R. T. in his blason of Jealousie, telleth a story of a Swan about Windsore, that finding a strange Cock with his mate, did swim I know not how many miles after to kill him, and when he had so done, came back and killed his hen; a certain truth, he saith, done upon Thames, as many Water-men, and neighbour Gentlemen can tell. Fidem suam liberet; for my part, I do beleeve it may be true; for Swans have ever been branded with that Epithite of Jealousie.

The jealous Swanne against his death that singeth, And eke the Owle that of death bode bringeth.

Some say as much of Elephants, that they are more jealous than any other creatures whatsoever; and those old Ægyptians, as Pierius informeth us, expresse in their Hieroglyphicks, the passion of Jealousie by a Camel; because that fearing the worst still about matters of Venery, he loves solitudes, that he may enjoy his pleasure alone, & in quoscunque obvios insurgit, zelotypiæ stimulis agitatus, he will quarrel and fight with whosoever come next, man or beast, in his jealous fits.

I have read as much of Crocodiles; and if Peter Martyrs authority be authentique, legat. Babylonicæ lib. 3. you shall have a strange tale to that purpose confidently related. Another story of the jealousie of dogs, see in Hieron. Fabricius Tract. 3. cap. 5. de loquela animalium.

But this furious passion is most eminent in men, and is as well amongst Batchelors, as married men. If it appear amongst Batchelors, we commonly call them rivals or corrivals, a metaphor derived from a River, rivales à rivo; for as a river, saith Acron in Hor. art. Poet. and Donat. in Ter. Eunuch. divides a common ground betwixt two men, and both participate of it, so is a woman indifferent betwixt two suiters, both likely to enjoy her; and thence comes this emulation, which breaks out many times into tempestuous stormes, and produceth lamentable effects, murder it self, with much cruelty, many single combats.

They cannot endure the least injury done unto them before their mistress, and in her defence, will bite off one anothers noses; they are most impatient of any flout, disgrace, lest emulation or participation in that kind.

Lacerat lacertum Largi mordax Memmius. Memmius the Romane (as Tully tels the story de oratore lib. 2.) being corrival with Largus at Terracina, bit him by the arme, which fact of his was so famous, that it afterwards grew to a proverb in those parts.

Phædria could not abide his corrival Thraso; for when Parmeno demanded, numquid aliud imperas? whether he would command him any more service? No more (saith he) but to speak in his behalf, and to drive away his corrival if he could.

Constantine in the eleventh book of his husbandry, cap. 11. hath a pleasant tale of the Pine tree; she was once a fair maid, whom Pineus and Boreas two corrivals, dearly sought; but jealous Boreas broke her neck, &c. And in his 18 chapter he telleth another tale of Mars, that in his jealousie slew Adonis.

Petronius calleth this passion amantium furiosam æmulationem, a furious emulation; and their symptomes are well expressed by Sir Jeffery Chaucer in his first Canterbury tale.

It will make the nearest and dearest friends fall out; they will endure all other things to bee common, goods, lands, monyes, participate of each pleasures, and take in good part any disgraces, injuries in another kinde; but as Propertius well describes it in an Elegy of his, in this they will suffer nothing, have no corrivals.

Tu mihi vel ferro pectus, vel perde veneno, A domina tantùm te modo tolle mea: Te socium vitæ, te corporis esse licebit, Te dominum admitto rebus amice meis. Lecto te solum, lecto te deprecor uno, Rivalem possum non ego ferre Jovem.

Stab me with sword, or poison strong Give me to work my bane; So thou court not my lass, so thou From mistress mine refrain. Command my self, my body, purse, As thine own goods take all, And as my ever dearest friend, I ever use thee shall. O spare my Love, to have alone Her to my self I crave, Nay, Jove himself Ile not endure My Rival for to have.

This Jealousie which I am to treat of, is that which belongs to maried men, in respect of their own wives; to whose estate, as no sweetness, pleasure, happiness can be compared in the world, if they live quietly and lovingly together; so if they disagree or be jealous, those bitter pils of sorrow and grief, disasterous mischiefes, mischances, tortures, gripings, discontents, are not to be separated from them.

A most violent passion it is where it taketh place, an unspeakable torment, a hellish torture, an infernal plague, as Ariosto cals it, A fury, a continual fever, full of suspition, fear, and sorrow, a martyrdome, a mirth-marring monster.

The sorrow and grief of heart of one woman jealous of another, is heavier than death, Ecclus. 28.6. as Peninnah did Hannah, vex her and upbraid her sore.

’Tis a main vexation, a most intolerable burden, a corrosive to all content, a frenzy, a madness it self, as Benedetto Varchi proves out of that select Sonnet of Giovanni de la Casa, that reverend Lord, as he stiles him.