saith our Latin Homer, she is stil the same in sickness and in health, his eye, his hand, his bosome friend, his partner at all times, his other self, not to be separated by any calamity, but ready to share all sorrow, discontent, and as the Indian women do, live and die with him, nay more, to die presently for him. Admetus King of Thessaly, when he lay upon his death bed, was told by Apollo's Oracle, that if he could get any body to die for him, he should live longer yet, but when all refused, his parents, etsi decrepiti, friends and followers forsook him, Alcestus his wife, though young, most willingly undertook it; what more can be desired or expected? And although on the other side there be an infinite number of bad husbands (I should rail downright against some of them) able to discourage any women; yet there be some good ones again, and those most observant of marriage Rites. An honest Country fellow (as Fulgosus relates it) in the Kingdom of Naples, at plough by the Sea side, saw his wife carried away by Mauritanian Pirats, he ran after in all haste, up to the chin first, and when he could wade no longer, swam, calling to the Governor of the ship to deliver his wife, or if he must not have her restored, to let him follow as a prisoner, for he was resolved to be a Gally-slave, his drudg, willing to endure any misery, so that he might but enjoy his dear wife. The moores seeing the man's constancy, and relating the whole matter to their Governors at Tunnis, set them both free, and gave them an honest pension to maintain themselves during their lives. I could tell many stories to this effect; but put case it often prove otherwise, because marriage is troublesome, wholly therefore to avoid it, is no argument; "He that will avoid trouble must avoid the world" (Eusebius præpar. Evangel. 5. cap. 50.) Some trouble there is in marriage I deny not, Etsi grave sit matrimonium, saith Erasmus, edulcatur tamen multis, &c. yet there be many things to sweeten it, a pleasant wife, placens uxor, pretty children, dulces nati, delicia filiorum hominum, the chief delight of the sons of men; Eccles. 2. 8. &c. And howsoever though it were all troubles, e utilitatis publice causa devorandum, grave quid libenter subeundum, it must willingly be undergon for publik good's sake, с "+Audite (populus) hæc, inquit Susarion, d * Cum juxta mare agrum coleret: Omnis enim miscriæ immemorein, conju galis amor cum fecerat. Non sine ingenti admiratione, tanta hominis charitate motus rex liberos esse jussit, &c. * Qui vuit vitare molestias vitet mundum. Τίδε βίος τίθε τερπνόν ἅπερ quæso quidve est sine Cypride dulce? Mimuer. χρυσῆς ἀφροδίτης. • Erasmus. Quid vita est +E Stoben. Hear Hear me O my country men, saith Susarion, "* Malum est mulier, sed necessarium malum." they are necessary evils, and for our own ends we must make use of them to have issue, + Supplet Venus ac restituit humanum genus, and to propagate the Church. For to what end is a man born? why lives he, but to increase the world? and how shall he do that well, if he do not marry? Matrimonium humano generi immortalitatem tribuit, saith Nevisanus, Matri mony makes us immortal, and, according to Tacitus, 'tis firmissimum imperii munimentum, the sole and chief prop of an empire. "Indignè vivit per quem non vivit & alter," § which Pelopidas objected to Epaminondas, he was an unwor thy member of a Common-wealth, that left not a childe after him to defend it, and as Trismegistus to his son Tatius, "have no commerce with a single man:" Holding belike that a Batchelor could not live honestly as he should, and with Georgius Wicelius, a great Divine and holy man, who of late by twenty six arguments commends marriage as a thing most necessary for all kinde of persons, most laudable and fit to be embraced: and is perswaded withall, that no man can live and die religiously, and as he ought, without a wife, persuasus neminem posse neque piè vivere, neque benè mori citra uxorem, he is false, an enemy to the Common wealth, injurious to himself, destructive to the world, an apostate to nature, a rebell against heaven and earth. Let our wilful, obstinate, and stale. Bachelors ruminate of this, "If we could live without wives," as Marcellus Numidicus said in Agellius, "we would all want them; but because we cannot, let all marry, and consult rather to the publike good, then their own private pleasure or estate." It were an happy thing, as wise Euripides hath it, if we could buy children with gold and silver, and be so provided, sine mulierum congressu, without women's company; but that may not be. "Orbis jacebit squallido turpis situ, Hist. lib. 4. Palin i Lib. I. • Menander. + Seneca Hyp. Lib. 3. num. 1. genius. Bruson. lib. 7. cap. 23. b Noli societatem habere, &c. cap. 6. Si, inquit, Quirites, sine uxore esse possemus, omnes careremus; Sed quoniam sic est, saluti potius publicæ quam voluptati consulendum. Beatum foret si liberos auro & argento mercari, &c. Seneca Hyp. Earth Earth, Avr, Sea, Land eftsoon would come to nought, necessity therefore compels us to marry. But what do I trouble my self, to finde arguments to perswade to, or commend marriage? behold a brief abstract of all that which I have said, and much more, succinctly, pithily, pathetically, perspicuously, and elegantly delivered in twelve motions to mitigate the miseries of marriage, by *Jacobus de Voragine, 1 Res est? habes quæ tueatur & augeat. