and Medea’s beauty Jason so victorious; expectorat amor timorem. [5489]Plato is of opinion that the love of Venus made Mars so valorous.  “A young man will be much abashed to commit any foul offence that shall come to the hearing or sight of his mistress.”  As [5490]he that desired of his enemy now dying, to lay him with his face upward, ne amasius videret eum a tergo vulneratum, lest his sweetheart should say he was a coward.  “And if it were [5491]possible to have an army consist of lovers, such as love, or are beloved, they would be extraordinary valiant and wise in their government, modesty would detain them from doing amiss, emulation incite them to do that which is good and honest, and a few of them would overcome a great company of others.”  There is no man so pusillanimous, so very a dastard, whom love would not incense, make of a divine temper, and an heroical spirit.  As he said in like case, [5492] Tota ruat caeli moles, non terreor, &c.  Nothing can terrify, nothing can dismay them.  But as Sir Blandimor and Paridel, those two brave fairy knights, fought for the love of fair Florimel in presence—­

[5493] “And drawing both their swords with rage anew,
        Like two mad mastives each other slew,
        And shields did share, and males did rash, and helms did hew;
        So furiously each other did assail,
        As if their souls at once they would have rent,
        Out of their breasts, that streams of blood did trail
        Adown as if their springs of life were spent,
        That all the ground with purple blood was sprent,
        And all their armour stain’d with bloody gore,
        Yet scarcely once to breath would they relent. 
        So mortal was their malice and so sore,
        That both resolved (than yield) to die before.”

Every base swain in love will dare to do as much for his dear mistress’ sake.  He will fight and fetch, [5494]Argivum Clypeum, that famous buckler of Argos, to do her service, adventure at all, undertake any enterprise.  And as Serranus the Spaniard, then Governor of Sluys, made answer to Marquess Spinola, if the enemy brought 50,000 devils against him he would keep it.  The nine worthies, Oliver and Rowland, and forty dozen of peers are all in him, he is all mettle, armour of proof, more than a man, and in this case improved beyond himself.  For as [5495]Agatho contends, a true lover is wise, just, temperate, and valiant. [5496]"I doubt not, therefore, but if a man had such an army of lovers” (as Castilio supposeth) “he might soon conquer all the world, except by chance he met with such another army of inamoratos to oppose it.” [5497]For so perhaps they might fight as that fatal dog and fatal hare in the heavens, course one another round, and never make an end.  Castilio thinks Ferdinand King of Spain would never have conquered Granada, had not Queen Isabel and her ladies been present at the siege:  [5498]"It cannot