the rather because his olde mistresse Artesia might see whome she had so lightly forsaken and therefore demaunding and obteyning leaue of Basilius he caused a Heraulde to be furnished with apparell of his office and tokens of a peaceable message and so sent him to the gate of the towne to demaunde audience of Amphialus who vnderstanding thereof caused him both safely and courteously to be brought into his presence who making lowly reuerence vnto him presented his Letters desiring Amphialus that whatsoeuer they conteyned he would consider that he was onely the bearer and not the inditer Amphialus with noble gentlenesse assured him both by honourable speeches and a demeanure which aunswered for him that his reuenge whensoeuer should sort vnto it selfe a higher subiect But opening the Letters he found them to speake in this maner PHalantus of Corinthe to Amphialus of Arcadia sendeth the greeting of a hatelesse enemie The liking of martiall matters without anie mislike of your person hath brought me rather to the companie then to the minde of your besiegers where languishing in idlenesse I desire to refresh my minde with some exercise of armes which might make knowne the dooers with delight of the beholders Therefore if there be any Gentleman in your Towne that eyther for the loue of Honour or honour of his Loue will armed on horsebacke with launce and sworde winne another or loose himselfe to be a prisoner at discretion of the conquerour I will to morrowe morning by Sunne rising with a trumpet and a Squire onely attende him in like order furnished The place I thinke fittest the Iland within the Lake because it standes so well in the view of your Castell as that the Ladies may haue the pleasure of seeing the combate which though it be within the commaundement of your Castell I desire no better securitie then the promise I make to my selfe of your vertue I attende your aunswere and wish you such successe as may be to your honour rather in yeelding to that which is iust then in mainteyning wrong by violence AMphialus read it with cheerefull countenance and thinking but a little with himselfe called for inke and paper and wrote this aunswere AMphialus of Arcadia to Phalantus of Corinthe wisheth all his owne wishes sauing those which may be hurtfull to another The matter of your letters so fit for a worthy minde and the maner so sutable to the noblenesse of the matter giue me cause to thinke how happie I might accounte my selfe if I coulde get such a friende who esteeme it no small happinesse to haue mette with so noble an enemie Your chalenge shall be aunswered and both time place and weapon accepted For your securitie from any treacherie hauing no hostage woorthie to counteruaile you take my woord which I esteeme aboue all respectes Prepare therefore your armes to fight but not your hart to malice since true valure needes no other whetstone then desire of honour HAuing writte and sealed his letter he deliuered it to the Heraulde and withall tooke a faire chaine from off his owne necke and gaue it him And so with safe conuoy sent him away from out his Citie and he being gone Amphialus shewed vnto his mother and some other of his chiefe Counsailours what he had receyued and howe he had aunswered telling them withall that he was determined to aunswere the chalenge in his owne person His mother with prayers authorized by motherly commaundement his olde gouernour with perswasions mingled with reprehensions that he would rather affect the glorie of a priuate fighter then of a wise Generall Clinias with falling downe at his feete and beseeching him to remember that all their liues depended vppon his safetie sought all to dissuade him But Amphialus whose hart was enflamed with courage and courage enflamed with affection made an imperious resolution cutte off the tediousnesse of replyes giuing them in charge what they shoulde doo vppon all occasions and particularly to deliuer the Ladies if otherwise then well happened vnto him onely desiring his mother that she woulde bring Philoclea to a window whence she might with ease perfectly discerne the combat And so as soone as the morning beganne to draw dewe from the fairest greenes to washe her face withall against the approach of the burning Sunne hee went to his stable where himselfe chose out a horse whom though he was neere twentie yeere olde he preferred for a peece of sure seruice before a great number of yonger His colour was of a browne bay dapled thick with black spots his forhead marked with a white starre to which in all his bodie there was no part sutable but the left foote before his mane and taile black and thick of goodly and well proportioned greatnes He caused him to be trimmed with a sumptuous saddle of tawnie and golde ennamell enriched with pretious stones his furniture was made into the fashion of the branches of a tree from which the leaues were falling and so artificiallie were the leaues made that as the horse moued it seemed indeed that the leaues wagged as when the winde plaies with them and being made of a pale cloath of gold