death, rather than fave her life with the hazard of her virtue.

§. III. Pandora and Protogenia, two virtu ous daughters of an Athenian king, feeing their country like to be over-run by its enemies, freely offered their lives in facrifice to appease the fury of their enemies, for the prefervation. of their country.

§. IV. Hipparchia, a fair Macedonian virgin, noble of blood, as they term it, but more truly noble of mind, I cannot omit to mention; who entertained fo earnest an affection for Crates, the Cynical philofopher, as well for his fevere. life, as excellent difcourfe, that by no means: could her relations, nor fuitors, by all their wealth, nobility, and beauty, diffuade her from being his companion. Upon which strange re-folution, they all betook themfelves to Crates, beseeching him to fhew himself a true philofo pher, in perfuading her to defift: which he ftrongly endeavoured by many arguments; but not prevailing, went his way, and brought all the little furniture of his houfe, and fhewed her: This,' faith he, is thy husband; that, the furniture of thy houfe: confider on it, for thou canft not be mine, unless thou followeft the fame courfe of life:' for being rich above twenty talents, which is more than 50,000l. he neglected all to follow a retired life: all which had fo contrary an effect, that fhe immediately went to him, before them all,, and faid, I feck not the pomp and effeminacy of this world, but knowledge and virtue, Crates; and chuse a life of temperance, before a life of delicacies;

for true fatisfaction, thou knoweft, is in the mind; and that pleasure is only worth feeking, that lafts for ever.' Thus was it fhe became the conftant companion both of his love and life, his friendship and his virtues; travelling. with him from place to place, and performing the public exercises of inftruction with Crates, wherever they came. She was a most violent enemy to all impiety, but efpecially to wanton men and women, and those whofe garb and converfation fhewed them devoted to vain pleasures. and pastimes; effeminacy rendering the like perfons not only unprofitable, but pernicious to the whole world. Which the as well made good by the example of her exceeding industry, temperance and feverity, as those are wont to do, by their intemperance and folly: for ruin of health, eftates, virtue, and lofs of eternal happiness, have ever attended, and ever will attend, fuch earthly minds.

§. V. Lucretia, a moft chafte Roman dame, whofe name and virtue is known by that tragedy that follows them. For Sextus, the fon of Tarquin the proud, king of Rome, hearing it was her cuftom to work late in her chamber, did there attempt her, with his fword in his hand, vowing he would run her through; and put one of his fervants in the posture of lying with her, on purpofe to defame her, if the would not yield to his lufts. Having forced his wicked end, fhe fends for her father, then governor of Rome, her husband, and her friends, to whom having revealed the matter, and with tears lamented her irreparable cala

mity, fhe flew herself in their prefence, that it might not be faid, Lucretia outlived her chastity, even when the could not defend it. I praise the virtue, not the act; but God soon avenged this, with other impieties, upon that wicked family; for the people, hearing what Sextus had done, whofe flagitious life they equally hated with his father's tyranny, and their sense of both, aggravated by the reverence they conceived for the chafte and exemplary life of Lu cretia, betook themfelves to their arms, and headed by her father, her husband, Brutus, and Valerius, they drove out that Tarquin family in which action the hand of Brutus avenged the blood of Lucretia, upon infamous Sextus, whom he flew in the battle.

§. VI. Cornelia, alfo a noble Roman matron, and fifter to Scipio, was esteemed the most famous and honourable perfonage of her time, not more for the greatnefs of her birth, than her exceeding temperance. And history particularly mentions this, as one great inftance of her virtue, for which fhe was fo much admired, to wit, that he never was accustomed to wear rich apparel, but fuch apparel as was very plain and grave; rather making her children, whom her inftructions and example had made virtuous, her greatest ornament: a good pattern for the vain and wanton dames of the age.

§. VII. Arria, wife to Cecinna Pœtus, is not lefs famous in ftory for the magnanimity fhe fhewed, in being the companion of her hufond's difgraces, who thruft herself into prifon

with him, that he might be his fervant: and fhewed him firft, by death, to be revenged of the tyrant.

§. VIII. Pompeia Plantina, wife to Julianus the emperor, commended for her compaffion of the poor, ufed the power her virtue had given her with her husband, to put him upon all the juft and tender things that became his charge, and to diffuade him from whatsoever feemed harsh to the people: particularly fhe diverted him from a great tax his flatterers advised him to lay upon the people.

§. IX. Plotina, the wife of Trajan, a woman,' faith a certain author, adorned with piety, chastity, and all the virtues that a woman is capable of. There are two instances; one of her piety, the other of her chastity: the firft is this: when her husband was proclaimed emperor, the mounted the Capitol after the choice, where, in a religious manner, she said,

Oh, that I may live under all this honour, with the fame virtue and content, that I enjoyed be fore I had it.' The fecond is this: her husband being once exiled, fhe caufed her hair to be cut fhort, as the men wore it, that with lefs notice and danger fhe might be the companion of his banishment.

§. X. Pompeia Paulina, a Roman lady of youth and beauty, defcended of the most noble families of Rome, fell in love with Seneca, for the excellency of his doctrine, and the gravity and purity of his manners. They married, and lived great examples together, to both their fexes. So great was her value for l

hufband, and fo little did fhe care to live, when he was to die, that the chofe to be the companion of his death, as fhe had been of his life and her veins were cut as well as his, whilft fhe was the auditor of his excellent difcourses but Nero hearing of it, and fearing, left Paulina's death might bring him great reproach, because of her noble alliance in Rome, fent with all hafte to have her wounds closed, and, if it were poffible, to fave her life; which, though as one half dead, was done, and fhe against her will lived; but always with a pale hue, and wan complexion of face, to tell how much of her life was gone with Seneca, her dearest friend, philofopher, and husband.

f. XI. Thus may the voluptuous women of the times, read their reproof in the character of a brave Heathen, and learn, that folid happinefs confifts in a neglect of wealth and greatnefs, and a contempt of all corporeal pleasures, as more befitting beafts, than immortal spirits: and which are loved by none but such, as not knowing the excellency of heavenly things, are both inventing and delighting, like brutes, in that which perifheth: giving the preference to poor mortality, and fpending their lives to gratify the lufts of a little dirty flesh and blood, that fhall never enter into the kingdom of heaven;' by all which their minds become darkened, and fo infenfible of more celeftial glories, that they do not only refuse to inquire after them, but infamoufly fcoff and despise thofe that do, as a foolish and mad people: to that ftrange degree of darknefs and impu