the discord of the nobilitie and when other cause fayled him the nature of chaunce serued as a cause vnto him and sometimes the hearing other men speake valiantly and the quietnesse of his vnassailed senses woulde make himselfe beleue that hee durst doo something But now that present daunger did display it selfe vnto his eye and that a daungerous dooing must be the onely meane to preuent the danger of suffering one that had marked him woulde haue iudged that his eies would haue run into him and his soule out of him so vnkindly did either take a sent of daunger He thought the lake was too shallow and the walles too thin he misdouted ech mans treason and coniectured euery possibilitie of misfortune not onely fore-casting likely perils but such as all the planets together coulde scarcely haue conspired and already began to arme him selfe though it was determined he should tarrie within doores and while he armed himselfe imagined in what part of the vault he would hide himselfe if the enimies wonne the castle Desirous he was that euery body should do valiantly but himselfe and therefore was afraid to shew his feare but for very feare would haue hid his feare lest it shoulde discomfort others but the more he sought to disguize it the more the vnsutablenes of a weake broken voice to high braue wordes and of a pale shaking countenance to a gesture of animating did discouer him But quite contrarily Amphialus who before the enimies came was carefull prouidently diligent not somtimes with out doubting of the issue now the nearer danger approched like the light of a glow-worme the lesse still it seemed and now his courage began to boile in choler and with such impatience to desire to powre out both vpon the enimie that he issued presently into certaine boates he had of purpose and carying with him some choise men went to the fortresse he had vpon the edge of the lake which hee thought would bee the first thing that the enimy woulde attempt because it was a passage which commanding all that side of the country and being lost would stop victuall or other supply that might be brought into the castle in that fortresse hauing some force of horsemen he issued out with two hundred horse fiue hundred footmen embushed his footmen in the falling of a hill which was ouer shadowed with a wood he with his horsmen went a quarter of a mile further aside hand of which he might perceaue the many troupes of the enimie who came but to take view where best to encampe themselues But as if the sight of the enimie had bene a Magnes stone to his courage he could not containe himselfe but shewing his face to the enimie and his backe to his souldiers vsed that action as his onely oration both of denouncing warre to the one and perswading help of the other Who faithfully following an example of such authoritie they made the earth to grone vnder their furious burden and the enimies to begin to be angry with them whom in particular they knew not Among whom there was a young man youngest brother to Philanax whose face as yet did notbewray his sex with so much as shew of haire of a minde hauing no limits of hope nor knowing why to feare full of iollitie in conuersation and lately growne a Louer His name was Agenor of all that armie the most beautifull who hauing ridden in sportfull conuersation among the foremost all armed sauing that his beauer was vp to haue his breath in more freedome seing Amphialus come a pretty way before his cōpany neither staying the commaundement of the captaine nor recking whether his face were armed or no set spurs to his horse and with youthfull brauerie casting his staffe about his head put it then in his rest as carefull of comely carying it as if the marke had beene but a ring and the lookers on Ladies But Amphialus launce was already come to the last of his descending line and began to make the ful point of death against the head of this young Gentleman when Amphialus perceyuing his youth and beautie Compassion so rebated the edge of Choller that hee spared that faire nakednesse and let his staffe fal to Agenors vampalt so as both with braue breaking should hurtleslie haue perfourmed that match but that the pittilesse launce of Amphialus angry with being broken with an vnlucky counterbuffe ful of vnsparing splinters lighted vpon that face farre fitter for the combats of Venus geuing not onely a suddaine but a fowle death leauing scarsely any tokens of his former beautie but his hands abandoning the reynes and his thighes the saddle hee fell sidewarde from the horse Which sight comming to Leontius a deere friende of his who in vaine had lamentably cried vnto him to stay when he saw him beginne his careere it was harde to say whether pittie of the one or reuenge against the other helde as then the soueraigntie in his passions But while hee directed his eye to his friende and his hinde to his enimie so worngly-consorted a power coulde not resist the ready minded force of Amphialus who perceyuing his il-directed direction against him so paide him his debt before it was lent that hee also fell to the earth onely happy that one place and one time did finish both their Loues and liues together But by this time there had bene a furious meeting of either side where after the terrible salutation of warlike noyse the shaking of handes was with sharpe weapons some launces according to the mettall they mett and skill of the guider did staine themselues in bloud some flew vp in pieces as if they would threaten heauen because they fayled on earth◠But their office was quickly inherited either by the Prince of weapons the sworde or by some heauy mase or biting axe which hunting still the weakest chase sought euer to light there wher smallest resistance might worse preuent mischiefe The clashing of armour and crushing of staues the iustling of bodies the resounding of blowes was the first parte of that ill-agreeing musicke which was beautified with the griselinesse of woundes the rising of dust the hideous falles and grones of the dying The very horses angrie in their masters anger with loue and obedience brought foorth the effects of hate and resistance and with minds of seruitude did as if they affected glorie Some lay deade vnder their dead maisters whome vnknightly wounds had vniustly punished for a faithfull dutie Some lay vppon their Lordes by like accidents and in death had the honour to be borne by them whom in life they had borne Some hauing lost their commaunding burthens ranne scattered about the fielde abashed with the madnesse of mankinde The earth it selfe woont to be a buriall of men was nowe as it were buried with men so was the face thereof hidden with deade bodies to whom Death hade come masked in diuerse manners In one place lay disinherited heades dispossessed of their naturall seignories in an
deale contrary to your selfe for if I be so weak then can you not with reason stir me vp as ye did by remembrance of my owne vertue or if indeed I be vertuous then must ye confesse that loue hath his working in a vertuous hart and so no dout hath it whatsoeuer I be for if we loue vertue in whom shall wee loue it but in a vertuous creature without your meaning bee I should loue this word vertue where I see it written in a booke Those troblesome effectes you say it breedes be not the faults of loue but of him that loues as an vnable vessell to beare such a licour like euill eyes not able to looke on the Sun or like a weake braine soonest ouerthrowen with the best wine Euen that heauenly loue you speake of is accompanied in some harts with hopes griefes longinges and dispaires And in that heauenly loue since there are two parts the one the loue itselfe th' other the excellencie of the thing loued I not able at the first leap to frame both in me do now like a diligent workman make ready the chiefe instrument and first part of that great worke which is loue it selfe which when I haue a while practised in this sorte then you shall see me turne it to greater matters And thus gentlie you may if it please you thinke of me Neither doubt ye because I weare a womans apparell I will be the more womannish since I assure you for all my apparrel there is nothing I desire more then fully to proue my selfe a man in this enterprise Much might be saide in my defence much more for loue and most of all for that diuine creature which hath ioyned me and loue together But these disputations are fitter for quiet schooles then my troubled braines which art bent rather in deeds to performe then in wordes to defende the noble desire that possesseth me O Lord saide Musidorus how sharp-witted you are to hurt your selfe No answered he but it is the hurt you speake of which makes me so sharp-witted Euen so saide Musidorus as euery base occupation makes one sharp in that practise and foolish in all the rest Nay rather answered Pyrocles as each excellent thing once well learned serues for a measure of all other knowledges And is that become saide Musidorus a measure for other things which neuer receiued measure in it selfe It is counted without measure answered Pyrocles because the workings of it are without measure but otherwise in nature it hath measure since it hath an end allotted vnto it The beginning being so excellent I would gladly know the ende Enioying answered Pyrocles with a deepe sigh O saide Musidorus now set ye foorth the basenes of it since if it ende in enioying it shewes all the rest was nothing Ye mistake me aunswered Pyrocles I spake of the ende to which it is directed which end ends not no sooner then the life Alas let your owne braine disenchaunt you saide Musidorus My hart is too farre possessed saide Pyrocles But the head giues you direction And the hart giues me life aunswered Pyrocles But Musidorus was so greeued to see his welbeloued friend obstinat as he thought to his owne destruction that it forced him with more then accustomed vehemency to speake these words Well well saide he you lift to abuse your selfe it was a very white and red vertue which you could pick out of a painterly glosse of a visage Confesse the truth and ye shall finde the vtmost was but beautie a thing which though it be in as great excellencye in your selfe as may be in any yet I am sure you make no further reckning of it then of an outward fading benefite Nature bestowed vpon you And yet such is your want of a true grounded vertue which must be like it selfe in all points that what you wisely account a trifle in your selfe you fondly become a slaue vnto in another For my part I now protest I haue left nothing vnsaid which my wit could make me know or my most entier friendship to you requires of me I doo now beseech you euen for the loue betwixt vs if this other loue haue left any in you tovvards me and for the remembrance of your olde careful father if you can remēber him that forget your selfe lastly for Pyrocles ovvn sake who is novv vpon the point of falling or rising to purge your selfe of this vile infection other vvise giue me leaue to leaue of this name of freindship as an idle title of a thing vvhich cannot be vvhere vertue is abolished The length of these speaches before had not so much cloied Pyrocles though he vvere very impatient of long deliberations as this last farevvell of him he loued as his ovvne life did vvound his soule for thinking him selfe afflicted he vvas the apter to conceiue vnkindnesse deepely insomuch that shaking his head and deliuering some shevve of teares he thus vttered his greifes Alas said he prince Musidorus hovv cruelly you deale with me if you seeke the victorie take it and if ye list the triumph haue you all the reason of the world and with me remaine all the imperfections yet such as I can no more lay from me then the Crow can be perswaded by the Swanne to cast of all his blacke fethers But truely you deale with me like a Phisition that seeing his patient in a pestilēt feuer should chide him in steed of ministring helpe and bid him be sick no more or rather like such a friēd that visiting his friend condemned to perpetuall prison and loaden with greeuous fetters should will him to shake of his fetters or he would leaue him I am sick and sick to the death I am prisoner neither is there any redresse but by her to whom I am slaue Now if you list leaue him that loues you in the hiest degree But remember euer to cary this with you that you abandon your friend in his greatest extremitie And herewith the deepe wound of his loue being rubbed a fresh with this new vnkindnes began as it were to bleed againe in such sort that he was vnable to beare it any longer but gushing out aboundance of teares and crossing his armes ouer his woefull hart he suncke downe◠to the ground which sodaine trance went so to the hart of Musidorus that falling downe by him and kissing the weping eyes of his friend he besought him not to make account of his speach which if it had beene ouer vehement yet was it to be borne withall because it came out of a loue much more vehement that he had not thought fancie could haue receiued so deep a wound but now finding in him the force of it hee woulde no further contrary it but imploy all his seruice to medicine it in such sorte as the nature of it required But euen this kindnes made Pyrocles the more melte in the former vnkindenes which his manlike teares well shewed with a silent look vpon Musidorus as who should say
a certaine Sycionian Knight was lost thorow want rather of valour then iustice her husband the famous Argalus would in a chafe haue gone and redeemed it with a new triall But shee more sporting then sorrowing for her vndeserued champion tolde her husbande shee desired to bee beautifull in no bodies eye but his and that shee would rather marre her face as euill as euer it was then that it should be a cause to make Argalus put on armour Then woulde Basilius haue tolde Zelmane that which she already knew of the rare triall of that coupled affection but the next picture made their mouthes giue place to their eyes It was of a young mayd which sate pulling out a thorne out of a Lambes foote with her looke so attentiue vppon it as if that little foote coulde haue bene the circle of her thoughts her apparell so poore as it had nothing but the inside to adorne it a shephooke lying by her with a bottle vpon it But with all that pouertie beauty plaid the prince and commanded as many harts as the greatest Queene there did Her beautie and her estate made her quicklie to be knowne to be the faire shepheardesse Vrania whom a rich knight called Lacemon farre in loue with her had vnluckely defended The last of all in place because last in the time of her being captiue was Zelmane daughter to the King Plexirtus who at the first sight seemed to haue some resembling of Philoclea but with more marking comparing it to the present Philoclea who indeed had no paragon but her sister they might see it was but such a likenesse as an vnperfect glasse doth giue aunswerable enough in some feitures and colors but erring in others But Zelmane sighing turning to Basilius Alas sir said she here be some pictures which might better become the tombes of their Mistresses thē the triumphe of Artesia It is true sweetest Lady saide Basilius some of them bee dead and some other captiue But that hath happened so late as it may bee the Knightes that defended their beauty knew not so much without we will say as in some harts I know it would fall out that death it selfe could not blot out the image which loue hath engrauen in them But diuers besides these said Basilius hath Phalantus woon but he leaues the rest carying onely such who either for greatnes of estate or of beauty may iustly glorifie the glory of Artesias triumph Thus talked Basilius with Zelmane glad to make any matter subiect to speake of with his mistresse while Phalantus in this pompous maner brought Artesia with her gentlewomen into one Tent by which he had another where they both wayted who would first strike vpon the shielde while Basilius the Iudge appointed sticklers and troumpets to whom the other should obey But non that day appeared nor the next till all ready it had consumed halfe his allowance of light but then there came in a knight protesting himselfe as contrarie to him in minde as he was in apparrell For Phalantus was all in white hauing in his bases and caparison imbroidered a wauing water at each side whereof hee had nettings cast ouer in which were diuers fishes naturally made and so pretily that as the horse stirred the fishes seemed to striue and leape in the nette But the other knight by name Nestor by birth an Arcadian in affection vowed to the faire Shepherdesse was all in black with fire burning both vpō his armour and horse His impresa in his shield was a fire made of Iuniper with this word More easie and more sweete But this hote knight was cooled with a fall which at the third course he receiued of Phalantus leauing his picture to keepe companie with the other of the same stampe hee going away remedilesly chafing at his rebuke The next was Polycetes greatly esteemed in Arcadia for deedes he had done in armes and much spoken of for the honourable loue he had long borne to Gynecia which Basilius himselfe was content not onely to suffer but to be delighted with he carried it in so honorable and open plainnes setting to his loue no other marke then to do her faithfull seruice But neither her faire picture nor his faire running could warrant him from ouerthrow and her from becomming as then the last of Artesias victories a thing Gynecias vertues would little haue recked at another time nor then if Zelmane had not seene it But her champion went away asmuch discomforted as discomfited Then Telamon for Polexena and Eurileon for Elpine and Leon for Zoana all braue Knights all faire Ladies with their going downe lifted vp the ballance of his praise for actiuitie and hers for fairenes Vpon whose losse as the beholders were talking there comes into the place where they ranne a shepheard stripling for his height made him more then a boy and his face would not allow him a man brown of complexion whether by nature or by the Suns familiaritie but very louely with all for the rest so perfectly proportioned that Nature shewed shee dooth not like men◠who slubber vp matters of meane account And well might his proportion be iudged for he had nothing vpon him but a paire of sloppes and vpon his bodie a Gote-skinne which hee cast ouer his shoulder doing all things with so pretie a grace that it seemed ignorance could not make him do a misse because he had a hart to do well holding in his right hand a long staffe so cōming with a looke ful of amiable fiercenes as in whō choller could not take away the sweetnes hee came towards the king and making a reuerence which in him was comely because it was kindly My liege Lord said he I pray you heare a few words for my heart wil break if I say not my mind to you I see here the picture of Vrania which I cannot tell how nor why these men when they fall downe they say is not so faire as yonder gay woman But pray God I may neuer see my olde mother aliue if I think she be any more match to Vrania then a Goate is to a fine Lambe or then the Dog that keepes our flock at home is like your white Greihounde that pulled downe the Stagge last day And therefore I pray you let me be drest as they be and my hart giues me I shall tumble him on the earth for indeede hee might aswell say that a Couslip is as white as a Lillie or els I care not let him come with his great staffe and I with this in my hand and you shall see what I can doo to him Basilius sawe it was the fine shepheard Lalus whom once he had afore him in Pastorall sportes and had greatly delighted in his wit full of prety simplicitie and therefore laughing at his earnestnesse he bad him be content since hee sawe the pictures of so great Queenes were faine to follow their champions fortune But Lalus euen weeping ripe went among the rest longing to
Tir'de as a iade in ouerloden carte Yet thoughts do flie though I can scarcely creep All visions seeme at euery bush I start Drowsy am I and yet can rarely slepe Sure I bewitched am it is euen that Late neere a crosse I met an ougly Cat. For but by charms how fall these things on me That from those eies where heau'nly apples bene Those eies which nothing like themselues can see Of faire Vrania fairer then a greene Proudly bedeckt in Aprills liuory A shot vnheard gaue me a wound vnseene He was inuisible that hurt me so And none vnuisible but Spirites can goe When I see her my sinewes shake for feare And yet deare soule I know she hurteth none Amid my flock with woe my voice I teare And but bewitch'd who to his flock would mone Her chery lipps milke hands and golden haire I still do see though I be still alone Now make me thinke that there is not a fende Who hid in Angels shape my lîfe would ende The sportes wherin I wonted to do well Come she and sweet the aire with open brest Then so I faile when most I would do well That at me so amaz'd my fellowes iest Sometimes to her newes of my selfe to tell I go about but then is all my best Wry words and stam'ring or els doltish dombe Say then can this but of enchantment come Nay each thing is bewitcht to know my case The Nightingales for woe their songs refraine In riuer as I look'd my pining face As pin'd a face as mine I saw againe The courteous mountaines grieu'd at my disgrace Their snowy haire teare of in melting paine And now the dropping trees do wepe for me And now faire euenings blush my shame to see But you my pipe whilome my chief delight Till straunge delight delight to nothing ware And you my flock care of my carefull sight While I was I so had cause to care And thou my dogg whose truth valiant might Made wolues not inward wolues my ewes to spare Go you not from your master in his woe Let it suffise that he himselfe forgoe For though like waxe this magique makes me waste Or like a lambe whose dam away is fet Stolne from her yoong by theeues vnchoosing hast He treble beas for helpe but none can get Though thus and worse though now I am at last Of all the games that here ere now I met Do you remember still you once were mine Till my eies had their curse from blessed â—ine Be you with me while I vnheard do cry While I do score my losses on the winde While I in heart my will write ere I die In which by will my will and wits I binde Still to be hers about her aye to flie As this same sprite about my fancies blinde Doth daily haâ—nt but so that mine become As much more louing as lesse combersome Alas a cloud hath ouercast mine eies And yet I see her shine amid the cloud Alas of ghostes I heare the gastly cries Yet there me seemes I heare her singing loud This song she singes in most commaunding wise Come shepheards boy let now thy heart be bowd To make it selfe to my least looke a slaue Leaue sheepe leaue all I will no piecing haue I will I will alas alas I will Wilt thou haue more more haue if more I be Away ragg'd rams care I what murraine kill Out shreaking pipe made of â—ome witched tree Go bawling curre thy hungry maw go fill On yond foule flocke belonging not to me With that his dogge he henst his flocke he curst With that yet kissed first his pipe he burst This said this done he rase euen tir'd with rest With heart as carefull as with carelesse grace With shrinking legges but with a swelling brest With eyes which threatned they would drowne his face Fearing the worst not knowing what were best And giuing to his sight a wandring race He saw behind a bush where Klaius sate His well know'ne friend but yet his vnknowne mate Klaius the wretch who lately yelden was To beare the bondes which Time nor wit could breake With blushing soule at sight of iudgements glasse While guilty thoughts accus'd his Reason weake This morne alone to lonely walke did passe With in himselfe of hir deare selfâ— to speake Till Strephons planing voice him nearer drew Where by his words his self-like cause he knew For hearing him so oft with wordes of woe Vrania name whose force he knew so well He quickly knew what witchcraft gaue the blow Which made his Strephon think himselfe in hell Which when he did in perfect image show To his owne witt thought vpon thought did swell Breeding huge stormes with in his inward parte Which thus breath'd out with earthquake of his hart As Lamon would haue proceded Basilius knowing by the wasting of the torches that the night also was farre wasted and withall remembring Zelmanes hurt asked hir whither she thought it not better to reserue the complaint of Klaius till an other day Which she perceiuing the song had alreadie worne out much time and not knowing when Lamon would ende being euen now stepping ouer to a new matter though much deligâ—ted with what was spoken willingly agreed vnto And so of all sides they went to recommend themselues to the elder brother of death The end of the first Booke THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA IN these pastorall pastimes a great number of daies were sent to follow their flying predecessours while the cup of poison which was deepely tasted of this noble companie had left no sinewe of theirs without mortally searching into it yet neuer manifesting his venomous work til once that the night parting away angry that she could distill no more sleepe into the eies of louers had no sooner giuen place to the breaking out of the morning light and the Sunne bestowed his beames vpon the tops of the mountaines but that the woefull Gynecia to whom rest was no ease had left her loathed lodging and gotten her selfe into the solitary places those deserts were full of going vp and downe with such vnquiet motions as a grieued and hopeles minde is wont to bring forth There appeered vnto the eies of her iudgement the euils she was like to run into with ougly infamie waiting vpon them shee felt the terrors of her owne conscience shee was guilty of a long exercised vertue which made this vice the fuller of deformitie The vttermost of the good she could aspire vnto was a mortal wouÌ„d to her vexed spirits and lastly no small part of her euils was that she was wise to see her euils In so much that hauing a great while throwne her countenaunce ghastly about her as if shee had called all the powers of the world to be witnesse of her wretched estate at length casting vp her watrie eyes to heaueÌ„ O Sunne said she whose vnspotted light directs the steps of mortall mankind art thou not ashamed to impart the clearnesse of
