nothing more in contempt which is not the fault of Schollers but of those dull Midasses now liuing who make so small account of them and therefore passing well said hee that wrote this Disticque The Man that scorneth Poets and Arts Schoole Lackes but a long Coate to be Natures Foole. Yet in despight of these worse than nasty Iaylors that keepe such store of wealth in their bard Closets and secret places far darker than Lymbo it selfe from those that deserue it better euery way than themselues and all which dunghill muck is nothing but the base Excrements of this stinking Earth I will set downe here the worth of a Poet more in value by much than their Idolatrous trash as that sweet Muse of his who not vnworthily beareth the name of the cheifest Archangell singeth after this Soule-rauishing manner When Heauen would striue to doe the best shee can And put an Angels spirit into a Man Then all her powers shee in that Worke doth spend When shee a POET to the world doth send The difference onely twixt the Gods and Vs Allow'd by them is but distinguisht thus They giue them breath Men by their Powers are borne That life they giue the POET doth adorne And from the world when they dissolue mans breath They in the world doe giue Man life in death e Well may Petrarcq brand Loue with foure such seuerall tearmes when that learned Philosopher Marcus Aurelius calleth it a cruell impression of that wonderfull passion which to be defined is impossible because no words reach to the strong nature of it and onely they know it who inwardly doe feele it And therefore I will be bold to descant vpon it thus What is not LOVE t is All Vertue and Vice Humble proud witty foolish kinde and nice A golden bubble blowne big with idle Dreames That waking breakes and fils vs with Extreames Or rather thus LOVE backeward speld put I for O is EVIL Adde D before the same and t is the DEVIL A DEVIL 't is and mischiefe such doth worke As neuer yet did Pagan Iew nor Turke f Besides these Laruae in Latine the condemned Soules of the wicked the Heathens held there were these kindes of Spirits more LARES GENII MANES and LEMVRES and the Lares which came of of LARVE were those Shadowes and Ghosts which they supposed did torment the domesticall and particular Inhabitants of priuate houses g A Fantasme is according to S. Austin an Imagination and an Impression in the Soule of such Formes and Shapes as are knowne or of such as shall be imagined without any sight had of them But a Spectre or Apparition is an Imagination of a Substance without a Body the which presenteth it selfe sensibly vnto man against the order and course of Nature and maketh him afraid onely the difference betweene the one and the other is this A Fantasme is a thing without life and substance and the APPARISION or SPECTRE hath a substance hidden and concealed which seemeth to moue the fantasticq body the which it hath taken h There are sixe properties in LOVE Selfe-Loue is the ground of Mischiefe Laciuious Loue the roote of Remorse Wanton Loue the Cowards warfare Pure Loue neuer saw the face of Feare Pure Loues eies pierce the darkest corners and pure Loue attempteth the greatest dangers but this Loue which is a desire of Beautie is a Heaâ—â—ull of Coldnesse a Sweet full of Bitternesse a Paine full of Pleasantnes making thoughts haue Eyes and Hearts Eares It is bred by Desire nursed by Delight weaned by Iealousie kild by Dissembling and buried by Ingratitude to be briefe It is not to be supprest by Wisedome because not to be comprehended with Reason i True Loue doth looke with pure suspicious eye And you kill Loue cashiering IEALOVSIE Although another writeth after this sort On Loue saith some waits IEALOVSIE But IEALOVSIE wants Loue When curiously the ouerplus Doth idle quarrels moue k Ouid. lib. 2. Eleg. 10. The substance of which Elegie is this Grecinus well I wot thou told'st me once I could not be in Loue with two at once By thee deceiu'd by thee surpris'd am I For now I Loue two Women equally Both are well fauoured both rich in aray And which the lou'liest is t' is hard to say This seemes the fairest so doth that to me And this doth please me most and so doth she Euen as a Boat tost by contrary Winde So with this Loue and that wauers my Minde l This man was borne in Pratolino a small Village in Tuscanie not farre from Florence he wrote many sorts of Poemes especially Elegies in which hee is counted and as others write preferred before Ouid. Hee had two Kinsemen that were Schollers the one Baptista Allemanni Bishop of Macone a little Towne in Lombardie and of inward acquaintance with this Author Benedisto Varchi and the other called Antonio Allemanni who wrote many pretty and witty workes in the Italian tongue imitating Burchiello in his manner of Verse called BVRCHIELLESCA and had acquaintance with most of the learned men of his time whom he mentioneth very often especially in this Sonnet following Io non inuâ—co Apollo o altro