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are listed at the end of the text.

       *       *       *       *       *


_The Curtezan unmasked_:

Or, THE

WHOREDOMES

OF

JEZEBEL

Painted to the Life.

With ANTIDOTES against
them; or Heavenly JULIPS
to cool Men in the Fever of
_LUST_.

       *       *       *       *       *


Prescribed by a Spiritual Physician.

       *       *       *       *       *


    ----_Sanctum nihil est & ab inguine Tutum,_
  _Non Matrona Laris, non Filia Virgo, neqq; ipse_
    _Sponsus laevis adhuc, non Filius ante pudicus._
                          Juvenal. Satyr. 3.

       *       *       *       *       *


_London_, Printed for _Henry Marsh_, at the
Princes Arms in Chancery-Lane. 1664.

{1}

       *       *       *       *       *


PROV. 5. vers. 3, 4.

    _The lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is
    smoother then oyl: But her end is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a
    two-edged sword._

       *       *       *       *       *


The Text here presents you with a _strange woman_; with whom though I
desire not to procure you a _familiar acquaintance_, yet I'le give you such
cognizance of her, and excite that abhorrency of her baseness in all your
minds, that if any have heretofore been sick for want of her company, he
shall now be as sick of it; after I have made it appear that this
[1]beautiful Siren, having a Womans face, ends in the Serpents tail; and
discovered, not onely the _Virgins-face_ of this unsatiable _Harpye_, but
her cruel talons also shrowded under her wings. That you may therefore
(as[2] _Amnon_ {2} did upon _Tamar_) bolt the door upon this _strange
woman_, and no longer endure the _whoredoms_ of this painted _Jezebel_;
I'le endeavour to characterize her to you, and by the infallible clue of
Truth conduct you through all her intricate and winding Labyrinths. Be
pleased therefore, for the explication of the word [_Strange_] to take
notice, that this Epithite was by the _Graecians_ attributed to their
common Prostitutes, which they called [Greek: xenas], _strangers_: And
hence, I conceive, it was that the Comoedian called [3]_Glycerium_ who was
thought to live by the unlawful submission of her body, _Peregrinam_, a
stranger, a strange woman. But I have onely hitherto told you her name; I
shall now therefore proceed further to describe her to you by her sordid
actions, which will ascertain you of those miseries which are her constant
waiting-women or attendants. That I may therefore speedily prosecute my
design, She is one whom not _Argus_'s hundred eyes, nor _brazen_ walls, nor
the most vigilant Guards can secure from her lascivious incontinency: the
bars and [4]hedges which Nature has made for her {3} tongues confinement
are not sufficient to restrain it within the limits of a modest discourse;
and should we lock up her impure lips with a command of silence, yet could
we never limit the infiniteness of her lascivious thoughts, with which she
would as freely commit fornication, as if she were at liberty, and in the
enjoyment of the greatest voluptuary; and we may say of her what _Scipio_
in another case said of himself, [5]_She is never less alone than when
alone_. She tricks her self up with such variety of gauderies as if she
were to expose her body to bring the Devil to her lure, and _tempt the
Tempter himself_ to love her; and were that opinion of _Tertullian_ true,
That the _Devils_ and _fallen Angels_ had carnal commerce with the
_Daughters of Men_, and they should desire one to satisfie their lustful
appetite, I'de recommend the strange woman in the Text unto them; who (like
_Circe_) is an amiable Sorceress, and when she hath _once_ charmed her
_Gallant_ with youthful blood sparkling in his veins, and beauty dancing in
his face, into the endless Circle of her lust, hee'l find a difficult
[6]recovery. {4} [7]Physitians tell us, that the reason we have in Feverish
distempers our _Paroxysme_ but every second, third, or fourth day, and not
at every circulation of the blood about the body, is, because the blood
when it arrives to the heart must acquire such a degree of corruption
before it can effect it, and therefore because this corruption is not
sensible before many circulations have been performed, it cannot so soon
create a _Paroxysme_: But in this impure and libidinous strumpets heart
'tis far otherwise; for she endures the Paroxysmes of the _Fever_ of _Lust_
every hour and moment, and the _circulation_ of her lusts in her heart is
sooner performed then that of her blood. _Medea_ had not more damnable Arts
to preserve youth and beauty then she, who has perfectly attain'd the Art
of making new beauty, new hair, and counterfeit teeth; and not thinking she
hath charms enough to render her amiable, has recourse to the Merchants, as
unto Natural Magick, to buy there what Nature would not give her, and to
make her self liked in spight of Nature's disfavours; and being accustomed
to {5} varnish over her decayed Cheeks, and the ruines of a good Face, with
the fresh colours of an adventicious Paint, she by her licentiousness seems
to usurp the power and liberty of Painters, who (according to the Poet)
[8]were priviledg'd to do what they pleased; and (to say truth) she is an
exact Painter in all her actions; for the varnishes over the deformed and
execrable Name of _Whore_, with the flourishing _Title_ and _Colour_ of a
_Lady of pleasure_: and whilest she discourses to her Gallant of the
unlawful use of her body, she colours it over with the title of a great and
incomparable favour; and (_Mahomet_-like) perswades all her _adorers_, that
there's no _Paradise_ but that of carnal fruition, and the gratification to
a _domineering Lust_: But I fear that this _Paradise_ she puts them in will
prove but a _Fools Paradise_; for I believe they'l quickly conclude, That
the sulphureous flames which _Aetna's_ fiery paunch continually vomits into
the Air bear not so forcible and durable a heat as the Calentures of her
lustful blood; and that the poyson'd garment dipt in the _Centaur's_ blood,
which caused {6} _Hercules_ to burn in living flames, had had not such
vigour and vehemency as her enflamed Lust. Whilest I hear one Historian
talk of _Sempronia_, and give her this character, [9]_That she oftner
courted men to her embraces then she was courted by them_, I fancy he makes
mention of the strange woman in the Text: and whilest I hear another
report, that _Julia_ arrived to that heighth of licentiousness, [10]_That
she would leave nothing undone which she could basely commit, either by
Action or Passion, judging that lawful which pleased her humour best_, me
thinks he characterizes our strange woman to us. King _Solomon_
(understanding a hot Prostitute) tells us, _Prov._ 6. 27. a man cannot take
fire into his bosom, but he must be necessarily burnt; and I believe that
many of the Gallants of our time, who have thought onely to _warm_ and
cherish their lusts at this she-fire, have at last been soundly _burnt_ by
taking her into their bosomes: for this strange Woman is not like the
_Glow-worm_, that carries only a counterfeit _heat_, nor of so cold a
constitution as the _Moon_ was when she embraced _Endymion_; but he that
{7} embraces her shall find the same entertainment the Satyr did, that
kiss'd the fiery coal and burnt his lips; and we may say of her, what the
tyrant _Nero_ once said of himself and his mother _Agrippina_, "[11]That
there can nothing come of her into the world but what is detestable and
accursed." This _Helena_ is hot enough to _inflame_ Troy; this _Hecuba_ can
bring forth nothing but a Fire-brand. Though the Toad hath a precious Stone
in her head, yet her body is poysonous: And so, though this Strange Woman
may wear a handsome countenance, and for her superficial and skin-deep
beauty seem an inestimable Jewel, yet, if we view her throughly, we shall
discover the venom of her impure body; for, though _her lips drop as an
honey comb, and her mouth is smoother then oyl, yet her end is bitter as
wormwood, and sharp as a two-edg'd sword_. Upon which two Verses of the
Text, as upon two pillars, I build this practical Proposition,

