An Answer to the Mantuan, or, False character lately wrote against womankind This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A25603 of text R29593 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing A3424). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 3 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A25603 Wing A3424 ESTC R29593 11174962 ocm 11174962 46547 2240880858

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A25603) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 46547) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1434:24) An Answer to the Mantuan, or, False character lately wrote against womankind 1 broadside. [s.n.], London : 1679. In verse. "Probably referring to Leilo Capilupi of Mantua who compiled 'Cento Virgilianus in fœminas'"--Brit. mus. cat. Reproduction of the original in the Harvard University Library. eng Women -- Poetry. eebo An answer to the Mantuan, or, false character, lately wrote against womankind. [no entry] 1679 1 546 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2008-06 Assigned for keying and markup 2008-09 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-11 Sampled and proofread 2008-11 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2009-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
AN ANSWER TO THE MANTUAN , OR , False Character , lately wrote against WOMANKIND . Muliere bonâ omnia comprehenduntur . A Vertuous Woman , Oye Gods ! who dare Presume to speak or write her Character ? Or what Pot-Poet dare attempt to vex By cursed Libels this so glorious Sex ? A Sex that was by Heav'ns Decrees design'd To be ( and is ) the best of Human kind . For Woman has a vertue that 's sublime , Above the Battery of Fate or Time . And in this Sex there certain Rays are found , Which not one Grace can make , but all compound . In wit , modesty , and vertuous deeds , This most Divine Celestial Sex exceeds . A beauty also , not to Art in Debt , Rather agreeable , Divine , than great . An Eye likewise , wherein at once do meet The beams of truest kindness , and of wit . The fairest Tulips , and the Rose o' th Bush , Do draw their Tincture from her Lip and Blush . An undissembled modest Innocence , Apt not to give , nor yet to take offence . A Face that 's modest , charming , and serene , A sober ; vertuous , and yet lively meen . As many Diamonds together lye , And dart one lustre to amaze the Eye ; So Woman is that bright Etherial Ray , Which many Stars doth in one Light display : For in her Face she captives modesty , Which is completed in Divinity . Her very glances set all Hearts on Fire , And check them if they should too much aspire . If she but smile , no Painter e're would take Another object , when he 'd Mercy make . And Heav'n such splendor hath to her allow'd , That no damn'd Mantuan can her Beauty cloud . That if she frown , none would but phancy then Justice descended there to punish Men. Nay , her common looks , I 'm asham'd to call One single Grace , they are compos'd of all : And if we Mortals could the Doctrine reach , Her very Eyes and looks do Language teach . Her Soul 's the Image of the Deity , That still preserves its Native purity : Which Men can neither threat'n nor allure , Nor by their dev'lish Characters obscure . The Innocence that in her Heart doth dwell , Angels themselves can only parallel . Such constancy of modest witty Law Guides all her Actions , that all Men may draw From her own Soul the noblest precedent , Of the most safe , wise , vertuous Government . Oh! I must think the rest , for who can write , Or into words confine what 's infinite ? For striving to describe quite to the end Of her , that all the World doth comprehend , Is a most wild Ambition ; so for me To draw her Picture , is flat Lunacy . But yet by what 's here writ , the World may see I am the first drew Truth to Poetry . FINIS .

LONDON , Printed in the Year 1679.