Iddio E veggio che le Muse'launo troppo nâ—ia L'a iuto Orrinzo el Fedele el Pistoia Pietro Pamfilo Sasso el Tibaldeo E frai nostri Toscani il Vnice e Ceo Questi versacchi miei son loro a noia E come Marzia io prenderei la quoia Che io non son con costor buâ—n Cetaro m According to that saying Loue doth desire the thing belou'd to see That like it selfe in lou'ly shape may be And as another very wittily writeth LOVES greatest powerfull Force and Excellence Is to transforme the very Soule and Essence Of the Louer into the thing belou'd For so by deepe Philosophy t' is prou'd n With which opinion these Verses agree well The trewest Loue sometim's suspicious And feedes on Cares and Feares most amorous Nor can LOVE liue without some IEALOVSIE Which tane away it strait begins to dye o Considering the great Plagues and Afflictions which many too too Iealous ouer their Wiues inflict most worthily vpon themselues the voluntary Cuckolds and kinde Wittols are to be counted wise in respect of the other because they are neuer tortured with such frightfull and sensible punishment for Most certaine t' is where IEALOVSIE is bred HORNES in the Mind are worse then HORNES on the Head Nay more I holde Cockolds for their patience herein to be the only true happie wise men indeed for if according to Seneca in his Epistles hee that is Temperate is Constant who is Constant is vntroubled who is vntroubled is without sorrow who is without sorrow is happy wherefore he that is such a one is Happy wisedome is sufficient to a happy man then say I that all these Qualities coueriuing in a Cuckold hee must needes be both Wise and Happy p That Beastes participate of this plague the Shepheard Cratis found
according as his nature is or as his Breeding hath beene or after the fashion and manner of the Country in which hee is borne and liueth because in this point diuers are the opinions of men and as contrary are the Customes of Countries wherevpon they say that the Southerne Nations and such as dwell in hot Regions are very Iealous eyther because they are much giuen and enclined vnto Loue naturally or else for that they hold it a great disparagement and scandall to haue their Wifes or their Mistresses taynted with the foule blot of Vnchastitie which thing those that are of contrary Regions and such as liue vnder the North-Pole take not so deepe at the heart and therefore wee may perceiue that this our Poet hath done excellent well to call and as it were define IEALOVSIE to be CARE that is a Thought or Passion which proceedeth and leadeth on Feare which is as much to say as if it came of Dread and Suspect And by this phrase of speech hee giueth vs to vnderstand from whence it springeth because as the Prince of Philosophers teacheth vs wee are easily and best nourished with that with which wee are borne Neyther doth hee thinke it sufficient to haue said thus much but he addeth besides Cresci thou growest or increasest which word no doubt is set downe by him with great and excellent iudgement by reason that IEALOVSIE may as other like Qualities encrease or diminish and it increaseth or diminisheth through foure things or meanes to wit 1. According to the Persons 2. According to the Places 3. According to the Times 4. And lastly according to the Businesses taken in hand The persons by meanes whereof IEALOVSIE encreaseth or decreaseth are in a manner alwayes three 1 The Party that is Iealous 2 His Mistressee ouer whom he is Iealous 3 The Person whom hee suspecteth and therefore is Iealous of him Concerning the Partie that is Iealous such as know themselues to be destitute and depriued of euery good Qualitie and Vertue and that finde themselues to be little or nothing at all fauoured or respected of their Mistresses and Ladies swallow downe more easily and sooner this poyson than others doe A Testimoniall of which Mr. Iohn Bocchas setteth downe most iudiciously as is his wonted manner in the ninth Tale of his seauenth Giornata or dayes Worke in the person of Annigucchio Berlinghieri as euery one may perceiue that will take the paines to read the same Besides it importeth very much to know of what nature the Iealous man is because if hee be naturally suspitious hee then will take euery thing in the worse sense interpreting all whatsoeuer he eyther heareth or seeth in a sinister and bad sense or meaning and so his Disease in time commeth to be desperate And such a Fellow was hee who in Bocchas would needes in the habit of a Priest confesse and shriue his Wife and of this kinde of mould are most of our Iealous Creatures made and therefore our Poet very wisely added in his second Verse Et tosto fede à tuâ—i sospetti ac quisti And too-too soone dost gaine Credit to thy suspitions For so is the true Copy and not as I haue seene in some other false Bookes Et piu temendo maggior forza acquisti c. And fearing still thou greater force dost gaine c. Although I deny not but that this might passe for currant well