Apologies, I need not, as Socrates in Plato, cover his face when he spake of love, or blush and hide mine eys, as Pallas did in her hood, when she was consulted by Jupiter about Mercurie's marriage, quod super nuptiis virgo consulitur, it is no such lascivious, obscene or wanton discourse; I have not offended your chaster ears with any thing that is here written, as many French and Italian Authors. in their modern language of late have done, nay some of our Latine pontificiall writers, Zanches, Asorius, Abulensis, Burchardus, &c. whom Rivet accuseth to be more lascivious *In vita philosophus, in Epigram. amator, in Epistolis petulans, in præceptis Ovid. Isago. ad sac. scrip, cap. 13, severus. Mart. then then Virgil in Priapeiis, Petronius in Catalectis, Aristophanes in Lycistratæ, Martialis, or any other Pagan prophane writer, qui tam atrocitèr (* one notes) hoc genere peccárunt ut multa ingeniosissimè scripta obscenitatum gratiá caste mentes abhorreant. 'Tis not scurrile this, but chast, honest, most part serious, and even of religion it self. "Incensed (as he said) with the love of finding love, we have sought it, and found it." More yet, I have augmented and added something to this light Treatise (if light) which was not in the former Editions, I am not ashamed to confess it, with a good + Au thor, quod extendi & locupletari hoc subjectum pleriq; postulabant, & eorum importunitate victus, animum utcunq; renitentem eò adegi, ut jam sexta vice calamum in manum sumerem, scriptioniq; longè & à studiis & professione meá alienæ me accingerem, horas aliquas à seriis meis occupationibus interim suffuratus, easq; veluti ludo cuidam ac recreationi destinans; "Cogor retrorsum Vela dare, atq; iterare cursus Etsi non ignorarem novos fortasse detractores novis hisce interpolationibus meis minimè defuturos. And thus much I have thought good to say by way of preface, lest any man (which Godfridus feared in his book) should blame in me lightness, wantonness, rashness, in speaking of love's causes, entisements, symptomes, remedies, lawfull and unlawfull loves, and lust itself, I speak it only to tax and deter others from it, not to teach, but to shew the vanities and fopperies of this heroicall or Herculean love, and to apply remedies unto it. I will treat of this with like liberty as of the rest. Sed dicam vobis, vos porrò dicite multis Condemn me not good Reader then, or censure me hardly, if some part of this Treatise to thy thinking as yet be too light; * Barthius notis in Celestinam, ludum Hisp. Ficinus Comment. c. 17. Amore incensi inveniendi amoris, amorem quæsivimus et invenimus. + Author Cœlestinæ Barth. interprete. Hor. lib. 1. Ode 34. * Hæc prædixi ne quis temerè nos putaret scripsisse de amorum lenociniis, de praxi, fornicationibus, adulteriis, &c. 1 Taxando et ab his deterrendo humanam lasciviam et insaniam, sed et remedia docendo: non igitur candidus lector nobis succenseat, &c. Commonitio erit juvenibus hæc, hisce ut abstineant magis, et omissa lascivia quæ homines reddit insanos, virtutis incumbant studiis (neas Sylv.) et curam amoris si quis nescit hinc poterit scire. § Martianus Capella lib. 1. de nupt. philol. virginali suffusa rubore oculos peplo obnubens, &c. || Catullus. but but consider better of it; Omnia munda mundis, a naked man to a modest woman is no otherwise then a picture, as Augusta Livia truly said, and mala mens, malus animus, tis as 'tis taken. If in thy censure it be too light, I advise thee as Lipsius did his reader for some places of Plautus, Istos quasi Sirenum scopulos prætervehare, if they like thee not, let them pass; or oppose that which is good to that which is bad, and reject not therefore all. For to invert that verse of Martial, and with Hierom Wolfius to apply it to my present purpose, "Sunt mala, sunt quædam mediocria, sunt bona plura;" Some is good, some bad, some is indifferent. I say farther with him yet, I have inserted († levicula quædam & ridicula ascribere non sum gravatus, circumforanea quædam è theatris, è plateis, etiam è popinis) some things more homely, light, or comicall, litans Gratiis, &c. which I would request every man to interpret to the best, and as Julius Cæsar Scaliger besought Cardan (Si quid urbaniusculè lusum à nobis, per deos immortales te oro Hieronyme Cardane ne me malè capias.) I beseech thee, good Reader, not to mistake me, or misconstrue what is here written; Per Musas & Charites, & omnia Poëtarum numina, benigne lector, oro te ne me malè capias. 'Tis a Comicall subject; in sober sadness I crave pardon of what is amiss, and desire thee to suspend thy judgement, wink at small faults, or to be silent at least; but if thou likest, speak well of it, and wish me good success. "Extremum hunc Arethusa mihi concede laborem." I am resolved howsoever, velis, nolis, audactèr stadium intrare, in the Olympicks, with those Eliensian Wrestlers in Philostratus, boldly to shew my self in this common Stage, and in this Trage-comedy of Love, to Act severall parts, some Satyrically, some Comically, some in a mixt Tone, as the subject I have in hand gives occasion, and present scene shall require, or offer it self. • Viros nudos castæ feminæ nihil à statuis distare. * Hony Soyt qui maly pense. +Præf. Suid. SUBS |