They will undergo any danger whatsoever, as Sir Walter Manny in Edward the thirds time, stuck full of Ladies favours, fought like a Dragon. For soli amantes as Plato holds, pro amicis mori appetunt, only Lovers will dye for their friends, and in their Mistress quarrel. And for that cause he would have women follow the Camp, to be spectators and encouragers of noble actions: upon such an occasion, the Squire of Dames himself, Sir Lancelot or Sir Tristram, Cæsar, or Alexander shall not be more resolute or go beyond them.

Not courage only doth Love add, but as I said, subtilty, wit and many pretty devises,

Namque dolos inspirat amor, fraudesque ministrat,

Jupiter in love with Leda, and not knowing how to compass his desire, turn’d himself into a Swan, and got Venus to pursue him in the likeness of an Eagle, which she doing, for shelter he fled to Leda’s lap, & in ejus gremio se collocavit, Leda embraced him, and so fell fast asleep, sed dormientem Jupiter compressit, by which means Jupiter had his will. Infinite such tricks can love devise, such fine feats in abundance, with wisdome and wariness, ——quis fallere possit amantem.

All manner of civility, decency, complement and good behaviour, plus salis & leporis, polite graces, and merry conceits. Bocace hath a pleasant tale to this purpose, which he borrowed from the Greeks, and which Beroaldus hath turned into Latine, Bebelius in verse, of Cymon and Iphigenia. This Cymon was a fool, a proper man of person, and the Governour of Cyprus son, but a very ass, insomuch that his father being ashamed of him, sent him to a Farm-house he had in the country to be brought up. Where by chance, as his manner was, walking alone, he espied a gallant yong Gentlewoman named Iphigenia, a Burgomasters daughter of Cyprus with her maid, by a brook side in a little thicket, fast asleep in her smock, where she had newly bathed her self:

When Cymon saw her, he stood leaning on his staffe, gaping on her immoveable, and in a maze: at last he fell so far in love with the glorious object, that he began to rouze himself up, to bethink what he was, would needs follow her to the city, and for her sake began to be civil, to learn to sing and dance, to play on Instruments, and got all those Gentlemen-like qualities and complements in a short space, which his friends were most glad of. In brief, he became from an Idiot and a clown, to be one of the most compleat Gentlemen in Cyprus, did many valorous exploits, and all for the love of Mistress Iphigenia.

In a word, I may say thus much of them all, let them be never so clownish, rude and horrid, Grobians and sluts, if once they be in love, they will be most neat and spruce; for, Omnibus rebus, & nitidis nitoribus antevenit amor, they will follow the fashion, begin to trick up, and to have a good opinion of themselves, venustatum enim mater Venus; a ship is not so long a rigging, as a yong Gentlewoman a trimming up her self, against her sweet-heart comes.

A Painters shop, a flowry meadow, no so gracious aspect in Natures store-house as a yong maid, nubilis puella, a Novitsa or Venetian Bride, that looks for an husband, or a yong man that is her suitor; composed looks, composed gate, cloaths, gestures, actions, all composed; all the graces, elegancies in the world are in her face.

Their best robes, ribbins, chains, Jewels, Lawns, Linnens, Laces, Spangles, must come on, præter quam res patitur student elegantiæ, they are beyond all measure coy, nice, and too curious on a sudden: ’Tis all their study, all their business, how to wear their cloaths neat, to be polite and terse, and to set out themselves. No sooner doth a yong man see his sweet-heart coming, but he smugs up himself, puls up his cloak now faln about his shoulders, ties his garters, points, sets his band, cuffs, slicks his hair, twires his beard, &c. When Mercury was to come before his Mistress,

Chlamydemque ut pendeat aptè Collocat, ut limbus totumque appareat aurum.

He puts his cloak in order, that the lace, And hem, and gold-work all might have his grace.

Salmacis would not be seen of Hermaphroditus, till she had spruced up her self first.

Nec tamen ante adiit, etsi properabat adire, Quam se composuit, quam circumspexit amictus, Et finxit vultum, & meruit formosa videri.