and might be counted tollerable enough as being perhaps borrowed from Virgill where he saith Fama malum quo non aliud velotius vllum Mobilitate viget viresque acquiret eundo c. Anon through all the Cities great of Africque Fame is gone That blazing Flame a Mischiefe such as swifter there is none By mouing 〈◊〉 shee breedes and as shee runnes her might doth rise Below for feare shee lurketh first then straight aloft in skies She mounteth Besides who knoweth not but that the more one feareth the more hee is Iealous Ariosto likewise setteth downe the quicke swiftnesse and the strange credulitie of Iealous folkes when he saith that this vncurable and mortall wound is so easily imprinted in the heart of a Louer And certainely it is wonderfull and almost incredible to beleeue that men should be such deadly enemies vnto themselues and of their owne liues as many times they are through these strange and foolish humours that for one word onely or for a signe a becke or a glance cast vpon one without as much as a thought of any ill nay more that they will despight of their owne selues imagine and conceit that which doth so much afflict gaule and torment them incessantly and without any rest as if there were not properly in loue other Cares and Troubles beside then those onely which wee our selues without any profit or pleasure at all seeke to purchase most vnseasonably euery houre of the day A grosse Errour and a Token of much insufficiency of wit But to come to the expounding of this our Sonnet I say that Acquistar fede in this place doth not signifie to be beleeued or to be a meanes for beliefe as in the first Stanzo of Petrarcqs where he saith Che acquistar fede alla pensosa vita c. It nourisheth matter to a perplexed life c. And in that other matchlesse Sonnet of his beginning thus Se com'eterna vita è veder Dio c. As t' is a blessed thing God to beâ—â—â—â— in skie So blessed as wee can nor ought to couet more So happy am I when I view thy face with eye Since nothing in this world I doe so much adore Nor haue I seene thee fayrer then I view thee now Vnlesse mine Eyes as partiall iuggle with Conceit Hope of my Life the Mindes chiefe Beauty true On whom as dutie bindes my Heart doth wait But th' art no sooner seene but art straight out of sight Else would I not thy Company so much desire Then if some liue by Sent as wee beleeue they write By Water some and some by Taste by Touch and Fire Why by your sweet sight then should I not liue Feeding on nothing else since life you giue But it signifieth quite contrary a firme and infallible Beliefe and Faith in which sense Petrarcq vseth it in this Sonnet Solea lontana in sonno consolarmi c. Once was I wont to comfort me in sleepe With that sweet heauenly face of Mistresse mine But now in Feare and Griefe it doth me keepe Yet Greife nor Feare can ease mee any time Me thought I saw within that beauteous Face True Pittie and still Sorrow plac't aright My Heart gaue firme Beliefe to this sad Case Disarming mee of Hope and Pleasure quite Remember well said shee that latest Eue That Night in which I left thee weeping so And when constrain'd through Time which mee did grieue I went my wayes and left thee plung'd in Woe Then could not I tell thee so much for Griefe Now doe
heauen so strongly doth allure The Sense of Man and all his Minde possesse As Beauties loueliest bait that doth procure Great Warriours oft their Rigour to suppresse And mighty Hands forget their Manlinesse Driuen with the power of an Heart-robbing eye And wrapt in Flowers of a golden Tresse That can with melting pleasance mollifie Their hardened Hearts enur'd to Crueltie t Hee saith so because none have written at all to speake of any thing to the purpose of this Subiect before and this so much as hee tearmeth it is onely here and there a Stanzo of Ariosto's in his Orlando Furioso and this one Sonet of Monsig or Dela Casa commented vpon by this Author but now of late a Country-man of mine although a stranger vnto mee called Mr. George Wither hath penn'd diuers witty Satyres whereof one is of this Subiect which you may read in his Abuses stript and whipt u Lodouicus Ariosto borne in Rheggio a towne subiect to the Dukedome of Ferrara wrote that famous worke ORLANDO FVRIOSO in honour of Cardinall Hipolito d' ESTA his Lord and Master whom hee then followed besides diuers other Bookes as his Comedies Tragedies and Satyres which Satyres I translated into English Verse with Notes vpon the same although vnknowne to mee they were set forth in another mans name In his later time being somewhat discontented hee with-drew himselfe priuately home to his owne house where after hee had continued a few yeeres hee dyed of a payne in his stomacke and was buryed in S. Bennets Church in Ferrara where hee hath a fayre Monument of white Marble with his Statue erected thereupon and this Epitaph Lodouico Ariosto Poetae Patritio Ferrariensi Augustinus Mustus tanto viro ac de se bene merenti Tumulum Effigiem Marmoreum are proprio posâ—it Ann. Dom. 1571. Alfonzo secundo Duce Hic ARIOSTVS est situs qui Comico Aures Theatri sparsit vrbanus sale Satiraque mores strinxit acer improbos Heroa cultu qui FVRENTEM carmine Ducumque curas cecinit atque praelia Vates Corona dignus vnus triplici Cui trina constant quae fuere vatibus Graijs Latinis vixque Hetruscis singula Natus est Ariost. 