prouide so well for your affaires that your honor being recouered your lyfe shall remayne assured Wherefore if you will followe myne aduise you shall write him an earnest letter as you knowe right wel howe to indite which Appian shall present on your behalfe For if you follow not this counsel I know none other as the worlde goeth now that will hazard his lyfe vnder the condicion of so straunge a lot as yours is specially hauing respect to the renowme and magnanimity of the Earle who as you know is in reputation to be one of the moste valiant men and most happy in armes that is in all Sauoie or Lombardie My deare friend quod the Duchesse doe what thou wilt For I am so resolued and confirmed in my sorrow that I haue no care eyther of death or lyfe no more than if I had neuer bene borne For neyther in the one nor in the other can I foresée any remedy for myne honor already lost Madame quod Emilia let vs for this time leaue the care of honor in the hands of God who knoweth both how to kepe it and restore it as shall seme good vnto him And let vs giue order for our parte that there be no want of diligence for feare of being ouertaken And hauing made an ende of her tale she gaue her yncke and paper saying vnto her Nowe Madame I shall sée at this pinch if your heart will serue you at a néede or no. The Duchesse withdrew her selfe a part and after she had long discoursed in her minde of that which was past betwene the knight and her she wrote vnto him as followeth My Lorde Mendozza I doe not write these letters vnto you vpon any hope to be deliuered by your meane from the poinaunt pricke of fierce death which dothe besiedge me knowing death alwayes to be the true porte sure refuge of all afflicted persons in my case For since that God willeth it nature permitteth it and my heauie Fortune consenteth to it I will receiue it with a right good wil knowing that the Graue is none other but a strong rampier and impregnable castle wherin we close our selues against the assaults of lyfe and the furious stormes of fortune It is farre better as appeareth manifestlye by me with eyes shut to waite in the Graue than longer to experiment lyfe the eyes being open liuing with so many troubles vpon earth But gladly would I bring to remembraunce and set before your eyes how sometyme I abandoned the place which was no lesse deare vnto me than mine owne country where I was borne and delicately nourished in honor and delightes to extende my selfe into an infinite number of perilles contrarie to the duetie of those that be of mine estate losing the name of a princesse to take the title of a caytise pilgrim for the onely feruent and vnmeasured loue which I bare you before I did euer sée you or by any meanes bound thervnto by any your proceding benefits The remembraunce whereof as I thinke ought nowe to deliuer suche an harde enterprise to the porte of your cōscience that breaking the vaile of your tender hart you should therefore take pitie and compassion of my straunge and cruell Fortune Which is not onely reduced to the mercy of a most dolorous prison and resteth in the power of a bloudie and mercilesse Tirant But which is worse in the continuall hazard of a shameful death Which I do not much lament hauing long desired to accelerate the same wyth mine owne handes to finde rest in an other world were it not that by death I should leaue an eternall blotte to my good name and a perpetuall heritage of infamie to my house and kindred Wherfore if it so be that frendship loketh for no reward and that she cānot be paid but by the tribute of another friendship make me now to tast the auncient fruite of my friendship And if pitie be the sole and onely key of Paradise display it nowe on the behalfe of her who forsaken of all humaine succor attendeth but the fatal houre to he throwen into the fier as a pore innocent lambe in sacrifice And for that the bearer shall make you vnderstande the rest by mouth whom it may please you to credite as mine owne selfe I wil make an ende of my heauie letter Beseching God to giue a good lyfe vnto you and to me an honorable death The letter closed and seated vp with the seale of the Duchesse she commaunded Emilia to deliuer it to Appian and to require him to vse diligence not ceassing to ryde day and night vntill he come to the place where they left the knight Mendozza giuing charge to make him vnderstande at length her innocencie and false accusation Appian being dispatched was so affected to please his maistresse and so desirous to sée her deliuered of her imprisonment that he ceassed not to trauaile day and night till he came within the Frontiers of Spaine And after that he had ridden yet two or thrée dayes iourney approching nere the place where he thought to fynde the Knight Mendozza he began to inquire of the host of the Inne where he lay that night aswell of his good health as of his other affaires who made him answere that it went euen so euill with him at that present as with the most porest gentleman of al Spaine Although that he were in dede a very great Lorde For qudo he with in these fewe monethes past his enemies of Tolledo whom he hath diuers tymes vanquished haue so well allied themselues together out of all partes of Spaine that they haue brought a great armie to the fielde And Fortune of the warre hath bene so fauorable vnto them that they discomfited Mendozza and all his armie Who hath retired himself with those fewe of his people that he could saue alyue into a little towne of his where yet to this present he is besiedged And so it is as euery man saith that he doth his endeuor meruellously well in such sort that his enemies can not enter the towne Maister Appian then demaunded of him if the towne besiedged were farre of And he answered that it was about .vij. or .viij. poastes Then without making any longer inquirie he toke a guide that accompained him euen almost to the campe And whē he sawe the towne a farre of he sent the guide backe agayne and went the same day to offer his seruice to a certayne Captaine of light horsemen who receyued him into wages and then he bought armour to serue the purpose And Master Appian besides his learning was a wise pollitike man and determined so sone as any skirmish did beginne to be formost and in dede he vsed the matter so wel that he suffred himself to be taken prisoner and to be caried into the towne And being within he desired those that had taken him to conduct him to the Lord of Mendozza their Chieftaine Who knew him by and by for that in the voyage which
depriued of his kingdome The .vj. Nouell Folio 19. ¶ King Craesus of Lydia reasoneth with the wyseman Solon of the happy life of man Who little esteming his good aduise vnderstode before his death that no man but by vertue can in his lyfe attaine felicitie The .vij. Nouell Folio 21. AElianus ¶ Of a Father that made sute to haue his owne sonne put to death The .viij. Nouell Folio 24. ¶ Water offered of good will to Artaxerxes the king of Persia and the liberall rewarde of the king to the giuer The .ix. Nouell Folio 24. ¶ The loue of Chariton and Menalippus The .x. Nouell Folio 25. Xenophon ¶ King Cyrus persuaded by Araspas to dispose himselfe to loue a Ladie called Panthea entreth into a pretie disputacion and talke of Loue and beauty Afterwardes Araspas himselfe falleth in loue with the sayde Ladie but she indued with great chastitie auoideth his earnest Loue. And when her husbande was slayne in the seruice of Cyrus she killed herself The .xj. Nouell Folio 27. Quintus Curtius ¶ Abdolominus is from poore estate aduauÌ„ced by Alexander the great through his honest lyfe to be king of Sydone The .xij. Nouell Folio 33. ¶ The Oracion of the Scythian Ambassadours to Alexander the great reprouing his ambicion and desire of Empire The .xiij. Nouell Folio 34. Aulus Gellius ¶ The wordes of Metellus of mariage and wyuing with the prayse and disprayse of the same The .xiiij. Nouell Folio 36. ¶ Of Lais and Demosthenes The .v. Nouell Fol. 38. ¶ C. Fabritius and Aemilius Consulls of Rome being promised that king Pyrrhus for a somme of money shoulde be slayne which was a notable enemie to the Romane state aduertised Pyrrhus thereof by letters and of other notable things done by the same Fabritius The .xvj. Nouell Folio 38. ¶ A Scholemaister trayterouslye rendring the noble mennes sonnes of Faleâ—â—a to the handes of Camillus was well acquited and rewarded for his paines and labor The .xvij. Nouell Folio 39. ¶ The Historie of Papyrius Pretextaetus The .xviij. Nouell Folio 41. ¶ How Plutarche did beate his man And of pretie talke touching signes of anger The .xix. Nouell Fol. 42. ¶ A pretie tale of Aesope of the Larke The .xx. Nouell Folio 42. ¶ A merye ieft vttered by Haniball to king Antiochus The .xxj. Nouell Folio 44. ¶ The meruelous knowledge of a Lyon being acquainted with a man called Androctus The .xxij. Nouell Fol. 44. ¶ A pretie disputacion of the Philosopher Phaeuorinus to persuade a woman not to put forthe her childe to nursse but to nourishe it her selfe with her owne milke The .xxiij. Nouell Folio 45. ¶ Of Sertorius a noble Romane Capitaine The .xxiiij. Nouell Folio 48. ¶ Of the bookes of Sybilla The .xxv. Nouel Fol. 49. ¶ A difference and controuersie betweene a Maister and a Scholer so subtill that the Iudges coulde not giue sentence The .xxvj. Nouell Folio 50. Plutarche ¶ Seleueus King of Asia gaue his wife to his owne sonne in mariage being his mother in lawe Who so feruentlye did loue her that he was like to dye Which by a discrete wyse inuencion was discouered to Seleueus by a Phisician The .xxvij. Nouell Folio 51. ¶ Of the straunge and beastlye nature of Timon of Athenes enemie to mankinde with his death buriall and Epitaphe The .xxviij. Nouell Folio 57. S. Hierome and Pietro Messia ¶ The mariage of a man and woman he being the husbande of xx wiues and she the wife of .xxii. husbandes The .xxix. Nouell Folio 59. Bocaccio ¶ How Melchisedech a Iewe by telling a pretie tale of three Kinges saued his lyfe The .xxx. Nouell Folio 60. ¶ One called Guglielmo Borsiere with certen wordes well placed taunted the couetous life of Ermino Grimaldi The .xxxj. Nouell Folio 61. ¶ Maister Alberto of Bologna by a pleasaunt aunswere made a Gentlewoman to blushe which had thought to haue put him out of countenance in telling him that he was in loue with her The .xxxij. Nouell Folio 63. ¶ Rinald. of Esti being robbed arriued at Castel Guglielmo was succoured of a widowe and restored to his losses retourning safe and sounde home to his owne house The .xxxiij. Nouell Fol. 64. ¶ Three yong men hauing fondlye consumed all that they had became verye poore whose nephewe as he retourned out of Englande into Italie by the waye fyll in acquaintaunce with an Abbot whome vpon further familiaritie he knew to be the king of Englandes daughter which tooke him to her husbande Afterwards she restored his vncles to all their losses and sent them home in good state and reputacion The .xxxiiij. Nouell Folio 68. ¶ Landâ—lfo Ruffolo being inpouerished became a Pirate and taken by the Geneuois was in daunger of drowning who sauing himselfe vpon a little Coafer full of riche Iewelles was receiued at Corsu and being cherished by a woman retorned home very riche The .xxxv. Nouell Folio 73. ¶ Andreuccio of Perugia being come to Naples to buy horsse was in one night surprised with three meruelous accidents All which hauing escaped with one Rubie he retorned home to his house The .xxxvj. Nouell Folio 76. ¶ The Earle of Angiers being falslie accused was banished out of Fraunce and left his two sonnes in sundrie places in Englande and retourning vnknowen by Scotlande founde them in great authoritie afterwardes he repayred in the habite of a seruant to the French kings armie and being knowen to be innocent was againe aduaunced to his first estate The .xxxvij. Nouell Folio 85. ¶ Gilettae a Phisitians daughter of Narbona healed the French king of a Fistula for rewarde whereof she demaunded Beleramo Counte of Rossigliont to husbande The Counte being maried against his will for despite fledde to Florence and loued an other Gâ—â—etta his wife by pollicie founde meanes to lye with her husbande in place of his Louer and was begotten with childe of two sonnes Which knowen to her husbande he receiued her againe and afterwardes she liued in great honor and felicitie The .xxxviij. Nouell Folio 95. ¶ â—ancredi prince of Salerne caused his daughters louer to be slayne and sent his heart vnto her in a cuppe of Golde which afterwardes she put into poysoned water and drinking therof dyed The .xxxix. Nouell Folio 100. Bandello ¶ Mahomet one of the Turkishe Emperors executeth cursed crueltie vpon a Greke mayden whome he tooke prisoner at the winning of Constantinople The .xl. Nouell Folio 107. ¶ A Ladie falsely accused of adulterie was condemned to be deuoured of Lions the maner of her deliuerie and how her innocencie being knowen her accuser felt the payne for her prepared The .xl. Nouell Folio 112. ¶ Didaco a Spaniarde is in Loue with a poore Mayden of Valentia and secretely maryeth her afterwards lothing his first mariage because she was of base parentage he maryeth another of noble birth His firste wife by secrete messinger prayeth his companie whose request he accomplisheth Being a bedde she and her mayde killeth him She throweth him into the streate She in desperate wise
called Beyng come before her presence She saied vnto him Gyges I offer vnto thee now two condicions take whether thou wilte For either thou muste kill Candaules and take me to thy wife and the kyngdome also or els thou must die thy self that thou maiest vnderstande how in all thynges not meete to be knowen it is not necessary to obeie Candaules For either he must needes die whiche gaue thee that counsaile or thy self whiche diddest sée me naked and therby committed a thyng vnlawfull Whiche woordes for a while did wonderfully amase Gyges then he beseched the Quene that she would pardon hym frō that vnlawful choise When he sawe that he could nor perswade her he required her to shewe him by what meanes he might attempte that enterprise Marie q she euen in that place where thou sawest me naked when he is a slepe thou shalte committe that facte After thei had deuised the treason nighte approched And Gyges with stoute courage bente hymself therevnto For he sawe no remedie but that he must kill or els be killed Wherefore with a Dagger whiche the Quéene deliuered hym he killed Candaules when he was a slepe And so gotte from him bothe his wife and kyngdome A goodlie example to declare that the secretes of Marriage ought not to be disclosed But with reuerence to bee couered lest God dooe plague suche offences with death or other shame to manifeste to the worlde how derely he estemeth that honourable state Kyng Craesus of Lydia reasoneth with the wiseman Solon of the happie life of manne Who litle esteming his good aduisee Understoode before his death that no mā but by vertue cā in this life attaine felicitie ¶ The .vij. Nouell A Noble gentleman of Athenes called Solon by thappoinctment of the Athenians made lawes for that citie and bicause none of the same lawes should bee abrogated for the space of tenne yeres he bounde the Citizens by othe And that the same might the better bee obserued he hymself trauailed into farre countrees as into Egipte to visite king Hamasis and so to Sardis to kyng Craesus where he was liberallie interteigned This Craesus was kyng of Lydia sonne of Haliattes that brought to subiectiō great Countries in Asia and Graecia and gathered together an innumerable masse of money and richesse Who three or fower daies after the arriuall of Solon whiche was ledde aboute by his seruauntes to viewe his notable wealthe and substaunce saied vnto Solon these woordes My frende of Athens bicause thy famous wisedome is well knowen to the worlde and I haue heard tell of the excellencie thereof and of the greatenesse of thy trauell where thou haste attaigned to the singuler knowledge of Philosophie I desire to learne of thee now hauyng seen my greate treasures who is the happiest man and moste blessed that thou knowest in the worlde Thinkyng he would haue iudged hym to be the same But Solon made answere that Tellus was the happiest Who was an Athenien and had vertuous and honeste soonnes and thei likewise had honest children all whiche were that tyme liuing And when by the space of many yeres he had ledde a vertuous and godlie life he died an honourable death in the warres whiche the Athenians had with their neighbors at the battaill of Eleusina Where he was indued with sumptuous funeralles to his greate honour and praise Then Craesus asked him who was happie next Tellus thinkyng he would haue attributed to him the second place For so the q he that is Cleobis and Bito whiche were Argiues and liued a contented life And in all pastimes to proue force and maisterie thei bare awaie the prise and victorie And of theim these thynges be remembred When the feastfull daie of Iuppiter was celebrated emonges the Argiues Tkeir mother should bee caried to the Temple in a Chariotte drawen with a yoke of Oxen whiche were not come out of the countrie at the appoincted time The yonge men seeyng that the hower was come entred into the yoke theimselues and drewe the chariotte the space of xlv stades to the Temple After this acte seen of all the people there th ende of their life was suche as certainly God gaue to vnderstande by theim that better it is to dye then liue For the Argiues that were assembled about Bito and Cleobis with shoutes and acclamacions praised the good willes of those children and the women themselues saied that happie was the mother whiche brought for the suche lineage Their mother then ioyfull for that facte and of the reputacion of of her sōnes kneled doun before the Image of Iuno hūbly beseching her to giue to her sōns the thing that wer best for a mā to attain vnto Her praier ended she made her sacrifice which doen the .ij. yong men presently died in the temple In tokē of whose noble liues the Argiues erected .ii. images at Delphos And to thē Solō appointed the second place of blisfulnes Craesus moued with these wordes said vnto Solō Thou stranger of Athenes is our felicitie in suche litle reputacion with thee that thou doest preferre before vs these priuate mē Solon answered Sir shall I assure you of humain thynges knowyng that God enuieth the state of men and troubleth thē so often In lēgth of time many thinges be séen whiche mē would not se and many thinges be suffred that men would not suffer Lette vs assigne to mās life the terme of .lxx. yeres In which yeres are the nomber of .xxv. M.cc daies in whiche computaciō the leape moneth whiche is February is not cōprehended But if you will that other yeres be lōger by reason of that moneth to th ende the howers maie be adioined to thē that wāt then the leaps monethes maketh the tyme to amount aboue .lxx. yeres to .xxv. monethes and the daies of those monethes amoūt to M.v. C. But admit that .lxx. yeres with their leape monethes be the totall somme of mans life then is producted the sōme of .xxvi M.CC. daies Truelie one daie is not like an other in effecte Euen so Craesus I conclude that man is full of miserie But although your grace seemyng bothe in welth also in multitude of men to be a rich mightie king yet I cannot answere fully your demaūde before I se how wel you do ende your life For the riche mā is not happier bicause he hath lōg life excepte to his riches fortune graunt that he leade a good honest life Many men be verie riche yet for all that be not blessed happie And many that haue but mean wealth be fortunate He that is riche welthie and therwithall not happie excelleth hym that is fortunate happie onely in .ij. thinges but thother surmounteth the riche mā in many thinges The .ij. thinges wherin the riche excelleth thother be these Th one in satisfiyng his lust affectiō thother in power abilitie to sustein ill fortune and aduersitie And as the mean man is inferior to the riche in those .ij. poinctes whiche
but the commylig of the Marques It chaunced that one of his menne called at the gates of the Castell who brought suche newes to the Marques that sodainly he must ride awaie Wherefore he sent woorde to the widowe that she should not attende his commyng who not a litle displeased with those newes not knowyng what to doe determined to entre into the Bathe whiche was prepared for the Marques and when she had supped to goe to bedde This bathe was hard by the dore where poore Rinaldo was approched The widowe beyng in the bathe bearyng the plaintes and tremblyng voice made by Rinaldo thoughte it had been the noise of a Storke Wherefore she called her maide and said vnto her Goe vp and looke ouer the walles and sée who is at the doore and knowe what he would haue The maide accordyng to her maistres commaūdement the nighte beyng somewhat cleare sawe Rinaldo sittyng in his shurt bare legged shaking for colde as is before saied wherevpon she asked him what he was And Rinaldo with his teethe shiueryng in his heade could scarse well speake or vtter a woorde and so brieflie as he could he tolde her what he was how and for what purpose he was come thither Afterwardes he piteously beganne to praie her if she could not to suffer hym that night to sterue there for colde The maide pitiyng his estate returned to her maistres and tolde her what she sawe who like wise hauyng compassion vpō him remembring that she had the keye of the doore whiche sometymes serued the turne when the Marques was disposed secretly to come in she saied to her maide goe open the doore softlie For we haue prepared a supper and here is no man to eate it And also here is lodging sufficient to harbour hym The maide greatlie praisyng her maistres for her curtesie wente forthe and opened the doore And when he was let in thei perceiued hym to bee almoste frosen for colde saiyng vnto him dispatche good felowe goe into the Bathe beyng yet hotte Whiche thyng he right willingly did not lokyng that he should be hidden againe and beyng recomforted with the warmeth thereof he felt hymself reuiued from death to life The good wife caused certaine apparell of her late deade husbande to bee searched out for hym and when he had put them on thei were so mete as though thei had béen made of purpose and waityng what it should please the good wife to commaunde hym he began humblie to thanke God and sainct Iulian that he was deliuered from that euill night contrary to his expectacion and was brought to so good a lodgyng After this the faier widowe a litle reposyng her self caused a great fire to be made in one of her greate chambers into the whiche she came and demaunded her maide what maner of manne he was Whereto the maide answered saiyng Maistres now he is in good apparell he is a verie handsome manne and semeth to be of good reputacion and honestie Goe thy waies quod her maistres and call hym in hither Bidde hym come to the fire and tell hym that he shall suppe with me for perchaunce he hath eate no meate to night Rinaldo came into the chamber and seyng the widowe made to her greate reuerence thankyng her for her kindnesse shewed vnto hym When the widowe had seen hym and heard him speake perceiuyng hym to be suche a one as her maide reported receiued hym in curteous wise causyng hym familierly to sitte doune before the fire And demaunded what mishappe brought hym to that place To whom Rinaldo rehersed the whole discourse For she had heard at the commyng of Rinaldo his seruaunt to the Castell a reporte of his robberie whiche made her to beleue him the better She tolde hym also that his man was come to the toune and how he might easily finde him the next mornyng But after meate was serued to the table Rinaldo and she washed together and then satte doune to supper He was a goodlie personage faier and pleasaunte to beholde yonge and of good behauiour vpon whom the woman many tymes did caste her eyes and liked him well To be shorte this lecherous ladie burnyng inwardlie with amourous desire abused her self with hym in stéede of the Marques But when the morning began to shewe forthe her light the widowe to the intent no suspicion might be had gaue him certain base and course apparell and filled his purse with money praiyng hym to kepe it secrete and firste tolde hym whiche waie he should goe to séeke his man lettyng hym out at the doore whereat he came in Who semyng as though he had traueiled a great waie that mornyng When the gates were opened wente into the castell and founde his seruaunt Wherfore puttyng vpō hym suche apparell as was in his male and beeyng aboute to gette vp vpon his mannes horsse it came to passe like as it had been a diuine miracle that the three theues whiche had robbed hym the night before were taken for doyng of an other robberie which thei had cōmitted a litle while after and wer brought to the Castell and vpon their confession his horsse apparell and money were restored to hym againe losing nothyng but a paire of garters Wherefore Rinaldo thankyng God and S. Iulian. mounted vpon his horse and retourned hole and saufe to his owne house And the nexte daie the three theues were conueied forthe to blesse the worlde with their héeles Three yonge menne hauyng fondlie consumed all that thei had became verie poore whose nephewe as he retourned out of Englande into Italie by the waie fill into acquaintaunce with an Abbotte whom vpon further familiaritie he knewe to bee the kyng of Englandes doughter whiche toke him to her husbande Afterwardes she restored his vncles to all their losses and sent them home in good state and reputacion ¶ The .xxxiiij. Nouell THere was somtime in the citie of Florence a knight called sir Tebaldo who as some saie was of the house of Lamberti and as other affirme of Agolanti But leauyng the variaunce of whether house he was true it is that he was in that time a notable riche and wealthie knight and had three sonnes The firste called Lamberto the seconde Tebaldo and the thirde Agolante all faire and goodlie children and the eldest of them was not .xviij. yeres of age When the saied sir Tebaldo died to them as his lawfull heires he left all his landes and goodes Who seyng themselfes to be verie riche in redie money and possessions cōtinued their life without gonernement at their owne pleasures and without bridle or staie thei began to consume their goodes Thei kepte a greate and francke house and many Horsses of greate value with Dogges and Haukes of sundrie kindes and continuallie kept open house giuyng liberall giftes and obseruyng diuerse gestes at Tilt and Torney doing that thing that not onelie did appertaine and belong to gentlemenne but also that whiche was incident to the trade course of youthe Thei continued not longe
