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

THE FEMALE ACADEMY.

ACT I.

Scene 1.

Enter two Antient Ladies.

1 Lady.

IF you would have your Daughter virtuously and wisely educated, you must put her into the Female Academy.

2 Lady.

The Female Academy, what is that?

1 Lady.

Why a House, wherein a company of young Ladies are instructed by old Matrons; as to speak wittily and rationally, and to behave themselves handsomly, and to live virtuously.

2 Lady.

Do any men come amongst them?

1 Lady.

O no; only there is a large open Grate, where on the out-side men stand, which come to hear and see them; but no men enter into the Academy, nor women, but those that are put in for Education; ••o•• they have another large open Grate at the other end of the Room they discourse in; where on the out-side of that Grate stand women that come to hear them discourse.

2 Lady.

I will put my Daughter therein to be instructed.

1 Lady.

If your Daughter were not of honourable Birth, they would not receive her, for they take in none but those of antient Descent, as also rich, for it is a place of charges.

2 Lady.

VVhy then they will not refuse my Daughter, for she is both ho∣nourably born, and also rich.

Exeunt.

Scene 2.

Enter a Company of young Ladies, and with them two Grave Ma∣trons; where through the Hanging a company of men look on them, as through a Grate.

1 MAtron.

Come Lady, 'tis your turn this day to take the Chair.

All sit, and she that speaks sits in an adorned Chair.

Lady Speaker.

Deliver your Theam.

1 Matrod.

You speak Lady like a Robber, when he sayes deliver your Purse; but you must say propound your Theam.

Lady Speaker.

VVhy then propound your Theam.

1 Matron.

I present to your opinion, whether women are capable to have as much VVit or VVisdome as men.

Lady Speaker.

First, I must define what VVit and VVisdome are: as for VVit, it is the Daughter of Nature, and VVisdome is a Son of the Gods: this Daughter of Nature, the Lady Wit, is very beautifull, and for the most part her Countenance is very Amiable, and her Speech delightfull; in her Acoustrements she is as all other of the Female Sex are, various; as some∣times in plain Garments, and sometimes in glittering Garments; and some∣times she is attired in Garments of as many several Colours as the Rain∣bow; and she alters in their Fashions, as often as in their Substances or Trim∣mings: as for her humour, it is according to the nature of her Sex, which is as various and changing as her Acoustrements; for that sometimes she is merry and jesting, other times pleasing and delightfull; sometimes melan∣choly, sometimes fantastical, other times spightfull and censorious, and oft times wild and wanton, unlesse discretion rules and leads her, who keeps her within the bounds and pales of Modesty; also her discourses are various, as sometimes she will flatter grosly, other times ••he will rail maliciously, and sometimes she will speak so eloquently, and demean her self so elegant∣ly, as to ravish the minds of the beholders and ••earers•• This Lady Wit hath nine Daughters, very beautifull Ladies, namely the Nine Muses; and every several Muse partakes of every several Humour of the Mother: These nine beautifull Ladies, Natures Grand-children, and VVits Daughters, have vowed single lives, living alwayes in the Court with their Mother, whose Court is a very glorious Palace; for it is composed of Coelestial flame, and Divine Spirits were the Architectures thereof; the Servants and Courtiers of the Lady Wit are Poets, men of all Nations, Qualities, Dignities and Hu∣mours; these Courtiers the Poets, make love to the Lady Wits Daughters, the nine Muses, and often receive favours from them; which favours their Servants the Poets braid them into Rimes, and make several works of Verse, then tie them into True Lovers Knots, and then as all Lovers use to do, with their Mistresses favours, vaingloriously shew them to the publick view of the world; for though the Lady Muses will not marry, yet they re∣ceive Courtly addresses, and take delight to be wooed and fued to; the younger sort of Poets are Amorous Lovers; the Grave and more antient Poets are Platonick Lovers, and some are Divine Lovers, and some are He∣roick Lovers, and some are Satyrical Lovers, which wooe in a crabbid stile: but to conclude of VVit, there are good VVits which have foolish Judgements; for though VVit and VVisdome are Sisters and Brothers, both the Children of Nature, yet for the most part, the Brother is a meer Fool, and the Sister hath a great wit; but some have Masculine VVits, and Effe∣minate Judgements, as if their beams were Hermophrica.

The next I am to define is VVisdome, who as I said, is a Son of the Gods: this VVisdome is a person of perfect and upright Shape, of well-composed Features, of a manly Garb, and an assured Countenance, In his speech he is of a readie delivery, and he hath a well-tempered Humour: as for the A∣coustrements of his Person, he changes them according to the times and oc∣casions: His constant habitation is in the strong Tower of Honestie, this

