MEMB. 2. SUBSECT. 2. Other causes of Love-Melancholy, Sight, Beauty from the face, eyes, other parts, and how it pierceth.

MAny such causes may be reckoned up, but they cannot avail, except opportunity be offered of time, place, and those other beautiful objects, or artificiall enticements, as kissing, conference, discourse, gestures concur, with such like lascivious provocations.

Kornamannus in his book de linea amoris makes five degrees of lust, out of Lucian belike, which he handles in five Chapters, Visus, Colloquium, Convictus, Oscula, Tactus.

Sight of all other, is the first step of this unruly love, though sometime it be prevented by relation or hearing, or rather incensed. For there be those so apt, credulous and facile to love, that if they hear of a proper man, or woman, they are in love before they see them, and that meerly by relation, as Achilles Tatius observes. Such is their intemperance and lust, that they are as much maimed by report, as if they saw them.

Calisthenes a rich young Gentleman of Byzance in Thrace, hearing of Leucippe Sostratus fair daughter, was far in love with her, and out of fame and common rumor, so much incensed, that he would needs have her to be his wife.

And sometimes by reading they are so affected, as he in Lucian confesseth of himself, I never read that place of Panthea in Xenophon, but I am as much affected as if I were present with her. Such persons commonly; fain a kind of beauty to themselves; and so did those three Gentlewomen in Balthasar Castilio, fall in love with a yong man, whom they never knew, but only heard him commended:

or by reading of a letter; for there is a grace commeth from hearing, as a moral Philosopher informeth us, as well as from sight, and the species of love are received into the phantasie by relation alone; Ut cupere ab aspectu, sic velle ab auditu, both senses affect. Interdum & absentes amamus, sometimes we love those that are absent, saith Philostratus, and gives instance in his friend Athenodorus, that lov’d a maid at Corinth whom he never saw; non oculi sed mens videt, We see with the eyes of our understanding.

But the most familiar and usual cause of Love, is that which comes by sight, which conveys those admirable rayes of beauty and pleasing graces to the heart. Plotinus derives love from sight, ἔρως quasi ὅρασις,

Si nescis, oculi sunt in amore duces,

the eys are the harbingers of love, and the first step of love is sight, as Lilius Giraldus proves at large, hist. deor. syntag. 13. they as two sluices let in the influences of that divine, powerful, soul-ravishing, and captivating beauty, which, as one saith, is sharper then any dart or needle, wounds deeper into the heart; and opens a gap through our eyes to that lovely wound, which pierceth the soul it self (Eccles. 18.) Through it love is kindled like a fire.

This amazing, confounding, admirable, amiable Beauty, then which in all Natures treasure (saith Isocrates) there is nothing so majestical and sacred, nothing so divine, lovely, pretious, ’tis natures Crown, gold and glory; bonum si non summum, de summis tamen non infrequenter triumphans, whose power hence may be discerned; we contemn and abhor generally such things as are foul and ugly to behold, accompt them filthy, but love and covet that which is fair.

’Tis beauty in all things, which pleaseth and allureth us, a fair hawk, a fine garment, a goodly building, a fair house, &c. That Persian Xerxes when he destroyed all those Temples of the Gods in Greece, caused that of Diana, in integrum servari, to be spared alone for that excellent beauty and magnificence of it. Inanimate beauty can so command.

’Tis that which Painters, Artificers, Orators, all aym at, as Eriximachus the Physitian in Plato contends, It was beauty first that ministred occasion to art, to find out the knowledge of carving, painting, building, to find out models, perspectives, rich furnitures, and so many rare inventions.

Whiteness in the Lilly, red in the Rose, purple in the Violet, a lustre in all things without life, the cleer light of the Moon, the bright beams of the Sun, splendor of Gold, purple, sparkling Diamond, the excellent feature of the Horse, the majesty of the Lion, the colour of Birds, Peacocks tails, the silver scales of Fish, we behold with singular delight and admiration.

And which is rich in plants, delightful in flowers, wonderful in wild beasts, but most glorious in men, doth make us affect and earnestly desire it, as when we hear any sweet harmony, an eloquent tongue, see any excellent quality, curious work of man, elaborate art, or ought that is exquisite, there ariseth instantly in us a longing for the same. We love such men, but most part for comeliness of person; we call them Gods and Goddesses, divine, serene, happy, &c.

And of all mortal men they alone (Calcagninus holds) are free from calumny; qui divitiis, magistratu & gloriâ florent, injuriâ lacessimus, we back-bite, wrong, hate renowned, rich and happy men, we repine at their felicity, they are undeserving we think, fortune is a step-mother to us, a parent to them.

We envy (saith Isocrates) wise, just, honest men, except with mutual offices and kindnesses, some good turn or other, they extort this love from us; only fair persons we love at first sight, desire their acquaintance, and adore them as so many Gods: we had rather serve them then command others, and account our selves the more beholding to them, the more service they enjoyn us: though they be otherwise vitious, unhonest, we love them, favour them, and are ready to do them any good office for their beauties sake, though they have no other good quality beside.

Dic igitur ô formose adolescens (as that eloquent Phavorinus breaks out in Stobeus) dic Autiloque, suavius nectare loqueris; dic ô Telemache, vehementius Ulysse dicis; dic Alcibiades utcunq; ebrius, libentius tibi licet ebrio auscultabimus.

Speak fair youth, speak Antiloquus, thy words are sweeter then Nectar, speak O Telemachus, thou art more powerful then Ulysses, speak Alcibiades though drunk, we will willingly hear thee as thou art.