handes the most precious iewell of his house Shall I be so vnconstant in mine olde dayes to become an vnshamfast minister of your fonde and folish Loue a thing which I neuer dyd in the ardent time of my youth Alas Madame forget I besech you this folishe order cast vnder your feete this determination wickedly begon suche as to the blemishing of the honorable brightnes of your fame may cause the ruine of vs al. Follow the counsel of your deare nourice Radegond who loueth you better than her owne soule Quench these noysome parching flames which haue kindled throwen forth their sparks into your chast tēder hart Take hede I besech you that a vaine hope do not deceyue you a folish desire abuse you Alas think that it is the part of a sage and prudent minde to refrayne the first motions of euery passion to resist the rage that riseth in our willes the same very oft by succession of time bringeth to it self to late noysome repentance This your thought procedeth not of Loue for he that thinketh to sustaine himselfe with venim sugred with that drogue in the end he séeth himself so desperatly impoysoned that only death is the remedie for such disease A Louer truly may be called the slaue of a tirant most violent cruel bloudy that may be found whose yoke once put on can not be put of but with paynefull sorrow and vnspeakable displeasure Do you not knowe Madame that Loue and follie be two passions so like one another that they engendre like effectes in the mindes of those that doe possesse them in such wise as the affection of the pacient can not be concealed Alas what shall become of you and him that you loue so well if the Emperour do know and perecyue your light and folish determinations Shew Madame for Gods sake what you be Let the ripe fruites of your prudence so long time tilled appeare abrode to the world Expell from you this vnruled loue which if you suffer frankly to enter into your heart assure your self he wil take such holdfast of the place that whē you think to extrude the enemie oute it is he that will driue awaye that smal portion of force and reason that resteth in you And then all the comforte of your miseries will be the lamentation of your losses and repentance for that which cannot be by any meanes recouered Adelasia burning in Loue and fretting with anger not able to abide contrarie replie to her minde began to loke furiously vpon the Lady that gaue her such holsome admonition to whom she sayd with more than womanly stoutnesse these wordes And what are you good gentlewoman that dare so hardely prescribe lawes to Loue that is not subiecte or tied vnto the fantasie of men Who hath giuen you commission to take the matter so hote against that I haue determined to doe say you what you can No no I loue Alerane and will loue him whatsoeuer come of it And sith I can haue none other helpe at your handes or mete counsell for mine ease comfort Assure your self that I wil do mine endeuor to finde it in my self And likewise to prouide so well as I can for myne affaires that eschewing the alliaunce which the Emperour prepareth I will liue at heartes ease with hun whom in vaine you goe about to put out of my remembraunce And if so be I chaunce to sayle of my purpose I haue a medicine for my calamities which is death the last refuge of al my miseries Which wil be right pleasaunt vnto me ending my life in the contemplation and memorie of the sincere and perfect Loue that I beare to mine Alerane Radegonde no lesse abashed than surprised with feare hearing the resolution of the princesse could not at the first make any answere but to make her recourse to teares the most familiar weapons that women haue Then seing by the countenances of Adelasia that the passion had set in fote to déepe for any body to attempte to pluck out the rootes frō that time forth she wiped her eyes nor without euident demonstration for al that of her great grief conceyued with infinite sighes turning her face to the Lady she sayde to her with pleasaunter countenance than before Madame sithe your missehap is such that without Alerane you cannot be quiet or pacified in minde appease your playntes wipe away your teares shewe your contenaunce ioyfull aud setting aside all care put on good corage and repose in me all your anguish and trouble For I doe promise you and sweare by the fayth that I doe owe you Madame come whatsoeuer thing shall vnto me I will deuise in practising your rest to begin mine owne sorow And then you shall se how muche I am your frend that the wordes which I haue spoken do not procede els where but from the desire that I haue to doe you seruice seking al wayes possible your aduauncement Adelasia at these last wordes felt such a motion in her minde that much a doe she had for the exceding great ioy and pleasure she conceiued to stay her soule from leaping forth of that corporall prison like the spirite of that Romaine Lady which once left the body to descende into the Elisien feldes to vse the perfection of her ioye with the blessed soules there when she saw her sonne retorne safe and sounde from the battaile of Thrasimene besides the lake of Peruse where the Consul Flaminius was ouercome by Haniball but in the ende the hope to haue that which Radegonde had promised made her to receyue heart againe and to clepe her counseler saying God forbid deare mother that the thing you do for me should rebound to your mishap or discontentation sith the affection which you haue consisteth in the only pity and conseruation of a pore afflicted mayden And your desire tendeth to the deliuerance of the most passionate Princesse that euer was borne of mother And beleue that Fortune wyll be so fauorable that what mischief so euer should chaunce you remayning without paine I shall be she that alone shall beare the penance Wherfore once againe I besech you sayde she embracing Radegonde to bring that to passe wherof you giue such an assured hope Care not you Madame sayd Radegonde I trust within a while to make you proue the effecte of my promise And will cause you to speake vnto him whom you desire so muche Only be mery and forget these straunge fashions in tormenting your selfe so much before your maides to the intent that which hetherto hath bene kept secrete may not be reueled to your great shame and hinderance and to the vtter ruine ouerthrowe of me During all this time Alerane liued in despaire hardie cowardnesse for although he sawe the amorous gestes of Adelasia yet he durst fire no certayne iudgement of his owne satisfaction althoughe hys hearte tolde hym that he was her onely fauoured friende and promysed him that which almost he
great amitie that he beareth me that if I did but fauorably behold him fyue or sixe times with plesaunt lokes adding thervnto a few kisses he would hazard a thousand lyues for my sake if he had them to content me And forasmuch as I know him to be a diligent man learned and of great reputation and one that may stande vs to great steade in this businesse I thought good not to cōceale or kepe from your knowledge my aduise herein The Duchesse vnderstanding all this pretie discourse so apte for her affections rauished with great ioy embraced hard Emilia and sayd vnto her Emilia my deare friende if thou diddest know in what wise I doe esteme thée and what I meane in tyme to come to bestow vpon thée I am wel assured albeit thou hast hitherto sufficiently shewed thy good will yet thou wilt hereafter doe me great pleasure promising thée by the fayth of a Princesse that if our enterprise doe wel succéede I wil not vse thée as a seruant but as my kinswoman and the best beloued friend I haue For I hold my self so satisfied wyth that thou hast sayd vnto me that if Fortune be on our side I sée no maner of impediment that may let our enterprise Goe thy way entertaine thy Phisitian as thou thinkest best for it is very expedient that he be a party and for the rest let me alone For neuer was ther any Lazar that better could dissemble his impotency thā I know howe to counterfayt to be sicke The Duchesse being departed from Emilia began to plaine her selfe bitterly fayning sometime to fele a certayne payne in her stomacke sometyme to haue a disease in her head in such sort that after diuers womanly playntes propre to those that fele themselues sicke she was in the ende constrayned to lay her selfe downe and knewe so wel how to dissemble her sickenesse that after she had certaine dayes kept her bed there was much doubt of her health And during this time Emilia had layed so many amorous baytes to féede her Phisitian that he which knewe very wel the most happy remedies for the body coulde not nowe finde any to heale the malady of his owne minde Emilia hauing noseled Maister Appian with amorous toyes began to make him vnderstand the originall of the Duchesse sickenesse the effectes of her passion the order that she had vsed during the furious course of the same Adding thervnto for conclusion that if he would kéepe the matter secrete and ayde them with his counsell she would by and by promise him mariage by wordes for the present tyme and that from thence forth she would neuer denie him any fauour or priuitie That onely reserued which no man can honestly demaund til the mariage be solempnized in the face of the Church In witnesse wherof she kissed him with great affection The Physitian more eased there withall than if he had sene his Hippocrates or Galen raysed agayne fro death promised rather to lose his life thā she should want his help And for the better beginning of this enterprise they went presently to visite the Duchesse In whom they found her pulse so to beate the tongue so charged the stomake so weakned by a continual suffocation of the matrice that the pacient was in very great perill of death Whervnto euery man did easly giue credite for the reputation and great experience of the Phisician And master Appian hauing cōmaunded al the chābre to be voyded made the Duchesse to vnderstand in few words how it behoued her to gouerne her self And the better to cloke her cause he brought her at that instant a little perfume by receyuing the sauour wherof she shoulde often tymes fall into certayne lyttle Soundings and by often vsing the perfume it would eate away her colour for a time that it shoulde séeme as though she had not gone out of her bed in half a yeare Neuerthelesse it should doe her no other displeasure that in thrée or foure dayes with certayne other drugges he would restore her colour as liuely as it was before Which the Duchesse lyked best of any thing in the world And they thre togither played their parts so wel the the common brute throughout at the citie was that the Duchesse would dye The Duke being aduertised of these things caused al the Phisitians of Thurin to assemble to prouide for the health of the Duchesse Who being come togither with the Duke into her bedchāber a little after she had receyued Master Appians perfumes and seing her to sowne diuers times before them were in great dispayre of her health And after they had somwhat debated the matter with Master Appian not knowing whervpon to resolue they sayd vnto the Duke that it behoued him to prouide for her soule for that they saw in her the ordinarie tokens and messangers of death The poore Duke being sorrowfull beyonde measure for that he loued the Duchesse entierlie sent for the Suffragane of the Byshop of Thurin a mā of very holy life to thintent he might giue her good councel To whom she confessed her selfe with a voyce so féeble that it séemed to be more than halfe dead Her talk was not long but yet she made him beleue that nature failed her and that by little and little she drewe towardes her ende Desiring him to haue her in remēbraunce and her poore soule in his orisons and prayers The Suffragane being gone the Duke and others with a great number of Gentlemen and Ladies went into the chambre But she began then to enter into so greate rauing that euerye bodye was afeard of her And after that she had tossed her self in her bed lyke a senselesse creature her speache fayled her Wherat those present striken with no small wonder thinking the soule would strayght wayes haue departed the body some of them cryed vpon her Madame remember Iesus some other sainct Barbara But wylie Emilia more priuy of her counsel than the rest taking her tenderly by the arme cried vpon her with a loud voice Madame call vpō sainct Iames who hath so often succoured you in your aduersities And with that the Duchesse awaked as it were out of a heauy sléepe and rowling her eyes to and fro wyth a straunge trembling of al her members began to pronounce with an interrupted voyce O glorious Apostle in whome from my tender youth I haue euer had my stedfast trust and hope be now mine intercessor in this cruell assault of death to Iesus Christ. And I make a vowe nowe to thée that if I may recouer my health I will my selfe in person goe honour thy sacred body in the proper place where it reposeth And hauing ended her fayned Prayer she coūterfayted a sléepe and so continued the space of .ij. or .iii. houres which caused all the companye to withdrawe themselues except the poore Duke who would not depart from her vntill she waked and in the meane time ceassed not to pray to God for the health of his loyall
her so counterfayted himselfe in the day that he could not in any manner of wise be knowen And good old father Frier taried in a corner of the chamber a farre of that he might heare none of their talke And as the Lord of Mendozza leaned him vpon her bedside he sayde vnto her in the Italian tongue whiche was so familiar to him as the Spanish Madame the peace of our Lorde be with you Whervnto the Lady aunswered Father why speake you of peace sithe I am in continuall warre depriued of all contentation and doe but attende the laste ende of all my calamitie which is a most cruell and shamefull death without desert And then the Lorde of Mendozza who had consumed the most part of his youth in good letters sayde vnto her I beleue Madame you be not ignorant that miseries and tribulations which come vpon people fall not by accident or fortune but by the prouidence or dispensacion of God before whome one little sparrow onely is not forgotten as the prophet Amos doth manifest vnto vs when he sayth There is none euill in the Citie that I haue not sent thither Which is also apparant in Iob whome the deuill coulde not afflict before he had first obtayned licence of GOD. And it is necessarie for you to knowe that tribulation and affliction be tokens of the fore chosen and elected people of God and the true markes of our saluation So that if you consider the order of al the Scriptures since the beginning of the world vntil our time you shall finde that those whome God hath alwayes best loued and cherished he hath commaunded to drinke of the cup of his passion and to be more afflicted than others examples whereof be common in the Scriptures As when Abell was afflicted by Caine his brother Isaak by his brother Ismaell Ioseph by his brethren Dauide by Absolon his sonne the children of Israell the elect people of God by Pharao Which things being profoundly considered by S. Paule he sayde If we had not another hope in Iesus Christ than in the lyfe present we might well saye that we were the moste miserable of all others And yet moreouer sayth he it is little or nothing that we endure in respecte of that which Iesus Christ hath suffred Who although he he framed the whole worke of the worlde was called the Carpenters sonne for preaching he was sclaundered he was caryed vp to a moūtaine to be throwne downe he was called Glotton Dronkarde louer of Publicanes and sinners Samaritane Seducer Diuell saying that in the name of Belzebub he did caste out Diuells But let vs consider Madame a little further what things were done vnto him he was naked to clothe vs prisoner and bounde to vnbinde vs from the chayne of the Diuell made a sacrifice to cleanse vs of all our inwarde filth we doe sée that he suffred hys syde to be opened to close vp Hell from vs we sée his handes which in so comely order made both Heauen and Earth for the loue of vs pearced with pricking nayles his head crowned with thrée sharped thornes to crowne vs with Heauēly glory Let vs waygh that by his dolor came our ioye our health grewe of hys infirmitie of his death was deriued our lyfe and shoulde we be ashamed to haue our head touched with a fewe thornes of trouble Strengthen your selfe then Madame in the name of God and make you ready to receyue death in the name of him that was not ashamed to indure it for you Is his strong hande any thing weakened Is it not in him to ouerthrowe the furie of your enemie and so to humble your aduersarie that he shall neuer be able to be relieued Howe many poore afflicted persons haue there bene séene to be abandoned of all succour whome he hath behelde with his pitifull eye and restored to greater ease and contentacion than euer they were in before Learne then from henceforth to comfort your selfe in God and saye as the great Doctor holy Ignatius sayd in his Epistle to the Romanes I desire that the fyer the gallowes the beastes and all the torments of the Diuell might exercise their crueltie vppon me so as I may haue fruition of my Lorde God And after that the Knight had made an ende of his consolation the Duchesse was so rapt in contentation that it séemed her soule had already tasted of the celestial delightes and would flie euen vp into heauen And then féeling her selfe lightened lyke one that had escaped some furious tempest of the seas she began to confesse her self vnto him from poynt to poynt without omitting any thing of that which she thought might grieue her conscience And when she came to the accusation of the Earle she prayed God not to pardon her sinnes if she had committed in déede or thought any thing contrarie to the duetie of mariage except it were one dishonest affection that she had borne to a knight of Spaine whome vnder pretence of a fayned deuotion she had visited in Spaine not committing any thing sauing good wil which she bare vnto him Which maketh me thinke quod she that God being moued against mine hipocrisie hath permitted this false accusation to be raised against me by the Earle of Pancalier which I wil paciently suffer sith his will is so Her confession finished she plucked of a rich Diamond which she had vpon her finger saying Good father albeith I haue heretofore bene a riche Princesse as you knowe yet they haue now taken away al my goods from me this Diamond except which my brother the King of Englande gaue me when I was married to the Duke of Sauoie And bicause I cannot otherwise doe you good I giue it vnto you praying you to remember me in your prayers to kepe it For it is of a greater price than you thinke and may serue one day to supply the necessitie of your conuent The confession ended and the Diamond receiued the two Friers retorned home to their conuēt And so sone as they were arriued ther the Lorde of Mendozza sayd vnto him Father now doe I knowe certainly that this pore woman is innocent wherfore I am resolued to defend her so long as lyfe doth last And I féele my selfe so touched and pressed in minde that I thinke it long till I be at the combat Wherefore I pray you if it chaunce that fortune be contrarie vnto me after my death make it to be openly knowen what I am and chiefly that the Duchesse may vnderstand it for speciall purpose And if it chaunce that I escape with lyfe which can not be but by the death of the Earle be secrete vnto me in these things which I haue declared vnder the vayle of confession The good father promised so to doe And hauing passed all that day and night in prayers and supplicacions he armed himselfe and made readye his courser And whē the dawning of the day began to appeare he went in his armour to the gates of
