ne present
pleasure, and priuate proffit: whereby, they plainlie declare, of
whose schole, of what Religion they be: that is, Epicures in liuing,
and +atheoi+ in doctrine: this last worde, is no more vnknowne now to
plaine Englishe men, than the Person was vnknown somtyme in England,
vntill som Englishe man tooke peines to fetch that deuelish opinin
out of Italie....

I was once in Italie my selfe: but I thanke God, my abode there, was
but ix. dayes:

[Sidenote: _Venice_.]

And yet I sawe in that litle time, in one Citie, more libertie to
sinne, than euer I hard tell of in our noble

[Sidenote: _London_.]

Citie of London in ix. yeare. I sawe, it was there, as free to
sinne, not onelie without all punishment, but also without any mans
marking, as it is free in the Citie of London, to chose, without all
blame, whether a man lust to weare Shoo or Pantocle....

Our Italians bring home with them other faultes from Italie, though
not so great as this of Religion, yet a great deale greater, than
many good men will beare.

[Sidenote: Contempt of mariage.]

For commonlie they cum home, common contemners of mariage and readie
persuaders of all other to the same: not because they loue
virginitie, nor yet because they hate prettie yong virgines, but,
being free in Italie, to go whither so euer lust will cary them,
they do not like, that lawe and honestie should be soche a barre to
their like libertie at home in England. And yet they be, the
greatest makers of loue, the daylie daliers, with such pleasant
wordes, with such smilyng and secret countenances, with such signes,
tokens, wagers, purposed to be lost, before they were purposed to be
made, with bargaines of wearing colours, floures and herbes, to
breede occasion of ofter meeting of him and her, and bolder talking
of this and that, etc. And although I haue seene some, innocent of
ill, and stayde in all honestie, that haue vsed these thinges
without all harme, without all suspicion of harme, yet these knackes
were brought first into England by them, that learned them before in
_Italie_ in _Circes_ Court: and how Courtlie curtesses so euer they
be counted now, yet, if the meaning and maners of some that do vse
them, were somewhat amended, it were no great hurt, neither to them
selues, nor to others....

An other propertie of this our English _Italians_ is, to be
meruelous singular in a