Mopsa that is onely suteable in laying a foule complexion vpon a filthy fauour setting foorth both in sluttishnes she was the load-starre of my life she the blessing of mine eyes she the ouerthrowe of my desires and yet the recompence of my ouerthrowe she the sweetnesse of my hart euen sweetning the death which her sweetnesse drew vpō me In summe what soeuer I thought of Pamela that I saide of Mopsa whereby as I gatte my maisters good-will who before spited me fearing lest I should winne the Princesse fauour from him so did the same make the Princesse the better content to allow me her presence whether indeede it were that a certaine sparke of noble indignation did rise in her not to suffer such a baggage to winne away any thing of hers how meanely soeuer she reputed of it or rather as I thinke my words being so passionate and shooting so quite contrarie from the markes of Mopsaes worthinesse she perceiued well enough whither they were directed and therfore being so masked she was contented as a sporte of witte to attend them Whereupon one day determining to finde some means to tell as of a third person the tale of mine owne loue and estate finding Mopsa like a Cuckoo by a Nightingale alone with Pamela I came in vnto them and with a face I am sure full of clowdy fancies tooke a harpe and soong this song SInce so mine eyes are subiect to your sight That in your sight they fixed haue my braine Since so my harte is filled with that light That onely light doth all my life maintaine Since in sweete you all goods so richly raigne That where you are no wished good can want Since so your liuing image liues in me That in my selfe your selfe true loue doth plant How can you him vnworthy then decree In whose chiefe parte your worthes implanted be The song being ended which I had often broken of in the middest with grieuous sighes which ouertooke euery verse I sang I let fall my harpe from me and casting my eye sometime vpon Mopsa but setling my sight principally vpon Pamela And is it the onely fortune most bewtifull Mopsa said I of wretched Dorus that fortune must be the measure of his mind Am I onely he that because I am in miserie more miserie must be laid vpon me must that which should be cause of compassion become an argument of cruelty against me Alas excellent Mopsa consider that a vertuous Prince requires the life of his meanest subiect and the heauenly Sunne disdaines not to giue light to the smallest worme O Mopsa Mopsa if my hart could be as manifest to you as it is vncomfortable to me I doubt not the height of my thoughts should well counteruaile the lownesse of my qualitie Who hath not heard of the greatnes of your estate who seeth not that your estate is much excelled with that sweet vniting of all beauties which remaineth and dwelleth with you who knowes not that all these are but ornaments of that diuine sparke within you which being descended from heauen could not els-where picke out so sweete a mansion But if you will knowe what is the bande that ought to knit all these excellencies together it is a kinde mercyfulnesse to such a one as is in his soule deuoted to those perfections Mopsa who already had had a certaine smackring towards me stood all this while with her hand sometimes before her face but most commonly with a certaine speciall grace of her owne wagging her lips and grinning in steede of smiling but all the words I could get of her was wrieng her waste and thrusting out her chinne In faith you iest with me you are a merry man indeede But the euer-pleasing Pamela that well found the Comedie would be marred if she did not helpe Mopsa to her part was content to vrge a little further of me Maister Dorus said the faire Pamela me thinks you blame your fortune very wrongfully since the fault is not in Fortune but in you that cannot frame your selfe to your fortune and as wrongfully do require Mopsa to so great a disparagement as to her Fathers seruaunt since she is not worthy to be loued that hath not some feeling of her owne worthines I staied a good while after her words in hope she would haue continued her speech so great a delight I receaued in hearing her but seeing her say no further with a quaking all ouer my body I thus answered her Ladie most worthie of all dutie how falles it out that you in whom all vertue shines will take the patronage of fortune the onely rebellious handmaide against vertue Especially since before your eyes you haue a pittifull spectacle of her wickednesse a forlorne creature which must remaine not such as I am but such as she makes me since she must be the ballance of worthinesse or disparagement Yet alas if the condemned man euen at his death haue leaue to speake let my mortall wound purchase thus much confideration since the perfections are such in the partie I loue as the feeling of them cannot come into any vnnoble hart shall that hart which doth not onely feele them but hath all the working of his life placed in them shall that hart I saie lifted vp to such a height be counted base O let not an excellent spirit doo it selfe such wrong as to thinke where it is placed imbraced and loued there can be any vnworthinesse since the weakest mist is not easilier driuen away by the Sunne then that is chased away with so high thoughts I will not denie answered the gratious Pamela but that the loue you beare to Mopsa hath brought you to the consideration of her vertues and that consideration may haue made you the more vertuous and so the more worthie But euen that then you must confesse you haue receiued of her and so are rather gratefully to thanke her then to presse any further till you bring something of your owne whereby to claime it And truely Dorus I must in Mopsaes behalfe say thus much to you that if her beauties haue so ouertaken you it becomes a true Loue to haue your harte more set vpon her good then your owne to beare a tenderer respect to her honour then your satisfaction Now by my hallidame Madame said Mopsa throwing a great number of sheeps eyes vpon me you haue euen touched mine owne minde to the quicke forsooth I finding that the pollicie that I had vsed had at lest wise procured thus much happinesse vnto me as that I might euen in my Ladies presence discouer the sore which had deepely festered within me and that she could better conceaue my reasons applied to Mopsa then she would haue vouchsafed them whilest her selfe was a partie thought good to pursue on my good beginning vsing this fit occasion of Pamelaes wit and Mopsaes ignorance Therefore with an humble pearcing eye looking vpon Pamela as if I had rather bene condemned by her mouth then highly exalted by the
other turning my selfe to Mopsa but keeping mine eye where it was faire Mopsa said I well doo I finde by the wise knitting together of your answere that any disputation I can vse is asmuch too weake as I vnworthy I find my loue shal be proued no loue without I leue to loue being too vnfit a vessell in whom so high thoughts should be engraued Yet since the Loue I beare you hath so ioyned it selfe to the best part of my life as the one can not depart but that th' other will follow before I seeke to obey you in making my last passage let me know which is my vnworthines either of mind estate or both Mopsa was about to say in neither for her hart I thinke tumbled with ouermuch kindnesse when Pamela with a more fauourable countenance then before finding how apt I was to fall into despaire told me I might therein haue answered my selfe for besides that it was graunted me that the inward feeling of Mopsaes perfections had greatly beautified my minde there was none could denie but that my minde and bodie deserued great allowance But Dorus sayd she you must be so farre maister of your loue as to consider that since the iudgement of the world stands vpon matter of fortune and that the sexe of womankind of all other is most bound to haue regardfull eie to mens iudgements it is not for vs to play the philosophers in seeking out your hidden vertues since that which in a wise prince would be counted wisdome in vs will be taken for a light-grounded affection so is not one thing one done by diuers persons There is no man in a burning feuer feeles so great contentment in cold water greedily receiued which assoone as the drinke ceaseth the rage reneweth as poore I found my soule refreshed with her sweetly pronounced words and newly and more violently againe enflamed assoone as she had closed vp her delightfull speech with no lesse well graced silence But remembring in my selfe that aswell the Souldier dieth which standeth still as he that giues the brauest onset and seeing that to the making vp of my fortune there wanted nothing so much as the making knowne of mine estate with a face well witnessing how deeply my soule was possessed and with the most submissiue behauior that a thralled hart could expresse euen as my words had bene too thicke for my mouth at length spake to this purpose Alas most worthy Princesse said I and do not then your owne sweet words sufficiently testifie that there was neuer man could haue a iuster action against filthy fortune then I since all other things being granted me her blindnesse is my onely let O heauenly God I would either she had such eyes as were able to discerne my deserts or I were blind not to see the daily cause of my misfortune But yet said I most honoured Lady if my miserable speeches haue not already cloied you and that the verie presence of such a wretch become not hatefull in your eyes let me reply thus much further against my mortall sentence by telling you a storie which happened in this same country long since for woes make the shortest time seeme long whereby you shall see that my estate is not so contemptible but that a Prince hath bene content to take the like vpon him and by that onely hath aspired to enioy a mightie Princesse Pamela gratiously harkened and I told my tale in this sort In the countrie of Thessalia alas why name I that accursed country which brings forth nothing but matters for tragedies but name it I must in Thessalia I say there was well may I say there was a Prince no no Prince whome bondage wholly possessed but yet accounted a Prince and named Musidorus O Musidorus Musidorus but to what serue exclamations where there are no eares to receiue the sound This Musidorus being yet in the tendrest age his worthy father paied to nature with a violent death her last duties leauing his childe to the faith of his friends and the proofe of time death gaue him not such pangs as the foresight-full care he had of his silly successour And yet if in his foresight he could haue seene so much happie was that good Prince in his timely departure which barred him from the knowledge of his sonnes miseries which his knowledge could neither haue preuented nor relieued The young Musidorus being thus as for the first pledge of the destenies good will depriued of his principall stay was yet for some yeares after as if the starres would breath themselues for a greater mischiefe lulled vp in as much good luck as the heedfull loue of his dolefull mother and the fâ—orishing estate of his country could breed vnto him But when the time now came that miserie seemed to be ripe for him because he had age to knowe misery I thinke there was a conspiracy in all heauenly and earthly things to frame fit occasions to leade him vnto it His people to whom all matters in foretime were odious beganne to wish in their beloued Prince experience by trauaile his deare mother whose eyes were held open onely with the ioy of looking vpon him did now dispense with the comfort of her widowhead life desiring the same her subiectes did for the increase of her sonnes worthinesse And hereto did Musidorus owne vertue see how vertue can bee a minister to mischiefe sufficiently prouoke him for indeed thus much I must say for him although the likenesse of our mishaps makes me presume to patterne my selfe vnto him that well-doing was at that time his scope from which no faint pleasure could with-hold him But the present occasion which did knit al this together was his vncle the king of Macedon who hauing lately before gotten such victories as were beyond expectation did at this time send both for the Prince his sonne brought vp together to auoid the warres with Musidorus and for Musidorus himselfe that his ioy might be the more full hauing such partakers of it But alas to what a sea of miseries my plaintfull toong doth lead me thus out of breath rather with that I thought then that I said I stayed my speech til Pamela shewing by countenaÌ„ce that such was her pleasure I thus continued it These two young Princes to satisfie the king tooke their way by sea towards Thrace whether they would needs go with a Nauie to succour him he being at that time before Bizantium with a mighty Army beseeging it wher at that time his court was But wheÌ„ the coÌ„spired heauens had gotten this Subiect of their wrath vpoÌ„ so fit a place as the sea was they streight began to breath out in boystrous winds some part of their malice against him so that with the losse of al his Nauie he only with the Prince his cosin were cast a land farre off from the place whether their desires would haue guided them O cruell winds in your vnconsiderate rages why either began you this furie or
lesse daungerous But after that yeares began to come on with some though more seldome shewes of a bloudie nature and that the prophecie of Musidorus destenie came to his eares deliuered vnto him and receiued of him with the hardest interpretation as though his subiects did delight in the hearing thereof Then gaue he himselfe indeede to the full currant of his disposition especially after the warre of Thessalia wherein though in trueth wrongly he deemed his vnsuccesse proceeded of their vnwillingnes to haue him prosper and then thinking himselfe contemned knowing no countermine against contempt but terror began to let nothing passe which might beare the colour of a fault without sharp punishment and when he wanted faults excellencie grew a fault and it was sufficient to make one guiltie that he had power to be guiltie And as there is no humour to which impudent pouertie cannot make itselfe seruiceable so were there enow of those of desperate ambition who would build their houses vpon others ruines which after should fall by like practises So as seruitude came mainly vpon that poore people whose deedes were not onely punished but words corrected and euen thoughts by some meane or other puld out of them while suspition bred the mind of crueltie and the effects of crueltie stirred a new cause of suspition And in this plight full of watchfull fearefulnes did the storme deliuer sweete Pyrocles to the stormie minde of that Tyrant all men that did such wrong to so rare a stranger whose countenaunce deserued both pitie and admiration condemning themselues as much in their hearts as they did brag in their forces But when this bloudy King knew what he was and in what order he and his cosin Musidorus so much of him feared were come out of Thessalia assuredly thinking because euer thinking the worst that those forces were prouided against him glad of the perishing as he thought of Musidorus determined in publique sort to put Pyrocles to death For hauing quite lost the way of noblenes he straue to clime to the height of terriblenes and thinking to make all men adread to make such one an enemie who would not spare nor feare to kill so great a Prince and lastly hauing nothing in him why to make him his friend he thought he woulde take him away from being his enemie The day was appointed and all things appointed for that cruell blow in so solemne an order as if they would set foorth tyranny in most gorgeous decking The Princely youth of inuincible valour yet so vniustly subiected to such outragious wrong carrying himself in all his demeanure so constantly abiding extremitie that one might see it was the cutting away of the greatest hope of the world and destroying vertue in his sweetest grouth But so it fell out that his death was preuented by a rare example of friendship in Musidorus who being almost drowned had bene taken vp by a Fisherman belonging to the kingdome of Pontus and being there and vnderstanding the full discourse as Fame was very prodigall of so notable an accident in what case Pyrocles was learning withall that his hate was farre more to him then to Pyrocles hee found meanes to acquaint him selfe with a noble-man of that Countrie to whome largely discouering what he was he found him a most fit instrument to effectuate his desire For this noble-man had bene one who in many warres had serued Euarchus and had bene so mind-striken by the beautie of vertue in that noble King that though not borne his Subiect he euer profest himselfe his seruaunt His desire therefore to him was to keepe Musidorus in a strong Castle of his and then to make the King of Phrygia vnderstand that if he would deliuer Pyrocles Musidorus would willingly put him selfe into his hands knowing well that how thirstie so euer he was of Pyrocles bloud he would rather drinke that of Musidorus The Nobleman was loath to preserue one by the losse of another but time vrging resolution the importunitie of Musidorus who shewed a minde not to ouer-liue Pyrocles with the affection he bare to Euarchus so preuayled that he carried this strange offer of Musidorus which by that Tyrant was greedelie accepted And so vpon securitie of both sides they were enterchanged Where I may not omitte the worke of friendshippe in Pyrocles who both in speache and countenance to Musidorus well shewed that he thought himselfe iniured and not releeued by him asking him what he had euer seene in him why he could not beare the extremities of mortall accidentes as well as any man and why he should enuie him the glorie of suffering death for his friendes cause and as it were robbe him of his owne possession But in this notable contention where the conquest must be the conquerers destruction and safetie the punishment of the conquered Musidorus preuayled because he was a more welcome praie to the vniust King and as chearefully going towardes as Pyrocles went frowardly fromward his death he was deliuered to the King who could not be inough sure of him without he fed his owne eies vpon one whom he had begon to feare as soone as the other began to be Yet because he would in one acte both make ostentation of his owne felicitie into whose hands his most feared enemie was fallen and withall cut of such hopes from his suspected subiects when they should knowe certainly he was dead with much more skilfull crueltie and horrible solemnitie he caused each thing to be prepared for his triumph of tyrannie And so the day being come he was led foorth by many armed men who often had beene the fortifiers of wickednes to the place of execution where comming with a minde comforted in that he had done such seruice to Pyrocles this strange encounter he had The excelling Pyrocles was no sooner deliuered by the kings seruants to a place of liberty then he bent his witte and courage and what would not they bring to passe how ether to deliuer Musidorus or to perish with him And finding he could get in that countrie no forces sufficient by force to rescue him to bring himselfe to die with him little hoping of better euent he put himselfe in poore rayment and by the helpe of some few crownes he tooke of that noble-man who full of sorrow though not knowing the secrete of his intent suffered him to goe in such order from him he euen he borne to the greatest expectation and of the greatest bloud that any Prince might be submitted himselfe to be seruant to the executioner that should put to death Musidorus a farre notabler proofe of his friendship considering the height of his minde then any death could be That bad officer not suspecting him being araied fit for such an estate and hauing his beautie hidden by many foule spots he artificially put vpon his face gaue him leaue not onely to weare a sworde himselfe but to beare his sworde prepared for the iustified murther And so Pyrocles taking his time when Musidorus
