SVCHE IS THE condicion of Ve­nus derlynges, so longe as they be styrred with plea­sant affectiōs, they be still insensible in the feelynge of Sapience. Ye all do knowe Can­didus, kynsman to Aureliane the emperour that nowe is, an honest yonge gentylman, well lerned and courtayse, soo that his noblenesse doth appere in his maners. Yester­day dyd I see hym deuysyng with ladies, wherby I coniected that he was a louer, and therfore I lamented. And as he hapned to come by me, I rouned hym in the eare and [Page]sayde to hym softely: Beware no­ble yonge man, I perceyue ye be gyued, plucke out your legges er the boltes be ryueted. Therat he smyled, and layinge his hande vp­pon myne, he sayde to me priuely: I wot what ye meane. I pray you be to morowe with me at Tibur­tum, whiche is but a lyttell out of the citie, where I haue a fayre and commodiouse lodginge, there shal we soupe with some other gentyl­men. And there wyll I vanquishe your wylfull opynion conceyued agaynst women: or elles I beinge vanquished with sufficient reason, wyl from henseforth leaue al mine affection. And so departed he from me. This is Tiburtum, for yon­der is the palayce of Hadrian. well Candidus wyll not be longe, his noble nature wyl not let him breke [Page]promyse. for lacke of faythe defa­ceth al vertues. CANDIDVS. Ye spake neuer a more true sentence, nor a more honest. for vndoubted­ly Fayth, which some do call trust, is of iustice so gret a portion, that without it neyther god maye be pleased, nor any weale Publyke may be surely stablished. And they which do lacke it them selfes, with a lyttell touche broken be not a lit­tle offended. CANINIVS. It is truely spoken, and nowe to talke of the matter, for the which ye wil­led me to mete with you here is nowe happened a ryghte good oc­casyon. CANDI. Ye meane the matter concernnge women, which we two now haue taken vpon vs. CANINI. Euen the same master Candidus. CANDI. Goo to on goddes name: what haue ye to [Page]charge with all women? CANI. Nay fyrst I praye you tell me one thynge that I wyl aske of you. Be not ye of that sect of Philosophers called Pirhonici? CANDI. What meane ye therby? I know not that secte: yet haue I sene a good part of philosophye. CANI. It is the sect which affirmeth, that nothing is in dede as it seemeth to be, say­inge, that snowe is blacke and not whyte, the erthe is not stable but e­uer mouinge, & many an other fro­warde affection, contrary to truth and al common reason. CANDI. No no Caninius, I neuer fauou­red suche vayne opinion. CANI. yet many one dothe, chaungynge onely the termes. for sens snowe is so oftē times sene, they feare to say that it is blacke, leste they shulde therfore be laughed to scorne. But [Page]vertue, who is not so commonlye seene, and of soo many men loked on, is nowe of dyuerse men so per­uersely estemed, that it is of some called foly, of many men fantasy, and of some curiositie. Also the fa­uourers therof are lyttell sette by, as persones vnprofytable and no­thynge worldely. But to our pur­pose, I asked of you, if ye were of the secte called Pirhonici, for if ye so were, I wolde thynke it vayne to reason thenne with you. But ye saye, ye be not of that secte, than is it as I sayde at my fyrst comming hyther. CANDI. What is that I praye you? CANI. ye that be lo­uers be dull and insensyble in fee­lynge of Sapience. for althoughe ye be infourmed by dayely expery­ence, that in woman kynde faythe neuer rested, yet be you styll as [Page]blind as your litel god Cupide. for the chyldishe affections whiche ye beare to your ladyes, causeth you to thynke the thynges which ye se, to be nothyng but vanities. CAN. Nowe in good faith that is merily spokē. CA. Wel yet, some haue re­pented them bitterly, fyndyng the lynke sodainly broken, and in the stede of fayth falshode & trechery. CAN. Nay ye now do but rayle I promyse you truely. In dede both by reading & heresay I haue foūd women moch blamed for theyr in­constancy: but for mine own knowlege I neuer perceyued any suche lacke to be in them, but rather the contrary. CA. Syr by the consent of al auctours my wordes be con­firmed, and your experiēce in com­parison therof is to be lyttell este­med. CANDI. I perceiue ye be of [Page]the company, which dyssapoynted somtime of your purpose, are fal­len in a frenesy, and for the disple­sure of one, do spryng on al womē the poyson of infamye. But nowe Caninius, sense ye be wise and wel lerned, subdue your passion. for vnpacient hering, with wordes hastely & vnaduisedly spoken, is a signe of foly and litel discretiō. wherfore now here me speke thoughe it shal not sauour to your opinion. The authors whom ye so moche do set by, for the more part were poetes, which sort of persōs among the la­tines & grekes were neuer had but in smal reputatiō. For I could ne­uer rede that in any weale publike of notable memory, Poetes were called to any honorable place, of­fice, or dignite. Plato out of the publike weale whiche he had deuysed, [Page]wolde haue all poetes vtterly ex­cluded. Tulli, who next vnto Pla­to excelled all other in vertue and eloquence, wolde not haue in his publyke weale any poetes admit­ted. The cause why they were soo lyttell estemed was, for as moche as the more parte of theyr inuenci­ons consysted in leasynges, or in sterynge vp of wanton appetytes, or in pourynge oute, in raylynge, theyr poyson of malyce. For with theyr owne goddes and goddesses were they so malaparte, that with theyr aduoutries they