1474. Vixitannos 59. Obijt anno salutis 1533. Idus 8. Iulij But if you will know his whole life more at large then reade the fore-said English Satyres where you shall be satisfied at the full x This man was both a Philosopher and a Poet borne not far from Florence and liuing within the memory of man He wrote many Sonnets in praise of a faire Gentlewoman his Mistresse called DIANA of the house of the Saluiati in Florence and a Treatise in Prose of Good Manners ycleped Galateo much in request amongst the Italians Hee was very inward with Cardinall Bembo Speren Speroue Benedetto Varchi and other learned men of his time with whom hee conuersed for a certaine time in Venice in the interim of which hee wrote an excellent Oration penn'd in the behalfe of Horatio Grand-childe to Pope Paul the third of the house of the Farnesi in Rome who petitioned with the same to the Emperor Charles the fift that he might succeed Peter Luigi his father in the Dukedome of Parma and Piacenza as afterward he did the Emperour commending highly the foresaid Oration This Giouan de la Casa held Petrarâ—q to be a better Poet than Dant contrary to the opinions of most Schollers in those daies To conclude he growing in yeeres returned backe to Florence where he dyed of the payne of the Collicke and in the 62 yeere of his age lyeth buryed in the Certosi a Sumptuous Monastery not far from Florence y A Philosopher according to Cicâ—roes definition is a Louer of Wisedome and one that is learned in the knowledge and vnderstanding of the Arts and Sciences which is the mother of all Vertue Perfection the Greeke Monuments recording two kinds of Philosophers The Italianâ—â— out of that part of Italy whilome called Magna Gretia and the Ionian in the Country now called Grece Pithagâ—raâ— of Samos being the first Author of the name of Philosophers z There are seauen kindes of Poetizing in the Florentiâ—â— tongue as this our Author reporteth in his Italian Hercâ—lâ—no The first and principall is that of Dant and Petrarcq the second of Luigi and Lucas Puâ—cio brethrenâ— the third as Burchiello wrote for he also was a Poet the fourth the Chapiters of Berâ—ia the fift the Sonnets of Anâ—onâ— Allemanâ—â—â— and besides these fiue there are two to sing Pastorals the one in left as that called Nâ—ncia di Lorenzo de Medices and that Beca of Lewis Pulci and another in truth and in good earnest and this also is diuided into two parts for some write Eglogs in loose Verse and the other in Verse ending in meeter or rime and this also is done two manner of wayes eâ—ther with ordinary versifying or with that long kinde of smooth sliding and running Rimâ— which Sâ—nazar vsed in his Writings and is in Italian called Sdursciolâ— * Inuention is an 〈◊〉 â—hat hath more of the Wit Imitation of the Will yet Imitation commeth short of Inueâ—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 though Inuention is the most dangerous of both a Of Care one prettily and briefly writes thus Men dye and humane kinde doth passe away Yet Care that makes them die doth euer stay And mine old Acquaintance and Friend Mr. Henry Cunnestable hauing set downe this Passion in her right colours I could not chuse but acquaint the Reader therewith Care the consuming canker of the minde The Discord that disorders sweet Hearts tune Th' abortiue Bastard of a Cowards kinde The light-foote Lackie that runs post to death The busie Aduocate that sels bis breath Denouncing worst to him that is his Friend b Suspicion is a certaine doubtfull timerousnes of the minde detaining the hart most fearefully with sundry Affections and vncertaine proceedings according to this saying Suspect bewrayes our thoughts betrayes our words Wounds Hearts like sword and nought but Griefe affords c Feare is two-fold Good and Euill Good Feare is that which is grounded vpon a good discourse of Reason and Argument standing in awe of blame reproach and dishonour more than of Griefe or Death Euill Feare is destitute of Reason and is that which wee call Cowardlinesse or Pusillanimitié alwayes attended vpon with two perturbations of the Soule Feare and Sadnesse and of this sort is this whereof the Author speaketh wherevpon one saith well to this purpose Feare is defect of manly Fortitude Continually by Dread and Doubt pursude Montagnie also saith it is so strange a Passion that as Philosophers affirme there is none doth sooner transport our Iudgement out of his dew seate then this doth and to this purpose one saith thus Feare is more paine than is the paine it feares Disarming humane mindes of Natures might Where each conceit an vgly figure beares Which were not Euill well view'd in Reasons sight d Martyring is a kinde of inward painefull Conceit or
