V prattle of it. And what do they now adaies more CHAPTER willingly flout at, then at any well composed and peaceable marriage? There is none of you all but Upon some hath made one Cuckold or other: Now nature stood verses of Virgil ever on this point, Kae mee Ile kae thee, and ever ready to bee even alwaies on recompences and vicissitude of things, and to give as good as one brings. The long-continued frequence of this accident, should by this time have seasoned the bitter taste thereof: It is almost become a custome. Oh miserable passion, which hath also this mischiefe, to be incommunicable. Fors etiam nostris invidit quæstibus aures. Fortune ev'n eares envied, To heare us when we cried. -CATUL. her. Argon. 170. For, to what friend dare you entrust your grievances, who, if hee laugh not at them, will not make use of them, as a direction and instruction to take a share of the quarie or bootie to himselfe ? As well the sowrenesse and inconveniences, as the sweetnesse and pleasures incident to mariage, are secretly concealed by the wiser sort. And amongst other importunate conditions belonging to wedlocke, this one, unto a babling fellow as I am, is of the chiefest; that tyrannous custome makes it uncomely and hurtfull, for a man to communicate with any one all hee knowes and thinkes of it. To give women advice to distaste them from jealousie, were but time lost or labour spent in vaine: Their essence is so infected with suspicion, with vanity and curiosity, that we may not hope to cure them by any lawful meane. They often recover of this infirmitie by a forme of health, much more to be feared, then the disease it selfe. For even as some inchantment cannot ridde away an evill, but with V Upon some verses of Virgil CHAPTER laying it on another, so when they lose it, they transferre and bestow this maladie on their husbands. And to say truth, I wot not whether a man can endure any thing at their hands worse then jealousie of all their conditions it is most dangerous, as the head of all their members. Pittacus said, that every man had one imperfection or other: his wives curst pate was his; and but for that, he should esteeme himselfe most happy. It must needs be a weightie inconvenience, wherewith so just, so wise and worthy a man, felt the state of his whole life distempered: what shall wee pettie fellowes doe then? The Senate of Marceille had reason to grant and enroll his request who demanded leave to kill himselfe, thereby to free and exempt himselfe from his wives tempestuous scolding humor, for it is an evill, that is never cleane rid away, but by removing the whole peece: and hath no other composition of worth, but flight or sufferance; both too-too hard, God knowes. And in my conceit, he understood it right, that said, a good mariage might be made betweene a blinde woman and a deafe man. Let us also take heed, lest this great and violent strictnesse of obligation we enjoine them, produce not two effects contrary to our end: that is to wit, to set an edge upon their suiters stomacks, and make women more easie to yeeld. For, as concerning the first point, enhancing the price of the place, we raise the price and endeare the desire of the conquest. Might it not be Venus her selfe, who so cunningly enhanced the market of her ware, by the brokage or panderizing of the lawes? knowing how sottish and tastlesse a delight it is, were it not enabled by opinion, and endeared by dearnes? To conclude, it is all but hogges flesh, varied by sauce, as said Flaminius his hoast. Cupid is a roguish God; his sport is to wrestle with devotion and to contend with justice. It is his glory, that his power CHAPTER checketh and copes all other might, and that all other rules give place to his. V Upon some verses of Virgil And as for the second point; should wee not be lesse Cuckolds if we lesse feared to be so? according to womens conditions: whom inhibition inciteth, and restraint inviteth. Ubi velis nolunt, ubi nolis volunt ultro: -TER. Eunuc, act iv. sce. 6. What better interpretation can we finde concerning Messalinas demeanor ? In the beginning she made her silly husband Cuckold, secretly and by stealth (as the fashion is) but perceiving how uncontrolled and easily she went on with her matches, by reason of the stupidity that possessed him, shee presently contemned and forsooke that course, and began openly to make love, to avouch her servants, to entertaine and favour them in open view of all men; and would have him take notice of it, and seeme to be distasted with it: but the silly gull and senselesse coxcombe awaked not for all this, and by his over-base facility, by which hee seemed to authorize and legitimate her humours, yeelding her pleasures weerish, and her amours tastelesse : what did shee? Being the wife of an Emperour, lustie, in health and living; and where? In Rome, V CHAPTER on the worlds chiefe Theater, at high noone-day, at a stately feast, in a publike ceremonie; and which Upon some is more, with one Silius, whom long time before she verses of Virgil had freely enjoied, she was solemnly maried one day that her husband was out of the Citie. Seemes it not that shee tooke a direct course to become chaste, by the retchlesnesse of her husband? or that she sought another husband, who by jealousie might whet her appetite, and who insisting might incite her? But the first difficultie she met with, was also the last. The drowzie beast rouzed himselfe and suddenly started up. One hath often the worst bargaines at the hands of such sluggish logger heads. I have seene by experience, that this extreme patience or long-sufferance, if it once come to be dissolved, produceth most bitter and outragious revenges: for, taking fire all at once, choller and fury hudling all together, becomming one confused chaos, clattereth foorth their violent effects at the first charge. He caused both her and a great number of her instruments and abettors to be put to death; yea such as could not doe withall, and whom by force of whipping shee had allured to her adulterous bed. What Virgill saith of Venus and Vulcan, Lucretius had more sutably said it of a secretly-stolne enjoying betweene her and Mars. -belli fera munera Mavors Armipotens regit, in gremium qui sæpe tuum se Eque tuo pendet resupini spiritus ore : Hunc tu Diva tuo recubantem corpore sancto Mars mighty-arm'd, rules the fierce feats of armes, Powre from thy mouth (as any Nectar sweet). When I consider this, reijcit, pascit, inhians, molli, fovet, medullas, labefacta, pendet, percurrit, and this noble circunfusa, mother of gentle infusus, I am vexed at these small points and verball allusions, which since have sprung up. To those well-meaning people, there needed no sharpe encounter or witty equivocation: Their speech is altogether full and massie, with a naturall and constant vigor: They are all epigram; not only taile, but head, stomacke and feet. There is nothing forced, nothing wrested, nothing limping; all marcheth with like tenour. Contextus totus virilis est, non sunt circa flosculos occupati. The whole composition or text is manly, they are not bebusied about Rhetorike flowers. This is not a soft quaint eloquence, and only without offence, it is sinnowie, materiall, and solid; not so much delighting, as filling and ravishing, and ravisheth most the strongest wits, the wittiest conceits. When I behold these gallant formes of expressing, so lively, so nimble, so deepe: I say not this is to speake well, but to think wel. It is the quaintnesse or livelinesse of the conceit, that elevateth and puffes up the words. Pectus est quod disertum facit. It is a mans owne breast, that makes him eloquent. Our people terme judgement, language; and full conceptions, fine words. This pourtraiture is directed not so much by the hands dexterity, as by having the object more lively printed in the minde. Gallus speakes plainly, because he conceiveth plainly. Horace is not pleased with a sleight or superficiall expressing, it would betray CHAPTER Upon some verses of Virgil |