“ Suche be the frutes of a right matrone’s life. Suche be the gaines of the milde and quiet wife. Such a wife, I say, is the honor of her husband’s name, the onely vpholder and restoratife of his renowme and fame. ”

“ Madame, you see the daunger which I hasard for your seruice, and the warnings that the Queene hath giuen for our talke. You see on thother side what a father you haue, who careth not after what sort he bestow you in mariage: and you hauinge refused so many greate states and noble men, I know not one, either farre or neare, that is minded to haue you. I confesse my selfe to be but poore, and that you may marie diuers gentlemen of greater reputacion and richesse, then I am: but if loue and good wil were deemed treasure and richesse, then woulde I presume to be the richest gentleman of the world. ”

“ But yet you ought for frendship sake to consider that the maried man lay in the mids. Their goodes were common betwene them, and the mariage did yelde no cause to hinder their assured amitie. But in processe of time, the felicitie of this worlde (whiche carieth with it a certaine mutabitie) could not continue in the house, which was before right pleasaunt and happy: for the maried man forgetting the faithfull fidelitie of his friend, without any cause conceiued a greate suspicion betwene hym and his wyfe, from whom he could not dissemble the case, but sharpely tolde her his mynde. ”

“ Sutch hath bene the zealous loue of those whose fieldes and barnes, closets, and chestes haue bene stored and stuffed with worldely wealth, that comparing that golden age, glistering with piety and vertue, to these our worsse than copper days, cancred with all corruption, we shal find the match so like, as darke and light, durt and Aungell golde. ”

“ And yet I would aduise yonge Ladies and gentlewomen to beware how they be inamoured, and pursue the trade of loue, contrarie to the will of parentes, who ought in time of infancie to be their guide, and also in riper yeares to procure them mariage according to their worthines: which they may the better and soner do, is by vertuous education they arme and instruct their tender and youthly age. ”

“ Amonges which troupe of Sciences, the knowledge and search of Histories deserueth a place in the chefest rank, and is for example of humaine affayres, a Christal light to shew the pathes of our Auncestors. ”

“ To whom her sonne made answere, saying: “Good mother, for God’s sake be contented, for that whiche they do is for none other purpose, but to proue me: wherefore be pacient a while, till this chaunce be past.” The mother not able to abide it any longer, brake out many times into these words: “If I were a man as I am a woman, it should not be vndone now: and if thou wilt not aduenture thy selfe, I will one night giue the attempt.” ”

“ But good Elisa knew ful wel the mutability of Fortune in humaine thinges, for so mutch as she by seeking death, had fonde the thinge which not onely deliuered hir from the same, but made hir the best contented woman of the worlde. And Philene seekinge hir contentation, in place thereof, and by like occasion, found the thinge that would haue ben the instrument of hir death, and moued with very great compassion of the mayden, desired to haue better aduertisement howe that treasure could belong to her. ”

“ But amongs al, Philon the young king of Peloponesus, so fiercely fell in love wyth hir, as he thought he could no longer liue, if he were maried to anye other: for which cause her father knowing him to be a King, and of singular beautye, and that he was far in loue wyth his Daughter, would gladly haue chosen him to be his sonne in lawe, persuading hir that she should liue with him a lyfe so happy as was possyble for any noble lady matched wyth a Gentleman, were he neuer so honorable. ”

“ Semblably, thou thy selfe art witnesse, that when myn vncle Cocceius Nerua was exiled to Capua, he was more visited, and better serued, than when he was at Rome: whereby may bee inferred, that a vertuous man may bee exyled or banished, but honour he shall neuer want. The Emperour Domitian (if you do remember) at the departure of Nerua, made me many offers, and thee many fayre promises to entertain thee in his house, and to send mee into Almayne, which thou couldest not abyde, and much lesse consent, deeming it to be greater honour with Nerua to be exiled, than of Domitian to be fauored. ”

“ Which person thoughe in Court he be not esteemed, yet in schoolehouse of good arte he is deemed famouse, and for his worthy skill right worthy to be preferred aboue the heauens. In semblable wise, how oftentimes and commonly is it seene that the man perchance which neuer thou sawest before, so sone as he is seene of the, sodaynly he is detested lyke a plague, and the more earnest he is to do the seruice and pleasure, the greater is thy wrath bent towards him? ”

“ I know right wel that I am a woman, not onely as another is, but so imperfect, as vertue might do a better acte to transforme me into her, then she to take my forme, except it be when she desires to be vnknowen to the world: for vnder such habite as mine is, vertue cannot be knowen, according to her worthines: so it is sir, that for mine imperfection, I wil not cease to bere you such affection, as a woman ought or maye do that feareth God, and hath respect to her honour: but that affection shal not appere, vntill your harte be able to receiue the pacience which vertuous loue commaundeth. ”

