An honest Country fellow (as Fulgosius relates it) in the Kingdom of Naples, at plough by the Sea side, saw his wife carried away by Mauritanian Pirats, he ran after in all haste, up to the chin first, and when he could wade no longer, swam, calling to the Governor of the ship to deliver his wife, or if he must not have her restored, to let him follow as a prisoner, for he was resolved to be a Gally-slave, his drudg, willing to endure any misery, so that he might but enjoy his dear wife.

The Moores seeing the mans constancy, and relating the whole matter to their Governor at Tunnis, set them both free, and gave them an honest pension to maintain themselves during their lives.

I could tell many stories to this effect; but put case it often prove otherwise, because marriage is troublesome, wholly therefore to avoid it, is no argument; He that will avoid trouble must avoid the world (Eusebius præpar. Evangel. 5. cap. 50.)

Some trouble there is in marriage I deny not, Et si grave sit matrimonium, saith Erasmus, edulcatur tamen multis, &c. yet there be many things to sweeten it, a pleasant wife, placens uxor, pretty children, dulces nati, deliciæ filiorum hominum, the chief delight of the sons of men; Eccles. 2.8. &c.

And howsoever though it were all troubles, utilitatis publicæ causa devorandum, grave quid libenter subeundum, it must willingly be undergone for publik goods sake,

Audite (populus) hæc, inquit Susarion, Malæ sunt mulieres, veruntamen O populares, Hoc sine malo domum inhabitare non licet.

Hear me O my country men, saith Susarion, Women are naught, yet no life without one.

Malum est mulier, sed necessarium malum, they are necessary evils and for our own ends we must make use of them to have issue, Supplet Venus ac restituit humanum genus, and to propagate the Church.

For to what end is a man born? why lives he, but to increase the world? and how shall he do that well, if he do not marry? Matrimonium humano generi immortalitatem tribuit, saith Nevisanus, Matrimony makes us immortal, and according to Tacitus, ’tis firmissimum imperii munimentum, the sole and chief prop of an empire.

Indigne vivit per quem non vivit & alter,

which Pelopidas objected to Epaminondas, he was an unworthy member of a Common-wealth, that left not a childe after him to defend it, and as Trismegistus to his son Tatius, have no commerce with a single man:

Holding belike that a Batchelor could not live honestly as he should, and with Georgius Wicelius, a great Divine and holy man, who of late by twenty six arguments commends marriage as a thing most necessary for all kinde of persons, must laudable and fit to be embraced: and is perswaded withall, that no man can live and die religiously, and as he ought, without a wife, persuasus neminem posse neque piè vivere, neque bene mori citra uxorem,

he is false, an enemy to the Common-wealth, injurious to himself, destructive to the world, an apostate to nature, a rebell against heaven and earth. Let our wilful, obstinate, and stale Bachelors ruminate of this,

If we could live without wives, as Marcellus Numidicus said in Agellius, we would all want them, but because we cannot, let all marry, and consult rather to the publike good, then their own private pleasure or estate.

It were an happy thing, as wise Euripides hath it, if we could buy children with gold and silver, and be so provided, sine mulierum congressu, without womens company, but that may not be,

Orbis jacebit squalido turpis situ, Vanum sine ullis classibus stabit mare, Alesque cœlo deerit & sylvis fera

Earth, Ayr, Sea, Land eftsoon would come to nought, The world it self should be to ruine brought.

necessity therefore compels us to marry.

But what do I trouble my self, to finde arguments to perswade to, or commend marriage? behold a brief abstract of all that which I have said, and much more, succinctly, pithily, pathetically, perspicuously, and elegantly delivered in twelve motions to mitigate the miseries of marriage, by Jacobus de Voragine,

1 Res est? habes quæ tueatur & augeat. 2 Non est? habes quæ quærat. 3 Secundæ res sunt? felicitas duplicatur.

4 Adversæ sunt? Consolatur, adsidet, onus participat ut tolerabile fiat. 5 Domi es? solitudinis tædium pellit. 6 Foras? Discedentem visu prosequitur, absentem desiderat, redeuntem læta excipit.

7 Nihil jucundum absque societate? Nulla societas matrimonio suavior. 8 Vinculum Conjugalis charitatis adamantinum. 9 Accrescit dulcis affinium turba, duplicatur numerus parentum, fratrum, sororum, nepotum.

10 Pulchra sis prole parens. 11 Lex Mosis sterilitatem matrimonii execratur, quanto amplius Cælibatum? 12 Si natura pœnam non effugit, ne voluntas quidem effugiet.

1 Hast thou meanes? thou hast none to keep and increase it. 2 Hast none? thou hast one to helpe to get it. 3 Art in prosperity? thine happinesse is doubled.

4 Art in adversity? shee’l comfort, assist, bear a part of thy burden to make it more tolerable. 5 Art at home? shee’le drive away melancholy. 6 Art abroad? shee lookes after thee going from home, wishes for thee in thine absence, and joyfully welcomes thy returne.

7 There’s nothing delightsome without society, no society so sweet as Matrimony. 8 The band of Conjugal love is adamantine. 9 The sweet company of kinsmen increaseth, the number of parents is doubled, of brothers, sisters, nephewes.

10 Thou art made a father by a faire and happy issue. 11 Moses Curseth the barrennesse of Matrimony, how much more a single life? 12 If Nature escape not punishment, surely thy Will shall not avoid it.

All this is true, say you, and who knowes it not? but how easy a matter is it to answer these motives, and to make an Anti-parodia quite opposite unto it? To exercise my self I will Essay.

1 Hast thou meanes? thou hast one to spend it. 2 Hast none? thy beggery is increased. 3 Art in prosperity? thy happinesse is ended.

4 Art in adversity? like Job’s wife shee’le aggravate thy misery, vexe thy soule, make thy burden intollerable. 5 Art at home? shee’le scold thee out of doores. 6 Art abroad? If thou be wise keep thee so, shee’le perhaps graft hornes in thine absence, scowle on thee coming home.

7 Nothing gives more content then solitarinesse, no solitarinesse like this of a single life. 8 The band of marriage is adamantine; no hope of loosing it, thou art undone. 9 Thy number increaseth, thou shalt be devoured by thy wives friends.

10 Thou art made a Cornuto by an unchast wife, and shalt bring up other folkes Children instead of thine owne. 11 Paul commends marriage, yet he preferres a single life. 12 Is marriage honorable? What an immortall crown belongs to virginity?

So Siracides himself, speaks as much as may be, for and against women, so doth almost every philosopher plead pro and con, every poet thus argues the case (though what cares vulgus hominum what they say?) so can I conceive peradventure, and so canst thou: when all is said, yet since some be good, some bad, let’s put it to the venture. I conclude therefore with Seneca,

—— cur Toro viduo jaces? Tristem juventam solve: nunc luxus rape, Effunde habenas, optimos vitæ dies Effluere prohibe.

Why dost thou lye alone, let thy youth and best daies to passe away? Marry whilst thou maist, donec viventi canities abest morosa, whilest thou art yet able, yet lusty,

Elige cui dicas, tu mihi sola places,

make thy choice, and that freely forthwith, make no delay, but take thy fortune as it falls. ’Tis true,

—— calamitosus est qui inciderit In malam uxorem, felix qui in bonam,

’Tis an hazard both waies I confesse, to live single or to marry,

Nam & uxorem ducere, & non ducere malum est,

it may be bad, it may be good, as it is a crosse and calamity on the one side, so ’tis a sweet delight, an incomparable happinesse, a blessed estate, a most unspeakable benefit, a sole content on the other; ’tis all in the proof.