Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	believe_v	good_a	work_n	4,967	5	5.7579	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07662	Honours academie. Or The famous pastorall, of the faire shepheardesse, Iulietta A worke admirable, and rare, sententious and graue: and no lesse profitable, then pleasant to pervse. VVherein are many notable discourses, as well philosophicall, as diuine: most part of the seuen liberall sciences, being comprebended [sic] therein: with diuers comicall, and tragicall histories, in prose, and verse, of all sorts. Done into English, by R.T. Gentleman.; Bergeries de Juliette. English	Montreux, Nicolas de, b. ca. 1561.; Tofte, Robert, 1561-1620.	1610 (1610)	STC 18053; ESTC S114999	543,552	396

of the fruites that haue come vnto vs through the same Neuer hath any man visiblie viewed the admirable coniunction of thy Deitie A Sentence with humanitie and yet neuerthelesse wee ought to belieue it because of the profite that it hath brought vnto vs which is the Saluation and soules health of vs all Then if thy workes be so diuine so religious and so farre surpassing the naturall conceits of man it is no maruell although thou after thine owne imitation and likenesse desirest that that which man doeth should likewise be perfect hee being of thy making to the end he may be found worthy of thy heauenly Kingdome Thou hast charged thine Apostles most strictly to be perfect as thy Father who liueth in heauen and although they can neuer attaine vnto that good so much desired yet at the least thy will is that they make an assay and proofe thereof seeking as much as in them lyeth to doe vnto the vtmost of their power Neither doeth this perfection of which I speake consist in any thing so much as in thy works For by the worke the cunning and skill of the workman is found as by the sweetnes and daintinesse of the verse the learning and deepe conceit of the Poet is knowne And euen so those that will passe for maisters in any Art or Handicraft whatsoeuer giue testimonie of their skill by some rare piece of worke deuised by them which is accounted the excellencie of their cunning whereby wee may perceiue either their sufficiencie or their follie their deepe knowledge or grosse errours therein So that we find the perfection of eternall IEHOVAH in nothing so much as by his works which are euery way right sacred and most excellent Our Sauiour himselfe commaunding vs that wee should not seeke to endeuour to approach vnto his perfectnes in anie thing so much as by doing such excellent and heauenly deeds as hee hath done before vs. The Prentice that endeuoreth to learne some exquisite kinde of Trade or Occupation of his cunning Maister is he not properly said to imitate him as long as he is working some piece of worke that commeth nigh vnto that of his Maisters If so why then by this perfection is vnderstood as well good works as Faith For it is an easie matter to be brought to belieue And had Christ meant onely of Faith by those words his doctrine then had bene superfluous and to small purpose For without Faith his Disciples vnto whome he spake could not haue bene his followers because euerie Infidell is already damned and they all abounded in Faith seeing that through the same they shewed so many rare miracles but not such good works as the Sonne of God commanded them which approched and drew neere vnto the perfection of such as his heauenly Father had done before That great Apostle of his Saint Paul said he not afterwards vnto his Companions Be yee my followers as I am the follower of Iesus Christ and this hee meant not alone by Faith but as well by good workes also For that godly Disciple did somewhat more then belieue giuing testimony of millions of admirable good deeds as when he raised some from death to life healed other some of their infirmities Preached and wrote manie comfortable Epistles and ministred reliefe vnto the poore whome hee calleth Saintes Yea hee did more then this for hee laboured with his owne hands to get and purchase his owne liuing If then we will imitate this man of God we must doe as hee did who was not onely contented to belieue but also hath giuen vs great proofes of many godlie workes and worthy Actions meriting no little glorie and praise This word Follower is properlie spoken of him that attempteth to doe what his Maister hath done before as a young Scholler that composeth an oration after the imitation of Cicero the father of eloquence although he cannot frame it so exquisitely nor so eloquently as his Author hath done yet doth he studie to doe it as well as he can striuing to come as nigh vnto his Phrase as possible he may And so must wee doe labouring trauelling and doing what good wee are able to giue testimonies of our selues that wee are followers of his Sonne and of his Apostles For our Sauiour him selfe liuing heere vppon the earth amongst vs did not belieue onely but did most religious workes also so as if wee will follow his Commandement wee must imitate him not in his Faith alone but as well in his good deeds as the Apostles haue done before vs who were dutifull and iust doing as their Maister did thousands of good deeds vnto the reliefe and comfort of the soules and bodies of manie a one Faith then cannot be sufficient for our saluation without good works For were it good Iustice that such a one as had done millions of of cruelties cutting the throtes of the godlie and robbing spoyling and tytannizing vpon the Common-wealth both by sword and fire should be saued because as a Christian hee belieueth that there is a God Why so to doe were to make God to be without Iustice and so consequently to take it from him For take away the properties of the subiect you take away the subiect it selfe dismember a man and you seuer his bodie from him Euen so depriue God Iustice and you denie him to be GOD for he can be no God without Iustice That man who because