Who can believe? to laugh maids make an Art, And seek a pleasant grace to that same part.

And ’tis as great an enticement as any of the rest,

——subrisit molle puella, Cor tibi ritè salit.——

She makes thine heart leap with a pleasing gentle smile of hers.

Dulce ridentem Lalagen amabo, Dulce loquentem,

I love Lalage as much for smiling, as for discoursing, delectata illa risit tam blandum, as he said in Petronius of his Mistris, being well pleased, she gave so sweet a smile. It won Ismenius, as he confesseth, Ismene subrisit amatorium, Ismene smiled so lovingly the second time I saw her, that I could not chuse but admire her: And Galla’s sweet smile quite overcame Faustus the Shepheard,

Me aspiciens motis blandè subrisit ocellis.

All other gestures of the body will enforce as much. Daphnis in Lucian was a poor tattered wench, when I knew her first, said Corbile, pannosa & lacera, but now she is a stately peece indeed, hath her maids to attend her, brave attires, mony in her purse, &c. and will you know how this came to pass? by setting out her self after the best fashion, by her pleasant carriage, affability, sweet smiling upon all, &c.

Many women dote upon a man for his complements only, and good behaviour, they are won in an instant; too credulous to believe that every light, wanton sutor, who sees or makes love to them, is instantly inamored, he certainly dotes on, admires them, will surely marry, when as he means nothing less, ’tis his ordinary carriage in all such companies.

So both delude each other, by such outward shews, and amongst the rest, an upright, a comely grace, curtesies, gentle salutations, cringes, a mincing gate, a decent and an affected pace, are most powerful enticers, and which the Prophet Esay a Courtier himself, and a great observer, objected to the daughters of Sion 3. 16. they minced as they went, and made a tinkling with their feet. To say the truth, what can they not effect by such means?

Whilst nature decks them in their best attires Of youth and beauty which the world admires,

Urit ——voce, manu, gressu, pectore, fronte, oculis.

When Art shall be annexed to beauty, when wiles and guiles shall concur: for to speak as it is, Love is a kind of legerdemain; meer jugling, a fascination) When they shew their fair hand, fine foot and leg withal, magnum sui desiderium nobis relinquunt, saith Balthazar Castilio lib. 1. they set us a longing, and so when they pull up their petty-coats, and outward garments, as usually they do to shew their fine stockings, and those of purest silken dye, gold fringes, laces, embroydrings, (it shall go hard but when they go to Church, or to any other place, all shall be seen) ’tis but a springe to catch woodcocks; and as Chrysostome telleth them down-right, though they say nothing with their mouths, they speak in their gate, they speak with their eys, they speak in the carriage of their bodies.

And what shall we say otherwise of that baring of their necks, shoulders, naked breasts, arms and wrists, to what end are they but only to tempt men to lust!

Nam quid lacteolus sinus, & ipsas Præ te fers sine linteo papillas? Hoc est dicere, posce, posce, trado; Hoc est ad Venerem vocare amantes:

There needs no more as Fredericus Matenesius well observes, but a cryer to go before them so dressed, to bid us look out, a trumpet to sound, or for defect a Sowgelder to blow,

Look out look out and see What object this may be That doth perstringe mine eye: A gallant Lady goes, In rich and gaudy clothes, But whether away God knows, ——look out. &c. & quæ sequuntur,

or to what end and purpose? But to leave all these phantastical raptures, Ile prosecute mine intended Theam. Nakedness, as I have said, is an odious thing of it self, remedium amoris; yet it may be so used, in part, and at set times, that there can be no such enticement as it is;

Nec mihi cincta Diana placet, nec nuda Cythere, Illa voluptatis nil habet, hæc nimium.

David so espied Bersheba, the Elders Susanna: Apelles was inamored with Campaspe, when he was to paint her naked. Tiberius in Suet. cap. 42. supped with Sestius Gallus an old leacher, libidinoso sene, eâ lege ut nudæ puellæ administrarent; some say as much of Nero, and Pontus Huter of Carolus Pugnax.

Amongst the Babylonians, it was the custome of some lascivious queans to dance friskin in that fashion, saith Curtius lib. 5. and Sardus de mor. gent. lib. 1. writes of others to that effect. The Tuscans at some set banquets, had naked women to attend upon them, which Leonicus de Varia hist. lib. 3. cap. 96. confirms of such other bawdy nations.

Nero would have filthy pictures still hanging in his chamber, which is too commonly used in our times; and Heliogabalus, etiam coram agentes, ut ad venerem incitarent: So things may be abused. A servant maid in Aristænetus, spyed her Master and Mistress through the keyhole merily disposed; upon the sight she fell in love with her Master.

Antoninus Caracalla observed his mother in law with her breasts amorously laid open, he was so much moved, that he said, Ah si liceret, O that I might; which she by chance over-hearing, replyed as impudently, Quicquid libet licet, thou maist do what thou wilt: And upon that temptation he married her: this object was not in cause, not the thing it self, but that unseemly, undecent carriage of it.

When you have all done, veniunt à veste sagittæ, the greatest provocations of lust are from our apparel; God makes, they say, man shapes, and there is no motive like unto it;

Which doth even Beauty beautifie, And most bewitch a wretched eye.