suspect and doubt the Gods themselues and therefore saith Ouid in his Epistles for Sappho Hunc ne pro Cephalo raperes Aurora timebam Et faceres sed te prima rapina tenet c. I dread Aurora least for Cephalus thou would Haue chosen him saue that thy former Rape doth thee with-hold If Phoebe view him once that all suruayes with Eye My Phao shall be quickely forc't in slumbers long to lye In Iuory Waggon would Dame Venus to the Starres Haue borne him but she fear'd hee would haue coyde the God of Warres Many more examples could I alledge for this purpose most of the Poets especially the Grecians and the Latines not talking of any thing so much nor that toucheth and galleth the Heart so sharply as this doth which forced Propertius to write thus Nullae sunt inimicitiae nisi Amoris acerbae c. There 's no vnkindnesse like Loue wrong'd Such things most bitter are to mee Let me mine owne throate cut yet I A kinde Foe to my selfe shall be With what face can I see strange Armes My Wench for to imbrace and twine When shee anothers shall be tearm'd Who but euen now was called Mine Sure all things change and Louers mindes Doe change and changing proue Winne thou in Loue or doe thou loose So turnes the wheele of Loue. But our Tuscane Poets louing more chastly than the Heathen wrote more discretely and with a better minde of this subiect neyther had they so much cause to complayne or enueigh against this wicked Fury And now as concerning the two first lines of this last Stanza in my conceit this word iui there is not without good grace and much elegancy vttered three times one after another not so much to knit and ioyne the Verses following to those that goe before as for that Flourish or Figure called Repetitio by our Rhetoritians and because of that other which is tearm'd an Article the conioyning and coupling of the Coniunction Et And being not put to any of them I giorni mena This phrase Menare i giorni is in this place after the same fashion as Petrarcq vseth the same in that Sonnet of his Chi e fermato di menar sua vita c. Who is resolu'd to lead his life vnsure Amid the wauering Seas and Rockes so high Fearelesse of death in Barke which cannot dure Must make account he to his End is nigh 'T is good for such an one to hoyse his sayle And towards the Hauen get for his auayle Imitating herein the Latinists who say ducere vitam to liue And yet Petrarcq in this Sonnet following turned it to another sense Po ben puo tu portarnclaescorza c. Well maist thou Po my body carry fast By reason of thy swift and mightie wane My Soule the Ghest within this lodging plac't For all thy force with thee thou canst not haue This neare giues o'er but striues to mount on high Forcing herselfe vnto the clouds to glide Vntill it to that happy place come nigh Where it doth hope in perfect Blisse to bide Thou Prince of Riuers prouder than the rest Encountring with the Sunne when day doth breake And in the ponent of that Light quite disposest Where waters thine beginne for to grow weake Beare thou this outward shape alone with thee Whilst my Soule in her sweet lodge longs to be And this kinde of phrase is most commonly taken after the worse sense as in the first Chapter of Loue he speaketh thus Qual e morte da lui qual con piu graui c. What Death is his what wretched life That pouer wretch sustaines Whom Lawes seuere command him lye Shut close and bound in chaynes c. But now to our Poet againe Non mendi dubbia che dicerta pena As well for doubtfull as sure punishments c. In my conceit he could neuer more learnedly nor more and as I may say more elegantly expresse and set downe the last difference of IEALOVSIE than hee hath here done in this Verse considering there may perhaps be found such a kinde of gnawing Corsiue or inward fretting Passion that may haue part or the most of these troubles that IEALOVSIE hath but that there euer should be found any one that shall continually lament and grieue as much for that which is impossible and doubtfull as for what is certaine and well knowne that can I neuer be induced to belieue this one thing being rightly the propertie and nature of this franticque Maladie And therefore Ariosto said likewise well when speaking of IEALOVSIE he wrote thus Non men per falso che per ver suspetto c. This hellish Hag makes men to wayle and rue Through false suspect as well as for what 's true Petrarcque intimating as much when as before is alledged hee said Pur come Donna in vn vestir schietto c. Like to a woman that is finely clad And vnder garment hers some man she had Inferring hereby no other thing then as hath beene often repeated before that Iealous persons are afraid of what they neede not they being alwayes full of Suspition and dread no otherwise than as if it were a likely or possible thing that a woman