The xxiiijti Chapitre.
ALMACHEA SIBILLA, A mayden, whiche sum call Deiphebe, was the doughter of Glaucus, of Cumis, an olde towne of Campana, had hyr begynnynge, and for as muche as thys was oone of the Sibills, when the destruction of Troy was, yet it is sayde; that she lyuede vnto Tarquinws, the Kynge of Romaynes tyme. Nor thys woman neuer suffrede hyr body to be pollutede with noo man. And albeit the poetes feyne that she was belouyde of Phebus, and by hys rewarde had grauntyde to lyue so longe a lyfe, and besydes that, to haue a dyuyne spyryte, yett I beleue she had not that gyfte of Phebus, but of that sonne that lyghtethe all men that cums into thys worlde, whereby she dyd bothe wryte and tell many thynges to cum. Thys woman also, as it is sayde, dwelte nere vnto that noble lake of Baians, where was a meruelouse exellente oracle, the whiche I myselfe haue seene, and haue also herde that it berythe hyr name vnto thys present day. And thoughe by exedynge yeres it be decayede, yet it kepythe styll the maner and fourme of the auncyent mageste, and gyuethe admiratione to those that beholde it, because of the magnitude or greatenes of it. And there be also that affyrme that thys was she that wentt with Eneas to hell, whiche I beleue not, and therfore I let it passe. But those that do say that she lyuyde so many yeres, do tell that she came to Rome and brought to Tarquyne nyne bookes, whyche bookes, because Tarquyne wolde not gyue to hyr for theym the pryce that she demaundyde, that in the Kynges presence she threwe three of theym in the fyer, and the next day agayne folowynge offrede to Tarquyne the reste, saynge that oneles he wolde gyue hyr the pryce that she demaundid, she wolde burne theym also. Tarquyne therby was so mouede that he boughte theym. Whiche sayde bookes he causede diligently to be kepte, and the Romaynes longe aftre sett so muche store by theym that in all theyre greate daungiers they toke the saynges of those bookes as an oracle. It is herd for me to beleue that thys woman was with Deiphebe, but yet we rede that she dyede in Scecill and that ther hyr tumbe is shewede by the inhabitaunttes. And, for conclusion, with studye and the dyuyne grace withall we be made noble, whiche is denyede to suche as wyll do noo goode. And if we do well beholde suche as dreme in idlenes by losynge of the tyme, all thoughe they lyue to extreme age, they be noo better then he that frome hys mothers bely gothe and is borne to hys graue. And for the reste, yf that a woman wakynge in vertue do preuayle in wytte and in dyuine knowledge, what may be thoughte to vs myserable men ariy other but, gyuynge owrself in lernynge and vertue, we shulde be conuertyde vnto the dyuyne knowledge of the deite? Lett theym then lamente and weepe, that lese so greate a gyfte by idlenes and externe theym selffes no better emonge men but verey stoones.