“ How now, syr, do you thinke that the vilenesse of myne apparell, holdeth lesse vertue, than is vnder the rich and sumptuous Ornaments of greatest Ladyes? Do you suppose that my bringing vp hath bred in me sutch grose bloud, as for your only pleasure, I shoulde corrupt the perfection of my minde, and blot the honour which hitherto so carefully I haue kept and religiously preserued? Be sure that sooner death shall separate the soule from my body, than willingly I would suffer the ouerthrow and violation of my virginity. ”

“ Honesty, for the gettinge whereof all torments of body, all perills and daungers of death be not to be regarded: honesty then beinge a Treasure so precious, what care not onely for the atchieuinge but for the conseruation ought to bee employed? in the practise whereof, one speciall thinge ought to be attended, which is, how a vow or promise ought to be made, or how the estimation of honesty ought to be hazarded for any thinge seeme it neuer so impossible: for what is it that loue and Money hath not brought to passe? ”

“ If all the World had bene assembled to chose a good Prince, they would not haue chosen any other but good Valerian. It is also written of hym, that in liberality he was noble, in words true, in talke wary, in promise constant, to his frends familiar, and to his enemies seuere, and which is more to be esteemed, he could not forget seruice, nor yet reuenge wronge. ”

“ We daily se that many be liberall of Fortune’s goods inuestinge some with promotion, some with apparel, Gold and Siluer, Iewels and other things of great value. We see also noble men, bountifull to theyr seruaunts, not onely of mouable thiugs, but also of Castels, Lands, and Cities: what shal we speake of them, which will not sticke to sheade their owne bloud, and many tymes to spende theire lyfe to do their frendes good? Of those and such like examples, all 184 recordes be full: but a man that contemneth fame and glorye or is of his owne honour liberal, is neuer founde. ”

“ Again a great number of women (I speake of them whose minds do not so mutch aspire to fame or honour as they seeke their delights and brauerie to be mainteined) bee of this trampe, that they care not whether theyr louers bee discrete, well condicioned, vertuous and gentle, so that 397 theyr pursses be full of money, or theyr shapes amiable, not waying the valour and good conditions of the minde, ne yet a thousand other qualities that ought to garnish a Gentleman, whereby all vertuous Gentlemen dayly do growe beautiful, and be enriched wyth greater perfections. ”

“ For Theoxena was compelled in a maner thus to do of meere constraint to eschue the greater torments of a tyrant’s rage and thought it better by chosen death to chaunge hir lyfe, than by violent hands of bloudy Butchers to be haled to the slaughter. But thys Hidrusian dame was weary of hir owne life, not for that she feared losse of lyfe, but desperate to think of Fortune’s fickle staye: whych if fortune’s darlings would regarde in time, they would foresee theyr slippery holde. ”

“ My sonne, thou needest not to demaund pardon, for the enterprise done, good or euill as thou list to name it: for thou diddest not go about to rid me of my lyfe for any hatred thou diddest bear me, but only to be accompted the better: be assured then of me, and verily beleue, that there is no lyuing man, that I loue better than thy self, considering the greatnesse of thine heart not inclyned to hoorde or gather togither the drossy muck of Syluer, as the myserable do, but to spend that which is gathered. ”

“ Those which did escape, ran to the Scythians Campe, of whom they were defended: afterward being returned into their countrey, they liued in lesse force, and surety than before. In processe of time the Greekes passed into Asia, and made a famous conquest of the Citty of Troy, when Penthesilea was Queene of the Amazones, who remembringe the iniuries receyued by the Greekes, went with a great army to helpe the Troians: where the Queene did thinges worthy of remembraunce, but the Troianes vanquished, in many Skirmishes al the Amazones 164 were almost slayne. ”

“ Shee had the heart of Alexander the great, shee possessed the riches of Cræsus, the diligence of Pyrrhus, the trauel of Haniball, the warie foresighte of Marcellus, and the Iustice of Traiane. When Zenobia was married to Odenatus, she had by hir other husband, a sonne called Herodes, and by Odenatus shee had two other, whereof the one was called Hyeronianus, and the other Ptolemus. And when the Emperour Valerian was vanquyshed and taken, Odenatus was not then in the Campe. For as all men thought, if he had ben there, they had not receyued so greate an ouerthrow. ”

“ Constancy in honest loue (being a perfect vertue, and a precious ornament to the beloued, induinge eyther, besides ioy and contentacion, with immortall fame and Glory,) hath in it selfe these onely marks and properties to be knowen by, Chastity, and toleration of aduersity: For as the mynde is constant in loue, not variable, or geuen to chaunge, so is the body continent, comely, honest and pacient of Fortunes plages. A true constant minde is moued with no sugred persuasions of frendes, is diuerted with no eloquence, terrified with no threats, is quiet in all motions. ”

“ Agayne, I knew my selfe the poorest Gentleman of the Worlde, and the most myserable exile: I thought moreouer it to be very vnseemely for me to direct my mynde vpon a wight so honorable, and of so great estate: But who can rayne the Bridle, or prescribe lawes to loue? What is he that in loue hath free wil and choyse? Truely I beleeue no man, bicause loue the more it doth seeme to accorde in pleasure and delight, the further from the mark he shooteth his bolte, hauing no respect to degree or state. ”