A Petite Pallace of Pettie His Pleasure (Electronic book text)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3SCILLA AND MINOS SCILLA, daughter to Nisus, King of AlcathoS, disdainfully rejecting the humbler suit of Iphis, a young gentleman of her father's court, becometh unadvisedly amorous of King Minos, her father's and country's mortal foe, lying in siege about the city. To whom, by the counsel of Pandarina, she betrayeth her father, in stealing away his golden hair, and presenting it unto Minos in token of her love, which he reproachfully rejecteth. And being embarked to depart homewards, she essayeth to swim after him, and is drowned in the sea. Many are of opinion that the virtues of love are very many, and that it is of force to reduce us from savageness to civilness, from folly to wit, from covetous- ness to liberality, from clownishness to courtliness, yea, from all vice to all virtue. But if the effects thereof be rightly considered, I see not but that we may more justly say, that the inconveniences of love be infinite, and that it bringeth us from modesty toimpudency, from learning to lewdness, from stayed firmness to staggering fickleness, from liberality to prodigality, from wariness to wilfulness, from good behaviour to dissolute living, from reason to rage, yea, from all goodness to all vanity. As may be justified by the gods themselves, by the godliest men that ever were, by the wisest men that ever were, and by the valiantest men that ever were, who by love have been brought to most outrageous impiety, tp most extreme folly, and most vile villainy. But, Gentlewomen, because most of you be maids, I mean at least taken so, I will manifest unto you the mischief of love by the example of a maid, in that estate, though I hope not every way, like unto yourselves, that admonished thereby, you may avoid the like inconvenience in yourselves. voL. II. B Therefore, you shall understand that over t...