hee shall tearme himselfe the neere seruant and follower of his Prince shall vpon that securitie exercise manie massacres notable murthers and egregious villanies shall not escape but for all that be punished by the Iudge because as we hope we are to receiue good for doing good and not if we doe what is bad and forbidden Now if the recompence for doing good deedes and the punishment for committing euill Actions are both taken away to what ende then should wee talke of Iustice and Iustice being cashierde and banished from hence vpon which the veriy Lawe it selfe is founded all Religion and Faith all humane societie and Commonwealths must needs be ruinated and quite ouerthrowne for euer Should euery one be permitted to execute wickednes without daunger to answere for the same What then should wee doe with Iustice for then euerie one would giue himselfe vnto euill and badnesse seeing it is more sweet and fuller of profite then goodnesse and the rather because that men are more prone by nature to put in practise the same Besides if the guerdon and reward of well dooing were taken away who would endure any paine or labour toyling and turmoyling his bodie and sweating day and night when hee shall finde his trauaile to be without recompence and that his merit shall be no more nor better then his which hath done wickedly But let vs rather say that there is a reward for doing good of the good and a punishment for the vngodly by such as are wicked For are there not Christians that shal be damned No doubt

and with such exceeding rare Eloquence as he brought them to be willing to yeeld and to be vnder the gouernment of his Countrey The valiant Pir●●us king of the Epirotes was not of your aduise hee being wont to say that his Orator Cineas got more Townes by his Eloquence then hee could doe by his Armie Royall and Souldiers Thus doe you see that whom you haue disliked the greatest Monarks in the world haue accounted of and so should you doe most beautifull Virgin if you did well But least reason of all haue you to be of opinion to leaue this Actiue life for to followe the Contemplatiue because hee that laboureth most is worthie of the greatest hire hee that aduentureth most dangerouslie deserueth most praise and hee that effecteth and bringeth to a good ende a worke more admirable and more excellent then others doth merit greatest reward and honour Now in the Actiue life there is more trauaile more profite for our Countrey and more labour in the same which if it be so then are they worthie of more guerdon and commendation that liue in this world then such as retiring themselues to liue in a corner onely profite themselues Our Sauiour Christ the right Mirrour of Christian vertue tooke vpon him this course of life liuing conuersing and dwelling amongst men without withdrawing himselfe altogether into the Wildernes to the ende hee might be profitable vnto himselfe onely After him followed his Apostles who gaue not ouer the world to seeke some vncoth place of dwelling to liue priuately vnto themselues But rather chose to come abroad into the face of the world where they laboured trauailed sweat and suffered much affliction for others and not for themselues God will not haue that anie should hide his Talent vnder the ground and so put it to no vse seeing he hath lent it him for the publike commoditie of all men Neither will hee that a Lampe be hidden vnder a bushell vnto no ende but rather that it shall giue light abroad For in what doeth that man stand in steed of who fearing to be employed about the publike good seeketh onely to profite himselfe If euery one were of your opinion what Magistrates what Gouernours or what Officers should wee haue to rule and gouerne Common-wealths For so none would willingly take vpon him the busines of his Countrey remembring the troubles belonging vnto the same but rather withdraw themselues from thence to liue quietly and at their owne contentment But the Lawes both of God and man forbid such kinde of dealings For they will that such whome God hath made sufficient and fit for the Common-wealth shall serue the same yea though against his will and not liue idlely at his owne pleasure in as much as it is not reasonable that the Master of a Shippe shall sleepe and take his rest whilst the Vessell is tossed with the storme and Tempest vpon the Sea and the passengers therein stand in danger to be drowned Euen so it is a most vniust thing that the busines of the Weale publike and those that may profite them by their vertue should liue quiet and at ease without doing anie thing at all but lie at pleasure in some one odde corner or another priuately vnto himselfe and the rather because our Countrey most iustlie claimeth to haue interest in our bodies and in our soules Also this was the reason Many great Princes forced to take vpon th●m the gouernment of the Common-wealth for eag●n●● their ●als that long agone the Romanes constrained Cincinnatus and Fabritius to leaue their Countrey Houses and the delights they found abroad to make them take charge of the Common-wealths affaires and to fight against their enemies So was graue S●neca called from his studie maugre himselfe and from his sweete libertie to trouble himselfe with his Princes businesse So in times past did the French-men vse to take their Kings out of Monasteries to follow the charge of the Common-wealth and Kingdome And so was that cruell Amurath Emperour of the Turkes withdrawne from out a certaine solitarie place which hee had chosen to finish his life in hauing before installed his sonne that bloody Mahometh in his Estate royall to encounter with the Christian Armie so much feared of those Pagans and which for that cause craued the presence of old Amurath himselfe So you most louely Nymph who by your prudent behauiour are able to doe much good seruice vnto the Weale-publike ought not to refuse so honourable a labour but rather be