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The cause of which surmise is onely this,
That as these wicked and detested men
Of custome are enclined to stray amisse,
And in false loue their wits and wealth to spend,
Do thinke it now a burden to their liues,
To be belou’d so truely of their wiues.
Then since in louing them we euer finde
Our selues a payde with hatefull scorne and blame,
I thinke it best, for easing of our minde,
Quite to forget their nature, sexe, and name:
Or else to leaue our ioies in looking on them,
Or if we looke, not once to thinke vpon them.
But yet it is a pretie iest to see
Some kind of men, whose madnes is so great,
That if the woman will not wholly bee
At their desires, then in a franticke heat
They call her Tygresse, cruell, and vnkinde,
And trasteresse vnto a louing minde.
Then shalt thou see these men vnseemely call
The modest women, whom they would haue naught,
Coy and disdainfull to conuerse withall:
And her that’s chaste, vnmanner’d and vntaught.
Those that be wise and sober, full of pride:
And cruell those, whose honesties are tride.
I would to God that those dishonored names
Did fit them all, as well as all the rest,
Then none of them should bide so many shames,
Nor be deceiu’d by men, that loue them lest:
For being cruell, proude, and rusticall,
They would not loue, nay could not loue at all.
For if the thing, which they so faine would haue,
By any meanes they cannot once obtaine,
Then do they wish for death, or for their graue:
But yet the same no sooner they attaine,
But make it but a sport and merie game,
And straight forget that ere they lou’d the same.
They faine themselues most sorrowfull and sad,
And wearied with a long and painfull life:
They still do tell the paines that they haue had,
And other lyes, which are with them so rise:
They call themselues vnhappie, poore, and blinde,
Confounded slaues, yet all but words of winde.
O how they can make Oceans of their eies!
And terme their flames their torments and their paines,
And breath out sighes, like vapours in the skies,
And belch out sobs like Aetnas burning vaines:
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