ults, vices, errors, and think of their imperfections; 'tis the next way
to divert and mitigate love's furious headstrong passions; as a peacock's
feet, and filthy comb, they say, make him forget his fine feathers, and
pride of his tail; she is lovely, fair, well-favoured, well qualified,
courteous and kind, "but if she be not so to me, what care I how kind she
be?" I say with [5749]Philostratus, _formosa aliis, mihi superba_, she is a
tyrant to me, and so let her go. Besides these outward neves or open
faults, errors, there be many inward infirmities, secret, some private
(which I will omit), and some more common to the sex, sullen fits, evil
qualities, filthy diseases, in this case fit to be considered; consideratio
foeditatis mulierum, menstruae imprimis, quam immundae sunt, quam
Savanarola proponit regula septima penitus observandam; et Platina _dial.
amoris_ fuse perstringit. Lodovicus Bonacsialus, _mulieb. lib. 2. cap. 2._
Pet. Haedus, Albertus, et infiniti fere medici. [5750]A lover, in
Calcagninus's Apologies, wished with all his heart he were his mistress's
ring, to hear, embrace, see, and do I know not what: O thou fool, quoth the
ring, if thou wer'st in my room, thou shouldst hear, observe, and see
_pudenda et poenitenda_, that which would make thee loathe and hate her,
yea, peradventure, all women for her sake.

I will say nothing of the vices of their minds, their pride, envy,
inconstancy, weakness, malice, selfwill, lightness, insatiable lust,
jealousy, Ecclus. v. 14. "No malice to a woman's, no bitterness like to
hers," Eccles. vii. 21. and as the same author urgeth, Prov. xxxi. 10. "Who
shall find a virtuous woman?" He makes a question of it. _Neque jus neque
bonum, neque aequum sciunt, melius pejus, prosit, obsit, nihil vident, nisi
quod libido suggerit_. "They know neither good nor bad, be it better or
worse" (as the comical poet hath it), "beneficial or hurtful, they will do
what they list."

[5751] "Insidiae humani generis, querimonia vitae,
Exuviae noctis, durissima cura diei,
Poena virum, nex et juvenum," &c.------

And to that purpose were they first made, as Jupiter insinuates in the
[5752]poet;

"The fire that bold Prometheus stole from me,
With plagues call'd women shall revenged be,
On whose alluring and enticing face,
Poor mortals doting shall their death embrace."

In fine, as Diogenes concludes in Nevisanus, _Nulla est faemina quae non
ha