the more willinger when you may doe good vnto your followers and friends For what shall become of this goodly companie of Nymphes which are committed vnto your charge and conduct if you shall leaue them They shal be like vnto a faire flocke that hath no Shepheard and therefore in great daunger to be deuoured of rauenous Wolues Chaunge then chaunge I beseech you this your late conceited opinion and if not for loue of your owneselfe yet at the least doe it in fauour of these sweet Nymphes who without you are most miserable creatures abandoned and giuen ouer vnto the rage of most vnfortunate mishaps Thus did I plead mine owne cause euery one of the Nymphes commending and applauding my perswasions being glad of my discourse and allowing of my speeches whilst they all with one consent made the same sute vnto her they themselues beeing now become bolde since I had broken the yce before them to deliuer in effect as much vnto her as I had done alreadie And the more to moue her vnto pittie no teares nor sighes were spared no mournfull complaints forgotten neither any pittious intreatings left vnremembred After this followed a long narration of the dangers which her absence was like to bring vnto them after they had a little blamed her first to take them as her charge and guide and then to leaue them thus vpon the suddaine To be briefe there was nothing left vnspoken whereby she might be disswaded A Similie to giue ouer this her enterprise But as an olde Beech tree deepely rooted in the ground being strong and huge in growth is not moued any thing at all with the small blastes of Sommer windes and as the stubborne Rock that standeth in the middest of the Sea neuer stirreth for all the waues that beate and flash against him Euen so my cruell Ladie was not moued at all although with teares with cries and with laments we called still vpon her shee being resolute in her first purpose and determination affirming the heauens themselues not to be sufficient to alter her minde For said shee it is to those whom the soueraigne of all Kings hath giuen force and power to serue their Common-wealths you should addresse your speeches and not vnto me who am but a poore silly Maide who stand in no other stead then to eate the fruites which proceed from the earth who can no way be beneficiall vnto my Countrey but only by my prayers which I shall

doeth sage Agamemnon whose disloyall wife cut his owne throate because she might the more safer follow her disordinate appetite O what a pernitious thing is this Loue how often hath it broke the plighted oath betweene man wife making them amorous of strangers and causing them to disdaine their nuptiall bed with base and filthie whoredome The good Emperour Marcus Aurelius remembred this but too too well who saw so often his wife ouer familar with so many and poor Sampson through loue was depriued of his strength and made a slaue vnto others that Sampson I say who was wont to conquer others and to make them become tributaries vnto him Againe what faith and trust is there to be reposed in Louers so cunning are they and so readie to break their promises and to sweare falsly that Iupiter iesteth and scoffeth at their protestations as one that thinketh they neither can nor ought to keepe them any longer then they list For if men now a daies be so basely giuē that they will strait yeelde vnto Loue and that the desire to enioy a little paltrie beautie or a little coloured complexion composde of white and red can make them to forget all dutie all promise and their owne good nature it selfe What then should hinder them but that they may loue in another place to endanger their Faith there to sweare and forsweare themselues againe For hee that once committeth one sinne will easily fall into diuers other more grieuous he that is knowne to be faultie in one thing A Sentence is reputed to haue offended in all the rest Besides so farre is Loue off from standing the learned in anie stead that it hindereth and ouerthroweth their learning for it is impossible for a learned man both to loue and follow his studie together because the minde cannot in one and the selfe-same time intend to hunt after diuers matters and for that the care which Loue engendreth hindereth a wise man in prositing himselfe at his booke and doeth withdraw him from the pervsing and reading of the same Againe if there be neuer so meane and little ascience in the world but is sufficient to imploy a mans whole life time and all his wittes therein and yet for all that it hath neuer bene found that any could euer sound the deapth of the same How then is it possible that a wise man should be able to follow both Loue and Learning to prooue excellent in both Nay then I will see farther and dare auouch that the malice of the Serpent not onely spoyleth and corrupteth the studie of the wise but also his condition and religion And that this is true great Dauid and his sonne Salomon can witnesse and the Iewes themselues whom the loue of the Moabite women which the trayterous King Balaac sent vnto them moued from the seruice of the true God making them become most wicked and abhominable Idolaters What greater mischiefe can happen vnto a man then to denie his God his faith his beliefe and his religion yea and therewithall to loose all his wisdome and authoritie If Loue then be the cause of so manie misfortunes vnto men and bringeth them with him vnto them is not he then the damnable author of our ruine our perpetuall paine and vtter ouerthrow heeis farre worfe then all the poysonous serpents of the earth yea then the Diuels of of hell themselues Not so quoth Coribant and therefore I pray you make a stop there for Loue is not of that bad nature neither is hee to be compared vnto such wicked creatures as you would haue vs beleeue for were it not for him whom you reuile so much neither you nor any man else could liue at all That which maintaineth all things