{8}

    _That the short and transitory pleasures which the strange woman
    affords us, are accompanied with the sharpest and most permanent
    evils._

And that, First, Because she'l wound and stain our reputation. How full is
the adulterer of fears and jealousies, scorching desires, and impatient
waitings, tedious demurrs, sufferance of indignities, and amazements of
discoveries, and his uncleanness is ever attended by shame which is its
eldest daughter; for let us consider how infamous it has ever been, to be
noted for a common _Pathick_, or a lustful _Amoretto_, how opprobriously
Adulterers have been used by most Nations. The Law of the _Aegyptians_ was
to cut off the Nose of an Adulterer; the _Locrians_ put out the Adulterers
Eyes; and (the more notoriously to intimate his effeminacy) others cloathed
him with wool; and _Solons_ Law was this, _If any man take an Adulterer in
the fact, he may use him how he pleases_: And in the Twelve Tables, [12]If
you {9} take a man in the act of Adultery, you may kill him without danger
of punishment; Impunity was intailed upon the murther of him. You may
observe, that this sin of Adultery is in Scripture called a _sin of
darkness_; intimating to us, how the Adulterer, asham'd of the light,
sneaks up and down in obscure recesses, and is onely active and vigilant
when others are quiet and taking their repose. Other sinners iniquities are
in Scripture numbred by the hairs of the head; but we cannot number the
Adulterers so, because _as his sins increase his hairs do fall_; the
_Spring_ of his sins is his hairs _Fall o' th' leaf_. The second account
upon which the Adulterer will conclude, That the transitory pleasures which
the strange woman affords us are accompanied with the sharpest evils, is,