they did beare the straw-coloured liuerie of ruine His armour was also of tawnie and golde but formed into the figure of flames darckened as when they newelie brake the prison of a smoakie furnace In his shielde he had painted the Torpedo fish And so appointed he caused himselfe with his trumpet and squire whom he had taken since the death of Ismenus to be ferried ouer into the Iland a place well chosen for such a purpose For it was so plaine as there was scarcely any bush or hillock either to vnleuell or shadow it of length and breadth enough to trie the vttermost both of launce and sword and the one end of it facing the castle the other extending it selfe toward the campe and no accesse to it but by water there could no secret trecherie be wrought and for manifest violence ether side might haue time inough to succour their party But there he found Phalantus alredy waiting for him vpon a horse milke white but that vpon his shoulder and withers he was freckned with red staines as when a few strawberies are scattered into a dish of creame He had caused his mane and taile to be died in carnation his reines were vine branches which ingendring one with the other at the end when it came to the bitte there for the bosse brought foorth a cluster of grapes by the workeman made so liuely that it seemed as the horse champed on his bitte he chopped for them and that it did make his mouth water to see the grapes so neere him His furniture behind was of vines so artificially made as it seemed the horse stood in the shadow of the vine so pretily were clusters of rubie grapes dispersed among the trappers which embraced his sides His armour was blew like the heauen which a Sun did with his rayes proportionately deliuered guild in
beguiled the times hast and shortned the wayes length till they came to the side of the wood where the hounds were in couples staying their comming but with a whining Accent crauing libertie many of them in colour and markes so resembling that it showed they were of one kinde The huntsmen handsomely attired in their greene liueries as though they were children of Sommer with staues in their handes to beat the guiltlesse earth when the houndes were at a fault and with hornes about their neckes to sounde an alarum vpon a sillie fugitiue The houndes were straight vncoupled and erelong the Stagge thought it better to trust to the nimblenes of his feete then to the slender fortification of his lodging but euen his feete betrayed him for howsoeuer they went they themselues vttered themselues to the sent of their enimies who one taking it of an other and sometimes beleeuing the windes aduertisements sometimes the viewe of their faithfull councellors the huntsmen with open mouthes then denounced warre when the warre was alreadie begun Their crie beeing composed of so well sorted mouthes that any man would perceiue therein some kinde of proportion but the skilfull woodmen did finde a musicke Then delight and varietie of opinion drew the horsmen sundrie wayes yet cheering their houndes with voyce horne kept still as it were together The wood seemed to conspire with them against his own citizens dispersing their noise through all his quarters and euen the Nimph Echo left to bewayle the losse of Narcissus and became a hunter But the Stagge was in the end so hotly pursued that leauing his flight hee was driuen to make courage of dispaire and so turning his head made the hounds with change of speech to testifie that he was at a bay as if from hotte pursuite of their enemie they were sodainly come to a parley But Kalander by his skill of coasting the Countrey was among the first that came in to the besieged Deere whom when some of the younger sorte would haue killed with their swordes he woulde not suffer but with a Crossebowe sent a death to the poore beast who with teares shewed the vnkindnes he tooke of mans crueltie But by the time that the vvhole companie vvas assembled that the Sagge had bestovved himfelfe liberally among them that had killed him Daiphantus vvas mist for vvhom Palladius carefully enquiring no nevves could bee giuen him but by one that saide he thought hee was returned home for that hee markt him in the chiefe of the hunting take a by way which might lead to Kalanders house That answere for the time satisfying and they hauing perfourmed all dueties as well for the Stagges funerall as the hounds triumph they returned some talking of the fatnes of the Deeres bodie some of the fairenes of his head some of the hounds cunning some of their speed and some of their cry till comming home about the time that the candles begin to inherit the Suns office they found Daiphantus was not to bee found Whereat Palladius greatly maruailing and a day or tvvo passing vvhile neither search nor inquirie could help him to knovvledge at last he lighted vpō the letter vvhich Pyrocles had vvritten before he vvent a hunting and left in his studie among other of his vvritings The letter vvas directed to Palladius himselfe and conteyned these wordes My onely friend violence of loue leades me