The second part of Youths behavior, or, Decency in conversation amongst women containing excellent directions for the education of young ladies, gentlewomen and other persons, and rules of advice how at the first to deport themselves and afterwards govern the affairs of a family / by the same hand that translated the last volume of Caussin's Holy court ; whereunto is added a collection of select proverbs and wise sentences out of severall languages usefull in discourse and the government of life, many of them never in print in any language, by the same author ; together with severall letters profitable and delightful according to the nature of the subject.

CHAP. XXV. Of Modesty.

OCcasion and our Nature are like two inordinate Lovers, they seldome meet but they do sin together; never∣theless if they do meet, and the Heart consenteth not, some great Scholars are in doubt, whether the offence be punishable, though the act be commit∣ted: Who wilfully doth any thing evil is a wicked Man, but he that doth it out of ne∣cessity is ••••t altogether evil. They do adde, that even actuall sins have so far their dependency on the Hearts appro∣bation, as that alone can viciate or ex∣cuse the act. But I am of opinion, that there is no Man but is faulty in all his actions be they what they will, at least by some circumstances, though peradventure sometimes excusable in

others that seem to be of more im∣portance, For if we shall calculate aright, Man is his own Devil, and of∣tentimes doth tempt himself: So prone are we to evil, that it is not one of the least Instructions that doth advise us to beware of our selves.

Now an excellent Virtue to restrain or check a Man or Woman from run∣ning into Vice, is Modesty. I am per∣swaded many Women had been bad, that are not so, if they had not been bridled by a bashful Nature. There are divers that have a Heart for Vice, that have not a Face accordingly. Mo∣desty chides young Maids from bold Company; it restrains them from sor∣did enterprizes; it teacheth them to love vertue only; it aweth the unci∣vil Tongue, and chains up the licenti∣ous hand. Surely the Graces sojourn with a blushing Virgin. It is record∣ed that the Daughter of Aristotle being asked which was the best Colour, made answer, That which Modesty pro∣duced in ingenious Spirits. Certainly the Heart of the blushing Lady is near∣er Heaven, than the Forehead of the brazen Rauntress; for it is the off∣spring of Humility, and when that leaves a scarlet tincture behind it,

Vertue is alwayes upon that Varnish. It was Liviaes Modesty with which Augustus was affected. A Spirit mo∣desty bold is like the Wind, to purge the Worlds bad Air. To blush at Vice is to let the World know, that the Heart within hath an inclination to Vertue. But when Spirits do begin to degenerate into sloth and wanton∣ness, they are apt to fall from one Infir∣mity unto another, and at the last (transported, I know not with what boldness) they do leap into the highest Impudence.

To give a check unto such young Blouds, who weigh not the danger untill they are fallen into the snare, and who then to expediate themselves from the suspition, and the guilt of one sin, do commonly commit a greater, and do proceed from the acts of Lust to the acts of Murther; I am enjoyned in this place, for the Information of all young Maids that are ignorant of it, and for a terrour to all those who to excuse their Honour, are obstinately resolved to commit a Murther, to give them a sight of this ensuing Act of Parliament.

An Act to prevent the destroying and mur∣thering of Bastard Children.

VVHereas many leud Women that have been delivered of Bastard Chi••dren, to avoid their shame, and to esc pe pu••ishment, do secret∣ly bury or conceal the Death of ••heir Children, and after, if ••he Child be found dead the said Women do alleadge that the said Child was born dead, whereas it faileth ou•• sometimes, (although hardly it is to be proved) that the said Child or Children were murthered by the said Women their leud Mothers, or by their assent, or procurement,

For the preventing therefore of this great Mischief, be it enacted by the Authority of ••his present Parliament, That if any Woman (af∣ter one Mo••eth next ensuing the end of this S••ss••••n of Parliament) be delivered of any Is∣sue of her Body, Male or Female, which being born alive should by the Laws of this Realm be a Bastard, and that she endeavour privately, ei∣ther by drow••ing or s••cret b••rying thereof, or any other way, either by her self, or the procu∣ring of others, so to conceal the Death thereof, as that it may not come to light whether it were born alive or not, but be concealed, in every such Case the said Mother so offending shall suf∣fer Death, as in case ••f Murther, except such Mother can make proof by one Witness at the least that the Child (whose Death was by her so intended to be concealed) was born dead.

And to make the Sentence of this Act yet more severe; It is most certain that a Woman in the City of Chester

was delivered of a Child, which she laid in an Orchard, and covered it with leaves; it so fell out that a Kite seeking for her prey, discovered it, and struck so violently at it, that the Child died thereof: We do find here that the Mother was not the immediate cause of the Death of her Child, but the Kite; nevertheless when she was arraigned at the Assizes following, she was con∣demned, and executed. In this Case (so strict was the Jury) that the will was taken for the deed: And I do find the Case in Print to be thus reported and printed, Car elle avoit un intent par ces voyes pour le tuer; for by this way she had an intent to have destroyed it.

Not out of any Design of my own have I inserted this Act of Parliament, for it is not agreeable to the candour and simplicity of this Pen, nor to the tempers of young Ladies, whose inno∣cence needs not any such terrour of Ex∣amples to preserve their Chastities.