Note to As You Like It, 3.3.61-63: "by how much defence is better / than no skill, by so much is a horn more precious / than to want"
by how much defence is better / than no skill, by so much is a horn more precious / than to want: i.e., as it is better to be on guard against losing what you have than to be indifferent, so it is better to have a cuckold's horn than to lack one. —In other words, it is better to have a wife [even if she makes you a cuckold] than to be a bachelor, because when you have a wife, you have something worth defending.
"The Happy Cuckhold "
Early 17th century engraving by CLD Ciatres