as she was playing with other wenches at Ilissus, and begat Zetes and Galais his two sons of her. That seas and waters are enamoured with this our beauty, is all out as likely as that of the air and winds; for when Leander swimmed in the Hellespont, Neptune with his Trident did beat down the waves, but They still mounted up intending to have kiss'd him, The River Alpheus was in love with Arethusa, as she tels the tale herself, - viridesque manu siccata capillos, Fluminis Alphei veteres recitavit amores; Pars ego Nympharum," &c. When our Tame and Isis meet "† Oscula mille sonant, connexu brachia pallent, Inachus and Pineus, and how many loving rivers can I reckon up, whom beauty hath enthral'd! I say nothing all this while of Idols themselves that have committed Idolatry in this kind, of looking glasses, that have been rapt in love (if you will be. lieve Poets) when their Ladies and mistresses looked on to dress them. "Et si non habeo sensum, tua gratia sensum Though I no sense at all of feeling have, I could tell you such another story of a spindle that was fired by a fair Ladies' looks, or fingers, some say, I know not well whether, but fired it was by report, and of a cold bath that suddenly smoaked, and was very hot when naked Cœlia came into it, "Miramur quis sit tantus & unde vapor," &c. But of all the tales in this kind, that is the most memorable of Death himself, when he should have stroken a sweet young Ovid. Met. lib. 5. + Leland. + Angerlanus. § Si longe aspiciens hæc urit lumine divos Atq; homines prope, cur urere lina nequit? Angerianus. || Idem Anger. Virgin Virgin with his dart, he fell in love with the object. Many more such could I relate which are to be believed with a poeti cal faith. So dumb and dead creatures dote, but men are mad, stupifyed many times at the first sight of beauty, amazed, * as that fisherman in Aristænetus, that spied a maid bathing herself by the sea side, "+Soluta mihi sunt omnia membra——— A capite ad calcem, sensusque omnis periit De pectore, tam immensus stupor animum invasit mihi." And as Lucian, in his images, confesseth of himself, that he was at his mistriss' presence void of all sense, immovable, as if he had seen a Gorgon's head: which was no such cruel monster, (as Cœlius interprets it, lib. 3. cap. 9.) "but the very quintessence of beauty," some fair creature, as without doubt the Poet understood in the first fiction of it, at which the spectators were amazed. Miseri quibus intentata nites, poor wretches are compelled at the very sight of her ravishing looks to run mad, or make away themselves. They wait the sentence of her scornful eys; "Heliodorus lib. 1. brings in Thyamis almost besides himself, when he saw Chariclia first, and not daring to look upon her a second time, "for he thought it unpossible for any man living to see her and contain himself." The very fame of beauty will fetch them to it many miles off, (such an attractive power this loadstone hath) and they will seem but short, they will undertake any toil or trouble, long journeys. Penia or Atalanta shall not overgo them, through Seas, Desarts, Mountains, and dangerous places, as they did to gaze on Psyche: many mortal men came far and neer to see that glorious object of her age," Paris for Helena, Corebus to Troja. X "Illis Trojam qui forte diebus Venerat insano Cassandra incensus amore." King John of France, once prisoner in England, came to visit his old friends again, crossing the seas; but the truth is, his comming was to see the Countess of Salisbury, the Non-pereil *Obstupuit mirabundus membrorum elegantiam, &c. Ep.7. +Stobæus è græco. Parum abfuit quo minus saxum ex homine factus sum, ipsis statuis immobiliorem me fecit. ⚫ Veteres Gorgonis fabulam confinxerunt, eximium formæ decus stupidos reddens. Hor. Ode. 5. Marlos Hero. " Aspectum virginis sponte fugit insanus fere, & impossibile existimans ut simul eam aspicere quis possit, & intra temperantiæ metas se continere. * Apuleius 1. 4. Multi mortales longis itineribus, &c. VOL. II, Q of of those times, and his dear mistress. That infernal God Plutus came from hell it self, to steal Proserpina; Achilles left all his friends for Polixena's sake, his enemie's daughter; and all the * Græcian Gods forsook their heavenly mansions for that fair Lady, Philo Dioneus daughter's sake, the Paragon of Greece in those days; eá enim venustate fuit, ut eam certatim omnes dii conjugem expeterent. "+ Formosa divis imperat puella." They will not only come to see, but as a Faulkoner makes an hungry hawke hover about, follow, give attendance and service, spend goods, lives, and all their fortunes to attain; Were beauty under twenty locks kept fast, Yet love breaks through, and picks them all at last. When fairy Hero came abroad, the eys, hearts, and affections of her spectators were still attendant on her. "Et medios inter vultus supereminet omnes, § So far above the rest fair Hero shin'd, When Peter Aretine's Lucretia came first to Rome, and that the fame of her beauty, ad urbanarum delitiarum sectatores venerat, nemo non ad videndam eam, &c. was spread abroad, they came in (as they say) thick and threefold to see her, and hovered about her gates, as they did of old to Lais of Corinth, and Phryne of Thebes. ¿ Ad cujus jacuit Græcia tota fores," **Every man sought to get her love, somewith gallant and costly apparel, some with an affected pace, some with musique, others with rich gifts, pleasant discourse, multitude of followers; others with letters, vows, and promises, to commend themselves, and to be gratious in her eys." Happy was he that could see her, thrice happy that enjoyed her company. Charmides in Plato was a proper young man, in comeliness 'of person," and all good qualities, far exceeding others; when Marlo. || Perno Propertius. Nic. Gerbel. 