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

Scene 15.

Enter the Lady Examination, and the Lady Solitary.

EXamination.

Come, Come, you will never get you a real Lover, if you delight so much in Solitaries.

Solitary.

I desire none: for real Lovers do oftentimes prove unconstant,

whereas feigned lovers are as constant as the Contemplator would have them, and as many as they would have; besides, a crowd or multitude of thoughts may rise up in the brain, and be as Spectators of one single thought, which if the Contemplator pleases may be a Lover, and the rest of the Spectators thoughts may censure of that single thought, as of his good parts, or bad, his virtues, or vices, some may praise, others dispraise, and the like; thus a Contemplator can never want Lovers, Admirers, Censurers, nor any other Company, since the Mind can present them with what thoughts they desire, not only the thoughts of Men Women and Children, but of any other Crea∣tures that Nature hath made; for why should not our Spirits or Soul delight and content us, without the real possession of outward Good, as well as the Spirits or Soul doth torment us with a real Evill? for why may not Opinion, or Fancy, as well and as much delight us, as Opinion and Fancy affright us, as they often do?

Examination.

But an over-studious Mind doth waste the Body, for the Thoughts feeds as much upon the Body, as the Body upon the meat we eat, and the Body nourishes the Thoughts as much as meat nourishes the Body, and for the most part, as the Body is effected so is the Mind, for a distempe∣red Body makes a distempered Mind, as a Luxurious Body makes an Amorous Mind; and a Feavour in the Body makes the mind frantick, for the heat of a Feavour is like Strong-water, it makes the Spirits drunk, the Thoughts dizie, and the Mind sick.

Solitary.

Indeed the Body and the Mind do most commonly agree, as in Monarchy the King and the Subjects do, the Subjects obeying the King, and the King commanding the Subjects, yet sometimes the Subjects compel the King, and sometimes the King forces the Subjects, so sometimes the Appetite compels the Reason, at other times the Reason forces the Appetite to a Mo∣deration, and sometimes the Humours of the Body which are like the sence∣less Commonalty, and the Passions of the Soul, which are as the Nobles, of∣tentimes fall out, where sometimes the Humours of the Body usurp with an uprore the Passions of the Soul, and sometimes the Passions overcome the Humours by a wise policy; but when as the Kingdome of Man is in Peace, the Imaginations in the head send down thoughts, as metal into the heart, wherein they are melted and minted into current Coin, each thought as each peece having a several stamp, some is stamped with Hate, some Spight, others Malice; some with Jealousy, some Hope, some with Fear, some Pitty, some Love, but that of Love is of the highest vallew; but these Coins serve for Commerce and Traffick in the Body, from the Authority of the Mind or Soul, whose stamp or Image each piece bears.

Exeunt.