1.  Hast thou means? thou hast one to spend it.—­2.  Hast none? thy beggary is increased.—­3.  Art in prosperity? thy happiness is ended.—­4.  Art in adversity? like Job’s wife she’ll aggravate thy misery, vex thy soul, make thy burden intolerable.—­5.  Art at home? she’ll scold thee out of doors.—­6.  Art abroad?  If thou be wise keep thee so, she’ll perhaps graft horns in thine absence, scowl on thee coming home.—­7.  Nothing gives more content than solitariness, no solitariness like this of a single life,—­8.  The band of marriage is adamantine, no hope of losing it, thou art undone.—­9.  Thy number increaseth, thou shalt be devoured by thy wife’s friends.—­10.  Thou art made a cornuto by an unchaste wife, and shalt bring up other folks’ children instead of thine own.—­11.  Paul commends marriage, yet he prefers a single life.—­12.  Is marriage honourable?  What an immortal crown belongs to virginity?

So Siracides himself speaks as much as may be for and against women, so doth almost every philosopher plead pro and con, every poet thus argues the case (though what cares vulgus nominum what they say?):  so can I conceive peradventure, and so canst thou:  when all is said, yet since some be good, some bad, let’s put it to the venture.  I conclude therefore with Seneca,

------“cur Toro viduo jaces? 
Tristem juventam solve:  mine luxus rape,
Effunde habenas, optimos vitae dies
Effluere prohibe.”

“Why dost thou lie alone, let thy youth and best days to pass away?” Marry whilst thou mayst, donec viventi canities abest morosa, whilst thou art yet able, yet lusty, [5958]_Elige cui dicas, tu mihi sola places_, make thy choice, and that freely forthwith, make no delay, but take thy fortune as it falls.  ’Tis true,

[5959] “—­calamitosus est qui inciderit
        In malam uxorem, felix qui in bonam,”

’Tis a hazard both ways I confess, to live single or to marry, [5960]_Nam et uxorem ducere, et non ducere malum est_, it may be bad, it may be good, as it is a cross and calamity on the one side, so ’tis a sweet delight, an incomparable happiness, a blessed estate, a most unspeakable benefit, a sole content, on the other; ’tis all in the proof.  Be not then so wayward, so covetous, so distrustful, so curious and nice, but let’s all marry, mutuos foventes amplexus; “Take me to thee, and thee to me,” tomorrow is St. Valentine’s day, let’s keep it holiday for Cupid’s sake, for that great god Love’s sake, for Hymen’s sake, and celebrate [5961]Venus’ vigil with our ancestors for company together, singing as they did,

       “Crasam et qui nunquam amavit, quique amavit, eras amet,
        Ver novum, ver jam canorum, ver natus orbis est,
        Vere concordant amores, vere nubunt alites,
        Et nemus coma resolvit, &c.------
        Cras amet,” &c.------

       “Let those love now who never loved before,
        And those who always loved now love the more;
        Sweet loves are born with every opening spring;
        Birds from the tender boughs their pledges sing,” &c.