and giueth life and force vnto them can that be teatmed an euill spirst So farre off is Loue from being such a one as he hath made the Fiendes of hell themselues milde and gentle when the faithfull Orpheus went downe thither to bring backe his deare espouse That which doth not vsurpe vpon publike honestie but hath respect vnto euery vertuous action may it be called an enemie of Nature Loue hath preserued both honor respect and vertue then why should anie blame him The sonne of Seleucus falling in loue with his stepmother chose rather to be brought euen vnto deaths doore then to declare as much as his passion for feare least he should haue offended the honor respect and the obeisance of a Father through the dutie of a louing Sonne There is no doubt but that man is to be commended highly who rather consenteth vnto his own death ruine and miserie then to commit a most notorious and vnnaturall fact Loue forceth the Louer to chuse rather to die A Sentence then to perpetrate any hainous fault Is Loue then the subiect of blame Loue resembleth wine which taken moderately and with measure nourisheth the bodie but being vsed too excessiuely it burneth and inflameth the same Euen so Loue being well and wisely applyed may bring much profit glorie as it did vnto the Romans Sabines who being ready to encounter and to kill one another they agreed so louingly as euer after they were but as one bodie or a Citie within themselues Indeed if it be ill imployed then I must needes say it may doe much hurt but it is the Louer himselfe that is in fault thereof and not Loue. The grape of the vineyard of it selfe is good and was giuen for a nourishment vnto man yet neuerthelesse man sometimes dyeth with taking ouermuch thereof but is this the fault of the grape or of him that abused the same Is there any precious treasure to be found throughout the compasse of the wide and spatious world that is to be compared vnto a loyall faithfull friend What happier contentment can there be betweene man and wife then chast and perfect loue The greatest blessing that euer Mithr●dates found in this life was his kinde wife that in all his troubles still did assist and accompanie him shee being attired in the apparell of a man and doing him all the serurce she could as if shee had bene the meanest of his ordinary followers Manie things are there bestowed vpon vs by the Heauens which of their owne natures are good and yet the malice of man doth alter them into a bad propertie As weapons with which they kill one another Fire wherewith they burne whole Cities and townes Gold with which vertue is corrupted and the cloake of Religion wherewith they couer their proud ambition with many such like Yet although these things are thus ill vsed and wrested by the corruption of man we must not therefore say they are bad of their owne selues but rather by reason of the malice of others Euen so Loue being perfect and good in his owne proper nature and of his owne selfe be abused and made worse through the default of men it is not he but they that are to be

the occasions of vice to the ende he may not sinne at all For he that is graue and considerate can finde no excuse when he hath offended For mine owne part I will neither loue nor be beloued much lesse be the cause of anothers miserie But O you blinde and frantike Louers who alwayes make your Mistresses the motiues of all your misfortunes As if a faire Christall Riuer and such a one as is profitable vnto the whole Common-wealth should be condemned for drowning such as cast themselues headlong into the same and not their owne foolish and desperate fault But saiest thou I cannot hinder thee to loue mee a Gods name let it be so but yet this cold comfort I will giue thee loue mee as much as thou wilt yet neuer would I wish thee to looke for any requitall at my hands for if thou doest assure thy selfe thou shalt be mightily deceiued And take this also for a warning from mee besides that if thy indiscretion or want of gouernement shall by chaunce bring the least spot or blemish vnto mine honor yea as much as any small colour of the same I here solemnely protest that in reuenging it vpon thee I will likewise punish mine owne selfe in that I haue suffered thee so farre to runne on and not to haue plagued thee for thy offence For I will wash my hands in my best blood and so purge my selfe cleare from the fault Fond Shepheard that thou art this fraile and withering beautie of the bodie is nothing worth in comparison of that of the minde And that woman that hath the first and wanteth the second is like vnto a dead bodie which is nothing but a faire and fat-feeding for wormes If thou louest me indeed as thou wouldst make me belieue then loue that which I esteeme of more then of mine owne life that is mine honour and louing it euen for my Loues sake withdraw thy selfe from dooing that which may hurt it and so by consequence mine owne person For Shepheard assure thy selfe this mine honour can neuer die without my life and they sailing both in one Boate neuer shall Diana see the one without the other Admirable Ladie answered I great wrong doe you offer vnto me to account me as an enemie of the thing which you so religiously esteeme of in this world But if I so much displease you yet can I easily content you againe in absenting my selfe from you by a gentle kinde of death Permit me onely to execute the same and then shall you see how willing I am to be seruiceable vnto you in all my best deuoires If I haue forgotten my selfe anie way I craue pardon for my fault I beeing ouer rash in that I haue presumed to loue you so much as I doe and not that I euer went about to offer outrage or preiudice vnto your good Name or Fame in any sort whatsoeuer Or if without making satisfaction for mine offence you will not forgiue me yet I beseech you suffer me to die For neuer will I wish to liue to be holden for an enemie vnto that which I hold