2. Because hee'l finde she will impair the health of his body; for though
her Lips drop as an Honey-comb, and she distil the Quintessence of
Rhetorick in every expression; though she does amorously caress and embrace
him, yet 'tis but as the encircling Ivie does the Oak, to make him rot,
wither, and decay. {10} Though he may think himself in Heaven, and imagine
her _curled Arms_ about him to be his _Celestial Zodiack_, yet hee'l (at
length) finde them but as chains and fetters to enslave and captivate him
to her insatiable Lust; the gratifications whereof whilest he endeavours to
shew her, he must undergo as many _gripes_ in his guilty Conscience, as
_Aches_ in his impure and vitious Body. She, it may be, will foment and
cherish the flames of his Lust with these pleasing Blasts, by telling him
that the Virgin _Spring_ does not appear less chaste because many thirsts
are there quenched; and that those Waters stink soon that continue long in
one place, but remain sweet and wholsome whilest they leave one bank and
kiss another. But let us (like a prudent _Ulysses_) stop our ears to the
fatal voice of this dangerous _Siren_, least, while we sail in the _Ocean_
of this World, we suffer _shipwrack_ of Grace and a good Conscience: Don't
let us stand to dispute the case, and parley with her, but rather flie from
her, and avoid her company: For, we must be extremely cold, not to be
warmed by so {11} fair a fire, and very strong, to make defence against so
charming an Enemy. Nor can we touch Pitch with our hands, but a foul
impress will be received from it: One rotten kernel of the Pomgranate
infects the fellows; and St. _Paul_ made that Verse Canonical, _Evil
communication corrupts good manners_. And it is noted of _Joseph_, that as
soon as his Mistress had laid her impure hands upon his garment, he leaves
it behinde him, that he might be sure to avoid the danger of her contagious
touch. And we shall assuredly finde, that she who but now compared her self
to a _pleasant Spring_, will at last serve us with the _bitter Waters_ of
_Marah_. For I appeal to the common Adulterer, Whether he be not _a walking
Hospital_ and _Pest-house_ of _Diseases_? Whether he is not alwayes possest
with a [Greek: Peirazon], a Devil that first tempts him to all Uncleanness,
and afterwards terrifies and exanimates him with the greatest horrour
imaginable? and whether the violent and fervent heat of his lustfull
appetite be not as unquenchable as Hell-flames? Could we have _Lynceus_ his
eyes, and look through {12} the decayed walls of his Body, what rottenness
should we discover in his exhausted Bones? how would the whole Fabrick of
his Body appear invalid and unnerved, and represent it self to us as the
Embleme of a Sack of dry Bones, whose every part, were it anatomized and
opened, it would corrupt and infect the Air, and store the World with as
many Diseases as the opening of _Pandora's_ Box: insomuch that he who shall
be besotted with so Lethargick a stupidity as to harbour and caress this
_strange woman_, He (like the _Hyrcanians_) may be said to keep a Dog to
devour himself, or (like the mad _Romans_ in _Arrian_) court the Fever of
his own Lust, that will soon consume him, and render him as meager and
pellucid as the meerest Skeleton; causing withal a no less decay in his
Estate then in his Body; and this I conceive induced _Solomon_ to say,
[13]_That by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread,
and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life_. But if this be not
sufficient to deter the Adulterer from this Prostitutes company, I'le
advance a step higher, and press {13} him with a third Argument, to prove,
That those transitory pleasures the strange Woman affords us are
accompanied with the sharpest and most permanent evils: and that

3. Because by her means an irreparable and irrecoverable damage will accrue
to his immortal Soul. And in this St. _Paul_ shall be my President, who
[14]bids us not be deceived, assuring us, _That neither fornicators, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate persons, shall enter into the Kingdome of God_.
[15]It was not permitted to a Dog to enter into the _Acropolis_, because of
his excessive heat in Venery; and so neither will it be permitted to those
that (like the Dog) indulge themselves in the excessive heat of Venery, to
enter into _Heaven_, which may for its heighth be called an _Acropolis_,
which (being interpreted) is, a City built upon a Hill. Let us consider how
impossible it is that our Prayers and Oblations should be acceptable to
God, when they are offered with impure hands, reeking in lust: How can we
expect to look God in the face (whose eyes are purer then to behold
iniquity) with our impure {14} eyes? How can we hope to be Eagle-ey'd
enough to look up to God, whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then
the Sun, when we have so weakned our eyes by the _Works of Darkness_, that
(like Night-birds) we dread to behold the Light? How should _Chamberings_
and _Wantonness_ hope to get room in Heaven, whence all kind of Marriage is
excluded? When the two opposite Poles of the World meet together, and two
Contradictions at the same time prove true, then, and not till then, will I
believe that the Fornicator and Heaven can kiss each other. How can we call
God _Father_, who utterly renounces those spurious off-springs of our
sinful lusts, which have not their Original, nor derive their Pedegree from
God, but the World and our depraved Natures? Which S. _John_[16] intimates
to us; who making an Inventory of the _Goods_, or rather of the _Evils_ of
this World, besides _the Lust of the Eye_, and _the Pride of Life_, he
tells us, that the _Lust of the Flesh is not of God_, but of the _World_.

It remains now that I should prescribe you some few _Recipe's_ and
Antidotes; {15} which if you'l make use of, I'le warrant to cure you of the
Fever of Lust, into which the _Strange Woman_ will endeavour to cast you:
And my first is this.

