There is not a more wycked heade, than the heade of the serpente. And there is no wrathe aboue the wrathe of a womā. Eccle. 25. But he that hath goten a vertuouse woman, hath goten a goodly possessyon. She is vnto hym an helpe and pyller, whervpon he restith. Eccle. 25. It were better to dwelle with a lyon and dragon, than to kepe howse with a wycked wyfe. Eccle. 7. Yet depart not from a dyscrete and good woman, that is fallen vnto the for thy porcyon in the feare of the lorde, for the gifte of her honestie, is aboue golde. The Conclusyon. [Sidenote: Appetytes.] [Sidenote: Synner.] [Sidenote: The lorde.] Certayne, & sure am I (most gentyll reader) that all they whych shall peruse thys godlye boke, shall not therwith be pleased. For amonge feaders are alwayes sondry appetytes, and in great assemblyes of people, dyuerse, and varyaunt iudgementes, As the saynge, is, so many heades, so many wyttes. Neyther fyne paynted speche, wysdome of thys worlde, nor yet relygyouse hypocresye (whych for pryuate commodyte many men seketh) are herin to be loked for, And a reason why, For he that is here famylyarly commoned with, regardeth no curyosyte, but playnesse and truthe. He refuseth no synner, but is wele contented at all tymes to heare hys hombly tale. Hyde not thy selfe from me (sayth he) whan thu hast done amys, but come boldely face to face, and commen the matter with me. If thy synnes be so redde as scarlet, I shall make thē whyter than snowe. And though thy factes be as the purple, yet shall they apere so whyte as the wolle. Esa. 1. For as truly as I lyue (sayth he) no pleasure haue I in the deathe of a synner, but wyll moch rather that he turne and be saued. Eze. 33. [Sidenote: Dauid.] [Sidenote: S. Iohā.] If the hombly speche here do to moche offēde, cōsydre it to be the worke of a woman, as she in the bygynnynge therof, haue most mekely desyered. And yet of nō other woman, than was most godly mynded. Marke Dauid in the psalter, whych was a man both wyse and lerned, and ye shall fynde hys maner in speakynge not all vnlyke to thys. Faythe (saynt Paule sayth) standeth not in floryshynge eloquence, neyther yet in mannys polytyque wysdome, but in the grace and power of God. 1. Cor. 2. If the ofte repetynge of some one sentence, engendereth a tedyouse werynesse to the reader, lete hym wele peruse the holy workes of S. Iohan the Euāgelyst, & I doubt it not but he shall fynde there the same maner of writynge. And hys occasyon is (as all the chefe writers afferme) the necessary markynge of the preceptes of helthe, or of matter chefely concernynge the sowles saluacyon. For a thynge twyse or thryse spoken, entereth moche more depely into the remēbraunce than that is vttered but ones. [Sidenote: Lady helisabeth.] [Sidenote: Her first frute.] [Sidenote: Lybrares.]