Page:The Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Women (1622).djvu/7



F ''thou meane to ſee the Beare-bayting of Women, then trudge to this Beare-Garden apace, and get in betimes, and view euery Roome, where thou mayeſt beſt ſit, for thine owne pleaſure, profit, and hearts-eaſe; and beare with my rudeneſſe, if I chance to offend thee. But before I doe open this Trunke full of torments againſt Women, I thinke it were not amiſſe to reſemble thoſe which in old time did ſacrifice to Hercules: for they vſed continually firſt to whip all their Dogges out of their Citie: and ſo I thinke it were not amiſſe to driue all the Women out of my hearing, for doubt leſt this little ſparke kindle into ſuch a flame, and raiſe ſo many ſtinging Hornets humming about my eares, that all the wit I haue wil not quench the one, nor quiet the other; for I feare that I haue ſet downe more then they wil like of, and yet a great deale leſſe then they deſerue: and for better proofe, I referre my ſelfe to the iudgement of Men, which haue more experience then my ſelfe, for I eſteeme little of the malice of Women; for Men wil be perſwaded with reaſon, but Women muſt be anſwered with ſilence; for I know Women will barke more at me, than Cerberus the three-headed Dog did at Hercules, when he came into Hell to fetch out the faire Proſerpine: and yet I charge them not now but with a Bul-ruſh, in reſpect of a ſecond Booke which is almoſt ready: I do now but feare them with falſe fire, but my next Charge ſhal be with Weapons, and my Larum with'' powder