fylled great volumes. Iupiter, whom they cal kynge of goddes and of men, they brynge hym out of heauen to his harlottes transfourmed somtyme in to a bull, an other tyme lyke a ramme, a stynkynge gote or a ser­pente. His queene Iuno lyke a [Page]cowe, Mercurius lyke a wulfe. Ne they lefte heauen vnpolluted, fai­nynge that the god Mars made Vulcane cokeolde, commyttynge aduoutrye with Venus, wyfe to Vulcanus. But Vulcane was a wyly pye and sayde nothynge, but beinge a smythe, he made such sut­tell manakles, that er the two lo­uers were ware, he tyed theym so faste to gether, that they moughte not be seuered: and than called he the hole route of goddes and god­desses, and made them to se Mars and Venus where they lay naked, wherat they al lewghe, but Mars was angry and Venus almoste a­shamed. Other poetes there be, whiche in theyr moste lamentable and wofull ditties so doo humble them selfes to theyr maistresses, as they wolde lycke the duste frome [Page]theyr slyppers, and as sone as ey­ther by age, or with hauntynge of brothelles, the flame of carnalitie is throughly quenched, or elles if women do constantly refuse theyr vnhonest desyres, anone arme they theyr pennes and tunges with ser­pentyne malyce, obiecting against al women most beastly conditions. Wherby they more detect their propre inconstancy than womens vn­faythefulnesse. CANI. Nowe in good faythe ye haue well circum­scribed your maysters properties. CANDI. Whom call ye my may­sters? CANI. Mary poetes. for in theyr warkes is the onely study of you that be louers. for that boke, which lacketh complayntes with wepynges and sighinges, is to you men that be amorouse won­derfull tediouse. CANDI. True­ly [Page]Caninius ye are moche abused, takynge me to be of that sorte of wantons. Nay truely, Trewe lo­uers, of which company I confesse my selfe to be one, are in no parte of theyr conditions. for onely deli­tyng in the honest behauour, wise­dome and gentylnesse of ladies, or other matrones or damselles, we therfore desyre to be in theyr com­panies, and by mutuall deuisinge to vse honest solace. But shewe me Caninius, what other auctorytie haue ye, to proue that in womenne lacketh fidelitie. CANI. Why set ye so lyttell by poetes and poetry? CANDI. Ye whan they excede the termes of honestye. But if they make verses conteynynge quicke sentences voyd of rybauldry, or in the commendation of vertue, some praty allegory, or do set forthe any [Page]notable story, than do I set by thē as they be well worthy. CANI. If ye wyl gyue no credence to poetes, what saye ye to philosophers and writers of stories, with whome ye maye fynde suche abundaunce of examples and sentences of the fals hode of women and theyr vnhap­pinesse, that if they shuld be reher­sed, I trowe ye wold not abyde it, I knowe soo your shame fastnesse. CANDI. Truely none of theym, which were them selfes honest and continente, haue wrytten in dys­prayse of the hole kinde of women. What hath Plato, Xenophon, Plotinus, and Plutarch, or other phi­losophers lyke vnto them wrytten in that matter, wherby they haue made them inferiour to men? or if they haue in womenne any thinge blamed, it may appere to be but in [Page]some, and not in the more parte, if it be wel and syncerely considered. And also in stories where one wo­man perchaunce is for some fault dispraysed, that is counterpeysed with a great numbre for theyr ver­tue commended. Now I pray you, was Helene, for whom Troy was destroyed (beinge rauished by Pa­ris) so moch to be blamed, as Her­cinia the wyfe of Romulus, and more than a thousand of het com­panions, are to be praysed, whiche in the rage of batayle ioyned be­twene their husbandes and paren­tes, so reconciled theym, that with one consent they inhabited one ci­tie, and lyued to gether in perpetu all vnitie? Ought the vnchastitie of any woman to be so remembred, as the continence of queene Pene­lope oughte to be honored, who in [Page]the absence of Vlixes her husbāde, the space of .xx. yeres, kept her ho­nour and fame vncorrupted, not­withstandinge that with many di­uerse wowers she was dayely as­saulted, but by no maner of meane moughte she be founden, by dede word nor countenance in her chast purpose vnconstant. And to resist carnall affections, she was alway sene, althoughe she were a queene and a kniges doughter, vertuous­lye occupyed. What cause founde Paris to forsake his first lady Oe­none, but only that the beaulty of Helene was moche more famous? And yet his cruell vnkyndenesse mought not exclude loue from her gentyll harte, but she remayninge styll continente, after that Paris was slayne by Achilles, she with exclamations & effusions of teres [Page]entred into the charlotte where his carcaise lay, and when she had bai­ned her fayre lyppes in his putri­fied woundes, and had saciate hir selfe with mortall solace, fynallye she there died oppressed with heui­nesse. But bicause these be of some men taken for fables, I wyl brief­ly declare the faythfulnesse of dy­uerse womenne rehersed in stories. In the host of the noble kynge Ci­rus, was a great prince (as Xeno­phon wryteth) whose name was Abratades, whoo had to his wyfe a fayre lady named Panthea of ex­cellent beaulty, this prynce beinge slayne in batayle, she attaynynge his body, and with her owne han­des washynge the woundes, and imbaulminge it after the facion of her owne countrey, she in the pre­sence of Cirus, with a knife, which [Page]she had priuely hydde, semynge in wordes and counteance