BISHOP AYLMER. 171 



Scripture which commanded a brother to be king among CHAP, 

 the Jews, had no relation to a sister , as these men made it, _ 

 but to a stranger, as he observed. For it followed, Thou 

 shalt not appoint a king alterius gentis, of a strange na 

 tion. And the reason of this was, for to prevent swerving 

 from God, and falling into idolatry. 



Gen. iii. Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall 

 rule over thee. Which place when the author of the Blast 

 had interpreted, that for the woman s enticement, it was en 

 joined her and her posterity, as a penance, to be at the beck 

 and command of the man, Aylmer shewed what the com 

 mon interpretation of it was; viz. Though both in conceiving 

 and bringing forth thy child, thou shalt feel throes, and 

 exceeding plagues, yei; shalt thou not be able to withdraw 

 from thy husband, but shalt give occasion to have more: 

 the pains of the former shall not make thee to avoid the 

 next. This he called no evil interpretation ; for it answer 

 ed, as he said, in the manner of the pains the quality of the 

 offence. As who should say, Thou hast enticed thy husband 

 to turn to thy folly, I shall therefore make thee to turn to him 

 to thine own smart. But because some rejected this interpre 

 tation, he admitted the other, that it made for the wife s 

 obedience to her husband ; that she must hang upon him 

 as upon her guide ; follow his will, as the wiser ; obey his 

 commandment, as her superior ; and, to be short, to know 

 him for her head, and herself for his subject. 



To add two or three interpretations more, setting right 

 thereby the sense of certain places of holy writ, by the fore- 

 said author wrested, to favour his argument against the go 

 vernment of women. 



Isaiah iii. / will take from you your honourable sena 

 tors and your wise counsellors ; and I will give you boys 

 and women to reign over you. Not boys, said he, in age, 

 but manners. As Aristotle said of young men, that to hear 

 philosophy, it maketh no matter for their years, but for 

 their manners. Not women in sex, but in feebleness of wit; 

 and not such as some women be, wiser, better learned, dis- 



