Playes written by the thrice noble, illustrious and excellent princess, the Lady Marchioness of Newcastle.

THE SECOND PART OF NATURES three DAUGHTERS, Beauty, Love, and Wit.

ACT I.

Scene 1.

Enter Madamoiselle Grand Esprit, and her Audience.

GRand Esprit.

Great Fame my Prayers I direct to thee, That thou wilt keep me in thy memory; And place my Name in the large brazen Tower, That neither Spight, nor Time may it devour; And write it plain, that every age may see, My Names inscrib'd to live eternally: Let not Malice obstruct my Wit with spight, But let it shine in its own clear light.

Noble and Right Honourable,

I divide my discourse into three parts, as namely Vanity, Vice, and Wickedness; Vanity lives in the Customs and Manners of men, and Wick∣edness in the Souls of men, Vices in the Senses of men, as vain habits, evill appetites, and wicked passions; as for Vanity and Vice, they are commo∣dities that are sold out of the Shops of Idleness; Vice is sold by wholesale, but Vanities are sold by retail; the Buyers of these Commodities are Youth, the Merchants, are evil Customs, and ill examples; the Masculine youth buyes more Vice than Vanity, and the Effeminate youth buyes more Va∣nity than Vice; but they all buy, as salt as they can be sold; they will spare for not cost, and will give any prices, although it be their Healths, Lives, Fortunes, or Reputations; as for Wickedness, it is inlayed into the soul like as Mosaick work, and so close it is wrought therein, as it makes it ap∣pear to be the soul it self; but evill Education and Custome, are the Artifi∣cers of this work, and not natural Creation, or divine infusion, or inspira∣tion, from whence the Soul proceeds, or is produced, for neither the Gods, nor Nature, is the Author of Wickedness; but Vanity, Vice, and Wick∣edness, are soon catcht, and like the Plague, they infect all they come near, and Vanity, Vice, and Wickedness is soon learn'd, when Virtue, Goodness, and Piety, are hard Lessons; for though Divines and natural Philosophers, Preaches, and so teaches them, yet they are seldom understood; for if they were, the benefit would be known, and men would pious and virtuous be, for profits sake; for Common-wealths that are composed, and governed by Virtue, Religion, and good Life, they are so strongly united by honest love, as they become inpregnable against Forein Foes, or home factions, or

temptations, so live in peace and plenty, which breeds both pleasure and delight; for life doth never truly injoy it self, but in rest, ease, and peace; but to conclude most Noble and Right Honourable, the Soul, Se••se, and Education, should be plain with Truth, smooth with Virtue, and bright with Picty, or Zeal; that the Body may live Easily, the life Peaceably, and that the Soul may be blessed with Everlasting Glory.

Exit.

Scene 2.

Enter Monsieur Nobilissimo, and three or four Gentlemen.

1 GEntleman.

The Ladies of this Age, are as inconstant as a fevourish pulse, and their affections have more sainting sits, than those are troubled with Epilepses.

2 Gentleman.

Faith they will hang about ones neck one hour, and spit in his Face the next.

3 Gentleman.

That is because they would have variety, for they respect Strangers more than friends; for they will entertain Strangers with the ci∣villest Behaviours, fairest Faces, and costliest Garments they have, and make them welcome with their best Cheer, when as their best Friends, lovingest Servants, and oldest Acquaintance, they will neglect, despise, scorn, com∣mand, and rail against, and quarrel with.

Nobilissimo.

O Gentlemen, brave Cavaliers as you all are, you must ne∣ver complain, discommend, not condemn the Actions of the Effeminate Sex; for that we are apt to call their Cruelty, is their Justice, our Sex meriting not their favours; and whensoever we receive the least favours from that Sex, we ought to give thanks, as proceeding from a compassionate Good∣ness, gentle Nature, sweet Dispositions, and generous Souls, and not as a due, or a debt for our service: for we are bound by Nature, not only to be their Servants, but their Slaves, to be lasht with their frowns, if we be not diligent to their commands, present at their calls, industrious in their ser∣vice, and our neglects ought to be severely punished; for we wear our lives only for their sakes, as to defend their Honours, to protect their Persons, to obey their Commands, and to please and delight their humours; also the Estates we manage is theirs, not ours, we are but their Stuards, to Husband and increase thier Stores, to receive their Revenues, and lay out their Expen∣ces, for we have nothing we call our own, since we our selves are theirs; wherefore it is enough for us to admire their Beautyes, to applaud their Wit, to worship their Virtues, and give thanks for their Favours.

Exeunt.

Scene 3.

Enter Monsieur Esperance, and his Wife Madamoi∣selle Esperance.

MOnsieur Esperance.

Wife, why art thou all undrest to day?

Madamoiselle Esperance.

The truth is, I am become negligent in dressing, since you only esteem my Virtue, not my Habit,

Monsieur Esperance.

I would have you change into as many several dres∣ses, as Protheus shapes; for it is not the dress can make me Jealous now, for I am confident no Vanity can corrupt thy Virtue, but that thy Virtue can con∣vert Vanity to a pious use or end.

Madamoiselle.

Well Husband, I shall study to form my self, and fashion my dress, both to your fancy and desire.

Monsieur Esperance.

Do so Wife.

Monsieur Esperance goes out.

Madamoiselle Esperance alone.

Madamoiselle Esperance.

Ha, is my Husband so confident of me, it is an ill sign from extreme Jealousy, to an extreme Confidence, the next will be a Carelessness, and then a Neglect, and there is nothing my Nature doth more abhor than neglect, for Jealousy proceeds from Love, but Neglect proceeds from a despising, if not a hating; besides, he desires variety of dresses, which shows my Beauty is vaded, or he is weary in viewing of one object often; but I sit••d his humour is wandring, and seeks for change, if he should prove false, O how unhappy should I be, for I am naturally honest, also my birth and education hath been honest; besides my affections are so fixt as not to be removed: thus I am tyed, and cannot take liberty which other women do, for no divert the sorrows of my heart, or to revenge my wrongs; but I shall mourn, and weep my self to Water, and sigh my self to Ayre.

Exit.