hole and remouing the stone the Father went in as he did before and fell into the caldron of pitche whiche continually was boyling there vp to the waste and not able to liue any longer he called his sonne vnto him and sayde Ricciardo mine owne swéete sonne death hath taken me prisoner for halfe my body is dead and my breath also is ready to depart Take my heade with thée and burie it in some place that it be not knowen which done commend me to thy mother whome I pray thée to cherish comforte and in any wise take héede that warelie and circumspectlie thou doe depart hence And if any man doe aske for me say that I am gone to Florence about certaine businesse The sonne lamentably began to lamēt his fathers fortune saying Oh deare father what wicked fury hath thus cruelly deuised sodaine death Content thy selfe my sonne sayd the Father and be quiet better it is that one should die than two and therefore doe what I haue tolde thée and farewell The sonne toke vp his fathers heade and went his way and the reste of his bodie remayned in the caldron like a blocke without forme When Ricciardo was come home he buried his fathers heade so well as he could and afterwardes tolde his mother what was become of his father who vnderstanding the maner of his death began piteously to crye out to whom her sonne holding vp his hands sayd Good mother holde your peace and giue ouer your wéeping for our life is in great perill and daunger if your out crie be hearde and therefore quiet your selfe for better it were for vs to liue in poore estate than to die with infamie to the vtter reproche and shame of all our familie With which wordes he appeased her In the morning the body was founde and caried to the Duke who maruelled at it coulde not deuise what he should be but sayde Surely there be two that committed this robberie one of them we haue let vs imagine how we may take the other Then one of the foure Chamberlaines sayde I haue founde out a trap to catche the other if it will please you to heare mine aduise which is this It cā not be chosen but this théefe that is deade hath eyther wife children or some kinsman in the Towne and therefore let vs cause the body to be drawen through out the citie and giue diligent héede whether anye person doe complaine or lament his death And if any suche be founde let him be taken and examined and this is the next way as I suppose to finde out his companion Which being concluded they departed The body was drawen through out the citie with a guard of men attending vpon the same As the execucioners passed by the house of Bindo whose carcasse lay vpon the hardle his wife stode at the windowe and seing the body of her husband so vsed made a great outcrye At which noyse the sonne spake to his mother and sayde Alas mother what doe you And beholding his fathers corps vpon the hardle he toke a knife and made a great gashe into his hande that the bloud abundantlie issued out The guarde hearing the noyse that the woman made ranne into the house and asked the woman what she lacked The sonne answered I was caruing a pece of stone with this knife and by chaunce I hurt my hande which my mother séeing cryed out thinking that I had hurte my selfe more than I haue The guard séeing his hande al bloudy and cut did beleue it to be true and went rounde aboute the liberties of the citie and found none that séemed to lamēt or bewaile that chaunce And returning to the Duke they tolde him howe all that labor was imployed in vaine wherevpon he appointed them to hang vp the deade body in the market place with secret watche in like maner to espie if any person by day or night would come to complaine or be sorrowfull for him Which body was by the féete hanged vp there and a continuall watche appoynted to kepe the same The rumor hereof was bruted through out the citie and euery man resorted thither to sée it The woman hearing tell that her husbands carcasse should be hanged vp in the market place sayde diuerse times to her sonne that it was a very great shame for him to suffer his fathers body in that shamefull sorte to be vsed To whom her sonne made aunswere saying Good mother for gods sake be contented for that which they do is for none other purpose but to proue me wherefore suffer a while til this chaunce be past The mother not able to abide it any longer brake out many times into these words If I were a man as I am a woman it should not be vndone now and if thou wilt not aduenture thy selfe I will one night giue an attempte The yong man séeing the frowarde nature of hys mother determined to take away the body by this policie He borrowed twelue friers frockes or cowles and in the euening went downe to the hauen and hired twelue Mariners and placed thē in a backe house giuing them so much meate and drinke as they would eate And when they had well whitled tippled themselues he put vpon them those friers cowles with visardes vpon their faces gaue euery of them in their handes a burning torche seming as though they had bene diuels of hel And he him self rode vpō a horse all couered with black beset round about with mōstrous and vglie faces euery of them hauing a burning candle in his mouth and riding before with a maruelous hideouse visarde vpon his heade sayde vnto them doe as I doe And then marched forwarde to the market place When they came thether they ran vp downe making a great roring being then past midnight and very darke When the watch saw that straunge sight they were affrayde thinking that they had bene Diuels of hel and that he on horsbacke in that forme had bene the great deuil Lucifer himself And séeing him runne towards the gibet the watch toke ther legges ranne away The yong man in the shape of the great Diuel toke downe the body and layde it before him on horsebacke who calling his companye awaye rode before in post When they were come home he gaue them their money and vncasing them of their cowles sent them away and aferwards buried the body so secretly as he coulde In the morning newes came to the Duke that the body was taken away who sēt for the Guarde to knowe what was become thereof To whom they sayde these wordes Pleaseth your grace about midnight last past there came into the market place a cōpany of Diuels among whome we sawe the greate Deuill Lucifer himselfe who as we suppose did eate vp the body which sight and terrible vision made vs to take our legges The Duke by those wordes perceyued euidently that the same was but a practize to deceiue them of their purpose not withstanding he determined
confesseth the facte before the Magistrates and is put to death The .xlij. Nouell Folio 125. ¶ Wantonesse and pleasaunt lyfe being guides of Insolencie doth bring a miserable ende to a fayre Ladye of Thurm Whom a noble man aduaunced to high estate Wherin he executeth great crueltie vpon his sayd Ladie taken in adulterie The .xliij. Nouell Folio 135. ¶ The loue of Alerane of Saxon and of Adelasia the daughter of the Emperoure Otho the thirde of that name Theire flight and departure into Italie and howe they were knowen againe what noble houses of Italie descended of their race The .xliiij. Nouell Folio 201. ¶ The Duchesse of Sauoie being the King of Englandes sister was in the Duke her husbandes absence iniustlye accused of adulterie by a noble man his Lieutenant And shoulde haue bene put to death if by the prowesse and valiaunt combate of Don Iohn di Mendozza a Gentleman of Spaine she had not bene deliuered With a discourse of meruellous accidents touching the same to the singuler prayse and commendacion of chaste and honest Ladies The .xlv. Nouell Fol. 226. ¶ A King of Englande loued the daughter of one of his noble men which was Coūtesse of Salesburie who after great sute to achieue that he coulde not winne for the intire loue he bare vnto her and her great constācie made her his Quene wife The .xlvj. Nouell Folio 258. Ser Giouanni Fiorentino ¶ A Gentlemā called Galgano long time made sute to Madonna Minoccia her husbande not knowing the same diuerse times praysed and commended the same Gentlemā to his Ladie by reason wherof in the absence of her husbande she sent for him and yelded her selfe vnto him telling him what words her husbande had spoken of him for recompence wherof he refused to dishonest her The .xlvij. Nouell Fol. 279. ¶ Bindo a notable Archietect and his sonne Ricciardo with all his famlie from Florence came to dwel at Uenice where being made citizens for diuerse monuments by them made there through his inordinat expences is forced to rob the Treasure house Bindo being slayne by a pollicie deuised by the Duke the State Ricciardo by fine subtelties deliuereth himselfe from foure daungers Afterwardes the Duke by his owne confession vnderstanding the sleight giueth him his pardon and his daughter in mariage The .xlviij. Nouell Folio 282. Out of Straparole ¶ Philenio Sisterno a Scholer of Bologna being mocked of three faire Gentlewomen at a banket made of set purpose was reuenged vpon them all The .xlix. Nouel Fol. 289. Out of Heptameron of the Quene of Nauarre ¶ The pitious and chast death of one of the Muleters wiues of the Quene of Nauarre The D. Nouell Fol. 296. ¶ A king of Naples abusing a Gentlemans wife in the end did weare the hornes him selfe The Lj. Nouell Fol. 298. ¶ The rashe enterprise of a gentleman against a Princesse of Flaunders and of the damage aud shame which he receyued therof The Lij Nouell Fol. 302. ¶ The loue of Amadour and Florinda wherein be contayned many sleights and dissimulations together with the renowmed chastity of the sayde Florinda The Liij Nouell Fol. 306. ¶ The incontinencie of a Duke and of his impudencie The Liiij Nouell Fol 326. ¶ One of the French kings called Frauncis the first of the name declared his gentle nature to Counte Guillaume that woulde haue killed him The Lv. Nouell Fol. 330. ¶ A punishment more rigorous than death of a husbande towardes his wife that had committed adulterie The Lvj. Nouell Fol. 332. ¶ A President of Grenoble aduertised of the ill gouernement of his wife toke suche order that his honestie was not diminished and yet reuēged the fact The Lvij. Nouel Fol. 334. ¶ A Gentleman of Perche suspecting iniurie done vnto him by his friend prouoked him to execute and put in proofe the cause of his suspition The Lviij Nouell Fol. 336. ¶ The Simplicitie of an old woman that offered a burning candle to saint Iohn of Lyons The Lix Nouel Fol. 338. Out of a little French boke called Comptes du Monde ¶ A Doctor of the Lawes bought a cup and by the subtiltie of two false verlets lost both his money and the cup. The Lx. Nouell Fol. 339. To the Reader NOTHING in mine opinion cā be more acceptable vnto thee friendely Reader than ofte reading dailye perusing of varietie of Histories which as they be for diuersitie of matter pleasaunt and plausible euen so for example and imitacion right good and commendable The one doth reioyce the wearie and tedious minde many times inuolued with ordinarie cares the other prescribeth a direct path to tread the trace of this present lyfe VVherefore if in these newes or Nouelles here presented there doe appeare any thing worthy of regard giue thankes to the noble Gentleman to whome this boke is dedicated for whose sake onely that paine if any seme to be was wholie imployed Inioy therfore with him this present boke curteously with friendelie talke report the same for if otherwise thou doe abuse it the blame shall light on thee and not of me which only of good wil did meane it firste But yet if blaming tongues and vnstayed heades will nedes be busie they shall susteine the shame for that they haue not yet shewen forth any blamelesse dede to like effect as this is ment of me which whē they doe no blame but praise they can receyue For praise be they well worthie for to haue which in well doing do contend No vertuous dede or zelous worke can want due praise of the honest though faulting foles and youthly heades full ofte do chaūt the faultlesse checke that Momus mouth did once finde out in Venus Slipper And yet from faults I will not purge the same but whatsoeuer they seme to be they be in number ne yet in substance such but that thy curteous dealing may sone amend them or forget them VVherefore to giue thee full aduertisment of the whole collection of these Nouelles vnderstand that .vj. of them haue I selected out of Titus Liuius two out of Herodotus certayne out of Aelianus Xenophon Aulus Gellius Plutarche and other like approued authors Other Nouelles haue I adioyned chosen out of diuers Italian and French writers VVherin I confesse my selfe not to be so well trained peraduenture as the fine heades of such trauailers would desire And yet I trust sufficiently to expresse the sense of euery of the same Certayne haue I culled out of the Decamerone of Giouan Boccaccio wherein be contayned one hundred Nouelles amongs which there be some in my iudgement that be worthy to be condempned to perpetuall prison but of them suche haue I redemed to the liberty of our vulgar as may be best liked and better suffred Although the .vj. part of the same hundreth may full well be permitted And as I my selfe haue already done many other of the same worke yet for this present I haue thought good to publishe onely .x. in number the rest
Icilius. All which doynges beeyng viewed and marked by Appius in a greate furie ascended the consistorie Then M. Claudius the plaintife began to renewe his sute and before the father could make aunswere to that plea Appius gaue sentence that the maide was bonde whiche sentence semed so cruell that it appalled the whole multitude And as Claudius was laiyng handes vpon the virgine Virginius stepped to Appius and said I haue betrouthed my doughter to Icilius not to thee Appius My care in the bringyng of her vp was to marrie her and not to suffer her to be violated and defloured Is it your maner like sauage and cruell beastes indifferentlie thus to vse your libidinous affections I cannot tell whether the multitude here present will supporte this enormitie but I am sure the armed souldiors and suche as carrie armure will not suffer it Marcus Claudius beyng repulsed by the womeÌ„ and aduocates that were present silence was proclaimed by the Trumpet Then Appius began to declare how he vnderstoode that all the night before that certaine companies were assembled within the Citie to excite and moue sedicion For whiche cause he came with armed menne not to hurte any man that was quiete but accordyng to the aucthoritie of his office to bridle and represse those that were troublers of the publike state Wherefore goe Sergeant q he make roume emonges the multitude that the maister maie enioy his seruaunt Whiche woordes he thundred out with greate furie and therewithall the multitude gaue place leauing the poore Puselle to be a praie to the enemie Her father seyng that he was voide of succour and helpe to defende the innocencie of his doughter spake to Appius in this sorte I firste dooe beseche thee Appius if I haue vsed any vnreasonable woordes againste thee to pardon me and to impute the same to the fathers grief and sorowe Suffer me I praie thee to examine the Nonrsse in the presence of the wench of the whole circumstance of this matter to the intent that if I bee but a supposed father I maie departe hence with quiet conscience satisfied and contented Virginius hauyng license to talke to his doughter and Noursse departed a side into a place called Cloacina where the shoppes be now called Taberne Nouae and pluckyng a sharpe knife from a Bocher that stoode by he thruste the same to the hart of his doughter saiyng By this only meanes doughter I can make thee free and loking again towardes the Iudgement feate he saied This bloodde Appius I consecrate and bestowe vpon thee Whiche doen with his sworde he made waie to passe through the throng to conueigh hymself out of the citie Then Icilius and Nnmitorius tooke vp the deade bodie and shewed it to the people who cried out vpoÌ„ the wickednesse of Appius bewailyng the vnhappie beautie of that faire maiden and deplored the necessitie of the father The women exclamed in lamentable wise saiing Is this the condicion and state of them that bring foorthe children Bee these the rewardes of chastitie With suche like pitifull cries as women are wont to make vpon suche heauie and dolorous enentes Virginius beeyng arriued in the campe whiche then was at the mounte Vicelius with a traine of fower hundred persones that fledde out of the citie shewed to the souldiours the blooddie knife that killed his doughter whiche sight astonied the whole Campe in so muche as euery man demaunded what was the cause of that sodain chaunce Virginius could not speake for teares but at length he disclosed vnto them the effecte of the whole matter and holdyng vp his handes towardes the heauens saied I beseche you deare companions doe not impute the wickednesse of Appius Claudius vpon me ne yet that I am a parricide and murderer of myne owne childreÌ„ the life of my deare doughter had been more acceptable to me then myne owne life if so bee she might haue continued a free woman and an honest virgine But when I sawe she was ledde to the rape like a bondewoman I considered that better it were her life to be lost then suffered to liue in shame wherfore my naturall pitie was conuerted to a kinde of crueltie And for mine owne part I doe not passe to liue loÌ„g after her if I thought I should not haue your helpe and succour to reuenge her death Consider that your selues haue doughters sisters and wiues think not therefore that the fleshly desire of Appius is satisfied with the death of my doughter And the longer that he dooeth continue in this securite the more vnbridâ—led is his appetite Let the calamitie of an other be a sufficieÌ„t documeÌ„t for you to beware like iniuries My wife is deade by naturall fate and constellacion and bicause my doughter could continewe no longer in honeste and chaste life death is befallen vnto her whiche although it bee miserable yet the same is honourable There is now no place in my house for Appius to satisfie his filthy luste And I will faile of my purpose if I doe not reuenge the death of my doughter with so good will vpon his fleshe as I did discharge the dishonour and seruitude of her from his violente and crnell handes This succlamacion and pitifull complainte so stirred the multitude that thei promised all to helpe and relieue his sorowe Whervpon the whole Campe were in a mutine and marched in order of battaile to the mouÌ„te Auentine where Virginius perswaded the souldiours to chose ten principall capitaines to bee heade and chief of that enterprise whiche with honourable titles of the field should be called Tribuni And Virginius hymself beyng elected the chief Tribune saied these woordes to the souldiours I praie you reserue this estimacion which you conceiue of me vntill some better tyme and apter occasion aswell for your commoditie as for my self The death of my doughter wil suffer no honour to be pleasaunte or welcome to me duryng my life Moreouer in this troubled state of the Common wealthe it is not méete for them to be your gouernours that be subiecte and occurant to enuie and reproche if my seruice shal be profitable vnto you wheÌ„ you haue thus created me a Tribune it shall be no lesse commodious if I doe still remaine a priuate manne When he had spoken those woordes thei chose tenne Tribunes And like as the Campe at the mounte Auentine was prouoked and stirred to this sedicioÌ„ euen so by meanes of Icilius and Nomitorius before remembred the armie then beyng against the Sabines began to reuolt and made the like nomber of Tribunes whiche in arraie of battaile marched through the citée at the gate Collina with banner displaied to ioyne with the caÌ„pe vpoÌ„ the mount Auentine And when bothe the campes were assembled thei those out twoo emonges the twentie Tribunes to bee their generalles called M. Oppius and Sextus Manilius The Senate carefull and pensife for these euentes eftsons assembled but no certaine determinacion was agreed vpon At length thei concluded that Valerius and Horatius
pitie mine own dere Antiochus dooeth deserue Who beyng constrained can none otherwise doe But to be silent in loue is a moste euident signe of a noble and rare vertue Dispose thy minde therefore to helpe my soonne For I assure thée that if thou dooe not loue the life of Antiochus Seleucus life muste needes bee hated of thee He can not bee hurte but I likewise must be hurted The wise Phisicion seyng that his aduise came to passe as he thought before and that Seleucus was so instant vpon hym for the healthe of his sonne the better to proue his minde and his intencion spake vnto hym in this wise It is a common saiyng my moste dradde soueraigne Lorde that a man when he is hole cā giue to hym that is sicke and weake verie good counsaile You perswade me to giue my welbeloued wife to another man and to forgo her whom I moste feruentlie doe loue and in lackyng her my life also must faile If you doe take from me my wife you take with her my life Doubtfull it is my lorde if Antiochus pour sonne were in loue with the Quene Stratonica your graces wife whether you would bée so liberall vnto hym of her as you would that I should bee of myne I would it were the pleasure of the Goddes sodainlie answered Seleucus that he were in loue with my best beloued Stratonica I sweare vnto thee by the reuerence that I haue alwaies borne to the honourable memorie of my father Antiochus and my graundfather Seleucus and I sweare by all the sacred Goddes that frelie and forthwith I would render my wife into his handes although she be the dearest beloued vnto me in suche wise as all the worlde should knowe what the duetie of a good and louyng father ought to bée to suche a sone as my intirely beloued Antiochus who if I bée not deceiued is moste worthie of all helpe and succour Alas this his greate vertue in concealing that notable passion as an earnest affection of loue is it not worthie to be consecrated to eternall memorie Is he not worthie of all helpe and comforte Dooeth he not deserue to be pitied and lamented of all the whole worlde Truly he is worsse then a cruell enemie naie he is rather more fierce and vnnaturall then a sauage beast that at suche moderate behauiour as my sonne vseth will not take compassion Many other woordes he spake manifestlie declaryng that he for the healthe of his soonne would not onelie sticke to bestowe his wife but also willinglie his life for his preseruacion Wherefore the Phisicion thought it not good any lōger to kepe secrete the thyng but tooke the king a side and saied vnto hym in this wise The healthe of your soonne my dere Lorde and soueraigne is not in my handes but the same resteth in you and in your wife Stratonica whom as I by certaine signes doe manifestlie knowe he ardētly doeth loue Your grace now doeth knowe from hencefor the what to doe if his life be dere vnto you And tellyng the kyng the maner of suche loue he ioyfully toke his leaue The kyng now doubted but of one thyng whiche was howe to perswade his sōne to take Stratonica to wife and how to exhorte his wife to take his sonne to husbande But it chaūced for diuerse causes that easelie inough he perswaded thē bothe And perchaunce Stratonica made a good exchaūge by takyng a yong man to forsake him that was old After Seleucus had made the accorde betwene his wife and his soonne he caused all his armie to assemble whiche was verie greate To whō he saed in this maner My dere and louyng souldious whiche sithe the death of Alexander the great haue with me achieued a thousande glorious enterprises I thincke it méete and conuenient that ye be partakers of that whiche I purpose to bryng to passe Ye do knowe that vnder myne Empire I haue .lxxij. kyngdomes that I beyng an old man am not able to attende so greate a charge wherfore louyng companions I purpose to deliuer and ridde you frō grief of idlenesse and my self frō trouble and toile reseruyng to me onelie so muche as lieth betwene the Sea and the riuer Euphrates All the rest of my dominions I giue to my soonne Antiochus vpon whom in mariage I haue bestowed my wife Stratonica whiche thing ought to contente you bicause my will and pleasure is suche And whē he had tolde them the loue sicknes of his sonne and the discrete deuise of the gentle Phisician in the presence of a his armie the mariage was celebrated betwene Stratonica Antiochus Afterwards he crouned thē bothe Kyng and Quene of Asia and with royall pompe and triumphe the desired mariage was consummate The armie hearyng and séeyng these thinges verie highlie cōmended the pietie of the father towardes his sonne Antiochus then continued with his welbeloued wife in ioye and quietnesse liuyng together in great felicitie This was not he that for matters of Aegipte did make warres with the Romanes But he that onelie inferred warres vpon the Galatians whiche out of Europa passed into Asia but of which countrie he chased them and ouercame thē Of this Antiochus came Seleucus whiche was father of Antiochus surnamed the greate that attēpted verie notable warres against the Romanes and not his greate graundfather that maried his mother in lawe Finallie this Seleucus of whom I recompte this historie by giuyng his wife to his sonne did accomplishe a miraculous acte and worthie in deede of sempiternall remēbraunce and greatlie to bee commended therefore who although he had achiued infinite victories ouer his enemies Yet there was none of them all so greate as the victorie of hym self and his passions For certainly Seleucus did vanquishe his owne appetites depriuyng hymself of his wife whom he loued and estemed aboue all thynges in the worlde Of the straūge beastlie nature of Timon of Athenes enemie to mankinde with his death buriall and Epitaphe ¶ The .xxviij. Nouell ALL the beastes of the worlde dooe applie themselfes to other beastes of their kinde Timon of Athenes onelie excepted of whose straūge nature Plutarche is astonied in the life of Marcus Antonius Plato and Aristophanes doe reporte his merueilous nature bicause he was a manne but by shape onelie in qualities he was the Capitall enemie of mankinde whiche he confessed francklie vtterlie to abhorre and hate He dwelte alone in a litle cabane in the fieldes not farre from Athenes separated from all neighbours and companie he neuer went to the citie or to any other habitable place excepte he were constrained He could not abide any mannes companie and conuersacion he was neuer seen to goe to any mannes house ne yet would suffer them to come to hym At the same tyme there was in Athenes an other of like qualitie called Apemantus of the verie same nature different from the naturall kinde of manne and lodged likewise in the middest of the fieldes On a daie thei twoo beyng alone together
