Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 2.pdf/17

Rh the rocks, and bowers formed of the branches of trees, afforded them all the shelter they required.

When the people of the Golden Age would take their rest, they looked for no more than a couch of moss or leaves, for they enjoyed a climate of perpetual spring, and men and women lived a life of peace and love. Jealousy was unknown, for all men were equal, unembarrassed by kings, judges, or rulers of any sort. Marriage, among other evils, was not yet devised.

To illustrate the evils that ensued on the institution of marriage, the author draws a picture of the domestic tyranny endured by a woman cursed with a jealous husband, who re­proaches her for permitting and encouraging the attentions of other men.

The jealous husband continues his tirade against his wife and against women generally. If women are fair, all men follow them; if ill-favoured, they are ready to throw themselves at those who will have them. He relates the story of Lucretia.

The story of Lucretia concluded. But alas! he exclaims, how many women are there in all the world to be compared with Penelope and Lucretia? An honest woman, he declares, is more rare than a phœnix, a white crow, or a black swan. He relates the history of Abelard