desirous to be with her husband, whom she mooste tenderly loued, she perced her owne harte, and with him was buried: not withstandynge that of kynge Cirus, whom her husband had moche praysed a lyttel before, she was in mariage desyred. Por­cia, doughter to the wise Cato, and wyfe vnto Brutus, whan she had harde of the deathe of her husband fynding occasion to be alone from her seruantes, she takyng the hote burnynge coles out of a chymnay, deuoured them hastely, and forth­with died. Also whan Seneca by the sentence of the cruell Nero the emperour, was condemned to die, his wife called Paulina, desyrous to be continuall companion with her olde husbande, caused also her [Page]veines to be perced, & so wold haue died, had not Nero commaunded her vaynes to be bounde, and the bloude to be stopped, she notwith­standynge afterwarde lyued in so­rowe contynuall more paynefull than deathe, and durynge her lyfe, her dedly pale colour declared to all men, whiche before knewe her, the bytter sorowes, whiche for her husbande she alway susteyned. In the tyme of the cruell confederacy of Lepidus, Octauiane, and An­tony, a gentylman called Ligary­us, was by his wife and a mayden seruant, kept at Rome in his house priuely: but what for feare of pu­nishemente, and hope of rewarde, he at the last was discouered, whō beinge ledde to be beheded, his lo­uynge wyfe continually folowed, desyrynge the ministers to put her [Page]also to death with her husband, al­legyng that also to die she had wel deserued, for as moche as she had kepte her husbande at home, after that she knew that he was attain­ted: but seinge that no man dydde take regarde to her harty requeste, she returned home to her house, & shuttynge fast all the doores, and absteynynge from all meates and drynkes, fynally with sorowe and famyne she ended her lyfe, and de­parted to her husbande, whom she so moche loued. But leste we shuld be to longe from our supper, I wil cesse to recite any mo stories, wher­of there be no lytel numbre, decla­rynge the constance of ladyes and damselles. And if ye wolde saye, that there hath ben and is a moche greatter numbre of theym that are yll, and full of vnfaythfulnesse, yet [Page]if that were true, than must ye con­sider, that in al kyndes of thinges, are commonly founde more warse than better, or elles shoulde good thynges lacke theyr estimation, as it shall appere by this conclusion. for he that neuer hath seene any o­ther metall than golde, maruay­leth not at it, nor in his estimation setteth moch by it. And where there be none other stoones founde but Diamandes, Saphires, Eme­rauldes, and Rubyes, there men do treade on theym, and sell them for trifles. But if one shulde come to a coutreye, whiche semed bar­rayne, couered with an infynyte numbre of stones ragged, of yl co­lour and facion, if he chaunce to fynde here and there a poynted Diamande, well proporcioned and o­rient: I dare saye, he wyll laye vp [Page]those fewe Diamandes as a great treasure, and not remembryng the ragged stones, in the beholdynge of theym take noo lyttell pleasure. Semblably althoughe a greatte numbre of women perchance were viciouse, yet oughte not a man re­proche therfore the hole kynde of women, sense of them vndoubted­ly many be vertuouse. CANINI. Ye haue wel assembled thinges for your purpose. But what saye you to Aristotel, whom ye haue skypte ouer, in the namynge of philoso­phers? he sayth, that a woman is a worke of nature vnperfecte. And more ouer, that her propertie is to delyte in rebukyng, and to be al­way complayning, and neuer con­tented. Nowe take heede mayster Candidus. Perfection is euer constante and neuer chaungeth, but a [Page]woman is a creatue vnperfite, she therfore may neuer be stable or constante. ye knowe this fourme of argument, for I espy by your tal­kyng ye ar lerned in logike. More ouer, rebukynge is a mislykynge, and no man myslyketh the thynge that he loueth, but all that he lo­ueth he fauoureth and lyketh, but women of theyr nature do delite in rebukynge, and the thynge wher­in any person deliteth, he coueteth, and coueitynge it he wil at the last (if it be in his power) execute it. Women therfore lackinge some o­ther, on whom they maye practise theyr propertie, wyll rebuke some time theyr husbandes, whom per­chaunce they loued: and than mis­lyketh she the thing that she erst loued. wherfore ye muste graunte, that she is vnconstante. Also who [Page]that is neuer contente, maye neuer be constant, the cause why is to all men apparant. Wherfore there ne­deth not any more argument, wo­men for these reasons that I haue rehersed, be of theyr nature alway vnconstant. is it not thus? Nowe knacke me that nut mayster Can­didus. I trowe it be to harde for your teth, although ye were as wel tothed as Curins Dētatus, which as men say, helde faste a shyp with his tethe vntyl it was takē. CAN. In good faythe Caninius ye are a mery companyon. But althoughe my tethe be not so strong, yet shal I soo vse my tunge in the stede of my tethe, that I wyll therwith o­pen your cobnut, that to all theym that wyl be contented with reason, it shall appere well, that it is pyp­ped. CANINI. In faythe ye be a [Page]mete aduocate for women, sense ye haue tethe in your tunge, for lyke­wise haue they all, if they be toth­lesse. CANDI. And it semeth that ye lacke teth to hold in your tunge that it go not to lauesse. But nowe wyll I assay to knacke your nutte maister Caninius. Where ye sayd, that of a purpose I