at dinner Apemantus saied vnto hym O Timon what a pleasaunt feast is this and what a merie companie are wee beyng no more but thou and I. Naie quod Timon it would be a merie banquette in deede if there were none hers but my self Wherein he shewed howe like a beaste in deede he was For he could not abide any other manne beyng not able to suffer the companie of hym whiche was of like nature And if by chaunce he happened to go to Athenes it was onelie to speake to Alcibiades who then was an excellent Capitaine there whereat many did meruaile And therefore Apemantus demaunded of him why he spake to no man but to Alcibiades I speake to hym some tymes said Timon bicause I knowe that by his occasion the Atheniens shal receiue great hurte and trouble Whiche wordes many tymes he tolde to Alcibiades himself He had a garden adioynyng to his house in the fieldes wherein was a Figge tree wherevpon many desperate menne ordinarilie did hange themselfes In place whereof he purposed to sette vp a house and therefore was forced to cut it downe for whiche cause he went to Athenes and in the Markette place he called the people aboute hym saiyng that he had newes to tell them Whē the people vnderstoode that he was aboute to make a discourse vnto them whiche was wonte to speake to no manne thei merueiled and the citizens on euery parte of the citie ranne to heare hym to whom he saied that he purposed to cutte doune his Figge tree to builde a house vpon the place where it stoode Wherefore quod he if there bee any man emonges you all in this companie that is disposed to hange hymself let hym come betymes before it be cutte doune Hauyng thus bestowed his charitie emonges the people he retourned to his lodging where he liued a certain time after without alteraciō of nature And bicause that nature chasiged not in his life tyme he would not suffer that death should alter or varie the same For like as he liued a beastlie and chorlishe life euen so he required to haue his funerall dooen after that maner By his last will he ordeined hymself to bée interred vpon the sea shore that the waues and surges mighte beate and vexe his dead carcas Yea and that if it were possible his desire was to bee buried in the depth of the Sea causyng an Epitaphe to be made wherein was discribed the qualities of his brutishe life Plutarche also reporteth an other to bee made by Calimachus muche like to that whiche Timon made hymself whose owne soundeth to this effecte in Englishe verse My wretched caitife daies expired now and past My carren corps intered here A pluralitie of husbandes is fast in grounde In waltryng waues of swellyng Seas by surges cast My name if thou desire The Goddes thee doe confounde The mariage of a manne and woman he being the husbande of .xx. wiues and she the wife of xxii husbandes ¶ The .xxix. Nouell MEn commonlie doe reproue the honour of widowes bicause thei beeyng twise or thrise wedded doe marie againe And albeit by outwarde apparaunce thei whiche so blame them seeme to haue reason yet no manne ought to iudge the secrecie of the harte Mariage is holie and ought to be permitted and therefore by any meanes not to bee reproued Although it can not be denied but that the chast life is moste perfecte notwithstanding that perfection in nothyng dooeth diminishe the other The widowe mariyng againe doeth not offende God by mariage to the worlde she committeth the lest fault And bicause many old and auncient widowes in these daies maie not after three or fower mariages bee dismaied terrified from that state I will recite an historie auouched by S. Hierome in an Epistle Ad Gerontiam viduam de monogamia whom for his holinesse and vertue wee ought to beleue It is also pretelie set forthe by Pietro Messia de Seuiglia an excellent aucthour a gentleman of Spaine in the .xxxiiii. Chapiter of the firste parte of his woorke called La Selua di varie Lezzioni Sainct Hierome saieth that in the tyme of Pope Damasus he sawe and knewe in Rome one woman lawfully maried to .xxij. men and was the widowe of .xxii. husbandes There was also a manne whiche had had .xx. wiues and was then the widower of the .xx. Bothe whiche beyng free and of equall state and condicion thei made sute one to other and that either of them mighte proue whiche should bee the victor in buriyng eche other thei maried together whiche mariage was in greate admiracion emonges the Romanes Who mused whiche of them should die firste promisyng that at the funerall thei would beautifie the corps bothe with their presence also with tokens of victorie It chaunced sore againste her will I dare saie that the woman died firste At the celebracion of whose buriall all the Romane husbandes laied their heades together howe thei might exornate and garnishe the same Thei concluded to goe before the corps with Laurell garlandes vpon their beades singyng verses of praise for the obteinyng of suche a victorious conqueste Now where the women went I can not tell For I finde written that populus totius vrbis praecedebat feretrum where populus as I take it signifieth the whole route of mē and women And yet I thinke womens hartes would tell scorne to goe before Therefore I thinke thei came behinde like mourners bearyng braunches without leaues their beades in their handes praiyng for all christen soules But giuyng women leaue to mourne for suche an ouerthrowe I would wishe all my frendes that be widowes if in her conscience she can finde in her harte to folowe the noble Romane matrone and widowe called Annia who when her frendes and familiers exhorted her to marie againe bicause she was yonge and beautifull answered that she would not For quod she if it be my fortune to haue a good man as I had before I shall stil be afraied lest death should take hym awaie But if it bee my chaunce to matche with an ill manne how can I be able quietlie to beare that hauyng had so good a husbande before Declaryng thereby that beyng ones well matched greate héede ought to be taken how to chose the nexte least in making a hastie choise leasure for repētance do folow How Melchisedeche a Iewe by tellyng a pretie tale of three Rynges saued his life ¶ The .xxx. Nouell SAladine whose valiaunce was so greate that not onelie the same of a base man made hym Souldan of Babilone but also therby he wāne diuerse victories ouer the Saracene Rynges and Christianes hauyng through his manifolde warres and magnificent triumphes expended all his treasure and by reason of one accident which he had to doe lacking a greate some of money he knewe not where to haue the same so redie as he had occasion to imploy it Who called to remembraunce a riche Iewe called Melchisedech that lent out money for interest in
of all Christian Princes of his tyme did winne Constantinople and tooke awaie the Easte Empire form Constantine a Christian Emperour the yere of our Lorde 1453. Mahomet then hauyng obteined so greate victorie at Constantinople emonges the spoil of that riche citie there was founde a Greke maiden of suche rare and excellent beautie that she allured the eyes of euery wight to wonder and beholde the same as a thyng miraculous whose name was Hirenee of the age of sixtene or seuentene yeres Whom a Capitaine to gratifie his Lorde did present a Iewell as he thought moste acceptable to hym aboue all thynges of the worlde The Emperour Mahomet yonge and wanton beyonde measure after he had cast his eye vpō the maiden and had grauen her beautie in his harte gaue a straight charge that she should be kept for him hopyng after the tumulte of the warre was ended to bestowe conuenient tyme vpon her The retract sounded and the affaires of the Empire reduced to sure estate remembring hymself of the beautie of Hyrenee whiche had made a breache entrie into his hart commaunded that she should be brought forthe vnto hym and hauyng viewed her at his pleasure he felt himself so surprised with that newe flame that he conceiued none other delight but to plaie and dallie with her in suche sorte that his spirites beyng in Loues full possession Loue dealt with hym so cruellie that he could take no rest daie nor night Who yelded hymself suche a praie to his darlyng Hyrenee that he felt none other contentacion in his minde but that whiche he receiued of her And this amorous passiō indured the space of thrée continuall yeres takyng suche vigor and increase by litle and litle that he began to forgette that whiche apperteined to the ornamente and honor of his Empire leauyng the whole administraciō of publique causes to his Baschats he hymself beyng so necligent that he reposed in them all matters concernyng the state of the Empire Duryng this disorder the vulgar people began secretly to grudge aswell for the confusion and disorder of the Empire as for the ill gouernement of the same and specially because the Baschats corrupted with auarice imploied themselfes to their particuler profite and to inriche themselfes with the spoile of the people The Ianissaries on the other side a warlike people and brought vp in continuall exercise of armes began with open voice to detracte and slaunder their Lorde commonlie complainyng how he consumed his life like an effeminate persone without inferryng or doyng any profite to the Empire To be shorte the matter came to suche desolacion that it might rather haue been called a sedicion then a murmure and yet there was none so hardie as durste attempt to declare the same to the Emperour knowyng hym to bee of nature so terrible cruell and rigorous that with a woorde he would put hym to death that went aboute to withdrawe him from his desire Therwithall he was so drōke with the beautie of the Greke that the leste matter wherewith thei might giue occasion to withdrawe hym from his necligent life was enough to driue hym into a rage and furie This poore Emperour was so bewitched that not onely he consumed daies and nightes with her but he burned with continual Ialousie whose beautie was so liuely painted in the inwarde partes of his harte and mynde that he remained thus ouerwhelmed in beastly pleasure euery man in particuler and all in generall conspired against hym with one determinate minde to yelde no more obedience vnto hym in tyme to come and purposed to chose some Emperour that were more marciall and warlike through whose succour and counsaile thei might not onely conserue the thynges gotten but also amplifie the boundes and limites of their Empire Mustapha whiche was broughte vp with the Emperour a gentle personage franke of talke and so nere to his maiestie that he might goe into his chamber although the Greke was present when he perceiued conueniente tyme suche as he desired to haue repaired to the Emperour vpon a daie who likyng wel his deuises walked with hym alone in his Gardein to whom after he had made greate reuerence accordyng to their custome he saied vnto hym My soueraigne lorde and maister if I might speake fréelie without seruile feare whiche staieth me or if the terrour of your displeasure might not abashe me I would willinglie declare vnto your maiestie that whiche concerneth not onely your securitie and saufgarde but whiche is more the sauftie of your whole Empire Whō Mahomet answered with merie countenaūce saiyng Cast a waie suche cold feare as staieth thee and speake hardely thy mynde Shewe me what it is that toucheth me I doubt and it shall please your maiestie lest I shall séeme ouer presumptuous and rashe vnto you if I dooe discouer the secretes of my harte but our auncient educacion the duetie of my cōscience with the experience that you haue alwaies had of my fidelitie haue so muche forced me that being no longer able to rule my self I am constrained by what vertuous prouocacion I knowe not to manifest thinges vnto you that bothe tyme and necessitie wil make you to thinke them good and necessarie Although it maie so bée that now your eyes be so bounde vp in the vaile of your disordinate affection that you can not digest or take the same in good part The life my lorde whiche you haue ledde sithens the taking of Constantinople and the excessiue pleasures wherein you haue plūdged your self these thrée yeres is an occasion that not onely your souldiours and the rest of your popular people but the moste faithfull lordes of your Empire doe murmure conspire and coniure against you And pardon me my Lorde if I speake so vnreuerently in thynges touchyng your preseruacion For there is no manne but doeth verie muche merueile of this great and newe alteraciō that appereth in you whiche doeth so abase you and maketh you to degenerate from your auncient generositie and valiaunce Your owne self hath giuen ouer your self to bée a spoile and praie to a simple woman that you wholie depende vpon her flattries aud allurementes reason or counsaill cā take no place in your passionate and afflicted harte But I humblie beseche your Maiestie to entre a little into your self and make a suruey of your life that you haue sedde these thrée yeres past The glorie of your auncestours and predecessours acquired and wonne by sheadyng of so muche bloudde kept by so greate prudence conserued by so happie counsaill haue thei no representacion or shewe before your face The remembraūce of their memorable victories doeth it not touch the depthe of your conscience The magnanimite and valiaunce wherby thei be immortalized and their fame registred through the whole worlde is it extinguished in you Their Trophées and monumētes grauen and aduaunced in all the corners of the earth be thei throwen doune and defaced from the siege of your remembraunce But where is now the ardent desire
enterprise she praied Ianique for a time to withdrawe her self vntill she had written her letter by the tenor whereof she should vnderstande with what audacitie she would prosecute the rest And beyng alone in her chamber takyng peune and paper she wrote to Didaco with fained harte as followeth Senior Didaco I am perswaded that if you will vouchesafe to reade and pervse the contentes of these my sorowfull letters you shal be moued with some cōpassion and pitie by beholdyng the true Image of my miserable life pourtraied and painted in the same whiche through your disloyaltie and breache of promise is consumed and spente with so many teares sighes tormentes and griefes that diuerse tymes I maruaile how Nature can so long supporte and defende the violente assaultes of so cruell a martirdome and that she hath not many tymes torne my feble spirit out of this cruell and mortall prison whiche maketh me to thinke and beleue by continuyng life that death himself hath conspired my miserie and is the companion of my affliction consideryng that by no torment she is able to make diuision betwene my soule and bodie Alas how many tenne hundred thousande tymes in a daie haue I called for Death and yet I can not make her to recline her eares vnto my cries Alas how many tymes am I vanquished with the sharpe tormētes of sorowe redie to take my leaue and last farewell of you beyng arriued to the extreme pangues of death Beholde Didaco myne ordinarie delices beholde my pleasures beholde all my pastime But yet this is but litle in respecte of that whiche chaunceth in the night For if it happē that my poore eyes doe fall a sléepe wearie with incessaunte drawyng forthe of welsprynges of teares slombryng dreames cease not then to vere and afflicte my mynde with the cruellest tormentes that are possible to be deuised representing vnto me by their vglie and horrible visions the ioye and contentacion of her whiche inioyeth my place whereby the greatest ioye whiche I conceiue is not inferior to cruel death Thus my life mainteined with continuacion of sorowes and griefes is persecuted in moste miserable wise Nowe as you knowe I daily passe my sorowe vnder painfull silence thinkyng that your olde promisses confirmed with so many othes and the assured proofe which you still haue had of my faithe and constauncie would haue broughte you to some order but now seyng with myne eyes the hard mettall of your harte and the crueltie of my fate whiche wholie hath subdued me to your obedience for respecte of myne honour I am forced to complaine of hym that beateth me and thereby dispoileth me bothe of myne honor and life not vouchsaufyng onely so muche as ones to come vnto me And vncertaine to whom I maie make recourse or where in fined redress I appeale vnto you to th ende that seyng in what leane and vglie state I am your crueltie maie altogether be satisfied whiche beholdyng a sight so pitifull wherein the figure of my torment is liuelie expressed it maie be moued to some compassion Come hither then thou cruell man come hither I saie to visite her whō with some signe of humanite thou maiest staie or at least wise mollifie and appease the vengeaunce whiche she prepareth for thee And if euer sparks of pitie did warme thy frosen harte Arme thy self with a greater crueltie then euer thou was wont to do and come hither to make her sobbe her laste and extreme sighes whō thou hast wretchedly deceiued For in doyng otherwise thou maiest peraduenture to late bewaile my death and thy beastly crueltie And thinking to make a conclusion of her letter the teares made her wordes to die in her mouthe and would not suffer her to write any more wherefore she closed and sealed thesame and then callyng Ianique vnto her she saied Holde gentle Ianique cary these letters vnto hym and if thou canst so well plaie thy part as I haue doen myne I hope we shall haue shortly at our commaundemente hym that is the occasion of this my painfull life more greuous vnto me then thousande deathes together Ianique hauyng the letter departed with diligence and went to the house of the father in lawe of Didaco where quietly she waited till she might speak with some of the house whiche was within a while after For one of the seruauntes of Didaco whom she knewe right well went aboute certaine his maisters busines méetyng Ianique was abashed Of whō she demaunded if the Lorde Didaco were within and said that she would faine speake with him but if it wer possible she would talke with hym secretly Whereof Didaco aduertised came forthe to her into the streate to whom smilyngly hauyng made to hym a fained reuerence she saied Senior Didaco I can neither write nor reade but I dare laie my life there is sute made vnto you by these letters whiche Madame Violenta hath sent vnto you And in déede to sale the truthe there is greate iniurie dooen vnto her of your parte not in respecte of your newe Mariage For I neuer thoughte that Violenta was a wife méete for you consideryng the difference of your estates but bicause you will not vouchsauf to come vnto her seming that you make no more accompt of her and specially for that you prouide no mariage for her in some other place And assure your self she is so farre in loue with you that she is redie to die as she goeth in suche wise that makyng her complainte vnto me this daie wepyng she saieth vnto me Well for so muche then as I can not haue hym to bee my husbande I would to God he would mainteigne me for his frende and certaine tymes in the wéeke to come to sée me specially in the night lest he should bée espied of the neighbors And certainly if you would folowe her minde herein you shall dooe very well For the case standeth thus you maie make your a vaunte that you bee prouided of so saire a wife and with so beautifull a frende as any gētleman in Valentia And then Ianique deliuered him the letter whiche he receiued and redde and hauing well considered the tenor of the same he was incontinently surprised with a sodain passion For hatred and pitie loue and disdain as with in a Cloude bée conteined hotte and colde with many contrary windes beganne to combate together and to vexe his harte with contrary mindes then pawsyng vpon answere he saied vnto her Ianique my dere frēde racommende me to the good grace and fauoure of thy maistresse and saie vnto her that for this tyme I will make her no answere but to morowe at fower of the clocke in the morning I will be at her house and kepe her companie all the daie and nighte and then I will tell her all that I haue dooen sithens I departed laste from her trustyng she shall haue no cause to bée offended with me And then Ianique takyng her leaue retourned towarde Violenta tellyng
