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<DATE>2014-06-09</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140412.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> CAVEAT FOR WIVES To love their HUSBANDS OR, Plea&s;ant News From HELL.</P>
<P>Written in <HI>Italian</HI> by that Grand Politician NICHOLAS MACHIAVEL And now Tran&s;lated into <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> for a <HI>CHRISTMAS-GIGG.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the Year 1660.</P>
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<PB N="3" REF="3">
<HEAD>A CAVEAT FOR VVIVES To love their HUSBANDS. OR, Plea&s;ant Newes from HELL.</HEAD>
<BYLINE>Written by <HI>NICHOLAS MACHIAVEL.</HI></BYLINE>
<P>_WOo God (&s;aies <HI>Machiavel</HI>) in the an|cient memories of the Florentine acti|ons how that a wholly man, (who&s;e &s;trictne&s;&s;e of life was in tho&s;e times had in great admiration) being on a time ve|ry devoutly at his prayers was wrapt in|to a vi&s;ion, wherein he &s;aw the &s;oules of many men who dying in the di&s;grace of God went to Hell, all or the greate&s;t part of which complained, that their wives
<PB N="4" REF="4">were the occa&s;ion of their coming unto that mi&s;erable place; whereat <HI>Monos</HI> and <HI>Radamantus</HI> and the re&s;t of the infernall Judges wondred extreamly, nor could they beleive the ca|lumnies which tho&s;e men &s;o generally threw upon the femi|nine &s;ex to have any coherence with trueth, but the com|plaints daily encrea&s;ing and report of them being made to <HI>Pluto,</HI> it was thought convenient that this ca&s;e &s;hould be ma|turely examined before all the infernall Princes, and that cour&s;e taken by them which &s;hould be thought mo&s;t conveni|ent, either to di&s;cover the fallacy, or di&s;cerne the trueth. In pur&s;uance of which a council being called, <HI>Pluto</HI> &s;pake to them to this effect. <Q>Although I (dearly beloved) by cae|le&s;tiall di&s;po&s;ition and ab&s;olute and irrevocable fatality po&s;&s;e&s;s this kingdome without controull, none can be obli|ged to any judgement heavenly or earthly, yet becau&s;e it has been always accounted a part of prudence to take others ad|vicee, have deliberated to be coun&s;elled by you how, <HI>I</HI> ought to governe my &s;elfe in a ca&s;e, which without a prudent man|agement, may redound to the infamy of our Kingdome for the &s;oules of all tho&s;e men who come into this our king|dome, complaining that their wives have been the cau&s;e of their &s;o great mi&s;ery, and this &s;eeming to us impo&s;&s;ible, wee doubt lea&s;t &s;hould wee proceed to give judgement accor|ding to this relation, wee might be e&s;teemed too cruel, and not giving it as, &s;ufficiently &s;evere in and too little lovers of ju&s;tice, and on the one &s;ide fall into the &s;candall of being ac|counted light and vaine, on the other &s;ide of inju&s;t, both which rocks we being willing to &s;hun, we have called you that you might help us with &s;uch coun&s;ell as might pre|&s;erve this Kingdome, which hitherto hath been maintained without di&s;grace or infamy, in the &s;ame &s;tate for the future.</Q></P>
<P>To every one of the Princes re&s;pectively, this ca&s;e &s;eemed to be of great import, and worthy &s;erious con&s;ideration, &s;o all of them thought it nece&s;&s;ary to find out the trueth, yet they
<PB N="5" REF="4">differed extreamly in the manner: &s;ome propo&s;ed the &s;ending of one, others of more into the world, who under the &s;hape of men might per&s;onally informe them&s;elves of the trueth of the complaint, others again thought it might be performed with|out &s;o much trouble, by forcing divers &s;oules by &s;everal tor|ments to confe&s;&s;e it. But the greater party coun&s;elling the &s;ending to earth, that cour&s;e was determined on. But then another difficulty aro&s;e, for there was none who would wil|lingly undergoe that travel, it was therefore put to the vote a|gain who &s;hould be &s;ent, &amp; at length to avoid partiality, conclu|ded that the lott &s;hould determine it, the lotts being therefore ca&s;t, it fell upon <HI>Belfagor</HI> arch-devil (but before his fall from heaven arch angel) who though &s;omwhat unwilling (yet con|&s;trained by <HI>Pluto's</HI> command) fitted him&s;elf for the journey, &amp; to be obedient to what&s;oever was in the council determined concerning him, which was, That