First then, Let every one make a Covenant with his eyes, never to look upon
any object with a lustfull and impure inclination. _Job_ 31. 1. _I have
made a Covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a maid?_ Shut
your Eyes, those _Windows_ of your Soul, through which you receive the
_Species_ from all sinful Objects; for, through those _windows_ a little
sin (like a little Boy) may creep in, and open the Door of your Heart to
the rest. An eminent Historian of our own Nation tells us, That whilest the
Earl of _Salisbury_ was at the Battel of _Orleance_, opening a little
window of the Castle, where he was to view the Enemy, a little Lad killed
him with a Cannon planted and discharg'd against the Windows. So, it may
be, whilest thou openest thy Souls windows, thy Eyes, to look upon a
beautiful Object, a small Lust may chance to shoot thee with a temptation,
and leave thee _dead in sin_ for ever. _Scipio_ and _Alexander_ both of
them are {16} reported to have taken fair Captives: _Scipio_ would not
suffer his to come into his sight, lest he himself might be captivated by
their beauty; but _Alexander_ gave his Captives admittance into his
presence: And though _Alexanders_ was the greater continency, yet _Scipio_
took the wisest course; for, [17]_'Tis dangerous to look upon that by which
we may at length be ensnared; the exposing of Beauty to be seen, and the
loss of Modesty and Chastity follow one another_. Let us therefore attend
to our blessed Saviours words, who tells us, [18]That _whosoever looks upon
a woman_ with an intention _to lust after her, hath committed adultery with
her already in his heart_. When we come into the presence of _moving
Beauties_, we must do as men usually do when the _Summer Sun_ grows potent
and vehement; though we admire their Beauties greatness, yet we must shun
it's heat; each place can afford us a shadow to hide us from it. The Poets
tell us, that when some young men had beheld the three equal beauty'd
_Gorgones_, they were thereby deprived and divested of their human shape,
and metamorphosed into stones: {17} So, if we be not cautious how we too
lasciviously gaze upon powerful Beauties, who knows how soon we may be so
callous and obdurate, and our hearts be rendred so stony, that without the
least regret or remorse we may first fall into the profound Abyss of
Adultery, and thence to that bottomless one of Hell. We must not do by a
beautiful Object as by the Crocodile, but quite contrary; for we must be
sure _not to look first upon it_, and then we shall remain secure from its
_killing glances_: for, he who is still looking, and always gazing, acts
like him who drinks Wine in the very heighth of a Fever. But if still men
will look upon fair Objects, let the same use be made of them which the
wiser sort of Catholicks do of Pictures; let their beautiful features serve
to raise our Devotion to God, and make us admire his curious workmanship.
And since Women are of late grown so proud and licentious as to expose and
prostitute themselves to the eyes of men in unseemly and immodest gestures,
and they onely shew themselves true _Britains_ in this, that, like the
ancient _Britains_, they delight to paint {18} their bodies, and (like the
Rain-bow) display their transient and fading colours; let us, when we see
such as these, call to mind these Considerations to allay those
inordinacies which may otherwise arise in our thoughts from the
contemplation of so vicious objects. Let us consider, That they are but
vain Dames, to bestow such curious cost on so woful and sordid a piece of
dirt, which (it may be) would otherwise resemble the clay _Prometheus_ us'd
before it was inform'd and animated; That 'tis their folly to guild a clay
Wall, and enamel a _Bubble_, when they can give no other then a _Womans_
Reason for it. Let us consider, That Women have no beauty but what we are
pleased to give them; and that if we call them fair, 'tis but in the way of
Poetry or Complement: And that these dim _Cynthia's_ would be very obscure,
if they borrowed not that light they have from the Sun of mens favour. Or
suppose we are so candid and ingenuous as to grant them beautiful, yet we
may see by experience, that their Beauty is like a sweet and much coveted
Banquet, which is no sooner tasted but its delicious Luxury is {19}
swallowed up by Oblivion. Let us think with our selves, That there's no
conformation of lineaments, no composition of features, no symmetry of
parts so exactly combin'd and compacted in one person, but a critical eye
may discover some imperfection: fairest _Cynthia_ is not without her spots,
nor beautiful _Venus_ without her moles.

