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

ACT III.

Scene 13.

Enter two Gentlemen.

1 GEnt.

How do you like the Ladies and their discoursings?

2 Gent.

I like some of the Ladies ••iscourses better than others; and I like some of the Ladies better than the other; but let us go hear the men.

Exeunt.

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.

Scene 15.

Enter three Antient Ladies.

1 LAdy.

Is your Daughter put into the Academy?

2 Lady.

Yes.

3 Lady.

How long Madam hath your Daughter been in the Aca∣demy?

2 Lady.

This week, but she hath not profited much, for I do not hear her discourse.

1 Lady.

First it is to be considered, whether your Daughter be capable of discoursing, for she must have a natural ingenuity to the Art of Rheto∣rick.

3 Lady.

My Daughter was alwayes a pretty talking Girl, as any in all the Country and Town I lived in.

2 Lady.

Yes, Children may talk prettily for Children, but when they come to be women, it is a question whether they will talk wisely or no; but let us go hear which of the Ladies discourses to day.

Exeunt.

Scene 16.

Enter the Academical Ladies and their Matrons; The Lady Speaker takes the Chair.

MAtron.

Lady, for this time let the Theam of your discourse be of Dis∣course.

Lady Speaker.

Reverend Matron, this Theam hath been discoursed of be∣fore by one of our Academy, but yet by reason one and the same Theam may be discoursed of after different manners or wayes, I shall obey you.

As for Discourse, there is of four sorts; the first is discoursing in the mind, which is reasoning.

The second is discoursing with words, which is speaking,

The third is discoursing by signs, which is action or acting.

The last is discoursing by Figures, which is by Letters and Hieroglyphicks, which is by Printing, Writing, Painting, and the like.

As for the first, which is a discourse in the mind, which is Reasoning, which reasoning is a discourse with things, and not with words, as such a thing is not such a thing, and what such things are, and what they are not, or in what such things agreee or disagree, sympathy, or antipathy, or such things resemble, or not resemble, or on the cause of things, or their effects, or the like: This discourse is in the mind, which is distinguishing, and di∣stinguishing belongs to Judgement.

The second discoursing is with words, which is Speech, and words are not things or notches, but only marks of things, or nicks, or notches to know things by; and the Tongue is the Tally on which they are scored: for Speech is a number of words, which words are made and joyned together by the Breath, Tongue, Teeth, and Lips, and the continuance make a discourse; for a discourse is like a line or thread, whereon are a number of words strung, like as a Chain of Beads, if the words be well sorted, and fitly and properly matched, as also evenlystrung, the discourse is pleasant and de∣lightfull; this Chain of discourse is longer or shorter, according as the Speaker pleases. The third discourse, is a discourse by Signes, which is in Actions, as some can discourse by the Motion of their Faces, Countenances, Hands, Fingers, Paces, or Measures, or by the cast of the Eyes, and many such like Postures, Looks, Actions, and several such wayes of Motion as have been invented to be understood. This and the first kind of discourse, as by

things and motions, beasts may have, for ought we can know to the contra∣ry. The last is by Figures, or Letters, Prints, Hieroglyphicks, and painted Stories, or ingraven in Metal, or cut, or carved in Stone, or molded, or for∣med in Earth, as clay, or the like; in this kind of discourse, the Pencil hath sometimes out-done the Pen, as the Painter hath out-done the Historian and Poet: This discoursing by Signs, or Figures, are discourses to the eye, and not to the ear. There is also another kind, or sort of discoursing, which is hardly learn'd as yet, because newly invented, or at lest, to what I have heard, which is by Notes, and several Strains in Musick. I only mention it, because I never heard it but once, and then I did not understand it: but yet it was by a skilfull and ingenious Musician, which discoursed a story of his Tra∣vels, in his playing on a Musical Instrument, namely, the Harpsical. But certainly, to my understanding, or reason, it did seem a much easier way of discoursing, than discoursing by actions, or posture. But to end my discourse of Discoursing, which discoursing may be by several waies, several actions and postures, by several creatures, and in several Languages: but reasoning is the Souls Language, words the Language of the Senses, action the Lifes Language, Writing, Printing, Painting, Carving and Molding, are Arts se∣veral Languages, but Musick is the Language of the Gods.

Exeunt.

Scene 17.

Enter two Gentlemen.

1. Gent.

HOw do you like the Ladies discourse?

2. Gent.

As I like discourse.

1. Gent.

How is that?

2. Gent.

Why I had rather hear a number of words, than speak a num∣ber of words.

1. Gent.

Then thou art not of the nature of Mankind; for there is no man that had not rather speak than hear.

2. Gent.

No, it is a sign I am not of the nature of Woman-kind, that will hear nothing, but will speak all; indeed, for the most part, they stop their Ears with their Tongues, at lest, with the sound of their Voices.

Exeunt.

Scene 18.

Enter a company of Gentlemen; The Speaker takes the Chair.

Gentleman Speaker.

IT were too tedious to recite the several humours of the female Sex; their scornfull Pride, their obstinate Retirednesse, their reserved Coynesse, their facil Inconstancy, by which they become the most useless, and most unprofitable Creatures that nature hath made; but when they are joined to men, they are the most usefull, and most profitable Crea∣tures nature hath made; wherefore, all those women that have common reason, or sense of shame, will never retire themselves from the company of

men: for what women that have any consideration of Honour, Truth, or touch of Goodness, will be the worst of all Creatures, when they may be the best? but the truth of it is, women are spoyled by the over-fond dotage of men; for being flattered, they become so self-conceited, as they think they were only made for the Gods, and not for men; and being Mistrisses of mens affections, they usurp their Masculine Power and Authority, and instead of being dutifull, humble and obedient to men, as they ought to be, they are Tyrannical Tyrannizers.

Exeunt.

Scene 19.

Enter two Gentlemen.

1. Gent.

THe young Gallants methinks begin to be whetted with An∣ger.

2. Gent.

They have reason, when the women have such dull, blunt Ap∣petites.

Exeunt.

Scene 20.

Enter the Ladies of the Academy: The Lady Speaker takes the Chair.

Matron.

LAdies, let the Theam of your discourse be, at this time, of Friendship.

Lady Speaker.

This Theam may more easily be discoursed of, than Friend∣ship made; by reason it is very difficult to make a right Friendship, for hard it is to match men in agreeable Humours, Appetites, Passions, Capa∣cities, Conversations, Customs, Actions, Natures and Dispositions, all which must be to make a true and lasting Friendship, otherwise, two Friends will be like two Horses that draw contrary waies, whereas Souls, Bodies, Education and Lives, must equally agree in Friendship; for a worthy ho∣nest man cannot be a friend to a base and unworthy man, by reason Friend∣ship is both an offensive and defensive League between two Souls and Bo∣dies; and no actions, either of the Souls or Bodies, or any outward thing, or fortune belonging thereunto, are to be denyed; wherefore Knaves with Knaves, and unworthy Persons with unworthy Persons, may make a Friend∣ship, & Honest men with Honest men, and worthy Persons with worthy Per∣sons, may do the like: but an Honest man with a Knave, or a worthy Person with a base man, or an Honourable Person with a mean Fellow, a noble Soul with a base Nature, a Coward with a Valiant man, can make no true Friendship. For, put the case, in such friendships, my Friend should desire me to do a base Action for his sake, I must either break Friendship, or do unworthily, but as all worthy Persons make Truth their Godesse, which they seek and worship, Honour the Saint which they pray too, Ver∣tue,

the Lady which they serve, so Honesty is the only Friend they trust and rely on, and all the VVorld is obliged to Honesty, for upright and just dea∣ling.

Exeunt.