was vpon the scaffold separaâ—ed somewhat from the rest as allowed to say something he stept vnto him and putting the sworde into his hande not bound a point of ciuility the officers vsed towards him because they doubted no such enterprise Musidorus said he die nobly In truth neuer man betweene ioy before knowledge what to be glad of and feare after considering his case had such a confusion of thoughts as I had when I saw Pyrocles so neare me But with that Dorus blushed and Pamela smiled and Dorus the more blushed at her smiling and she the more smiled at his blushing because he had with the remembraunce of that plight he was in forgotten in speaking of him selfe to vse the third person But Musidorus turned againe her thoughts from his cheekes to his tongue in this sort But said he when they were with swordes in handes not turning backs one to the other for there they knew was no place of defence but making it a preseruation in not hoping to be preserued and now acknowledging themselues subiect to death meaning onely to do honour to their princely birth they flew amongst them all for all were enimies and had quickly either with flight or death left none vpon the scaffold to annoy them Wherein Pyrocles the excellent Pyrocles did such wonders beyond beliefe as was hable to leade Musidorus to courage though he had bene borne a coward But indeed iust rage and desperate vertue did such effects that the popular sort of the beholders began to be almost superstitiously amazed as at effects beyond mortall power But the King with angry threatnings from-out a window where he was not ashamed the world should behold him a beholder commaunded his gard and the rest of his souldiers to hasten their death But many of them lost their bodies to loose their soules when the Princes grew almost so weary as they were ready to be conquered with conquering But as they were still fighting with weake armes and strong harts it happened that one of the souldiers commaunded to go vp after his fellowes against the Princes hauing receiued a light hurt more wounded in his hart went backe with as much diligence as he came vp with modestie which another of his fellowes seeing to pike a thanke of the King strake him vpon the face reuiling him that so accompanied he would runne away from so fewe But he as many times it falls out onely valiant when he was angrie in reuenge thrust him through which with his death was streight reuenged by a brother of his and that againe requited by a fellow of the others There began to be a great tumult amongst the souldiers which seene and not vnderstood by the people vsed to feares but not vsed to be bolde in them some began to crie treason and that voice streight multiplying it selfe the King O the cowardise of a guiltie conscience before any man set vpon him fled away Where-with a bruit either by arte of some well meaning men or by such chaunce as such things often fall out by ran from one to the other that the King was slaine wherewith certaine yong men of the brauest mindes cried with lowde voice Libertie and encouraging the other Citizens to follow them set vpon the garde and souldiers as chiefe instruments of Tyrannie and quickly aided by the Princes they had left none of them aliue nor any other in the cittie who they thought had in any sort set his hand to the worke of their seruitude and God knowes by the blindnesse of rage killing many guiltles persons either for affinity to the Tyrant or enmitie to the tyrant-killers But some of the wiser seeing that a popular licence is indeede the many-headed tyranny preuailed with the rest to make Musidorus their chiefe choosing one of them because Princes to defend them and him because elder and most hated of the Tyrant and by him to be ruled whom foorthwith they lifted vp Fortune I thinke smiling at her worke therein that a scaffold of execution should grow a scaffold of coronation But by and by there came newes of more certaine truth that the King was not dead but fled to a strong castle of his neere hand where he was gathering forces in all speed possible to suppresse this mutinie But now they had run themselues too farre out of breath to go backe againe the same career and too well they knew the sharpnesse of his memorie to forget such an iniury therefore learning vertue of necessitie they continued resolute to obey Musidorus Who seing what forces were in the citie with them issued against the Tyrant while they were in this heat before practises might be vsed to disseuer them and with them met the King who likewise hoping little to preuaile by time knowing and finding his peoples hate met him with little delay in the field where him selfe was slaine by Musidorus after he had seene his onely sonne a Prince of great courage beautie but fostred in bloud by his naughty Father slaine by the hand of Pyrocles This victory obteined with great and truly not vndeserued honour to the two Princes the whole estates of the country with one consent gaue the crowne and all other markes of soueraigntie to Musidorus desiring nothing more then to liue vnder such a gouernment as they promised themselues of him But he thinking it a greater greatnes to giue a kingdome then get a kingdome vnderstanding that there was left of the bloud Roiall and next to the succession an aged Gentleman of approued goodnes who had gotten nothing by his cousins power but danger from him and odiousnes for him hauing past his time in modest secrecy and asmuch from entermedling in matters of gouernment as the greatnesse of his bloud would suffer him did after hauing receiued the full power to his owne hands resigne all to the noble-man but with such conditions and cautions of the conditions as might assure the people with asmuch assurance as worldly matters beare that not onely that gouernour of whom indeed they looked for all good but the nature of the gouernment should be no way apt to decline to Tyranny This dooing set foorth no lesse his magnificence then the other act did his magnanimitie so that greatly praysed of all and iustly beloued of the new King who in all both wordes and behauiour protested him selfe their Tenaunt and Liegeman they were drawne thence to reuenge those who seruants of theirs of whose memorable faith I told you most excellent Princesse in willingly giuing themselues to be drowned for their sakes but drowned indeed they were not but gat with painefull swimming vpon a rocke from whence after being come as neere famishing as before drowning the weather breaking vp they were brought to the maine land of Pontus the same country vpon which Musidorus also was fallen but not in so luckie a place For they were brought to the King of that country a Tyrant also not thorow suspition greedines or reuengefulnes as he of
they had often made their liues triumph ouer most terrible daungers neuer dismaied and euer fortunate and truely no more setled in valure then disposed to goodnes and iustice if either they had lighted on a better friend or could haue learned to make friendship a childe and not the father of Vertue But bringing vp rather then choise hauing first knit their mindes vnto him indeede crafty inough either to hide his faultes or neuer to shewe them but when they might pay home they willingly helde out the course rather to satisfie him then all the worlde and rather to be good friendes then good men so as though they did not like the euill hee did yet they liked him that did the euill and though not councellors of the offence yet protectors of the offender Now they hauing heard of this sodaine going out with so small a company in a countrey full of euill-wishing mindes toward him though they knew not the cause followed him till they founde him in such case as they were to venture their liues or else he to loose his which they did with such force of minde and bodie that truely I may iustly say Pyrocles and Musidorus had neuer till then found any that could make them so well repeate their hardest lesson in the feates of armes And briefly so they did that if they ouercame not yet were they not ouercome but caried away that vngratefull maister of theirs to a place of security howsoeuer the Princes laboured to the contrary But this matter being thus farre begun it became not the constancy of the Princes so to leaue it but in all hast making forces both in Pontus and Phrigia they had in fewe daies lefte him but onely that one strong place where he was For feare hauing beene the onely knot that had fastned his people vnto him that once vntied by a greater force they all scattered from him like so many birdes whose cage had beene broken In which season the blinde King hauing in the chiefe cittie of his Realme set the crown vppon his son Leonatus head with many teares both of ioy and sorrow setting forth to the whole people his owne fault and his sonnes vertue after he had kist him and forst his sonne to accept honour of him as of his new-become subiect euen in a moment died as it should seeme his heart broken with vnkindenes and affliction stretched so farre beyond his limits with this excesse of comfort as it was able no longer to keepe safe his vitall spirites But the new King hauing no lesse louingly performed all dueties to him dead then aliue pursued on the siege of his vnnaturall brother asmuch for the reuenge of his father as for the establishing of his owne quiet In which siege truely I cannot but acknowledge the prowesse of those two brothers then whome the Princes neuer found in all their trauaile two of greater hability to performe nor of habler skil for conduct But Plexirtus finding that if nothing else famine would at last bring him to destruction thought better by humblenes to creepe where by pride he coulde not marche For certainely so had nature formed him and the exercise of craft conâ—ormed him to all turningnes of of sleights that though no man had lesse goodnes in his soule then he no man could better find the places whence arguments might grow of goodnesse to another though no man felt lesse pitie no man could tel better how to stir pitie no man more impudent to deny where proofes were not manifest no man more ready to confesse with a repenting manner of aggrauating his owne euill where denial would but make the fault fowler Now he tooke this way that hauing gotten a pasport for one that pretended he woulde put Plexirtus aliue into his hands to speake with the King his brother he him selfe though much against the minds of the valiant brothers who rather wished to die in braue defence with a rope about his necke barefooted came to offer himselfe to the discretion of Leonatus Where what submission hee vsed how cunningly in making greater the faulte he made the faultines the lesse how artificially he could set out the torments of his owne conscience with the burdensome comber he had found of his ambitious desires how finely seeming to desire nothing but death as ashamed to liue he begd life in the refusing it I am not cunning inough to be able to expresse but so fell out of it that though at first sight Leonatus saw him with no other eie then as the murderer of his father and anger already began to paint reuenge in many colours ere long he had not onely gotten pitie but pardon and if not an excuse of the faulte past yet an opinion of a future amendment while the poore villaines chiefe ministers of his wickednes now betraied by the author thereof were deliuered to many cruell sorts of death he so handling it that it rather seemed hee had more come into the defence of an vnremediable mischiefe already committed then that they had done it at first by his consent In such sort the Princes left these reconciled brothers Plexirtus in all his behauiour carying him in far lower degree of seruice then the euer-noble nature of Leonatus would suffer him and taking likewise their leaues of their good friend the King of Pontus who returned to enioy their benefite both of his wife and kingdome they priuately went thence hauing onely with them the two valiant brothers who would needs accompanie them through diuers places they foure dooing actes more daungerous though lesse famous because they were but priuat chiualries till hearing of the faire and vertuous Queene Erona of Lycia besieged by the puissant King of Armenia they bent themselues to her succour both because the weaker and weaker as being a Ladie and partly because they heard the King of Armenia had in his company three of the most famous men liuing for matters of armes that were knowne to be in the worlde Whereof one was the Prince Plangus whose name was sweetned by your breath peerlesse Ladie when the last daie it pleased you to mention him vnto me the other two were two great Princes though holding of him Barzanes and Euardes men of Giant-like bothe hugenes and force in which two especially the trust the King had of victorie was reposed And of them those brothers Tydeus and Telenor sufficient iudges in warlike matters spake so high commendations that the two Princes had euen a youthfull longing to haue some triall of their vertue And therefore as soone as they were entred into Lycia they ioyned themselues with theÌ„ that faithfully serued the poore Queene at that time besieged ere long animated in such sort their almost ouerthrowne harts that they went by force to relieue the towne though they were depriued of a great part of their streÌ„gth by the parting of the two brothers who were sent for in all hast to returne to their old friend and maister Plexirtus who
will not be without pittie If otherwise you be alas but let it neuer be so resolued yet shall not my death be comfortles receiuing it by your sentence The ioy which wrought into Pygmalions minde while he found his beloued image was softer and warmer in his folded armes till at length it accomplished his gladnes with a perfect womans shape still beautified with the former perfections was euen such as by each degree of Zelmanes words creepingly entred into Philoclea till her pleasure was fully made vp with the manifesting of his being which was such as in hope did ouer-come Hope Yet Doubt would faine haue playd his parte in her minde and cald in question how she should be assured that Zelmane was Pyrocles But Loue streight stood vp and deposed that a lie could not come from the mouth of Zelmane ◠Besides a certaine sparke of honour which rose in her well-disposed minde made her feare to be alone with him with whome alone she desired to be with all the other contradictions growing in those minds which neither absolutely clime the rocke of Vertue nor freely sinke into the sea of Vanitie but that sparke soone gaue place or at lest gaue no more light in her minde then a candle doth in the Sunnes presence But euen sicke with a surfet of ioy and fearefull of she knewe not what as he that newly findes huge treasures doubts whether he sleepe or no or like a fearefull Deere which then lookes most about when he comes to the best feede with a shrugging kinde of tremor through all her principall partes she gaue these affectionate words for answere Alas how painefull a thing it is to a deuided minde to make a well-ioyned answere how hard it is to bring inward shame to outward confession and what handsomnes trow you can be obserued in that speeche which is made one knowes not to whom Shall I say ô Zelmane Alas your words be against it Shall I say Prince Pyrocles wretch that I am your shew is manifest against it But this this I may well say If I had continued as I ought Philoclea you had either neuer bene or euer bene Zelmane you had either neuer attempted this change set on with hope or neuer discouered it stopt with despaire But I feare me my behauiour ill gouerned gaue you the first comfort I feare me my affection ill hid hath giuen you this last assurance I feare indeed the weakenesse of my gouernment before made you thinke such a maske would be gratefull vnto me and my weaker gouernment since makes you to pull off the visar What shall I doo then shall I seeke far-fetched inuentions shall I labour to lay marble coulours ouer my ruinous thoughts or rather though the purenes of my virgin-minde be stained let me keepe the true simplicitie of my word True it is alas too true it is ô Zelmane for so I loue to call thee since in that name my loue first began and in the shade of that name my loue shall best lie hidden that euen while so thou wert what eye bewitched me I know not my passions were fitter to desire then to be desired Shall I say then I am sory or that my loue must be turned to hate since thou art turned to Pyrocles how may that wel be since when thou wert Zelmane the despaire thou mightest not be thus did most torment me Thou hast then the victorie vse it with vertue Thy vertue wan me with vertue preserue me Doost thou loue me keepe me then still worthy to be beloued Then held she her tongue and cast downe a self-accusing looke finding that in her selfe she had as it were shot out of the bow of her affection a more quick opening of her minde then she minded to haue done But Pyrocles so caried vp with ioy that he did not enuy the Gods felicitie presented her with some iewels of right princely value as some little tokens of his loue and qualitie and withall shewed her letters from his father King Euarchus vnto him which euen in the Sea had amongst his iewels bene preserued But little needed those proofes to one who would haue fallen out with herselfe rather then make any contrarie coniectures to Zelmane speeches so that with such imbracements as it seemed their soules desired to meete and their harts to kisse as their mouthes did which faine Pyrocles would haue sealed with the chiefe armes of his desire but Philoclea commaunded the contrary and yet they passed the promise of mariage And then at Philocleas entreaty who was willing to purloine all occasions of remayning with Zelmane she told her the storie of her life from the time of their departing from Erona for the rest she had already vnderstood of her sister For saide she I haue vnderstood how you first in the companie of your Noble cousin Musidorus parted from Thessalia and of diuers aduentures which with no more daunger then glory you passed through till your comming to the succour of the Queene Erona and the ende of that warre you might perceiue by my selfe I had vnderstood of the Prince Plangus But what since was the course of your doings vntill you came after so many victories to make a conquest of poore me that I know not the fame thereof hauing rather shewed it by pieces then deliuered any full forme of it Therefore deere Pyrocles for what can mine eares be so sweetly fed with as to heare you of you be liberall vnto me of those things which haue made you indeede pretious to the worlde and now doubt not to tell of your perils for since I haue you here out of them euen the remembrance of them is pleasaunt Pyrocles easily perceiued she was content with kindnesse to put off occasion of further kindnesse wherein Loue shewed himselfe a cowardly boy that durst not attempt for feare of offending But rather Loue prooued himselfe valiant that durst with the sworde of reuerent dutie gaine-stand the force of so many enraged desires But so it was that though he knewe this discourse was to entertaine him from a more streight parley yet he durst not but kisse his rod and gladly make much of that entertainement which she allotted vnto him and therefore with a desirous sigh chastning his brest for too much desiring Sweete Princesse of my life said he what Trophees what Triumph what Monuments what Histories might euer make my fame yeeld so sweete a Musicke to my eares as that it pleaseth you to lend your minde to the knowledge of any thing touching Pyrocles onely therefore of value because he is your Pyrocles And therefore grow I now so proud as to thinke it worth the hearing since you vouchsafe to giue it the hearing Therefore onely height of my hope vouchsafe to know that after the death of Tiridates and setling Erona in her gouernment for setled we left her howsoeuer since as I perceiued by your speech the last day the vngratefull treason of her ill-chosen husband ouerthrew her a
had receiued that naughtie Plexirtus into a streight degree of fauour his goodnesse being as apt to be deceiued as the others craft was to deceiue Till by plaine proofe finding that the vngratefull man went about to poyson him yet would not suffer his kindnesse to be ouercome not by iustice it selfe but calling him to him vsed words to this purpose Plexirtus said he this wickednesse is founde by thee No good deedes of mine haue bene able to keepe it downe in thee All men counsell me to take away thy life likely to bring foorth nothing but as daungerous as wicked effects But I cannot finde it in my harte remembring what fathers sonne thou art But since it is the violence of ambition which perchaunce puls thee from thine owne iudgement I will see whether the satisfying that may quiet the ill working of thy spirites Not farre hence is the great cittie of Trebisonde which with the territorie about it aunciently pertained vnto this crowne now vniustly possessed and as vniustly abused by those who haue neither title to holde it nor vertue to rule it To the conquest of that for thy selfe I will lende thee force and giue thee my right Go therefore and with lesse vnnaturalnesse glut thy ambition there and that done if it be possible learne vertue Plexirtus mingling forsworne excuses with false-meant promises gladly embraced the offer and hastilie sending backe for those two Brothers who at that time were with vs succouring the gratious Queene Erona by their vertue chiefly if not onely obteined the conquest of that goodly dominion Which indeede done by them gaue them such an authoritie that though he raigned they in effect ruled most men honouring them because they onely deserued honour and many thinking therein to please Plexirtus considering how much he was bound vnto them while they likewise with â— certaine sincere boldnesse of selfe-warranting friendship accepted all openly and plainely thinking nothing should euer by Plexirtus be thought too much in them since all they were was his But he who by the rules of his own mind could construe no other end of mens doings but selfe seking sodenly feared what they could doo and as sodainely suspected what they would doo and as sodainly hated them as hauing both might and minde to doo But dreading their power standing so strongly in their owne valour and others affection he durst not take open way against them and as hard it was to take a secrete they being so continually followed by the best and euery way hablest of that region and therefore vsed this diuelish sleight which I will tell you not doubting most wicked man to turne their owne friendship toward him to their owne destruction He knowing that they well knew there was no friendship betweene him and the new King of Pontus neuer since he succoured Leonatus and vs to his ouerthrow gaue them to vnderstand that of late there had passed secrete defiance betweene them to meete priuately at a place apointed Which though not so fit a thing for men of their greatnes yet was his honour so engaged as he could not go backe Yet faining to find himselfe weake by some counterfait infirmitie the day drawing neere he requested each of them to go in his stead making either of theÌ„ sweare to keepe the matter secret euen ech from other deliuering the selfe same particularities to both but that he told Tydeus the King would meet him in a blew armour and Telenor that it was a black armour and with wicked subtiltie as if it had bene so apointed caused Tydeus to take a black armour and Telenor a blew appointing them waies how to go so as he knew they should not meet till they came to the place appointed where each had promised to keepe silence lest the King should discouer it was not Plexirtus and there in a wait had he laied these murtherers that who ouerliued the other should by them be dispatched he not daring trust more then those with that enterprise and yet thinking them too few till themselues by themselues were weakened This we learned chiefly by the chiefe of those way-beaters after the death of those two worthie brothers whose loue was no lesse then their valour but well we might finde much thereof by their pitifull lamentation when they knew their mismeeting and saw each other in despite of the Surgerie we could doo vnto them striuing who should runne fastest to the goale of death each bewailing the other and more dying in the other then in himselfe cursing their owne hands for doing and their breastes for not sooner suffering detesting their vnfortunately-spent time in hauing serued so vngratefull a Tyraunt and accusing their folly in hauing beleeued he could faithfully loue who did not loue faithfulnes wishing vs to take heed how we placed our good will vpon any other ground then proofe of vertue since length of acquaintance mutuall secrecies nor height of benefits could binde a sauage harte no man being good to other that is not good in himselfe Then while any hope was beseeching vs to leaue the care of him that besought and onely looke to the other But when they found by themselues and vs no possibilitie they desired to be ioined and so embracing and crauing that pardon each of other which they denied to themselues they gaue vs a most sorrowfull spectacle of their death leauing â—ew in the world behind them their matches in any thing if they had soone inough knowne the ground and limits of friendship But with wofull hartes we caused those bodies to be conueyed to the next towne of Bythinia where we learning thus much as I haue tolde you caused the wicked Historian to conclude his story with his owne well-deserued death But then I must tell you I found such wofull countenances in Daiphantus that I could not but much maruaile finding them coÌ„tinew beyond the first assault of pittie how the case of strangers for further I did not conceiue could so deepely pearce But the truth indeed is that partly with the shame and sorrow she tooke of her fathers faultinesse partly with the feare that the hate I conceiued against him would vtterly disgrace her in my opinion whensoeuer I should know her so vehemeÌ„tly perplexed her that her fayre colour decaied and dayly hastily grew into the very extreme working of sorowfulnes which oft I sought to learne and helpe But she as fearefull as louing still concealed it and so decaying still more more in the excellencie of her fairenesse but that whatsoeuer weakenesse tooke away pitie seemed to adde yet still she forced her selfe to waite on me with such care and diligence as might well shew had bene taught in no other schoole but Loue. While we returning againe to embarke our selues for Greece vnderstood that the mighty Otanes brother to Barzanes slaine by Musidorus in the battaile of the six Princes had entred vpon the kingdome of Pontus partly vpon the pretences he had to the crowne but principally