Tower is built round, without ends or corners, or by places; and it stands upon four Pillars, as Prudence, Fortitude, Justice and Temporance; upon e∣very several Pillar are Letters ingraven, wherein may be read the proper uses, benefits, and advantages of each Pillar: These Pillars of Support, causes this Tower to be inpregnable; for though there are many assaults made a∣gainst it, as by Riches, which shoots his golden Bullets out of his golden Canons at it, striving to batter it down; and Power brings a mighty Army to assault it, and Danger of Death strives to storm it, and Flattery and Insi∣nuation to undermine it, yet it holds out without any breach therein; for the walls of this Tower, named Honesty, are of a wonderfull strength, for they are as durable as an intire Diamond, not to be dissolved, and as trans∣parant as a Christal, without the least spot, stain, or blemish: In this Tow∣er as I said, lives Wisdom, a most magnificent Lord he is, and is attended numerously and nobly: his chief Favourite is Truth, his chief Counselors are Reason, Understanding, Observation, Experience, and Judgement; his chief Officers are Patience, Industry, and Opportunity; his Domestick Ser∣vants are the Appetites, which Servants he rules and governs with great mo∣deration; his Nobility are the Passions, which he pe••••rrs according to their merit; but those that are apt to be Factious, he severely punishes, for he is one that loves peace, and hates brulleries, or any dissention: he is a person of the quickest Sense, for he hath a most piercing sight to foresee dangers, as to avoid them, and can well distinguish the right ways from the wrong; like∣wise he hath a most cleer hearing, for nothing passes by that concerns him, but the sound gives him an Alarum to stand upon his guard, or a charge to take his advantage; but he hath a silent tongue, for he never speaks but it is to some purpose also he hath a marvelous quick Scent, to smel out a Rebellion or Treason, and he will follow it pace by pace, as Hounds do Hares, and never leaves till he hath hunted it out; also his Touch is very sensible, he soon feels a courtesie or injury, the first he receives gratefully, and feels tenderly, the other he receives strongly, and gripes hard, when he can take fast hold, otherwise he lets it passe or fall, as if his touch were numb'd; he is a person which is so solicited by the weak, sought to by the wronged, flattered by the ambitious, sued to by the distressed; and he often fits in the Court of Er∣rors, to rectifie the disorder therein: sometimes he hath been in great hu∣mane Councels, but that is very rare; indeed he is so seldome in great hu∣mane Councels, as he is hardly known, for not one among a thousand that did ever see him, much lesse to have any acquaintance with him, for he is reserved, and not company for every one: But there are many that falssy pretend not only to be acquainted with him, but gets falle Vizards, and pretend to be Wisdome it self, and the world for the most part is cozened and abused with these Cheats, in not knowing the right & true Wisdom; and how should they? when Wisdom it self appears so seldome, as he is a stran∣ger even in Kings Courts and Princes Palaces, and so great a stranger he is in many Courts and Councels, that if by chance he should be there, they thrust him out as a troublesome Guest, and laugh at his advice as foolish, or condemn his Counsel as treacherous: but now I have declared unto you whom VVit and Wisdome are, now I am to give my opinion whether wo∣men are capable of their Society; but truly I must tell you it is a difficult question, by reason the several Educations, which are the Ushers that lead humane Creatures to several Societies, for there are Societie; of the Igno∣rant and foolish, as well as of the witty and wise, and several Ushers belong∣ing

thereto; and indeed these latter Societies are numerous, and of all sorts; the other are Societies of the most choicest, for though Wit is not an abso∣lute Goddesse, nor humane Wisdome an absolute God, yet they are a degree above other earthly mortals, but Fools are produced from the degrees of Mortality, and Ignorance is the Daughter of Obs••••rity; the Ushers of these are Obstinacy, Stupidity, and Illiterature, which leads mortals to dangerous and unexcessible ways; in this last Society, for the most part women are of, as being bred therein, and having such ill Tutors and Guides, they must needs err, for there is an old saying, When the Blind leads the Blind, they must needs fall into the Ditch, nor having sight to choose their way; so women bree∣ding up women, the Generations must needs be Fools: for the first, women had an ill Tutor, the Devil, which neither instructed her in the knowledge of Wisdome nor Wit, but learn'd her hurtful dissimulation, to which she hath bred all her Female Generations successively, as from Female to Fe∣male; but your question is, whether women are capable of Wit and Wis∣dome: truly in my opinion women are more capable of Wit than VVis∣dome, by reason they are both of the Female Gender, which may cause some sympathy in their Natures; and in some thing•• they do plainly sympathy and agree, for VVit is wild and various, and so are women, and VVit is busie and meddles with every thing, cause, or subject, so do women; Wit is fantasti∣cal, and so are women, VVit is alwayes in extremes, and so are women, Wit doth talk much, and so do women, Wit is humoursome, and so are women, VVit is prodigal, and so are women, VVit loves praises, and so do women, VVit doth sport and play, dance and sing the time away, and so do women, VVit is many times wanton, and so are women; Thus far are women ca∣pable of the Society and Conversation of Wit; but I doubt of her subtile Invention, quick Apprehension, rare Conceptions, elevated Fancy, and smooth Eloquution.

As for Wisdome, women seem to all outward appearance to have a natural Antipathy abhorring his severe and strict Rules, hating his medici∣able Admonitions, his profitable Counsels and Advice, his wary wayes, his prudent forecast, his serious actions, his temperate life and sober dis∣position; all which makes them uncapable of the Society of Wis∣dome.

Exeunt.