to be so precious and which I esteeme more off then of all the wealth in the world Shepheard Shepheard answered the curteous Damzell I take little delight or pleasure in blood Neither am I descended from those Gods which demaunded men to be sacrificed vnto them I will endure all yet not with force as Tyrants doe but rather with sweet mildnesse as gentle Princes vse I am content thou liuest but yet whilst thou liuest I would not haue thee kill her who hath giuen thee so much libertie or to bring her vnto her latest home if by thy fault her chaste credite be anie way impaired or diminished What shall I say more vnto thee to content thee when I haue alreadie I feare me said enough if not too much I must now leaue thee for I perceiue my Sister is about to call me to begin our dauncing againe Heauens graunt that thou maist liue freed of this thine euill and that my losse make thee not wise too late after thou hast wrought mine vtter ouerthrow Hauing so sayd away she goeth from me comforting her selfe amongst her diuine companie And I being not a little proud of this my gentle good fortune withdrew my selfe from the companie making my prayers vnto the Muses who deuised these two Sonnets which after the daunce was finished in the best manner I could I presented vnto her SONNET I. My thoughts a new cleare Sunne now whollie do adore My hart pale through great feare doth march vnder his light This Sunne thy sweete Face is where beautie keepes his store Which being diuine diuinely prized is aright Sacred Diana worshipped in Heauen and Hell Thou ore my hart alone deseru'st to signorise Men vanquisht by rare Deities that do excell Thee taking so should honor in most sacred wise If then I by thine eyes am ouercome and slaine Yet I esteeme myselfe most happie so to be Men seruing Gods Cannonized Saints are for their pains Ah then these humble prayers and vowes accept of me The greatest Gods vouchsafe A Sentence ment presents for to take And meaning good the sacrifice most perfect still doth make SONNET II. Faire Dame which with sweet bonds in bondage holdst my hart Daine that he may thee serue his raunsome so to pay Or if thou wilt not that from prison he shall part Then as a guiltie wretch in bis best time him slay He cannot see thee lest he dutious thee may serue Needs must hee rest thy slaue for who hath venim tane A counter-poyson seekes himselfe so to preserue Or findeth Death out for to ease him of his paine That torment sudddainly which gentle Death doth kill Ought not to be lamented when it riddes all griefe Whereas my woes are heauie during alwayes ill Ah then kill me on suddaine or yeeld me reliefe For happier is the Tombe then is his vitall breath Who rightly liueth not but wretchea languisheth These were the first verses which with a Viole pleading for pittie I presented vnto my beautious Diana who accepted of them and read them with an indifferent kinde conntenance O diuine Muses euen vice it selfe loueth honoreth and reuerenceth you Neither is there anie be they neuer so ill giuen but liketh of the praises which you with your melodious harmonie attribute vnto them Diana finding mee to be somewhat fauoured of the Muses beganne to thinke somewhat better of mee then she did beforce imagining that they would not suffer vice to raigne in my Loue because they are of themselues diuine and chaste So Maro by the helpe of his Muse obtained the fauour of Augustus the Emperour recouering his lands againe Wherevpon I began to conceiue better of my selfe then I any way deserued and as Pompey because hee had forced some of Caesars armie to retire backe as farre as their owne Trenches imagined with himselfe that hee had alreadie got the gole and wonne the victorie So I

against him No no faire Dame chast and modest writings neuer alter the honor of any Gentlewoman Many haue written of Lucretia and their discourses haue made her the more famous throughout the whole world For as the remembraunce of infamous person is much detested and hated by the Muses So is the glorie and renowne of the ven●ous installed by them in eternall memorie for euer What are men but dust if the Muses should not make them suruiue after they are dead and liue in the world againe Hee neuer leaueth this world whom the Muses doe grace so much as to paint his egregious Acts in the Temple of memorie when his successors and succeeders beholde him continuallie with great admiration and wonder by which meanes hee dieth no more then such sacred and noble minds doe who are obliged and bound vnto the Muses as Achilles and Hector were with diuers other Refuse not then gratious Nymph the commendations of my Muse although too base for thee which shall neuer cease nor giue ouer to sing of thy vertues according vnto thine owne minde and pleasure For the Muses are the waiting Gentlewomen of Vertue and are bound to reserue the memories of all such as haue liued 〈◊〉 and with honor So that if Vertue force her owne enemies to reuerence her much more can shee compell the Muses to doe the like they being obliged by dutie to be alwayes at her call and to attend vpon her Scipis the great after he had giuen ouer Rome was daily visited by the Pyrates of the Sea which men although in their owne proper nature they were cruell and wicked yet neuertheles were they forced by reason of his vertue to honor him comming so farre out of their way onely to see so famous a Captaine and kissing his victorious hands as if he had bene some great God So Casar likewise after hee was taken prisoner by certaine Rouers of the Seas was much respected of the same Theeues for his vertue although hee threatned them to hang them when hee should come on land Denie not then diuine Da●●●zell the frutes of my Muse but giue her leaue to doe her good will who hash vowed to praise thee although thou forbid the same I will not then hinder thee answered the Nymphe because I see thou art resolute Yet this I will