unto whom&s;oever it &s;hould fall to undergoe this bu&s;ine&s;s, there &s;hould immediate|ly be given One Hundred thou&s;and ducats, with which he &s;hould depart to this world, and under humane &s;hape take a wife, and with her live ten years, and afterwards feigning him|&s;elf to die, returne to Hell, &amp; by experience relate to his &s;uperi|ours what were the burthens or Commodities of Marriage. It was likewi&s;e, declared that during that time he &s;hould be &s;ubject to all the burthens and ills incident to Mankind, as Poverty, Pri&s;ons, di&s;contents, jealou&s;ies, &s;ickne&s;&s;e, and all o|ther misfortune unto wich men run, unle&s;&s;e by his cunning or ingenuity he could free him&s;elf from them, <HI>Belfagor</HI> having therefore accepted of the&s;e conditions, and the mony comes into the world, and having of his e&s;tate provided him&s;elf of Hor&s;e and Servants enters mo&s;t honourably into <HI>Florence,</HI> which City above all others in the world, he cho&s;e to &s;eate him&s;elfe in, as the mo&s;t fitting place for tho&s;e who would live by u&s;ury, &amp; cau&s;ing him&s;elf to be called <HI>Roderigoti Castilia</HI> he took a hou&s;e neere the <HI>Borough</HI> of all <HI>Saints,</HI> and not to let
<PB N="6" REF="5">people know what he was, he gave out, That when young he departed from <HI>Spain</HI> unto <HI>Syria,</HI> and had in <HI>Alleppa</HI> gained his whole e&s;tate with which he was now re&s;tored into <HI>Italy,</HI> to take a wife in places more humane, and to a civill life, and his di&s;po&s;ition more conformable. <HI>Roderigo</HI> was a very hand|&s;ome man, And &s;eemed to be about thirty years of age, which together with the great rules which in few daies he made &s;hew to have, and his civil and courteous carriage made ma|ny noble Citizens of <HI>Florence</HI> who had a great many daugh|ters, and little money to offer him them in marriage. Among all whom <HI>Roderigo</HI> cho&s;e out a mo&s;t beautifull Dam&s;el called <HI>Hone&s;ta,</HI> the daughter of <HI>Amerigo Donati,</HI> who had likewi&s;e three &s;ons and three other daughters almo&s;t marriagible, and though he was of a mo&s;t noble family, and of very good ac|count in <HI>Florence,</HI> yet in re&s;pect of the great Charge he had, and likewi&s;e of his nobilitie, he was indeed but poor. <HI>Roderi|go</HI> kept a mo&s;t magnificent and &s;plendid marriage, nor did he &s;pare of any co&s;t which might make it compleat or equal to any other fea&s;ts of the like nature, being by the laws impo&s;ed upon him before his coming from hell to be &s;ubject to all hu|mane pa&s;&s;ions; and therefore &s;oon after he began to take plea&s;ure in the honour and pomp of the world, and to love to be prai&s;ed among&s;t men, which was &s;ome cau&s;e of no &s;mall expence, but be&s;ides that he had not lived long with his wi&s;e Madam <HI>Hone&s;ta,</HI> but he fell in love with her beyond mea&s;ure, nor could he live if at any time he &s;aw her &s;ad or di&s;plea&s;ed; yet &s;o much pride had &s;he with her nobility brought to <HI>Rode|rigo</HI>'s hou&s;e, that <HI>Lucifer</HI> never had &s;o much, and he who had proved that of both, thought this of his wife the greater. But &s;till it increa&s;ed more and more when &s;he had found out the great love which her husband bore her, whereby &s;he perceivd that &s;he might every way rule over him, &s;o that &s;he doubted not only to command him, but to abu&s;e him with villanous words and &s;colding language, which though it were an incre|dible
<PB N="7" REF="5">trouble to <HI>Roderigo,</HI> yet neverthele&s;&s;e the re&s;pect he had to his father in law his friends the tie of matrimony, but a|bove all to the love he bore her made him endure it with pa|tience. I &s;hall omit the grand expen&s;e which he was forced to be at in clothing her after the new modes and fa&s;hions which abound in <HI>Florence,</HI> his being forced if he would be at peace with his wife to help to marry her other &s;i&s;ters which co&s;t him no &s;mall &s;umme of money, for after this he was con|&s;trained to gain quietne&s;&s;e from her to &s;end one of her bro|thers with cloth into the <HI>Levant,</HI> the other with &s;ilkes into the <HI>We&s;t,</HI> and to open a &s;hop for the third in <HI>Florence,</HI> by which means he &s;pent the greate&s;t part of his fortunes. And more|over in the times of <HI>Cornevale</HI> and <HI>Mid&s;ommer</HI> when that City of <HI>Florence</HI> by ancient cu&s;tomes u&s;e to fea&s;t, and the noble Citizens treat one another with &s;umptuous Banquets, Ma|dam <HI>Hone&s;ta</HI> not to be inferiour to other Ladies in tho&s;e en|tertainments forced <HI>Roderigo</HI> to exceed all others in &s;plendid|ne&s;&s;e. Yet all the&s;e charges made not &s;o great a hole in <HI>Ro|derigo</HI>'s e&s;tate; as what &s;he &s;pent on her lovers, when under pretence of going for devotion &s;ake to vi&s;it &s;ome Nunnery &s;he met them at private Conventicles, which though her hu&s;|band as our women now when they go to Lectures was &s;en|&s;ible of, yet would he have patiently endured this with the re&s;t; could he but have lived quietly at home, or that by the&s;e means he might have had libertie to have peaceably expected his ruine. But it fell out quite contrary, for notwith&s;tanding his in&s;upportable expences, her in&s;olent nature &s;till increa&s;ed, and there was neither maid-&s;ervant not man who could en|dure the hou&s;e long, whereby <HI>Roderigo</HI>'s affairs went daily to rack by rea&s;on he could not keep any &s;ervant to look after them; for tho&s;e Devils who in the habit of &s;ervants came with him from hell, cho&s;e rather to return into the fire of hell then remain there under herimperious brawlings. <HI>Roderigo</HI> thus enduring this tumultuous and unquiet life had now &s;pent
<PB N="8" REF="6">the greate&s;t part of his e&s;tate, and began to live upon the hopes of his returns from the <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> and <HI>We&s;t,</HI> but having good credit, and &s;till re&s;olving to live according to the port he had fir&s;t maintained, he in the mean time took up money at inter|e&s;t, which made him begin to be noted as a per&s;on in a de|caying condition, to ha&s;ten which on a &s;udden news came, that one of the brothers of Madam <HI>Hone&s;ta</HI> had played away all tho&s;e goods with which he was intru&s;ted, and that the o|ther returning with a &s;hip laden with goods without having en&s;ured them, was with them him&s;elf drowned; upon which news the Creditors of <HI>Roderigo</HI> judging him now gone (though they could not yet di&s;cover it becau&s;e their money was not yer due) took coun&s;ell together, lea&s;t he &s;hould take occa&s;ion to fly before the day of payment. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Roderige</HI> &s;eeing his ca&s;e now de&s;perate, and knowing to what the infernal law bound him, thought by all means to fly, and one morning early mounting on hor&s;eback, and living nigh the meddow-gate, gets by it out of the City, but his Credi|tors having watchfull &s;pies upon him, the news of his e&s;cape was immediatly brought to the Magi&s;trates, who &s;oon or|dered the pur&s;uit of him; nor indeed did the Serjeants onely, but the whole City run after him; &s;o that he not being above a mile from the Town when this Rumour was rai&s;ed, found him&s;elf in an ill ca&s;e, &amp; therefore re&s;olved to leave the road &amp; traver&s;e the fields, but not being able by rea&s;on of the many ditches, to go on hor&s;eback, alighting, he ran cro&s;s the Vineyards till he came to the hou&s;e of <HI>Iohn Matthews</HI> a Countrey-fellow, to whom he made known his condi|tion, promi&s;ing, that if he would &s;ave him from the hands of his enemies who pur&s;ued him to make him dye in pri&s;on, he would make him rich, and would before his departure give him &s;uch an account of the w<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">y, that if he did not like it he &s;hould deliver him into his enemies hands. <HI>John Mathews,</HI> though a country-man, was a &s;tout fellow, and
<PB N="9" REF="6">knowing he could not lo&s;e by the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was content to undertake it, and to that effect thru&s;t him under a wood&s;tack, which he had no &s;ooner done but the pur&s;uers arrived, but could neither by threats nor promi&s;es per&s;wade <HI>Iohn Mathews</HI> to confe&s;&s;e he &s;aw him, whereupon they pa&s;&s;ed forward, but not finding him neither that day nor the other, Returned to <HI>Florence.