curteous demaunde gaue her .v. C. poundes and so many faire and costly Iewels whiche almoste amounted to like valer For whiche the gentlewoman more then contented gaue moste hartie thankes to the Countesse who departed from the gentlewoman and retourned to her lodging The gentlewoman to take occasion from the Counte of any farther repaire or sendyng to her house tooke her doughter with her and went into the coūtrie to her frendes The Counte Beltramo within fewe daies after beyng reuoked home to his owne house by his subiectes hearyng that the Countesse was departed frō thence retourned The Countesse knowynge that her housband was gone from Florence and retourned into his countrie was verie glad and contented and she continewed in Florence till the tyme of her child bedde was come and was brought a bedde of twoo soones whiche were verie like vnto their father and caused thē carefullie to be noursed and brought vp and whē she sawe tyme she toke her iourney vnknowen to any manne and arriued at Monpellier and restyng her self there for certaine daies hearyng newes of the Counte and where he was and that vpon the daie of all Sainctes he purposed to make a great feast and assemblie of ladies and knightes in her pilgrimes wéede she wente thither And knowyng that thei were all assembled at the pallace of the Counte redie to sitte doune at the table she passed through the people without chaunge of apparell with her twoo sonnes in her armes And whē she was come vp into the hall euen to the place where the Counte was fallyng doune prostrate at his feete wepyng saied vnto him My Lorde I am thy poore infortunate wife who to thintent thou mightest returne and dwel in thine owne house haue been a great while beggyng about the worlde Therefore I now beseche thée for the honour of God that thou wilt obserue the condicions whiche the twoo knightes that I sent vnto thée did commaunde me to doe for beholde here in myne armes not onelie one soonne begotten by thée but twaine and likewise thy Kynge It is now tyme then if thou kepe promis that I should be receiued as thy wife The Counte hearyng this was greatly astonned and knewe the Kynge and the children also thei were so like hym But tell me q he howe is this come to passe The Countesse to the great admiraciō of the Counte and of all those that were in presence rehearsed vnto them in order all that whiche had béen doen and the whole discourse therof For whiche cause the Counte knowyng the thynges she had spoken to be true and perceiuyng her constaunt minde and good witte and the twoo faier yonge boies to kepe his promisse made and to please his subiectes and the Ladies that made sute vnto him to accept her from that time forthe as his lawfull wife and to honour her abiected his obstinate rigour causyng her to rise vp and imbraced and kissed her acknowledgyng her againe for his lawfull wife And after he had apparelled her according to her estate to the great pleasure and contentacion of those that were there and of all his other frendes not onely that daie but many others he kepte greate chere and from that tyme forthe he loued and honoured her as his dere spouse and wife Tancredi Prince of Salerne caused his doughters louer to be slaine and sente his harte vnto her in a cuppe of golde whiche afterwardes she putte into poisoned water and drinkyng thereof died ¶ The .xxxix. Nouell TAncredi Prince of Salerne was a curteous Lorde and of a gētle nature had he not in his age imbrued his handes with his owne proper bloud It chaunced that this prince in al his life time had but one onely doughter but he had been more happie if she had neuer been borne That doughter he loued so well as a father could loue his childe and for the tender loue he bare her he was not able to suffer her to bee out of his sighte And could not finde in his harte to marie her although she had many yeres passed the tyme that she was mariage able notwithstandyng in the ende he gaue her to wife to one of the soonnes of the Duke of Capua with whom she continued no long tyme but was a widowe and then retourned vnto her fathers house againe This Ladie was verie faire and comely of bodie and face as any creature could be yonge lustie and more wise peraduenture then a woman ought to be And thus dwelling with her louing father she liued like a noble Ladie in greate pleasure And seing that her father for the loue he bare vnto her had no minde or care to marie her againe and also she thinking it skarce honest to require him therevnto deuised with her self secretly if it were possible to retain some valiaunt man to bée her louer And seyng many gentlemen and others frequentyng her fathers court as wée commonlie sée in the Courtes of Princes and markyng the behauiour and order of many emonges all there was a yonge man one of her fathers seruaūtes that liked her well whose name was Guiscardo of verie base birthe but in vertue and honeste condicions more noble then the reste and many tymes when she sawe him she wonderfully delited in him alwaies praisyng his dooynges aboue all others The yonge manne not hauyng good consideracion of hymself perceiuyng her feruente affeccion so fixed his minde that he disposed the same vppon nothyng elles but to loue her One louing an other secretly in this sort and the ladie verie studious to finde occasiō that she might talke with hym unwillyng to commit the secrecie of hre loue to any manne she imagined with her self a new deuise to giue him knowledge therof And wrote a letter signifiyng vnto hym what he should dooe the nexte daie and how he mighte vse hymself to come to talke with her then