THE Famous Historie of Chinon of England with his strange aduentures for the loue of Celestina daughter to Lewis King of Fraunce With the worthy Atchiuement of Sir Lancelot du Lake and Sir Tristram du Lions for faire Laura daughter to Cador Earle of Cornewall beeing all Knights of King Arthurs round Table By Chr. Middleton AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Danter for Cuthbert Burbie and are to be sold at his shop by the Royall Exchange 1597. To the right worshipfull Master Edward Stanley Esquire SIR were I not more comforted with assurance of your Generous disposition than perswaded of anie merit on my part by offering the Patronage of this Historie to your hands I should as certainly dispaire of the acceptaunce as I am vncertaine whether it bee worthie to bee accepted From the time of my first entraunce in Printing till now it is the first Booke of this kinde I euer had power to dedicate from my first yeres of capacitie to read anie printed thing my affectionate dutie hath to your W. been dedicated Enisham one of your Lordships was my birth-place and as my Frends there pay dueties for the place they liue in so tender I this here as part of my duteous loue The Authour of the Booke hath left it to the wide world without a Patron perchance esteeming it vnworthie protection neyther doo I thinke it in the least part worthie your protection before whose excelent iudgement so daily conuersant among the most iudiciall it cannot but vanish like light smoake before a bright flame All my excuse is loue all my request is pardon which as I first inferd your noble disposition assures mee of On which foundation building I cease now to bee more bold Your VVorships most dutifully affectionate Iohn Danter The famous History of Chinon of England Sonne to Lord Cador Earle of Cornewall with his rare atchiuements for faire Cellestina daughter to Lewes King of Fraunce CHAP. I. How Chinon the Earle of Cornewalles Sonne was borne a foole and of the excellent ornaments of nature wherewith his faire Sister Laura was beautefied IN the beginning of this flourishing Kingdome when Arthur then Monarch of this little worlde with his attendant Knights whose valorous exployts euery where acted for theyr Countries honour hath eternized their euerliuing names euen in the farthest coasts of the barbarous Pagans where yet in despite of consuming time liues their eternal Trophies as spectacles for all posteritics In this time liued there in England an auncient Knight whome this famous king for his many merits and well deseruing déedes had installed in the Earledome of Cornewall a dignity as hee thought fitting the deserts of this famous man that had so often vndergone the furious attempts of the vnciuill Pagans enemies to God foes to his countrie and great hindrances to the then but young plants of springing Christianity as also endeuoring himselfe euery where to defend the fame of his countrie then of all other only fame worthy the Honour of his order euery where honored and the dutie belonging to his Knighthood which hee alwaies performed till at the last when the waight of many wearie yeares gan bow his declining bodie downe to the lowly earth making his oft tried Armour too heauie a burthen for his now war weakned body his brandishing sword beating downe his age fallen armes and euery supporter of his lustie limmes beginnes to faile of their former force he determins to end his life in peace at home whose beginning he had spent in warres abroad incouraging younger men with the spectacle of his former valours couragiously themselues to attempt the like indeuors In which time of his home aboad the heauens blessed him with two goodly Children a Sonne a Daughter but yet as it is the continual course of al ruling fortune to mixe with euery good some ill with euerie swéet a sowre with euery sunshine show of promising hap a tempestuous storme of ill boading hurt so fared it in the issue of this yet vnhappie Prince for when the stealing houres of all ripening time had brought them from their Infant Cradelles to some participation of sencible knowledge his Daughter whose name was Laura so forwardly prospered in euery Liniament of her beautifull bodie all eternall quallities of a vertuous minde so that in short time she became the censured subiect of all wise iudgements in determination whether nature had better beautified her bodie where indéede shee had excéeded her self or the Gods quallified her mind wherin they had made her the only similitude of themselues No penne that was not busied in painting her praises though all too little for that purpose and no tongue but was still telling her perfections though they neuer could attaine them for too bright was her beautie to be shadowed in the couloring cunning of a mortall capacitie and too high her heauenly minde to be enstauld with the earthlie wéedes of mans base wit that as the toile some Sailers in the dangerous Seas watching the misfortunes of a tedious night doth with themselues mightily admire the gorgeous state of many twinckling stars till when the siluer Moone proudlie rising from her glorious