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

Scene 14.

Enter a Company of Gentlemen, he that is to speak takes the Chair.

GEntleman Speaker.

Those women that retire themselves from the Com∣pany of men, are very ungratefull; as, first to Nature, because she made them only for breed; next to men who are their Defenders, Protectors, their Nourishers, their Maintainers; their Instructers, their Delighters, their Admirers, their Lovers and Deisiers; as men defend them from the raging blustring Elements, by building them Houses, and not only build them Houses for shelter, but Houses for pleasure and magnificency: Also men protect them from wild ravenous and cruel Beasts, that otherwise would devour them; for as women have not natural strength to build, so have they not natural courage to sight, being for the most part as fearfull as weak: Likewise men nourish them, for men Fish Fowl, and hunt to get them Food to feed them, for which women would neither take the pains, nor indure the labour, nor have the heart to kill their food; for women by nature are so pittifull, and have such tender dispositions, as they would rather suffer death themselves, than destroy life in other Crea∣tures; Also men maintain them by composing themselves into Common∣wealths, wherein is Traffique and Commerce, that each Family may live by each other; Also Laws to keep them in peace, to rule them in order, to defend them with Arms, which women could never do, by reason they know not what Government to settle in or to, nor what Laws to make, or how to execute those Laws that were made; neither could they plead Sutes, decide Causes, Judge Controversies, deal out right, or punish Injuries, or condemn Criminals: Also men are the Instructers to inform them of Arts and Sciences, which women would nere have had the patience to study, for they would ne¦ver have allowed so much time and solitary musing, for the perfecting or de∣voting those Conceptions, as those that first invented or found them out; be∣sides if women were not instructed by men of the natural cause of Effects,

how often would they have been affrighted almost to death, with the loud and terrifying Thunders, the flashing Lightenings, the dark Eclipses, the un∣steady Earthquakes, the overflowing Tides, and many the like natural Ef∣fects from hidden Causes •• besides, women would want all those convenien∣cies that Art affords them, and furnishes them with: Also men instruct wo∣men with the Mystery of the Gods, whereas for want of which knowledge, they would have been damned through ignorance: Also men are their De∣lighters, they traffique on the Sea, all over the world, to every several Cli∣mate and Country, to find and to bring the Female Sex Curiosities, hazar∣ding their lives for the same; whereas women could neither build their Ships, nor guide them on the Seas when they were built; they have not strength to pull and tug great Cable Ropes, to set and spread large Sails, to cast and weigh Massy Anchors, no, not in a calm, much lesse in furious storms, with which men often fight, though not with Arms, with Subtility and Skill, by which the Elements are conquered still, whereas women are conquered, and not only being strengthlesse and heartlesse, but healthlesse; for not only the roaring Seas, and whistling winds, and ratling showres, and rumbling Thunders, and fiery Lightenings, Rocks, Shelves, and Sands un∣known, or not to be avoided, besides Mountains of Ice, if to the Northern Pole, all which would terrifie them, yet their weak bodies, sick stomacks, and nice Appetites, could never endure long Voyages; they would vomit out their life before they could sayl to their assigned Port, or Haven: Also men are womens admirers; they gaze on their Beauties, and praise their sweet Graces, whereas women through envy detract from each other; Al∣so men are womens only True Lovers, they flatter, kisse and please them, whereas women are apt to quarrel, rail and fight with each other: And lastly, men Deifie women, making them Goddesses by their Poetical Descrip∣tions & Elevations, whereas Nature made them meer Mortals, Human crea∣tures; wherefore it is a great ingratitude, nay a horid ingratitude in those wo∣men, that denye men their Company, Conversation, and Communication•• wherefore men have not only Reason to take it ill, but to be angry with those women that shun or restrain their Company from them; but good Counsel ought to go before Anger, for the difference betwixt good Counsel and Anger, is, that good Counsel goes before a fault is committed, and Anger followeth when a fault is committed, for as good Counsel or Admonishment is to prevent a fault, so Anger is a Punishment for a fault past.

Exeunt.