to vnderstād the trouth of his death as his father in Lawe his wife and other kinsmen I would in their presence if it please you to cause them to bee called hither declare that I knowe The magistrates amased to se so greate a lorde to cruelly slaine commited her to warde till after diner and commaūded that al the before named should be somoned to appere Who assembled in the pallace with suche a number of people as the Iudges could skante haue place Violenta in the presence of them all with out any rage or passion first of all recompsed vnto thē the chaste loue betwene Didaco and her which he cōtinued the space of fowertene or fiftene monethes without receiuyng any fruicte or comoditie thereof Within a while after he being vanguished with leue maried her secretly at her house and solempnized the neptialles by a Prieste vnknowen declaryng moreouer how thei hadde liued a yere together in housholde without any occasion of offence on her part giuen vnto hym Then she rehersed before them his second mariage with the doughter of suche a manne being there presente addying for conclusion that sithe he hadde made her to lose her honestie she had sought meanes to make hym to lose his life Whiche she executed with the helpe of Ianique her maide who by her aduise beyng lothe to liue any longer had drouned her self And after she had declared the true state of the matter passed betwene them she saied for conclusion that all that she had rehersed was not to incite or moue thē to pitie or compassion thereby to prolonge her life wherof she iudged her self vnworthie for if you qoud she doe suffer me to escape your handes thinkyng to saue my bodie you shal be the cause and whole ruine of my soule for with these myne owne handes whiche you see before you I will desperately cutte of the threde of my life And with those woordes she helde her peace whereat the people amased and moued with pitie let fall the luke warme teares from their dolorouse eyes and lamented the misfortune of that poore creature imputyng the faulte vpon the dedde knighte whiche vnder colour of mariage had deceiued her The magistrates determinyng further to deliberate vppon the whole matter caused the dedde bodie to be buried and committed Violenta againe to Warde taking awaie from her kniues and other weapons wherewith thei thought she might hurte her self And vsed suche diligent searche and inquirie that the Prieste whiche maried them was founde oat and the seruaunt of Didaco that was presente at the mariage of Violenta beyng examined deposed how by his maisters commaūdement he caried his horsse into the countrie and how he commaunded him to come to hym againe the next mornyng to the house of Violenta And all thynges were so well throught to light as nothyng wanted for further inuestigacion of the truth but onely the confession of hym that was dedde And Violenta by the common opinion of the Iudges was condepned to bée behedded not onely for that she had presumed to punishe the knightes tromperie and offence but for her excessiue crueltie doen vpon the dedde bodie Thus infortunate Violenta ended her life her mother and brethren beyng acquited And was executed in the presence of the Duke of Calabria the soone of kyng Federic of Aragon whiche was that tyme the Viceroy there and afterwardes died at Torry in Fraunce who incontinently after caused this historie to be registred with other thinges worthie of remembraunce chaunced in his tyme at Valencia Bandell doeth write that the maide Ianique was put to death with her maistres but Paludanus a Spaniard a liue at that time writeth an excellent historie in Latine wherein he certainly declareth that she was neuer apprehended whiche opinion as moste probable I haue folowed Wantones and pleasaunt life being guides of insolencie doeth bring a miserable ende to a faier Ladie of Thurin whom a noble mā aduannced to high estate as appereth by this historie wherein he executeth greate crueltie vpon his said Ladie taken in adulterie ¶ The .xliij. Nouell THE auncient and generall custome of the gentlemen and gentlewomen of Piedmonte was daiely to abandon famous cities and murmures of common wealthes for to withdrawe themselfes to their Castles in the countrie and other places of pleasure of purpose to begile the troublesome turmoiles of life with greateste reste and contentacion whiche troubles and griefes thei dooe féele that intermedle with businesse of common wealthe whiche was with greate care obserued before the warres had preposterated the order of auncient gouernement that muche a doe you should haue had to finde a gentleman idle in a citie Who rather did resort to their countrie houses with their families whiche were so well gouerned and furnished that you should haue departed so well satisfied and instructed from a simple gentle mannes house as you should haue dooen from a greate Citie were it neuer so well ruled by some wife and prudent Senatour But sithens the worlde began to waxe olde it is come againe to very infancie in suche sorte that greatest nomber of Cities are not peopled in these daies but with a many of idle gentlemen that make their resiance and abode there not to profite but to continewe their delicate life and thei doe corrupte not onely themselfes but whiche is worste thei infecte them that keepe them companie whiche I will discourse somewhat more at large for so muche as the gentlewoman of whom I will describe the historie was brought vp all the tyme of her youthe in one of the finest and moste delicate Cities of Piedmonte And féelyng as yet some sparke of her former bringing vp she could not be reformed beyng in the countrie with her husbande but that in the ende she fill into greate reproche and shame as you shall vnderstande by the content of this historie In the tyme that Madame Margaret of Austriche doughter of Maximilian the Emperour went in progresse into Sauoie towardes her husbande there was a greate Lorde a valiaunte and curteous gentleman in a certaine Countrie of Piedmonte whose name I will not disclose aswell for the reuerence of hisneresse kinne which doe yet liue as for the immoderatee ruell punishemente that he deuised towardes his wife when he toke her in the faulte This greate Lorde although he had goodlie reuenues and Castelles in Piedmonte yet for the moste parte of his tyme he followed the Courte by commaundemente of the Duke that interteined hym nexte his owne persone vsyng commonly his aduise in al his greatest affaires This lorde at that time maried a maidē in Thurin of meane beautie for his pleasure not estemyng the place from whence she came And bicause he was well nere fiftie yeres of age when he married her she attired her self with suche modestie that she was more like a widowe then a maried woman and knewe so well howe to vse her husband the space of a yere or twoo that he thought hymself the happiest manne a
did thoffice of the handes and tongue as trusty secretaries and faythfull messangers of the effectes of the minde That which kindled she fler most was their frequent talke together which was but of common matters without vtterance of that which the hart knew wel ynough and whereof the eyes gaue true testimonie A passion truely almost intollerable for a yong Princesse aswel bycause she neuer had experience of like sorrow as for hir tender age and yet more for a naturall abashmēt and shame which with the vayle of honor doth serue or ought to serue for a bridle to euery Lady couetous of fame or like to be the ornament or beauty of her race Adelasia then floting in the tempestuous seas of her appetites guided by a master which delighteth in the shipwracke of them he carieth vanquished wyth an immoderate rage of loue tormēted with grief vnspeakable offended with hir owne desires being alone in hir chāber began to complayne her sorrowes and sayde Ah what passion is this that is vnknowen vnto me that ingendreth an obliuion of that which was wont to delight and content me From whence commeth this newe alteration and desire vnaccustomed that solitary being alone is the rest argument of my troubles What diuersities and alterations be these that in this sorte do poyse weygh my thought Ah Adelasia what happy miserie doest thou finde in this frée prison where pleasure hath no place tyll the Enemies haue dysquieted the lyfe with a Million of paynfull and dangerous trauayles What is this to say but that agaynst the nature of maydens of my yeares I will not or can not be quiet day nor night but to take my repaste and féeding vpon cares and thoughtes Alack I thought then to finishe my sorrowes griefes when being alone I began to frame the plot of my torments and paynes with so many formes deuises in my fansie as I doe make wishes and requests vpon the thing I loue and esteme aboue all vpon which all mine affections doe depende and take their beginning What is this to say but that my maydes do offend me when with discrete wordes they goe about to diuert me from my follies and pleasaunt noysom thoughtes Wherefore should not I take in good part that care which they haue of my helth and the paine which they take to remember me of my torment Alas they know not wherein consisteth the force of mine euil and muche lesse is it in their power to remedie the same Euen so I would haue none other playster but him that hath giuen me the wound nor none other meate but the hunger that drieth me vp I craue none other comforte but the fire which burneth me continually the force whereof pearceth the sucke and marie within my bones Ah Alerane Alerane the floure and mirror of all prowesse and beauty It is thou alone the liuest in me of whome my minde conceyueth his hope and the harte his nourishment Alas that thy worthinesse should be the ouerthrowe of mine honor and thy perfection the imperfection of my lyfe Ah Loue Loue howe diuersly thou dealest with me For seing mine Alerane I am attached with heate in the myddes of yce that is full colde In thinking of him I doe both rest and trauaile continually Nowe I flée from him and sodaynely agayne I desire him In hearing him speake the suger and hony that distilleth from his mouth is the contentmēt of my minde till suche time as his words appeare to be different from my desire For then ah Lord my rest is conuerted into extreme trauaile the hony into gall and wormewood more bitter than bytternesse it selfe the hope of my minde is become despaire so horrible that the same onely will bréede vnto me if God haue not pitie vpon me shorte occasion of my death After these wordes she rested a long time without speaking a worde with hir armes a crosse and hir eyes eleuate on high which ranne downe like a riuer of teares and semed to be so rauished that a man would haue iudged her rather a thing without life than a creature sensible and labouring for lyfe til recouering her spirites againe as comming from an Extasie and sounde she began hir plaintes againe in this sort What must such a Princesse as I am abase my selfe to loue her owne subiecte yea and her kinnesman and specially not knowing yet how his mynde is disposed Shall I be so vnshamefast and voide of reason to surrendre my self to any other but to him whome God and my fortune hath promised to be my espouse Rather death shall cut of the threde of my yeares than I will contaminate my chastity or that any other enioy the floure of my virginitie than he to whom I shal be tied in mariage Ah I say and promise muche but there is a tormenter in my minde which dealeth so rigorously with my reason that I cannot tell where vpon well to determine I dare not thinke which also I ought not to do that Alerane is so folish to despise the loue of one that is the chiefest of the daughters of the greatest Monarches of the worlde and much lesse that he should forget himself in such wise to forsake me hauing once enioyed the best dearest thing that is in me whereof I meane to make him the only and peaceable possessor Truly the vertue gētlenesse and good nuriture of Alerane doe not promise suche treason in him and that great beautie of his cannot tell how to hide such rigor that he will refuse one that is one of the most deformed and ill fauored creatures and which loueth him with suche sinceritie that where she shall lose the meanes to enioy him there shall feele euen forthwith the miserable end of her sorowful dayes And then againe she helde her peace tossed and turmoiled with diuers thoughtes fleting betwene hope and feare by and by she purposed to deface from her heart the memorie of Loue which already had taken to faste footing and would not be separated from the thing which heauen himself seemed to haue prepared for the perfectiō and glorie of his triumphe Loue then constrayned her to resolue vpon her last determination Then continuing her talk sighing wtout ceasing she sayd Chaunce what may to the vttermost I can but wander like a Uagabonde and figitiue with mine owne Alerane yf he will shewe me so muche pleasure to accepte me for his owne For sure I am the Emperour wil neuer abide the mariage which I haue promised and sooner wil I die than another shal possesse that which Alerane alone deserueth hauing a long time vowed and dedicated the same vnto him And afterwardes let them report what they lift of the bolde and folish enterprises of Adelasia when my heart is contented and desire satisfied Alerane enioieth her that loueth him more than her self Loue verily is not liable to the fansie of the parents nor yet to the will euen of them that subiugate themselues to his
feared to thinke which was to haue her one day for friende if the name of spouse were refused Thus tormented wyth ioye and displeasure wandering betwene doubt and assurance of that he hoped The self same day that Adelasia practised with Radegonde for the obtayning of her ioy and secret ministerie of her Loue he entred alone into a garden into which the Princesse chambre had prospecte and after he had walked there a good space in an Alley viewing diligently the order of thé fruitfull trées of so diuers sortes as there be varietie of colours with in a faire meade during the vedure of the spring time and of so good and sauorous taste as the hearte of man coulde wyshe He repaired vnder a Laurel trée so well spredde and adorned with leaues about which trée you might hane sene an infinit number of Myrtle trées of smell odoriferous and swéete of Oringe trées laden wyth vnripe fruite of pliable Mastickes and tender Tameriskes And there he fetched his walkes along the thick grene herbs beholding the varietie of floures which decked beautified the place wyth their liuely and naturall colours He then rauished in this contemplation remembring her which was the pleasure and torment of his minde in sighing wise began to say O that the heauens be not propitious and fauourable to my indeuors Sith that in the middes of my iolities I fele a newe pleasaunt displeasure which doth adnihilate all other solace but that which I receyue throughe the Image paynted in my heart of that diuine beautie which is more variated in perfection of pleasures than this paradise and delicious place in varietie of enamell and paynting although that nature and arte of man haue workemanly trauailed to declare and set forth their knowledge and diligence Ah Adelasia the fairest Lady of all faire and most excellente Princesse of the earth Is it not possible for me to féede my self so well of the viewe and contemplation of thy heauenly and Angelicall face as I do of the sight of these faire and sundrie coloured floures May it not be broughte to passe that I may smell that swete breath which respireth through thy delicate mouthe béeing none other thing than Baulme Muske and Aumbre yea and that which is more precious which for the raritie and valor hath no name euen as I doe smell the Roses Pincks and Uiolets hanging ouer my head franckly offering themselues into my handes Ah infortunat Alerane there is no floure that ought to be so handeled nor sauor the swetenesse whereof ought not to be sented without desert merited before Ah Loue Loue that thou hast fixed my minde vpon so highe thinges Alas I feare an offence so daungerous which in the ende will bréede my death And yet I can not wythdrawe my heart from that smoke of Loue although I would force my selfe to expell it from me Alas I haue read of him so many times and haue heard talk of his force that I am afrayd to borde him and yet feare I shall not escape his gulfe Alas I knowe well it is he of whome is engendred a litle mirth and laughing after whiche doeth followe a thousande teares and weapings which for a pleasure that passeth away so sone as a whirle winde doth gyue vs ouer to greate repentance the sorrow wherof endureth a long time and sometimes his bitternesse accompanieth vs euen to the graue The pacients that be taynted with that amorous feuer althoughe continually they dye yet they can not wholy sée and perceiue for al that the defaut and lacke of their life albeit they doe wish and desire it still But alas what missehap is this that I do see the poyson that causeth my mischief and do know the way to remedie the same and yet neuerthelesse I can not or will not recouer the help Did euer man heare a thing so strange that a sick man seking help and finding recouery shoulde yet reiecte it Saying so he wepte and syghed so piteously as a little chylde threated by his mother the nourice Then roming vp and down vpon the grasse he séemed rather to be a man straught and bounde wyth chaynes than like one that had his wittes and vnderstanding Afterwardes being come againe to himselfe he retourned to his first talke saying But what am I more wise more constant and perfecte than so many Emperors Kinges Princes and greate Lordes who notwithstanding their force wisedome or richesse haue bene tributarie to loue The tamer and subduer of monsters and Tirants Hercules vanquished by the snares of loue did not he handle the distaffe in stead of his mighty mace The strong and inuincible Achilles was not he sacrificed to the shadowe of Hector vnder the color of loue to celebrate holy mariage wyth Polixena daughter to King Priamus The great Dictator Iulius Caesar the conqueror of so many people Armies Captaines and Kings was ouercome with the beautie and good grace of Cleopatra Quene of Egipt Augustus his successour attired like a woman by a yeoman of his chamber did he not take away Liuia from him that had first maried her And that cōmon enemie of man and of all curtesie Claudius Nero appeased yet some of his furie for the loue of his Lady What straunge things did the learned wise and vertuous Monarch Marcus Aurelius indure of his welbeloued Faustine And that great captaine Marcus Antonius the very terror of the Romaine people and the feare of strange and barbarous nations did homage to the childe Cupido for the beautie of Quéene Cleopatra which afterwardes was the cause of his whole ouerthrowe But what meane I to alledge remember the number of louers being so infinite as they be Wherfore haue the Poets in time past fayned in their learned and deuine bokes the loues of Iupiter Appollo Mars but that euery man may knowe the force of Loue to be so puissant that the Gods theselues haue felt his force to be inuincible ineuitable Ah if sometimes a gentleman be excused for abassing himselfe to Loue a woman of base birth and bloude why should I be accused or reprehended for loning the daughter of the chiefest Prince of Europe Is it for the greatnesse of her house and antiquitie of her race Why that is al one betwene vs two toke his originall of the place whereof at this day my Father is the chiefe and principall And admit that Adelasia be the daughter of an Emperoure Ah Loue hath no regarde to persons houses or riches rather is he of greater commendation whose enterpryses are moste famous and haute gestes extende their flyght farre of Nowe resteth then to deuise meanes howe to make her vnderstande my payne For I am assured that she loueth me sauing that her honoure and yong yeares doe let her to make it appeare more manifest But it is my propre duty to make request for the same considering her merites and my small desertes in respect of her perfections Ah Alerane thou must vnlose that tongue which