bed drawes backe their daseled eies to behold her more than common countenance so fares it in this age of theirs where no starre may compare with her state no face with her faire fortune nor no grace with the least glimce of her glorie so to leaue to expresse that in wordes which could not bée comprehended in all wits neuer did nature before compose of so rude a Chaos so comely a creature But her Brother whose name was Chynon outwardly formed in as faire a fashion as might well beséeme the sonne to such a fire but in his minde more than a maimed man wanting that portion of sensible capacity which commonly doth accompany euen the meanest seruillitie So that by how much his Sister excéeded in extraordinarie wisedome by so much was hee scanted in ordinarie witte where in stéede of Princely feature was nothing found but foolish behauiour for high atchiuementes boyish follies for that which is required in a man not so much as is commonly found in a childe vncapable of the rudiments of good counsaile and vnsit to conceiue the commoditie of comelie quallitie whence as all men with admiration wondred at the one so none but with commisseration pittied the other that so well fashioned a body should containe so ill formed a minde strongly had nature forged hys limbes which promised his valour but weakely had the enuious Fates framed his mind wher was no hope of better So that heere nature vnnaturally handling so good a subiect had enclosed in the perfecte body of a man little better than the vnperfect soule of a beast like almost the imitating of an apish artificer that in faire showes deciphers a formall substance in curious cunning colours painting a Princely perfection which satisfies the outward sence as the same but cannot content the inward conceit beeing but a
yet his forward endeuour hath alway showne he would much more ere this haue merited had not enuious fortune crost him in this sort To whom the King and all his Nobles present did most willingly condiscend Then calling together al the Knightly companie of his Round Table declared to them Duke Cadors request and his owne readinesse to haue it vndertaken who all were not onely to goe in Quest of Chinon but each man manifested his more than common earnestnes by taking offence if anie one were named beside himselfe To ende this controuersie the King thus prouided that euerie man should drawe his Lot and on whom soeuer it fell that Knight should foorthwith chuse hym two Fellowes from the rest of the Companie and so they thrée shuld take vpon them this desired trauaile The Lots accordingly were made and euerie one of the Knights drew and the Lot fell vpon Sir Calor who was Sonne vnto Sir Lancelot du Lake and the beauteous Celestina Daughter to the King of France whose Parents Chinon before valiantly rescued being betraid and taken in the hands of the trecherous Souldan But before their departure it was thought conuenient for the better furtherance of their Journey to take some counsell of Merlin who then liued accounted as a Prophet in England and by his skill I could tell of secrete things forepast and hidden mysteries to come Merlin beeing sent for by the Kings commandement came to the Court and shewes them in a speculatiue Glasse the manner of his departure out of England the manie troubles hee had endured in hys Journey and now at last opens at large the whole manner of that great miserie whereuntoo he is now brought by the meanes of that subtill Inchauntresse telling them further that except they made verie excéeding great spéed for to procure his release hee was likely to dye there for want of reléefe being there detained from all necessaries fit to sustaine a man or at least hauing of those necessaries a verie short pittance allowed him Merlin hastening them forward on their iourney promised al the cunning he could affoord for their spéedie conueyance which he effectually perfourmed so that in short time they were arriued in this perillous Iland where after long search for the place wherein Merlin did promise they should finde their friend at last they might espie this monstrous man iaylour to that unfortunate Knight stretching himselfe at the mouth of the Caue wherein in Chinon was kept To him they made all possible spéede and first of all Syr Calor addressing himselfe to fight gins before hee offered violence with curteous gréetings to salute hym gently demaunding what he was that liued so desolately in that vnfrequented Iland To whom the detested and currish Carle made this vnmannerly aunswere I am quoth hee as thou séest one within whose clawes thou and the rest of thy sawcie companions haue compassed your selues if therefore you will submit your selues to my mercy then will I thus dispose of you héere within a hollow Caue hewne out of this craggie Rock wherein lyes inclosed a knight such a one as you are who for the like offence that you now haue offered is condemned to the eternall slauerie of perpetuall imprisonment within shall you spend your hatefull liues and when for hunger you are welnie starued fall freshly then to eate one anothers flesh but if you stubbornely stand