[1] [2] [3] The summer this yeare prooued excéeding hot and drie,A drie sum|mer. so that springs and riuers failed to yéeld their accustomed course of waters, by reason wherof great numbers of cattell and beasts,Cattell died. both wild and tame died, through lacke of conuenient liquor to asswage their vehement thirst. In the beginning of the next spring,The king s [...]deth for his wife and so [...] to returne home. king Edward sent into France vnto his wife and sonne, commanding them, now that they had made an end of their businesse, to returne home with all conuenient speed. The queene receiuing the message from hir husband, whether it was so that she was staied by hir brother, vnto whome belike she had complained after what manner she was vsed at hir husbands hands, being had in no regard with him: or for that she had no mind to returne home, bicause she was loth to see all things ordered out of frame by the counsell of the Spensers, whereof to heare she was wearie: or whether (as the manner of women is) she was long about to prepare hir selfe forward, she slac|ked all the summer, and sent letters euer to excuse hir tarriance.The wo|mans dissi|mulation. But yet bicause she would not run in any suspicion with hir husband, she sent diuerse of hir folkes before hir into England by soft iournies. A la|mentable case, that such diuision should be betwéene a king and his quéene, being lawfullie married, and hauing issue of their bodies, which ought to haue made that their copulation more comfortable: but (alas) what will not a woman be drawne and allured vnto, if by euill counsell she be once assaulted? And what will she leaue vndoone, though neuer so in|conuenient to those that should be most déere vnto hir, so hir owne fansie and will be satisfied? And how hardlie is the reuoked from procéeding in an euill action, if she haue once taken a taste of the same? As verie truly is reported by the comedie-writer, saieng,

Malè quod mulier incoepit nisi efficere id perpetrat,

Id illi morbo, id illi senio est; ea illi miserae miseria est:

Si bene facere incoepit, eius eam cito odium percipit,Plaut. i [...] True.

Nimis paucae sunt defessae, male quae facere occoeperint;

Nimis paucae efficiunt, si quid occoeperint benefacere;

Mulieri nimiò malefacere melius est onus, quàm benè.