An affable behauiour may be vsed,
And kinde requitall answere kinde deseart,
And yet no honest man thereby abused,
With fained showes, as if he had the heart:
When there is purpose of no such intent
To gull him with his time and mony spent.
Mall.
Were I to giue maides counsell, they to take it,
And that they would consent to doe as I,
Who offered us his loue, we would forsake it,
And like Dianes Nymphs would liue and die:
For I protest your louers should haue none,
But wiues and widdowes to put tricks vpon.
We would reuenge the crafty double dealing,
Thousands of harmelesse virgins doe endure,
By their deceitfull art of kinde-hart stealing,
Keeping our loues vnto our selues secure:
And credit to their vowes, should be no other,
But in at one eare, and goe out at t'other.
Bride.
This you would doe, and y'are in that minde now,
But I perswade me tis but rashly spoken,
And therefore Mary make no foolish vow,
For if you doe in conscience t'will be broken:
Say you doe meane to keepe you free from man,
But to be sure, still put in If you can.
Or else you may presume aboue your power,
Twixt words and deedes, great difference often growes,
You may be taken such a louing hower,
Your heart may all be Cupids to dispose:
Then vve shall haue you sicke, & pine and grieue,
And nothing but a husband can relieue.
Aske but your elders that are gone before,
And the'le say marry maide as we haue done,
Twixt twelue and twenty open loue the doore,
And say you vvere not borne to liue a Nonne:
Vnperfect female, liuing odde you are,
Neuer true euen, till you match and paire.
Iust-Nature at the first this course did take,
Woman and man deuided were in twaine,
But by vniting both did sweetely make,
Deuisions blisse contenfull to remaine,
Which well made lawe of Nature and of kinde,
To matters reasonles doe nothing binde.
Nothing vnfit, nothing vniust to doe,
But all in order orderly consisting,
Then what seeme they that wil not ioine their two
And so be one, without vnkinde resisting:
Surely no other censure passe I can,
But she's halfe woman liues without a man.