puttyng the letter into the Cane of a rede she gaue it vnto Guiscardo in sportyng wise and saied Thou shalt this night make a paire of Bellowes for thy seruaunt wherwith she maie kindle the fire Guiscardo tooke it thought that she did not giue it vnto him without some speciall purpose whervpon he went to his chamber and loking vpō the Cane perceiued it to be hollowe and openyng it founde the letter within whiche she had written And when he had well perused it vnderstandyng the tenour and effecte thereof he thought hymself the happiest manne in the worlde and began to put hymself in redinesse to mete with his Ladie by suche waies and meanes as she had to hym appoincted There was in a corner of the princes pallace a Caue longe tyme before made vnder the side of a hille whiche Caue receiued light by a certaine vente made by force within the saied mountaine and bicause the same was not frequented and vsed it was ouer growen with busshes and thornes Into whiche Caue was a discente by a secrete paire of staiers that was in one of the lowest chambers of the
Ladyes to imbrace Constancie as to imbolden thē in the refusal of dishonest sutes for which if they doe not acquire semblable honor as this Lady did yet they shall not be frustrate of the due rewarde incident to honor which is fame immortall praise Gentlemen may learne by the successe of this discourse what tormentes be in Loue what trauailes in pursute what passions lyke ague fittes what disconueniences what lost labour what playntes what griefes what vnnaturall attemptes be forced Many other notorious examples be contayned in the same to the great comforte and pleasure as I trust of the well aduised reader And althoughe the aucthor of the same perchaunce hath not rightly touched the propre names of the Aucthors of this tragedie by perfect appellations as Edward the thirde for his eldest sonne Edward the Prince of Wales who as I reade in Fabiā maried the Countesse of Salesburie which before was Countesse of Kent wife vnto sir Thomas Holand whose name as Polidore sayth was Iane daughter to Edmund Earle of Kent of whome the same Prince Edward begat Edward that dyed in his childish yeres Richard that afterwards was King of England the seconde of that name for that she was kinne to him was deuorced whose sayd father maried Phillip daughter to the Earle of Henault had by her .vij. sonnes And AElips for the name of the sayd Countesse being none such amongs our vulgare termes but Frosard remēbreth her name to be Alice which in dede is common amongs vs and the Castle of Salesberic where there is none by that name vpon the Frontiers of Scotland albeit the same Frosard doth make mention of a castle of the Earle of Salesburies giuen vnto him by Edward the thirde when he was Sir William Mountague and maried the sayde Lady Alice for his seruice and prowesse againste the Scottes and Rosamburghe for Roxboroughe and that the sayde Edward when he sawe that he could not by loue and other persuasions attayne the Countesse but by force maried the same Countesse which is altogether vntrue for that Polydore and other aucthors doe remember but one wyfe that he had which was the sayde vertuous Quéene Phillip with other like defaultes yet the grace of the Historie for al those errors is not diminished Wherof I thought good to giue this aduertisement And waying with my selfe that by the publishing hereof no dishonour can redound to the illustre race of our noble Kinges and Princes ne yet to the blemishing of the fame of that noble king eternized for his victories and vertues in the auncient annales Chronicles and monuments forren and domesticall bicause all natures children be thrall and subiect to the infirmities of their first parents I doe with submission humblie referre the same to the iudgement and correction of them to whome it shall appertaine Which being considered the Nouell doth begin in this forme and order THere was a King of Englande named Edward which had to his first wyfe the daughter of the Counte of Henault of whom he had children the eldest wherof was called also Edward the renowmed Prince of Wales who besides Poictiers subdued the french men toke Iohn the French King prisoner and sent him into England This Edward father of the Prince of Wales was not onely a capitall enemie of the French men but also had continuall warres with the Scottes his neighbours and seing himselfe so disquieted on euery side ordayned for his Lieutenant vpon the frontiers of Scotland one of his captaynes named William Lorde Montague To whome bicause he had fortified Roxboroughe and addressed manye enterprises agaynst the enemies he gaue the Earledome of Salesburie and married him honorablie with one of the fairest Ladies of England Certayne dayes after King Edwarde sent him into Flaundres in the companie of the Earle of Suffolke where Fortune was so contrarie that they were both taken prisoners by the French men and sent to the Louure at Paris The Scottes hearing tell of their discomfiture and howe the marches were destitute of a gouernour they spéedely sent thether an armie with intent to take the Countesse prisoner to raise her Castle to make bootie of the riches that was there But the Earle of Salesburie before his departure had giuen so good order that their successe was not suche as they hoped For they were so liuely repelled by them that were within that not able to indure their furie in steade of making their approches they were constrayned to goe further of And hauing intelligence by certayne spies that the King of Englande was departed from London with a great armie to come to succour