into such a course whereof your knowledge may much more vexe you then helpe me Therefore pardon my concealing it from you since if I wrong you it is in the respect I beare you Return into Thessalia I pray you as full of good fortune as I am of desire and if I liue I will in short time follow you if I die loue my memorie This was all and this Palladius read twise or thrise ouer Ah said hee Pyrocles what meanes this alteration what haue I deserued of thee to bee thus banished of thy counsels Heretofore I haue accused the sea condemned the Pyrats and hated my euil fortune that depriued me of thee But now thy self is the sea which drounes my comfort thy selfe is the Pirat that robbes thy selfe of me Thy owne wil becomes my euill fortune Then turned he his thoughts to all formes of ghesses that might light vpon the purpose and course of Pyrocles for hee was not so sure by his wordes that it was loue as hee was doubtfull where the loue was One time he thought some beautie in Laconia had layed hold of his eyes an other time hee feared that it might be Parthenias excellencie which had broken the bands of al former resolution But the more he thought the more he knew not what to thinke armies of obiections rising against any accepted opinion Then as carefull he was what to doo himselfe at length determined neuer to leaue seeking him till his search should bee either by meeting accomplished or by death ended Therfore for all the vnkindnesse bearing tender respect that his friends secrete determinatiō should be kept from any suspition in others he went to Kalander and told him that he had receaued a message from his friend by which he vnderstood he was gone backe againe into Laconia about some matters greatly importing the poore men whose protection he had vndertaken and that it was in any sort fit for him to follow him but in such priuate wise as not to bee knowne and that therefore he would as then bid him farewell arming himselfe in a blacke armour as either a badge or prognostication of his minde and taking onely with him good store of monie and a fewe choise iewels leauing the greatest number of them and most of his apparell with Kalander which he did partly to giue the more cause to Kalander to expect their returne and so to be the lesse curiously inquisitiue after them◠and partly to leaue those honorable thankes vnto him for his charge and kindenes which hee knewe hee woulde no other way receaue The good old man hauing neither reason to dissuade nor hope to persuade receaued the things with minde of a keeper not of an owner but before he went desired he might haue the happines fully to know what they were which he saide he had euer till then delaid fearing to be any way importune but now he could not be so much an enemy to his desires as any longer to imprison them in silence Palladius tolde him that the matter was not so secrete but that so worthie a friend deserued the knowledge and should haue it as soone as he might speake with his friend without whose consent because their promise bound him otherwise he could not reueale it but bad him hold for most assured that if they liued but a while he should finde that they which bare the names of Daiphantus and Palladius would giue him and his cause to thinke his noble courtesie well imploied Kalander would presse him no further but desiring that he might haue leaue to goe or at least to sende his
him through And the boy fearce though beautifull beautifull though dying not able to keepe his failinge feete fell downe to the earth which he bit for anger repining at his Fortune and as long as he could resisting Death which might seeme vnwilling to so long he was in taking away his yong struggling soule Philanax himselfe could haue wished the blow vngiuen when hee saw him fall like a faire apple which some vncourteous bodie breaking his bowe should throw downe before it were ripe But the case of his brother made him forget both that and himselfe so as ouerhastily pressing vpon the retiring enemies hee was ere hee was aware further engaged then his owne souldiers could relieue him where being ouerthrowne by Amphialus Amphialus glad of him kept head aginst his enemies while some of his men caried away Philanax But Philanax-his men as if with the losse of Philanax they had lost the fountaine of their valure had their courages so dried vp in feare that they began to set honour at their backs and to vse the vertue of pacience in an vntimely time when into the presse comes as hard as his horse more afraied of the spurre then the sworde coulde carie him a Knight in armor as darke as blacknes coulde make it followed by none and adorned by nothing so far without authoritie that hee was without knowledge But vertue quickly made him knowne and admiration bred him such authoritie that though they of whose side he came knew him not yet they all knew it was fitte to obey him and while he was followed by the valiantest hee made way for the vilest For taking part with the besiegers he made the Amphialians bloud serue for a caparison to his horse and a decking