should hide a liuing man vnder her vaile or her attyre And in this Sonnet aforesaid Petrarch setteth downe IEALOVSIE by foure diuers names viz. trembling Cold shiuering Feare chilly Ice and melancholy Suspect as he calleth Loue by foure other seuerall words Zeale Hope Fire and Desire the Reasons whereof we will at some other time disclose and so conclude with our Authors Epilogue Vatene a che piufiera che non suole c. Dispatch begone why fiercer than before And farre more stranger than thou wont'st to be Since venime thine to poyson me the more Through euery vayne dispersed is by thee Dost thou returne to me in shadowes new The more to force me still to grieue and rew This fourth and last part agreeth meruaylous well with the beginning and middest of this Sonnet according to Horace his Aduice where hee saith in his Booke De Arte Poetica Primum ne medio medium ne discrepet imo c. The First with Midst the Middest with The latter must agree If thus thy worke be framde aright It needes must perfect be Thus with a kinde of briefe Repetition he concludeth and shutteth vp the whole substance of his Sonnet willing IEALOVSIE once more to be packing and as it were seeming to be angry and to chide her alledging to perswade her the sooner to be gone the Reasons before alledged for as much signifieth these two Verses Since venime thine to poyson me the more Through euery veyne dispersed is in mee As the other twaine aboue mentioned Since thou so soone amongst my sugred sweets Hast mixt thy bitter Drugs c. And partly it declareth the nature of this insatiable Monster who thinketh it not enough to haue infected and spoyled a man with her poyson on the sodayne
but shee must also turne backe againe with diuers and strange Apparisions and Shadowes that is with new Fashions and Shapes after a more cruell and fearefull manner euery day more than other and so encreaseth continually to the greater discontentment of his minde But this Part being sufficient playne of it selfe I will speake the lesse herein onely as you know well enough this word Larue in the Latine tongue signifieth the condemned Soules of the wicked which we in our vulgar tongue terme Spirits of Ghosts but here it intimateth sundry Shadowes Fantasmes and Apparisions in which as they say they vse to appeare And this is borrowed out of Petrarcq in one of his Sonnets beginning thus Fuggendo la preson ou ' Amor c. Ladies it tedious were to set downe here How much I grieue at my new libertie Since I brake prison where so many yeere Loue kept mee as he pleas'd most watchfully My Heart would tell mee oft hee could not liue But as hee did whilst Cupid subtle Else Met me in Shadowes false me more to grieue And might deceiue a wiser than my selfe This makes me oft looke backe and sighing say Woe 's me too late now to my losse I finde 'T is worse with mee now I am scap't away My Yoake and Chaines were wont to be more kinde Too late I now perceiue my wilfull fall And hardly now can I my selfe vntwine From my first Error which I would recall In which I wound my selfe through Follies mine When I was bound I then wisht to be free Now I am freed I loath my Libertie And now this Sonnet of our being expounded and ended there are most noble Auditors many and sundry goodly and delightfull doubts no lesse profitable than difficult and hard to conceiue about this subiect of IEALOVSIE But because presuming vpon your curteous patience I haue somewhat exceeded the prefixed time appointed for this solemne place I would be loth any longer to be tedious vnto you and therefore we will onely touch some of the chiefe and principall of them by the way and such as wee shall thinke to be most fitting and necessary for vs. First then some make a doubt and are maruellous desirous to be resolued in this point which is whether Loue I meane that Loue which is the desire of beautie may be without IEALOVSIE as it seemeth Petrarcq is of that opinion in that Sonnet of his mentioned so often by vs heretofore where he saith that he loueth his Mistresse Laura without being Ielous at all and he sheweth the reason thereof and what the cause was he did so when he said L'altra non già ch'el mio bel fuoco è tale c. The other 's none of mine For my fire 's of such power c. l' Amor chen cend il cuore To this we answere briefly thus Loue truly we cannot vnlesse there be some spice of IEALOVSIE therein and the reason is for that as Aristotle in his eyght Booke of Elegies saith Loue is of one alone but Friendship is amongst few And where Ouid writeth to Grecinus that hee liked and loued two women and both of them at one time my opinion vnder correction is hee mistooke himselfe in the name although greater matters than these are tollerable and passe for currant amongst Poets whereupon our amorous Master Lewes Allemanni sayth imitating his most witty Shoolemaster Ouid in one of his dainty and sweet Tuscan Elegies thus Per qual cagion auien crudel Amore Che fuor d'ogn ' uso