Sis.  This is very pretty.

De.  Oh, it saves the trouble of writing, where the Mistres and Servant are learned in this amorous blazon.  Yesterday I wore Folimort, Grisdelin and Isabella:  Folimort is withered, Grisdelin is absent, and Isabella is beauty, which put together express I did wither or languish for your absent beautie.

Sis.  But is there any reason for theis distinctions?

De.  Yes, Lady:  for example, your Follimort is a withred leafe, which doth moralise a decay:  your yellow is joy, because—­

La.  Why, yellow, Sir, is Jealous.

De.  No, your Lemon colour, a pale kind of yellow, is Jealous; your yellow is perfect joy.  Your white is Death, your milke white inocence, your black mourning, your orange spitefull, your flesh colour lascivious, your maides blush envied, your red is defiance, your gold is avaritious, your straw plenty, your greene hope, your sea greene inconstant, your violet religious, your willow forsaken.

Sis.  We may then comitt a solecisme and be strangely interpreted by such curious expounders in the rash election and wearing of our colours, I p[er]ceave.

La.  Tis pitty but there should be some bookes for our instruction in this art.

De.  Your Hierogliphick was the Egiptian wisdome, your Hebrew was the Cabala, your Roman had your Simball or impresse; but they are now obsolete, your embleme trite and conspicuous, your invention of Character and Alphabeticall key tedious and not delightfull, your motto or rebus too open and demonstrative:  but the science and curiosity of your Colours in Ribbands is not only instructive but an ornament and the nearest Comentator of Love; for as Love is entertain’d first by the eye, or, to speake more plaine, as the object affected is tooke in first by these opticks which receive the species of the thing colord & beautifide, so it is answerable to nature that in the progresse of our passion we should distinguish by our eye the change or constancy of our affections in apt and significant colours.

Sis. You have tooke paines to study this learn’d heraldry.

De.  It is the onely gentile knowledge or philosophie in the world.  I will undertake to open any man or womans hart.

La.  Heaven forbid!

De.  Tell the most secret imaginations and designes conclude every passion and scruple, if they be carefull to observe the artificiall method of their colours.

Sis.  Why, this may be a way of fortune telling too.

De.  You say right, Lady:  phisiognomy and chiromancy are but trifles; nay, your geomancie meere coniecturall, the execution of your schemes circumstantiall and fallible, but your quaint alamode weare of your fancie more then astrologicall.

La.  Tis a kind of Divinitie.

De.  You say very true, Madam, and comes neere to propheticall if the minds of Ladies and gentlemen were elevated to the just and sublime consideration.