out against mee thus will I dispoyle you in renting your cursed limmes péece meale a sunder or els fastning you seuerall to the big bulks of some of these trées where when the imperiall punishment of hastning hunger shall seaze vpon your selues you shall there be inforced to eate your owne flesh that might here haue fed vpon another to whome Syr Calor thus answered Foule vglie fiend wee come not to knéele to thée but to force thy subiection to vs and for the release of a Christian Knight thay thou kéepest Captiue within thy power At which wordes the Giant séeing them addresse themselues to fight presently be stirs himselfe and taking an Iron mace which to that ende the Witch had prouided lets driue at Sir Calor with all the might he could from which he nimbly leaping away eschued the force of the fall whē as the other Knights comming in to rescue sir Calor before the Giant could againe get vp his weapon from the grounde they had so mangled hys limmes as he was now far vnable to fight but falling prostrate downe before them humblie intreats for his life which they were willing to graunt as not séeking the losse of him but the life of their friend to whome the Giant gins relate all the manner of the imprisonment of Chinon and at the last opens the doore of the Caue and calles him out to his friends who resaluting one another with such friendly gréetings as are vsuall at such aduenturos accidents take their iournie from thence vp into the Countrie and for that the Giant had told◠them in hys former discouse of the manner of Chinons imprisonment how that Perosus for whose loue all this had come about had in Egipt taken Armes against the King for that his treason béeing discouered he intended to recal old Bessarian from his banishment and that his power so daylie increased as that it was now far greater than the Kings they intended to shape their iournie thetherwards and help the king in his warres against this traiterous rebbell where wee must let them goe forward a while in their iourny and returne againe to our thrée aduenturers for their sisters libertie CHAP. XIII How Bessarians sonnes met with their Father in the shape of a Beare AFter that these thrée yong men were againe restored to their former estate Terpander the first of them trauailing homewards to séeke againe his sister méetes by the way his transformed Father who not a little glad to see his sonne though the other taking him for no lesse than he séemed made some hast to fly from him till looking backe and perceauing the scroule about his necke for the regaining of his harts desire strikes his poore father with such a blow as breaking his sword vpon the scalpe of his head he was forced to flie for want of weapons fearing least the Beare should haue fallen freshly vppon him béeing tyred when as God knowes the sillie man astonished with the stroke was rather afraid of an vnnaturall deaths wound by his sonne then willing to prosecute any reuenge for the same Not long after Terpander had thus hurt his Father comes that way the second brother who in like case méeting with the Beare and hoping by his death to obtaine his desire gins with a Borespeare hee had in his hand eagerly to assayle him in so much shal in short time hee had grieuously wounded hym but the head of his weapon by chance breaking off hee was forced to flie as did his brother to be short the Witch that intended by the meanes of some of these sonnes to make
hope of his fruite for the bad blasted bud so let euery man especially condemne the soules secret friende when her turnes to a sore serching â—â—e which simile I to thy selfe must now aâ—plie that vnder the faire show of friendship hast secretly gone about to ouerturne my estate bring this welgouerned common weale to a ruinous decayed wracke which fault is so apparant both by thine owne hand sufficiently set foorth as also confirmed by the Testament of others as that my pacience scarce â—â—â—tâ—â—ning it selfe within the bounds of euill behauior cannot abide to heare any excuse and therefore will I against thée pronounce this heauie doome for thy ill deseruing déedes the punishment of death were a pleasure to thée so that so I should ease thée of a great deale of sorrow if thou shouldest still continue in thy best state thou wert likely to sustaine and therefore from hencefoorth like a cursed creature shalt thou wander in the world and eate the bitter bread of banishment in a forraine soyle that whilome liuedst so swéetly in thine owne naturall seat and so for euer I banish thée from the compasse of this Kingdome to burie thy siluer haires in sorrow that haddest such hope to harbour them in their graue with ioy At which wordes the olde man not able to speake for the abundance of feares that stopped vp the way of his wordes was forced to leaue him without further replie and hopeles of any helpe patiently to departe By this time had the King more to punish his supposed amis seazed vpon all his goods to the ende he might leaue him no succour to saue himself abroad which when he saw sorrowfully sighing to himselfe desperately departes away without any further