skypt ouer A­ristotel, there ye sayde truely, In good faith so did I. And here haue at your blockehouse, oute of the whiche is shot agaynste women al this artillery. Syr whan I affyr­med, that none of the philosophers which were honest and continent, wrate any thynge in dysprayse of womankynde, I remembred euen than your master Aristotel, and iu­ged hym not worthye to be of that numbre, but his reporte moch lesse to be regarded, than the fayninges [Page]of poetes, whom I haue rehersed, and for this intente. For Poetes wrate agaynste women in wanton ditties, to content men with newe fangled deuises. But the reproche to women, giuen by Aristotel, was in treatynge of matter wayghty & seriouse, wherby it appereth, that the saide wordes so spytefully spo­ken, proceded only of cankred ma­lyce, whervnto he was of his own nature dysposed, whiche maye be of them shortly perceyued, that be­holdeth in his warkes, none other philosopher escape vnrebuked. Ne trewelye he was ashamed to rente with rebukes the immortall fame of Plato his mayster, of whose di­uine mouthe he had twenty yeres sucked the moste swete hony of no­ble philosophye, whiche malyce grewe of this occasion, as aunci­ent [Page]authors haue made therof mention. For as moche as where he was more curyouse in his appa­rayle and deckyng, than was con­uenient to his professiō, also more lyght in countenaunce, and disso­lute in lyuyng, than became an in­structour of vertue and wisedome, Plato therfore preferred other his scholers before hym, which he ve­ry displesauntly takynge, soughte occasion to rebuke his master whā he was dead, which he neuer darst while he was lyuynge. That Ari­stotel was dissolute and also inconstante, it may appere by this, whi­che is writen of him. for to Hermia whiche was his concubine he dyd sacrifice, & made solemne hymnes whyle she was lyuynge. Canne ye compare any madnesse or folye, to this mans abuse and vncōstancy? [Page]Maye there be so great an abuse, as to gyue dyuyne honours to a mortall creature, also to an harlot and common synner? what vncon­stancy was in hym, whiche calleth that a creature vnperfyt, to whom he dyd solemne sacrifice, sange de­uoute hymnes, and often tymes kneled? To blaspheme so his god­desse, ought not this great philo­sopher be foule ashamed? Wher­fore Caninius by myne aduise, do ye not leane more to his authorite, than vnto truthe, vertue, and ho­nestie, but consider his nature in­clyned to malyce, his fonde errour and vayne curiosite, and that whi­che ye disprayse in women, appa­rante inconstancy. CANINI. Ye haue a great affection to Plato I perceyue veryly: but wyl ye deny, that a woman is of her nature vn­perfecte? [Page] CANDI. ye mary wyll I. for wherin do you note her to be vnperfyte? Is it in the soule or in the bodye? CANI. In bothe of them trewely, for they be weaker than men, and haue theyr flesshe softer, lasse heare on theyr visages, and theyr voyce sharper, and as I haue redde, they haue in some par­tes of theyr bodyes, theyr boones fewer. And as concernynge the soule, they lacke hardynes, and in peryles are tunerouse, more dely­cate than men, vnapte to paynful­nesse, except they be therto constrained, or steryd by wylfullnesse: And the wytte, that they haue, is not substanciall but apyshe: neuer flo­ry shynge but in vngraciousenesse, or in trymmynge them selfes with praty deuyses, or excusynge theyr faultes with vnstudyed answeres, [Page]or in praty mockes or scorneful da­lyaunce, or to inuent mischieues to saciate theyr malice. In other thin­ges it is vnapt vnto knowlege, ex­cepte one or two, which I haue red of, who in Rome hath pleaded as Oratours. But that is not to be maruayled at, sens they beinge in­structed in eloquence, theyr dome­sticall exercise, I wyll not say chy­dynge, maketh them bolde to con­tende in pleadynge. In the partes of wisedome and ciuile policy, they be founden vnapte, and to haue li­tell capacitie. But theyr moste vn­perfection is theyr inconstancye, whiche procedeth of theyr sayd na­turall debilitie. For where as the affection of moche dreade or moch loue aboundeth, stabilitie lacketh, and wytte lyttell preuayleth. Con­trary to this I dare wel say, ye can [Page]make none euasion. CAN. yes, and dysproue all your malyciouse conclusion. But I praye you Ca­nimus, let me aske you a question. be all the bookes of your mayster Aristotel of equal authoritie? CA. ye that be they veryly. CAN. In the instytution of householde ke­pynge, called Oeconomice, Aristotel wryteth in this wise. The compa­ny moste accordynge to nature, is that whiche is ordeyned of manne and womā, which was constitute, not to the intente onely to brynge forth their semblable as other bea­stes ꝑticipatours of nature & with out reason, but for loue specially, & mutual assystence. And he sayth also in the same boke, and not far from thense. This company is not bycause that eche of them hath in euery thynge and the same al their [Page]vertues lyke profytable, but some of theyr vertues seme to be contra­ry one to an other, and yet in con­clusion they agree to one purpose. for nature made man more strong and couragiouse, the woman more weake fearefull and scrupulouse, to the intente that she for her feble­nesse shulde be more circumspecte, the man for his strengthe moche more aduenturouse. Be not these the wordes of your maister? howe saye you? CANI. Where ye saye truthe I wyl not deny you. it is of his sentence the very pythe and ef­fect. for he wrate in