because he would reuenge vpon him whom he knew we loued the losse of his brother thincking as indeede he had cause that wheresoeuer we were hearing of his extremitie we would come to relieue him in spite whereof he doubted not to preuaile not onely vpon the confidence of his owne vertue and power but especially because he had in his company two mighty Giants sonnes to a couple whom we slue in the same realme they hauing bene absent at their fathers death and now returned willingly entered into his seruice hating more then he both vs and that King of Pontus We therfore with all speede went thetherward but by the way this fell out which whensoeuer I remember without sorrow I must forget withall all humanitie Poore Daiphantus fell extreme sick yet would needs conquere the delicacie of her constitution and force her selfe to waite on me till one day going towarde Pontus we met one who in great hast went seeking for Tydeus and Telenor whose death as yet was not knowne vnto the messenger who being their seruaunt and knowing how deerely they loued Plexirtus brought them word how since their departing Plexirtus was in present daunger of a cruell death if by the valiantnesse of one of the best Knightes of the world he were not reskewed we enquired no further of the matter being glad he should now to his losse finde what an vnprofitable treason it had bene vnto him to dismember himselfe of two such friends and so let the messenger part not sticking to make him know his masters destruction by the falshood of Plexirtus But the griefe of that finding a bodie alreadie brought to the last degree of weakenesse so ouerwhelmed the little remnant of the spirits left in Daiphantus that she fell sodainely into deadly soundings neuer comming to her selfe but that withall she returned to make most pittifull lamentations most straunge vnto vs because we were farre from ghessing the ground thereof But finding her sicknesse such as began to print death in her eyes we made all hast possible to conuey her to the next towne but before we could lay her on a bed both we and she might find in herselfe that the harbingers of ouer-hastie death had prepared his lodging in that daintie body which she vndoubtedly feeling with a weake chearefulnes shewed comfort therein and then desiring vs both to come neere her and that no bodie els might be present with pale and yet euen in palenes louely lips Now or neuer and neuer indeed but now is it time for me said she to speake and I thanke death which giues me leaue to discouer that the suppressing whereof perchance hath bene the sharpest spur that hath hasted my race to this end Know then my Lords and especially you my Lord and master Pyrocles that your page Daiphantus is the vnfortunat Zelmane who for your sake caused my as vnfortunate louer and cosen Palladius to leaue his fathers court and consequētly both him and my Aunt his mother to loose their liues For your sake my selfe haue become of a Princesse a Page and for your sake haue put off the apparell of a woman and if you iudge not more mercifully the modestie We were amazed at her speach and then had as it were new eies giuē vs to perceiue that which before had bene a present strāger to our minds For indeed we forthwith knew it to be the face of Zelmane whō before we had knowen in the court of Iberia And sorrow pittie laying her paine vpon me I comforted her the best I could by the tendernes of good-will pretending indeed better hope then I had of her recouery But she that had inward ambassadors from the tyrant that shortly would oppresse her No my deere master said she I neither hope nor desire to liue I know you would neuer haue loued me and with that word she wept nor alas had it bene reason you should considering manie wayes my vnworthines It sufficeth me that the strange course I haue taken shall to your remembrance witnesse my loue and yet this breaking of my hart before I would discouer my paine will make you I hope thinke that I was not altogether vnmodest Thinke of me so deare Master and that thought shall be my life and with that languishingly looking vpon me And I pray you said she euen by these dying eies of mine which are onely sorrie to dye because they shall lose your sight and by these pouled lockes of mine which while they were long were the ornament of my sex now in their short curles the testimonie of my seruitude and by the seruice I haue done you which God knowes hath beene full of loue thinke of me after my death with kindnes though ye cannot with loue And whensoeuer ye shall make any other Ladie happie with your well placed affection if you tell her my folly I pray you speake of it not with scorne but with pittie I assure you deare Princesse of my life for how could it be otherwise her words and her manner with the liuely consideration of her loue so pearced me that though I had diuerse griefes before yet me thought I neuer felt till then how much sorow enfeebleth all resolution For I could not chuse but yeeld to the weakenes of abundant weeping in trueth with such griefe that I could willingly at that time haue chaunged liues with her But when she saw my teares O God said she how largely am I recompenced for my losses why then said shee I may take boldnesse to make some requests vnto you I besought her to doo vowing the performance though my life were the price thereof She shewed great ioy The first said she is this that you will pardon my father the displeasure you haue iustly conceiued against him and for this once succour him out of the daunger wherein he is I hope he will amend and I pray you whensoeuer you remember him to be the faultie Plexirtus remember withall that he is Zelmanes father The second is that when you come once into Greece you will take vnto your selfe this name though vnlucky of Daiphantus and vouchsafe to be called by it for so shall I be sure you shall haue cause to remember me and let it please your noble cousin to be called Palladius that I doo that right to that poore Prince that his name yet may liue vpon the earth in so excellent a person and so betwene you I trust sometimes your vnluckie page shall be perhaps with a sigh mencioned Lastly let me be buried here obscurely not suffering my friends to know my fortune till whē you are safely returned to your own countrie you cause my bones to be conueied thither and laid I beseech you in some place where your selfe vouchsafe sometimes to resort Alas small petitiōs for such a suter which yet she so earnestly craued that I was faine to sweare the accomplishment And then kissing me and often desiring me not to condemne her of lightnesse in mine armes she
with these hexam eters in the following order he vttered Philisides Echo Faire Rocks goodly riuers sweet woods when shall I see peace Peace Peace what barrs me my tongue who is it that comes me so ny I. Oh! I do know what guest I haue mett it is Echo 't is Echo Well mett Echo aproche then tell me thy will too I will too Echo what do I gett yelding my sprite to my grieues Grieues What medecin may I finde for a griefe that draw's me to death Death O poisonous medecin what worse to me can be then it It. In what state was I then when I tooke this deadly disease Ease And what manner a mind which had to that humor a vaine Vaine Hath not Reason enough vehemence the desire to reproue Proue Oft proue I but what salue when Reason seeks to be gone One Oh! what is it what is it that may be a salue to my Loue Loue. What do louers seeke for long seeking for to enioy Ioy. What be the ioyes which for to enioy they went to the paines Paines Then to an earnest Loue what doth best victorie lend Ende End but I can neuer end loue will not giue me the leaue Leaue How be the minds dispos'd that can not tast thy physick Sick Yet say againe thy aduise forth ' eu'lls that I told thee I told thee Doth th' infected wretch of his harme th' extremity know No. But if he know not his â—arms what guides hath he whil'st he be blind Blind What blinde guides can he haue that leanes to a fancy A fancy Can fancies want eies or he fall that steppeth aloft Oft. What causes first made these torments on me to light Light Can then a cause be so light that forceth a man to go die Yea. Yet tell what light thinge I had in me to draw me to die Eye Eysight made me to yeelde but what first pierst to my eies Eies Eies hurters eies hurt but what from them to me fall's Fall's But when I first did fal what brought most fall to my hart Arte. Arte what can be that art that thou dost meane by thy speche Speche What be the fruites of speaking arte what growes by the words Words O much more then words those words seru'd more me to blesse Lesse Oh when shall I be knowne wher most to be knowne I do longe Long. Long be thy woes for such newes but how reck's she my thoughts Oughts Then then what do I gaine since vnto hir will I do winde Winde Winde tempests stormes yet in ende what giues she desire Ire Silly rewarde yet among women hath she of vertu the most Most What great name may I giue to so heau'nly a woman A woe-man Woe but seems to me ioy that agrees to my thought so I thought so Think so for of my desired blisse it is only the course Curse Curs'd be thy selfe for cursing that which leades me to ioies Toies What be the sweet creatures wher lowly demaunds be not heard Hard. What makes them be vnkind speake for th' hast narroly pride Pride Whence can pride come there since springs of beawty be thence Thence Horrible is this blasphemy vnto the most holy O lie Thou list false Echo their minds as vertu be iust Iust. Mock'st thou those Diamonds which only be matcht by the gods Ods. Ods what an ods is their since them to the heau'ns I prefer erre Tell yet againe me the names of these faire form'd to do eu'lls Deu'lls Deu'lls if in hell such deu'lls do a bide to the hells I do go Go. Philisides was commended for the placing of his Echo but little did hee regarde their praises who had sett the foundation of his honour there where hee was most despisde and therefore retorning againe to the traine of his desolate pensiuenes Zelmanes seing no body offer to fill the stage as if her long restrayned conceates did now burst out of prison she thus desiring her voice should be accorded to nothing but to Philocleas eares threw downe the burden of her minde in Anacreous kinde of verses My muse what ail's this ardour To blase my onely secretts Alas it is no glory To sing my owne decaid state Alas it is no comfort To speake without an answere Alas it is no wisdome To shew the wound without cure My muse what ail's this ardour Mine eys be dym my lyms shake My voice is hoarse my throte scerchte My tong to this my roofe cleaues My fancy amazde my thought dull'd My harte doth ake my life faints My sowle beginnes to take leaue So greate a passion all feele To think a soare so deadly I should so rashly ripp vp My muse what ail's this ardour If that to sing thou arte bent Go sing the fall of old Thebes The warres of ougly Centaurs The life the death of Hector So may the songe be famous Or if to loue thou art bent Rocount the rape of Europe Adonis end Venus nett The sleepy kisse the moone stale So may thy song be pleasant My muse what ail's this ardour To blase my onely secretts Wherein do only flowrish The sorry fruites of anguish The song thereof a last will The tunes be cryes the words plaints The singer is the songs theame When no eare can haue ioy Nor ey receaue due obiect Ne pleasure here ne fame gett My muse what ail's this ardour Alas she saith I am thine So are thy pains my pains too Thy heated harte my seat is Wherein I burne thy breath is My voice too hott to keepe in Besides lo here the auther Of all thy harmes Lo here she That only can redresse thee Of her I will demaund helpe My muse I yeeld my muse singe But all thy songe herein knitt The life we leade is all loue The loue we holde is all death Nor ought I craue to feede life Nor ought I seeke to shun death But onely that my goddesse My life my death do counte hers Basilius when shee had fully ended her song fell prostrate vpon the ground and thanked the Gods they had preserued his life so longe as to heare the very musicke they themselues vsed in an earthly body And then with like grace to Zelmane neuer left intreating her till she had taking a Lyra Basilius helde for her song these Phaâ—eâ—ciakes Reason tell me thy mind if here be reason In this strange violence to make resistance Where sweet graces erect the stately banner Of vertues regiment shining in harnesse Of fortunes Diademes by beauty mustred Say then Reason I say what is thy counsell Her loose haire be the shott the breaste the pykes be Skowts each motion is the hands be horsmen Her lipps are the riches the warres to maintaine Where well couched abides a coffer of pearle Her legges carriage is of all the sweet campe Say then Reason I say what is thy counsell Her cannons be her eys myne eys the walls be Which at firste voly gaue too open entry Nor ramper did abide my braine was vp blowne
but then languishing she tolde him that he should do well to do so if indeed he had euer tasted what true loue was for that where now she did beare him good will she should if he tooke any other way hate and abhor the very thought of him assuring him withall that though his mother had taken away her kniues yet the house of Death had so many doores as she would casilie flie into it if euer she found her honor endaungered Amphialus hauing the colde ashes of Care cast vpon the coales of Desire leauing some of his mothers Gentlewomen to waite vpon Philoclea himselfe indeede a prisoner to his prisoner and making all his authoritie to be but a footestoole to Humblenes went from her to his mother To whome with words which Affection endited but Amazement vttered he deliuered what had passed between him and Philoclea beseeching her to trie what her perswasions could doo with her while he gaue order for all such things as were necessarie against such forces as he looked dayly Basilius would bring before his castle His mother bad him quiet him selfe for she doubted not to take fit times But that the best way was first to let her owne Passion a little tire it selfe So they calling Clinias and some other of their counsell aduised vpon their present affaires First he dispatched priuat letters to all those principall Lords and gentlemen of the country whom he thought ether alliance or friendship to himselfe might drawe with speciall motions from the generall consideration of duetie not omitting all such whom either youthfull age or youthlike mindes did fill with vnlimited desires besides such whom any discontentment made hungry of change or an ouer-spended want made want a ciuill war to each according to the counsell of his mother conforming himselfe after their humors To his friends friendlines to the ambitious great expectations to the displeased reuenge to the greedie spoile wrapping their hopes with such cunning as they rather seemed giuen ouer vnto them as partakers then promises sprong of necessitie Then sent he to his mothers brother the king of Argos but he was as then so ouer-laid with war himselfe as from thence he could attend small succour But because he knew how violently rumors doo blow the sailes of popular iudgments and how fewe there be that can discerne betweene truth and truthlikenes betweene showes and substance he caused a iustification of this his action to be written wherof were sowed abroad many copies which with some glosses of probabilitie might hide in deede the foulenes of his treason and from true common-places fetch downe most false applications For beginning how much the duetie which is owed to the countrie goes beyond all other dueties since in it selfe it conteines them all and that for the respect therof not onely all tender respectes of kinred or whatsoeuer other friendshippes are to be laide aside but that euen long-helde opinions rather builded vpon a secret of gouernement then any ground of truthe are to be forsaken He fell by degrees to shew that since the ende whereto any thing is directed is euer to be of more noble reckning then the thing thereto directed that therefore the weale-publike was more to be regarded then any person or magistrate that thereunto was ordained The feeling consideration whereof had moued him though as nere of kinne to Basilius as could be yet to set principally before his eyes the good estate of so many thousands ouer whom Basilius raigned rather then so to hoodwinke himselfe with affection as to suffer the realme to runne to manifest ruine The care wâ—ereof did kindly appertaine to those who being subalterne magistrates and officers of the crowne were to be employed as from the Prince so for the people and of all other especiallie himselfe who being descended of the Royall race and next heire male Nature had no soner opened his eyes but that the soyle where-upon they did looke was to looke for at his hands a continuall carefulnes which as from his childhood hee had euer caried so now finding that his vncle had not only giuen ouer al care of gouernmeÌ„t but had put it into the hands of Philanax a man neither in birth comparable to many nor for his corrupt prowde and partiall dealing liked of any but beside had set his daughters in whom the whole estate as next heires thereunto had no lesse interest then himselfe in so vnfit and il-guarded a place as it was not only dangerous for their persons but if they should be conueied to any forraine country to the whole common-wealth pernicious that therefore he had brought them into this strong castle of his which way if it might seem strange they were to consider that new necessities require new remedies but there they should be serued and honored as belonged to their greatnes vntill by the generall assembly of the estates it should be determined how they should to their best both priuate and publique aduantage be matched vowing all faith duty both to the father children neuer by him to be violated But if in the meane time before the estates could be asseÌ„bled he should be assailed he would theÌ„ for his own defence take armes desiring al that either tendred the daÌ„gerous case of their country or in their harts loued iustice to defeÌ„d him in this iust actioÌ„ And if the Prince should coÌ„maund them otherwise yet to know that therein he was no more to be obeied then if he should call for poison to hurt himself withal since all that was done was done for his seruice howsoeuer he might seduced by Philanax interprete of it he protesting that whatsoeuer he should do for his owne defence should be against Philanax and no way against Basilius To this effect amplified with arguments and examples and painted with rhetoricall colours did he sow abroad many discourses which as they preuailed with some of more quicke then sounde conceipt to runne his fortune with him so in many did it breed a coolenesse to deale violently against him and a false-minded neutralitie to expect the issue But besides the waies he vsed to weaken the aduerse partie he omitted nothing for the strengthning of his owne The chiefe trust whereof because he wanted men to keepe the field he reposed in the suretie of his castle which at lest would winne him much time the mother of many mutations To that therfore he bent both his outward and inward eyes striuing to make Art striue with Nature to whether of them two that fortification should be most beholding The seat Nature bestowed but Arte gaue the building which as his rocky hardnesse would not yeeld to vndermining force so to open assaults he tooke counsell of skill how to make all approches if not impossible yet difficult as well at the foot of the castle as round about the lake to giue vnquiet lodgings to them whome onely enmitie would make neighbors Then omitted he nothing of defence as well simple defence as
steade of blood and making courage arise against faintnesse like a Candle which a little before it goes out giues then the greatest blaze so did he vnite all his force that casting away the little remnaunt of his shielde and taking his sword in both hands he stroke such a notable blow that he cleft his shield armour and arme almost to the bone But then Amphialus forgat all ceremonies with cruell blowes made more of his best blood succeed the rest til his hand being staied by his eare his eare filled with a pitifull crie the crie guided his sight to an excellent faire Ladie who came running as fast as she could and yet because she could not as fast as she would shee sent her lamentable voyce before her and being come and being knowne to them both to be the beautifull Parthenia who had that night dreamed shee saw her husbande in such estate as shee then found him which made her make such haste thither they both maruailed But Parthenia ranne between them feare of loue making her â—orget the feare of Nature and then fel downe at their feete determining so to part them till shee coulde get breathe to sigh out her dolefull speeches and when her breath which running had spent dismayednesse made slowe to returne had by sobbes gotten into her sorow-closed breast for a while she could say nothing but O wretched eyes of mine O wailefull sight O day of darkenesse at length turning her eyes where in sorrow swamme to Amphialus My Lorde saide she it is saide you loue in the power of that loue I beseech you to leaue of this combate as euer your harte may finde comfort in his affection euen for her sake I craue it or if you be mortally determined be so pitifull vnto me as first to kill me that I may not see the death of Argalus Amphialus was about to haue aunswered when Argalus vexed with his Fortune but most vexed that she shoulde see him in that fortune Ah Parthenia said he neuer till now vnwelcome vnto me do you come to get my life by request And caÌ„not Argalus liue but by request Is that a life With that he went aside for fear of hurting her would haue begun the coÌ„bate afresh But Amphialus not only coÌ„iured by that which held the Monarchie of his mind but euen in his noble hart melting with coÌ„passion at so passionate a sight desired him to withhold his haÌ„ds for that he should strike one who sought his fauour would not make resistauÌ„ce A notable example of the wonderful effectes of Vertue where the conquerour sought for friendship of the conquered the conquered would not pardon the conquerour both indeede being of that minde to loue eche other for accepting but not for giuing mercie neyther afâ—ected to ouer-liue a dishonour so that Argalus not so much striuing with Amphialus for if he had had him in the like sorte in like sorte he woulde haue dealt with him as labouring against his owne power which he chiefly despised set himselfe forward stretching his strength to the vttermost But the fire of that strife blowen with his inward rage boyled out his bloud in such aboundance that hee was driuen to rest him vpon the pommel of his sworde and then each thing beginning to turne round in the daunce of Death before his eyes his sight both dazled dimmed till thinking to sit downe he fel in a sowne Parthenia and Amphialus both hastely went vnto him Amphialus tooke off his helmet and Parthenia laid his head in her lap tearing of her linnen sleues partlet to serue about his wounds to bind which shee tooke of her hair-lace and woulde haue cut of her faire haire herselfe but that the squires and iudges came in with fitter things for the purpose while she bewayled her selfe with so lamentable sweetnes as was inough to haue taught sorrow to the gladdest thoughts and haue engraued it in the mindes of hardest mettall O Parthenia no more Parthenia said she What art thou what seest thou how is thy blisse in a moment fallen how art thou euen-now before all Ladies the example of perfect happines and nowe the gasing-stocke of endles miserie O God what hath bene my desert to be thus punished or if such haue bene my desert why was I not in my selfe punished O wandring life to what wildernes wouldst thou lead me But Sorow I hope thou art sharp inough to saue my labour from other remedies Argalus Argalus I will folow thee I will follow thee But with that Argalus came out of his sowne and lifting vp his languishing eyes which a paineful rest and iron sleep did seeke to lock vp seeing her in whom euen dying he liued and him selfe seated in so beloued a place it seemed a little cheerefull bloud came vp to his cheekes like a burning cole almost dead if some breath a little reuiue it and forcing vp the best he coulde his feeble voice My deare my better halfe saide hee I finde I must now leaue thee and by that sweete hand and faire eyes of thine I sweare that Death bringes nothing with it to grieue me but that I must leaue thee and cannot remaine to answere part of thy infinit deserts with being some comfort vnto thee But since so it pleaseth him whose wisedome and goodnesse guideth all put thy confidence in him and one day wee shall blessedly meet againe neuer to depart meane while liue happily deare Parthenia and I perswade my selfe it will encrease the blessednes of my soule so to see thee Loue well the remembrance of thy louing and truely louing Argalus and let not with that word he sighed this disgrace of mine make thee one day thinke thou hadst an vnwoorthie husband They could scarcely vnderstand the last wordes for Death began to seaze him selfe of his harte neither coulde Parthenia make answere so full was her breast of anguish But while the other sought to stanch his remediles wounds she with her kisses made him happie for his last breath was deliuered into her mouth But when indeede she found his ghost was gone then Sorrowe lost the witte of vtterance and groâ—e ragefull and madde so that shee tare her beautifull face and rent her haire â—â—â—â—oâ—gh they coulde serue for nothing since Argalus was gone till Amphialus so â—â—oued with pittie of that sight as that hee honoured his aduersaries death with â—â—â—es caused her with the helpe of her women that came with her partelie by â—â—rce to be conueyed into the boat with the dead body of Argalus from which she â—ould not depart And being come of the other side there she was receaued by Baâ—â—â—â—us him self with all the funerall pompe of militarie discipline trayling all their â—â—â—ignes vpon the ground making these warlike instrumentes sound dolefull notes and Basilius with comfort in his mouth and woe in his face sought to perswade some ease into Parthenias mind but all was as easefull to her as the handling of sore woundes all