desired that she should haue passed further were it not for feare to offend her to put her in a choler And to thintent to turne her from that matter she cōmaunded the table to be couered for supper wher she caused her to be serued honorably of all the most delicate exquisite meates that were possible to be gotten Supper done the tables vncouered after they had a little talked together and that it was time to withdrawe thēselues the Duchesse more to honor her would that she should lodge in her owne chambre with her where the Pilgrime wearied with the waye toke very good rest But the Duchesse pricked with the straunge talk of the Lady Isabell hauing a hammer working in her head coulde not sléepe And had so well the beautie of the vnknowen Knight graued in the bottome of her heart that thinking to close her eyes she thought that he flewe continually before her like a certayne fansie or shadowe In sorte that to knowe further what he was she would gladly haue made greater inquirie Then sodaynly after a little shame and feare intremingled with a certayne womanhode long obserued by her therwithall the fidelity which she bare to the Duke her husband presenting it self before her she buried altogether her first coūsel which died toke ende euen so soue almost as it was borne And so tossed with an infinite number of diuers thoughtes passed the night vntill the day beginning to lighten the world with his burning lampe constrayned her to rise And then the Lady Isabell ready to depart went to take leaue of the Duchesse who willingly would haue wished that she had neuer séene her for the newe flame that she felt at her heart Neuerthelesse dissembling her euill not able to holde her any longer made her to promise by othe that at her retorne form her voyage she would repasse by Thurin and after she had made her a very liberall offer of her goodes taking her leaue she left her to the tuicion of God Certaine dayes after the departing of the spanish Lady the Duchesse thinking to quench this new fier the same began further to flame and the more that hope failed her the more did desire encrease in her And after an infinite number of sundry cogitations Loue got the victorie And she resolued with her selfe in the ende whatsoeuer might come therof to comunicate her cause to one of her beloued damsels called Emilia and to haue her aduise in whome she wonted to repose her trust in all her secrete affaires and causing her to be called for secretly she sayde vnto her Emilia I beleue that if thou hast taken any good héede to myne auncient maner of behauiour euer since my departure from England thou hast knowen me to be the very ramper and refuge of all afflicted persons But nowe my destenies be tourned contrarie I haue nowe more néede of counsell than any other liuing creature And hauing no person about me worthy to vnderstand my misfortune my first and last refuge is to thée alone Of whome I hope to receiue consolation in a matter which toucheth me no lesse than my lyfe and honour And then the Duchesse declared vnto her priuily that since the departing of the Lady Isabell she had had no reste in her minde and howe she was enamoured of a Knight whome she neuer saw whose beautie and good grace had touched her so néere that being altogether vnable any longer to resist her misfortune she knewe not to whome to haue recourse but to the fidelitie of her counsell Adding therevnto for conclusion that she loued him not dishonestly or for hope she had to satisfie any lasciuious appetite but onely to haue a sight of him Which as she thought should bring vnto her suche contentation as thereby her griefe shoulde take ende Emilia who euer loued her maystresse as she did her owne hearte had great compassion vpon her when she vnderstode the light foundation of her straunge loue Neuerthelesse desiring to please her euen to the last point of her lyfe sayde vnto her Madame if it will please you to recreate your self from these your sorrowes and to respite me onely two dayes I hope to prouide by some good meanes that you shal shortly sée him who vndeseruedly doth worke you all this euill The Duchesse nourished with this hope desired her effectually to thinke vpon it Promising vnto her that if her words came to good effect she would make her suche recompence as she her selfe should confesse she had not done pleasure to an ingrate or vnthankful womā Emilia which had the brute to be one of the most subtile and sharpe witted dames of all Thurin slept not during the tyme of her prescription But after she had searched an infinit number of meanes to come to that which she desired there was one that semed most expedient for that purpose and of least perill aboue other And her tune of delay expired she went to Madame the Duchesse and sayed Madame God knoweth howe many troubles my mynde hath sustayned and howe muche I haue striued with myne owne conscience to satisfie your commaundement neuerthelesse after I had debated things so substantially as was possible I could deuise nothing more worthie your contentacion than that which I will nowe declare vnto you if it will please you to heare me Which to be short is that for the execution of this our enterprise it behoueth you to fayne your selfe to be sicke and to suffer your self to be trayned into suche maladies as there shall rather appeare in you token of death than hope of lyfe And being brought into suche extremitie you shall make a vowe your health recouered to goe within a certayne time to Sainct Iames on pilgrimage which you may easely obtayne of the Duke your husband And then may you make your voiage liberally with the Lady Isabell who wil passe this way vpon her retourne without discouering your affection vnto her and will not fayle by reknowledging of the curtesie that you haue vsed towardes her in these partes to conduct you by her brothers house where you may sée him at your ease that maketh you to suffer great torment And I will aduertise you furthermore of one thing which euer till this time I haue kept close But for that we two togethers cannot without great difficulty accomplishe our businesse it hath séemed good vnto me to knowe of you if you woulde that a third person shall be called therevnto who is so much at my commaundement as I dare trust him like my self It is Maister Fraunces Appian the Millanor your Phisitian who to say the very truth vnto you hath bene so affectioned to me this yeare or two that he hath not ceassed by all meanes possible to wynne mée but to honeste loue for he pretendeth to marry me And bycause that hitherto I haue made smal accompt of him and haue not vsed any fauoure towardes him nor good entertaynment otherwise I assure my self seing the
her by the arme conducted her vnto his castell deuising of pleasaunt matters And he was greatly astonned to sée so rare a beautie as appeared in the Princesse Which neyther the wearinesse of the way nor the parching beames of the Sunne could in any wise so appaire but that there rested ynough to draw vnto her the very hartes of the moste colde and frosen men of the worlde And albeit the Lorde of Mendozza tooke great pleasure and admiration in beholding her yet was it nothing in respect of the Duchesse who after she had aduised and well marked the beautie excellency and other giftes of grace in the Lorde of Mendozza she confessed that all that which she had hearde of his sister was but a dreame in comparison of the proufe which discouered it selfe vpon the first viewe Seming vnto her by good iudgemēt that all the beauties of the worlde were but paintings in respect of the perfection of that which she saw with her eyes Wherin she was not deceyued albeit that her feruent loue might haue bewitched her senses For all the Histories in Latine Spanishe Italien the which make mention of Mendozza giue vnto him the first place in beautie of all the Princes and Lordes that were in his time The poore Duchesse after she had manifested by outwarde gestures and countenances to the Lord of Mendozza that which was in the inwarde part of her heart without receiuing the full satisfaction of his sight which she desired determined hauing soiourned thrée dayes in his Castle to depart the nexte morning vnwares to the Knight to perfourme her voyage And so soone as the light of the daye began to appeare she went to the chamber of the Lady Isabell whome she thanked affectuously aswell for her good company as for the great courtesie and humanitie that she had receiued in her house And hauing taken leaue of her departed with her trayne The Knight Mendozza about an houre or two after her departure aduertised therof was greatly troubled what the matter might be that she was gone without taking leaue of him And after that he had a little thought therevpon he easily perceyued that all the fault therof was in himself And that this great Princesse had abandoned her countrie of purpose by all iudgement to visite him and that he had shewed himselfe very slack for her satisfaction in that he had not offred her his seruice Whereat being iustly greued she did not vouchsafe to giue him a farewell And so accusing himselfe he determined to follow after her accōpanied only with two Pages And for that he was on horseback it was not long before he espied her in the high way to S. Iames where lighting frō his horse he walked two miles wyth her seasoning the matter without intermission desiring her amongs other things to let him vnderstand what displeasure she had conceiued in his house that caused so spedy and secret a departure adding thervnto that if her pleasure were he would accompanie her to the place whither she was vowed and would also reconduct her in his owne person to Thurin in so honorable sorte that she should haue cause to be contented Then passing further with sighes sayde vnto her Madame Fortune had done me a great benefite if when my sister made her vowe to goe to Rome I had lost the battaile against myne enemies and that her vowe had bene without effect For it might haue bene that I should haue remained quiet by the losse of some of my people But alas I fele nowe since your comming into this countrie a battaile so cruell and assault so furious in my heart as not being able any longer to resist it I finde my selfe vanquished and caught captiue in suche sorte that I knowe not to whome to complayne but to you which is the motion of all my disquietnesse And yet which grieueth me most you dissemble as though you did not vnderstand it And to bring me to my last ende you are departed this day out of my house not dayning to sée me or to appease me with one farewell which hath so further inflamed my passion that I dye a thousande times in a day Beseching you for the time to come to entreat me more fauorably or you shal sée me in that state wherein you woulde be loth to sée your enemy Which is most cruell death And in dede he shewed sufficiently how great the grief was that prest him how well the passion that he felt was agreable to the wordes which he spake For in pronouncing his wordes he sighed so in hys tale and changed his colour so often and had his face so besprent with teares that it semed his soule attached with superfluous sorrowe would at that very instant haue abondoned his body Which the Princesse perceyuing touching at the quick the very spring of al his euill sayde vnto him Seigniour Mendozza I know not what you woulde that I shoulde doe more for you nor for what occasion you doe pretend that I should be the cause of your death For if the occasion thereof should happen through my default my lyfe by strength or abilitie coulde not endure one houre after for the sorow I should conceyue therof Think me to be yours and be not offended I besech you if openly I doe no longer talk with you For I would not to wynne al the goods in the world that any of this traine which doth accompanie me should perceyue any one sparke of the great kindled fier wherin my hart burneth day and night for your sake being assured that if you had felt one houre of my paine in place to accuse me of cruelty your self cōplayning would pitie the griefe which I haue sustayned for your long absence For without the continuall presence of your person representing it selfe in the eyes of myne vnderstanding with a firme hope once to haue séene you it had bene impossible for me to resist the long and hard assault where with loue hath euery houre assailed me But one thing I must nedes confesse vnto you that by reasō of the cold welcome which you made me in the beginning I thought it procéeded of some euill opinion conceyued of me or peraduenture that you had thought me ouer liberall of myne honour to haue lefte the countrie where I commaunde to render my selfe subiect to your good grace which caused me without leaue to depart your house But nowe that I do know by your countenance and teares the contrarie I acknowledge my faulte and desire you to forget it With full promise that at my retorne frō my voyage of S. Iames I wil make you amendes in the very same place where I cōmitted the fault And remayning your prisoner for a certayne time I will not depart from you vntill I haue satisfied by sufficient penaunce the greatnesse of my trespas In the meane tyme you shall content your selfe with my good will and without passing any further retorne againe home to your Castle for feare least
withall he thrust the rapier into him vp to the hard hiltes and doubling the blow to make him faile of his spéech he gaue him another ouerthwart the throte so fiercely that the pore innocent after he had a litle réeled to and fro fell downe stark dead to the ground When he had put vp his rapier he turned towards the Counsellers and sayde vnto them My friendes this is not the first time that I haue espied the lasciuious and dishonest loue betwene this my locherous Nephewe and the Duchesse whome I haue caused to die to honourably in respect of his desert For by the very rigor of the lawe he deserued to haue bene burnt quicke or else to be torne in pieces with .iiij. horses But my Lady the Duchesse I meane not to punishe or to prouide chastisement for her For you be not ignoraunt that the ancient custome of Lombardie and Sauoie requireth that euery woman taken in adultery shall be burned aliue yf with in a yeare a day she finde not a Champion to fighte the combase for her innocencie But for the bounden duery that I deare to my Lorde the Duke and for respect of the estate which he hath committed to my charge I will to morrowe dyspatche a Poaste to make hym vnderstande the whole accident as it is come to passe And the Duchesse shal remaine in this Chambre with certayue of her maides vnder sure keping and safegard All this time the Duchesse who had both iudgement and spirite so good as any Princesse that raygned in her time suspected straightwayes the treason of the Earle And with a pitiful eye beholding the dead body of her Page fetching a déepe sighe cryed out Oh innocent soule which sometyme gauest lyfe to this bodye that nowe is but earth thou art now in place where thou séest clearely the iniquitie of the murderer that lately did put thée to death And hauing made an end of this exlamation with her armes a crosse she remained as in a sowne without mouing eyther hande or foote And after she had continued a while in that estate she desired the Counsellers to cause the body to be buried and to restore it to the earth whereof it had the first creation For quoth she it hath not deserued to be tied to the gibet and to be fode for birdes of the ayre Which they graunted not without a certaine greuous suspicion betwéene her and the Page For so much as she excused not her self but the innocencie of him without speaking any worde of her owne particular iustification This pitiefull aduenture was out of hande published through all the citie with so great sorrow and murmure of the people that it semed as though the enemies had sacked the towne For there was not one from the very least to the greatest of all but did both loue and reuerence the Duchesse in suche sort that it séemed vnto them that this misfortune was fallen vpon euery one of their children The Earle of Pancalier did nothing al that day but dispatch the Poastes And hauing caused all the whole matter to be registred as it was séene to be done he commaunded the Counsellers and them of the Gard to subscribe his letters And al the matter being put in order he sent away two Currors with diligence the one into Englande to aduertise the King her brother and the other to the Duke Who being arriued eche man in his place presented their charges Wherevnto both the brother and the husband gaue full credite without any maner of difficultie persuaded principally therevnto by the death of the Nephewe Who as it was very likely had not bene put to death by his owne vncle and of whome he was also the very heire without his most grieuous faulte praysing greatly the fidelitie of the Earle that had not pardoned his owne propre bloud to conserue his duetie and honor so his soueraigne Lorde And it was concluded betwene them by deliberate aduise counsayle aswell of those of the King of England as by a gret nūber of lerned men of Fraūce whom the french king made to assemble for that respect in fauour of the Duke that the custome should be inuiolably kepte as if it were for the most simple damsell of all the country to the end that in time to come great Lords and Ladies which be as it were lampes to giue light to others might take example And that from thenceforth they should not suffer their vertues to be obscured by the cloudes of such execrable vices The King of Englande to gratifie the Earle of Pancalier who in his iudgement had shewed himselfe right noble in this acte sent him an excellent harnesse with a sworde of the selfe same trampe by the Currour with letters of aunswere written with his owne hande howe he vnderstode the manner of his procedings And the messanger vsed such diligence that wythin fewe dayes he arriued at Thurin Shortly after that the King of England had sent backe the Currour the Duke of Sauoie retorned his whome he stayed so much the longer bycause the matter touched him more nere And he would that it should be debated by most graue and deliberate counsell And when he had resolued he wrote to the counsellers and other Magistrates of Thurin aboue all things to haue respect that the custome should be inuiolablie kept and that they should not in any case fauour the adultery of his wife vpon payne of death Then in particuler he wrote his letters to the Earle wherby he did greatly allow his fidelity for the which he hoped to make him such recompence as both he and his should taste thereof during their liues The Currour of the Duke arriued and the matter proponed in counsell it was iudged that following the auncient custome a piller of Marble should be placed in the fieldes neere Thurin which is betwene the bridge of the riuer Poo and the citie wherevpon should be written the accusation of the Earle of Pancalier against the Duchesse Which the Duchesse vnderstanding hauing none other companie but Emilia and a yong damsell dispoiled her self of her silken garmēts and did put on mourning wede martired with an infinite numbre of sundrie tormentes seing her selfe abandoned of al worldly succour made her complaints to God beseching him with teares to be protector of her innocencie Emilia who vnderstode by her that she was vniustly accused and seing the iminent perill that was prepared for her determined by her accustomed prudence to prouide therfore And after she had a little comforted her she sayde vnto her Madame the case so requireth nowe that you shoulde not consume tyme in teares and other womanish plaintes which can nothing diminishe your euill It séemes most expedient vnto me that you fortefie your selfe agaynst your enemie and to find some meáne to send Maister Appian in poast to the Duke of Mendozza one of the best renowned in prowesse of al the Knights in Spaine who being aduertised of your misfortune wil
the Duchesse made into Spaine he sawe him euer more nere her than any other of her gentlemen And after that the Lorde of Mendozza had demaunded of him by what meanes he entred the towne Upon his aunswere he perceyued that he was a man of good experience and well affected to the seruice of his Maistresse that durst hazard his lyfe in such wise to obey her desire Incontinently Maister Appian deliuered vnto him the Duchesse letter Which when he had readde he retired into his chambre with Maister Appian hauing his face all bedewed with teares And bycause that the letter did importe credite he prayed Maister Appian to declare his charge Who sayde vnto him My Lady the Duchesse which is at this day the most afflicted Princesse vnder the coape of Heauen commendeth her selfe vnto your honour and doth humbly beseche you not to be offended for that at her last being in Galisia she departed without accomplishing her promise made vnto you Praying you to impute the fault vpon the importunitie of the Duke her husband Whō being constrayned to obey she could not satisfie the good will that she bare vnto you Then he began to declare in order howe the Earle of Pancalier was enamoured of her and not being able to obtaine his desire caused his Nephewe to hide him vnder her bed and how he had slaine him with his owne handes Finally the imprisonment of the Duchesse and the iudgement giuen against her Whereof the Lorde of Mendozza was greatly astonned And when he had heard the whole dyscourse he began to conceyue some euill opinion of the Duchesse Thinking it to be incredible that the Earle of Pancalier woulde so forget himselfe as to murder his owne propre Nephew and adopted sonne to be reuenged of a selie woman Neuerthelesse he dissembled that which he thought in the presence of Maister Appian and sayde vnto him Appian my friende if mine aduerse Fortune did not speake sufficiently for me I could tell thée here a long tale of my miseries But the séest into what extremitie I am presently reduced in sort that I am vtterly vnable to succor thy maistresse I my self still attending the houre of death And all that which presētly I am able to doe for thée is to set thée at libertie from the perill prepared for vs. And without longer talke he caused a hote skirmish to be giuē to his enemies to set Appian at large who being issued forth made certayne of his men to conduct him to place of suretie Appian seing no way for Mendozza to abandon his city for peril of death prepared for him and his thought his excuse reasonable And to attempt some other Fortune he vsed suche diligence that he in short time was retourned to Thurin where hauing cōmunicated the whole matter to Emilia she went strayght to the Duchesse to whome she sayde Madame God giue you the grace to be so constant in your aduersities as you haue occasion to be miscontented with the heauie newes that Appian hath brought you And then she began to recount vnto her the mysfortune of Mendozza the thraldome wherevnto his enemies had brought him and for conclusion that there was no hope of helpe to be expected at his handes Which when the Duchesse vnderstoode she cryed out Oh poore vnhappy woman amongst all the moste desolate and sorrowfull Thou mayst well now say that the light of thy life from henceforth beginneth to extinguish and growe to an ende séeing the succour of him vpon whome depended thine assuraunce is denyed thée Ah ingrate Knight Now knowe I right well but it is to late that of the extreme loue that I haue borne thée sprong the first roote of all mine euill which came not by any accident of Fortune but from celestiall dispensacion and diuine prouidence of my God Who nowe doth permit that mine Hipocrisie and counterfayt deuotion shall receyue condigne chastisement for my sinne And then Emilia seing her so confounded in teares sayde vnto her Madame it doth euill become a great and wise Princesse as you hitherto haue euer bene reputed for to torment her selfe sith that you know howe all the afflictions which we receiue from heauē be but proues of our fidelitie or as your selfe confesseth by your complayntes to be iust punishment for our sinnes Nowe then be it the one or the other you ought to fortifie your self against the hard assault of your sorrow And to remitte the whole to the mercy of God who of his aboundant grace will deliuer you of your trouble as he hath done manye others who when they thought themselues forsaken of al help and caused certayne drops of his pitie to raine downe vpon them Alas deare heart quod the Duchesse how easie a matter it is for one that is hole to comfort her that is sick But if thou feltest my griefe thou wouldest helpe me to complaine So grieuous a matter it is vnto mée with lyfe to lose myne honour And I muste confesse vnto thée that I sustayne a very cruell assault both against death and lyfe and I cannot eyther with the one or with the other haue peace or truce in my selfe Ne yet doe knowe howe to dissemble my sorrow but that in the ende the same wil be discouered by the fumes of mine ardent sighes which thinking to constrayne or retaine I doe nothing else but burie my selfe wtin mine owne body Assuring thée that greater is one drop of bloud that swelleth the heart within than all the teares that may be wept in the whole life without Wherfore I pray thée leaue me a litle to complaine my dolor before I goe to the place from whence I shal neuer retorne Emilia that willingly would haue sacrificed her selfe to redeme the Princesse from perill not being able any longer to endure the harde attempte where with pitie constrayned her heart was forced to goe forth and to withdraw her self into another chamber where she began to lamēt after so straunge manner that it semed it had bene she that was destened to death Whiles that these Ladies cōtinued thus in their sorowes the Knight Mendozza take no rest by day or night ne ceassed continually to think vpon the misfortune of the Duchesse And after that he had well considered the same he accused himself for fayling her at that her gret néede saying Now do I wel know that I am for euer hereafter vtterly vnworthy to beare armes or to haue the honorable title of a Knight sith the same order was giuen vnto me with charge to succour afflicted persons specially Ladyes whose force onely consisteth in teares And yet neuerthelesse I like a caitise haue so shamefully neglected my duety towardes the chiefe person of the worlde to whome I am greatly bounden that I dye a thousand times that day wherin I thinke vpon the same It behoveth me then from henceforth to establish new lawes to my deliberation and that I breake the gate of myne auncient rigor louing much better to die in honor pore
