sinissa was married to that fair captive Sophonisba King Scyphax' wife, the same day that he saw her first, to prevent Scipio Lælius, lest they should determine otherwise of her. If thou lovest the party, do as much: good education and beauty is a competent dowry, stand not upon mony. Erant olim aurei homines (saith Theocritus) & adamantes redamabant, in the golden world men did so, (in the raign of * Ogyges belike, before staggering Ninus began to domineere) if all be true that is reported: and some few now a dayes will do as much, here and there one; 'tis well done me thinkes, and all happiness befall them for so doing. Leontius, a Philosopher of Athens, had a fair daughter called Athenais, multo corporis lepore ac Venere, (saith mine authour) of a comely carriage, he gave her no portion but her bringing up, occulto formæ præsagio, out of some secret fore-knowledge of her fortune, bestowing that little which he had amongst his other children. But she, thus qualified, was preferred by some friends to Constantinople, to serve Pulcheria the Emperour's sister, of whom she was baptized and called Eudocia. Theodosius the Emperour in short space took notice of her excellent beauty and good parts, and a little after, upon his sister's sole commendation, made her his wife: 'Twas nobly done of Theodosius. Rodophe was the fairest lady in her dayes in all Ægypt; she went to wash her, and by chance, (her maides mean while looking but carelessly to her cloathes) an Eagle stole away one of her shooes, and laid it in Psammeticus the King of Egypt's lap at Memphis: he wondred at the excellency of the shooe and pretty foot, but more Aquile factum, at the manner of the bringing of it: and caused forthwith proclamation to be made, that she that owned that shooe should come presently to his court; the virgin came and was forthwith married to the King. I say this was heroically done, and like a Prince: I commend him for it, and all such as have means, that will either do (as he did) themselves, or so for love, &c. marry their children. If he be rich, let him take such a one as wants, if she be vertuously given; for as Syracides cap. 7. ver. 19. adviseth, "Forgoe not a wife and good woman; for her grace is above gold." "If she have fortunes of her own, let her make a man. Danaus of Lacedæmon had a may daughters to bestow, and means *Fabius pictor: amor ipse conjunxit populos, &c. bást. Mayer. Select. Sect. 1. cap. 13. S Lipsius polit. SeMayerus select Sect. 1. c. 14. & Ælian. 1. 13. c. 33. cum famulæ lavantis vestes incuriosus custodirent, &c. mandavit per universam Ægyptum ut fœmina quæreretur, cujus is calceus esset; eamq; sic inventam in matrimonium accepit. enough of enough for them all, he never stood enquiring after great matches, as others use to do, but *sent for a company brave young gallants home to his house, and bid his daughters choose every one one, whom she liked best, and take him for her husband, without any more ado. This act of his was much approved in those times. But in this iron But in this iron age of our's we respect riches alone, (for a maid must buy her husband now with a great dowrie if she will have him) covetousness and filthy lucre marres all good matches, or some such byrespects. Crales, a Servian Prince, (as Nicephorus Gregoras Rom. Hist. lib. 6. relates it,) was an earnest suitor to Eudocia, the Emperour's sister; though her brother much desired it, yet she could not tabide him, for he had three former wives, all basely abused; but the Emperour still, Cralis amicitiam magni faciens, because he was a great Prince, and a troublesom neighbour, much desired his affinity, and to that end betrothed his own daughter Simonida to him, a little girle five years of age (he being fourty five,) and five ‡years elder then the Emperor himself: Such disproportionable and unlikely matches can wealth and a fair fortune make. And yet not that alone, it is not only money, but sometime vainglory, pride, ambition, do as much harm as wretched coveteousness it self in another extream. a Yeonan have one sole daughter, he must over-match her, above her birth and calling, to a gentleman forsooth, because of her great portion, too good for one of her own rank, as he supposeth: A Gentleman's daughter and heir must be married to a Knight Barronet's eldest son at least; and a Knight's only daughter to a Baron himself, or an Earl, and so upwards, her great dowre deserves it. And thus striving for more honour to their