of delicat[e]s yet but their eare ful, list[en]ing to discourses of love but not without reasoning of learning: for there it more delighteth them to talke of Robin hood, then to shoot in his bowe, and greater pleasure they take to heare of love, then to be in love. Heere Ladies is a Glasse that will make you blush for shame, and looke wan for anger; their beautie commeth by nature, yours by art; they encrease their favours with faire water, you maintaine yours with painters colours; the haire they lay out groweth upon their owne heads, your seemelines hangeth upon others; theirs is alwayes in their owne keeping, yours often in the Dyars; their bewtie [beautie] is not lost with a sharpe blast, yours fadeth with a soft breath: Not unlike unto Paper Floures [flowers], which breake as soone as they are touched, resembling the birds in Egypt called Ibes, who being handled, loose their feathers, or the serpent Serapic, which beeing but toucht with a brake," bursteth. They use their beautie, bicause it is commendable, you bicause you woulde be common; they if they have little, doe not seeke to make it more, you that have none endeavour to bespeake most ; if theirs wither by age, they nothing esteeme it; if yours wast by yeares, you goe about to keepe it; they knowe that beautie must faile if life continue, you sweare that it shall not fade if coulours last.

But to what ende, Ladies, doe you alter the giftes of nature by the shiftes of arte? Is there no colour good but white, no Planet bright but Venus, no Linnen faire but Lawne? Why goe yee about to make the face fayre by those meanes that are most foule, a thing loathsome to man, and therefore not lovely, horrible before God, and therefore not lawefull?

Have you not hearde that the beautie of the Cradell is most brightest, that paintings are for pictures with-out sence, not for persons with true reason? Follow at the last, Ladies, the Gentlewomen of England, who being beautifull doe those thinges as shall beecome so amyable faces, if of an indifferent h[i]ew[e], those

11 a pointed instrument,

things as they shall make them lovely, not adding an ounce to beautie, that may detract a dram from vertue. Besides this their chastitie and temparance [temperaunce] is as rare as their beautie, not going in your footesteppes, that drinke wine before you rise to encrease your colour, and swill it when you are up, to provoke your lust: They use their needle to banish idlenes, not the pen to nourish it, not spending their times in answering ye letters of those that woe" them, but forswearing the companie of those that write them, giving no occasion either by wanton lookes, unseemely gestures, unadvised speach, or any uncomly behaviour, of lightnesse, or liking. Contrarie to the custome of many countries, where filthie wordes are accompted to savour of a fine witte, broade speach, of a bolde courage, wanton glaunces, of a sharpe eye sight, wicked deedes, of a comely gesture, all vaine delights, of a right curteous curtesie.

And yet are they not in England presise [precise], but wary, disdainefull to conferre,13 but careful [fearefull] to offende, not without remorse where they perceive trueth, but without replying where they suspect tre[a]cherie, when as among other nations, there is no tale so lothsome to chast eares but it is heard with great sport, and aunswered with great speade [speede].

Is it not then a shame, Ladyes, that that little Island shoulde be a myrrour to you, to Europe, to the whole worlde?

Where is the temperance you professe when wine is more common then water? . . . where the modestie when your mirth turneth to uncleanes, uncleanes to shamelesnes, shamelesnesse to al sinfulnesse? Learne, Ladies, though late, yet at length, that the chiefest title of honour in earth, is to give all honour to him that is in heaven, that the greatest braverie in this worlde, is to be burning lampes in the worlde to come, that the clearest beautie in this life, is to be amiable to him that shall give Jife eternall: Looke in the Glasse of England, too bright I feare me for your eyes, what is there in your sex that they have not, and what that you should not have?

They are in prayer devoute, in bravery humble, in beautie chast, in feasting temperate, in affection wise, in mirth modest, in al[1] their actions though courtlye, bicause woemen, yet Aungels [Angels], bicause virtuous.

Ah good Ladies, good, I say, for that I love you, I would yee [you] could a little abate that pride of your stomackes, that loosenesse of minde, that lycentious behaviour which I have seene in you, with no smal[1] sorrowe, and can-not remedy with continuall sighes.

They in England pray when you play, sowe when you sleep, fast when you feast, and weepe for their sins, when you laugh at your sensualitie.

...