cankred brest perceiuing that as in water the more she grasped the lesse she held but yet now hauing run so long the way of rigour it was too late in reason and too contrary to her passion to returne to a course of meekenesse And therefore taking counsell of one of her olde associates who so far excelled in wickednesse as that she had not onely lost all feeling of conscience but had gotten a very glory in euill in the ende they determined that beating and other such sharp dealing did not so much pull downe a womans hart as it bred anger and that nothing was more enemy to yeelding then anger making their tender harts take on the armour of obstinacy for thus did their wicked mindes blinde to the light of vertue and owly eied in the night of wickednes interpret of it and that therefore that was no more to be tried And for feare of death which no question would doo most with them they had bene so often threatned as they began to be familiarly acquainted with it and learned to esteeme threatning words to be but words Therefore the last but best way now was that the one seeing indeede the others death should perceiue there was no dallying meant and then there was no doubt that a womans soule would do much rather then leaue so beautifull a body This being concluded Cecropia went to Philoclea and tolde her that now she was to come to the last part of the play for her part though she found her hard harted obstinacie such that neither the sweetnesse of louing meanes nor the force of hard meanes could preuaile with her yet before she would passe to a further degree of extremity she had sought to win her sister in hope that her sonne might be with time satisfied with the loue of so faire a Lady but finding her also rather more then lesse wilfull she was now minded that one of their deathes should serue for an example to the other that despising worthy folks was more hurtfull to the despiser then the despised that yet because her sonne especially affected her and that in her owne selfe she was more inclinable to pittie her then she had deserued she would begin with her sister who that afternoone should haue her head cut off before her face if in the meane time one of them did not pull out their il-wrought stiches of vnkindnes she bad her looke for no other nor longer time then she told her There was no assault giuen to the sweet Philocleas minde that entered so far as this for where to all paines and daungers of her selfe foresight with his Lieutenant Resolution had made ready defence now with the loue she bare her sister she was driuen to a stay before she determined but long she staied not before this reason did shine vnto her that since in herselfe she preferred death before such a base seruitude loue did teach her to wish the same to her sister Therefore crossing her armes and looking side-ward vpon the ground Do what you will said she with vs for my part heauen shall melt before I be remoued But if you will follow my counsell for your owne sake for as for praiers for my sake I haue felt how little they preuaile let my death first serue for example to win her who perchaunce is not so resolued against Amphialus and so shall you not onely iustly punish mee who indeede doo hate both you and your sonne but if that may mooue you you shall doo more vertuously in preseruing one most worthy of life and killing an other most desirous of death lastly in winning her in steed of a peeuish vnhappie creature that I am you shall blesse your sonne with the most excellent woman in all praise-worthy things that the world holdeth But Cecropia who had already set downe to her selfe what she would do with bitter both termes and countenaunce told her that she should not neede to woo death ouer-egerly â—or if her sister going before her did not teach her wit her selfe should quickly follow For since they were not to be gotten there was no way for her sonnes quiet but to knowe that they were past getting And so since no intreating nor threatning might preuayle she bad her prepare her eies for a new play which she should see within fewe houres in the hall of that castle A place indeed ouerfit for so vnfit a matter for being so stately made that the bottome of it being euen with the ground the roofe reached as hie as any part of the castle at either ende it had conuenient lodgings In the one ende was one storie from the ground Philocleas abode in the other of euen height Pamelas and Zelmanes in a chamber aboue her but all so vaulted of strong and thickly built stone as one could no way heare the other each of these chambers had a litle windowe to looke into the hall but because the sisters should not haue so much comforte as to looke one to another there was of the outsides curtaynes drawne which they could not reach with their hands so barring the reach of their sight But when the houre came that the Tragedie should beginne the curtaynes were withdrawen from before the windowes of Zelmane and of Philoclea a sufficient challenge to call their eyes to defende themselues in such an incounter And by and by came in at one ende of the hall with about a dozen armed souldiers a Ladie led by a couple with her handes bounde before her from aboue her eyes to her lippes muffled with a faire kerchiefe but from her mouth to the shoulders all bare and so was led on to a scaffold raised a good deale from the floore and all couered with crimsin veluet But neither Zelmane nor Philoclea needed to be tolde who she was for the apparell she ware made them too well assured that it was the admirable Pamela Whereunto the rare whitenesse of her naked necke gaue sufficient testimonie to their astonnished senses But the fayre Ladie being come to the scaffold and then made to kneele downe and so lefte by her vnkinde supporters as it seemed that she was about to speake somewhat whereunto Philoclea poore soule earnestly listned according to her speach euen minding to frame her minde her harte neuer till then almost wauering to saue her sisters life before the vnfortunate Ladie could pronounce three wordes the executioner cut off the ones speech and the others attention with making his sworde doo his cruell office vpon that beautifull necke Yet the pittilesse sworde had such pittie of so pretious an obiect that at first it did but hit flat long But little auailed that since the Ladie falling downe astonnished withall the cruell villayne forced the sworde with another blowe to diuorce the faire marriage of the head and body And this was done so in an instant that the very act did ouerrun Philocleas sorrow sorrow not being able so quickly to thunderbolt her harte thorough her senses but first
she where the desire is such as may be obtained and the partie well deseruing as your selfe it must be a great excuse that may well cullour a deniall but when the first motion carries with it a direct impossibilitie then must the only answere be comfort without helpe and sorrow to both parties to you not obtaining to me not able to graunt O sayd Gynecia how good leisure you haue to frame these scornefull answeres Is Ginecia thus to be despised am I so vile a worme in your sight no no trust to it hard harted tigre I will not be the only Actor of this Tragedy since I must fall I will presse downe some others with my ruines since I must burne my spitefull neighbors shall feele of my fire Doest thou not perceaue that my diligent eyes haue pierced through the clowdie maske of thy desguisemēt Haue I not told thee ô foole if I were not much more foole that I know thou wouldest abuse vs with thy outward shew Wilt thou still attend the rage of loue in a womans hart the girle thy well chosen mistresse perchaunce shall defend thee when Basilius shal know how thou hast sotted his minde with falsehood and falsely sought the dishonour of his house Beleeue it beleeue it vnkind creature I will end my miseries with a notable example of reuenge and that accursed cradle of mine shal feele the smart of my wound thou of thy tiranny and lastly I confesse my selfe of mine owne work Zelmane that had long before doubted her selfe to be discouered by her and now plainely finding it was as the prouerbe saith like them that hold the wolfe by the eares bitten while they hold and slaine if they loose If she held her off in these wonted termes she sawe rage would make her loue worke the effects of hate to graunt vnto her her hart was so bounde vpon Philoclea it had ben worse then a thousand deaths Yet found she it was necessarie for her to come to a resolution for Gynecias sore could bide no leasure and once discouered besides the dāger of Philoclea her desires should be for euer vtterly stopped She remēbred withall the words of Basilius how apt he was to leaue this life returne to his court a great barre to her hopes Lastly she considered Dorus enterprise might bring some strange alteration of this their well liked fellowship So that encompassed with these instant difficulties she bent her spirits to thinke of a remedie which might at once both saue her from them and serue her to the accomplishment of her only pursuite Lastly she determined thus that there was no way but to yeeld to the violence of their desires since striuing did the more chafe them And that following their owne current at length of it selfe it would bring her to the other side of her burning desires Now in the meane while the diuided Dorus long diuided betwene loue and frendship and now for his loue diuided frō his frend though indeed without preiudice of frendships loyaltie which doth neuer barre the minde from his free satisfaction yet still a cruell iudge ouer himselfe thought he was somewayes faultie and applied his minde how to amend it with a speedie and behouefull returne But then was his first studie how to get away whereto already he had Pamelas consent confirmed and concluded vnder the name of Mopsa in her owne presence Dorus taking this way that whatsoeuer he would haue of Pamela he would aske her whether in such a case it were not best for Mopsa so to behaue her selfe in that sort making Mopsas enuie an instrument of that she did enuie So hauing passed ouer his first and most feared difficultie he busied his spirites how to come to the haruest of his desires whereof he had so faire a shew And therevnto hauing gotten leaue for some dayes of his maister Damaetas who now accompted him as his sonne in lawe he romed round about the desart to finde some vnknowne way that might bring him to the next Sea port as much as might be out of all course of other passengers which all very well succeeding him and he hauing hired a Bark for his liues traffick and prouided horsses to carrie her thither returned homeward now come to the last point of his care how to goe beyond the loathsome watchfulnes of these three vncomely companions and therin did wisely consider how they were to be taken with whom he had to deale remembring that in the particularities of euery bodies mind fortune there are particuler aduantages by which they are to be held The muddy mind of Damaetas he found most easily sturred with couetousnes The curst mischeuous hart of Miso most apt to be tickled with iealousie as whose rotten brain could think wel of no body But yong mistres Mopsa who could open her eys vpon nothing that did not all to bewonder her he thought curiositie the fittest bait for her And first for Damaetas Dorus hauing imploid a whole days work about a tenne mile off from the lodge quite contrary way to that he ment to take with Pamela in digging opening the ground vnder an auncient oke that stood there in such sort as might longest hold Damaetas greedy hopes in some shewe of comfort he came to his master with a countenance mixt betwixt cherefulnes and haste and taking him by the right hand as if he had a great matter of secrecie to reueale vnto him Master said he I did neuer thinke that the gods had appointed my mind freely brought vp to haue so longing a desire to serue you but that they minded therby to bring some extraordinary frute to one so beloued of them as your honesty makes me think you are This bindes me euen in conscience to disclose that which I perswade my self is alotted vnto you that your fortune may be of equal ballance with your deserts He said no further because he would let Damaetas play vpon the bit a while who not vnderstanding what his words entended yet well finding they caried no euil news was so much the more desirous to know the matter as he had free scope to imagin what measure of good hap himselfe would Therefore putting off his cap to him which he had neuer done before assuring him he should haue Mopsa though she had bene all made of cloath of gold he besought Dorus not to hold him long in hope for that he found it a thing his hart was not able to beare Maister answered Dorus you haue so satisfied me with promising me the vttermost of my desired blisse that if my duty bound me not I were in it sufficiently rewarded To you therefore shall my good hap be conuerted and the fruite of all my labor dedicated Therewith he told him how vnder an auncient oke the place he made him easily vnderstand by sufficient marks he gaue vnto him he had found digging but a little depth scatteringly lying a great number of rich Medailles and that percing further into the
I thinke well it may haue a certaine childish vehemencie which for the time to one desire will engage al the soule so long as it lasteth But with what impacience you your selfe showe who confesse the hope of it a paine and thinke your owne desire so vnworthy as you would faine bee ridd of it and so with ouermuch loue sue hard for a hastie refusall A refusall cried out Basilius amazed with al but perced with the last Now assure your self when soeuer you vse that word diffinitiuely it will be the vndoubted dome of my approching death And then shall your owne experience knowe in mee how soone the spirites dryed vp with anguish leaue the performaunce of their ministerie whereupon our life depeÌ„deth But alas what a crueltie is this not only to tormeÌ„t but to think the tormeÌ„t slighte The terriblest tirants would say by no man they killed he dyed not nor by no man they punished that he escaped free for of all other ther is least hope of mercie where there is no acknowledging of the paine and with like crueltie are my wordes breathed out from a flamy harte accompted as messingers of a quiet mind If I speake nothing I choake my selfe and am in no way of reliefe if simplye neglected if confusedly not vnderstoode if by the bending together all my inwarde powers they bring forth any liuely expressing of that they truly feele that is a token forsooth the thoughts are at too much leasure Thus is silence desperate follie punished and witt suspected But indeed it is vaine to say any more for wordes can bind no beliefe Lady I say determine of me I must confesse I cannot beare this battell in my minde and therefore let me soone know what I may accompt of my selfe for it is a hell of dolours when the mind still in doubt for want of resolution can make no resistaunce In deed aunswered Zelmane if I should graunt to your request I should shew an example in my selfe that I esteeme the holy bande of chastitie to bee but and Imaginatife rule as you tearmed it and not the truest obseruaunce of nature the moste noble commaundement that mankinde can haue ouer themselues as indeede both learning teacheth and inward feeling assureth But first shal Zelmanes graue become her marriage bedd before my soule shall consent to his owne shame before I will leaue a marke in my self of an vnredemable trespasse And yet must I confesse that if euer my hart were sturred it hath ben with the manifest manifold shewes of the misery you liue in for me For in trueth so it is nature giues not to vs her degenerate children any more general precepte then one to helpe the other one to feele a true compassion of the others mishappe But yet if I were neuer so contented to speake with you for further neuer ô Basilius looke for at my hands I know not howe you can auoyde your wiues iealous attendaunce but that her suspicion shall bring my honour into question Basilius whose small sailes the leaste winde did fill was forth with as farre gonne into a large promising him selfe his desire as before hee was striken downe with a threatned deuill And therefore bending his browes as though he were not a man to take the matter as he had done what saide hee shall my wife become my misteris Thinke you not that thus much time hath taught mee to rule her I will mewe the gentlewoman till she haue cast all her feathers if she rouse her selfe against me And with that he walked vp and downe nodding his head as though they mistooke him much that thought he was not his wiues maister But Zelmane now seeing it was time to conclude of your wisdome and manhood sayd she I doubt not but that sufficeth not me for both they can hardly â—ame a malicious toong and impossibly barre the freedom of thought which be the things that must be only witnesses of honor or iudges of dishonor But that you may see I doo not set light your affection if to night after your wife be assuredly asleepe whereof by your loue I coniure you to haue a most precise care you will steale handsomely to the caue vnto me there do I graunt you as great proportion as you will take of free conference with me euer remembring you seeke no more â—or so shall you but deceyue your selfe and for euer loose me Basilius that was olde inough to know that women are not wont to appoint secreat night meetings for the purchasing of land holding himselfe alreadye an vndoubted possessour of his desires kissing her hand and lifting vp his eyes to heauen as if the greatnes of the benefit did goe beyonde all measure of thankes sayde no more least sturring of more words might bring forth some perhaps contrarye matter In which traunce of ioye Zelmane went from him sayeng she would leaue him to the remembrance of their appoyntment and for her she would goe visite the Ladie Philoclea into whose chamber being come keeping still her late taken on grauitie and asking her how she did rather in the way of dutifull honour then any speciall affection with extreeme inward anguish to them both she turned from her and taking the Queene Ginaecia ledde her into a baye windowe of the same Chamber determining in her selfe not to vtter to so excellent a wit as Gynaecia had the vttermost poynt of her pretended deuise but to keepe the clause of it for the last instant when the shortnes oâ— the time should not geue her spirits leasure to looke into all those doubts that easily enter to an open inuention But with smiling eyes and with a deliuered ouer grace fayning as much loue to her as she did counterfeit loue to Philoclea she began with more credible then eloquent speech to tell her that with much consideracion of a matter so neerely importing her owne fancie and Gynaecias honour she had nowe concluded that the night following should be the fittest time for the ioyning together their seuerall desires what time sleepe should perfectly do his office vpon the King her husband and that the one should come to the other into the Caue Which place as it was the fyrst receipt of their promised loue so it might haue the fyrst honour of the due performance That the cause why those fewe dayes past she had not sought the lyke was least the newe chaunge of her lodging might make the Duke more apte to marke anye sodayne euent which nowe the vse of it would take out of his minde And therefore nowe most excellent Ladie sayde she there resteth nothing but that quicklie after supper you trayne vp the King to visit his daughter Philoclea and then fayning your selfe not well at ease by your going to bedde drawe him not long to be after you In the meane time I will be gone home to my lodging where I will attend you with no lesse deuocion but as I hope with better fortune then Thisbe did the toomuch