tell thee that as it is a pleasant pastime to labour and sowe where a man may reape the fruit thereof againe with increase So is it most grieuous and intollerable when one shall toyle and sweate night and day and yet obtaine no recompence for the same When thy Muse shall haue composed thousands of verses in mine honour and when thou hast made whole volumes perined and endited at large written wholelie for my credit yet what profite doest thou hope for at my handes Or what shalt thou get thereby They say that Baccus and Cupid as they were one day going a hunting caught Minerua in their Nettes If so it were no doubt it was with her owne consent For I doe not thinke that anie can force one to loue or affect him whether the partie will or no. Neither shall thy writings nor thy perswasions euer take mee in their Trappes For where the Iudge is iust and vncorrupt there is no altering nor wresting of Iustice nor can his vertue be dimmed or abused with presents or gifts So likewise neuer looke for anie commoditie by thy studie at my hands For so should I buy them too too deare Inasmuch as nothing is to be rated at so high a price as our good Name or Fame is For euery thing that is lost may be recouered else againe but the losse of this is deplorable and altogether impossible to be obtained when it is once gone But say I should beleeue thee and yeeld vnto thee in this point that thy loue towards mee is sacred and iust yet art thou so simple to thinke that those that shall come hereafter will imagine the same and that they will iudge thy flowring youth and the spring-tide of thy life hauing bene spent in my behalfe and for mine occasion thou hast found no recompence nor guerdon of me for so great paines So that if whilst I liue I can hardly keepe mine honour from blame yet when I am dead I cannot preserue it from the suspition thereof it being become a prey vnto most venemous and slaunderous tongues For this I will tell thee Shepheard the presence of a man oftentimes withholdeth manie things from being spoken against his credit and good name which when hee is absent the mischieuous and malignant sort will not sticke to report and blaze abrode And although I know that euery kinde of friendship is not dishonest but that manie haue loued for pure vertue onely yet can wee not let euery one from speaking as they shall please and it is left vnto the conceits of those as shall be then liuing to thinke according vnto their owne humours and will and to belieue as they list because there is none to forbid them the contrarie But in the meane space how many is there in the world that will rather speake ill then well and giue forth bad speeches then once thinke good thoughts especially such kinde of people as speake of spite who because they are bad themselues therefore they will report malitiously of others that are better then themselues onely of ill will and for nothing else These reasons make mee take small taste in thy writings when they shall prooue more damageable then profitable vnto mee and chiefly if by their meanes I chaunce to be defamed any way For for glorie onely it being accompanied with vertue may mortall men account themselues worthie both of the name of men and of immorrall renowne and not for any thing else Gratious Ladie and Mistris replied Arcas is it possible that the Sunne should shine at mid-day and yet not be seene with our eyes And can anie be so blinde as to take that glorious Lampe for night seeing so many bright and glittering beames to issue from the same And so likewise do you thinke it is likely that anie one dare be so shamelesse and impudent to slaunder the spotlesse vertue of an immaculate Virgin whome euery one knoweth to be both prudent and chaste Those that are replenished with vertue can neuer blame such a one because shee is as they are and resembleth her And if the vitious and foolish seeke to backbite her then doth her glorie increase the more For that they see by daily experience that shee is nothing vnto them in as much as in malitious sort they seeke to oppugne and rise vp against her And if this which you say should be true then should the world thinke ill of so manie worthie and vertuous women who are commended in the workes of diuers Poets Then should Cassandra the Troyan Penelope Pelixena Portia Lucretia Alcesta and diuers others be but hardly thought of which neuertheles we see commended throughout the

Day Pale was my colour at that instant my tongue was tyed within my mouth and I stood as one confounded with feare and although her presence was the onely preseruauation of my life and that I had no other felicitie then to looke vpon her faire face yet was I maruellously heauie and sadde because she as then did shewe her selfe vnto mee for I sore doubted least she had heard what I had spoken and that she had bene angrie with mee as indeed she was for the same I confessing in my soule my fault and acknowledging my selfe worthie of no small punishment to haue conceiued so sinisterly of her as I had done Neuerthelesse I was wonderfully glad that I was deceiued in my expectation thinking within my selfe how farre more vertuous then mine owneselfe Diana was who for want of wit iudged her by mine owne conceit thinking she would haue done that which I would haue bene willing to performe if I had bene in her case Shame made me hold downe my head remorse of conscience forced me to shut mine eyes and feare seazed vpon my senses I knew I was but a dead man if shee had vnderstood me when I lamented and therefore I plaide as the young Scholler when his Maister hauing taken him tardie expecteth euery houre to be corrected for his fault Or as the Criminall who dareth not looke the Iudge in the face his aduersary being present whom he hath so hainously offended I curse my tongue and hate my selfe for my ouer-rash beliefe I die with inward griefe knowing and acknowledging no torments were they