greke ye know well ynough. wherfore they be not in the same wordes as ye do speke them. CAN. It maketh no mat­ter if I do truely interprete them. But nowe to our purpose. Is per­fection and vnperfection in thyn­ges, [Page]any thynge elles, than abun­daunce and lacke of that, whiche is expedient to the ende whervnto nature hath ordeyned them? CA. Naye in good sothe, for I thynke that a true difinition. CAN. But let me see, where I called it abun­daunce, Abundāce. I mought better haue na­med it sufficience. Sufficiēce for abundaunce dothe properly signifie more than is necessarye. Sufficience descry­ueth the thyng with boundes and limittes, the excesse wherof is cal­led superfluitie, and the lacke may be named necessitie. CANI. In faythe ye be to curiouse. Perdy the worde neyther made nor marred any thynge of our purpose. for a­bundaunce and sufficience is com­monly taken for one thyng. CAN. ye and that hath subuerted the or­der of al thynge. for truely wordes [Page]vsed in theyr proper signification, do brynge thinges to a playne vn­derstandynge. And where they be moche abused and wrested frome theyr trewe meanynge, they cause sondry errours and perpetual con­tention. But let vs nowe retourne to our question. Klaye is a kynde of erthe softe and clammy, and for those qualyties serueth to make walles for houses, and to that ende hath his perfection: Althoughe a stone be a matter harde and conso­lidate, and serueth also for walles, and maketh them strōger to serue for municion. The horse hath mo­che strengthe, and therfore is apte for iourneys & burdens: the shepe is feble and fearefull, & maye ther­fore easely be shorne. And yet eche of these in his kynde hath his per­fections. To men nature hath gy­uen [Page]puissaunce in membres, brau­nes hard and consolidate, the skyn thicke, perchance mo bones as ye say, to susteyne outwarde labours. And to seme the more terrible, mo­che heare on theyr visage. To wo­men she hath gyuen the contrary: to thende and intente whiche your maister rehersed, that her debilyte shuld make her more circumspect, in the kepynge (sayth he) at home suche thynges as her husbande, by his puissaunce hath gotten. for those wordes also he added to thē, whiche are before spoken. Is not that a company accordynge to na­ture, where the one dylygentelye kepeth that, whiche the other by labour prepareth? for what profiteth it to prepare, where saulfe kepinge lacketh? Gettynge & kepynge In preparynge is labour or study, of kepynge commeth vse [Page]and commodytie, and therfore to speke indifferently, it deserueth moche more prayse than the geatinge. But nowe tel me one thyng. wher­in suppose you dothe a man excell all other creatures? is it in great­nesse or puissance of body? CANI. No veryly. CAN. Than wherin suppose ye? CANI. In that that his soule is adourned with reason. CAN. Stop there I praye you a lyttell season, what call ye reason? CANI. Why be ye nowe to lerne, what thynge is reason? CAN. Ye by my holy dome. And this is the cause. for many men leane to their synguler opinion, iudgyng al that is contrary, to stande with no rea­son. wherfore I pray you make me therof a true definition. CANI. I wyll, to content with your fantasy, although that ye cā do it I knowe [Page]well moche better than I. Reason. Reason is the principall parte of the soule diuine and immortal, wherby man dothe discerne good from yll. this thyng whyles it discerneth or seue­reth the one frome the other, it is called Discretion: Discretion. whan it taketh the one and leaueth the other, it is named Election, Election iugement of some men. The exercise therof is called Prudence, of some Circumspectiō. Prudence Circūspe­ction.And yet is euerich of these thinges nothyng but reason, whiche to mā is so propre, that lackinge it, he lo­seth his denomination. CAN. In good faith ye haue made of reason a ryght good descriptiō. And now I perceyue that the thynge, wher­by man excelleth all other creatu­res, is reason onely. CANINI. Ye veryly. CANDI. What thynke you, is reason onely in men? is it [Page]not also in womenne suppose you? CA. yes, that is it naturallye, for the worde Man, whiche I named, includeth as well woman as man, whan it is written or spoken so ge­nerallye. CAN. I am glad that I haue founde you so reasonable in talkynge of Reason. But what saye you by sharpenesse of wytte, Wytte. doth it not betwene man and beast make lyke dyuersitie? CANI. No suerly. for wytte is of the parte of manne that is mortall, and that is founden by dayly experyence. For where the vapours in the body be pure and suttell, whiche do ascend into the brayne, the wyt becometh sharpe and delycate: And where they be grosse ponderouse and smoky, the wytte is dull and nothynge pleasant. And therfore phisicious haue experiēced by clarifying and [Page]tēperating the corporal humours, to correcte the wytte, whiche is ey­ther with grosse matter oppressed, or with adust vapours smouldred or choked. But reason mought ne­uer be brought into a beaste, whi­che by nature lacketh it. And yet in dyuerse of them haue bene percey­ued soo suttill wyttes, that therin mē haue semed to be of them vain­quished. CANDI. I thynke it to be true that ye say. Than in whom reason moste dothe appere, ye wyll affyrme, dothe moste excell a beast in his nature. CANI. ye mayster Candidus, that maye ye be sure. CANDIDVS. And ye were agre­ed while ere, that to kepe diligent­ly that whiche is gotten, is worthy more prayse than in the