2. If you would be cured of the Fever of Lust, into which the _Strange
Woman_ will endeavour to cast you, use a moderate, slender and ascetick
Diet. Be content with that with which Nature her self wil be contented, and
then [19]a little will suffice you; and if you do this, [20]you will act
according to the Rules of Discretion and Prudence. Use Fasting and severe
Abstinence, which are the proper Abscissions of the instruments and
temptations of lust. And to this is reducible a restraint from all morose
delectation, and looser banquetting: You must not desire to be fed at
_Vitellius_ his board; you must not desire _Nero's_ effeminate baths, nor
_Tiberius_ his naked Pictures to incite your lust; you must not hunt all
grounds, draw all seas, search every {20} brook and bush, or dispeople the
four Elements to please your wanton lusts, and try experiments upon your
judicious palates; but as you must abstain from [21]things _unlawful_, so
also from _lawful_ too: You must not onely take care you transcend not the
_Bounds_ of _Temperance and Moderation_, but you must sometimes abridge
your selves of your necessary repast; assuring your selves, _That the more
_[22]_you deny your selves, the more you shall receive from God_. 'Tis
storied of _Richard Nevil_ Earl of _Warwick_, (stiled also _Make-King_,)
that in the great Battel at _Ferrybrigg_ between _Henry_ the Sixth and
_Edward_ the Fourth, when he perceived his side almost worsted by _Henry_
the Sixth, he slew his Horse with his own Sword, and then uttered these
Heroick expressions, _Let all that will fight stay with me_; and then
(according to the Ceremony of those times) kissing the Cross upon his
Sword, he fought with singular courage and prowess: So in the conflict
between our Lusts and us, let us kill and mortifie our Bodies, which (in
the language of _Socrates_) are our Soul's Horses, and then excite every
Faculty {21} of our Souls with these words, _Let all that will fight stay
with me_; and when we have done thus, let us kiss and take up our Cross,
and fight stoutly under Christ the Captain of our Salvation against our
Lusts; it being impossible to keep the Spirit pure, whilest 'tis
overburdened with too much Flesh, and exposed to all entertainments of
Enemies by fomentations and pamperings; remembring the divine counsel of
the [23]Philosopher, _That we must not take care for the Body simply as the
Body, but as subservient to the Soul._ And that you may be the better
induced to do this, remember (as the fore-cited Author [24]has well said),
_That your Soul is your self, but your Body yours; for 'tis the Soul which
uses, but that which is used by it is the Body_: And by this separation of
the Soul from the Body, you will preserve your nature from confusion, nor
think that things [Greek: ta entos] which are without concern you, nor
contend for those as for your self, and so consequently avoid too much care
of your body; not resembling those, that, so that Sumpter-horse the Body be
hung with gaudy Trappings, and pamper'd, {22} care not with what rags they
cloath the Soul. We may also consider that these high pamperings and
feasting our selves have no real pleasure in them; and this I am sure was
the Orators judgment, when he said, [25]_I would not fancy or imagine with
my self as if luxurious gluttons lived pleasantly, and such who vomit upon
the table again what but now they took off, and with their crude stomacks,
carried from Feasts, the next day ingurgitate themselves into them again;
who, by reason of their laziness and surfeiting, see the Sun neither rise
nor set, and are in indigency of those Estates which they have profusely
expended: none of us_ (saith he) _ever thought such gluttons as these live
a pleasant life_. And the same Author tells us, [26]That there is no less
pleasure to be taken in a slender and spare diet, then in the most
exquisite dainties; there being no less delight in the _Persian
Nasturtium_, then in the richly furnished _Syracusan_ Tables, so much cry'd
down and {23} discommended by _Plato_. But this shall suffice for the
second _Recipe_: and my third is this.

3. Secure your Heart so well that no ill thought creeps into it, and proves
an incentive to lust; let not the smallest ventricle of your heart conceive
an evil thought, lest at last it bring forth sin. One little Flie will
taint and corrupt a great quantity of flesh; and so one little thought
hovering about thy heart (like a little Flie) will quickly taint it. Be
sure therefore (like the Emperour _Domitian_[27]) alwayes to be catching
and killing these Flies. Consider, that if you indulge your selves in
wicked thoughts and lustings, there wants nothing to the consummation of
the act but some convenient circumstances, which because they are not then
attainable, the act is for a time impeded, but the malice nothing abated:
For [28]the Law of _Not coveting_ no less forbids sinful desires and
concupiscences then sinful actions; for no man desires or lusts after any
thing {24} but what pleases him: But every complacency or delight in an
unlawful matter, although short and transient, nay, although at last
repulsed and cohibited from breaking out into an external act, hath
contracted by that very motion the blemish and spot of an internal sin. And
hence S. _Augustin_, following the Doctrine of S. _Paul_, affirms, [29]That
the _concupiscence of the flesh_ is sin in a good man, _Because he has in
him a disobedience and reluctancy against the government of the rational
faculty_. Again, He sins that inwardly lusteth or desires, although he
follow not those desires by a consequent act, Because such motions are not
pure passions, but involve negations of due acts which ought to have been
in lieu thereof: A man may be incestuous [30]that never bodily commits the
act; and from these impure fires, which men kindle and cherish within them,
they are usually in love with their deformed lusts, as _Alcaeus_ was with
the warts [31]in his Boys face, though they are deformed marks. When
_Brutus_ and _Cassius_ assaulted _Caesar_ with a design and resolution to
murther him, we read, that as soon as he saw _Brutus_ he cryed {25} out,
[Greek: Kai su teknon]; _And art thou here my Son, my Darling_? and opened
his breast to him. So when any Lust comes to assault us with a design to
make us dead in sin, we court and caress it in _Caesars_ words, Art thou
here, my Darling? and open our hearts and breasts unto it; whereas we
should alwayes be prepared with preservatories against it.

