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

Scene 24.

Enter the Ladies, and their Matrons: The Lady Speaker takes the Chair.

Matron.

LAdy, let the Theam of your discourse be, at this time, of Va∣nity, Vice, and Wickedness.

Lady Speaker.

There is a difference betwixt Vanity, Vice, and Wicked∣nesse: Wickednesse is in the will, Vice in the desires, and Vanity in the actions Will proceeds from the Soul, Vice from the Appetites, and Action from Custom, or Practice; the Soul is produced from the Gods, the Ap∣petites created by Nature, and Custom is derived from Time: As for De∣sires, we may desire, and not will, and we may will, and not act, and we may act, and neither will, nor desire, and we may desire, will, and act all at once; and to some particulars, we may neither desire, will nor act; but the Will makes Vice Wickednesse, and Vanity Vice; the willing of good, proceeds from the Gods, the willing of evil proceeds from the Devils: so that Sin is to will evil, in despight of good, and Piety is to will good, in de∣spight of evil, as neither the perswasions, nor temptations of the one, or the other, shall draw our wills; for sin, or wickednesse, is neither in the Know∣ledg, nor Appetites: for if our Great Grandmother Eve, had not wilful∣ly eat of that which was strictly forbidden her, she had not sinned, for if that she had only heard of the effects of that Fruit, or had desired it, yet had not wilfully eaten thereof, she had never damned her Posterity: Thus, to will against the Gods command, is Wickednesse: but there is no such thing as Wickedness, in Nature, but as I said Wickednesse proceeds from the Soul, Vice from the Appetites, and Vanity from the Actions: as for Wick∣edness, it is like a dead Palsie, it hath no sense, or feeling of the Grace or Goodness of the Gods, and Vice is like an unwholsome Meat, cut out by the Appetites, for the Appetites are like knives, whereas some are blunt, others are sharp, and as it were, too much edged, but they are either blunt, of sharp, according as Nature whets them: but if they be very sharp, as to be keen, they wound the body, and make the life bleed. As for Vanity, it is as the froath of life, it is light, and swims a-top, which bubbles out into extravagant and uprofitable actions, false opinions, and idle, and impossi∣ble Imaginations. But as I said, it is not the knowledg of Vanity, Vice and Wickednesse, that makes a creature guilty thereof, but the Will, and wilfull Practice thereof, for Wickedness, Vice, and Vanity, must be known as much as Piety, Virtue, and Discretion, otherwise men may run into evil,

through ignorance; wherefore it is as great a shame to Education, not to be instructed in the bad, as it is a glory to be instructed in the good: but the Que∣stion will be, whether Knowledg can be without a partaking thereof? I An∣swer, not a perfect Knowledg, but a suppositive Knowledg•• for there are many things which cannot be perfectly known, but suppositively known: so we must only know VVickedness, Vice, and Vanity, as we do know the Gods and De∣vils, which is by a lively Faith; so as we must be instructed in all that is Pious, Virtuous, and Judicious, as we are instructed of the Power and Goodnesse of the Gods; and we must be instructed in all that is Wicked, Vicious, and Idle, as we are of the Evil, and Power of the Devils. Now I must inform you, that there are three sorts of Knowledge, as a knowledge of Possession, a knowledge of Action, and a knowledge of Declaration; the knowledge of Action lies in the Appetites, the knowledge of Declaration lies in the Sen∣ses, the knowledge of Possession in the VVill, Action and Declarations. As for example, we may hear, and see, Drunkenesse, Adultery, Murther, Theft, and the like, and have no appetite to the same Actions; also we may have an appetite to the same Actions, yet not a will to act the same; but if we have a desire, and will act the same, we have, and are possess'd with the most perfect Knowledge thereof; but this last Know∣ledge is utterly unlawfull in things that are evil, but not in things that are good: But to conclude, we must be instructed by a Narrative way, and by the intelligence of our ears, and eyes, in that which is evil, as well, and as plainly, as in things that are good, not to be ignorant in any thing that can be declared unto us, not staying untill we be Old, but to be thus instructed whilst we are young; for many that are young Novices, commit many e∣vils through ignorance, not being instructed, and informed plainly and clear∣ly, but darkly, and obscurely, caused by their foolish, cautionary, formal Tutors, or Educators, who hold that erronious opinion, that Youth ought not to know such, or such Things, or Acts; which if they had known, evil might have been prevented, and not left untill their evil be known by Pra∣ctice; so that more evil is rather known by Practice, than Declaration, or instruction of Information: but if our Senses are a guide to our Reason, and our Reason a guide to our Understanding, and that the Reason and Understanding governs our Appetites, then tis probable, our Sense, Reason, and Understanding, may govern our VVill.

Exeunt.