197Florila What haue I done? put on too many clothes, the
198day is hote, and I am hoter clad then might
su
ffice health,
199my con
science telles me that I haue o
ffended, and Ile put
200them o
ff, that will aske time that might be better
spent, one
201sin will draw another quickly
so,
see how the diuell tempts:
202but whats here? iewels? how
should the
se come here?
La. Good
dayes mirth.
204Lab. Good morrow louely wife, what ha
st thou there?
205Flo. Iewels my Lord which here I
strangely found.
206Lab. Thats
strange indeede, what, where none comes
207but when your
selfe is here?
surely the heauens haue rained
208thee iewels for thy holy life, and v
sing thy olde husbande
209louingly, or el
se doe Fairies haunt this holy greene, as euer
- 210more mine aunce
sters haue thought.
211Flo. Fairies were but in times of ignorance, not
since the
212true pure light hath beene reuealed, and that they come
213from heauen I scarce beleeue: for iewels are vaine things,
214more gold is giuen for
such fanta
stical and fruitle
sse iewels,
215and therfore heauen I know wil not maintain the v
se of va
- 216nitie,
surely I feare I haue much
sinned to
stoupe and take
217them vp, bowing my bodie to an idle worke, the
strength
218that I haue had to this verie deed might haue beene v
sed to
219take a poore
soule vp in the hie way.
220Lab. You are too curious wife, behold your iewels: what
221me thinks therEs poi
ses written on thē, di
spaire not of chil
- Then shee
reades.
222dren, loue with the longe
st, whē man is at the weake
st, god
223is at the
stronge
st; wonderfull rare and wittie, nay diuine,
224why this is heauenly cōfort for thee wife, what is this other?
225God will reward her a thou
sand folde that takes what age
226can, and not what age would, the be
st that euer I heard, no
227mortall braine I thinke did euer vtter
such conceit for good
228plaine matter, and for hone
st rime.
229Flo. Vaine Poetry, I pray you burne them
sir.
230La. You are to blame wife, heauen hath
sent you them to
231decke your
self withall, like to your
self, not to go thus like a
232milk-maid, why there is di
fference in all e
stats by al religiō.
233Flo. There is no di
fference.
234Lab. I prethee wife be of another mind, and weare the
se
235iewels and a veluet hood.
236Flo A veluet hood, O vaine diueli
sh deui
se! a toy made
237with a
super
fluous
flap, which being cut o
ff my head, were
238still as warme.
Diogenes did ca
st away his di
sh, becau
se his
239hand will
serue to help him drinke,
surely the
se heathens
B shall
An humerous
240shall ri
se vp again
st vs.
241Lab. Sure wife I thinke thy keeping alwaies clo
se,
242making thee melancholy, is the cau
se we haue no children,
243and therefore if thou wilt, be mery, and keepe companie a
245Flo. Sure my lord, if I thought I
shold be rid of this
same
246bani
shment of barrennes, and v
se our marriage to the end
247it was made, which was for procreation, I
should
sinne, if
248by my keeping hou
se I
should negle
ct the lawful means to
249be a fruitful mother, & therfore if it plea
se you ile v
se re
sort
250Lab. Gods my pa
ssion what haue I done? who woulde
251haue thought her purene
sle would yeeld
so
soone to cour
- 252ses of temptations? nay harke you wife, I am not
sure that
253going abroad will cau
se fruitfulne
sse in you, that you know
254none knowes but God him
selfe.
255Flo. I know my lord tis true, but the lawfull means mu
st 257Lab. Yea, the lawfull meanes indeed mu
st still, but now I
258remember that lawfull meanes is not abroad.
259Flo. Well, well, Ile keepe the hou
se
still.
260Lab. Nay, heark you lady, I would not haue you thinke,
261mary, I mu
st tel you this, if you
shuld change the maner of
262your life, the world would think you changed religion too.
263Flo. Tis true, I will not go.
264Lab. Nay, if you haue a fancie.
265Flo Yea a fancie, but thats no matter.
266La. Indeed fancies are not for iudicial & religious womē.
267Enter Catalian like a scholer. 268Cat. God
saue your lord
ship, & you mo
st religious lady.
269Lab. Sir you may
say God
saue vs well indeed that thus
270are thru
st vpon in priuate walkes.
271Cat, A
slender thru
st sir, where I toucht you not.
