Withstand the beginnings, avoid occasions, change his place: fair and foul means, contrary passions, with witty inventions: to bring in another, and discommend the former.

Other good rules and precepts are enjoyned by our Physitians, which if not alone, yet certainly conjoyned may do much; The first of which is obstare principiis, to withstand the beginning, Quisquis in primo obstitit, Pepulitque amorem tutus ac victor fuit, he that will but resist at first, may easily be a conquerer at the last.

Baltazar Castilio l. 4. urgeth this precept above the rest, when he shall chance (saith he) to light upon a woman that hath good behaviour joyned with her excellent person, and shall perceive his eyes with a kind of greediness to pull unto them this Image of beauty, and carry it into the heart; shall observe himself to be somewhat incensed with this influence, which moveth within: when he shall discern those subtle spirits sparkling in her eyes, to administer more fuel to the fire, he must wisely withstand the beginnings, rowze up reason stupified almost, fortify his heart by all means, and shut up all those passages, by which it may have entrance.

’Tis a precept which all concur upon,

Opprime dum nova sunt subiti mala semina morbi, Dum licet, in primo limine siste pedem.

Thy quick disease whilst it is fresh to day, By all means crush, thy feet at first step stay.

Which cannot sooner be done, then if he confess his grief and passion to some judicious friend (qui tacitus ardet magis uritur, the more he conceals, the greater is his pain) that by his good advice may haply ease him on a sudden; and withal to avoid occasions, or any circumstance that may aggravate his disease, to remove the object by all means; for who can stand by a fire and not burn?

Sussilite obsecro & mittite istanc foràs, Quæ misero mihi amanti ebibit sanguinem.

’Tis good therefore to keep quite out of her company, which Hierome so much labours to Paula, to Nepotian; Chrysost. so much inculcates in ser. in contubern. Cyprian, and many other Fathers of the Church, Siracides in his ninth chapter, Jason Pratensis, Savanarola, Arnoldus, Valleriola, &c. and every Physitian that treats of this subject.

Not only to avoid as Gregory Tholosanus exhorts, kissing, dalliance, all speeches, tokens, love-letters and the like, or as Castilio lib. 4. to converse with them, hear them speak, or sing, (tolerabilius est audire basiliscum sibilantem, thou hadst better hear, saith Cyprian, a serpent hiss) those amiable smiles, admirable graces, and sweet gestures, which their presence affords.

Neû capita liment solitis morsiunculis, Et his papillarum oppressiunculis Abstineant: ——

but all talk, name, mention, or cogitation of them, and of any other women, persons, circumstance, amorous book or tale that may administer any occasion of remembrance. Prosper adviseth yong men not to read the Canticles, and some parts of Genesis at other times; but for such as are enamored they forbid, as before, the name mentioned, &c. especially all sight, they must not so much as come neer, or look upon them.

Et fugitare decet simulachra & pabula amoris, Abstinere sibi atque alio convertere mentem.

Gaze not on a maid saith Syracides, turn away thine eys from a beautiful woman, c. 9. v. 5. 7, 8. averte oculos, saith David, or if thou dost see them, as Ficinus adviseth, let not thine eye be intentus ad libidinem, do not intend her more then the rest: for as Propertius holds, Ipse alimenta sibi maxima præbet amor, love as a snow-ball inlargeth it self by sight: but as Hierome to Nepotian, aut æqualiter ama, aut æqualiter ignora, either see all alike, or let all alone; make a league with thine eys, as Job did, and that is the safest course, let all alone, see none of them.

Nothing sooner revives, or waxeth sore again, as Petrarch holds, then love doth by sight. As Pompe renews ambition; the sight of gold, covetousness; a beauteous object sets on fire this burning lust.

Et multum saliens incitat unda sitim.

The sight of drink makes one dry, and the sight of meat increaseth appetite. ’Tis dangerous therefore to see. A yong Gentleman in merriment would needs put on his Mistress cloaths, and walk abroad alone, which some of her suiters espying, stole him away for her that he represented. So much can sight enforce. Especially if he have been formerly enamored, the sight of his Mistress strikes him into a new fit, and makes him rave many days after.

—— Infirmis causa pusilla nocet, Ut pene extinctum cinerem si sulphure tangas, Vivet, & ex minimo maximus ignis erit: Sic nisi vitabis quicquid renovabit amorem, Flamma recrudescet, quæ modo nulla fuit.

A sickly man a little thing offends, As brimstone doth a fire decayed renew, And make it burn afresh, doth loves dead flames, If that the former object it review.

Or as the Poet compares it to embers in ashes, which the wind blows, ut solet à ventis, &c. a scald head (as the saying is) is soon broken, dry wood quickly kindles, and when they have been formerly wounded with sight, how can they by seeing but be inflamed? Ismenias acknowledgeth as much of himself, when he had been long absent, and almost forgotten his Mistress, at the first sight of her, as straw in a fire I burned afresh, and more then ever I did before.

Chariclia was as much moved at the sight of her dear Theagines, after he had been a great stranger.