to his armour His arme no oftner gaue blowes then the blowes gaue wounds then the wounds gaue deathes so terrible was his force and yet was his quicknes more forcible then his force and his iudgement more quick then his quicknes For though his sword went faster then eyesight could follow it yet his owne iudgement went still before it There died of his hand Sarpedon Plistonax Strophilus and Hippolitus men of great proofe in warres and who had that day vndertaken the guard of Amphialus But while they sought to saue him they lost the fortresses that Nature had placed them in Then slew he Megalus who was a little before proude to see himselfe stained in the bloud of his enemies but when his owne bloud came to be married to theirs he then felt that Crueltie dooth neuer enioy a good cheape glorie After him sent he Palemon who had that daye vowed with foolish brauerie to be the death of tenne and nine already he had killed and was careful to performe his almost performed vowe when the Blacke Knight helpt him to make vp the tenth himselfe And now the often-changing Fortune began also to chaunge the hewe of the battailes For at the first though it were terrible yet Terror was deckt so brauelie with rich furniture guilt swords shining armours pleasant pensils that the eye with delight had scarce leasure to be afraide But now all vniuersally defiled with dust bloud broken armours mangled bodies tooke away the maske and sette foorth Horror in his owne horrible manner But neither could danger be dreadfull to Amphialus his vndismayable courage nor yet seeme oâ—gly to him whose truely-affected minde did still paint it ouer with the beautie of Philoclea And therefore he rather enflamed then troubled with the encrease of dangers and glad to finde a woorthie subiect to exercise his courage sought out this newe Knight whom he might easilie finde for he like a wanton rich man that throwes downe his neighbours houses to make himselfe the better prospecte so had his sworde made him so spatious a roome that Amphialus had more cause to wonder at the finding then labour for the seeking which if it stirred hate in him to see how much harme he did to the one side it prouoked as much emulation in him to perceaue how much good he did to the other side Therefore they approaching one to the other as in two beautifull folkes Loue naturally stirres a desire of ioyning so in their two courages Hate stirred a desire of triall Then began there a combatte betweene them worthy to haue had more large listes and more quiet beholders for with the spurre of Courage and the bitte of Respect each so guided himselfe that one might well see the desire to ouercome made them not forget how to ouercome in such time and proportion they did employ their blowes that none of Ceres seruaunts could more cunningly place his flaile while the left foote spurre set forward his owne horse the right set backward the contrarie horse euen sometimes by the aduauntage of the enemies legge while the left hande like him that helde the sterne guyded the horses obedient courage All done in such order that it might seeme the minde was a right Prince indeede who sent wise and diligent Lieutenants into each of those well gouerned partes But the more they fought the more they desired to fight and the more they smarted the lesse they felte the smarte and now were like to make a quicke proofe to whome Fortune or Valour would seeme most friendly when in comes an olde Gouernour of Amphialus alwayes a good Knight and carefull of his charge who giuing a sore wound to the blacke Knights thigh while he thought not of him with an other blowe slewe his horse vnder him Amphialus cried to him that he dishonoured him You say well answered the olde Knight to stand now like a priuate souldier setting your credite vpon particular fighting while you may see Basilius with all his hoste is getting betweene you and your towne He looked that way and found that true indeede that the enemie was beginning to encompasse him about and stoppe his returne and therefore causing the retreite to be sounded his Gouernour ledde his men homeward while hee kept himselfe still hindmost as if hee had stoode at the gate of a sluse to let the streame goe with such proportion as should seeme good vnto him and with so manfull discretion perfourmed it that though with losse of many of his men he returned in him selfe safe and content that his enemies had felte how sharpe the sworde could bite of Philocleas Louer The other partie being sorie for the losse of Philanax was yet sorrier when the blacke Knight could not be found For he hauing gotten a horse whom his dying master had bequeathed to the world finding him selfe sore hurt and not desirous to be knowen had in the time of the enemies retiring retired away also his thigh not bleeding bloud so fast as his harte bledde reuenge But Basilius hauing attempted in vaine to barre the safe returne of Amphialus encamped himselfe as strongly as he could while he to his griefe might heare the ioy was made in the towne by his owne subiects that he had that