Nor did she come, although ’twas her desire, Till she compos’d her self, and trim’d her tire, And set her looks to make him to admire.

Venus had so ordered the matter, that when her son Æneas was to appear before Queen Dido, he was

Os humerosque deo similis (namque ipsa decoram Cæsariem nato genetrix, lumenque juventæ Purpureum & lætos oculis afflarat honores.)

Like a God, for she was the tire-woman her self, to set him out with all natural and artificial impostures. As Mother Mammæa did her son Heliogabalus new chosen Emperor, when he was to be seen of the people first.

When the hirsute Cyclopical Polyphemus courted Galatea;

Jamque tibi formæ, jamque est tibi cura placendi, Jam rigidos pectis rastris Polypheme capillos, Jam libet hirsutam tibi falce recidere barbam, Et spectare feros in aqua & componere vultus,

And then he did begin to prank himself, To please and combe his head, and beard to shave, And look his face ith’ the water as a glass, And to compose himself for to be brave.

He was upon a sudden now spruce and keen, as a new ground hatchet. He now began to have a good opinion of his own feature, and good parts, now to be a gallant.

Jam Galatea veni, nec munera despice nostra, Certè ego me novi, liquidâque in Imagine vidi Nuper aquæ, placuitq; mihi mea forma videnti.

Come now my Galatea, scorn me not, Nor my poor presents; for but yesterday I saw my self ith’ water, and me thought Full fair I was, then scorn me not I say.

Non sum adeò informis, nuper me in littore vidi, Cum placidum ventis staret mare————

’Tis the common humor of all Sutors to trick up themselves, to be prodigal in apparel, purè lotus, neat, comb’d and curl’d, with powdered hairs, comptus & calamistratus, with a long love-lock, a flower in his ear, perfumed gloves, rings, scarfs, feathers, points, &c. as if he were a Princes Ganymede, with every day new suits, as the fashion varies; going as if he trod upon egs,

and as Heinsius writ to Primierus, If once he be besotted on a wench, he must lye awake a nights, renounce his book, sigh and lament, now and then weep for his hard hap, and mark above all things what Hats, Bands, Doublets, Breeches, are in fashion, how to cut his Beard, and wear his lock, to turn up his Mustachio’s, and curle his head, prune his pickitiwant, or if he wear it abroad, that the East side be correspondent to the West:

he may be scoffed at otherwise, as Julian that Apostate Emperor was for wearing a long hirsute goatish beard, fit to make ropes with, as in his Mysopogone, or that Apologetical Oration he made at Antioch to excuse himself, he doth Ironically confess, it hindred his kissing, nam non licuit inde pura puris, eoque suavioribus labra labris adjungere, but he did not much esteem it, as it seems by the sequel, de accipiendis dandisve osculis non laboro, yet (to follow mine author) it may much concern a yong lover, he must be more respectful in this behalf, he must be in league with an excellent Taylor, Barber,

Tonsorem puerum sed arte talem, Qualis nec Thalamis fuit Neronis;

have neat shooe-ties, points, garters, speak in Print, walk in Print, eat and drink in Print, and that which is all in all, he must be mad in Print.

Amongst other good qualities an amorous fellow is endowed with, he must learn to sing and dance, play upon some instrument or other, as without all doubt he will, if he be truly touched with this Loadstone of Love. For as Erasmus hath it, Musicam docet amor & Poesin, Love will make them Musicians, and to compose ditties, Madrigals, Elegies, Love Sonnets, and sing them to several pretty tunes, to get all good qualities may be had.

Jupiter perceived Mercury to be in love with Philologia, because he learned languages, polite speech, (for Suadela her self was Venus daughter, as some write) Arts and Sciences, quo virgini placeret, all to ingratiate himself, and please his Mistress. ’Tis their chiefest study to sing, dance; and without question, so many Gentlemen and Gentlewomen would not be so well qualified in this kind, if love did not incite them.