human per Cinthia Flora Porto due fiamme non hà più d'un cuore What is the reason tell me cruell Loue That gainst all common sence I wretch should proue And beare two fires when I haue but one hart For Cinthia and for Flora more to make me smart Now if the woman that is beloued should affect another when there cannot be any Loue true but of one alone it must then of necessitie follow that she should not care for her first friend or Louer this being the principall point required of her Besides the Louer coueting and desiring to beget of his Mistresse a thing like vnto himselfe it must follow by this rule that he should not obtaine his purpose hauing his she-Friend common to another And whosoeuer beleeueth or is of opinion that a man may truly and from the heart loue and affect more then one at one and the selfe-same time is very much mistaken as besides the authoritie of Aristotle aforesaid we haue proued euen now in this place neither doth he rightly vnderstand how that partie who loueth indeed loueth his Friend as his owne proper and best good hee crauing and desiring nothing so much than that twaine should become one as Plato reporteth those two Louers answered Vulcan very well and to this purpose Lodouicq Martelli spake excellent well saying Nessun può far di queich ' al mondo sono A più d' una di se gradito dono No man for present can himselfe bestow But on one woman if he honest show And me thinkes he spake as well when he said thus Et poco e'ldon ch'un di se stesso fece c. Thinke you that man doth giue but little wealth When gift-wise he bestoweth All himselfe Hauing sayd before Et quei ch'ama diuoi donne piu d'una c. Fayre Ladies he that shall loue more Than one of any you And at one time dissembler is His Loue can not be true His mind 's beyond his might like he That with his daring eye Stands staring on the Sunny beames And blinded is thereby Wee will then for conclusion say that wheresoeuer true Loue is there indeed some IEALOVSIE must most necessarily be and where no IEALOVSIE is there of necessitie can be no true Loue indeed as a certaine Gentleman a friend of mine wrote to his Mistresse who tooke some exceptions against him because hee seemed to be a little yellow of her when amongst other things he wrote thus vnto her Nor let not this Lady your minde once moue Iealous to be in some sort is true Loue. And of this opinion was Petrarcq as you may perceiue in the beginning of that his Sonnet so often by peece-meale repeated by vs although in the end therof he to insinuate into her fauour and to commend his Mistres Laura the more faineth like a right Poet that there was no IEALOVSIE in him which neuerthelesse he yeeldeth to be in any other Louer else and which our familiar acquaintance Master Lewes Allemanni knowing to be but too true added therefore those speeches set downe a little before by mee Fuor d'ogni vso humano Meaning hereby as if it were a thing against nature any liuing man should not haue some small spice of IEALOVSIE in him Another doubt is whether IEALOVSIE be naturally in Louers or no many affirming it is and withall alleadging the same likewise to be in euery bruit Beast as well as in man
Women seldome chaste are found Much tongue in Wiues is bad in Maides farre worse A long tongu'd Maide is right the Diuels dry Nurse He roares aloud shee scoldeth shrill like bell Both worse than Fiends both fit to liue in Hell Yea so distastfull a plague was a bad tongue to Ariosto as he preferreth a wittie woman that secretly playeth false with her Husband before a common and notorious Scold as in his fifth Satyre treating of Marriage you may see more at large o What Montagnies opinion is in this poynt and what hee setteth downe of the Female Sexe as concerning this matter I had rather referre the Readers to his third Booke of Essayes then to say any thing hereof my selfe considering Veritas Odium parit Verdiuyce and Oate-meale good for a Parrot p Man is the most noblest creature God made whose duety consisteth in knowing his owne Nature and in labouring to profit others of whom after Tassos Imitation this Disticque is written Man is a Creature of such excellence As All created was for his defence q Woman is of one and the self-same substance with Man is what Man is onely so much more imperfect as she is created the weaker vessell and Hermes auoucheth that a beautifull and chaste woman is the perfect workmanship of God the true Glory of Angels the rare Myracle of Earth and the sole wonder of the World a moderne Writer concluding thus Women to Men are equall euery way And like infirmities in both doe stay WEE MEN are Women Women are WEE MEN What difference is twixt vs and Women then r Women are daintie Vessels fine yet tender weake and soft They must somtimes be born withall since they do beare so oft Then let vs not these creatures sweet disgrace scorn or disdain When truth to say we came from theÌ„ they from vs first came t Poetry is farre more