wealth, they undo their children, many discontents follow, and oftentimes they ruinate their Families. Paulus Jovius gives instance in Galeatius the second, that Heroical Duke of Milean, externas affinitates, decoras quidem regio fastu, sed sibi posteris damnosas & ferè exitiales quæsivit; he married his eldest son John Galeatius to Isabella the King of France his sister, but she was socero tam gravis, ut ducentis millibus aureorum constiterit, her entertainment at Milean was so costly that it almost undid him. His daughter Violanta was married to Lionel Duke of Clarence, the youngest son to Edward the third King of England, but, ad ejus adventum tantæ opes tam admirabili liberalitate profusæ sunt, ut If * Pausanias lib. 3. de Laconicis. Dimisit qui nunciarunt, &c. optionem puellis dedit, ut earum quælibet eum sibi virum deligeret, cujus maxime esset forma complacita. +Illius conjugium abominabitur. Socero quinque § Vit. Galeat, secundi. DJ 3 circiter annos natu minor. opulen opulentissimorum regum splendorem superasse videretur, he was welcomed with such incredible magnificence, that a King's purse was scarce able to bear it; for besides many rich presents of horses, arms, plate, money, jewels, &c. he made one dinner for him and his company, in which were thirty two messes and as much provision left, ut relatæ à mensa dapes decem millibus hominum sufficerent, as would serve ten thousand men: But a little after Lionel died, novæ nuptæ & intempestivis Conviviis operam dans, &c. and to the Duke's great loss, the solemnity was ended. So can titles, honours, ambition, make many brave, but infortunate matches of all sides for byrespects, though both crased in body and minde, most unwill. ing, averse, and often unfit,) so love is banished, and we feel the smart of it in the end. But I am too lavish peradventure in this subject. Another let or hindrance is strict and severe Discipline, Laws and rigorous Customs, that forbid men to marry at set times, and in some places: as Prentises, Servants, Collegiats, States of lives in Coppy holds, or in some base inferior Offices, Velle licet in such cases, potiri non licet, as he said. They see but as prisoners through a grate, they covet and catch, but Tantalus à labris, &c. Their love is lost, and vain it is in such an estate to attempt. * Gravissimum est adamare nec potiri, 'tis a grievous thing to love and not enjoy. They may indeed, I deny not, marry if they will, and have free choice some of them; but in the mean time their case is desperate, Lupum auribus tenent, they hold a Wolfe by the ears, they must either burn or starve. 'Tis Cornutum sophisma, hard to resolve, if they marry they forfeit their estates, they are undone and starve themselves through beggery and want: if they do not marry, in this heroical passion they furiously rage, are tormented, and torn in pieces by their predominate affections. Every man hath not the gift of continence, let him pray for it then, as Beza adviseth in his Tract de Divortiis, because God hath so called him to a single life, in taking away the means of marriage: Paul would have gone from Mysia to Bythinia, but the spirit suffered him not, and thou wouldest peradventure be a married man with all thy will, but that protecting Angel holds it not fit. The devil too sometimes may divert by his ill suggestions, and marr many good matches, as the same Paul was willing to see the Romanes, but hindred of Satan he could not. There be those that think they are ne、 i Apuleius in Catel. nobis cupido velle dat, posse abnegat. *Anacreon 56, +Continentiæ donum ex fide postulet quia ccrtum sit eum vocari ad cœlibatum cui demis, &c. § Act. 16. 7. Rom. 1. 13. cessitated cessitated by Fate, their Stars have so decreed, and therefore they grumble at their hard fortune, they are well inclined to marry, but one rub or other is ever in the way: I know what Astrologers say in this behalf, what Ptolomy quadripartit. Tract. 4. cap. 4. Skoner lib. 1. cap. 12. what Leovitius genitur. exempl. 