the Countesse perceyuing that a farre of they were able to doe little good they were fame shortly to retire home agayne to their shame King Edward departed from London trauayling by great iourneyes with his armie towardes Salesberic was aduertized that the Scottes were discamped and fled agayne into Scotland Albeit they had so spoyled the Castle in many places that the markes there gaue sufficient witnesse what their intente and meaning was And althoughe the King had thought to retourne backe agayne vpon their retire yet being aduertized of the great battrie and of the hote assault that they had giuen to the Castle he went forth to visit the place The Countesse whose name was AElips vnderstanding of the kings comming causing al things to be in so good readinesse as the shortnesse of the time could serue furnished her selfe so wel as she could with a certaine numbre of Gentlewomen and souldiers that remained to issue forth to méete the King who besides her naturall beautie for the which she was recommended aboue al the Ladies of her prouince was enriched with the furniture of vertue and curtesie Which made her so incomparable that at one instant she rauished the heartes of al the Princes Lordes that did beheld her in such wise that there was no talke in all the armie but of her graces and vertue and speciallie of her excellent and surpassing beautie The king hauing made reuerence vnto her after he had wel viewed al her gestures and countenaunces thought that he had neuer séene a more goodlier creature Then rapt with an incredible admiration he sayde vnto her Madame Countesse I doe beleue that if in this attire and furniture wherein you now be accompanied with so rare and excellent beautie ye had bene placed vpon one of the rampiers of your Castle you had made more breaches with the lookes beames of your sparkling eyes in the harts of your enemies than they had bene able to haue done in your Castle with their thundering Ordinaunce The Countesse somewhat shamefast and abashed to heare her selfe so greatly praysed of a Prince so great began to blushe and taint with roseall colour the whitenesse of her alablaster face Then lyfting vp her bashefull eyes somewhat towards the king she sayd vnto him My soueraygne Lorde your grace may speake your pleasure But I am well assured that
bothe for in either campes there were three brethren of age and valiaunce semblable The brethren that were in the Romane campe were called Horatij the other Curiatij Wherevpon a cōbate was thought meete betwene these sixe persones After the Romanes had vsed their solempne maners of consecratyng the truces and other rites concerning the same either partes repaired to the combate Bothe the armies stoode in readines before their campes rather voide of presente perill then of care for the state of either of their Empires consisted in the valiautce and fortune of a fewe Wherefore their mindes were wonderfully bent and incensed vpon that vnpleasaunt sight The signe of the combate was giuen The thre yong men of either side dooe ioigne with furious and cruell onsette representing the corages of twoo battelles of puissaunt armies For the losse consisted in neither those thre but the publique gouernemente or common thraldome of bothe the cities and that was the future fortune which thei did trie and proue So sone as the clashyng armure did sounde at their firste incountrie and their glitteryng swordes did shine an incredible horror and feare perced the beholders and hope inclining to neither partes their voice and mindes were whist and silent But after thei were closed together not onely the mouyng of their bodies and doubtfull weldyng and handlyng of their weapons but blooddie woundes appered twoo of the Romanes fallyng doune starke deade one vpon an other but before the three Albanes were sore hurt Whereat the Albane hoste shouted for ioye The Romane Legions were voide of hope amazed to see but one remain against thrée It chaūced that he that liued whiche as he was but one alone an vnmeete matche for the rest euen so he was fierce and thought hymself good inough for them all Therefore to separate their fight he fleeth backe meanyng thereby to giue euery of them their welcome as thei followed Whē he was retired a good space from the place where thei fought lookyng backe he sawe them followe a good distance one from an other and one of them was hard by him vpon whō he let driue with greate violence And whiles the Albane hoste cried out vpon the Curatij to help their brother Horatius had killed his enemie and demaunded for the seconde battaill Then the Romanes incoraged their chāpion with acclamations and shoutes as fearfull men be wont to doe vpon the sodaine and he spedeth hymself to the sight And before the other could ouertake hym whiche was not farre of he had killed an other of the Curatij Now thei were equallie matched one to one but in hope and strengthe vnlike For the one was free of wounde or hurte cruell fierce by reason of double victorie the other fainct for losse of bloodde and wearie of runnyng with pantyng breath and discomfited with his brethrens slaughter slaine before hym is now obiected to fight with his victorious enemie whiche was no equall matche Horatius reioysing saied twoo of thy brethren I haue dispatched the thirde the cause of this battaill I will take in hande that the Romanes maie bée lordes of the Albanes Curiatius not able to sustaine his blowe fill doune and liyng vpon his backe he thruste hym into the throte with his sworde whiche dooen he dispoiled hym of his armure Then the Romanes in a great triumphe and reioyse