Page:The Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Women (1622).djvu/32

 raſor, to cut off the occaſion of the euill which commeth by women: for had not Holofernes ſeene the beauty of Iudith, and marked the fineneſſe of her foote, he had not loſt his head by her. If Herod had not ſeene Herodias daughter daunce, he had not ſo raſhly granted her Saint Iohn Baptiſts head. Had not Eue ſeene the Apple, and alſo ſhe was tempted with the beauty of the Serpent, who as our Schoole-men doe write, that he ſhewed himſelfe like a faire yong man; but had not the ſeene it, I ſay, ſhee had not eaten thereof, to her owne griefe and many more. By ſight, the wife of Potiphar was moued to luſt after her ſeruant Ioſeph. It is ſaid of Semiramis of Babylon, that after her husbands death, ſhe waxed ſo vnſatiable in carnall luſt, that two men at one time could not ſatiffie her deſire, and ſo by her vnſatiableneſſe, at length all Perſia grew full of whores.

And likewiſe of one Veniſe a ſtrumpet in Cipris, it is ſuppoſed, that by her fame and ill life, ſhe cauſed all Cipris at length to be full of queanes.

And of one faire Rodape in Egypt, who was the firſt noted woman in that Countrey, but at length all the whole Countrey became full of Strumpets.

Is it not ſtrange, that the ſeed of one man ſhould breed ſuch woe vnto all men?

One ſaid vnto his friend, Come let vs goe ſee a pretty wench. The other made this anſwere; I haue, ſaid hee, ſhaken ſuch fetters from my heeles, and I will neuer goe where I know I ſhall repent afterwards. But yet happily ſome may ſay vnto me; It thou ſhouldeſt refuſe the company or the curteſie of a woman, then ſhe would account thee a ſoft-ſpirited foole, a milke-fop, and a meacocke. But