They frequent the Church to serve God, you to see gallants; they deck them-selves for cle[a]nlinesse, you for pride; they refraine wine, bicause they fear to take too much, you bicause you can take no more. Come, Ladies, with teares I call you, looke in this Glasse, repent your sins past, refrain your present vices, abhor vanities to come, say thus with one voice, we can see our faults only in the English Glasse; a Glas of grace to them, of grief to you, to them in the steed of righteousnes, to you in place of repentance. The Lords and Gentlemen in ye [that] court are also an example for all others to fol[1]ow, true tipes [types] of nobility, the only stay and staf[fe] to [of] honor, brave courtiers, stout soldiers, apt to revell in peace, and ryde in warre. In fight fearce [fierce], not dreading death, in friendship firme, not breaking promise, curteous to all that deserve well, cruell to none that deserve ill. Their adversaries they trust not, that sheweth their wisdome, their enimies they feare not, that argueth their courage. They are not apt to proffer injuries, nor fit to take any: loth to pick quarrels, but longing to revenge them.

Active they are in all things, whether it be to wrestle in the games of Olympia, or to fight at Barriers in Palestra, able to carry as great burthens as Milo, of strength to throwe as byg stones as Turnus, and what not that eyther man hath done or may do, worthye of such Ladies, and none but they, and Ladies willing to have such Lordes, and none but such.

This is a Glasse for our youth in Greece, for your young ones in Italy, the English Glasse; behold it, Ladies and Lordes, and all that eyther meane to have pietie, use braverie, encrease beautie, or that desire temperancie, chastitie, witte, wisdome, valure, or any thing that may delight your selves, or deserve praise of others.

But another sight there is in my Glasse, which maketh me sigh for griefe I can-not shewe it, and yet had I rather offend in derogating" from my Glasse, then my good will.

Blessed is that Land that hath all commodities to encrease the common wealth, happye is that Islande that hath wise counsailours to maintaine it, vertuous courtiers to beautifie it, noble Gentlemenne to advance it, but to have suche a Prince to governe it as is their Soveraigne queene, I know not whether I should thinke the people to be more fortunate, or the Prince famous, whether their felicitie be more to be had in admiration, that have such a ruler, or hir vertues to be honoured, that hath such royaltie: for such is their estat[e] ther[e] that I am enforced to think that every day is as lucky to the Englishmen, as the sixt day of Februarie hath beene to the Grecians.

But I see you gase untill I shew this Glasse, which you having once seene, will make you giddy: Oh Ladies I know not when to begin, nor where to ende: for the more I go about to expresse the brightnes, the more I finde mine eyes bleared; the neerer I desire to come to it, the farther I se[e]me from it, not unlike unto Simonides, who being curious to set downe what God was, the more leysure he tooke, the more loth hee was to meddle, saying that in thinges above reach, it was easie to catch a straine, but impossible to touch a Star: and ther[e]fore scarse tollerable to poynt at that which one can never pull at. When Alexander had commaunded that none shoulde paint him but Appelles, none carve him but Lysippus, none engrave him but Pirgotales [Pergotales], Parrhasius framed a Table squared, everye way twoo hun

15

dred foote, which in the borders he trimmed with fresh coulours, and limmed with fine golde, leaving all the other roume [roome] with-out knotte or lyne, which table he presented to Alexander, who, no lesse mervailing at the bignes, then at the barenes, demaunded to what ende he gave him a frame with-out face, being so naked, and with-out fashion, being so great. Parrhasius aunswered him, let it be lawful for Parrhasius, O Alexander, to shew a Table wherin he would paint Alexander, if it were not unlawfull, and for others to square Timber, though Lysippus carve it, and for all to cast brasse though Pirgoteles [Pergoteles] ingrave it. Alexander, perceiving the good minde of Parrhasius, pardoned his boldnesse, and preferred 16 his arte: yet enquyring why hee framed the table so bygge, he aunswered that hee thought that frame to bee but little enough for his Picture, when the whole worlde was to little for his personne, saying that Alexander must as well be praysed, as paynted, and that all hys victoryes and vertues were not for to bee drawne in the Compasse of a Sygnette, [Signet] but in a fielde.

This aunswer Alexander both lyked and rewarded, insomuch that it was lawful ever after for Parrhasius both to praise that noble king and to paint him.

In the like manner I hope that, though it be not requisite that any should paynt their Prince in England, that can-not sufficiently perfect hir, yet it shall not be thought rashnesse or rudenesse for Euphues to frame a table for Elizabeth, though he presume not to paynt hir. Let Appelles shewe his fine arte, Euphues will manifest his faythfull heart, the one can but prove his conceite to blase his cunning, the other his good will to grinde his coulours: hee that whetteth the tooles is not to bee misliked, though hee can-not carve the Image; the worme that spinneth the silke is to be esteemed, though she cannot worke the sampler; they that fell tymber for shippes, are not to be blamed, bicause they can-not builde shippes.

16 commended.