gettynge. CANI. ye, for there cometh more effecte of the kepynge. CANDI. [Page]And so ye conclude, that the power of reason is more in the prudente and diligent kepynge, than in the valiaunt or politike geatyng: And that Discretion, Election, & Pru­dence, whiche is all and in euerye parte reason, doo excell strengthe, wytte, and hardinesse: And conse­quentely they, in whome be those vertues, in that that they haue them, do excell in iuste estimation them that be stronge, hardy, or po­litike in geattynge of any thynge. CA. ye haue well gathered to ge­ther all that conclusion. CANDI. Beholde Caninius, where ye be nowe: ye haue soo moche extolled reason, that in the respecte therof bodely strength remayneth as no­thynge: for as moch as the corpo­rall powers with powers of the soule can make no cōparison. And [Page]ye haue not denyed, but that this worde Man, vnto whom reason perteyneth, doth imply in it both man and woman. And agreinge vnto Aristotels sayinge, ye haue confir­med, that prudence, whiche in ef­fect is nothyng but reason, is more aptly applied to the woman, wher­by she is more circumspecte in ke­pynge, as strengthe is to the man, that he maye be more valiaunt in geattynge. And lyke wise ye haue preferred the prudence in kepinge, for the vtilytie therof, before the valyauntnesse in geattynge: And semblably them whiche be prudent in kepyng, before them that be on­ly stronge and hardy in geattinge. And so ye haue concluded, that women, which are prudent in keping, be more excellent than men in rea­son, whiche he onelye stronge and [Page]valiaunt in geatynge. And where excellency is, there is moste perfe­ction. Wherfore a woman is not a creature vnperfyte, but as it see­meth is more perfyte than man. CANI. Why, haue ye dalyed here­fore with me all this longe season? CAN. Suerlye I haue vsed ney­ther dalyaunce nor sophistry: but if yeconsyder it wel, ye shal fynd it but a natural inductiō, and plaine to al them that haue any capacitie. But yet haue I some what more to saye to you. Ye sayde more ouer Caninius, that the wyttes of wo­men were apte onely to trifils and shrewdenes, and not to wisedome and ciuile policie. I wyll be plaine to you, I am sory to fynde in your wordes suche maner of leudenesse, I crye you mercye, I wolde haue sayde so moche vngentylnesse, and [Page]in your owne wordes so moche for­getfulnesse. CA. What meane ye therby? CANDI. ye haue twyse graunted, that naturall reason is in women as well as in men. CA. ye and what then? CAN. Than haue womē also Discreciō, Electi­on, and Prudence, which do make that wisedome, whiche perteyneth to gouernaunce. And perdy, ma­ny artes and necessarye occupati­ons haue ben inuented by women, as I wyll brynge nowe some vnto your remembrance. Latine letters were fyrst founden by Nicostrata, called also Carmentis. The .vii. li­berall artes and poetry by the .ix. maydens called the Musis. Why was Minerua honored for a god­desse? but bycause she founde fyrste in Grecia, plantynge or settynge of trees: also the vse of armour: & [Page]as some doo testifye, she inuented makynge of fortresses, and many necessary and notable sciences. Al­so that the wittes of women be not vnapte to laudable studies, it ape­reth by Diotuna and Aspasia two honest maydens, whiche in al par­tes of philosophy were so well ler­ned, that Socrates, master to Plato, nothynge disdayned to come to theyr lessons, and called Diotima alwaye his mastresse. Cleobulina, the doughter of Cleobulus, one of the seuen wise mē of Greece, wrate diffuse and mistycall questions in heroicall versis. Also Leontium a woman, excelled al menne of her tyme in wysedome and eloquence, in so moche as she wrate agaynste Theophrast, the most eloquent disciple of Aristotel, in womennes de­fence, whiche boke if it nowe had [Page]remayned, shuld haue ben sufficy­ent to haue put you to silence. If the lernynge and wysedome of the lady Cassandra, doughter to king Priamus, had ben regarded more than the counsayl of flatterers, the citie of Troye and kyngedome of Frigia, hadde lenger remayned, And Priamus with his noble suc­cession hadde many yeres rayned. Beholde our progenitours the an­cient Romayns in al extreme dan­gers, whan other counsayle vtter­ly fayled, dyd not they resort to the bokes of Sibylla Cumana, called also Amalthea? & pursuing her ad­uise, which she had there declared, dyd they not escape the perils whi­che thanne were imminente? Hun­dredes of suche women are in sto­ryes remembred, but for spede of tyme I wyll passe them ouer, sens [Page]I trust that these be suffyciente to proue, that the hole kynde of wo­men, be not vnapt vnto wisedome as ye haue supposed. As concer­nynge strength and valyante cou­rage, whiche ye surmise to lacke in them, I could make to you no lesse replication, and by old stories and late experyence, proue, that in ar­mes women haue ben found of no lyttell reputation, but I wyl omit that for this tyme, for as moche as to the more parte of wyse menne it shal not sound moch to theyr com­mendation: Sauynge that we nowe haue one example amonge vs, as well of fortitude as of all o­ther vertues, whiche in myne opi­nion, shall not be inconueniente, to haue at this tyme declared, and so of this matter to make a conclusi­on. CANINI. And I haue myne [Page]eares therto prepared. CAN. The best matter is euer good to be spa­red, vntyl the tale be almoste at an ende, and than shal the herers with the length therof be lytel offended. Syr there dwelleth