neuer so terrible to be sufficient to expiate this my hainous sinne which I had committed against her whome I accounted of more then of my life Faine would I haue washed eleane this foule spotte with my dearest blood but as then it was not possiblé for I saw there was no other remedie but I must attend the iust iudgement of my Ladie pronounced against me who with a little Chollor and yet smiling therewithall beganne thus to expostulate the matter with me What is the reason Shepheard that thou thus iudgest ill of mee and what proofe hast thou seene of mine incontinencie to thinke that I would so quicklie suffer my selfe to be abused by Loue what haue I done euer vnto thee that thou shouldst suspect mine honor and what outrage hast thou receiued of mee who neuer offended thee to thinke me an enemie vnto mine owne credit Ah Shepheard let vs not iudge other men vnlesse we would be iudged againe and let vs not seeke the defamation of an other lest wee our selues be tryed by the same iniurious order Doest thou think that I esteem not more mine honor then I do the Empire of the Gods the one of which being destroyed may be repaired againe but the other once lost and gone can neuer be recouered anie more It is possible for miserable wretches to chaunge their bad Fortunes and of Beggars to become mighty Kings and Monarks as was Cyrus Romulus Denis of Siracusa Tratane Tambarlaine and diuers others who from poore sillie Shepheards haue come through the fauour of Fortune to be Soueraigne Princes But that woman that hath once lost her honor can neuer attaine vnto the same againe by anie manner of meanes what force or violence so euer shee pretendeth or alleadgeth for her excuse This spotte beeing so blacke as it neuer can be brought to be white anie more For to make that thing which hath bene not to haue bene at all exceedeth the power of mortall men onely God alone can doe it Tell me then doest thou suppose that I will change mine honour for the kingdome of the Gods No for Iupiter although hee be the maister of the Gods yet is not he quite exempted from blame and great personages oftentimes erre sooner then meaner persons whereas the vertuous woman is alwayes commended and entertained by the wiser sort Yea farre more then such a one as is foolish for all her byrth and greatnes Little be those Countries accounted of where honour is not in request and such Princes smallie deserue to be magnified who make no esteeme of Vertue Better is it for a man to be poore and well giuen then to be rich and full of vices What good did the Signorie of Cicill vnto Denis the younger but onely to make him the more miserable yea farre more then the meanest of his owne subiects and all because hee was wicked But vertue quite contrarie to the other stood Dion in great stead who being but a sillie fugitiue and a forsaken bannished man through her got forces sufficient to driue away the Tyrant to set his Countrey at libertie and to make him famous throughout the wide world More highly prisd was Octania the cliaste wife of Marke Antony beeing in pouertie then the shamelesse Cleopatra for all her Realmes and riches in as much as the one was modest and vertuous whereas the other was common and infamous What renowme or credit followeth now at this day the infamous memorie of Semiramis Messalina of Faustina and diuers such other Empresses only this that they are registred for their immodest liues in the blacke booke of reproachfull shame for euer My life shall first ende before I will beginne to liue in this bad order so farre from all good order No no neuer will I strike my Shippe against such a Rocke neither will I suffer shipwracke in so ignominious a Sea what Dietie soeuer shall intreat mee therevnto For pouertie ioyned with Vertue may be counted great riches where Noblenesse and wealth being lincked with vice cannot anie way be said to be other then extreame and wretched miserie Well Shepheard well thou hast accused me before I haue done a fault and thou hast laide a vice vnto my charge of which my foule is innocent Then what punishment were due of right vnto thee if I should measure this thy grosse errour according vnto the rigour of vnpartiall Iustice and if as Arachne was plagued I should make thee beare the heauie burthen of thine owne offence Long time agone amongst the Auncients this was a Lawe that hee who causelesse had accused the guiltlesse should haue suffered the selfe-same punishment which the person accused should haue endured if hee had bene culpable of the same offence whereof he accused the other Thinkest thou I value not my credit at as high a rate as Daphne Cassandra and such others who could neuer be brought to veelde vnto the vnhonest appetites of the Gods Too pretious and rate is this inestimable Iewell to make so light account thereof rather belieue thou that I will sooner loofe my life then let goe mine honour vnto anie Chaunge then thy speech and seeke not hereafter anie more to defame so rich a Treasor as the honour of a woman is vnlesse thou haue better proofes then thou hast had of mine for more hurtfull and pernitious is a slaunderer and a false accuser then a most mortall and deadly enemie because the

