Be it that some woman break chast wedlocks laws, And leaves her husband and becomes unchast: Yet commonly it is not without cause, She sees her man in sin her goods to waste, She feeles that he his love from her withdraws, And hath on some perhaps less worthy plac’t, Who strikes with sword, the scabbard them may strike, And sure love craveth love, like asketh like.

Ea semper studebit, saith Nevisanus, pares reddere vices, she will quit it if she can. And therefore as well adviseth Siracides, cap.9.1. teach her not an evill lesson against thy self, which as Iansenius, Lyranus, on this text and Carthusianus interpret, is no otherwise to bee understood then that she do thee not a mischief. I do not excuse her in accusing thee; but if both be naught, mend they self first; for as the old saying is, A good husband makes a good wife.

Yea but thou repliest, ’Tis not the like reason betwixt man and woman, through her fault my children are bastards, I may not endure it; Sit amarulenta, sit imperiosa, prodiga, &c. Let her scold, brawl, and spend, I care not, modo sit casta, so she be honest, I could easily bear it; but this I cannot, I may not, I will not; my faith, my fame, mine eye must not be touched, as the diverbe is,

Non patitur tactum fama, fides, oculus.

I say the same of my wife, touch all, use all, take all but this. I acknowledge that of Seneca to be true, Nullius boni jucunda possessio sine socio, there is no sweet content in the possession of any good thing without a companion, this only accepted, I say, This.

And why this? Even this which thou so much abhorrest, it may be for thy progenies good, better be any mans son then thine, to be begot of base Irus, poor Seius, or mean Mevius, the town swineheards, a shepheards son: and well is he, that like Hercules he hath any two fathers; for thou thy self hast paradventure more diseases then an horse, more infirmities of body and minde, a cankerd soul, crabbed conditions,

make the worst of it, as it is vulnus insanabile, sic vulnus insensibile, as it is incurable, so it is insensible. But art thou sure it is so?

res agit ille tuas? doth he so indeed? It may be thou art over suspitious, and without a cause as some are: if it be octimestris partus, born at eight months, or like him, and him they fondly suspect he got it; if she speak or laugh familiarly with such or such men, then presently she is naught with them; such is thy weaknes: Whereas charity, or a well-disposed minde, would interpret all unto the best.

S. Francis by chance seeing a Frier familiarly kissing another mans wife, was so far from misconceiving it, that he presently kneeled down and thanked God there was so much charity left: but they on the other side will ascribe nothing to naturall causes, indulge nothing to familiarity, mutuall society, freindship: but out of a sinister suspition, presently lock them close, watch them, thinking by those means to prevent all such inconveniences, that’s the way to help it; whereas by such tricks they do aggravate the mischief. ’Tis but in vain to watch that which will away.

Nec custodiri si velit ulla potest; Nec mentem servare potes, licet omnia serves; Omnibus exclusis, intus Adulter erit.

None can be kept resisting for her part; Though body be kept close, within her heart Advoury lurks, t’ exclude it ther’s no art.

Argus with an hundred eyes cannot keep her, & hunc unus sæpè fefellit amor, as in Ariosto.

If all our hearts were eyes, yet sure they said We husbands of our wives should be betraied.

Hierome holds, uxor impudica servari non potest, pudica non debet, infida custos castitatis est necessitas, to what end is all your custody? A dishonew woman cannot be kept, an honest woman ought not to be kept, necessity is a keeper not to be trusted. Difficile custoditur, quod plures amant; That which many covet, can hardly be preserved, as Salisburiensis thinks.

I am of Æneas Sylvius minde, Those jealous Italians do very ill to lock up their wives; for women are of such a disposition, they will most covet that which is denyed most, and offend least when they have free liberty to trespass. It is in vain to lock her up if she be dishonest; & tyrannicum imperium, as our great Mr. Aristotle cals it, too tyrannical a taske, most unfit:

For when she perceives her husband observes her and suspects, liberius peccat, saith Nevisanus. Toxica Zelotypo dedit uxor mæcha marito, she is exasperated, seeks by all means to vindicate her self, and will therefore offend, because she is unjustly suspected. The best course then is to let them have their own wills, give them free liberty, without any keeping.

In vain our friends from this do us dehort, For beauty will be where is most resort.

If she be honest as Lucretia to Collatinus, Laudamia to Protesilaus, Penelope to her Ulysses, she will so continue her honour, good name, credit,

Penelope conjux semper Ulyssis ero;

And as Phocias wife in Plutarch, called her husband her wealth, treasure, world, joy, delight, orbe and spheare, she will hers. The vow she made unto her good man; love, vertue, religion, zeal, are better keepers then all those locks, Eunuches, prisons; she will not be moved:

At mihi vel tellus optem prius ima dehiscat, Aut pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras, Pallentes umbras Erebi, noctemq; profundam, Ante pudor quam te violem, aut tua jura resolvam.

First I desire the earth to swallow mee, Before I violate mine honesty, Or thunder from above drive me to hell, With those pale ghosts, and ugly nights to dwell.

She is resolv’d with Dido to be chast; though her husband be false, she will be true: and as Octavia writ to her Anthony;

These wals that here do keep me out of sight, Shall keep me all unspotted unto thee, And testifie that I will do thee right, Ile never stain thine house, though thou shame mee;

Turn her loose to all those Tarquines ann Satyrs, she will not be tempted. In the time of Valence the Emperour, saith St. Austin, one Archidamus a Consul of Antioch, offered an hundred pound of gold to a fair young wife, and besides to set her husband free, who was then sub gravissima custodia, a dark prisoner, pro unius noctis concubitu: but the chast matron would not accept of it.

When one commended Theana’s fine arme to his fellows, she took him up short, Sir, ’tis not common; she is wholly reserved to her husband.

Bilia had an old man to her spouse, and his breath stunk, so that no body could abide it abroad, comming home one day, he reprehended his wife, because she did not tell him of it: she vowed unto him she had told him, but that she thought every mans breath had been as strong as his.

Tigranes and Armena his Lady were invited to supper by King Cyrus: when they came home, Tigranes asked his wife, how she liked Cyrus, and what she did especially commend in him? she swore she did not observe him; when he replyed again, what then she did observe, whom she looked on? She made answer, her husband that said he would dye for her sake.

Such are the properties and conditions of good women: and if she be well given, she will so carry her self; if otherwise she be naught, use all the means thou canst, she will be naught. Non deest animus sed corruptor, she hath so many lies, excuses, as an hare hath muses, tricks, Panders, Bawds, shifts to deceive, ’tis to no purpose to keep her up, or to reclaime her by hard usage. Faire means peradventure may do somewhat.

Obsequio vinces aptius ipse tuo.

Men and women are both in a predicament in this behalfe, so sooner won, and better pacified. Duci volunt, non cogi: though she be as arrant a scold as Xantippe, as cruel as Medea, as clamorous as Hecuba, as lustfull as Messalina, by such means (if at all) she may be reformed.