4. Let your discourse be alwayes chast and pure: Decline with great care
all undecent obscenity in your language, chastening and confining your
tongue, and restraining it with Grace; for, as St. _James_ tells us, _Jam_.
3. 2. _If any man offend not in word_ (tongue) _the same is a perfect man,
and able also to bridle the whole body._ Either be silent, or speak those
things which are better then silence, is a good Rule here. Every bad tree
is known by its bad fruit, and an unclean man may be trac'd by his unclean
discourse; it being a shrewd symptom the Will is depraved, when our
Discourse is unchaste and obscene. And in this [32]_Hierocles_ concurrs
with me; _The Will of man_ {26} (saith he) _adhering long neither to Virtue
nor Vice, utters forth expressions inclining to both, as resembling the
contrary affections in it_. This advice therefore of _Tyrius Maximus_ is
very soveraign; [33]_I require such a pleasure in words which Virtue may
not disdain to make her Waiting-woman and attend upon her._ St. _James_
calls the Tongue a _fire_, Jam. 3. 6. And the School-men call the Lusts of
the Flesh (_Fomes_) Tinder. Let us therefore be careful that the Fire of
our Tongue light not upon this Tinder, and kindle it. Modesty and a
becoming Blush is the _Fence_ of all Virtue; and when this is broken down
by obscene talk, the _Banks_ will overflow with impure _Streams_. A Rose,
when it hath lost its blush, and begins to look pale, by those symptoms you
may conclude that 'tis a dying. It hath ever been accounted a true Rule,
_Qualis Vir, talis Oratio_. We know the Bird by the Tune, the Beagle by his
Mouth, and a Man by his Words. We cannot expect that he that hath lost his
_voice_ with his _Chastity_ should sing Praises to God so _melodiously_ as
another that is chaste, virtuous, and continent. A {27} stinking breath is
not a more sure symptom of _putrid Lungs_, then an obscene Tongue of an
_unclean Heart_. 'Twere better that this _Clapper_ stood still, except it
could give a _purer sound_; it were better this _Clock_ never struck,
except it were for other ends then to awaken our Lusts, and put them in
motion. And I look upon obscene discourse but as an _impure Breath_ coming
out of the mouth, which is fit for nothing but to make an _Exhalation_ or
_Ignis fatuus_, which (if we follow it) will lead us into Bogs and
precipices of _Uncleanness_; but if we _fall down_, and prostrate our
selves before God in _Prayer_, it will quickly be dissolved: Wherefore,

5. Let us use frequent and earnest Prayers to God, to give us the
assistance of his holy Spirit; for this Devil of Lust sometimes cannot be
cast out but by Prayer. When the _Romans_ were in great distress, &
surprized with a sudden assault of their Enemies, they ran to the Temple to
get Arms, which were laid there against an extraordinary occasion: So, if
we shall be at any time assaulted by our Lusts let us have recourse to the
{28} Temple of God, and take up the Arms of the Church, which are Prayers
and Tears. We must not (as _Nero_ did at the burning of _Rome_) sing
_Paeans_ and rejoyce, when our Bodies (those Temples of the Holy Ghost) are
burning with the flames of Lust. _Numa Pompilius_, when news was brought
him that his Enemies were ready to surprize him, put off the Messenger with
this ready memorable Speech, [Greek: Ego de thuo], _I am offering a
sacrifice to God_: So, when we have any news of being surprized by our
Lusts, we may return the same answer; 'Tis enough if we are at our Prayers,
which will secure and guard us from them. _Plutarch_ reports of a Boy, who
though he was burnt with a coal that fell from the Altar, yet continued his
oblation of Sacrifice without intermission: So let us (though we are
sometimes burned with the fire of Lust) be so fervent in our Prayers to
God, that the _fervency_ of them may exceed and draw away the heat of our
Lusts, as a great Fire does the heat which was caused by a less.

6. Avoid Idleness, and be sure alwayes to be well employed. I may give an
idle {29} man that character one [34]gives of _Themistocles_ when out of
imployment, _That he will be luxurious, dissolute, lustful, and
intemperate_. Mans heart is a Mill ever grinding some grist or other; and I
may add, If there be no grain for it to work upon, it sets itself on fire
with lust. Let us consider, that whilest we are idle, and not imployed, we
can expect no assistance from God, if we should be assaulted by Lust:
according to that of the Historian: [35]_When we once give our selves over
to idleness, we shall in vain implore the aid and assistance of God, for
then he is angry and offended at us_. No, no, let us rather be in continual
action and imployment, and be diligently conversant in our several lawful
vocations: For (as the same Author tells us) [36]_We cannot by a few weak
prayers only and faint Supplications obtain aid and assistance from God;
but by watching, and being in continual action and consultation, all things
will succeed prosperously unto us_. It was a saying {30} of _Appius
Clodius_, [37]_That it were better for the _Romans_ to be busied and
imployed, then remiss and idle; Because great Empires by agitation and
motion are excited to Vertue_. And it was anothers complaint, [38]_That
Idleness _(_that great enemy to Discipline_)_ corrupted and spoiled the
_Roman_ Souldiers_. And so may we complain, that Idleness hinders us in our
Spiritual Warfare against our Lusts. Whilest _Atalanta_ was imployed in
hunting with _Diana_, she kept her Virginity pure and immaculate; but when
she fell into Idleness, she indulg'd her self in the gratification of her
insatiable Lusts: So, whilest our Souls are employed in hunting after
knowledge, and other things which are commendable and praise-worthy, they
may preserve themselves from Lust and Uncleanness. It was a saying of a
_Latine_ Poet, [39]_Take away Idleness, and you break _Cupids_ Bow_: And I
may say, with more then _Poetical Authority_, Take away Idleness, and you
break the Devils Bow; for Idleness is the Bow out of which the Devil shoots
the fiery Darts of his Temptations at us. And if, after all these Means
used, you cannot {31} contain your selves within the bounds of Chastity,
then