Spaine being aduertised of certayne talkes that had bene bruted of the mariage of his sonne with the daughter of the King of Englande determined wyth spéede to sende a greate companie of noble men thyther to demaunde hys daughter in mariage Of the whiche the Lorde of Mendozza as well for hys nobilitie as for the knoweledge whiche he had in languages and other good disciplines was elected chiefe with speciall commission to accorde the mariage in case it should so please the King The Ambassadours vsed such expedition that they arriued at London where the King for the present made his abode Who aduertised of their comming gaue cōmaundement to the Princesse his daughter to the Duchesse his sister to prepare thēselues to receiue a great company of Lordes of Spaine which that day would come to his courte to treate of the aforesayde mariage And God knoweth if the Ladyes spared oughte of that which they thought might augment their beautie The King also for his part to do them more honor went to méete them in person and at their arriual gaue them a most friendlye welcome But sodaynely as they presented themselues to doe their reuerence to the Ladyes the Duchesse who incontinently knew the Lorde of Mendozza began so to detest him that she was not able to rule her selfe but with a sodayne mutacion of colour she must néedes abandon the companie The Lorde of Mendozza knowing the originall of her griefe lefte not his dutie vndone towardes the Princesse and other Ladies which accompanied her dissembling to haue taken no regard to thabsence of the Duchesse And Emilia who had followed her mystresse into the chambre fearing least there were some sodayne mischaunce happened demaunded of her wherefore she was retired from a company so honorable and sayde that she did great wrong to her owne estimation To whome the Duchesse with extreme choler made aunswere Why Emilia thinkest thou that I haue the heart to suffer my hande to be kyssed by that moste trayterous and cowardely Knight of the worlde who made no conscience to abandon me in the moste greatest necessitie of my lyfe whereas I contrarie to the dutie of all the lawes of honor and contrarie to my sexe dyd so muche abase my selfe as to visite hym in Spaine Naye rather my dayes shall ceasse their course than mine affection shall euer reuiue in hym He shall neuer receyue any other fauoure of me but as of his most cruell and mortall enimye And then Emilia smiling sayde vnto her In good earnest Madame I thought that the sharpenesse of your imprisonment with the other torments paste which you haue indured might haue put all these matters quite in oblinion and would so haue mortifyed you that you had wholly lost all desire of reuenge But so farre as I can perceiue I am deceiued of mine accompt seing that sodainly so sone as you beheld the knight Mendozza you began to flye as if your ghostly enemie had come before you in hys moste hideous and horrible forme Yet coulde not Emilia perswade her to shew her selfe abrode before dinner tyll the King sente for her with worde that if she came not he woulde himselfe fetche her And then a little shamefast colour began to renew her Alablaster chéekes which rendred her so ruddie and fayre that the Spaniardes confessed neuer to haue séene in any part of the worlde where they had bene one so fayre and beautifull a wyddowe The tables couered for dinner the king tooke his place and for their more honourable entertaynement caused them to be set at his owne table and made the Lorde of Mendozza to be placed face to face with the Duchesse his sister Who was so inflamed and moued with choler that she durste not lifte vp her eyes for feare least vpon the sodaine she should be perceyued Which eyes sparkling sometymes with great yre resembled properly two starres of the night that shoote forth their brightnesse vpō the earth when al things be in silence And all this time the Lorde of Mendozza conceyued such pleasure at these pretie toyes that he would not haue chaunged his ioy for the best citie in all Englande And as the Duchesse in this order did firmely fixe her eyes she sawe by fortune a riche Diamonde that Mendozza ware vppon his finger Wherevpon hauing oftentymes cast her eyes she sodaynely knewe that it was the very same that she had gyuen to the good father that confessed her at Thurin the day before she was leadde to the piller and began then to imagine with her selfe howe it might be that he coulde come by the same And not knowing what to say immediately after she had dyned and the tables taken vp she caused Master Appian her Phisitian to be called vnto her whome she desired to know of the Lorde of Mendozza by what meanes he came by the Diamonde that he ware vpō his finger Which Appian did And after he had talked with the knight of certayne common matters he sayde vnto him My Lorde you haue a very fayre Diamonde theee which as I thinke I haue séene before this time wherefore Sir I pray you tell me where you had it To whome the Lorde of Mendozza aunswered in laughing wise Maister Appian where I had the ring is to secrete for you to knowe but tell my Lady the Duchesse that the knowledge thereof onely appartayneth vnto her Which answere Appian declared to the Duchesse And albeit that she toke no great pleasure in the answere Yet neuerthelesse very desirous to vnderstande the truth she repaired to the knight which the same tyme walked alone in a Gallerie who after he had kissed her handes began to discourse of his fortunes past declaring vnto her that he repented of the refusall that he made to Maister Appian for her succour and howe within a while after he rode to Thurin adding the deuise whereby he had heard her confession and howe the Diamonde came into his handes putting her in remembraunce from worde to worde of all his talke with her during the time that he was in Friers wéede then finally his victorie agaynst the Earle his secret flight and all the whole as before hath bene declared Whereat the Duchesse no lesse abashed than rapt with ioy and admiration fell downe in a swoune betwene his armes holding her mouth so faste closed against his that it séemed she woulde drawe the soule out of his body to ioyne and vnite with hers And after she had remained a while in this traunce she cried out O pore heart so long time plagued Which hast for the space of a yere nowe passed bene-tossed with so many tempestes and diuers assaults of Fortune Receyue at this present the medicine apte for thy health sithens thou enioyest him betwene thine armes that by the price of his bloud valiant force and extreme trauayles hath raysed thée from death to lyfe Let fortune from henceforth doe her will in that she is able to deuise against me And yet will I for this
if you had séene the numbre of shotte which by the space of .xij. houres were bestowed so thick as hayle vpon euery parte of the Forte you might haue iudged what good will the Scottes did beare vnto me and my people And for my selfe I am assured that if I had made proufe of that which you say and submitted my selfe to their mercie my bodie nowe had bene dissolued into dust The king astonned with so sage wise an aunswere chaunging his minde went towarde the Castle where after interteignement and accustomed welcome he began by little and little to féele himselfe attached with a newe fier Which the more he labored to resist the more it inflamed And feling this newe mutacion in himselfe there came into his minde an infinite nūbre of matters balancing betwene hope and feare sometimes determining to yelde vnto his passions sometimes thinking clerely to cut them of for feare least by committing himselfe to his affections the vrgent affayres of the warres wherwith he was inuolued should haue yll successe But in the end vanquished with Loue he purposed to proue the heart of the Countesse and the better to attayne the same he toke her by the hande and prayed her to shewe him the commodities of the Forteresse Which she did so well and with so good grace interteigning him all that while with infinite talke of diuers matters that the little griftes of Loue which were scarcely planted began to grow so farre as the rootes remayned engrauen in the depth of his heart And the King not able any longer to endure suche a charge in his minde pressed with griefe deuised by what meanes he might enioy her which was the cause of his disquiet But the Countesse seing him so pensife without any apparaunt occasion sayde vnto him Sir I doe not a little maruell to sée you reduced into these alterations For me thinke your grace is maruellously chaunged with in these two or thre houres that your highnesse vouchsaued to enter into this Castle for my succour and reliefe in so good time that al the dayes of my lyfe both I and mine be greatly bounde vnto you as to him which is not onely content eliberallie to haue bestowed vpon vs the goodes which we possesse but also by his generositie doth cōserue and defende vs from the incursions of the enemie Wherein your grace doth deserue double praise for a déede so charitable But I cannot tell nor yet deuise what should be the occasion that your highnesse is so pensife and sorrowfull sithe without great losse on your part your enemies vnderstanding of your stoute approch be retired which ought as I suppose to driue away the melancolie from your stomack and to reuoke your former ioy for so muche as victorie acquired without effusion of bloude is alwayes moste noble and acceptable before God The King hearing this Aungelles voyce so amiably pronouncing these wordes thinking that of her owne accorde she came to make him mery determined to let her vnderstand his griefe vpon so conuenient occasion offred Then with a trembling voyce he sayde vnto her Ah Madame howe farre be my thoughtes farre different from those which you doe thinke me to haue I féele my heart so opprest with care that it is impossible to tell you what it is howheit the same hath not bene of long continuance being attached there withall since my comming hither which troubleth me so sore that I cannot tell wherevpon well to determine The Countesse seing the King thus moued not knowing the cause why was vncertayne what aunswere to make Which the king perceiuing sayde vnto her fetching a déepe sigh from the bottome of his stomack And what saye you Madame therevnto can you giue me no remedie The Coūtesse which neuer thought that any such dishonestie coulde take place in the kings heart taking things in good part sayde vnto him Syr I know not what remedie to giue you if first you doe not discouer vnto me the griefe But if it trouble you that the Scottish king hath spoyled your countrie the losse is not so great as wherewith a prince so mighty as you be néede to be offended sithens by the grace of God the vengeance lyeth in your hand and you may in tyme chasten him as at other times you haue done Wherevnto the king seing her simplicitie answered Madame the beginning of my grief riseth not of that but my wounde resteth in the inwarde parte of my heart which pricketh me so sore that if I desire from henceforth to prolong my lyfe I must open the same vnto you reseruing the cause thereof so secrete that none but you and I must be partakers I muste nowe then confesse vnto you that in cōming to your Castle and casting downe my head to beholde your celestiall face and the rest of the graces wherwith the Heauens haue prodigally endewed you I haue felt vnhappie man as I am such a sodayne alteratiō in all the most sensible partes of my bodie that knowing my forces diminished I can not tell to whome to make my complaint of my libertie lost which of long time I haue so happyly preserued but only to you that like a faythfull keper and onely Treasorer of my heart you may by some shining beame of pitie bring againe to hys former mirth and ioye that which you desire in me and by the contrarie you maye procure to me a life more painefull and grieuous than a thousand deathes together When he had ended these wordes he helde his peace to let her to speake attending none other thing by her aunswere but the laste decrée eyther of death or lyfe But the Countesse with a grauitie conformable to her honestie honor without other mouing sayde vnto him If any other besides your grace had bene so forgetfull of himselfe to enter in these tearmes or to vse suche talke vnto me I knowe what shoulde be myne aunswere and so it might be that he shoulde haue occasion not to be well contented but knowing this your attempt to procéede rather from the pleasantnesse of your hearte than for other affection I will beleue from henceforth and persuade my selfe that a Prince so renowmed and gentle as you be doth not thinke and much lesse meane to attempt any thing against myne honour which is a thousand times dearer vnto me than lyfe And I am persuaded that you doe not so little estéeme my father and my husband who is for your seruice prisoner in the hands of the French men our mortall enemies as in their absence to procure vnto them suche defamation and slaunder And by making this request your grace doth swarue from the boundes of Honestie very farre and you doe greate iniurie to your fame if men shoulde know what tearmes you doe vse towards me In like manner I purpose not to violate the faith which I haue giuen to my husbande rather I intende to kepe the same vnspotted so long as my soule shall be caried in the Chariot of this
olde Earle which neuer thought that a request so vniust and dishonest would haue procéeded oute of the mouth of a King with frank and open hart offred that liberall graunt The king then thinking that he had sounded the depth of the Earles affection chaunging colour his eyes fixed on the ground sayde vnto him Your daughter the Countesse of Salesburie my Lorde is the onely medicine of my trauayles whome I doe loue better than my owne life and doe féele my selfe to inflamed with her Heauenly beauty that without her grace and fauour I am not able hereafter to lyue for thys consideration syth you desire to doe me seruice and to preserue my lyfe I praye you to deale so with her that she with compassion may looke vpon me Crauing this request at your handes not without extreme shame considering aswell your honorable state as your auncient merites imployed vpon me and my progenitoures But according to your modestie and accustomed goodnesse impute the faulte vpon amorous loue which in such wise hath alienated my libertie and confounded my heart that now ranging out of the boundes of honor reason I féele my selfe tormented vexed in minde Wherby I am prouoked to make this request and not able to expell the mortal poyson out of my heart which hath diminished my force intoxticated my sense and hath depriued my minde from all good counsell that I can not tell what to do but to séeke to you for helpe hauing no kinde of rest but when I sée her when I speake of her or think vpō her And I am at this present reduced into so pitifull state that being not able to winne her by intreaties offers presents sutes ambassages and letters my onely and last refuge and assured port of all my miseries resteth in you eyther by death to ende my lyfe or by force to obtayne my desire The Earle hearing the vneiuile and beastlye demaunde of his soueraigne Lorde blushing for shame and throughlie astonned filled also with a certayne honest and vertuous disdayne was not able to dissolue his tongue to render a worthy aunswere to the afflicted Prince Finally lyke one awaked from his deade sléepe he sayde vnto him Sir my wittes fayle my vertue reuolteth my tongue is mute at those words that procéede from your mouth wherby I fele my self brought into two so straunge and perillous poyntes that passing eyther by one or other I muste néedes fall into very great daunger But to resolue my selfe vpon that which is moste expedient hauing giuen vnto you my fayth in pledge to succour and helpe you euen to the abandoning of honor and lyfe I will not be contrarie to my wordes And touching my daughter for whom you haue made request I will reueale vnto her the effect of your demaunde yet of one thing I muste tell you sir power I haue to entreate her but none at all to force her Inoughe it is that she vnderstande of me what heart and affection you beare vnto her But I doe maruell yea and complayne of you pardon me most dradde soueraigne and suffer me without offence to discharge my griefe before your presence rather than to your shame and myne eternall infamie it should be manifested and published abrode by other I saye that I maruell sir what occasion moued you to commit such reproch in my stocke bloude and by an acte so shamefull and lasciuious to dishonor the same Which neuer disdayned to serue both you and yours to the vttermost of their powers Alas vnhappy father that I am is this the guerdon and recompence that I and my children shal expect for our trusty and faithfull seruices Oh sir for Gods sake if you liste not to be liberal of your owne seke not to dishonour vs and to inflict vpon our race suche notable infamie But who can loke for worse at the hands of his mortall and cruell enemie It is you euen you it is most noble Prince that doth rauishe my daughter of her honor dispoyle me of my contentation ye take from my children hardinesse to shewe their faces from all our whole house the auncient fame and glory It is you that hath obscured the clearenesse of my bloude with an attempt so dishonest and detestable that the memorie thereof shall neuer be forgotten It is you that doth constraine me to be the infamous minister of the totall destruction of my progenie and to be a shamelesse Pandarus of my daughters honor Thinke you sir that you meane to helpe and succoure me when others shal attempt to obiect before my face this slaunder and reproch but if your self doe hurte me where shall I hereafter seke reliefe and succour If the hand which ought to helpe me be the very same that doth giue me the wound where shall the hope be of my recouerie For this cause may it please your Maiesty whether iustlie I doe make my complaynt and whether you giue me occasion to aduaunce my cryes to the heauens your selfe shall be the Iudge For if like a Iudge in dede you doe giue ouer your disordinate affectiō I then appeale to the iudgement of your inuincible mynde accomplished with all curtesie and gentlenesse On the other side I doe lamente your Fortune when I thinke vpon the reasons which you haue alleaged and the greater cause I haue to complayne bicause I haue knowen you from your youth and haue alwayes déemed you at libertie and frée from suche passions not thrall or subiect to the flames of Loue but rather giuen to the exercise of armes And nowe seing you to become a prisoner of an affection vnworthy your estate I can not tell what to thinke the noueltie of this sodayne chaunce semeth to be so straunge Remember sir that for a little suspicion of adulterie you caused Roger Mortimer to be put to death And being skarce able to tell it without teares you caused your own mother miserably to die in prisō And God knoweth how small your accusacions were and vpon howe light ground your suspicion was conceyued Doe not you knowe how wonderfully you be molested with warres and that your enemies trauell daye and night to circumuent you both by sea lande Is it now time then to giue your selfe to delightes to captiuate your minde in the pleasures of Ladies Where is the auncient generositie nobilitie of your bloud Where is the magnanimitie valour wherewith you haue astonned your enemies shewed your selfe amiable to your friendes and wonderful to your subiects Touching the last point wherby you threaten that if my daughter doe not agrée to your desire you will forcibly enioy her I will neuer confesse that to be the fact of a valiaunt and true king but of a vile cowardly cruell and libidinous tyraunt I trust it be not the pleasure of God that nowe at the age you be of you will begin to force Gentlewomen that be your humble subiectes which if you do this Iland shal lose the name of a Realme and hereafter
