which at the sound of their voice fall into a quiet and sweet sleep, forgetting the tears that are so proper to them, and given us of nature in that age, for a guess of the rest of our life to come.

RIC

J. MABBE

OF RICAREDO ACCOUTRED

ICAREDO was tall of stature, a gentleman, and well proportioned, and for that he came armed, with his gorge, corselet and powderns all Milan work, richly gilded and engraven, it became him extremely well, and did please the eyes of the beholders. He had no casque on his head, but a broad-brimmed hat of a lion colour, with a great large feather, diversified with a few different colours, a broad short sword by his side, a very rich girdle and hangers, and his breeches somewhat large and full, like unto those of the Switzers.

Being thus accoutred, what with the goodliness of his presence and stateliness of his gait, some were so taken therewith that they compared him to Mars, the god of war; and others, taken with the beautifulness of his countenance, compared him to Venus, who for to put a jest upon Mars had put this disguise upon him.

A RARE BEAUTY

But let me first of all ask you if you know in our town of Trapana a damosel to whom fame hath given the name of the fairest woman in Sicily, in whose praise all curious tongues have spent themselves, and of whom the rarest judgments have ratified that she was the perfectest piece of beauty that the past age had, the present hath, and that which is to come can hope to have; one of whom the poets sang that her hairs

were golden wires, her eyes two resplendent suns, and her cheeks pure damask roses, her teeth pearls, her lips rubies, her neck alabaster, and that her parts with the whole frame, and the whole with her parts, made up a most pleasing harmony and most harmonious concord, Nature spreading over the whole composure such a sweet delightfulness of colours, so natural and perfect, that envy itself cannot tax her in any one particular.

R. KNOLLES

OF A COMMONWEAL

As of treble and bass voices is made a most sweet and

melodious harmony, so also of vices and virtues, of the different qualities of the elements, of the contrary motions of the celestial spheres, and of the sympathies and antipathies of things, by indissoluble means bound together, is composed the harmony of the whole world, and of all the parts thereof: so also a well ordered Commonweal is composed of good and bad, of the rich and of the poor, of wise men and of fools, of the strong and of the weak, allied by them which are in the mean betwixt both: which so by a wonderful disagreeing concord, join the highest with the lowest, and so all to all, yet so as that the good are still stronger than the bad; so as He the most wise workman of all others, and governor of the world, hath by his eternal law decreed. And as he himself, being of an infinite force and power ruleth over the angels, so also the angels over men, men over beasts, the soul over the body, the man over the woman, reason over affection: and so every good thing commanding over that which is worse, with a certain combining of powers keepeth all things under most right and lawful commands. Wherefore what the unity is in numbers, the understanding in the powers of the soul, and the centre in a circle: so

likewise in this world that most mighty King, in unity simple, in nature indivisible, in purity most holy, exalted far above the fabric of the celestial spheres, joining this elementary world with the celestial and intelligible heavens; with a certain secure care preserveth from destruction this triple world, bound together with a most sweet and harmonical consent, unto the imitation of whom, every good prince which wisheth his kingdom and commonweal not in safety only, but even good and blessed also, is to frame and conform himself.

P. MOTTEUX AND T. URQUHART

HOW THE THELEMITES WERE GOVERNED, AND OF THEIR MANNER OF LIVING

AL

LL their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they thought good; they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to it, and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to constrain them to eat, drink, nor do any other thing; for so had Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest tie of their order, there was but this one clause to be observed.

DO WHAT THOU WILT

Because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice; which is called Honour. Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition, by which they formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off that bond of servitude, wherein they are

so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable to the nature of man to long after things forbidden, and to desire what is denied us. By this liberty they entered into a very laudable emulation, to do all of them what they saw did please one. If any of the gallants or ladies should say Let us drink, they would all drink. If any of them said, Let us play, they all played. If one said Let us go a walking into the fields, they went all. If it were to go a hawking or a hunting, the ladies mounted upon dainty well-paced nags, seated in a stately palfrey saddle, carried on their lovely fists (miniardly begloved every one of them) either a sparhawk, or a lanneret or a merlin. So nobly were they taught, that there was neither he nor she amongst them, but could read, write, sing, play upon several musical instruments, speak five or six several languages, and compose in them all very quaintly, both in verse and prose. Never were seen so valiant knights, so noble and worthy, so dexterous and skilful, both on foot and horseback, more brisk and lively, more nimble and quick, or better handling all manner of weapons, than were there. Never were seen ladies so proper and handsome, so miniard and dainty, less forward, or more ready with their hand, and with their needle, in every honest and free action belonging to that sex, than were there. For this reason, when the time came that any man of the said Abbey, either at the request of his parents, or for some other cause, had a mind to go out of it, he carried along with him one of the ladies, namely, her, whom he had before that chosen for his mistress, and were married together. And if they had formerly in Theleme lived in good devotion and amity, they did continue therein, and increase it to a greater height in their state of matrimony; and did entertain that mutual love till the very last day of their life in no less vigour and fervency than at the very day of their wedding.

TH

ROGER L'ESTRANGE

A FABLE

HERE was an old, hungry lion would fain have been dealing with a piece of good horse-flesh that he had in his eye; but the nag he thought would be too fleet for him, unless he could supply the want of heels by artifice and address. He puts himself into the garb and habit of a professor of physic, and according to the humour of the world, sets up for a doctor of the college.

Under this pretext, he lets fall a word or two by way of discourse upon the subject of his trade; but the horse smelt him out, and presently a crotchet came in his head how he might countermine him. "I got a thorn in my foot the other day," says the horse, "as I was crossing a thicket, and I am e'en quite lame on't."-"Oh," says the new physician, "do but hold up your leg a little, and I will cure you immediately." The lion presently puts himself in posture for the office; but the patient was too nimble for his doctor, and so soon as ever he had him fair for his purpose, gave him so terrible a rebuke upon the forehead with his heel, that he laid him at his length, and so got off with a whole skin, before the other could execute his design.

THE MORAL OF THE FABLE ABOVE

Harm watch, harm catch, is but according to the common rule of equity and retaliation, and a very warrantable way of deceiving the deceiver.

REFLECTION

There's no trusting to the fair words of those that have both an interest and an inclination to destroy us; Especially when the design is carried on under the mark of a friendly office. It is but reasonable to oppose art to art, and where