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Non est? habes quæ quærat. Secundæ res sunt? felicitas duplicatur. Adverse sunt? Consolatur, adsidet, onus participat ut tolerabile fiat. Domi es? solitudinis tædium pellit. Forus? Discedentem visu prosequitur, absentem desiderat, redeuntem læta excipit. Nihil jucundum absque societate? Nulla societas ma trimonio suavior. Vinculum Conjugalis charitatis adamentinum. Pulchra sis prole parens. Lex Mosis sterilitatem matrimonii execratur, quanto amplius Cælibatum? Si natura pœnam non effugit, ne voluntas quidem Hast thou meanes? thou hast none to keep and increase it. 1 2 3 Art in prosperity? thine happiness is doubled. 4 5 6 7 8 9 Art in adversity? shee'l comfort, assist, bear a part of thy burden to make it more tolerable. Art at home? shee'le drive away melancholy. Art abroad? shee lookes after thee going from home, wishes for thee in thine absence, and joyfully welcomes thy returne. There's nothing delightsome without society, no society so sweet as Matrimony. The band of Conjugal love is adamantine. The sweet company of kinsmen increaseth, the number of parents is doubled, of brothers, sisters, nephews. 10 Thou art made a father by a faire and happy issue. Moses Curseth the barrenness of Matrimony, how much more a single life? * Gen. 2. Adjutorium simile, &c. 12. If 12 If Nature escape not punishment, surely thy Will shall not avoid it. 卷 All this is true, say you, and who knowes it not? but how easy a matter is it to answer these motives, and to make an Antiparodia quite opposite unto it? To exercise my self I will Essay. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1.1 Hast thou meanes? thou hast one to spend it. Hast none? thy beggery is increased. Art in prosperity? thy happiness is ended. Art in adversity? like Job's wife shee'l aggravate thy misery, vexe thy soule, make thy burden intollerable. Art at home? shee'l scold thee out of doores. Art abroad? If thou be wise keep thee so, shee'l perhaps graft hornes in thine absence, scowle on thee coming home. Nothing gives more content then solitariness, no solitariness like this of a single life. The band of marriage is adamantine, no hope of losing it, thou art undone.. Thy number increaseth, thou shalt be devoured by thy wive's friends. 10 Thou art made a Cornuto by an unchast wife, and shalt bring up other folkes Children in stead of thine owne. Paul commends marriage, yet he preferres a single life. 12 Is marriage honourable? What an immortall crown be longs to virginity? So Siracides himself speaks as much as may be for and against women, so doth almost every philosopher plead pro and con, every poet thus argues the case (though what cares vulgus hominum what they say?): so can I conceive peradventure, and so canst thou: when all is said, yet since some be good, some bad, let's put it to the venture. I conclude therefore with Seneca, Why dost thou lye alone, let thy youth and best daies to pass away? Marry whilst thou maist, donec viventi canities abest morosa, whilest thou art yet able, yet lusty, « * Elige cui dicas, tu mihi sola places," VOL. II, * Ovid. make make thy choice, and that freely forthwith, make no delay, but take thy fortune as it falls. 'Tis true, -"*calamitosus est qui inciderit In malam uxorem, felix qui in bonam," 'Tis an hazard both waies I confess, to live single or to marry, " + Nam & uxorem ducere, & non ducere malum est, it may be bad, it may be good, as it is a cross and calamity on the one side, so 'tis a sweet delight, an incomparable happiness, a blessed estate, a most unspeakable benefit, a sole content, on the other; 'tis all in the proof. Be not then so wayward, so covetous, so distrustful, so curious and nice, but let's all marry, mutuos foventes amplexus; "Take me to thee, and thee to me," to morrow is St. Valentine's day, let's keep it Holiday for Cupid's sake, for that great God Love's sake, for Hymen's sake, and celebrate Venus" Vigil with our Ancestors for company together, singing as they did, Cras amet qui nunquam amavit, quique amavit, cras amet. Vere concordant amores, vere nubunt alites, Et nemus cóma resolvit, &c. Cras amet," &C. Let him that is averse from marriage read more in Barbarus de re uxor. lib. 1. cap. 1. Lemnius de institut. cap. 4. P. Godefridus de Amor. lib. 3. cap. 1. Nevisanus lib. 3. Alex. ab Alexandro, lib. 4, cap. 8. Tunstall, Erasmus tracts in laudem matrimonii, &c. and I doubt not but in the end he will rest satisfied, recant with Beroaldus, do penance for his former folly, singing some penitentiall ditties, desire to be reconciled to the Deity of this great God Love, go a pilgrimage to his Shrine, offer to his Image, sacrifice upon his altar, and be as willing at last to embrace marriage as the rest: There will not be found, I hope, "No not in that severe family of Stoicks, who shall refuse to submit his grave beard, and supercilious lookes to the clipping of a wife," or disagree from his fellowes in this point. "For what more willingly (as § Varro holds) can a proper man see then a fair wife, a sweet wife, a loving wife?" can the world afford a better sight, sweeter content, a fairer object, a more gratious aspect? * Euripides. è vetere poeta. num. 18. +E Græco Valerius lib. 7. cap. 7. Pervigilium Veneris Domus non potest consistere sine uxore. Nevisanus lib. 2. Nemo in severissima Stoicorum familia qui non barbam quoque & supercilium amplexibus uxoris submiserit, aut in ista parte à reliquis dissenserit. Hensius Primicro. § Quid libentius homo masculus videre debet quam bellam uxorem? Since |