and a Princesse aliue But once for them she might haue gone whether she would thinking it a sacriledge to touch her person when she finding she finding she was not a sufficieÌ„t oratour to perswade her own death by their haÌ„ds well said she it is but so much more time of miserie for my part I will not geue my life so much pleasure from hence forward as to yeeld to his desire of his own choise of death since all the rest is taken away yet let me excell in miserie Leade me therfore whether you will only happy because I can not be more wretched But neyther so much would the honest Shepheards do but rather with many teares bemoned this encrease of their former losse till she was faine to leade them with a very strange spectacle either that a Princesse should be in the hands of Shepheards or a prisoner should direct her gardiens lastly before either witnes or accuser a Lady condemne her selfe to death But in such monefull â—arch they went towards the other Shepheards who in the meane time had left nothing vnassaied to reuiue the King but all was bootles and their sorrowes encreased the more they had suffred any hopes vainly to arise Among other trialls they made to know at least the cause of his end hauing espied the vnhappy cup they gaue the little liquor that was left to a dogge of Damaetas in which within a short time it wrought the like effect although Damaetas did so much to recouer him that for very loue of his life he dasht out his braines But now all togither and hauing Gynaecia among them who to make her selfe the more odious did continuallie record to their mindes the excesse of their losse they yelded themselues ouer to all those formes of lamentacion that dolefull images do imprint in the honest but ouer tender hartes especially when they thinke the rebound of the euill falls to their owne smart Therefore after the auncient greeke maner some of them remembring the nobilitie of his birth continued by being like his Auncestors others his shape which though not excellent yet fauour and pittie drew all things now to the highest point others his peaceable gouernment the thing which most pleaseth men resolued to liue of their owne others his liberalitie which though it cannot light vpon all men yet men naturallie hoping it may be they make it a most amiable vertue Some calling in question the greatnes of his power which encreased the compassion to see the present change hauing a dolefull memorie how he had tempered it with such familier curtesie among them that they did more feele the fruites then see the pompes of his greatnes all with one consent geuing him the sacred titles of good iust mercifull the father of the people the life of his Countrie they ranne about his body tearing their beards and garments some sending their cryes to heauen other inuenting perticular howling musicke manie vowing to kill themselues at the day of his funeralls generallie geuing a true testimonye that men are louing creatures when iniuries put them not from their naturall course and howe easily a thing it is for a Prince by succession deeplie to sinke into the soules of his subiects a more liuely monument then Mausolus Tombe But as with such hartie lamentacion they dispersed among those woods their resounding shrikes the Sunne the perfectest marke of time hauing now gotten vp two howres iourney in his dayly changing Circle their voice helped with the only answering Echo came to the eares of the faithfull and worthy Gentleman Philanax who at that time was comming to visite the King accompanyed with diuers of the worthie Arcadian Lords who with him had visited the places adioyning for the more assurance of Basilius solitarines a thing after the late mutinie he had vsually done and since the Princesses returne more diligentlie continued which hauing nowe likewise performed thinking it as well his duty to see the King as of good purpose being so neare to receyue his further direction accompanied as aboue sayd he was this morning comming vnto him when these vnpleasant voices gaue his minde an vncertaine presage of his neere approching sorow For by and by he saw the bodie of his dearely esteemed Prince and heard Gynecias lamenting not such as the turtle-like loue is wont to make for the euer ouer-soone losse of her only loued make but with curfings of her life detesting her owne wickednes seeming only therefore not to desire death because she would not shew a loue of any thing The Shepheards especially Damaetas knowing him to be the second person in Aucthoritie gaue forthwith relacion vnto him what they knewe and had proued of this dolorous spectacle besides the other accidents of his children But he principally touched with his maisters losse lighting from his horse with a heauie cheare came and kneeled downe by him where finding he could do no more then the Shepheards had for his recouerie the constancie of his minde surprised before he might call together his best rules could not refraine such like words Ah deere maister sayd he what change it hath pleased the Almightie Iustice to worke in this place How soone not to your losse who hauing liued long to nature and to time longer by your well deserued glorie but longest of all in the eternall mansion you now possesse But how soone I say to our ruine haue you left the fraile barke of your estate O that the words in most faithfull dutie deliuered vnto you when you first entred this solitarie course might haue wrought as much perswasion in you as they â—prang from truth in me perchaunce your seruaunt Philanax should not nowe haue cause in your losse to bewayle his owne ouerthrowe And therewith taking himselfe and in deede euill fitteth it me sayde he to let goe my harte to womanish complaints since my Prince being vndoubtedly well it rather shewes loue of my selfe which makes me bewaile mine owne losse No the true loue must be proued in the honor of your memorie and that must be shewed with seeking iust reuenge vpon your vniust and vnnaturall enemies and farre more honorable it will be for your Tombe to haue the blood of your murderers sprinkled vpon it then the teares of your friendes And if your soule looke downe vppon this miserable earth I doubt not it had much rather your death were accompanyed with well deserued punishment of the causers of it then with the heaping on it more sorrowes with the ende of them to whome you vouchsafed your affection let them lament that haue wouen the webbe of lamentacion let theyr owne deathes make them crye out for your death that were the authors of it Therewith carying manfull sorowe and vindicatiâ—e resolucion in his face he rose vp so looking on the poore guiltlesse princesse transported with an vniust iustice that his eyes were sufficient herauldes for him to denounce a mortall hatred She whome furies of loue firebrands of her conscience shame of the
might lamentably consider with what face he might looke vpon his till then ioy Philoclea when the next light waking should deliuer vnto her should perchaunce be the last of her hurtles life And that the first time she should bend her excellent eyes vpon him shee should see the accursed aucthor of her dreadfull end euen this consideration more then any other did so set it selfe in his well disposed minde that dispersing his thoughts to all the wayes that might be of her safetie finding a verye small discourse in so narrowe lymits of time and place at length in many difficulties he saw none beare any likelyhood for her life but his death For thē he thought it would fal out that when they foūd his body dead hauing no accuser but Damaetas as by his speach he found there was not it might iustly appeare that either Philoclea in defending her honour or els he himself in dispaire of atchieuing had left his carcase profe of his intent but witnes of her clearenes hauing a small while staied vpon the greatnes of his resolution and loked to the furthest of it be it so said the valiant Pyrocles neuer life for better cause nor to better end was bestowed for if death be to follow this doing which no death of mine could make me leaue vndon who is to die so iustly as my self And if I must die who can be so fit executioners as mine owne hands Which as they were accessaries to the doing so in killing me they shall suffer their owne punishment But then arose ther a new impediment for Damaetas hauing caried away any thing which he thought might hurt as tender a man as himselfe hee coulde finde no fit instrument which might geue him a finall dispatch at length makinge the more haste leaste his Lady should awake taking the Iron barre which being sharper something at the one end then the other he hoped ioynd to his willing strength might breake of the former threed of mortallitie truely said he fortune thou hast well perseuered mine enemie that wilt graunt me no fortune to be vnfortunate nor let me haue an easie passage now I am to troubl thee no more But said he O bar blessed in that thou hast done seruice to the chamber of the paragon of life since thou couldest not help me to make a perfitter escape yet serue my turne I pray thee that I may escape from my selfe there withall yet once looking to fetch the last repast of his eyes and newe againe transported with the pittifull case hee lefte her in kneeling downe he thus prayed O great maker and great ruler of this worlde saide hee to thee do I sacrifice this bloud of mine and suffer Lorde the errors of my youth to passe away therein and let not the soule by thee made and euer bending vnto thee be now reiected of thee neither be offended that I do abandon this body to the gouernment of which thou hadst placed me without thy leaue since how cā I know but that thy vnsearchable minde is I should so doe since thou hast taken from me all meanes longer to abide in it And since the difference stāds but in a short time of dying thou that hast framed my soule enclyned to do good howe can I in this smal space of mine benefit so much all the humane kinde as in preseruing thy perfittest workmanship their chiefest honour O iustice it selfe howsoeuer thou determinest of me let this excellent innocency not bee oppressed Let my life pay her losse O Lord geue me some signe that I may die with this comfort And pawsing a little as if he had hoped for some token and when soeuer to the eternall darknes of the earth she doth followe me let our spirits possesse one place and let them bee more happie in that vniting With that word striking the barre vpon his harte side withall the force he had and falling withall vpon to giue it the thorower passage the barre in troth was to blunt to do theffect although it pearced his skinne and brused his ribbes very sore so that his breath was almost past him But the noyse of his fall draue away sleepe from the quiet sences of the deere Philoclea whose sweete soule had an earely salutation of a deadly spectacle vnto her with so much more astonishment as the falling a sleepe but a litle before she had retired her selfe from the vttermost pointe of wofulnes and sawe now againe before her eyes the most cruell enterprise that humane nature can vndertake without discerning any cause therof But the liuely printe of her affection had soone taught her not to stay long vpon diliberation in so vrgent a necessitie therefore getting with speede her weake though well accorded limmes out of her sweetned bedd as when Iuells are hastely pulled out of some riche coffer she spared not the nakednes of her tender feete but I thincke borne as fast with desire as feare carried Daphne she came running to Pyrocles and finding his spirits somthing troubled with the fall she put by the barre that lay close to him and strayning him in her most beloued embracement my comforte my ioye my life saide shee what haste haue you to kill your Philoclea with the most cruell torment that euer Lady suffred Do you not yet perswade your selfe that any hurte of yours is a death vnto me And that your death shoulde bee my hell Alas if any sodaine mislike of mee for other cause I see none haue caused you to loath your selfe if any fault or defect of mine hath bred this terriblest rage in you rather let mee suffer the bitternes of it for so shal the deseruer be punished mankind preserued from such a ruine I for my part shall haue that comforte that I dye by the noblest hande that euer drew sword Pyrocles greued with his fortune that he had not in one instant cut of all such deliberation thinking his life onely reserued to be bound to bee the vnhappie newes teller Alas said he my onely Starre why doe you this wrong to God your selfe and me to speake of faultes in you no no most faultlesse most perfet Lady it is your excellencie that makes me hasten my desired end it is the right I owe to the generall nature that though against priuate nature makes me seek the preseruation of all that she hath done in this age let me let me dye There is no way to saue your life most worthy to be conserued then that my death be your clearing then did he with farre more paine and backward loathnes then the so neere killing himselfe was but yet driuen with necessitie to make her yeeld to that hee thought was her safetie make her a short but pithie discourse what he had heard by Damaetas speeches confirming the rest with a plaine demonstratiō of their imprisonment And then sought he new meanes of stopping his breath but that by Philocleas labour aboue her force he was stayed to heare her In whom a
good reason saye that the constant man abides the painefull surgery for feare of a further euill but he is content to waite for death it selfe but neither is true for neither hath the one any feare but a well choosing iudgement nor the other hath any contentment but onely feare and not hauing a harte actiuely to performe a matter of paine is forced passiuely to abide a greater damage For to doe requires a whole harte to suffer falleth easeliest in the broken minds And if in bodely torment thus much more in shame wherein since vallure is a vertue and vertue is euer limited we must not runne so infinitely as to thinke the valiant man is willinglie to suffer any thing since the very suffering of some things is a certaine proofe of want of courage And if any thing vnwillinglie among the chiefest may shame goe for if honour be to be held deere his contrarye is to be abhorred and that not for feare but of a true election For which is the lesse inconuenient either the losse of some yeares more or lesse for once we knowe our liues be not immortall or the submitting our selues to each vnworthy misery which the foolish world may lay vpon vs As for their reason that feare is contrary to hope neither do I defend feare nor much yeeld to the aucthoritye of hope to eyther of which great enclining shewes but a feeble reason which must be guided by his seruaunts and who builds not vppon hope shall feare no earthquake of despaire Their last alleadging of the heauenly powers as it beares the greatest name so it is the only thing that at all bred any combate in my minde And yet I do not see but that if God hath made vs maisters of any thing it is of our owne liues out of which without doing wrong to any body we are to issue at our owne pleasure And the same Argument would asmuch preuayle to say we should for no necessitie lay away from vs any of our ioyntes since they being made of him without his warrant we should not depart from them or if that may be for a greater cause we may passe to a greater degree And if we be Lieutenants of God in this little Castle do you not thinke we must take warning of him to geue ouer our charge when he leaues vs vnprouided of good meanes to tarrye in it No certainelie do I not answered the sorrowfull Philoclea since it is not for vs to appoint that mightie Maiestie what time he will helpe vs the vttermost instant is scope enough for him to reuoke euery thing to ones owne desire And therefore to preiudicate his determinacion is but a doubt of goodnes in him who is nothing but goodnes But when in deede he doth either by sicknes or outward force lay death vpon vs then are we to take knowledge that such is his pleasure and to knowe that all is well that he doth That we should be maisters of our selues we can shewe at all no title nor clayme since neyther we made our selues nor bought our selues we can stand vpon no other right but his guift which he must limit as it pleaseth him Neyther is there any proporcion betwixt the losse of any other limme and that since the one bends to the preseruing all the other to the destruction of all the one takes not away the minde from the actions for which it is placed in the world the other cuts off all possibilitie of his working And truly my most deere Pyrocles I must needes protest vnto you that I can not thinke your defence euen in rules of vertue sufficient Sufficient and excellent it were if the question were of two outward things wherein a man might by natures freedome determine whether he would preferre shame to payne present smaller torment to greater following or no. But to this besides the comparison of the matters vallewes there is added of the one part a direct euill doing which maketh the ballance of that side too much vnequall Since a vertuous man without any respect whether the griefe be lesse or more is neuer to do that which he can not assure himselfe is allowable before the euerliuing rightfulnes But rather is to thinke honoures or shames which stande in other mens true or false iudgements paynes or not paynes which yet neuer approach our soules to be nothing in regarde of an vnspotted conscience And these reasons do I remember I haue heard good men bring in that since it hath not his ground in an assured vertue it proceedes rather of some other disguised passion Pyrocles was not so much perswaded as delighted by her well conceaued and sweetely pronounced speaches but when she had cloased her pittiful discourse and as it were sealed vp her delightfull lippes with the moistnes of her teares which followed still one another like a precious rope of pearle now thinking it hye time Be it as you saye sayde hee most vertuous beawtye in all the rest but neuer can God himselfe perswade me that Pyrocles life is not well lost for to preserue the most admirable Philoclea Let that be if it be possible written on my Tombe and I will not enuye Codrus honour With that he would agayne haue vsed the barre meaning if that failde to leaue his braynes vppon the wall When Philoclea now brought to that she most feared kneeled downe vnto him and embracing so his legges that without hurting her which for nothing he would haue done he could not ridde himselfe from her she did with all the coniuring wordes which the authoritye of loue may laye beseeche him he would not nowe so cruelly abandon her he woulde not leaue her comfortlesse in that miserye to which he had brought her That then in deede she woulde euen in her soule accuse him to haue most fouly betrayed her that then she should haue cause to curse the time that euer the name of Pyrocles came to her eares which otherwise no death could make her do Will you leaue me sayde she not onely dishonoured as supposed vnchaste with you but as a murderer of you Will you geue mine eyes such a picture of hell before my neere approaching death as to see the murdred bodie of him I loue more then all the liues that nature can geue With that she sware by the hyest cause of all deuocions that if he did perseuer in that cruell resolucion she would though vntruly not onely confesse to her father that with her cōsent this acte had bene committed but if that would not serue after she had puld out her owne eyes made accursed by such a sight she would geue her selfe so terrible a death as she might think the paine of it would counteruaile the neuer dying paine of her minde Now therefore kill your selfe to crowne this vertuous action with infamy kill your selfe to make me whome you say you loue as long as I after liue change my louing admiracion of you to a detestable abhorring your name And so
indeede you shall haue the ende you shoote at for in steede of one death you shall geue me a thousand and yet in the meane time depriue me of the helpe God may sende me Pyrocles euen ouerwayed with her so wisely vttred affection finding her determinacion so fixed that his ende should but depriue them both of a present contentment and not auoyde a comming euill as a man that ranne not vnto it by a sodayne qualme of passion but by a true vse of reason preferring her life to his owne nowe that wisedome did manifest vnto him that waye woulde not preuayle he retired himselfe with as much tranquillitie from it as before he had gone vnto it Like a man that had set the keeping or leauing of the bodye as a thing without himselfe and so had thereof a freed and vntroubled consideracion Therefore throwing away the barre from him and taking her vp from the place where he thought the consummating of all beawties very vnworthely lay suffring all his sences to deuoure vp their chiefest foode which he assured himselfe they should shortly after for euer be depriued of well said he most deere Lady whose contentment I preferre before mine own and iudgement esteeme more then mine owne I yeeld vnto your pleasure The gods send you haue not woon your owne losse For my part they are my witnesses that I thinke I do more at your commaundement in delayeng my death then another would in bestowing his life But now sayd he as thus farre I haue yeelded vnto you so graunt me in recompence thus much againe that I may finde your loue in graunting as you haue sound your authoritye in obteyning My humble suite is you will say I came in by force into your Chamber for so am I resolued now to affirme and that will be the best for vs both but in no case name my name that whtsoeuer come of me my house be not dishonored Philoclea fearing least refusall would turne him backe againe to his violent refuge gaue him a certayne countenance that might shewe she did yeeld to his request the latter part whereof indeed she meant for his sake to performe Neyther could they spend more wordes together for Philanax with twentie of the noblest personages of Arcadia after him were come into the Lodge Philanax making the rest stay belowe for the reuerence he bare to womanhood as stillie as he could came to the dore and opening it drewe the eyes of these two dolefull louers vpon him Philoclea cloasing againe for modestie sake within her bed the ritchesse of her beawties but Pyrocles tooke holde of his barre minding at least to dye before the excellent Philoclea should receyue any outrage But Philanax rested awhile vppon himselfe stricken with admiracion at the goodlie shape of Pyrocles whome before he had neuer seene and withall remembring besides others the notable acte he had done when with his courage and eloquence he had saued Basilius perchaunce the whole state from vtter ruyne he felte a kinde of relenting minde towardes him But when that same thought came waighted on with the remembraunce of his maisters death which he by all probabilities thought he had bene of Councell vnto with the Queene compassion turned to hatefull passion and lefte in Philanax a straunge medley betwixt pittie and reuenge betwixt lyking and abhorring O Lorde sayde hee to himselfe what wonders doth nature in our tyme to set wickednesse so beawtifully garnished and that which is straungest out of one spring to make wonderfull effectes both of vertue and vice to issue Pyrocles seeing him in such a muse neyther knowing the man nor the cause of his comming but assuring himselfe it was for no good yet thought best to begin with him in this sort Gentleman sayde hee what is the cause of your comming to my Lady Philocleas chamber is it to defende her from such violence as I might goe about to offer vnto her if it be so truly your comming is vayne for her owne vertue hath bene a sufficient resistaunce there needes no strength to be added to so inuiolate chastetie the excellencie of her mind makes her bodie impregnable Which for mine own part I had soone yelded to confesse with going out of this place where I found but little comfort being so disdainefully receiued had I not bene I know not by whom presently vpon my cōming hether so locked into this chamber that I could neuer escape hence where I was fettred in the most gilty shame that euer mā was seing what a paradise of vnspotted goodnes my filthy thoughts sought to defile If for that therfore you come alredy I assure you your arrāt is performed but if it be to bring me to any punishmēt whatsouer for hauing vndertaken so vnexcusable presumption Truly I beare such an accuser about me of mine own conscience that I willingly submit my selfe vnto it Only this much let me demaund of you that you will be a witnesse vnto the King what you heare me say oppose your selfe that neither his sodaine fury nor any other occasion may offer any hurt to this Lady in whome you see nature hath accomplished so much that I am faine to lay mine owne faultines as a foile of her purest excellency I can say no more but looke vppon her beawtie remember her bloud consider her yeares and iudge rightly of her vertues and I doubt not a gentlemans mind will then be a sufficient enstructer vnto you in this I may tearme it miserable chaunce happened vnto her by my vnbridled audacitie Philanax was content to heare him out not for any fauour he owed him but to see whether he would reueale any thing of the originall cause and purpose of the kings death But finding it so farre from that that he named Basilius vnto him as supposing him aliue thinking it rather cunning then ignorance Yong man said he whome I haue cause to hate before I haue meane to know you vse but a point of skill by confessing the manifest smaller fault to be beleeued hereafter in the deniall of the greater But for that matter all passeth to one end and hereafter we shal haue leisure by torments to seke the truth if the loue of truth it selfe will not bring you vnto it As for my Lady Philoclea if it so fall out as you say it shall be the more fit for her yeares comedy for the great house she is come of that an ill gouerned beawtie hath not cancelled the rules of vertue But howsoeuer it be it is not for you to teach an Arcadian what reuerent duty we owe to any of that progeny But said he come you with me without resistance for the one cannot auaile and the other may procure pitie Pitie said Pyrocles with a bitter smiling disdained with so currish an answere no no Arcadian I can quickly haue pitie of my selfe and I would think my life most miserable which should be a gift of thine Only I demaund this innocent Ladies securitie which vntill
