The hauen of pleasure containing a freemans felicitie, and a true direction how to liue well : profitable and del[i]ghtfull to all, hurtfull and displeasing to none, except it bee to such pecuish dames as do either foolishlie reiect, or carelesly neglect the dutie of chast matron[e]s / gathered out of the best approued authors.

To al brawling wiues and male pert mistresses, I. T. wisheth a reformation of vndecent qualities.

GRacious Gentle∣women, (I meane such as are some of you who bee graci∣ous in name, but in deed and effect as bitter as Worme∣wood) if the laste chapt▪ of this trea∣tise doe no better purge you frō pride and presumptuous scoulding, then Elleborus dooth ease you of melancholy and sullen powts: I feare mee it will bee as seldome haunted of you for the one, as Antycira is fre∣quented by you for the other. For as they of olde time thought melancholy was best purged by sai∣ling to that Ile to receiue that hearbe; so I confi∣dentlie coniecture, the plumes of your pride will be neuer abated, till Iunoes bird behold hir owne feet, and you (with the whole world) take view of your selues▪ All the time that I liued in seruitude amongst you, I exercised and imployed my selfe (like a good and skilfull Anatomiste)

in seeking the course of your veines, and the pas∣sage of your pulses, and I alwaies found the swel∣ling of the one, and the passionate panting of the other to bee sucked by the miseraical vaines of pride from your vnsatiable ••ntrailes of want on∣nesse, and disperst all ouer your bodies by haughty conceits, from the liuer of your needlesse yet ouer∣weening presumptions: and all these to be nouri∣shed with the ignorance of your selues, the which (as Lactantius saieth to another purpose) is the only cause of all the euils in you. He••••e some like scoulding Xantippa shrewshake their Socrates: others like pr••ude Cleopatra, consume their kind Anthony, and either horne their Vulcan like short heeled Venus, or vsurpe the breech, & giue their husbands the apron. For seeing you are neither by education learned (for some womē of this sort haue almost as good iudgment as mē) nor permitted to trauaile abroad for experience, but rather (as M. Smith saith) to be housewiues and not streetwiues 〈◊〉〈◊〉 muse how you dare either assume to your selues more knowledge then your husbands to discerne; vnlesse they be each of thē another Silenus, or more expertence then they, to iudge of things, vnlesse they be all of them Sar∣danapali. But here methinkes I heare a male∣pert mistris say: Shall not we haue our wils in all

things, as well as our husbands? for sooth graci∣ous ▪Parrat no, but it is thy part to bee silent, or (if thou doe speake modestly) to be subiect & con∣formable to the will of thy husband, to be louing and faithful, seruiceable and carefull, thrifty & paineful to preserue thinges at home, whilest thy husband and men seruants be getting thy liuing abroad; to be vigilant and diligent to traine vp thy maide seruants in vertue and pietie, that by thy good example and instructiō, they may learne how to obey and not command, reuerence & not rule their husbands when they haue them, giuing thy husband leaue to order his businesse abroade, and rule his men seruants at home. And what so∣euer thing he conferreth with thee about, as his helper not as his head to subiect thy opinion to his iudgement: saying in all thinges that are ho∣nest, Thy wil husband and not mine be fulfilled. This is mine opinion, but doe as seemeth beste in thine owne eies. Now because this submissiō can by no means be wrought in thee without the kno∣ledge of thy selfe, and thine owne imperfections, I haue attempted in that Chapter to late open thy nature to the view of thine owne eies, that I might in some sort prepare thee thereunto, pre∣suming notwithstanding, that though the ver∣tuous

will shadow their imperfections with qua∣lities of good education: yet thou the more I put thee in minde of thy dutie, the more vnrulie wilt waxe; the more I contradict thee, the more fier∣cer wilt thou rage; & the more I touch thy gauld backe, the more dangerously wilt thou winche; vntill thy precise pride be turnde to thy best or∣nament humilitie, & thy ouerweening presump∣tion metamorphosed to a confession of thy weak∣nesse. And then when I see thee conuerted, thy minde inlightned, thy proud brawling hart qui∣eted, and al thy actions by knowledge of thy selfe gouerned: I shal not onelie say with thy selfe that thou liuest wel, but that thou shalt also die well, and at the day of iudge∣ment with Christe farewell.

Yours so long as you are in subiecti∣on to your Husbands. I. T.