The Holy State, Book 4 · Chapter 13
CHAP. 13. The Court-Lady.
TO describe an Holy State without a virtuous Lady therein, were to paint out a yeare without a Spring: we come therefore to her Character.
Maxime 1She sets not her face so often by her glasse, as she composeth her soul by Gods word. Which hath all the excellent qualities of a glasse indeed.
1 It is clear: in all points necessary to Salvation, except to such whose eyes are blinded.
2 It is true: not like those false glasses some Ladyes dresse themselves by. And how common is flattery at Court, when even glasses have learnt to be parasites?
3 It is large; presenting all spots Cap-a-pe, behind and before, within and without.
4 It is durable: though in one sense it is broken too often (when Gods Laws are neglected) yet it will last to break them that break it, and one tittle thereof shall not fall to the ground.
5. This glasse hath power to smooth the wrinkles, cleanse the spots, and mend the faults it discovers.
2She walks humbly before God in all religious duties. Humbly: For she well knows that the strongest Christian is like the city of Rome, which was never besieged but it was taken, and the best Saint without Gods assistance would be as often foyled as tempted. She is most constant and diligent at her houres of private prayer. Queen Katharine Dowager never kneeld on a *Sande…s. de Schism. Anglic. lib. 1. pag. 5.cushion when she was at her devotions: This matters not at all; our Lady is more carefull of her heart then of her knees, that her soul be settled aright.
She is carefull and most tender of her credit and reputation. 3There is a tree in *Doctour Heglens Microces. pag. 783.Mexicana which is so exceedingly tender, that a man cannot touch any of his branches but it withers presently. A Ladyes credit is of equall nicenesse, a small touch may wound and kill it; which makes her very cautious what company she keeps. The Latine tongue seems somewhat injurious to the feminine sex; for whereas therein Amicus is a friend, Amica alwayes signifies a Sweetheart, as if their sex in reference to men were not capable of any other kind of familiar friendship but in way to marriage, which makes our Lady avoid all privacie with suspicious company.
Yet is she not more carefull of her own credit then of Gods glory;4 and stands up valiantly in the defence thereof. She hath read how at the Coronation of King Richard the second, Dame *She claimed the place, but her husband performed the office, Lelunds Colle. Tit. 1. pag. 299.Margaret Dimock, wife to Sr John Dimock, came into the Court and claimed the place to be the Kings Champion, by the virtue of the tenure of her Mannour of Scrinelby in Lincolnshire, to challenge and defie all such as opposed the Kings right to the Crown. But if our Lady heares any speaking disgracefully of God or Religion, she counts her self bound by her tenure (whereby she holds possession of grace here, and reversion of glory hereafter) to assert and vindicate the honour of the King of Heaven, whose Champion she professeth to be. One may be a lambe in private wrongs, but in hearing generall affronts to goodnesse, they are asses which are not lions.
She is pitifull and bountifull to people in distresse. 5We reade how a daughter of the Duke of Exeter invented a brake or cruel rack to torment people withall, to which purpose it was long reserved and often used in the Tower of London, and commonly called (was it not fit so pretty a babe should bear her mothers name?) The *Vid. Stowes Chron. in the reigne of King Edward the fourth.Duke of Exeters daughter. Me thinks the finding out of a salve to ease poore people in pain had born better proportion to her Ladiship then to have been the inventer of instruments of cruelty.
6She is a good scholar, and well learned in usefull Authours. Indeed as in purchases an house is valued at nothing, because it returneth no profit, and requires great charges to maintain it; so for the same reasons, Learning in a woman is but little to be prized. But as for great Ladyes, who ought to be a confluence of all rarities and perfections, some Learning in them is not onelyonly usefull but necessary.
7In discourse her words are rather fit then fine, very choice and yet not chosen. Though her language be not gaudy, yet the plainnesse thereof pleaseth, it is so proper, and handsomly put on. Some having a set of fine phrases will hazard an impertinency to use them all, as thinking they give full satisfaction for dragging in the matter by head and shoulders, if they dresse it in queint expressions. Others often repeat the same things: the Platonick yeare of their discourses being not above three dayes long, in which term all the same matter returns over again, threadbare talk ill suiting with the variety of their clothes.
8She affects not the vanity of foolish fashions; but is decently apparelled according to her state and condition. He that should have guessed the bignesse of Alexanders souldiers by their shields left in India, would much overproportion their true greatnesse. But what a vast overgrown creature would some guesse a woman to be, taking his aim by the multitude and variety of clothes and ornaments, which some of them use: insomuch as the ancient Latines called a womans wardrope Mundus, a World, wherein notwithstanding was much terra incognita then undiscovered, but since found out by the curiosity of modern Fashion-mongers. We find a mappe of this world drawn by Gods Spirit, Isaiah the third, wherein one and twenty womens ornaments (all superfluous) are reckoned up, which at this day are much encreased. The *Isaiah. 3.18.moons, there mentioned, which they wore on their heads, may seem since grown to the full in the luxury of afterages.
