THE FIRST BEAST TO AWAKE WOMEN DEGENERATE.


To promote a woman to beare rule, superioritie, dominion or empire aboue
any realme, nation, or citie, is repugnant to nature, contumelie to God, a
thing most contrarious to his reueled will and approued ordinance, and
finallie it is the subuersion of good order, of all equitie and iustice.

In the probation of this proposition, I will not be so curious, as to
gather what soeuer may amplifie, set furth, or decore the same, but I am
purposed, euen as I haue spoken my conscience in most plaine and fewe
wordes, so to stand content with a simple proofe of euerie membre,
bringing in for my witnesse Goddes ordinance in nature, his plaine will
reueled in his worde, and the mindes of such as be moste auncient amongest
godlie writers.

[Sidenote 1: Causes why women shuld not have preeminence ouer men.]

And first, where that I affirme the empire of a woman to be a thing
repugnant to nature, I meane not onlie that God by the order of his
creation hath spoiled woman of authoritie and dominion, but also that man
hath seen, proued and pronounced iust causes why that it so shuld be. Man,
I say, in many other cases blind, doth in this behalfe see verie clearlie.
For the causes be so manifest, that they can not be hid. For who can denie
but it repugneth to nature, that the blind shal be appointed to leade and
conduct such as do see? That the weake, the sicke, and impotent
persones[1] shall norishe and kepe the hole and strong, and finallie, that
the foolishe, madde and phrenetike shal gouerne the discrete, and giue
counsel to such as be sober of mind? And such be al women, compared vnto
man in bearing of authoritie. For their sight in ciuile regiment, is but