</HI> When all things being quieted <HI>John Mathewes</HI> takes <HI>Roderigo</HI> from under the &s;tack, and requires him to perform his promi&s;e, to which <HI>Roderigo</HI> an&s;wered, Brother, thou ha&s;t obliged me very much, and I am re&s;olved by all meanes to &s;atisfie thee, and becau&s;e thou &s;halt believ that I can do it, Ile tell thee who I am. Here hee recounted who he was the laws he had to come out of hell, and the taking of his wife &amp;c. And then told him that the way whereby he would make him Rich &s;hould in fumm bee this, That when he &s;hould hear that any woman was po&s;&s;e&s;t with an evil &s;pirit, he &s;hould beleive that it was he that was within her, and a&s;&s;ured him that he would never go out till he came to fetch him, whereby he might have occa&s;ion to make him&s;elf be paid as he plea&s;ed, and having made this conclu&s;ion he vani&s;hed. Nor were there many daies pa&s;t, but there was &s;pread abroad a Rumor throughout all <HI>Florence</HI> how a daughter of Mr. <HI>Ambrogio A|madei</HI> was po&s;&s;e&s;t with a Devil, nor were her parents wanting to u&s;e all tho&s;e remedies which are commonly u&s;ed in <HI>Italy</HI> in like ca&s;es, puting on her head the Cap of St. <HI>Zanoby</HI> and the mantle of St. <HI>Geo. Gualberto,</HI> all which things <HI>Rode|rigo</HI> laught at, but to make it clearly appear that it was a De|vil, he di&s;puted in latine and di&s;covered the &s;ins of many, a|mong which he told of a Frier, who under a young Friers ha|bit, had kept a wench four years in his Cell, In the mean time no remedy was found, till <HI>Iohn Mathewes</HI> hearing of it, proffered Mr. <HI>Ambrogio</HI> to cure his daughter for five hun|dred Florines which he willingly agreeing to give, <HI>Iohn Mathews</HI> cau&s;ing &s;everal ma&s;&s;es to be &s;aid to colour the bu&s;i|nes, whi&s;pered to <HI>Roderigo</HI> that he was come, and that there|fore
<PB N="10" REF="7">he &s;hould be as good as his word, to which <HI>Roderigo</HI> an|&s;wered that he was content, but that he was not yet enough to make him rich, and that therefore as he was gone out of her, he would enter into the King of <HI>Naples</HI> daughter where he might have what reward he plea&s;ed, and that then he &s;hould trouble him no more. Which words ended he went out of the maid, to the plea&s;ure and admiration of all <HI>Florence,</HI> nor pa&s;t their much time but the news was &s;pread that the King of <HI>Naples</HI> daughter was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and no remedy being found, <HI>Iohn Mathewes,</HI> who&s;e fame was now abroad, was &s;ent for, who being arrived, after &s;ome feigned ceremony cured her, but <HI>Roderigo</HI> before he parted out, told him, Thou &s;ee&s;t (&s;aith hee) that I have ob&s;erved my promi&s;e in making thee rich, and therfore being di&s;obliged in that, I am not bound to thee in any thing what&s;oever, therefore be content to come no more before me, for if thou doe&s;t, as I have hitherto don thee good, &s;o I will for the future do thee harm. Thus <HI>Iohn Mathews</HI> haveing fini&s;hed his work at <HI>Naples,</HI> returned to <HI>Florence</HI> very rich (for the King of <HI>Naples</HI> had given fifty thou&s;and ducats) thinking now to enjoy him&s;elf, and not dreaming that <HI>Roderi|go</HI> meant to offend him, but tho&s;e thoughts of his were &s;oon di|&s;turbed by certain new's from <HI>Prance,</HI> that the Kings daughter there was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed which extreamly perplexed <HI>Iohn Matthews</HI> both to thinke of the power of that King, and of the words which <HI>Roderigo</HI> had &s;poke him, but while&s;t he was thus per|plexed (no other remedy being found) comes a me&s;&s;enger to de&s;ire him to come and ca&s;t the Devil our, to whom he feined him&s;elf &s;ick and unable to go, whereupon the King &s;ent Amba&s;&s;adors to the &s;enate who forced him much again&s;t his will, being therefore come to <HI>Paris,</HI> he fir&s;t began to argue with the King, and <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2+ letters">ll him, That it was true that he had here|tofore cured &s;ome who had been po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with Devils, but it could not from thence be thought that he was to cure all, for that there were &s;ome Devils of &s;o perver&s;e a nature that they feared neither threats nor inchantments, nor any Religion, but