272Lab. Well
sir what is your bu
sines?
273Cat. Why
sir, I haue a me
ssage to my ladie from
Mon- 275Lab. To your lady, wel
sir,
speake your mind to your lady.
Flo.
dayes mirth.
276Flo. You are very welcome
sir, and I pray how doth he.
277Cat. In health Madam, thanks be to God, commending
278his dutie to your ladi
ship, & hath
sent you a me
ssage which
279I would de
sire your honour to heare in priuate.
280Flo. My ladi
ship, and my honor, they be words which
I 281mu
st haue you leaue, they be ydle woordes, and you
shal
282answere for them truly: my dutye to you, or
I de
sire you,
283were a great deale better, then, my ladi
ship, or my honour.
284Cat. I thanke you for your chri
stian admonition.
285Flo. Nay thanke God for me: Come
I will heare your
286me
ssage with all my heart, and you are very welcome
sir.
287Lab. With all my heart, and you are very welcome
sir, and
288go and talke with a yong lu
stie fellow able to make a mans
289haire
stand vpright on his head, what puritie is there in this
290trow you? ha, what wench of the facultie could haue beene
291more forward? Well
sir,
I will know your me
ssage, you
sir,
292you
sir, what
sayes the holy man
sir, come tell true, for by
293heauen or hell
I will haue it out.
294Cat. Why you
shall
sir, if you be
so de
sirous.
295Lab. Nay
sir,
I am more then
so de
sirous: come
sir,
study
296not for a new deuice now.
297Cat. Not
I my lord, this is both new and old,
I am a
scho
- 298ler, and being
spiritually inclined by your ladies mo
st godly
299life,
I am to profe
sse the mini
sterie, & to become her chap
- 300laine, to which end
monsier du Barte hath commended me.
301Lab. Her chaplaine in the diuels name,
fit to be vickar
303Flo. My good head, what are you afraid of? he comes with
304a godly & neighborly
sute: what think you his words or his
305looks can tempt me? haue you
so litle faith? if euery word he
306spake were a
serpent, as
suttle as that which tempted
Eue, he
307cannot tempt me
I warrant you.
308La. Wel an
swered for him lady by my faith: wel hark you
309Ile keepe your chaplaines place yonder for a while, and at
Enter
Lemot.
310length put in one my
self: what more yet? Gods my pa
ssion
311whom do
I see, the very imp of de
solation, the miniō of our
B 2 Kings
An humorous
312King, whome no man
sees to enter his hou
se but hee
313lookes vp, his wife, his children, and his maides, for
314where hee goes hee carries his hou
se vppon his head like a
315snaile: now
sir I hope your bu
sines is to me.
316Lem. No
sir, I mu
st craue a word with my ladie.
317La. The
se words are intollerable, &
she
shal hear no more
318Lem. She mu
st heare me
speake.
319Lab. Mu
st she
sir, haue you brought the kings warrant
321Le. I haue brought that which is aboue Kings.
322Lab. Why euery man for her
sake is a puritan. The Di
- 323uill
I thinke wil
shortly turne Puritan, or the Puritan wil
325Flo. What haue you brought
sir?
326Lem. Mary this Madam, you know we ought to proue
327one anothers con
stancie, and
I am come in all cha
st and
328honourable
sort to proue your con
stancie.
329Flo. You are verie welcome
sir, and
I will abide your
330proofe: it is my dutie to abide your proofe.
331Lab. You'le bide his proofe, it is your dutie to bide his
332proofe, how the diuell will you bide his proofe?
333Flo. My good head, no other wi
se then before your face
334in all honorable and religious
sort, I tell you I am con
stant
335to you, and he comes to trie whether I be
so or no, which I
336mu
st indure, begin your proofe
sir.
337Le. Nay Madam, not in your husbands hearing, thogh in
338his
sight for there is no woman wil
shewe
shee is tempted
339from her con
stancie, though
she be a little: withdraw your
341Lab. Well I will
see though I do not heare, women may
342be courted without o
ffence,
so they re
sist the Cortier.
343Lem. Deare and mo
st beautifull ladie, of al the
sweet ho
- 344ne
st and honorable meanes to proue the puritie of a ladies
345con
stancy, ki
sses are the
stronge
st, I will therefore be bold
346to begin my proofe with a ki
sse.
