=Pam.= I graunt you, a yong woman, a virgine, is a fayre, & goodly thing, but what by course of kind is more vnseemly thā an old wrinkled maide: Had not your mother bene contented to lose that flower of hir virginitie, surely we had not had this flower of your beautie. So that in case (as I hope) our mariage be not barren, for the losse of one virgine we shall paye God manye. =Ma.= But they saye chastitie is a thing wherein God is much delighted. =Pam.= And therefore doe I desire to couple my selfe in mariage with a chast mayden, that with hir I may leade a chaste life. As for our mariage it shall rather be a mariage of our minds, than of our bodies, we shall increase vnto Christ, we shall increase vnto the cōmon welth. How little shall this matrimonie differ frō virginitie? & peraduenture hereafter we shall so liue togither, as blessed Marie liued with Joseph, no man cometh at the first to perfection. =Maria.= What is that I heard you say euen now, must virginity be violated and lost, therby to learn chastitie? =Pam.= Whye not, euen as by drinking of wine moderately, we learn by little and little to forbeare wine vtterlye, which of these two seemeth vnto thée to be more temperat, he that sitting in the mids of many daintie dishes, abstaineth from them all, or he which forbeareth intemperauncie, hauing none occasiō to moue him vnto the same? =Ma.= I suppose him to haue the more confirmed habite of temperance whom plentie alwayes prest can not corrupt. =Pam.= Whether deserueth more the prayse of chastitie, he that geldeth him selfe, or he which kéeping his members all and sounde abstaineth from all womans companie? =Ma.= Verily by my consent the latter shal haue the praise of chastitie, that other of mad follie. =Pam.= Why? those which by vowe haue abiured matrimonye doe they not after a sort gelde themselues? =Maria.= Verily it séemeth so. =Pam.= Thus you sée, it is no vertue to forbeare womens companie. =Maria.= Is it no vertue? =Pam.= Marke me this, if it were simplye a vertue to forbeare the companie of a woman, then shoulde it be also a vice to vse the companie of a woman, but sometime it befalleth that it is sin to refuse the acte, and a vertue to vse it. =Ma.= In what case is it so? =Pam.= In case the husband requireth of his wife the debt of marriage, euen so often as he shall do it, especially if he requireth it for the desire of generation. =Ma.= But what if he be fleshfond and wanton, may she not lawfully denie it him? =Pam.= She maye admonish him of his fault and rather gently perswade him to bridle hys affections, to giue him a flat nay when he straineth vpon hir, she may not. Albeit I here verie fewe men complaine of their wyfes vncurtesie this way. =Ma.= Yet mée thinks libertie is swéete. =Pam.= Nay rather virginitie is a heauie burthen. I shall be to you a King, and you shall be to me a Quéene. And eyther of vs shall rule the familie, as we thinke good, take you thys to be a bondage?