privately at home, and thereby judge the residue of their shape, because
the face is the principall part of all the body, and is first open to
our eyes. And whatsoever flourishing and gorgeous apparell doth work and
set forth in the corporal parts of a woman, the same doth the naturall
and comely beauty set out in the face. Moreover there be divers, that to
the intent to shew their grace and feature, wil cast off their partlets,
collars, habiliments, fronts, cornets and krippins, and doe more delight
to shew the fairnesse of their skinne, than to deck themselves up in
gold and pretious stones. But because it is a crime unto me to say so,
and to give no example thereof, know ye, that if you spoyle and cut the
haire of any woman or deprive her of the colour of her face, though shee
were never so excellent in beauty, though shee were throwne downe from
heaven, sprung of the Seas, nourished of the flouds, though shee were
Venus her selfe, though shee were waited upon by all the Court of Cupid,
though were girded with her beautifull skarfe of Love, and though shee
smelled of perfumes and musks, yet if shee appeared bald, shee could in
no wise please, no not her owne Vulcanus.

O how well doth a faire colour and a shining face agree with glittering
hair! Behold, it encountreth with the beams of the Sunne, and pleaseth
the eye marvellously. Sometimes the beauty of the haire resembleth the
colour of gold and honey, sometimes the blew plumes and azured feathers
about the neckes of Doves, especially when it is either anointed with
the gumme of Arabia, or trimmely tuft out with the teeth of a fine
combe, which if it be tyed up in the pole of the necke, it seemeth to
the lover that beholdeth the same, as a glasse that yeeldeth forth a
more pleasant and gracious comelinesse than if it should be sparsed
abroad on the shoulders of the woman, or hang down scattering behind.
Finally there is such a dignity in the haire, that whatsoever shee
be, though she be never to bravely attyred with gold, silks, pretious