commended then Prose being far more honor to the Language it writes in than the other both because Poets were before Orators and for that to write in Verse is more pleasing more cunning and more delightfull euery way Besides Poets onely haue the honour to be crowned with Myrtle and Laurell and no Schollers else for they haue other Rewards but these Garlands and Crownes which last for euer v Peter Bembo sonne to Bernardo Bembo and to Helena Marcella a Romane borne was excellent as well in Prose as in Verse and for the commendable parts in him Pope Leo the tenth made him his Secretary and not long after Paul the third created him Cardinall He dyed at Venice and lyeth buryed in S. Anthonies Church in Padoa where his Statue of white Marble is to be seene at this day x Aristotle in his Booke De natura Anim. saith the heart of man is lodged on the left side of his body but in all other creatures else it is naturally in the middest of their brest And it is a common receiued opinion among all Naturall Philosophers that the very first part which is formed of man is the heart of man as the maine roote of all his other members and the spring and fountaine of naturall heate and it is also the onely member that last looseth his moouing and dyeth in man It being a member so noble and delicate that it cannot endure any touching but presently the party dyeth y A Florentine borne and a familiar friend of this our Authors was excellent in Poetry especially for composing of Elogies and therefore was tearmed by many a second Tibuâ—lus He wrote amongst other things a Tragedie called Tullia and replyed against Giouan Giorgio Trissino a learned Venetian about his Epistles betweene which twaine was some controuersie He dyed very young and as some say was made away by poyson in Regno a country belonging to the Kingdome of Naples about the yeere 1566. leauing many workes of his vnfinisht in that hee was preuented by so vntimely a death z Hope is a pleasant passion of the minde which doth not onely promise vs those things that wee doe desire but such things also as we haue vtterly despayre of and therefore one speaketh wittily to this purpose saying Hope is the Fooles God the Merchants Comfort the Souldiers Companion and the Ambitious Mans poyson but yet notwithstanding this last Definition Hope is the sad Hearts helpe the sicke Thoughts Friend And what Distrust impaires Hope doth amend True Hope is swift and flyes with Swallowes wings Kings it makes Gods and meanest Creatures Kings a For there is her chiefe mansion house according to the opinion of a Gentleman an acquaintance of mine who to this effect writeth thus A seeming Friend but Enemie to Rest A wrangling Passion yet a gladsome thought A bad Companion yet a welcome Ghest A Knowledge wisht yet sound too soone vnsought From Heauen suppos'd but sure sprung first from Hell Is IEALOVSIE and there forlorne doth dwell From thence she sends fond Feare and false Suspect To haunt our Thoughts bewitched with mistrust Which breedes in vs the Issue and Effect Both of Conceit and Fictions most vniust The griefe the shame the smart thereof doth proue That IEALOVSIE is Death and Hell to Loue. For what but Hell moues in the iealous Heart Where restlesse feare workes out all sugred ioyes Which doth both quench and kill that louing part And cloyes the minde with worse then knowne annoyes Whose pleasure farre exceeds Hels deepe Extreames Such life leades Loue entangled with Misdeames b This learned Poet was borne in Florence his Wife being of the house of the DONATI there and called BIANCA but he being banished from thence liued in the ancient Citie Rauenna in Romagna where he lieth enterred hauing a fayre Tombe ouer him which Bernardo Bembo Father to Cardinall Bembo reedified and made new when hee remained Podesta there for the Signorie of Venice with this Epitaph ouer him Exigua Tumulo DANTE 's hic sorte iacebas Squallenti nulli cognite paene situ At nunc Marmorâ—o subnixus conderis arcu Omnibus cultu splendidiore nites Nimirum BEMBVS Musis incensus Hetruscis Hoc tibi quem imprimus hae coluere dedit But the aforesaid Citie of Rauenna is now subiect to the Romane Church This Dant is by some learned Italians compared and equalled with Homer and Virgill and was not alone a Poet but a Philosopher a Deuine a Phisitian and an Astronomer with all yet doth Cardinall Bembo preferre Petrarcq before him When Dant was young hee was Scholler to Brunetto Latini Vincentio Borghim Prior of the Hospitall of the Innocenti in Florence hauing made an excellent Comment vpon all his workes c According to this saying applyed vnto a suspitious or Iealous person Suspect like traytor false bewrayes our words Suspicious eyes are messengers of woe Iealous Suspect vgly Despayre affords And of thy dearest friend makes deadliest Foe Ouid in his Epistle of Sappho to Phaâ— d The worth of Poets and Poetrie can neuer be sufficiently commended enough although this Iron age hath