She is contented with that beauty which God hath given her. 9If very handsome, no whit the more proud, but farre the more thankfull: If unhandsome, she labours to better it in the virtues of her mind, that what is but plain cloth without may be rich plush within. Indeed such naturall defects as hinder her comfortable serving of God in her calling may be amended by art; and any member of the body being defective, may thereby be lawfully supplied. Thus glasse-eyes may be used, though not for seeing, for sightlinesse. But our Lady detesteth all adulterate complexions, finding no president thereof in the Bible save one, and her so bad, that Ladyes would blush through their paint to make her the pattern of their imitation. Yet are there many that think the grossest fault in painting is to paint grossely (making their faces with thick daubing not onelyonly new pictures, but new statues) and that the greatest sinne therein, is to be discover'd.
In her marriage she principally respects virtue and religion, 10and next that, other accomodations, as we have *Vid. 3. Book chap of Marriage.formerly discours'd of. And she is carefull in match not to bestow her self unworthily beneath her own degree to an ignoble person, except in case of necessity. Thus the Gentlewomen in *And… Favin in his Theater of Honour, 1. Book, chap. the 6.Champaigne in France some three hundred years since were enforced to marry Yeomen and Farmers, because all the Nobility in that countrey were slain in the warres in the two voyages of King Lewis to Palestine: and thereupon ever since by custome and priviledge the Gentlewomen of Champaigne and Brye ennoble their husbands and give them honour in marrying them, how mean soever before.
11Though pleasantly affected she is not transported with Court-delights: as in their statelie Masques and Pageants. Seeing Princes cares are deeper then the cares of private men, it is fit their recreations also should be greater, that so their mirth may reach the bottome of their sadnesse: yea God allows to Princes a greater latitude of pleasure. He is no friend to the tree, that strips it of the bark; neither do they mean well to Majesty, which would deprive it of outward shews, and State-solemnities, which the servants of Princes may in loyalty and respect present to their Sovereigne; however, our Lady by degrees is brought from delighting in such Masques, onelyonly to be contented to see them, and at last (perchance) could desire to be excused from that also.
12Yet in her reduced thoughts she makes all the sport she hath seen earnest to her self: It must be a dry flower indeed out of which this bee sucks no honey: they are the best Origens who do allegorise all earthly vanities into heavenly truths. When she remembreth how suddenly the Scene in the Masque was altered (almost before moment it self could take notice of it) she considereth, how quickly mutable all things are in this world, God ringing the changes on all accidents, and making them tunable to his glorie: The lively representing of things so curiously, that Nature her self might grow jealous of Art, in outdoing her, minds our Lady to make sure work with her own soul, seeing hypocrisie may be so like to sincerity. But O what a wealthy exchequer of beauties did she there behold, severall faces most different, most excellent, (so great is the variety even in bests) what a rich mine of jewells above ground, all so brave, so costly! To give Court-masques their due, of all the bubbles in this world they have the greatest variety of fine colours. But all is quickly ended: this is the spight of the world, if ever she affordeth fine ware, she alwayes pincheth it in the measure, and it lasts not long: But oh, thinks our Lady, how glorious a place is Heaven, where there are joyes for evermore. If an herd of kine should meet together to phancy and define happinesse, they would place it to consist in fine pastures, sweet grasse, clear water, shadowie groves, constant summer, but if any winter, then warm shelter and dainty hay, with company after their kind, counting these low things the highest happinesse, because their conceit can reach no higher. Little better do the Heathen Poets describe Heaven, paving it with pearl, and roofing it with starres, filling it with Gods and Goddesses, and allowing them to drink (as if without it no Poets Paradise) Nectar and Ambrosia; Heaven indeed being Poetarum dedecus, the shame of Poets, and the disgrace of all their Hyperboles, falling as farre short of truth herein, as they go beyond it in other Fables. However the sight of such glorious earthly spectacles advantageth our Ladyes conceit by infinite multiplication thereof to consider of Heaven.
She reades constant lectures to her self of her own mortality. 13To smell to a turf of fresh earth is wholsome for the body; no lesse are thoughts of mortality cordiall to the soul. Earth thou art, to earth thou shalt return: The sight of death when it cometh will neither be so terrible to her, nor so strange, who hath formerly often beheld it in her serious meditations. With *Iob. 17.14.Job she saith to the worm, Thou art my sister: If fair Ladyes scorn to own the worms their kinred in this life, their kinred will be bold to challenge them when dead in their graves: for when the soul (the best perfume of the body) is departed from it, it becomes so noysome a carcasse, that should I make a description of the lothsomnesse thereof, some dainty dames would hold their noses in reading it.
To conclude: We reade how Henry a Germain Prince was admonished by revelation to search for a writing in an old wall, which should nearly concern him, wherein he found onelyonly these two words written, *Surius in vita Sancti Henr. Iuly 14 & Baronius in Anno 1007.POST SEX, AFTER SIX. Whereupon Henry conceived that his death was foretold, which after six dayes should ensue, which made him passe those dayes in constant preparation for the same. But finding the six dayes past without the effect he expected, he successively persevered in his godly resolutions six weeks, six moneths, six years, and on the first day of the seventh yeare the Prophecie was fulfill'd, though otherwise then he interpreted it; for thereupon he was chosen Emperour of Germany, having before gotten such an habit of piety that he persisted in his religious course for ever after. Thus our Lady hath so inur'd her self all the dayes of her appointed time to wait till her change cometh, that expecting it every houre, she is alwayes provided for that, then which nothing is more certain or uncertain.