1. 5. Achaia. +1. Secundus basiorum lib. y Museus. Illa autem bene morata, per ædem quocuncq; vagabatur, sequentem mentem habebat, & oculos, & corda virorum. Homer. 'didascalo dial. Ital. Latin. donat. à Gasp. Barthio Germano. **Vestium splendore & elegantia, ambitione incessus, donis, cantilenis, &c. gratiam adipisci. * Præ cæteris corporis proceritate & egregiâ indole mirandus apparebat, cæteri autem capti ejus amore videbantur, &c. soever soever fair Charmides came abroad, they seemed all to be in love with him (as Critias describes their carriage) and were troubled at the very sight of him; many came neer him, many followed him wheresoever he went," as those *formarum spectatores did Acontius, if at any time he walked abroad: The Athenian lasses stared on Alcibíades; Sapho and the Mitilean women on Phaon the fair. Such lovely sights do not only please, entise, but ravish and amaze. Cleonimus a delicate and tender youth, present at a feast which Androcles his uncle made in Piræo at Athens, when he sacrificed to Mercury, so stupified the guests, Dineas, Aristippus, Agasthenes, and the rest, (as Charidemus in + Lucian relates it) that they could not eat their meat, they sate all supper time gazing, glancing at him, stealing looks, and admiring of his beauty. Many will condemn these men that are so enamoured, for fools; but some again commend them for it; many reject Paris' judgement, and yet Lucian approves of it, admiring Paris for his choice; he would have done as much himself, and by good desert in his minde; Beauty is to be preferred" before wealth or wisdom." Athenæus Deipnosophist. lib. 13. cap. 7. holds it not such indignity for the Trojans and Greeks to contend ten years, to spend so much labour, lose so many inen's lives for Helen's sake, for so fair a Ladie's sake, "Ob talem uxorem cui præstantissima forma, Nil mortale refert." That one woman was worth a kingdom, a hundred thousand other women, a world itself. Well might ‡ Sterpsichores be blind for carping at so fair a creature, and a just punishment it was. The same testimony gives Homer of the old men of Troy, that were spectators of that single combat betwixt Paris and Menelaus at the Seian gate; when Helena stood in presence; they said all, the war was worthily prolonged and undertaken for her sake. The very gods themselves (as Homer and Isocrates record) fought more for Helena, then they did against the Gyants. When | Venus lost her son Cupid, she made proclamation by Mercury, that he that could bring tidings of him should have seven kisses; a noble reward some say, and much better then so many golden talents; seven such kisses * Aristenatus ep. '10. +Tom. 4. dial. meretr. respicientes & ad formam ejus obstupescentes. In Charidemo sapientiæ merito pulchritudo præfertur & opibus. Indignum nihil est Troas fortes & Achivos tempore tam longo perpessos esse labore. Digna quidem facies pro qua vel obiret Achilles, vel Priamus, belli causa probando fuit. Proper. lib. 2. Cocus qui lielenæ formam carpserat. d Those mutinous Turks that murmured at Mahomet, when they saw Irene, excused his absence. Knowls, Apul. miles, lib. 4. orat. § In laudem Helena to many men, were more pretious then seven Cities, or so many Provinces. One such a kiss alone, would recover a man if he were a dying, *Suaviolum Stygia sic te de valle reducet," &c. Great Alexander married Roxane, a poor man's child, onely for her person. 'Twas well done of Alexander, and heroically done, I admire him for it. Orlando was mad for Angelica, and who doth not condole his mishap? Thisbe died for Piramus, Dido for Æneas; who doth not weep, as (before his conversion) Austin did in commiseration of her estate! she died for him; me thinks (as he said) I could die for her?" But this is not the matter in hand; what prerogative this Beauty hath, of what power and soveraignty it is, and how far such persons that so much admire, and dote upon it, are to be justified; no man doubts of these matters; the question is how and by what meanes Beauty produceth this effect? By sight: the Eye betrayes the soul, and is both Active and Passive in this business; it wounds and is wounded, is an especiall cause and instrument, both in the subject and in the object. "As teares, it begins in the eyes, descends to the breast ;" it conveyes these beauteous rayes, as I have said, unto the heart. Ut vidi ut perii. & Mars videt hanc, visamq; cupit. Shechem saw Dinah the daughter of Leah, and defiled her. Gen. 34. 3. Jacob Rachel. 29. 17. " for she was beautiful and fair:" David spied Bershaba afar off, 2 Reg. 11. 2. the Elders Susanna, as that Orthomenian Strato saw fair Aristoclea the daughter of Theophanes, bathing herself at that Hercyne well in Lebadea; and were captivated in an instant. Fiderunt oculi, rapuerunt pectora flamme; Ammon fell sick for Thamar's sake, 2 Sam. 13. 2. The beauty of Esther was such, that she found favour not onely in the sight of Assuerus, "but of all those that looked upon her." Gerson, Origen, and some others, contended that Christ himself was the fairest of the sons of men, and Joseph next unto him, speciosus præ filiis hominum, and they will have it literally taken; his very person was such, that he found grace and favor of all those that looked upon him. Joseph was so fair, that as the ordinary Gloss hath it, filie decurrerent per murum, & ad fenestras, they ran to the top of the walls and to the windows to gaze on him, as we do commonly to see some great personage go by: and so Matthew Paris describes Matilda the Empress going through Cullen. P. Morales the Jesuit saith as much of *Secun. bas. 13. aculis oritur. • Curtius 1. 1. Ovid Fast. Plutarch. ! Confessi. + Sencca. Amor. in Lib. de pulchrit. Jesu et Mariæ. the |