A young pittivanted, trim-bearded fellow, saith Hierom, will come with a company of complements, and hold you up by the arm as you go, and wringing your fingers, will so be enticed, or entice: one drinks to you, another embraceth, a third kisseth, and all this while the Fidler plays or sings a lascivious song; a fourth singles you out to dance, one speaks by becks and signs, and that which he dares not say, signifies by passions; amongst so many and so great provocations of pleasure, lust conquers the most hard and crabbed minds, and scarce can a man live honest amongst feastings, and sports, or at such great-meetings.

For as he goes on, she walks along and with the ruffling of her clothes, makes men look at her, her shoos creek, her paps tied up, her waste pulled in to make her look small, she is straight girded, her hairs hang loose about her ears, her upper garment sometimes falls, and sometimes tarries to shew her naked shoulders, and as if she would not be seen, she covers that in all haste, which voluntarily she shewed.

And not at Feasts, Playes, Pageants, and such assemblies, but as Chrysostome objects, these tricks are put in practise at Service time in Churches, and at the Communion it self. If such dumb shews, signs, and more obscure significations of Love can so move, what shall they do that have full liberty to sing, dance, kiss, coll, to use all manner of discourse and dalliance? What shall he do that is beleagred of all sides?

Quem tot, tam roseæ petunt puellæ, Quem cultæ cupiunt nurus, amorque Omnis undique & undecunque & usque, Omnis ambit Amor, Venusque Hymenque:

After whom so many Rosie maids enquire, Whom dainty Dames and loving wights desire, In every place, still, and at all times sue, Whom Gods and gentle Goddesses do wooe;

How shall he contain?

The very tone of some of their voices, a pretty pleasing speech, an affected tone they use, is able of it self to captivate a yong man; but when a good Wit shall concur, Art and eloquence, fascinating speech, pleasant discourse, sweet gestures, the Syrens themselves cannot so inchant. P. Jovius commends his Italian Country-women, to have an excellent faculty in this kind, above all other nations, and amongst them the Florentine Ladies: some prefer Roman and Venetian Curtesans, they have such pleasing tongues, and such elegancy of speech, that they are able to overcome a Saint,

Pro facie multis vox sua lena fuit.

Tantâ gratiâ vocis famam conciliabat, saith Petronius in his fragment of pure impurities, I mean his Satyricon, tam dulcis sonus permulcebat aëra, ut putares inter auras cantare Syrenum concordiam; She sang so sweetly that she charmed the Ayr, and thou wouldst have thought thou hadst heard a consort of Syrens. O good God, when Lais speaks, how sweet it is! Philocolus exclaims in Aristænetus. To hear a fair young Gentlewoman play upon the Virginals, Lute, Vial, and sing to it, which as Gellius observes, lib. 1. cap. 11. are lascivientium delitiæ, the chief delights of Lovers, must needs be a great enticement. Parthenis was so taken.

Mi vox ista avida haurit ab aure animam:

O sister Harpedona (she laments) I am undone, how sweetly he sings, Ile speak a bold word, he is the properest man that ever I saw in my life: O how sweetly he sings, I dye for his sake, O that he would love me again! If thou didst but hear her sing, saith Lucian, thou wouldst forget Father and mother, forsake all thy friends, and follow her. Helena is highly commended by Theocritus the Poet for her sweet voice and musick; none could play so well as she, and Daphnis in the same Edyllion,

Quam tibi os dulce est, & vox amabilis ô Daphni, Jucundius est audire te canentem, quàm mel lingere!

How sweet a face hath Daphne, how lovely a voice? Hony it self is not so pleasant in my choice.

A sweet voice and musick are powerful enticers. Those Samian singing wenches, Aristonica, Onanthe and Agathocleia, regiis diadematibus insultarunt, insulted over Kings themselves, as Plutarch contends.

Centum luminibus cinctum caput Argus habebat,

Argus had an hundred eys, all so charmed by one silly pipe, that he lost his head. Clitiphon complains in Tatius of Leucippes sweet tunes, he heard her play by chance upon the Lute, and sing a pretty song to it in commendations of a Rose, out of old Anacreon belike;

Rosa honor decusque florum, Rosa flos odorque divum, Hominum rosa est voluptas, Decus illa Gratiarum, Florente amoris horâ, Rosa suavium Diones, &c.

Rose the fairest of all flowers, Rose delight of higher powers, Rose the joy of mortal men, Rose the pleasure of fine women, Rose the Graces ornament, Rose Diones sweet content.

To this effect the lovely Virgin with a melodious air upon her golden wired Harp or Lute, I know not well whether, plaid and sang, and that transported him beyond himself, and that ravished his heart. It was Jasons discourse as much as his beauty, or any other of his good parts, which delighted Medea so much.

—— Delectabatur enim Animus simul formâ dulcibusque verbis.

It was Cleopatra’s sweet voice, and pleasant speech which inveagled Anthony, above the rest of her enticements.

Verba ligant hominem, ut Taurorum cornua funes,

as Bulls horns are bound with ropes, so are mens hearts with pleasant words. Her words burn as fire, Eccles. 9. 10. Roxolana bewitched Solyman the magnificent; and Shores wife by this engine overcame Edward the fourth,

Omnibus una omnes surripuit Veneres.

The wife of Bath in Chaucer confesseth all this out of her experience.

Some folk desire us for riches, Some for shape, some for fairness, Some for that she can sing or dance, Some for gentleness, or for dalliance.

Peter Aretines Lucretia telleth as much and more of her self, I counterfeited honesty, as if I had been virgo virginissima, more then a Vestal virgin, I looked like a wife, I was so demure and chaste, I did adde such gestures, tunes, speeches, signs and motions upon all occasions, that my spectators and auditors were stupified, enchanted, fastned all to their places, like so many stocks and stones.

Many silly Gentlewomen are fetched over in like sort, by a company of guls and swaggering companions, that frequently bely noblemens favours, riming Coribantiasmi, Thrasonëan Rhadamantes or Bombomachides, that have nothing in them but a few players ends and complements, vain braggadocians, impudent intruders, that can discourse at table of Knights and Lords combats, like Lucians Leontiscus, of other mens travels, brave adventures, and such common trivial news, ride, dance, sing old ballet tunes, and wear their clothes in fashion, with a good grace; a fine sweet gentleman, a proper man, who could not love him! She will have him though all her friends say no, though she beg with him.

Some again are incensed by reading amorous toys, Amadis de Gaul, Palmerin de Oliva, the Knight of the sun, &c. or hearing such tales of lovers, descriptions of their persons, lascivious discourses, such as Astyanassa, Helena’s waiting woman, by the report of Suidas, writ of old, de variis concubitus modis, and after her Philenis and Elephantine; or those light tracts of Aristides Milesius (mentioned by Plutarch) and found by the Persians, in Crassus army amongst the spoiles, Aretines Dialogues, with ditties, Love songs, &c. must needs set them on fire, with such like pictures, as those of Aretine, or wanton objects in what kind soever; no stronger engine then to hear or read of love toyes, fables and discourses (one saith) and many by this means are quite mad.