ious object of true men
Seeme shadowes, with substantiall stir she keeps
About her shadowes, which if husbands love
They must beleeve; and thus my other selfe
Brings me another body to dispose,
That have already much too much of one,
And must not looke for any Soule of her
To helpe to rule two bodies?
_Mom_. Fie for shame;
I never heard of such an antedame[35].
Doe women bring no helpe of soule to men?
Why, friend, they eyther are mens soules themselves,
Or the most witty Imitatrixes of them;
Or prettiest sweet apes of humaine Soules,
That ever Nature fram'd; as I will prove.
For first they be _Substantiae lucidae_,
And purer then mens bodies, like their soules,
Which mens harsh haires both of their brest and chinne
Occasioned by their grose and ruder heate
Plainely demonstrats: Then like soules they doe,
_Movere corpora_, for no power on Earth
Moves a mans body, as a woman does.
Then doe they _Dare formas corpori_,
Or adde faire formes to men, as their soules doe:
For but for women, who wood care for formes?
I vow I never wood wash face, nor hands,
Nor care how ragg'd, or slovenly I went,
Wer't not for women, who of all mens pompes
Are the true final causes: Then they make
Men in their Seedes immortall, like their soules,
That els wood perish in a spanne of time.
Oh! they be soule-like creatures, and my Neece
The soule of twenty rare soules stil'd in one.
_Cla_. That, that it is, my Lord, that makes me love.
_Mom_. Oh are ye come Sir, welcome to my Neece,
As I may say, at midnight; gentle friend,
What have you wrot I pray?
_Cla_. Strange stuffe my Lord.
_Mom_. Indeed the way to believe is to love
[_Hee reads and comments_.
And the right way to love is to believe.
This I will carry now with pen, and incke,
For her to use in answere; see, sweet friend,
She shall not stay to call, but while the steele
Of her affection is made softe and hott,
Ile strike, and take occasion by the brow.
Blest is the wooing thats not long a dooing.
[_Exit_.
_Cla_. Had ever man so true, and noble friend?
Or wood men thinke this sharpe worlds freezing Aire
To all true honour and iuduciall love,
Wood suffer such a florishing pyne in both
To overlooke the boxe-trees of this time?
When the learn'd minde hath by impulsion wrought
Her eyes cleere fire into a knowing flame;
No elementall smoke can darken it,
Nor Northren coldnesse nyppe her _Daphnean_ Flowe
|