Sextus. Ha, ha! all captains, and stand upon the honesty of your wives! Is’t possible, think you, That women of young spirit and full age, Of fluent wit, that can both sing and dance, Read, write, such as feed well and taste choice cates, That straight dissolve to purity of blood, That keep the veins full, and inflame the appetite, Making the spirit able, strong, and prone,-- Can such as these, their husbands being away Employed in foreign sieges or elsewhere, Deny such as importune them at home? Tell me that flax will not be touched with fire, Nor they be won to what they most desire! Brutus. Shall I end this controversy in a word? Sextus. Do, good Brutus. Brutus. I hold some holy, but some apt to sin; Some tractable, but some that none can win; Such as are virtuous, gold nor wealth can move; Some vicious of themselves are prone to love; Some grapes are sweet and in the garden grow, Others unpruned turn wild neglected so; The purest ore contains both gold and dross, The one all gain, the other nought but loss; The one disgrace, reproach, and scandal taints, The other angels and sweet-featured saints. Collatine. Such is my virtuous Lucrece. Aruns. Yet she for virtue is not comparable to the wife of Aruns. Scevola. And why may not mine be ranked with the most virtuous? Horatius. I would put in for a lot, but a thousand to one I shall draw but a blank. Valerius. I should not show I loved my wife, not to take her part in her absence: I hold her inferior to none. Aruns. Save mine. Valerius. No, not to her. Brutus. Oh, this were a brave controversy for a jury of women to arbitrate! Collatine. I’ll hazard all my fortunes on the virtues Of divine Lucrece. Shall we try them thus? It is now dead of night; let’s mount our steeds; Within this two hours we may reach to Rome, And to our houses all come unprepared, And unexpected by our high-praised wives. She of them all that we find best employed, Devoted, and most huswife-exercised, Let her be held most virtuous, and her husband Win by the wager a rich horse and armour. Aruns. A hand on that. Valerius. Here’s a helping hand to that bargain. Horatius. But shall we to horse without circumstance? Scevola. Scevola will be mounted with the first. Sextus. Then mount cheval! Brutus, this night take you the charge of the army. I’ll see the trial of this wager: ’twould do me good to see some of them find their wives in the arms of their lovers, they are so confident in their virtues. Brutus, we’ll interchange goodnight; be thou but as provident o’er the army as we (if our horses fail not) expeditious in our journey. To horse, to horse! All. Farewell, good Brutus. [_Exeunt_. SCENE IV.--_A Room in the House of_ Collatine. _Enter_ Lucrece _and her two_ Maids.