Lady Victoria.
'Tis said, that Love overcomes all things: in your Company long marches will be but as a breathing walk, the hard ground feel as a Fea∣ther-Bed, and the starry Sky a spangled Canopy, hot dayes a Stove to cure cold Agues, hunger as Fasting dayes or an eve to devotion, and danger is honours triumphant Chariot.
Lord General.
But Nature hath made women like China, or Pursleyn, they must be used gently, and kept warily, or they will break and fall on Deaths head: besides, the inconveniencies in an Army are so many, as put patience her self out of humour; besides, there is such inconveniences as mo∣desty cannot allow of.
Lady Victoria.
There is no immodestly in natural effects, but in unnatural abuses; but contrive it as well as you can, for go I must, or either I shall dye, or dishonour you; for if I stay behind you, the very imaginations of your danger will torture me, sad Dreams will affright me, every little noise will sound as your passing Bell, and my fearfull mind will transform every object like as your pale Ghost, untill I am smothered in my Sighs, shrouded in my Tears, and buried in my Griefs; for whatsoever is joyned with true love, will dye absented, or else their love will dye, for love and life are joyned to∣gether; as for the honour of constancy, or constant fidelity, or the dishonour of inconstancy, the lovingest and best wife in all story that is recorded to be, the most perfectest and constantest wife in her Husbands absence was Penelope, Ulysses wife, yet she did not Barricado her Ears from Loves soft Alarums; but parled and received Amorous Treaties, and made a Truce untill she and her Lovers could agree and conclude upon conditions, and questionless there were Amorous Glances shot from loving Eyes of either party; and though the Siege of her Chastity held out, yet her Husbands Wealth and Estate was impoverished, and great Riots committed both in his Family and Kingdome, and her Suters had absolute power thereof; thus though she kept the fort of her Chastity, she lost the Kingdome, which was her Husbands Estate and Government, which was a dishonour both to her and her Husband; so if you let me stay behind you, it will be a thousand to one but either you will lose me in Death, or your honour in Life, where if you let me go you will save both; for if you will consider and reckon all the married women you have heard or read of, that were absented from their Husbands, although upon just and necessary occasions, but had some Ink of aspersions flung upon them, although their wives were old, illfavoured, de∣crepid and diseased women, or were they as pure as light, or as innocent as Heaven; and wheresoever this Ink of aspersions is thrown, it sticks so fast, that the spots are never rubb'd out, should it fall on Saints, they must wear the marks as a Badge of misfortunes, and what man had not better be thought or called an uxorious Husband, than to be despised and laught at, as being but thought a Cuckhold? the first only expresses a tender and noble Nature, the second sounds as a base, cowardly, poor, dejected, forsaken Creature; and as for the immodesty you mentioned, there is none, for there can be no breach of modesty, but in unlawfull actions, or at least unnecessary ones; but what Law can warrant, and necessity doth inforce, is allow∣able amongst men, pure before Angels, Religious before Gods, when un∣chosing persons, improper places, unfit times, condemn those actions that