with me but that I finde not how to excuse your geuing ouer your body to him that for the last proofe of his treason lent his garments to disguise your miâ—erable mother in the most vile fact she hath coÌ„mitted Hard sure it will be to separate your causes with whome you haue so neerely ioyned your selfe Neither do I desire it said the sweetly weeping Philoclea whatsoeuer you determine of him do that likewise to me for I knowe from the fountaine of vertue nothing but vertue could euer proceede only as you finde him faultlesse let him finde you fauourable and build not my dishonor vpoÌ„ surmises Philanax feeling his hart more more mollifieng vnto her renewed the image of his dead master in his fancy and vsing that for the spurres of his reueÌ„gefull choller went sodainly without any more speach from the desolate Lady to whome now fortune seemed to threaten vnripe death and vndeserued shame among her least euils But Philanax leauing good guard vpon the Lodge went himselfe to see the order of his other prisoners whome euen then as he issued he found increased by this vnhoped meanes The noble Pamela hauing deliuered ouer the burthen of her fearefull cares to the naturall ease of a well refreshing sleepe reposed both mind body vpoÌ„ the trusted support of her princely shepheard wheÌ„ with the brayeng cryes of a rascall company she was robbed of her quiet so that at one instaÌ„t she opened her eyes the enraged Musidorus rose froÌ„ her enraged betwixt the doubt he had what theâ—e men would go about the spite he conceiued against their ill-pleasing presence But the clownes hauing with their hideous noyse brought them both to their feet had soone knowledge what guests they had found for in deede these were the skummy remnant of those rebels whose naughty minds could not trust so much to the goodnes of their Prince as to lay their hangworthy necks vpoÌ„ the constancy of his promised pardon Therfore wheÌ„ the rest who as shepe had but followed their fellowes so sheepishly had submitted theÌ„selues these only coÌ„mitted their safety to the thickest part of those desert woods who as they were in the constitution of their mindes little better then beastes so were they apt to degenerate to a beastly kinde of life hauing now framed their gluttonish stomackes to haue for foode the wilde benefites of nature the vttermost ende they had being but to drawe out as much as they could the line of a tedious life In this sorte vagabonding in those vntroden places they were guided by the euerlasting Iustice vsing themselues to bee punishers of theyr faultes and making theyr owne actions the beginning of their chastizements vnhappely both for him and themselues to light on Musidorus Whom as soone as they saw turned towards them they full well remembred it was he that accompanyed with Basilius had come to the succour of Zelmane and had left among some of them bloudie tokens of his valure As for Pamela they had many times seene her Thus fyrst sturred vp with a rusticall reuenge against him and then desire of spoyle to helpe their miserable wants but chiefly thinking it was the way to confirme their owne pardon to bring the Princesse backe vnto her father whome they were sure he would neuer haue sent so farre so sleightlie accompanyed without any other denouncing of warre set altogither vpon the worthy Musidorus Who being before hand asmuch enflamed against them gaue them so braue a welcome that the smart of some made the rest stand further off crying and prating against him but like bad curres rather barking then cloasing he in the meane time placing his trembling Lady to one of the Pyne trees and so setting himselfe before her as might shewe the cause of his courage grewe in himselfe but the effect was only employed in her defence The villaines that now had a second proofe how ill wordes they had for such a sword turned all the course of their violence into throwing dartes and stones in deede the only way to ouermaister the valure of Musidorus Who finding them some already touch some fall so neere his chiefest life Pamela that in the ende some one or other might happe to doo an vnsuccourable mischiefe setting all his hope in despaire ranne out from his Lady among them Who streight like so many swyne when a hardy mastife sets vpon them dispersed themselues But the first he ouertooke as he ranne away carying his head as farre before him as those maner of runnings are wont to doo with one blowe strake it so cleane off that it falling betwixt the handes and the body falling vppon it it made a shewe as though the fellow had had great haste to gather vp his head agayne Another the speede he made to runne for the best game bare him full butte agaynst a tree so that tumbling backe with a brused face and a dreadfull expectation Musidorus was streight vpon him and parting with his sword one of his legges from him left him to make a roaring lamentation that his morter-treading was marred for euer A third finding his feete too slowe aswell as his handes too weake sodaynely turned backe beginning to open his lippes for mercye But before hee had well entred a rudely compilde oration Musidorus blade was come betweene his iawes into his throate and so the poore man rested there for euer with a very euill mouthfull of an answere Musidorus in this furious chafe would haue followed some other of these hatefull wretches but that he heard his Lady cry for helpe whome three of this villanous crue had whiles Musidorus followed their fellowes compassing about some trees sodainly come vpon and surprized threatning to kill her if she cried and meaning to conuey her out of sight while the Prince was making his bloud-thirstie chase But she that was resolued no worse thing could fall vnto her then the being depriued of him on whome she had established all her comfort with a pittifull cry fetched his eyes vnto her who then thinking so many weapons thrust into his eyes as with his eyes he sawe bent against her made all hartie speede to her succour But one of them wiser then his companions set his dagger to her Alablaster throate swearing if hee threwe not away his sword he would presently kill her There was neuer poore scholler that hauing in stede of his booke some playing toy about him did more sodainly cast it from him at the child-feared presence of a cruell Scholemaister Then the valiant Musidorus discharged himselfe of his only defence wheÌ„ he saw it stood vpoÌ„ the instaÌ„t point of his Ladies life And holding vp his noble hands to so vnworthy audience O Arcadians it is I that haue done you the wrong she is your Princesse said he shee neuer had will to hurt you and you see shee hath no power Vse your choller vpoÌ„ me that haue better deserued it do not your selues the wrong to doe her any hurte which in
no time nor place will euer bee forgiuen you They that yet trusted not to his courtesie bad him stande further off from his sword which he obediently did So farre was loue aboue al other thoughts in him Then did they call together the rest of their fellowes who though they were fewe yet according to their number possesâ—ed many places And then began these sauage Senators to make a consultation what they should do some wishing to spoile them of their Iewels and let them go on their iourney for that if they carried them back they were sure they should haue least parte of their pray others preferring their old homes to any thing desired to bring them to Basilius as pledges of their surety and ther wanted not which cried the safest way was to kill them both to such an vnworthy thraldom were these great and excellent personages brought But the most part resisted to the killing of the Princesse fore-seing their liues would neuer bee safe after such a fact committed and beganne to wish rather the spoyle then death of Musidorus when the villaine that had his legge cut off came scrawling towardes them and being helped to them by one of the companie began with a growning voice and a disfigured face to demaunde the reuenge of his blood which since hee had spent with them in their defence it were no reason he should be suffered by them to die discontented The onely contentment he required was that by their helpe with his own hands he might put his murderer to some cruel death he would faine haue cried more against Musidorus but that the much losse of bloud helped on with this vehemencie choked vp the spirits of his life leauing him to make betwixt his body and soule an ill fauoured partition But they seing their fellow in that sorte die before their faces did swell in newe mortall rages All resolued to kill him but nowe onely considering what manner of terrible death they should inuent for him Thus was a while the agrement of his slaying broken by the disagrement of the manner of it extremitie of cruelty grew for a time to be the stop of crueltie At length they were resolued euery one to haue a pece of him and to become all aswell hangmen as iudges when Pamela tearing her heare and falling downe among them somtimes with al the sorte of humble praiers mixt with promises of great good turnes which they knew her state was able to performe sometimes threatning them that if they kild him and not her she would not onely reuenge it vpon them but vpon all their wiues and children bidding them consider that though they might thinke shee was come away in her fathers displeasure yet they might be sure hee would euer shewe himselfe a father that the Gods woulde neuer if shee liued put her in so base estate but that she should haue abilitie to plague such as they were returning a fresh to prayers and promises and mixing the same againe with threatninges brought them who were now growne colder in their fellowes cause who was past aggrauating the matter with his cryes to determine with themselues there was no way but either to kil them both or saue them both As for the killing already they hauing aunsweared themselues that that was a way to make them Cittezens of the woodes for euer they did in fine conclude they would retourne them backe againe to the King which they did not doubt would bee cause of a greate reward besides their safetie from their fore-deserued punishment Thus hauing either by fortune or the force of those two louers inward working vertue setled their cruel harts to this geÌ„tler course they tooke the two horses and hauing set vpon them their princely prisoners they retorned towards the lodge The villaines hauing decked al their heads with lawrel branches as thinking they had done a notable acte singing and showting ranne by them in hope to haue brought them the same day againe to the King But the time was so farre spent that they were forced to take vp that nights lodging in the middest of the woods Where while the clownes continued their watch about them nowe that the night according to his darke nature did add a kind of desolation to the pensiue harts of these two afflicted louers Musidorus taking the tender hand of Pamela bedewing it with his tearesâ— in this sort gaue an issue to the swelling of his harts grief Most excellent Lady said hee in what case thinke you am I with my selfe howe vnmerciful iudgements do I lay vpon my soule now that I know not what God hath so reuerssed my wel meaning enterprise as in steed of doing you that honour which I hoped and not without reason hoped Thessalia should haue yeelded vnto you am now like to become a wretched instrumeÌ„t of your discomfort Alas how contrary an end haue al the enclinations of my mind taken my faith falls out a treason vnto you and the true honour I beare you is the fielde wherein your dishonour is like to bee sowen But I inuoke that vniuersal and only wisdome which examining the depth of harts hath not his indgement fixed vpon the euent to beare testimonie with me that my desire though in extremest vehemencie yet did not so ouercharge my remembrance but that as farre as mans wit might be extended I sought to preuent al-things that might fall to your hurt But now that all the euil fortunes of euil fortune haue crossed my best framed entent I am most miserable in that that I cannot only not geue you helpe but which is worst of all am barred from giuing you counsail For how should I open my mouth to counsaile you in that wherein by my councel you are most vndeseruedly fallen The faire and wise Pamela although full of cares of the vnhappie turning of this matter yet seing the greefe of Musidorus onely stirred for her did so treade downe all other motions with the true force of vertue that she thus aunswered him hauing first kissed him which before she had neuer done either loue so coÌ„maunding her which doubted how long they should enioy one another or of a liuely spark of noblenes to descend in most fauour to one when he is lowest in affliction My deere and euer deere Musidorus said shee a greater wronge doe you to your selfe that will torment you thus with griefe for the fault of fortune Since a man is bound no further to himselfe then to doe wisely chaunce is only to trouble them that stand vpon chaunce But greater is the wronge at least if any thinge that comes from you may beare the name of wrong you doe vnto me to thinke me either so childish as not to perceaue your faithful faultlessnes or perceauing it so basely disposed as to let my harte be ouerthrown standing vpon it selfe in so vnspotted a purenes Hold for certaine most worthy Musidorus it is your selfe I loue which can no more be diminished by these showers
of euill hap then flowers are marred with the timely raynes of Aprill For how can I want comforte that haue the true and liuing comforte of my vnblemished vertue And how can I want honour as long as Musidorus in whom indeed honour is doth honour me Nothing bred from my self can discomfort me fooles opinions I wil not recken as dishonour Musidorus looking vp to the starres O mind of minds said he the liuing power of all things which dost with al these eies behold our euer varying actiōs accept into thy fauorable eares this praier of mine Yf I may any longer hold out this dwelling on the earth which is called a life graunt me abilitie to deserue at this Ladies handes the grace shee hath shewed vnto me graunt me wisdome to know her wisdome and goodnes so to encrease my loue of her goodnes that all mine owne chosen desires be to my selfe but second to her determinations What soeuer I be let it be to her seruice let me herein be satisfied that for such infinite fauours of vertue I haue some way wrought her satisfaction But if my last time aprocheth and that I am no longer to be amongst mortall creatures make yet my death serue her to some purpose that hereafter shee may not haue cause to repent her selfe that she bestowed so excellent a minde vpon Musidorus Pamela coulde not choose but accord the conceite of their fortune to these passionate prayers in so much that her constant eyes yeelded some teares which wiping from her faire face with Musidorus hande speaking softly vnto him as if she had feared more any body should be witnes of her weakenes then of any thing els shee had said you see said she my Prince and onely Lord what you worke in me by your much greuing for me I praye you thinke I haue no ioye but in you and if you fill that with sorrow what do you leaue for mee What is prepared for vs we know not but that with sorrow we cannot preuent it wee knowe Now let vs turne from these things and thinke you how you will haue me behaue my selfe towardes you in this matter Musidorus finding the authoritie of her speach confirmed with direct necessitie the first care came to his minde was of his deare friend and cosin Pyrocles with whome long before hee had concluded what names they shoulde beare if vpon any occasion they were forced to geue them selues out for great men and yet not make them selues fully knowen Now fearing least if the Princes should name him for Musidorus the fame of their two being together would discouer Pyrocles holding her hand betwixt his handes a good while together I did not thinke most excellent Princesse saide hee to haue made any further request vnto you for hauing bene alredie to you so vnfortunate a suiter I knowe not what modestie can beare any further demaūd But the estate of on young man whom next to you far aboue my selfe I loue more then all the world one worthy of all well being for the notable constitution of the mind and most vnworthy to receaue hurt by me whom he doth in all faith and constancie loue the pittie of him onely goes beyond all resolution to the contrarie Then did hee to the Princesse great admiration tell her the whole story as farre as he knew of it and that when they made the greuous disiūction of their long company they had concluded Musidorus should entitle himself Paladius Prince of Iberia and Pyrocles should be Daiphantus of Lycia Now said Musidorus he keeping a womans habit is to vse no other name then Zelmane but I that finde it best of the on side for your honour you went away with a Prince and not with a sheepheard of the other side accompting my death lesse euil then the betraying of that sweete frende of mine will take this meane betwixt both and vsing the name of Paladius if the respect of a Prince will stop your fathers furie that will serue aswell as Musidorus vntil Pyrocles fortune being som way established I may freely geue good proofe that the noble contrie of Thessalia is mine and if that will not mitigate your fathers opinion to me wards nature I hope working in your excellencies wil make him deale well by you for my parte the image of death is nothing fearefull vnto me and this good I shall haue reaped by it that I shall leaue my most esteemed friend in no danger to be disclosed by me And besides since I must confesse I am not without a remorse of his case my vertuous mother shal not know her sonnes violent death hid vnder the fame will goe of Paladius But as long as her yeares now of good number be counted among the liuing shee may ioye her selfe with some possibilitie of my returne Pamela promising him vpon no occasion euer to name him fell into extremytie of weping as if her eyes had beene content to spend all their seing moistnes now that there was speech of the losse of that which they held as their chiefest light So that Musidorus was forced to repaire her good counsailes with sweete consolations which continued betwixt them vntill it was about midnight that sleep hauing stolne into their heauie sences and now absolutely commaunding in their vitall powers lefte them delicately wound on in anothers armes quietly to waite for the comming of the morning Which as soone as shee appeared to play her parte laden as you haue heard with so many well occasioned lamentations Their lobbish garde who all night had kept themselues awake with prating how valiant deedes they had done when they ranne away and how faire a death their felowe had died who at his last gaspe sued to bee a hangman awaked them and set them vpon their horses to whom the very shining force of excellent vertue though in a very harrish subiect had wrought a kinde of reuerence in them Musidorus as he rid among them of whom they had no other holde but of Pamela thinking it want of a well squared iudgement to leaue any meane vnassayed of sauing their liues to this purpose spake to his vnseemly gardians vsing a plaine kind of phrase to make his speach the more credible My maisters said he there is no man that is wise but hath in what soeuer hee doth some purpose whereto hee directes his doinges which so long he followes till he see that either that purpose is not worth the paines or that another doinge caries with it a better purpose That you are wise in what you take in hand I haue to my cost learned that makes me desire you to tell me what is your ende in carying the Princesse and me backe to her father Pardon saide one rewarde cried another well saide he take both although I know you are so wise to remember that hardly they both will goe togeather being of so contrary a making for the ground of pardon is an euill neither any man pardons but remembers an
