Credite me (whome euer you haue knowne to fauour you) the disgrace that quickly you shall sustaine, if betimes you relent not these euils, wil to a good mind become so vile and so odious as not without great sorow and griefe, may bee wiped away. I disguise not with you in that I saie, for you shall finde it and proue it to be true. It is a shame for any man in those yeares, wherin of al others his towardnes should chiefly be effected, to be accompted then bad, vilde, lewd, and ill demeaned, much more for a Gentleman,Auxesis. whose education was so good, whose infancy so well trained, whose adolescency so formerly with al kind of vertues indued, to become, now when most discretion should swaie in him, worse then before, more disordered then when hee was to be corrected, lesse commended in his owne gouernment then when he was vnder anothers intertainment.
The loue that I beare vnto you, maketh mee the more largelye heereof to enfourme you, which for that I deeme not of anie ill seede sprong out of your owne nature,Metaphora. to bee growne vppe into such kernels, I doe thereby adiudge, that with more facilitie they maie be disseuered, the braunches I knowe are of others wearing, which I neuer wish to bee so farre foorth lyked, as to become of your owne gathering. From the inconuenience whereof, I hitherto haue studyed thus much to withdrawe you, as hee that most of all desireth aboue anie other to enioie you. The haste of the messenger, and wearinesse of writing enforce mee to leaue. God, who is the conductor of all happie endeuours, blesse you, and till I heare from you againe, my selfe will exspect the best reformation that any good opinion may induce in mee, as yet to conceyue of you. Fare you well, this of. &c.
Of Epistles Amatorie. Chap. 19.
Iuers other patternes of sundrie occasions concluded vnder this Tytle, might besydes these heere bee put downe, whereof because I haue so largelie spoken in the discourse before these Epistles, I thinke the examples alreadie proponed to bee sufficient. And nowe the last of all these diuisions yet vnspoken of is Amatorie, whereof because the humours of all sortes with loue possessed, are so infinite and so great an vncertaintie in them remaineth, as that perchance euen in yᵉ verie writing of his letter, the louer himself is somtimes scarce certain of his own intended purpose therein, the lesse must of necessitie be the precepts of the same, for that in some of them wee require and entreate in others expostulate the matters and occasions falling in the necke therof, other times complaine, another while fawne and speake faire, then purge or cleare an accusation supposed agaynst vs. Finallie, innumerable are the deuises wherewith the reynes of loue are conducted. But in as much as I haue heretofore giuen vnto all other titles their seuerall preceptes, I will somwhat also in this place speake to the purpose thereof: In which I must first referre the writer vnto the consideration of the honestie of the action by him pretended to be written of, and then for the places of request, complaint, expostulation, or auoydance of anie thing therein happening to the waight of his owne affection, which how vehemently, or slenderly it weigheth, himselfe can best testifie, and lastly, for the well ordering of either of these, to the examples Petitorie, Expostulatorie, Defensorie, and Excusatorie in this booke plentifullie deliuered, wherein howbeit the matter of loue is no wayes expressed, yet to anie capable or wel disposed conceit, the conueyance thereof cannot in the selfe exchange of the subiect be without some import vnto them.
In this place there might also bee made a distinction of loue where in a Sympathie of minds from man to man aswell vniteth togither by an indissoluble league of amitie their hearts in one, as betwéene man and woman, and that for the most part by a far more waightie league, and more inuiolable discretion. But sith the alteration thereof, as it much differeth in qualitie from the other, is also alike exchaunged by title, that one tearmed by the name of Friendship, and this other chalenging onelie to be deciphered by Loue, these amours in this definition shall onely be intended such, as are modestly tendered from men vnto women, and so accordingly herein to be exampled and written vpon.
And howbeit the little experience I haue had of some conuersing in this kinde of studie, hath sufficientlie taught mee to knowe, that the verie instinct or setled impression of this kinde of fantasie is such a Schoolemaister to inuention, and so cunning a refiner of any well disposed conceit, as that with very small help, it thereby commonlie performeth much more then well could bee otherwise intended. To the helping and putting forwardes whereof, a number of excellent penned discourses onelie pertinent and seruing to the efficacie of those amours, are with the greatest singularitie that may bee deliuered, yet in so much as this booke taking vpon it to set foorth of euerye the tytles therein distinguished, some one or other particular example, may not by the defect of these, seeme to haue anie want of that, which by it hath bin formerlie promised. I haue thought good for order sake, to pursue also in this place, the effect of this Methode. The circumstances whereof by the examples following shall bee tendered.
An example of an Epistle, for the first entreatie
of good will.
THe long and considerate regarde, by which in deepe contemplation I haue eyed your most rare and singular vertues, ioyned with so admirable beautie, and much pleasing condition graffed in your person, hath mooued me good Mistresse E. among a number whome entirely I knowe to fauour you, earnestlie to loue you, and therewith to offer my selfe vnto you. Nowe howbeit I may happilie seeme in some eyes, the least in woorthines of a number that daylie frequent you, yet may you vouchsafe in your owne priuate to reckon mee with the greatest in willingnesse, wherein, if a seded and immooueable affection towardes you, if feruent and assured loue grounded vpon the vndecaiable stay and proppe of your vertues, if continuall, nay rather inexterminable vowes, in all perpetuitie addicted vnto your seruices, if neuer ceasing and tormenting griefe vncertainlie carried, by a hazardous expectation, closed in the circle of your gracious conceyte, whether to bring vnto the eares of my soule a sweet murmure of life, or seuere sentence of a present death, may ought at all preuaile either to mooue, entreate, sue, solicite, or perswade you, I then am the man, who shrining in my inwarde thoughts, the dignitie of so woorthie a creature, and prising in deepest weight (though not to the vttermost value) the estimate of so incomparable a beatie, haue resolued liuing to honor you, and dying neuer to serue other but you, from whose delicate looks, expecting no worse acceptance, then may seeme answerable to so diuine an excellencie, I remaine.