Mertila in Aristænetus swore she would never love Pamphilus again, and did moderate her passion, so long as he was absent; but the next time he came in presence, she could not contain, effuse amplexa attrectari se sinit, &c. she broke her vow, and did profusely embrace him.

Hermotinus a yong man (in the said Author) is all out as unstaid, he had forgot his Mistress quite, and by his friends was well weaned from her love: but seeing her by chance, agnovit veteris vestigia flammæ, he raved amain, Illa tamen emergens veluti lucida stella cœpit elucere, &c. she did appear as a blazing star, or an Angel to his sight. And it is the common passion of all lovers to be overcome in this sort.

For that cause belike Alexander discerning this inconvenience and danger that comes by seeing, when he heard Darius wife so much commended for her beauty, would scarce admit her to come in his sight, foreknowing belike that of Plutarch, formosam videre periculosissimum, how full of danger it is to see a proper woman; and though he was intemperate in other things, yet in this superbè se gessit, he carryed himself bravely.

And so when as Araspus in Xenophon, had so much magnified that divine face of Panthea to Cyrus, by how much she was fairer then ordinary, by so much he was the more unwilling to see her.

Scipio a yong man of 23 years of age, and the most beautifull of the Romans, equal in person to that Græcian Charinus, or Homers Nireus, at the siege of a City in Spain, when as a noble and a most fair yong Gentlewoman was brought unto him, and he had heard she was betrothed to a Lord, rewarded her, and sent her back to her sweet-heart.

S. Austin, as Gregory reports of him, ne cum sorore quidem suâ putavit habitandum, would not live in the house with his own sister. Xenocrates lay with Lais of Corinth all night, and would not touch her.

Socrates, though all the city of Athens supposed him to dote upon fair Alcibiades, yet when he had an opportunity solus cum solo, to lye in the chamber with, and was woed by him besides, as the said Alcibiades publiquely confessed, formam sprevit & superbè contempsit, he scornfully rejected him.

Petrarch that had so magnified his Laura in several poems, when by the Popes means she was offered unto him, would not accept of her.

It is a good happiness to be free from this passion of Love, and great discretion it argues in such a man that can so contain himself; but when thou art once in love, to moderate thy self (as he saith) is a singular point of wisdome.

Nam vitare plagas in amoris ne jaciamur Non ita difficile est, quàm captum retibus ipsis Exire, & validos Veneris perrumpere nodos.

To avoid such nets is no such mastery, But tane to escape is all the victory.

But for as much as few men are free, so discreet lovers, or that can contain themselves, and moderate their passions, to curb their senses, as not to see them, not to look lasciviously, not to confer with them, such is the fury of this head-strong passion of raging lust, and their weakness, ferox ille ardor à natura insitus, as he terms it, such a furious desire nature hath inscribed, such unspeakable delight,

Sic Divæ Veneris furor, Insanis adeò mentibus incubat,

which neither reason, counsel, poverty, pain, misery, drudgery, partus dolor, &c. can deter them from; we must use some speedy means to correct and prevent that, and all other inconveniences, which come by conference and the like. The best, readiest, surest way, and which all approve, is Loci mutatio, to send them several ways, that they may neither hear of, see, nor have opportunity to send to one another again, or live together soli cum sola as so many Gilbertines.

Elongatio à patria, ’tis Savanarola’s fourth rule, and Gordonius precept, distrahatur ad longinquas regiones, send him to travel. ’Tis that which most run upon, as so many hounds with full cry, Poets, Divines, Philosophers, Physitians, all, mutet patriam:

Valesius: as a sick man he must be cured with change of Aire, Tully 4. Tuscul. The best remedy is to get thee gone, Jason Pratensis: change air and soyl, Laurentius.

Fuge littus amatum.

Virg. Utile finitimis abstinuisse locis.

Ovid. I procul, & longas carpere perge vias. —— sed fuge, tutus eris.

Travelling is an Antidote of Love,

Magnum iter ad doctas proficisci cogor Athenas, Ut me longa gravi solvat amore via.

For this purpose saith Propertius, my parents sent me to Athens; time and absence wear away pain and grief, as fire goes out for want of fuel.

† Quantum oculis, animo tam procul ibit amor.

But so as they tarry out long enough: a whole year Xenophon prescribes Critobulus, vix enim intra hoc tempus ab amore sanari poteris: some will hardly be weaned under.

All this Heinsius merrily inculcates in an Epistle to his friend Primerius: First fast, then tarry, thirdly change thy place, fourthly think of an halter. If change of place, continuance of time, absence, will not wear it out with those precedent remedies, it will hardly be removed: but these commonly are of force.

Felix Plater observ. lib. 1. had a baker to his patient, almost mad for the love of his maid, and desperate; by removing her from him, he was in a short space cured.

Iseus a Philosopher of Assyria, was a most dissolute liver in his youth, palam lasciviens, in love with all he met; but after he betook himself by his friends advice to his study, and left womens companie, he was so changed, that he cared no more for plays, nor feasts, nor masks, nor songs, nor verses, fine cloaths, nor no such love toys: he became a new man upon a sudden, tanquam si priores oculos amisisset, saith mine Author, as if he had lost his former eys.

Peter Godefridus in the last chapter of his third book, hath a story out of S. Ambrose, of a yong man that meeting his old love after long absence, on whom he had extreamly doted, would scarce take notice of her; she wondred at it, that he should so lightly esteem her, called him again, lenibat dictis animum, and told him who she was, Ego sum inquit: At ego non sum ego; But he replied, he was not the same man: proripuit sese tandem, as Dido fled from Æneas, not vouchsafing her any farther parly, loathing his folly, and ashamed of that which formerly he had done.

Non sum stultus ut ante jam Neæra,

O Neæra, put your tricks, and practise hereafter upon some body else, you shall befool me no longer.

Petrarch hath such another tale of a yong gallant, that loved a wench with one eye, and for that cause by his parents was sent to travel into far Countries, after some years he returned, and meeting the maid for whose sake he was sent abroad, asked her how, and by what chance she lost her eye? no said she, I have lost none, but you have found yours:

Signifying thereby that all Lovers were blind, as Fabius saith, Amantes de forma judicare non possunt, Lovers cannot judge of beauty, nor scarce of any thing else, as they will easily confess, after they return unto themselves, by some discontinuance or better advice, wonder at their own folly, madness, stupidity, blindness, be much abashed, and laugh at Love, and call’t an idle thing, condemn themselves that ever they should be so besotted or misled; and be heartily glad they have so happily escaped.

If so be (which is seldome) that change of place will not effect this alteration, then other remedies are to be annexed, fair and foul means, as to perswade, promise, threaten, terrifie, or to divert by some contrary passion, rumour, tales, news, or some witty invention, to alter his affection, by some greater sorrow, to drive out the less, saith Gordonius, as that his house is on fire, his best friends dead, his mony stoln. That he is made some great Governour, or hath some honour, office, some inheritance is befaln him, He shall be a Knight, a Baron: or by some false accusation, as they do to such as have the hickhop, to make them forget it.