347Flo. No
sir, no ki
ssing.
Lem.
dayes mirth.
348Lem. No ki
ssing Madam? how
shall I proue you thē
suf
- 349ficiently, not v
sing the mo
st su
fficient proofe to
flatter your
350selfe by a
ffe
ction of
spirit, when it is not per
fitly tried, is
sin.
351Flo, You
say well
sir, that which is truth is truth.
352Le. Then do you wel Lady and yeeld to the truth.
353Flo. By your leaue
sir, my husband
sees, peraduenture
354it may breed an o
ffence to him.
355Lem. How can it breed an o
ffence to your husband to
356see your con
stancie perfe
ctly tried.
357Flo. You are an odde man I
see, but
fir
st I pray tel me
358how ki
ssing is the be
st proofe of cha
st Ladies.
359Lem. To giue you a rea
son for that, you mu
st giue me
360leaue to be ob
scure and Philo
sophicall.
361Flo. I pray you be, I loue Philo
sophie well.
362Lem. Then thus Madam, euery ki
sse is made as the
363voice is by imagination and appetite, and as both tho
se are
364pre
sented to the eare in the voyce,
so are they to the
silent
365spirites in our ki
sses.
366Flo. To what
spirit meane you?
367Lem. To the
spirites of our bloud.
369Lem. Why then my imagination, and mine appetite
370working vpon your eares in my voyce, and vpon your
spi
- 371rites in my ki
sses, pearcing therein the mo
st deeply, they
372giue the
stronger a
ssault again
st your con
stancie.
373Flo. Why then to
say, proue my con
stancy, is as much
375Lem. mo
st true, rare Ladie.
376Flo. Then prooue my con
stancie.
377Lem. Beleeue me Madam, you gather exceeding witti
- 379Lab. O my forehead, my very heart akes at a blowe,
380what do
st thou meane wife? thou wilt loo
se thy fame, di
s- 381credite thy religion, and di
shonour me for euer.
382Flo. Away
sir, I wil abide no more of your proofe, nor
383endure any more of your triall.
B 3 Lem.
An humerous
384Lem. O
she dares not,
she dares not; I am as glad I haue
385tride your puritie as may be: you the mo
st con
stant Lady
386in France? I know an hundred Ladies in this towne that
387wil dance, reuill all night among
st gallants, and in the mor
- 388ning goe to bed to her husband as cleere a woman as if
she
389were new chri
stned, ki
sse him, imbrace him, and
say, no,
390no husband, thou art the man, and he takes her for the wo
- 392Flo. And all this can I doe.
393La. Take heede of it wife.
394Flo. Feare not my good heade, I warrant you for
396Lem. Nay Madam, triumph not before the vi
ctorie,
397howe can you conquer that, again
st which you neuer
398striue, or
striue again
st that which neuer incounters you
399To liue idle in this walke, to inioy this companie, to weare
400this habite, and haue no more delights then tho
se will af
- 401foorde you, is to make vertue an idle hu
swife, and to hide
402her
selfe
slouthfull cobwebbes that
still
should be ado
- 403rned with a
ctions of vi
ctorie: no Madam, if you wil vnwor
- 404thilly prooue your con
stancie to your husband, you mu
st 405put on rich apparrell, fare daintily, heare mu
sique, reade
406Sonetes be continually courted, ki
sse, daunce, fea
st, reuell
407all night among
st gallants, then if you come to bed to
408your husband with a cleere minde, and a cleere body, then
409are your vertues
ipsissima; then haue you pa
ssed the ful te
st 410of experiment, and you
shall haue an hundred gallants
411fight thus farre in bloud for the defence of your reputati
- 413Lab. O vanitie of vanities!
414Flo. O husband this is perfe
ct tryall indeede.
415La. And you wil try all this now, wil you not?
416Flo Yea my good head, for it is written, we mu
st pa
sse
417to perfe
ction through al temptation,
Abacuke the fourth.
418Lab. Abacucke, cucke me no cuckes, in a doores I
419saye, theeues, Puritanes, murderers, in a doores I
say.
dayes mirth.
421Le. So now is he
start mad yfaith: but
sirra, as this is an
422old Lorde iealous of his yong wife,
so is antient Counte
sse
423Moren iealous of her yong husband, weele thither to haue
424some
sport yfaith.
Exit.