<PB N="11" REF="7">however he would doe his duty, and if he could not prevail, de&s;ired excu&s;e and Pardon, to which the King pa&s;&s;ionately an&s;wered, that if he did not doe it he would hang him, <HI>Iohn Mathewes</HI> was extreamly troubled at this, but however, putting on a a good heart, he cau&s;ed the Kings daughter to be brought before him, and whi&s;pering in her ear, humbly recom|mends him&s;elf to <HI>Roderigo,</HI> remembring him of the benefit he had done him and telling of how much Ingratitude he would be example of, if he &s;hould abandon him in &s;o great ne|ce&s;&s;ity. To which <HI>Roderigo</HI> an&s;wered, ah Villain, Traytor, how dur&s;t thou appear again before me, do&s;t thinke to boa&s;t that thou art made Rich by my means, I'le make thee and e|very one el&s;e know how to give and take away at plea&s;ure, and therfore before thou goe&s;t from hence Ile have thee hanged, Wherupon <HI>Iohn Mathews,</HI> not &s;eeing other remedy at pre&s;ent, thought to try his fortune another way, and &s;ending away the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, tels the King, that as he had &s;aid before there were &s;ome perver&s;e divels whom nothing could prevaile with, and this was one of them, but however he would try a farther experience, which if it prevailed his Maje&s;tie had what he de&s;ired, if not, he &s;hould be at his mercy, which he hoped he would u&s;e with that compa&s;ion which his innocence de&s;erved. In the mean time (&s;ai's he) your Maje&s;tie &s;hall erect a large theatre, capable to containe all your Barons, and the Clergy of this City, the theater &s;hall be covered with cloth of Gold and &s;ilk, and in the mid&s;t of it an altar erected and on the Sunday morning your Maje&s;tie, with the Clergy, and all the Princes and Barons of your Realm, with Kingly Pomp and &s;plendid and rich habiliments &s;hall a&s;&s;emble upon it, haveing fir&s;t celebrated a Solemn ma&s;&s;e, &s;hall cau&s;e your daughter to be brought, and moreover in one corner of the theatre &s;hall be placed at lea&s;t twenty per&s;ons with Trumpets, Hornes, Drums, Cornets, Symbals, and all manner of loud Mu&s;ick which when I lift up my hat, &s;hall, &s;ounding tho&s;e in|&s;truments,
<PB REF="8">advance towards the Altar, which things together with &s;ome other &s;ecret Remedies will, I hope, di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s the Devil, The&s;e things were punctually ordered according to his de&s;ire, and Sunday Morning being come, and the theatre fild with noble per&s;onages and the whole place with people, the ma&s;&s;e being celebrated, the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed was brought to the Altar, conducted by two Bi&s;hops, accompanied with many o|ther per&s;ons of quality. But when <HI>Roderigo</HI> &s;aw all this pomp and &s;plendor, he began to rea&s;on with him&s;elf thus, what hath this fooli&s;h fellow thought to doe, doth he think to fright me with all this &s;how: do's he not know that I am u&s;ed to &s;ee the pomp of Heaven, and the Furies of hell? but I &s;hall cha&s;ti&s;e him. In the mean time <HI>Iohn Mathewes</HI> coming towards him, began again to pray him that he &s;hould de|part; oh (&s;ai's he) you have found out a fine invention, what do&s;t think to do with all this foppery, do&s;t think by this to e&s;cape my power, or the Kings anger? no, Ile have thee &s;urely hang'd, and thus one praying, and the other &s;till deny|ing, <HI>Iohn Matthews</HI> thought fit not to loo&s;e any more time, lifting up his hat, the loud Mu&s;ick advanced &s;ounding, at which &s;udden noi&s;e <HI>Roderigo</HI> amazed, demanded what the meaning of it was, to which <HI>Iohn Matthews</HI> replied, my <HI>Roderigo,</HI> tis thy wife who is coming to find thee out here. Twas beyond belief to think how much <HI>Roderigo</HI> was moved to hear his wife named, but &s;o much it was, that not &s;tanding to think whether it was po&s;&s;ible or not that &s;he &s;hould be there, without replying any thing, in a great fright he immedi|ately fled away, leaving the Kings daughter di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and cho&s;e rather to return to Hell, there to give an account of his actions, then again with &s;o many di&s;a&s;ters and di&s;contents un|dergoe the matrimonial yoak. And thus <HI>Belfagor</HI> returned to Hell to give account how much mi&s;chief a wife breeds in a hou&s;e, and <HI>Iohn Matthews</HI> who knew more then the Devil went merrily home.</P>
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