By prevention before, or after marriage, Plato’s communitie, marry a Curtesan, Philters, Stewes, to marry one equal in yeers, fortunes, of a good family, education, good place, to use them well, &c.

Of such medicines as conduce to the cure of this malady, I have sufficiently treated; there be some good remedies remaining, by way of prevention, precautions, or admonitions, which if rightly practised, may do much good. Plato in his commonwealth, to prevent this mischief belike, would have all things common, wives and children all as one:

and which Cæsar in his commentaries observed of those old Britaines, that first inhabited this land, they had ten or twelve wives allotted to such a family, or promiscuously to be used by so many men; not one to one, as with us, or four five or six to one, as in Turkie.

The Nicholaites, a Sect that sprung, saith Austin, from Nicholas the Deacon, would have women indifferent; and the cause of this filthie sect, was Nicholas the Deacons jealousie, for which when he was condemned, to purge himself of his offence, he broched his heresie, that it was lawfull to lie with one anothers wives, and for any man to lie with his:

like to those Anabaptists in Munster, that would consort with other mens wives as the spirit moved them: or as Mahomet the seducing prophet, would needs use women as he list himself, to beget prophets; 205 their Alcoran saith were in love with him, and he as able as fortie men.

Amongst the old Carthaginians, as Bohemus relates out of Sabellicus, the king of the countrey lay with the bride the first night, and once in a yeer they went promiscuously altogether. Munster Cosmog. lib.3. cap.497. ascribes the beginning of this brutish custome (injustly) to one Picardus a Frenchman, that invented a new sect of Adamites, to go naked as Adam did, and to use promiscuous Venery at set times.

When the Priest repeated that of Genesis, Increase and multiply, out went the candles in the place where they met, and without all respect of age, persons, conditions, catch that catch may, every man took her came next, &c. some fasten this on those ancient Bohemians and Russians: others on the inhabitants of Mambrium, in the Lucerne valley in Pedemont; and as I read it was practised in Scotland amongst Christians themselves, untill King Malcomes time, the King or the Lord of the town had their maidenheads.

In some parts of India in our age, and those Islanders, as amongst the Babylonians of old, they will prostitute their wives and daughters (which Chalcocondila a Greek modern writer, for want of better intelligence, puts upon us Britains) to such travellers or sea-faring men as come amongst them by chance, to shew how far they were from this feral vice of jealousie, and how little they esteemed it.

The Kings of Calecut, as Lod. Vertomannus relates, will not touch their wives, till one of their Biarmi or high priests have lain first with them, to sanctifie their wombs. But those Essai and Montanists, two strange sects of old, were in another extream, they would not marry at all, or have any society with women, because of their intemperance they held them all to be naught.

Nevisanus the Lawyer, lib.4. num.33. syl. nupt. would have him that is inclined to this malady, to prevent the worst, marry a quean, Capiens meretricem, hoc habet saltem boni, quod non decipitur, quia scit eam sic esse, quod non contingit aliis. A fornicator in Seneca constuprated two wenches in a night; for satisfaction the one desired to hang him, the other to marry him.

Hierome king of Syracuse in Sicily, espoused himself to Pitho, keeper of the Stews; and Ptolomy took Thais a common whore to be his wife, had two sons, Leontiscus and Lagus by her, and one daughter Irene: ’tis therefore no such unlikely thing. A Citizen of Eugubine gelded himself to try his wives honesty, and to be freed from jealousie: so did a Baker in Basil, to the same intent.

But of all other presidents in this kind, that of Combalus is most memorable: Who to prevent his masters suspition, for he was a beautiful yong man, and sent by Seleucus his Lord and King, with Stratonice the Queen to conduct her into Syria, fearing the worst, gelded himself before he went, and left his genitals behind him in a box sealed up.

His mistriss by the way fell in love with him, but he not yielding to her, was accused to Seleucus of incontinency, (as that Bellerophon was in like case, falsely traduced by Sthenobia, to King Prætus her husband, cum non posset ad coitum inducere) and that by her, and was therefore at his coming home cast into prison: the day of hearing appointed, he was sufficiently cleared and acquitted by shewing his privities, which to the admiration of the beholders he had formerly cut off.

The Lydians used to geld women whom they suspected, saith Leonicus var. hist. lib.3. cap.59. as well as men. To this purpose Saint Francis, because he used to confess women in private, to prevent suspition, and prove himself a maid, stripped himself before the Bishop of Assise and others: and Frier Leonard for the same cause went through Viterbium in Italy, without any garments.

Our Pseudocatholikes, to help these inconveniences which proceed from Jealousie, to keep themselves and their wives honest, make severe Laws; against adultery present death; and withal fornication a venial sin, as a sink to convey that furious and swift stream of concupiscence, they appoint and permit stews, those punks and pleasant sinners, the more to secure their wives in all populous Cities, for they hold them as necessary as Churches; and howsoever unlawful, yet to avoid a greater mischief, to be tolerated in policy, as usury, for the hardness of mens hearts; and for this end they have whole Colledges of Curtesans in their Towns and Cities.