following the King for the repeale of this his punishment and straight way betakes himselfe to hys trauaile which when Perosus perceaued how they now had brought euery thing euen to the bent of their own bow gins glorie to themselues in their likely prosperitie purchased by the hard hap of an others aduersitie but on a sodaine Euâ—ropa the Witch by whose counsell all this trecherie was contriued looking further into the matter what was likelie to follow by these meanes perceaued in the speculatiue glasse how that the rigâ—tful reuenging gods had by many means determined her release 〈◊〉 first by Chinon whom for that purpose they had brought out of England then by her brethren who had vndertaken to search all the world for their sister and lastly by her father whose giltles banishment could not long be concealed theÌ„ beeing called home to hys former place woulde séeke such meanes for her recouerie as their power coulde hardly preuent and therefore to escape these insuing illes he thus determined to deale The maide who though she was from thence far remote and in a place whether lay no ordenarie passage yet foreseeing how at length that all would hit vpon that way incloses by her wicked workes this faire Damsell within the ruine of an olde Rocke hard by the riuer side vpon whose bankes before shée made her abode where accompanied with shadowes of naturall creatures hauing faire womanly faces like her selfe that seemed to outward sence of the far beholders to make her merrie with melodious musicke but to her selfe she found it far contrarie proouing nothing els but a harsh discord of misliking sounds which outward semblance was for this purpose by them prouided that it might somewhat satisfie any idle beholder to sée that her prison was rather a pleasure than anye such paine as should mooue the mindes of men to venture any thing for her release where poore soule shée now coopt vp in a Cage that before tooke her pleasure vpon these spacious plaines like to the beguiled bird that vnwares falling into the Fowlers gin is nowe raged vp in a little compasse that whilome was went to play vpon the broad branches of euery springing Plant. CHAP. VIII How Bessarian her father was by the Witch turned into the likenes of a Beare and how hee met with his sonnes in that shape THVS hauing determined of her they straight waies begin to striue with themselues how they might deuise some drift to remooue the feare that they had of her Fathers rising againe to his former state which by the meanes of Eutropa the Witch they thus contriued Shée calling to counsaile her attendant spirits by whose meanes shee brought to passe all this matter gins giue them seuerally in charge to vse their Artes in plaging of this poore man which they should so surely effect as no hope should be left of any more comfort to â—ome vnto him where beating together their hell bred braines they thus concluded with theÌ„selues that they woulde chaunge hym from the shape of a man into the big body of an vgly Beare and so let him die a beast that was borne a man and further yet to aggreuate hys woes which might notwithstanding this enuie haue an end they intended in his disguise to hasten on hys death leasâ— by some crossing occasions as oftentimes are vsually séene vnexpectedly fall out for the release of Magicke bandes which they thus determined when they had wrought their willes in his transformation about his necke they hang a scroule wherein were written two verses which were these He whose good hap shall kill this beare That man shall haue his hearts desire Thinking by this meanes the better to drawe on euery mans might to the effecting of their former plotted purpose for that all men by a naturall instinct ar gréedie to get any hope of pursuing their purposes though oft times they doe it with the danger of theyr liues where the oldman turned after this manner wanders through the woods clogged with the burden of selfe féeling sorrow and in dispayre of reliefe settles himselfe to that thraldome without hope of release Many wâ—re the miseries in this shape hee susstained as the many hungry dayes that in spite of himselfe he was forced to spend for that his stomacke was not vsed to féede vpon such filthie carion as those beasts accustomably deuoure the raw restlesse nights without couert hee must now continue the want of his friends and feare of hys foes with a countlesse company of more griefes than the capacitie of man can conceaue was conteyned in him being then as a beast sauing that still he retayned the vse of his reasonable soule which they by no meanes could make to miscarie In the meane time the Witch now in the midst of her busines séeing in her speculatiue Glasse wherein sho vsually saw what accident soeuer was likely to happen the approach of her Brethren who by tracing vp and downe in the World were some of them come néere at vnwares to the place where she was poasted her selfe with all spéed the better to prosper her purpose and with violence inforces a spirit one of her owne Attendants to vse the organes of her bodie to an ende which her selfe had deuised that was to