and affirme him to be thy Lorde, that thou maist acknowledge his dominion,
and because thou couldest not beare rule learne well to be ruled. Why they
shulde not beare rule, he declareth, in other places, saying[57]:
womankinde is imprudent and soft, (or flexible) imprudent because she can
not consider withe wisdome and reason the thinges which she heareth and
seeth: and softe she is, because she is easelie bowed. I knowe that
Chrysostome bringeth in these wordes[58] to declare the cause why false
prophetes do commonlie deceiue women: because they are easelie persuaded
to any opinion, especiallie if it be against God, and because they lacke
prudence and right reason to iudge the thinges that be spoken. But hereof
may their nature be espied, and the vices of the same, whiche in no wise
oght to be in, those, that are apointed to gouerne others: For they oght
to be constant, stable, prudent and doing euerie thing with discretion and
reason, whiche vertues women can not haue in equalitie with men. For that
he doth witnesse in an other place, saying: women haue in them selues a
tickling and studhe of vaine glorie, and that they may haue common with
men: they are sodeinlie moued to anger, and that they haue also common
with some men. But vertues. in which they excell[59], they haue not common
with man, and therfore hath the apostle remoued them from the office of
teachinge, which is an euident proof that in vertue they farre differ
frome man. Let the reasons of this writer be marked, for further he yet
procedeth: after that he hath in many wordes lamented the effeminate
maners of men, who were so farre degenerate to the weaknes of women, that
some might haue demanded: why may not women teache amongest suche a sorte
of men, who in wisdome and godlines are becomen inferior vnto women? We
finallie concludeth: that not withstanding that men be degenerate, yet
may not women vsurpe any authoritie aboue them, and in the end, he addeth
these wordes: These thinges do not I speake to extolle them (that is
women) but to the confusion and shame of our selues, and to admonish vs to
take again the dominion, that is mete and conuenient for vs, not onelie