King coulde be so impudent and vnshamefast as to cōmit to a father a charge so dishonest toward his owne daughter The Earle hauing recited in order the historie past betwéene him and the King sayde thus vnto her Consider you swete daughter myne vnaduised and simple promisse and the vnbrideled minde of an amorous king to whom I made aunswere that intreat you therevnto I was able but force you I could not For this cause deare daughter I doe pray you at this instant for all that you will obey the kings pleasure and thereby to make a present to your father of your honest chastitie so dearely estemed and regarded by you specially that the thing may so secretly be done that the fault be not bruted in the eares of other Neuerthelesse the choyse resteth in you and the key of your honour is in your owne handes and that which I haue sayde vnto you is but to kepe promisse with the King The Countesse all the while that her father thus talked chaunged her colour with a comelye shamefastnesse inflamed with a vertuous disdaine that he which had beholde her then would haue thought her rather some celestial goddesse than a humaine creature And after long silence with an humble grauitie she began thus to make her aunswere Your wordes haue so confounded me and brought me into such admiration my Lorde and right honorable father that if all the partes of my body were conuerted into tongues they coulde not be sufficient worthily to expresse the least part of my sorrowe and vnquietnesse And truely very iustly may I complaine of you for the little estimation you haue of me which am your owne flesh bloud and bone And for the ransome of the fraile and transitorie lyfe which you haue giuen me vpon earth you will for recompence nowe defraude me of mine honour Whereby I do perceyue that not onely all natures lawes be cancelled and mortified in you but which is worsse you doe excéede therein the cruelties of beastes who for all their brutishnesse be not so vnnaturall to doe wrong to their owne yong ones or to offer their fruite to the mercy of another as you haue done yours to the pleasure of a King For notwithstanding the strayght charge and aucthoritie which you haue ouer mée to commaunde me being your right humble very obedient daughter yet you ought to thinke and remember that you haue neuer séene in me any acte motion signe or worde to incite you to moue such dishonest talke And although the king many times with infinite nūber of prayers presentes messages and other such allurements of persuasion hath displayed and vttered all the arte of his minde to seduce and corrupt me yet he was neuer able to receiue other answere of me but that honor was a thousand times dearer vnto me than lyfe which still I meant to kepe secrete from your knowledge euen as I haue done from other of myne alliaunce for feare least you should be induced to commit some trespas or conspire any thing against our king foreseing the straunge accidents which haue chaunced for lyke matters to the ruine of many cities and prouinces But good God my doubt is nothing to purpose sith that your self is the shamelesse Poste of an act to dishonest And to conclude in fewe wordes although that daylie I haue good hope that the king seing me at a point still to conserue my chastitie inuiolable he will giue ouer to pursue me any longer will suffer me hereafter to liue in quiet with mine equals but if so be he so doe continue obstinate in his olde folly I am determined rather to dye than to doe the thing that shall hurt me and pleasure him And for feare that he take from me by force that which of mine owne accorde I wil not graunt following your counsell of two euilles I will choose the leaste thinking it more honorable to distroy and kill my selfe with mine owne handes than to suffer such blot or shame to obscure the glorye of my name being desirous to commit nothing in secrete that sometime hereafter being published may make me ashamed and chaunge colour And where you saye that you haue sworne and gaged your fayth to the king for the assuraunce of your promise it as verye yll done before you did consider what power fathers haue ouer their children which is so well defined by the lawe of God that they be not bounde to their parents in that which is against his diuine commaundements Much lesse may they binde vs to things incestuous and dishonest which specially and strayghtly be inioyned vs not to perfourme if we therevnto be required And it had bene farre more decent and excusable before God if when you made that foolishe promise to the king you had promised him rather to strangle me with your owne hands than to cōsent to let me fall into a fault so abhominable And to th ende I may tel you the last determinacion conclusion of that which I am determined to do by good aduise and immutable counsell thus it is You shall tell the king that I had rather lose my life after that most cruell and shamefull maner that may be deuised than to cōsent to a thing so dishonest hauing of long time fyxed this saying in my minde That honest death doth honor and beautifie the forepasled lyfe The Father hearing the wyse aunswere of the daughter gaue her his blessing in his heart praysing her Codlee minde beseching God to helpe her and to kéepe her vnder his protection and to confirme her in that holye and vertuous determination Then féeling him greatly comforted he repayred to the King to whome he sayde Pleaseth your grace to thintent I might obserue my promise I sweare by the fayth the I doe owe to God and you that I haue done what I can with my daughter disclosing vnto her your whole minde and pleasure and exhorting her to satisfie your request but for a resolute aunswere she sayth that rather she is contented to suffer moste cruell death than to commit a thing so contrary to her honor You knowe sir what I sayde vnto you still that I might entreate her but force her I coulde not Hauing then obeyed your commaundement and accomplished my promise it may please you to giue me leaue to go home to one of my Castles from henceforth to incline my self to quietnesse to ease my decrepite and féeble age Which the king willingly graunted The same day he departed from the Courte with his sonnes and went home to his Countrie leauing at London his wife daughter and the rest of his housholde thinking thereby to discharge himself of things without the kings displeasure The king on the other side was no soner aduertised of the Earles departure and that he had left hys daughter behinde him at London but he knew the fathers minde and purpose and fell in such dispayre of his loue that he was lyke to haue runne out of his wittes for
whitenesse surpassed the Snow began to haue pitie vpon them but calling to his remembraunce the iniuries past the daunger of death wherein he was he reiected all pitie and continued in his hard and obstinate determination Then he tooke all their apparell and other furnitures that they did weare and bestowed it in a little chamber and wyth threatning wordes commaunded al thrée to lye in one bedde The women altogether astonned beganne to saye to themselues Alas what fooles be we What will our husbandes and our friendes saye when they shall vnderstande that we be founde naked and miserablie slayne in this bedde It had bene better for vs to haue dyed in our cradelles than apprehended and founde dead in this state and plight The Scholler seing them bestowed one by another in the bedde lyke husbande and wyfe couered them wyth a very white and large shéete that no part of their bodyes might be séene and knowen and shutting the chamber dore after him Philenio went to séeke their husbandes which were dauncing in the Hall And the daunce ended he brought them into the Chamber where the thrée Muses laye in their bedde saying vnto them Sirs I haue brought you into this place to shew you some pastime and to let you sée the fayrest things that euer you sawe in your lyues Then approching nere the bedde and holding a torche in his hande he began fayre and softlye to lyft vp the shéete at the beddes féete discouering these fayre Ladyes euen to the knées Ye shoulde haue séene then how the husbandes did beholde their white legges and their well proporcioned féete which done he disclosed them euen to the stomack and shewed their legges and thighes farre whiter than alabaster which seemed lyke two pillers of fine marble with a rounde bodie so wel formed as nothing coulde be better Consequently he tourned vp the sheete a little further and their stomacks appeared somewhat round and plūme hauing two round breastes so firme feate that they woulde haue constrayned the great God Iupiter to imbrace and kisse them Whereat the husbandes tooke so great pleasure and contentacion as coulde be deuised I omit for you to think in what plight these poore naked women were hearing their husbands to make them All this while they laye verye quiet and durst not so much as to hemme or cough for feare to be knowen The husbandes were earnest with the Scholler to discouer their faces but he wyser in other mennes hurts than in his owne would by no meanes consent vnto it Not contented with this the yong Scholler shewed their apparel to their husbands who seing the same were astonned and in viewing it with great admiration they sayd to thēselues Is not this the gown that I once made for my wyfe Is not this the Coyfe that I bought her Is not this the Pendant that she vseth about her necke Be not these the rings that she weareth vpō her fingers Being gone out of the chāber for feare to trouble the feast he would not suffer them to depart but caused them to tarrie supper The Scholler vnderstanding that supper was ready And that the Master of the house had disposed all things in order he caused the geastes to sit downe And whiles they were remouing placing the stooles chayres he returned into the chāber where the thrée Daines lay and vncouering thē he sayd vnto them Bonidur fayre Ladyes did you heare your husbands They whereby and doe earnestly tarie for you at supper What do ye meane to doe Up and ryse ye Dormouses rubbe your eyes and gape no more dispatche and make you ready it is tyme for you now to repayre into the Hal where the other Gentlewomen doe tarye for you Beholde now how this Scholler was reuenged by interteigning them after this maner Then the poore desolate women fearing least their case woulde sorte to some pitifull successe dispayring of their health and thus troubled and discomforted rose vp looking rather for death than for anye other thing And tourning them towarde the Scholler they sayde vnto him Maister Philenio you haue sufficient reuenge vpon vs the best for you to doe nowe is to take your sworde and to bereue vs of oure lyfe which is more lothsome vnto vs than pleasant And if you will not doe vs that good tourne suffer vs to goe home to our houses vnknowen that our honors may be saued Then Philenio thinking that he had at pleasure vsed their persons deliuered them their apparell and so sone as they were ready he let them out at a little dore very secretlye vnknowen of any man and so they went home to their houses So sone as they had put of their fayre furnitures they folded them vp and layde them in their chestes Which done they went about their housholde businesse till their husbandes came home when their husbande 's retourned they founde their wiues sowing by the fyre side in their chambers And bicause of their apparell their ringes and iewelles which they had séene in the Schollers chāber it made them to suspect their wiues euery of them demaunding his seuerall wyfe where she had bene that night and where their apparell was They well assured of themselues aunswered boldly that they were not out of their house all the euening and taking the keyes of their cofers shewed them their apparell their rings other things which their husbandes had made them Which when their husbandes sawe they coulde not tell what to say and forthwith reiected all the suspicion which they had conceyued against them telling them from point to point what they had séene that night The women vnderstanding those wordes made as though they knewe nothing and after a little sporte and laughter betwéene them they went to bed Many tymes Philenio met his Gentlewomē in the streates and sayde vnto them Which of you was most afrayde or worste intreated But they holding downe their heades passed forth not speaking a worde In this maner the Scholler was required so wel as he could of the deceytes done against him without any blowe giuen A chaste Death The piteous and chaste death of one of the Mulcters wiues of the Queene of Nauarre ¶ The L. Nouell IN the Citie of Amboise there was a Muleter that serued the Quéene of Nauarre sister to King Fraunces the first of that name which was brought a bed of a sōne at Blois To which Towne the said Muleter was gone to be paide his quarters wages Whose wife dwelled at Amboise beyond the bridges It chaunced that of long time one of her husbandes seruantes did so disordinatelye loue her that vpon a certayne daye he coulde not forbeare but he must néedes vtter the effect of his Loue borne vnto her But she bring a right honest woman tooke her mans sute in very ill part threatning to make her husbande to beate him and to put him away and vsed him in suche wise that after that tyme he durst not speake thereof no more no yet to
to all thinges good and vertuous hoping therby to attayne the fame of a moste perfect Lady to be counted worthy the interteignement of such a seruant Amadour being arriued at Barsalone was banketted of the Ladyes after the olde maner but they finding him so altered and chaunged thought that Mariage coulde neuer haue had such power vpon man as it had ouer him For he séemed then to disdayne those things which sometime he greatly desired and specially the Coūtesse of Palamons whom he dearely loued coulde deuise no meanes to make him goe alone home to his lodging Amadour tarried at Barsalone so little while as he coulde bicause he might not come late to the place where he should winne and achieue honour And being arriued at Saulse great cruell warres was comenced betwene the two kings which I purpose not to recite ne yet the noble enterprises done by Amadour whose fame was bruted aboue the rest of his companions The Duke of Nagyeres arriuing at Parpignon had charge of two thousād men and prayed Amadour to be his Lieutenant who with that band serued so wel that no crie was hearde in all the skirmishes other than Nagyeres It chaūced that the king of Thunis which of long time had warre with the Spaniardes vnderstanding how the kings of Spaine and Fraunce were together by the eares at Parpignon and Narbone thought that in better time he could not anoy the king of Spaine Wherefore he sent a great number of Foysts and other vessels to robbe and destroy those frontiers which were yll guarded kept They of Barsalone séeing a number of Shippes passe before the Towne aduertised the king that was at Saulse who imediatly sent the Duke of Nagyeres to Palamons And when the Shippes perceyued that the place was well guarded they made as thoughe they woulde passe further But aboute midnight they retourned and landed so many men that the Duke of Nagyeres was taken prisoner Amadour which was very vigilant hearing al arme presently assembled so many men as he coulde and defended himselfe so well that the force of his enemies a long time coulde not hurt him But in th ende knowing that the Duke of Nagyeres was taken prisoner and that the Turkes were determined to burne the Citie of Palamons and then to fier the house which he strongly had forced against them he thought it better to render him selfe than to be cause of the losse of so many good souldiors as were in his bande and also by putting himselfe to raūsome he hoped in time to come to sée Florinda Thē he submitted himself to a Turke called Derlyn the gouernor of the king of Thunis who conueyed him home to his maister where he was well enterteigned and better kept For they thought that hauing him in their handes they had gotten the onely Achilles of Spaine In this sorte Amadour continued almost the space of two yeares in the seruice of the king of Thunis Newes came into Spaine of this ouerthrow wherof the friends of the Duke of Nagyeres were very sorrowfull But they that loued the honor of their countrie thought Amadour to be the greatest losse The brute whereof was noysed in the house of the Countesse of Arande where at that tyme the pore Gentlewoman Auenturade lay very sore sicke The Countesse suspecting very muche the affection that Amadour bare vnto her daughter which he suffered and dissembled for his vertues sake called her daughter aside and tolde her the pitious newes Florinda which could well dissemble sayde vnto her that it was a great losse for all their house but specially she pitied the state of his pore wife bicause at that time she was so sore sick But seing her mother wepe so bitterly she let fall some teares to kepe her companie least through to much dissimulation her loue might be discouered After that time the Countesse spake to her many tymes but she could neuer perceyue by her countenaunce any cause of certayne suspicion I will leaue to speake of the voyages the prayers the supplications and fastings whiche Florinda did ordinarily make for the safegard and prosperitie of Amadour who incontinently so sone as he was arriued at Thunis sente newes to his friendes and by a sure messanger aduertized Madame Florinda that he was in good health and hope to retourne Which newes was to the pore Lady the only meanes to releue and ease her sorrow And doubte ye not but the meanes of writing was vtterly debarred from Amadour whereof Florinda acquited her self so dilygently that by her letters and epistles he receyued gret consolation comfort The Countesse of Arande receyued cōmaundement from the King to repaire to Sarragosa where he that tyme was arriued And there she founde the yong Duke of Cardonne making sute to the King and Quéene for mariage of her daughter The Countesse vnwilling to disobey the king agréed thinking that her daughter being very yong had none other affection but that she had When the accord was concluded she sayde vnto her daughter that she had chosen her that match which she thought best worthy to ioyne with her person Her daughter séeing that in a thing already done it was to late to take counsell sayde vnto her that God was to be praysed in all things And séeing her mother so farre alienated from her intent she thought it better to shew her selfe obedient than to take pitie vpon her selfe And to comforte her in that sorow she vnderstode that the Infant Fortune was at the point of death But before her mother or any other person she shewed not so much as one signe or token thereof strayning her selfe so muche that the teares by force retiring to her heart did cause the bloud to issue forth at her nose in such abundance that her lyfe was in present daunger And to recouer her of that dysease she was maried vnto him for whose sake she had rather haue chaunged her lyfe for presente death After the mariage Florinda wente with her husbande into the Duchie of Cardonne and with her Auenturade to whome she secretly made her complaint aswell of her mothers rigor as also of the sorrowe she conceyued for the losse of the sonne of the Infant Fortune But of her griefe for Amadour she spake neuer a worde but by waye of comforting her This yong Lady then determined to haue God and respect of honor before her eyes and so well to dissemble her griefes that none should at any tyme perceyue that she misliked her husbande In this sorte Florinda passed a long tyme liuing a lyfe no lesse pleasant than death The report whereof she sent to her good seruant Amadour who vnderstanding her great loue and well disposed heart and the loue she bare to the Infant Fortune thought that it was impossible she could liue long lamented her state more than his owne This griefe augmented his paine of imprisonment wishing to haue remained a slaue all the dayes of his lyfe so that Florinda had had a
no more affection to Amadour and thought assuredly that she was voyd of reason bicause she hated all those thinges which she loued And from that tyme forth there was suche warre betwéene the mother and the daughter that the mother for the space of .vij. yeares woulde not speake vnto her except it were in anger Which she did at the requeste of Amadour During which tyme Florinda conuerted the feare that she had to remayne with her husbande into mere loue to anoyde the rigor and checkes of her mother Howebeit seing that nothing coulde preuayle she purposed to begyle Amadour leauing for a day or two her ser straūge countenaunce she counselled Amadour to loue a woman which as she sayde did commonly talke of their loue This Lady dwelt with the Quéene of Spaine was called Lorette who was very ioyful and glad to get suche a seruaunt And Florinda found meanes to cause a brute of this newe loue to be spred in euery place and specially the Countesse of Arande being at the Court perceyued the same who afterwardes was not so displeased with Florinda as she was wont to be Florinda vpon a tyme heard tel that the Captaine the husband of Loret began to be ialous ouer his wife and determined by some meanes or other he cared not how to kill Amadour Florinda notwithstanding her dissembling countenaunce could not suffer any hurt to be done to Amadour and therefore incontinently gaue him aduertisement therof But he retourning againe to his former sollyes answered that if it would please her to interteigne him euery day thrée houres he would neuer speake agayne to Loret whervnto by no meanes she would consent Then Amadour sayde vnto her if you will not haue me to liue wherefore goe ye about to defend me from death except ye purpose to torment me alyue in such wise that a thousand deathes can not doe But for so much as death doth fly from me I wil neuer leaue to seke death til I haue founde him out at whose approch onely I shall haue rest Whilest they were in these tearmes newes came that the King of Granado was about to enter into great warres against the King of Spaine in such wise that the King sent against him the Prince his sonne and with him the Constable of Castille and the Duke of Albe two auncient and sage Lords The Duke of Cardonne and the Counte of Arande not willing to tarrie behinde besought the King to giue eyther of them a charge Which he did according to the dignitie of their houses appointing Amadour to be their guid Who during that warre did suche valiaunt factes that they semed rather to be desperately than hardyly enterprised And to come to the effect of this discourse his great valiaunce was tryed euen to the death For the Moores making a bragge as though they woulde giue battayle when they sawe the army of the Chistians counterfaited a retire whome the Spaniardes pursued but the olde Constable and the Duke of Albe doubting their policie stode still against the wil of the Prince of Spaine not suffering him to passe ouer the riuer but the Counte of Arande and the Duke of Cardonne although they were countremanded did followe the chase and when the Moores sawe that they were pursued with so small a number they retourned and at one recountrie killed the Duke of Cardōne and the Counte of Arande was so sore hurt that he was left for deade in the place Amadour arriuing vpon this ouerthrowe inuaded the battayle of the Moores with suche rage and furie that he rescued the two bodyes of the Duke and Countie and caused them to be conueyed to the Princes campe who so lamented their chaūce as if they had bene his owne brethren But in searching their wounds the Countie of Arande was found to be aliue and was sent home to his owne house in a horslitter wher of long time he was sick and lykewise was conueyed to Cardonne the deade body of the yong Duke Amadour in rescuing those two bodyes toke so little héede to him selfe that he was inclosed with a great number of the Moores bicause he would be no more taken aswell to verifie his faith towardes God as also his vowe made to his Lady and also considering that if he were prisoner to the King of Granado eyther he shoulde cruelly be put to death or else forced to renounce his fayth he determined not to make his death or taking glorious to his enemies Wherefore kissing the crosse of his sworde and rendring his body and soule to the handes of almightie God he stabbed himselfe into the body with such a blow that there neded no second wound to rid him of his lyfe In this sorte dyed pore Amadour so much lamēted as his vertues did deserue The newes hereof was bruted throughout Spaine and Florinda which then was at Barsalone where her husbande in his lyfe tyme ordeyned the place of his buriall after that she had done his honorable obsequies without making her owne mother or mother in lawe priuie thervnto surrendred herselfe into the Monasterie of Iesus there to liue a religious lyfe receyuing him for her husband and friend which had deliuered her from the vehement loue of Amadour from a displeasaunt lyfe so great and vnquiet as was the company of her husbande In this wise she conuerted all her affections to loue God so perfectly that after she had long time lyued a religious life she yelded vp her soule in suche ioy as the Bridgrome doth when he goeth to visite his spouse A Duke of Florence The incontinencie of a Duke and of his impudencie to attayne hys purpose with the iust punishement which he receyued for the same ¶ The Liiij Nouell IN the Citie of Florence there was a Duke that maryed the Ladye Margaret the bastarde daughter of the Emperour Charles the fift And bicause she was very yong it was not lawfull for him to lye with her but tarying til she was of better yeres he vsed her very gently Who to spare his wyfe was amorous of certayne other Gentlewomen of the citie Amongs whome he was in loue with a very fayre wise and honest Gentlewoman that was sister to a Gentleman whome the Duke loued so well as himselfe to whome he gaue so much aucthoritie in his house that his worde was so well obeyed and feared as the Dukes himselfe and there was no secrete thing in the Dukes minde but he declared the same vnto him that he might full well haue bene called a seconde himselfe The Duke seing his sister to be a woman of so great honestie had no wayes or meanes to vtter vnto her the loue that he bare her after he had inuented all occasions possible at length he came to this Gentleman which he loued so well and sayde vnto him My friende if there were any thing in all the worlde wherein I were able to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you and woulde not doe it at your request I shoulde be