7. Enter the sacred Bonds of _Matrimony_: 'Tis far better thou shouldest
marry then burn. Take St. _Pauls_ counsel, who, [40]_to avoid fornication_,
bids _every man have his own Wife, and every woman have her own Husband_.
And though I cannot but esteem a single life and holy Caelibate (which was
consecrated by the holy _Jesus_ in his proper person) to be an excellent
Virtue; yet since every one hath not that gift of continence which our
Saviour had, and God hath instituted Matrimony as an Ordinance, and the
holy _Jesus_ hallowed it and made it honourable with the expence of the
first Miracle (we read) he ever performed on Earth, and made it more
sublimate by making it a Representation of the Union betwixt Him and his
Spouse the Church; it is a thing highly commendable in it self, and to be
made use of as a great Preservative against inordinacies in our Affections
and unruly Passions: And a Learned Author puts it in the Catalogue of such
_Arts_ [41]_without which a man cannot live well and {32} happily_; and
says, "That although to live a single life is not totally repugnant to
Humane Nature, yet it is repugnant to the Nature of most Men; Because a
single life and caelibate are onely fitted for the most excellent Minds,
and such as are refined from the dross of impure concupiscence." And
another Author brings in _Romulus_ speaking to his neighbouring Nations,
[42]_That they would not grudge to mix themselves together in a joynt
Allyance and Consanguinity_. And though the _Roman_ State seemed to
countenance a single life, because they afforded Dignities to certain
Vestal Virgins, yet the number of those Vestals was but small; and then the
Dignities and Priviledges which they had were no other but that they were
made equal in State to married Wives; they were preferred before all that
lived unmarried, but not before married persons.

But whilest I am speaking of this Order of Vestal Nuns, I cannot but
endeavour to excite in you an abhorrency of those destructive Nunneries
into which the <DW7>s cast their Virgins in their {33} infancy, and before
they come to maturity of years, or are (which they can never be) able to
judge of the strength of their own continency. Into what Stews have these
Nunneries been frequently converted, by reason of restraining those from
the sacred Ligament of Marriage who have not so absolute a command over
themselves as to abstain from unlawful carnality? How is that sacred Fire,
which among the _Romans_ of old was preserved by their Vestal Virgins, by
these changed into _Flames of Lust_, which all their _Holy-water_ will
never allay or extinguish? Oh! that these sottish abusers of the Holy
Ordinance of God called Marriage would but call to minde how the blessed
and immaculate Virgin (our Saviours Mother) was betrothed to _Joseph_, lest
honourable Marriage might be disreputed, and seem inglorious, by a positive
rejection from any participation of that transcendent honour! I could
heartily wish that these our _Romanists_ would but imitate the brave
example of the old _Romans_, who thought none eligible to be _Jupiters_
Priests but such as were {34} Married; and (as _Tacitus_ and _Suetonius_
tell us) set a Fine upon their heads who refused to be united in the holy
Bonds of Matrimony. It was out of respect to this, that the Emperour
_Augustus_ sent for _Germanicus_ his Children, and hugging and caressing
them in his Royal breast, signified by his countenance, and other signes of
his hand, that others ought to imitate _Germanicus_ in marrying with joy
and alacrity.

And thus you see I have asserted and maintained the laudable Priviledge and
Ordination of Marriage; and now cannot but be convinced that you think, in
this my last _Recipe_ of Marriage I have prescribed you pleasanter Physick
then in any of the former: If therefore you cannot obtain a cure from them,
you may from this joyned to them. _Suetonius_ tells us, that _Galba_
selected a Jewel to beautifie and adorn the Goddess _Fortune_; which (on
the sudden) as if it deserved a more sacred Deity, he dedicated to _Venus_.
But I hope, that we, after we have selected those Pearls of price our Souls
for Gods service, shall not {35} dedicate them to _Venus_ and our sensual
appetites; for we are most certainly informed by the Text, _That the end
thereof is bitter as wormwood, and sharp as a two-edged sword_.