lost his former libertie and the freedome of his heart for the same He resembled that Pilot who seeth his Shippe to leake and full of holes by which the water entereth and therefore dispaireth of life And such a one was our wretched Conquerour who saw no remedie for him to quench this fire which burned his inward entrailes Hee was in loue with a Princesse the onely daughter of his King and whome the greatest Monarks of the world would haue thought themselues fortunate to haue had her for wise and who was so vertuous and wise as hardly could she be induced vnto Loue. Yet his misfortunes take to them a larger scope Hee giues not ore to Loue though he is without hope But after he hath considered within himselfe wisely of the matter he findeth that it is but meere follie to set vp his rest at that game anie longer and therfore hee resolueth to giue it ouer But the more he thinketh to forget his Loue the more Affection kindeleth within Not vnlike the Byrd who being taken in the lime-twigges the more she striueth to get away the more she is intangled Wherevpon one day he being alone calleth for mee and because he knewe I had some experience in Loue he demaunded my aduise therein discouering his wound vnto mee and crauing my best counsell I ●ouing him dearely perswaded him to chase away that venomous Adder and that he play not as that husbandman of the Countrie did who kept a Snake so long in his bosome till at the last hee stung him for his kindnes Besides I discoursed vnto him of the bloody outragiousnes of Loue often sighing as I reported the same vnto him because as then I remembred mine olde loue in Arcadia Hee hearing me say so strait belieued me determining with himselfe not to follow his faire Mistris any longer in chase and with that resolution willing mee to depart he layeth him downe vpon his bedde thinking to take his rest for a while But no sooner were his eyes closed but that Loue opened them againe presenting the beau●●● of 〈◊〉 Ladie before him so that presently he was chaunged in minde minding now to lone her againe As that Traueller who being bound by reason of some busines of great importance to take Sea no sooner arriueth at the shore but that hee fearing to enter the S●●pp● because of drowning retireth backe againe but afterward remembring the weightine● of the matter and how much it importeth him for his profit to goe onwards on his iourney marcheth backe againe vnto the water hazardeth himselfe and so in the end performeth his voyage Euen so my perplexed Lord after hee hath done what he can to subdue his passion and yet cannot at the last seeing no other remedie he resolueth to loue and to submit himselfe vnder the seruile yoake of cursed Cupid Or as the bondslaue hauing escaped in the night determineth with himselfe to be followed after in the day time chaungeth his aduise and frighted with extreame feare returneth home vnto his Maister Euen so Don Iohn hee is in the ende forced to acknowledge proud LOVE for his soueraigne Lord and is glad to yeeld vnto him Wherevpon he calleth mee againe vnto him making me priuie vnto his resolution discoursing still of Loue and flattering himselfe he would needes perswade mee that Loue was courteous and gentle when hee knew right well in his owne conscience that he did finde him otherwise But I on the other side wish him not to belieue so but rather aduise him to banish Loue from him as one that is an aduersarie both vnto his life and quietnes deliuering vnto him many proofes of the crueltie of that blinde God and of his villainous nature All this he heareth although hee knoweth not what to answere vnto the same because I spake but reason and yet for all this such was his mishap as like an obstinate and selfe-wild man he standeth still in his blind error stiffely As the robber by the high way side beeing admonished by some faithfull friend of his to giue ouer that leaud kinde of life telling him of the wretched and wicked end he is like to come vnto if he continueth still in the same listneth vnto him very earnestly and yet neuerthelesse falleth vnto his old kinde of trade of robbing is the same man still and so continueth Euen so this Gaualier although he gaue good eare vnto my reasons and perswasions yet did he persist as one obdurate in former follie and selfe-wilfulnesse But yet to say truth he was somewhat to be excused herein seeing he was no more maister of his owne selfe but rather Loue vnder whose Banner he fought Long lay he vpon his bed and yet he could not sleepe by reason of such strange visions as Loue presented vnto his eyes Whose fashion it is when he hath once conquered he will seldom or neuer suffer him to be in quiet Whervpon Don Iohn ariseth from his loathed bed taking his iourney towards the Kings Pallace where by the way hee is saluted and commended of all men but yet all these honors abated his paine little or nothing because he found by experience that he had lost more then euer he was like to recouer againe Besides if he had but knowne the minde of his Mistrisse he then could the sooner haue resolued what to doe according vnto her answere which was either to die or to followe his suite begunne But not knowing her will hee knewe not what to say nor what to thinke of the matter For Each Louer that is burned with this amorous flame In word and deed dependeth on his louely Dame Not long had hee stayed in the Court but that it was his good Fortune to haue a sight of his Mistrisse whome he thought to be wonderfullie inereased in Beautie since last hee saw her so as if shee then deserued to be honored as a Ladie why now shee merited to be worshipped and adored as if shee had bene some Goddesse indeed And thus his affection increaseth more and more On the other side the young Princesse began to feele a kinde of alteration within her selfe and found her heart to fancie Don Iohn aboue all men liuing Yea and so much as she thought he deserued to haue her Loue before anie other And yet when she remembred her Royall birth whose daughter she was and the greatnes of her honour shee beganne somewhat to forget him so as her desire was no sooner lightned but that it was quenched againe Not vnlike vnto those children borne before their time who no sooner are brought into the world but they straitway die Meane time the Knight who was not so bad a scholler in Loues schoole but that he had learned some lessons therein beganne to gather by the stealing glaunces which she cast vpon him that shee did not altogether hate him and therefore beganne to perswade himselfe that he was likely to haue some good successe in his amorous busines Wherevpon hee thought to venture to