shape which by mans eye might be perceaued Vertue is dead now set the triumph here Now set thy triumph in this world bereaued Of what was good where now no good doth lie And by the pompe our losse will be conceaued O notes of mine your selues together tie With too much griefe me thinkes you are dissolued Your dolefull tunes sweet Muses now applie Time euer old and yong is still reuolued Within it selfe and neuer tasteth ende But mankind is for aye to nought resolued The filthy snake her aged coate can mende And getting youth againe in youth doth flourish But vnto Man age euer death doth sende The very trees with grafting we can cherish So that we can long time produce their time But Man which helpeth them helplesse must perish Thus thus the mindes which ouer all doo clime When they by yeares experience get best graces Must finish then by deaths detested crime We last short while and build long lasting places Ah let vs all against foule Nature crie We Natures workes doo helpe she vs defaces For how can Nature vnto this reply That she her child I say her best child killeth Your dolefull tunes sweete Muses now apply Alas me thinkes my weakned voice but spilleth The vehement course of this iust lamentation Me thinkes my sound no place with sorrow filleth I know not I but once in detestation I haue my â—elfe and all what life containeth Since Death on Vertues fort hath made inuasion One word of woe another after traineth Ne doo I care how râ—de be my inuention So it be seene what sorrow in me raigneth O Elements by whose men say contention Our bodies be in liuing power maintained Was this mans death the fruite of your dissention O Phisickes power which some say hath restrained Approch of death alas thou helpest meagerly When once one is for Atropos distrained Great be Physitions brags but aid is beggerly When rooted moisture failes or groweth drie They leaue off all and say death commes too eagerlie They are but words therefore that men do buy Of any since God AEsculapius ceased Your dolefull tunes sweete Muses now apply Iustice iustice is now alas oppressed Bountifulnes hath made his last conclusion Goodnes for best attire in dust is dressed Shepheards bewaile your vttermost confusion And see by this picture to you presented Death is our home life is but a delusion For see alas who is from you absented Absented nay I say for euer banished From such as were to dye for him contented Out of our sight in turne of hand is vanished Shepherd of shepherds whose well setled order Priuate with welth publike with quiet garnished While he did liue farre farre was all disorder Example more preuailing then direction Far was homestrife and far was foe from border His life a law his looke a full correction As in his health we healthfull were preserued So in his sicknesse grew our sure infection His death our death But ah my Muse hath swarued From such deepe plaint as should such woes descrie Which he of vs for euer hath deserued The stile of heauie hart can neuer flie So high as should make such a paine notorious Cease Muse therfore thy dart ô Death applie And farewell Prince whom goodnesse hath made glorious Many were readie to haue followed this course but the day was so wasted that onely this riming Sestine deliuered by one of great account among them could obtaine fauour to be heard FArewell ô Sunn Arcadias clâ—arest light Farewell ô pearl the poore man plenteous treasure Farewell ô golden staffe the weake mans might Farewell ô Ioy the ioyfulls onely pleasure Wisdome farewell the skillesse mans direction Farewell with thee farewell all our affection For what place now is lefte for our affection Now that of purest lampe is quench'd the light Which to our darkned mindes was best direction Now that the mine is lost of all our treasure Now death hath swallow'd vp our worldly pleasure We Orphans made void of all publique might Orphans in deede depriu'd of fathers might For he our father was in all affection In our well-doing placing all his pleasure Still studying how to vs to be a ligh As well he was in peace a safest treasure In warr his wit word was our direction Whence whence alas shall we seeke our direction When that we feare our hatefull neighbours might Who long haue gap't to get Arcadians treasure Shall we now finde a guide of such affection Who for our sakes will thinke all trauaile light And make his paine to keepe vs safe his pleasure No no for euer gone is all our pleasure For euer wandring from all good direction For euer blinded of our clearest light For euer lamed of our sured might For euer banish'd from well plac'd affection For euer robd of all our royall treasure Let teares for him therefore be all our treasure And in our wailfull naming him our pleasure Let hating of our selues be our affection And vnto death bend still our thoughts direction Let vs against our selues employ our might And putting out our eyes seeke we our light Farewell our light farewell our spoiled treasure Farewell our might farewell our daunted pleasure Farewell direction farewell all affection The night beganne to cast her darke Canopie ouer them and they euen wearie with their woes bended homewardes hoping by sleepe forgetting them selues to ease their present dolours When they were mett with a troupe of twentie horse the chiefe of which asking them for the Kinge and vnderstanding the hard newes thereupon stayed among them expecting the returne of a messenger whome with speede he dispatched to Philanax The ende of the fourth Booke THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA THE daungerous diuision of mens mindes the ruinous renting of all estates had nowe brought Arcadia to feele the pangs of vttermost perill such convulsions neuer comming but that the life of that gouernment drawes neere his necessarye periode when to the honest and wife Philanax equally distracted betwixt desire of his maisters reuenge and care of the states establishment there came vnlooked for a Macedonian Gentleman who in short but pithye maner deliuered vnto him that the renowmed Euarchus King of Macedon purposing to haue visited his olde friend and confederate the King Basilius was nowe come within halfe a mile of the Lodges where hauing vnderstoode be certayne Shepheards the sodayne death of theyr Prince had sent vnto him of whose authoritye and faith he had good knowledge desiring him to aduertise him in what securitie hee might rest there for that night where willinglye hee woulde if safely hee might helpe to celebrate the funeralls of his auncient companion and alye adding hee neede not doubt since hee had brought but twentye in his companye hee woulde be so vnwise as to enter into any forcible attempte with so small force Philâ—nax hauing entertayned the Gentleman aswell as in the middest of so many tumultes hee coulde pausing awhile with himselfe considering howe
each corner to newe discourses from discourses to wishes from wishes to prayers Especially the tender Philoclea who as she was in yeares yonger and had neuer lifted vp her minde to any opinion of souereignetie so was she the apter to yeelde to her misfortune hauing no stronger debates in her minde then a man maye saye a most wittie childehoode is woont to nourish as to imagine with her selfe why Philanax and the other noble men shoulde deale so cruelly by her that had neuer deserued euill of any of them And howe they could finde in their hartes to imprison such a personage as she did figure Pyrocles whome shee thought all the worlde was bounde to loue as well as shee did But Pamela although endewed with a vertuous mildenes yet the knowledge of her selfe and what was due vnto her made her hart full of a stronger disdaine against her aduersitie So that she ioyned the vexacion for her friend with the spite to see her selfe as she thought rebelliously detayned and mixed desirous thoughts to helpe with reuengefull thoughts if she could not helpe And as in pangs of death the stronger hart feeles the greater torment because it doth the more resist to his oppressour so her minde the nobler it was set and had already embraced the hyer thoughtes so much more it did repine and the more it repined the more helplesse wounds it gaue vnto it selfe But when great part of the night was passed ouer the dolefull musicke of these sweete Ladies complaints and that leasure though with some strife had brought Pamela to know that an Eagle when she is in a Cage must not thinke to do like an Eagle remembring with themselues that it was likely the next day the Lords would proceed against those they had imprisoned They imployed the rest of the night in writing vnto them with such earnestnes as the matter required but in such stiles as the state of their thoughts was apt to fashion In the meane time Pyrocles and Musidorus were recommended to so strong a guard as they might well see it was meant they should pay no lesse prise then their liues for the getting out of that place which they like men in deede fortifying courage with the true Rampier of patience did so endure as they did rather appeare gouernours of necessitie then seruaunts to fortune The whole summe of their thoughts resting vpon the safetie of their Ladyes and their care one for the other Wherein if at all their harts did seeme to receyue some softnes For sometimes Musidorus would feele such a motion to his friend and his vnworthy case that he would fall into such kinde speeches My Pyrocles would he say how vnhappy may I thinke Thessalia that hath bene as it were the middle way to this euill estate of yours For if you had not bene there brought vp the Sea should not haue had this power thus to seuer you from your deere father I haue therefore if complayntes do at any time become a mans hart most cause to complayne since my Countrie which receyued the honor of Pyrocles educacion should be a step to his ouerthrowe if humane chances can be compted an ouerthrowe to him that stands vppon vertue Oh excellent Musidorus aunswered Pyrocles howe do you teache me rather to fall out with my selfe and my fortune since by you I haue receyued all good you only by me this affliction to you and your vertuous mother I in my tendrest yeares and fathers greatest troubles was sent for succour There did I learne the sweete mysteries of Phylosophy there had I your liuely example to confirme that which I learned there lastly had I your friendship which no vnhappines can euer make me saye but that hath made me happy Now see how my desteny the gods knowe not my will hath rewarded you my father sends for you away out of your land whence but for me you had not come what after followed you knowe It was my loue not yours which first stayed you heere and therefore if the heauens euer held a iust proportion it were I and not you that should feele the smart O blame not the heauens sweete Pyrocles sayde Musidorus as their course neuer alters so is there nothing done by the vnreacheable ruler of them but hath an euerlasting reason for it And to saye the truth of these things we should deale vngratefully with nature if we should be forgetfull receyuers of her giftes and so diligent Auditors of the chaunces we like not We haue liued and haue liued to be good to our selues and others our soules which are put into the sturring earth of our bodyes haue atchieued the causes of their hether cōming They haue knowne honoured with knowledge the cause of their creation and to many men for in this time place and fortune it is lawfull for vs to speake gloriously it hath bene behouefull that we should liue Since then eternitie is not to be had in this coniunction what is to be lost by the separation but time which since it hath his ende when that is once come all what is past is nothing and by the protracting nothing gotten but labour and care Do not me therefore that wrong who something in yeares but much in all other deserts am fitter to dye then you as to say you haue brought me to any euill since the loue of you doth ouerballance all bodely mischiefes and those mischiefes be but mischiefes to the basermindes too much delighted with the kennell of this life Neither will I any more yeeld to my passion of lamenting you which howsoeuer it might agree to my exceeding friendship surely it would nothing to your exceeding vertue Add this to your noble speech my deere Cozen said Pirocles that if we complaine of this our fortune or seeme to our selues faultie in hauing one hurt the other we showe a repentance of the loue we beare to these matchlesse creatures or at least a doubt it should be ouerdeerely bought which for my part and so dare I aunswere for you I call all the gods to witnesse I am so farre from that no shame no torment no death would make me forgoe the least part of the inward honor essentiall pleasure and liuing life I haue enioyed in the presence of the faultlesse Philoclea Take the preheminence in all things but in true louing aunswered Musidorus for the confession of that no death shall get of me Of that aunswered Pirocles soberly smiling I perceiue wee shall haue a debate in the other world if at least there remayne any thing of remembrance in that place I do not thinke the contrarye sayde Musidorus although you knowe it is greately helde that with the death of bodye and sences whiche are not onely the beginning but dwelling and nourishing of passions thoughts and immaginations they fayling memorye likewise fayles which riseth onely out of them and then is there left nothing but the intellectuall parte or intelligence which voide of all morall vertues which stande in
the meane of perturbacions doth onely liue in the contemplatiue vertue and power of the omnipotent good the soule of soules and vniuersall life of this great worke and therefore is vtterly voide from the possibilitie of drawing to it selfe these sensible considerations Certenly answered Pirocles I easely yeeld that we shall not knowe one another and much lesse these passed things with a sensible or passionate knowledge For the cause being taken away the effect followes Neither do I thinke we shall haue such a memorye as nowe we haue which is but a relicke of the senses or rather a print the senses haue left of things passed in our thoughtes but it shall be a vitall power of that very intelligence which as while it was heere it helde the chiefe seate of our life and was as it were the last resorte to which of all our knowledges the hyest appeale came and so by that meanes was neuer ignorant of our actions though many times rebelliously resisted alwayes with this prison darkened so much more being free of that prison and returning to the life of all things where all infinite knowledge is it cannot but be a right intelligence which is both his name and being of things both present and passed though voyde of imagining to it selfe any thing but euen growen like to his Creator hath all things with a spirituall knowledge before it The difference of which is as hard for vs to conceaue as it had for vs when wee were in our mothers wombes to comprehende if any body would haue tould vs what kinde of light we nowe in this life see What kinde of knowledge we nowe haue yet nowe we do not only feele our present being but we conceaue what we were before we were borne though remembrance make vs not do it but knowledge and though we are vtterly without any remorse of any misery we might then suffer Euen such and much more odds shall there be at that second deliuery of ours when voyde of sensible memorye or memoratiue passion wee shall not see the cullours but lifes of all things that haue bene or can be and shall as I hope knowe our friendship though exempt from the earthlie cares of friendship hauing both vnited it and our selues in that hye and heauenly loue of the vnquenchable light As he had ended his speeche Musidorus looking with a heauenly ioy vpon him sang this song vnto him he had made before loue turned his muse to another subiecte SInce natures workes be good and death doth serue As natures worke why should we feare to dye Since feare is vaine but when it may preserue Why should we feare that which we cannot flye Feare is more paine then is the paine it feares Disarming humane mindes of natiue might While each conceate an ouglie figure beares Which were not euill well vew'd in reasons light Our owly eyes which dimm'd with passions bee And scarce discerne the dawne of comming day Let them be clearde and now begin to see Our life is but a step in dustie way Then let vs holde the blisse of peacefull minde Since this we feele great losse we cannot finde Thus did they like quiet Swannes sing their owne obsequies and vertuously enhable theyr mindes against all extremities which they did thinke woulde fall vppon them especially resoluing that the fyrst care they would haue should be by taking the faulte vpon themselues to cleere the two Ladyes of whose case as of nothing else that had happened they had not any knowledge Although their friendly hoste the honest Gentleman Kalander seeking all meanes how to helpe them had endeuored to speake with them and to make them knowe who should be their iudge But the curious seruaunt of Philanax forbad him the entrye vppon paine of death For so it was agreed vppon that no man should haue any conference with them for feare of newe tumults Insomuch that Kalander was constrayned to retire himselfe hauing yet obtayned thus much that he would deliuer vnto the two Princes their apparell and iewells which being left with him at Mantinea wisely considering that theyr disguised weedes which were all as then they had would make them more odious in the sight of the iudges he had that night sent for and now brought vnto them They accepted their owne with great thankefulnes knowing from whence it came and attired themselues in it against the nexte daye which being in deede ritch and princely they accordinglye determined to maintaine the names of Palladius and Daiphantus as before it is mencioned Then gaue they themselues to consider in what sort they might defende their causes for they thought it no lesse vaine to wish death then cowardly to feare it till something before morning a small slumber taking them they were by and by after callde vp to come to the aunswere of no lesse then theyr liues imported But in this sort was the iudgement ordred As soone as the morning had taken a full possession of the Element Euarchus called vnto him Philanax and willed him to draw out into the middest of the greene before the chiefe lodge the throne of iudgement seate in which Basilius was woont to sit and according to their customes was euer carried with the Prince For Euarchus did wisely consider the people to be naturally taken with exterior shewes farre more then with inward consideracion of the materiall pointes And therefore in this newe entrie into so entangled a matter he would leaue nothing which might be eyther an armour or ornament vnto him and in these pompous ceremonyes he well knewe a secreat of gouernment much to consist That was performed by the diligent Philanax and therein Euarchus did set himselfe all cloathed in blacke with the principall men who could in that sodainenes prouide themselues of such mourning rayments The whole people commaunded to keepe an orderly silence of each side which was duly obserued of them partly for the desire they had to see a good conclusion of these matters and partly striken with admiracion aswell at the graue and princely presence of Euarchus as at the greatnes of the cause which was then to come in question As for Philanax Euarchus woulde haue done him the honour to sit by him but he excused himselfe desiring to be the accuser of the prisoners in his maisters behalfe and therefore since he made himselfe a partie it was not conuenient for him to sit in the iudiciall place Then was it awhile deliberated whether the two young Ladies should be brought forth in open presence but that was stopped by Philanax whose loue and faith did descend from his maister to his children and only desired the smart should light vpon the others whome he thought guiltie of his death and dishonour alleaging for this that neyther wisedome would they should be brought in presence of the people which might herevpon growe to new vprores nor iustice required they should be drawen to any shame till some body accused them And as for Pamela he
iudged then rightly I haue iudged myne own children Vnlesse the name of a child should haue force to change the neuer changing iustice No no Pyrocles Musidorus I prefer you much before my life but I prefer Iustice as far before you while you did like your selues my body should willingly haue ben your shield but I cannot keep you from the effects of your own doing Nay I cānot in this case acknowledge you for mine For neuer had I sheapheard to my nephew nor euer had woman to my son your vices haue degraded you frō being princes haue disanulde your birthright Therefore if there be anie thing left in you of Princely vertue shew it in constant suffering that your vnprincely dealing hath purchased vnto you For my part I must tell you you haue forced a father to rob himselfe of his children Do you therefore O Philanax and you my other Lordes of this countrie see the iudgment be rightly performed in time place and maner as before appointed With that though he would haue refrained them a man might perceiue the teares drop downe his long white beard Which moued not onely Kalodulus and Kerxenus to roating lamentations but al the assembly dolefully to record that pittiful spectacle Philanax himselfe could not abstaine from great shewes of pittying sorrow and manifest withdrawing from performing the kinges commaundement But Musidorus hauing the hope of his safety and recouering of the princesse Pamela which made him most desirous to liue so sodainly dashed but especialy moued for hys deare Pyrocles for whom he was euer resolued his last should be and stirred vp with rage of vnkindnesse he thus spake Enioy thy bloudie conquest tyrannicall Euarchus said he for neither is conuenient the title of a king to a murderer nor the remembrance of kindred to a destroyer of his kindred Go home and glorie that it hath been in thy power shamefully to kill Musidorus Let thy flattering Orators dedicate Crownes of Laurell vnto thee that the first of thy race thou hast ouerthrowne a Prince of Thessalia But for me I hope the Thessalians are not so degenerate from their auncestors but that they will reuenge my iniurie and their losse vpon thee I hope my death is no more vniust to me thē it shal be bitter to thee howsoeuer it be my death shall triumph ouer thy crueltie neither as now would I liue to make my life beholding vnto thee But if thy crueltie hath not so blinded thine eyes that thou canst not see thine own heart if thy heart be not so diuelish as thou hast no power but to torment thy self then look vpō this yong Pyrocles with a manlike eie if not with a pittifull Giue not occasion to the whole earth to say see how the gods haue made the Tyrant teare his owne bowels Examine the eies and voices of all this people and what all men see be not blinde in thine owne case Looke I say looke vpon him in whom the most curious searcher is able to finde no fault but that he is thy sonne Beleeue it thy owne subiectes will detest thee for robbing them of such a Prince in whome they haue right as well as thy selfe Some more wordes to that purpose he would haue spoken but Pyrocles who often had cald to him did nowe fully interrupt him desiring him not to do him the wrong to geue his father ill wordes before him willing him to consider it was their owne fault and not his vniustice and withall to remember their resolution of well suffering all accidents which this impaciencie did seeme to varry frō and then kneeling down with all humblenesse hee tooke the speach in this order to Euarchus If my dayly praiers to the Almightie Gods had so farre preuayled as to haue graunted me the end whereto I haue directed my actions I should rather haue beene nowe a comfort to your minde then an example of your iustice rather a preseruer of your memorie by my life then a monument of your iudgement by my death But since it hath pleased their vnsearchable wisedomes to ouerthrow all the desires I had to serue you and make me become a shame vnto you since the last obedience I can shew you is to die vouchsafe yet O father if my fault haue not made me altogether vnworthy so to terme you vouchsafe I say to let the few last words your sonne shall euen speake not be tedious vnto you And if the remembrance of my vertuous mother who once was deare vnto you may beare any sway with you if the name of Pyrocles haue at any time bene pleasant let one request of mine which shall not be for mine owne life be graciously accepted of you What you owe to iustice is performed in my death A father to haue executed his onely sonne wil leaue a sufficient example for a greater crime then this My bloud will satisfie the highest point of equitie my bloud will satisfie the hardest hearted in this countrie O saue the life of this Prince that is the onely all I will with my last breath demaund of you With what face will you looke vpon your sister when in reward of nourishing me in your greatest neede you take away and in such sort take away that which is more deare to her then all the world and is the onely comfort wherewith she nourisheth her olde age O giue not such an occasion to the noble Thessalians for euer to curse the match that their Prince did make with the Macedon bloud By my losse there followes no publique losse for you are to hold the seate and to prouide your selfe perchance of a worthier successor But how can you orall the earth recompence that domage that poore Thessalia shall sustaine who sending out whom otherwise they would no more haue spared then their owne eyes their Prince to you and you requesting to haue him by you hee should thus dishonourably be extinguished Set before you I beseech you the face of that miserable people when no sooner shall the newes come that you haue met your Nephew but withall they shall heare that you haue beheaded him How manie teares they shall spend how many cōplaints they shal make so manie iust execrations will light vpō you And take heede O father for since my death answeres my fault while I liue I wil call vpō that deare name Least seeking too precise a course of iustice you be not thought most vniust in weakning your neighbours mightie estate by taking away their onely piller In me in me this matter beganne in me let it receiue his ending Assure your selfe no man will doubt your seuere obseruing the lawes when it shal be knowne Euarchus hath killed Pyrocles But the time of my euer farewell approcheth if you do thinke my death sufficient for my fault and doe not desire to make my death more miserable then death Let these dying wordes of him that was once your sonne pearce your eares Let Musidorus liue and Pirocles shall liue in