1. which Sextus ab Heminga takes to be the Horoscope of Hieronymus Wolfius, what Pezelius, Origanaus and Leovitius his illustrator Garceus cap. 12. what Junctine, Protanus, Campanella, what the rest, (to omit those Arabian conjectures à parte Conjugii, à parte lascivie, triplicitates veneris, &c. and those resolutions upon a question, an amica potiatur, &c.) determine in this behalf, viz. an sit natus conjugem habiturus, facilè an difficultèr sit sponsam impetraturus, quot conjuges, quo tempore, quales decernantur nato uxores, de mutuo amore conjugem, both in men's and women's genitures, by the examination of the seventh house the Almutens, Lords and Planets there, a & a &c. by particular Aphorismes, Si dominus 7mæ in 7ma vel secunda nobilem decernit uxorem, servam aut ignobilem si duodecimá. Si Venus in 12ma, &c. with many such, too tedious to relate. Yet let no man be troubled, or finde himself grieved with such Prædictions, as Hier. Wolfius well saith in his Astrologicall* Dialogue, non sunt prætoriana decreta, they be but conjectures, the Stars incline, but not enforce, d Sydera corporibus præsunt cœlestia nostris, Cogere sed nequeunt animum ratione fruentem, wisdom, diligence, discretion, may mitigate if not quite alter such decrees, Fortuna sua à cujusque fingitur moribus, +Qui cauti, prudentes, voti compotes, &c. let no man then be terrified or molested with such Astrological Aphorisms, or be much moved, either to vain hope or fear, from such predictions, but let every man follow his own free will in this case, and do as he sees cause. Better it is indeed to marry then burn, for their soul's health, but for their present fortunes, by some other means to pacifie themselves, and divert the stream of this fiery torrent, to continue as they are, rest satisfied, lugentes virginitatis florem sic aruisse, deploring their misery with that Eunuch in Libanius, since there is no helpe or remedy, and with Jepthe's daughter to bewaile their virginities. k Of like nature is superstition, those rash vowes of Monks * Præfix. gen. Leovitii. + Idem Wolfius dial. of it, and take his lot as it falls. Dd4 k That is, make the best and and Friers, and such as live in religious Orders, but far more tyrannical and much worse. Nature, youth, and his furious passion forcibly inclines, and rageth on the one side: but their Order and Vow checks them on the other. "Votoque suo sua forma repugnat." What Merits and Indulgences they heap unto themselves by it, what commodities, I know not; but I am sure, from such rash vowes, and inhumane manner of life, proceed many inconveniences, many diseases, many vices, mastupration, satyriasis, + priapismus, melancholy, madness, fornication, adultery, buggery, sodomy, theft, murder, and all manner of mischiefes : read but Bale's Catalogue of Sodomites, at the visitation of Abbies here in England, Henry Stephan. his Apol. for Herodotus, that which Ulricus writes in one of his Epistles, "m <m that Pope Gregory when he saw 600, skuls and bones of infants taken out of a fishpond near a Nunnery, thereupon retracted that decree of Priests' marriages, which was the cause of such a slaughter, was much grieved at it, and purged himself by repentance." Read many such, and then ask what is to be done, is this vow to be broke or not? No, saith Bellarmine, cap. 38. lib. de Monach. melius est scortari & uri quam de voto cœlibatus ad nuptias transire, better burne or fly out, then to break thy vow. And Coster in his Enchirid. de cælibat. sacerdotum, saith it is absolutely gravius peccatum, "" a greater sin for a Priest to marry, then to keep a concubine at home.” Gregory de Valence, cap. 6. de calibat. maintaines the same, as those Essei and Montanists of old. Insomuch that many Votaries, out of a false perswasion of merit and holiness in this kinde, will sooner dye then marry, though it be to the saving of their lives. Anno 1419. Pius 2. Pope, James Rossa Nephew to the King of Portugal, and then elect Archbishop of Lisbone, being very sick at Florence," when his Physitians told him, that his disease was such, he must either lye with a wench, marry, or dye, cheerfully chose to dye;" Now they commended him for it; But S. Paul teacheth otherwise, "Better marry then burne," and as S. Hierome gravely delivers it, Ali sunt leges Cæsarum, aliæ Christi, aliud Papinianus, aliud Paulus noster præcipit, there's a difference betwixt m 66 Ovid. 1. met. + Mercurialis de Priapismo. Memorabile quod Ulricus epistola refert Gregorium quum ex piscina quadam allata plus quam sex mille infantum capita vidisset, ingemuisse & decretum de cælibatu tantam cœdis causam confessus condigno illud pœnitentiæ fructu purgasse. Kemnisius ex concil. Trident. part. 3. de cœlibaru sacerdotum. Si nubat, quam si domi concubinam alat. Alphonsus Cicaonius lib. de gest. pontificum. • Cum medici suaderent ut aut nuberet aut coitu uteretur, się mortem vitari posse mortem potius intrepidus expectavit, &c. God's |