an hundred thousand Curtisans in grand Cario in Ægypt, as Radzivilius observes, are tolerated, besides boyes: how many at Fesa, Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, &c. and still in many other Provinces and Cities of Europe they do as much, because they think young men, Churchmen & servants amongst the rest, can hardly live honest.

The consideration of this belike made Vibius the Spaniard, when his friend Crassus that rich Roman gallant lay hid in the Cave, ut voluptatis quam ætas illa desiderat copiam faceret, to gratify him the more, send two lusty lasses to accompany him all that while he was there imprisoned.

And Surenus the Parthian general, when he warred against the Romans, to carry about with him 200 Concubines, as the Swisse Souldiers do now commonly their wives.

But because this course is not generally approved, but rather contradicted as unlawful and abhorred, in most countries they do much encourage them to marriage, give great rewards to such as have many children, and mulct those that will not marry, Jus trium liberorum, and in Agellius lib. 2. cap. 15. Ælian. lib. 6. cap. 5. Valerius lib. 1. cap. 9. We read that three children freed the father from painful offices, and five from all contribution.

A woman shall be saved by bearing children. Epictetus would have all marry, and as Plato will 6, de legibus, he that marrieth not before 35 yeares of his age, must be compelled and punished, and the mony consecrated to Juno’s Temple, or applied to publique uses.

They account him in some countries unfortunate that dies without a wife, a most unhappy man as Boetius inferres, and if at all happy, yet infortunio felix, unhappy in his supposed happiness. They commonly deplore his estate, and much lament him for it: O my sweet son, &c. See Lucian de luctu, Sands fol. 83 &c.

Yet notwithstanding many with us are of the opposite part, they are married themselves, and for others let them burne, fire and flame, they care not, so they be not troubled with them.

Some are too curious, and some too covetous, they may marry when they will both for ability and meanes, but so nice, that except as Theophilus the Emperour was presented by his mother Euprosine, with all the rarest beauties of the Empire in the great Chamber of his Palace at once, and bid to give a golden apple to her he liked best. If they might so take and choose whom they list out of all the fair maids their nation affords, they could happily condescend to marry: otherwise, &c.

why should a man marry saith another Epicurean rout, whats matrimony but a matter of money? why should free nature be entrenched on, confined or obliged, to this or that man or woman, with these manicles of body and goods? &c.

There are those too, that dearly love, admire & follow women, all their lives long, sponsi Penelopes, never well but in their companies, wistly gazing on their beauties, observing close, hanging after them, dallying still with them, & yet dare not, will not marry.

Many poor people, & of the meaner sort are too distrustful of Gods providence, they will not, dare not for such worldly respects, fear of want, woes, miseries, or that they shall light as Lemnius saith, on a scold, a slut, or a bad wife. And therefore Tristem Juventam venere deserta colunt, they are resolved to live single, as Epaminondas did,

Nil ait esse prius, melius nil cælibe vita,

and ready with Hippolitus to abjure all women; Detestor omnes, horreo, fugio, execror, &c. But, Hippolite nescis quod fugis vitæ bonum,

Hippolite nescis —— alas poor Hippolitus thou knowest not what thou saiest, ’tis otherwise Hippolytus.

Some make a doubt, an uxor literato sit ducenda, whether a Scholar should marry, if she be fair she will bring him back from his grammer to his horne-book, or else with kissing and dalliance she will hinder his study; if foule with scolding, he cannot well intend to both, as Philippus Beroaldus that great Bononian Doctor once writ, impediri enim studia literarum, &c.

but he recanted at last, and in a solmn sort with true conceived words he did ask the world and all women forgiveness. But you shall have the story as he relates himself, in his Commentaries on the sixt of Apuleius: For a long time I lived a single life, & ab uxore ducenda semper abhorrui, nec quicquam libero lecto censui jucundius, I could not abide marriage,

but as a rambler, erraticus ac volaticus amator (to use his own words) per multiplices Amores discurrebam, I took a snatch where I could get it, nay more, I railed at marriage down right, and in a publike auditory when I did interpret that sixt Satyre of Juvenal, out of Plutarch, and Seneca, I did heap up all the dicteries I could against women,

but now recant with Stesichorus, Palinodiam cano, nec pœnitet censeri in ordine maritorum, I approve of marriage, I am glad I am a married man, I am heartily glad I have a wife, so sweet a wife, so noble a wife, so young, so chast a wife, so loving a wife,

and I do wish and desire all other men to marry; and especially Scholars, that as of old Martia did by Hortensius, Terentia by Tullius, Calphurnia to Plinius, Pudentilla to Apuleius, hold the candle whilst their husbands did meditate and write, so theirs may do to them, and as my dear Camilla doth to me.

Let other men be averse; raile then and scoffe at women, and say what they can to the contrary, vir sine uxore malorum expers est, &c. a single man is an happy man, &c. but this is a toy.

Nec dulces amores sperne puer, neque tu choreas;

these men are too distrustful and much to blame, to use such speeches,

Parcite paucorum diffundere crimen in omnes,

They must not condemne all for some.

As there be many bad, there be some good wives; as some be vitious, some be vertuous: read what Salomon hath said in their praises, Prov. 13. and Syracides cap. 26. & 30. blessed is the man that hath a vertuous wife, for the number of his days shall be double. A vertuous woman rejoyceth her husband, and she shall fulfil the yeares of his life in peace. A good wife is a good portion, (& 36. 24.) An help, a pillar of rest, columina quietis,

Qui capit uxorem, fratrem capit atque sororem.

Et 30, he that hath no wife wandereth to and fro mourning. Minuuntur atræ conjuge curæ, women are the sole, only joy, and comfort of a mans life, borne ad usum & lusum hominum, Firmamenta familiæ,

Delitiæ humani generis, solatia vitæ, Blanditiæ noctis, placidissima cura diei, Vota virum, juvenum spes, &c.

A wife is a young mans Mistress, a middle ages companion, an old mans nurse: Particeps lætorum & tristium, A prop, an help, &c.

Optima viri possessio est uxor benevola, Mitigans iram & avertens animam ejus à tristitia,

Mans best possession is a loving wife, She tempers anger and diverts all strife.

There is no joy, no comfort, no sweetnes, no pleasure in the world like to that of a good wife,

Quam cum chara domi conjux, fidusque maritus Unanimes degunt —— saith our Latin Homer,

she is stil the same in sickness and in health, his eye, his hand, his bosome friend, his partner at all times, his other self, not to be separated by any calamity, but ready to share all sorrow, discontent, and as the Indian women do, live and die with him; nay more, to die presently for him.

Admetus King of Thessaly when he lay upon his death bed, was told by Apollos Oracle, that if he could get any body to die for him, he should live longer yet, but when all refused, his parents, etsi decrepiti, friends and followers forsook him, Alcestus his wife, though young, most willingly undertook it, what more can be desired or expected?

And although on the other side there be an infinite number of bad husbands (I should rail downright against some of them) able to discourage any women; yet there be some good ones again, and those most observant of marriage Rites.