here by me a lady, late a greate queene and wyfe to Odenatus kynge of Palmyry, whiche is a citie and countreye in Surry, her name is Zenobia: she hath had of our host victory twise, and nowe late was taken prisoner by Aurelian the emperour, all be it for her nobylitye vertue and cou­rage, she was pardoned of her life, and a fayre house is appoynted to her in this village. she is well ler­ned in greke, and doth competent­ly vnderstand latine, but excellent­ly the Egiptian language. She her selfe techeth her chyldren good letters, and beinge nowe vacante [Page]frome other busynesse, wrytcth as they saye of Alexandria and the o­rient eloquent stories. I haue bo­den her to supper, it wyll not nowe be longe or she come hyther. And whan ye doo here her, I dare well saye, ye wyll be chaunged frome your opinion, and confesse, that in womenne is bothe courage, con­stance, and reason. CANINIVS. But I pray you of this matter say to her nothynge. CANDI. Ah, I see well ye be loth to come to a re­kenynge. Thus do they all that be of your fascion, In wyse womens absence speke reprochefullye, and whan they be present, flatter them plesauntly. But lo where she com­meth, let vs mete with her. Your ladyshyp is very hartely welcome. ZENO. Ye haue caused me to do, that I haue vsed verye seldome. [Page] CANDI. What is that madame? ZENO. To be out of myne owne house at this tyme of the nyghte. CAN. I thanke therfore your la­dyshyp. for I thinke the same, but I wyll promyse you, nothyng shal come to your herynge or syghte, but that bothe to here and see may stand with your worshyp. ZENO. That I hartely praye you, for the remembrance of my princely astate maye not susteyne wordes of dis­honesty. And bycause I am nowe as a priuate personne, I feare the common successe of famylyaritie. CAN. What is that madame I praye you hartely. ZENO. For I drede infamy, I tell you playnely, more than euer I didde the losse of my lyberty. CAN. No such thyng shall happen madame I promyse you trewely. for here ye shal fynde [Page]nod men but of honeste condicion. ZENOBIA. Yet some in deuising with ladies, reioysynge to be ther­fore hadde in a certayne suspition, wyll by the way of dalyaunce con­ney from them some thynge, whi­che beinge shewed, do ingender in the beholders some dishonest opy­nion. Dyuerse be not ashamed, to make theyr aduant, that they haue receyued, whiche of her that they speke of, was neuer ones profered. These thynges master Candidus haue made me afrayde, to come to suppers and bankettes. CANI. Mary that is well sayde. And yet some tyme suche thinges haue ben sene offered. CANDI. Perchance of some yonge maydens which did it of courtesy. yet moch more haue ben asked that haue ben denayed. I haue knowen it my selfe, I pro­myse [Page]you faythfully. ZENOBIA. Truely I lyke not suche maner of foly, I haue ben brought vp in o­ther study. CANDI. I praye you madame, let me aske you a questi­on: but fyrste pleaseth it you to syt downe and reste you? for I trowe your supper is not yet redye. ZE. Nowe what is your demaunde, speke on hardily? CAN. Of what age was your ladishyp, whan first ye were maried? ZENO. Twen­ty yeres and aboue. CANDI. It was great pitie, that ye soo longe taryed. ZENO. But it was the more for my commodytie. for I knewe the better what longed to my duety. CANDI. Your duety madame, what meane ye therby. ZENOBIA. For by my studye in moral philosophy, wherin I spent the yeres betwen syxtene and twenty, [Page]I perceyued, that without pru­dence and cōstancy, womē mought be broughte lyghtely into errour & foly, and made therfore vnmete for that companye, whervnto they were ordeyned: I meane, to be as­sistence & comfort to man through theyr fidelitie, whiche other bestes are not excepte they be by the force of man therto constrayned. I foūd also, that Iustyce teacheth vs wo­menne, to honour our husbandes nexte after god: which honour re­steth in due obediēce, wherby mu­tuall loue betwyxte theym is in a more feruence. for vndoubtedly no woman hym loueth, whose hate or displeasure she nothynge feareth. Also Iustice restrayneth vs to doo any thynge, Iustyce. whiche is not semely. By Fortitude are we styll kept in a vertuouse constancy, Fortitude. as wel in re­sisting [Page]affections and wanton per­suasion, as also to susteyne (whan they do happen) afflyctions pacy­ently. But in a woman, Tēper [...] in women no vertue is equall to Temperaunce, wher­by in her wordes and dedes she al­way vseth a iust moderation, kno­wynge whan tyme is to speke, and whan to kepe silence, whan to be occupyed and whan to be merye. And if she measure it to the wyll of her husbande, she dothe the more wysely: except it may tourne them bothe to losse or dyshonestye. yet than shuld she seme rather to giue him wise counsaile, than to appere dissobedient or sturdy. In euery of these thynges consisted my duety, whiche I shulde not soo well haue knowen, if to my husbande I had soner be wedded. CANI. In dede ye had ben paste lernynge therof, [Page]whan ye ones had ben bedded. ZE. In good fayth ye saye trewely. for whan I had ben out of the dreade of my father (who kepte me in this study continuallye) and had ones tasted the pleasaunt deuises, whi­che are prouyded for queenes and other great ladyes, ye maye well suppose I shulde sone haue loste, that delectation, whiche I had in study. CAN. Ye saye euen truthe by the faythe of my body. but ma­dame, after that ye were maryed, what profite was to you, the know lege of