       *       *       *       *       *


FINIS.

       *       *       *       *       *


Notes.

[1] _Mulier formosa superne definit in piscem._ Hor. _de arte Poet_.

[2] 2 Sam. 13. 18.

[3] _Terent. in Glycerio._

[4] [Greek: herkos o donton]. _Homer._

[5] _Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus. Tull. de Offic._

[6] _Sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras----Hic labor hoc opus
est_--Virg.

[7] _Bartholin. in Tractatu de motu Chyli._

[8] _--Pictoribus----Quidlibet audendi semper fuit aequa potestas._ Hor.
_de arte Poet._

[9] _Saepius petiit viros quam petebatur._ Salust.

[10] _Nihil quod turpiter facere aut pati posset infectum relinqueret,
quicquid liberet pro licito judicans._ Suet.

[11] _Sueton. in vit. Neron._

[12] _Moechum in adulterio deprehensum impune necato._

[13] Prov. 6. 26.

[14] 1 Cor. 6. 9.

[15] _Rouse_ in _Archaeolog. Attic_.

[16] 1 Joh. 2. 16.

[17] _Periculosum est illud per quod quis aliquando captus sit videre;
prope se consequuntur proponi formam & exponi pudicitiam._ Senec.

[18] Matth. 5. 28.

[19] _Natura paucis contenta._ Sen.

[20] _Nunquam aliud natura aliud sapientia dicit._ Hor.

[21] _Ut semper abstineas ab illicitis aliquando etiam a licitis._ Sen.

[22] _Quanto quisque sibi plura negaverit a diis plura feret._ Horat.

[23] [Greek: Ou gar somatos haplos epimeleisthai dei alla somatos dianoia
huperemenou.] Hierocl.

[24] [Greek: Eu eis he psuche to de soma son to gar chromenon he psuche, to
de ho chretai to soma.]

[25] _Nolim mihi fingere asotos, qui in mensam vomant, & qui de conviviis
auferantur, crudiq; se postridie rursus ingurgitent, qui Solem (ut ajunt)
nec Occidentem unquam viderint nec Orientem, qui consumptis patrimoniis
egent, nemo nostrum istius generis asotos jucunde putat vivere._ Tull. _de
Finibus Bonor. & Malor._

[26] _In tenuissimo ego victu, i.e. escis contemptissimis & potionibus non
minorem voluptatem percipi arbitror quam rebus exquisitissimis ad
epulandum._ Tull. ibid.

[27] _Sueton. in vit. Domitian._

[28] _Lex non concupiscendi, origines delictorum, i.e. concupiscentias &
voluntates non minus quam facta condemnat._ Tertull. _de Pudicit._

[29] _Peccatum est, quia illi inest inobedientia contra dominatum mentis._
Aug. _lib. 5. c. 3. contra_ Julian.

[30] _Incesta est sine stupro anima quae stuprum quaerit._ Sen.

[31] _Naevus in vultu delectat Alcaeum, erat deformitas, at illi placebat._
Cic.

[32] [Greek: He anthropi nu proairesis met' en arete aiei estosa, met' en
kakia, kai tou dia phones proiontas logous epamphoterizontas apegenesin hos
eoikotas tais enantiais autes diathesi.] Hierocl.

[33] [Greek: Toi autes deomai he do nes logou hen ouk apaxiosei he arete
hopadon aute ginesthai]. Tyr. Maxim.

[34] _Simul ac se remiserat, nec causa suberat quare laborem serret
luxuriosus, dissolutus, libidinosus, ac intemperans reperiebatur._

[35] _ubi socordiae atque ignaviae te dederis, nequicquam Deos implores,
irati atq; in festi sunt._ Salust.

[36] _Non votis neque supplicationibus muliebribus auxilia Deorum parantur,
vigilando, agendo, bene consulendo, prospere omnia cedent._ Sal. de Bel.
Lat.

[37] _Negotium melius populo Romano quam otium committi quod imperia
praepotentia agitatione rerum ad virtutem capessendam excitarentur._ Flor.
_lib. 3._

[38] _Res disciplinae inimicissima otium milites corrupit._ Paterc. _lib.
2._

[39] _Otia si tollas periere Cupidinis arcus._ Ovid. de Remed. Amor.

[40] 1 Cor. 7. 2.

[41] _Sine quibus vita commode duci nequit._ Grot. de Jur. Bel. & Pac.

[42] _Ne graventur homines cum hominibus genus & sanguinem miscere._ Liv.
Decad. lib. 1.

       *       *       *       *       *


Corrections made to printed original.

Page 1, "Prov. 5. vers. 3, 4.": 'Prov. 3. vers. 3, 4.' in original.

Page 28, "We may return the same answer"; 'rerurn' in original.

Note 6, "superasque evadere ad auras"; 'aurus' in original.






End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Curtezan unmasked, by 
Annonymous (a Spiritual Physician)

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