letters? ZENO. Moche, mayster Candidus I promyse you veryly. for durynge the lyfe of my noble husband of famouse memo­ry, I was neuer harde or sene, say or do any thynge, whiche mought not contente hym, or omytte any thynge, whiche shulde delite hym. [Page]such circumspection, good lerning minystred vnto me, that in hun­tynge and other pastymes, I re­tayned alway suche grauitie, that of any dyssolute appetyte, none coulde conceyue of me any suspici­on: and yet my lernynge was had of none honeste man in any dery­syon. But after the deathe of my husbande, I founde of lernynge a meruaylouse treasure. For whan I consydered the state of thynges, whiche thanne hapned to gether, what daunger was to the realme immynente for lacke of a gouer­nour, and that my chyldren for theyr tender youthe, shulde be lyt­tell regarded, and I beinge a wo­man, shoulde nothynge be feared. Also what tutours my chyldren shulde haue, it was verye vncer­tayne. Ambicion alway raigninge [Page]in euery countrey, whiche can not gladly suffer in any one personne suche maner of souerayntie, that vnder the name of protection, he shulde haue in subiection all the nobilitie. And althoughe that su­che one mought happen to be, yet hauynge in remembraunce as wel auncient histories as late exaum­ples, I dradde, Ambition. Auarice. leste in soo greatte authoritie Ambition and Auarice mought cause men to forget theyr obedience truste and fydelytie. I considered also, that the realme of Palmyry, was enuironed with en­nemyes. for on the one syde was the hoste of the Romaynes, which alwaye awayted to fynde oportu­nitie, to inuade my realme, and to subdue it vnder their Empire. The theues of Araby were on the other syde, whiche all redye were entred [Page]the marches, and spoyled the coun­trey. The kynge of Media, to be discharged of his trybute, ioyned with our ennemyes, wyllynge to brynge my realme in perpetuall captiuitie. Was it any meruayle, if all these thynges dyd excedyng­ly trouble me? CAN. But fynal­ly madame, what remedye founde ye? ZENO. After that I hadde a lyttell bethoughte me, I determy­ned to prepare remedies quickely, and to susteyne fortune at al times paciently. And to the intente that the name of a woman, shulde not amonge the people be had in con­tempt, I vsed so my procedynges, that none of them mought be sayd, to be done womanly. Wherfore I sate alway abrode amonge my no­bles and counsaylours, and sayde myne opinion, so that it seemed to [Page]theym all, that it stode with good reason. I came often times among the people, and remembred vnto them, the libertie and honour whi­che they had receyued, by the excel­lēt prowesse of my noble husband, shewynge to theym my chyldren, whiche for tender age thanne were but feble, exhortynge theym with sondry orations to reteine theyr fi­delitie. I visited al the hole realme and the marches, reedified fortres­sys, and newe made also sondrye municions. More ouer, I caused good lawes to be publyshed, obset uynge them fyrste in myne owne householde, and caused them in al other places to be well executed. I made Iustice chiefe ruler of myne affection, and in all consultations wolde I be present, where I herde all other speke fyrste, that I wolde [Page]not be ignorant: and than shewed myne aduise, wherin I semed, not to be negligente. Touchynge my seruauntes I vsed such a dilygent scrutiny, that they were alway per­sonnes of synguler honestye. By this maner industry I quietly go uerned the realme of Palmyrye. And also added moche more to myne Empire, not soo moche by force, as by renoume of iuste and politike gouernaunce, whiche all men had in suche admyration, that dyuerse of our said ennemies, whi­che agaynste the realme erste dyd conspyre, and had inuaded my iu­risdyction, chase rather to leaue theyr hostilitie, and to remayne in our subiection, than to retourne to theyr owne countrey. to the whiche wysedome and polycy I attayned by the study of noble philosophye. [Page]Also therby I acquired such mag­nanimitie, that nowe I kepe in as strayt subiection al affections, and passions, as the Romaynes doo nowe me and my chyldren. Al this considered, my studye was to me moche more commodious bycause it was so longe or I were maryed. Wherfore I maye conclude that I had well taryed. CAN. Ye haue sayde very well by the fayth of my body. And all that ye haue spoken I haue before hard as wel of your frendes as of your ennemies con­fessed. Howe saye you Canmius, be you any thynge chaunged in your opinion? CANI. I wolde neuer haue loked for suche a con­clusion, I see well inoughe, that women beinge well and vertuous­ly brought vp, do not onely with men participate in reason, but som [Page]also in fidelitie and constauncie be equall vnto them. CANDIDVS. Madame, your supper is redye, may it lyke you to enter in toward it. ZE. With ryght good wil: but yet if this gentylman hath aught to saye agaynste women, I am not vnprouided for to defende them. CANI. Noo madame, I am by your ladyshyp all redy satisfied, he is wyse that with reason is shorte­ly contented. And where Reason serueth not, sylence is praysed. ZENOBIA. Yet a good mynde, in sylence, is euer well occupyed. CANDIDVS. And he that thyn­keth well, and speketh treuthe is moste to be loued. Madame I wil leade you the waye into my house. ZENOBIA. With good wyll I folowe you. CANI. The conclu­sion is good, where bothe partes [Page]are pleased. And if they bothe be wyse, it maketh no matter though fooles be offended.