interteigned Horatius and their ioye was the greater for that the feare of their ouerthrowe was the nerer This combate beyng ended the Albanes became subiecte to the Romanes and before Metius departed he asked Tullus if he would cōmaunde hym any further seruice Who willed hym to keepe the young souldiours still in interteignemente for that he would require their aide againste the Verētes The Armie dissolued Horatius like a Conquerour marched home to Rome the three spoiles of his enemies beyng borne before hym The saied Horatius had a sister whiche was espoused to one of the Curatij that were slaine who meetyng her brother in the triumphe at one of the gates called Capena and knowyng the Coate armure of her paramour borne vpō her brothers shulders which she wrought and made with her owne handes She tore and rente the heare of her hedde and moste pitiouslie bewailed the death of her beloued Her brother beyng in the pride of his victorie taking the lamētacion of his sister in disdainfull part drewe out his sworde and thruste her through saiyng these opprobrious woordes Auaunte with thy vnreasonable loue get thee to thy spouse Hast thou forgotten the death of thy twoo brethren that bee slaine the prosperous successe of thy victorious brother chieflie the happie deliueraunce of thy countrie Let that Romane woman what soeuer she bee take like rewarde that shall bewaile the death of the enemie Whiche horrible facte seemed moste cruell to the fathers and people For whiche offence he was brought before the king whom he deliuered to be iudged accordyng to the lawe The lawe condempned him Then he appealed to the people In which appeale P. Horatius his father spake these wordes My doughter is slain not without iust desert whiche if it were not so I would haue sued for condigne punishment to be executed vpō my sōne accordyng to the naturall pietie of a father Wherfore I beseche you dooe not suffer me whom you haue seen in time past beautified with a noble race and progenie of children now to bee vtterly destitute and voide of all together Then he embrased his sonne emonges them all and shewed the spoiles of the Curatiens saiyng Cā you abide to see this noble champion O ye Romanes whom lately ye behelde to goe in order of triumphe in victorious maner to lye now bounde vnder the gibet expecting for tormētes of death Whiche cruell and deformed sight the Albanes eyes can not well be able to beholde goe to then thou hangman and binde the hādes of hym who hath atchieued to the Romane people a glorious Empire Goe I saie couer the face of him that hath deliuered this citie out of thraldome and bōdage Hang him vpon some vnhappy trée and scourge hym in some place within the Citie either emonges these our triumphes where the spoiles of our enemies doe remaine or els without the walles emonges the graues of the vanquished Whether can ye dauise to carrie hym but that his honourable and worthie actes shall reuenge the villanie of his cruell death The people hearyng the lamentable talke of his father and seyng in hym an vnmoueable mynde able to sustaine all aduersitie acquited hym rather through the admiracion of his vertue and valiance then by Iustice and equitie of his cause Suche was the straicte order of iustice emonges the Romanes that although this yong gentilman had vindicated his countrie from seruitute and bondage a noble memorie of perfecte manhode yet by reason of the murdre committed vpon his owne sister thei were very straict and stacke of grauntyng hym pardon because thei would not incorage the posteritie to like inconuenience nor prouoke
was no soner out of his fathers house but his harte was vexed with greater tormentes then before beyng depriued frō the sight of faire Stratonica whose presence did better contente hym then all the pleasures and sportes of the worlde Neuerthelesse desirous to vanquishe his indurate affections he continued abrode for a certaine time duryng whiche space vnable to quenche the fire he ledde a more desolate and troublesome life then he did before In the ende victorious loue tooke hym prisoner and caried him home againe to his fathers house Who seyng the greate loue that his father bare to his wife and the ioyfull time that he spent with faire Stratonica trāsported into many carefull panges many tymes he complained to hymself in this wise Am I Antiochus the sonne of Seleucus Am I he that my father loueth so well honoreth so muche and estemeth better then all his realmes and dominions Alas If I be Antiochus in deede the sonne of so louyng a father where is the duetifull loue and bounden reuerence that I ought to beare vnto him Is this the duetie of a sonne towardes his father Ah wretche and caitife that I am Whether hath grosse affection vaine hope and blinde loue caried me Can loue be so blinde Shall I bee so voide of sense that I knowe not my mother in law from an other woman who loueth me no lesse entertaigneth me so well as if she were myne owne mother that laboured with painfull pangues to bryng me into light Whiche beyng true as it is moste true why then dooe I loue her naie rather more then loue her Why doe I séeke after her What meane I to hope for her Why dooe I precepitate my self so fōdlie into the snares of blind deceiptfull loue and into the trappe of deceiptfull hope Can I not perceiue that these desires these vnstaied appetites vnbridled affections doe procede frō that whiche is dishonest I se well inough that the waie I take leadeth me into greate inconuenience And what reproche should I sustaine if this vnreasonable loue were made common to the worlde Ought not I rather to suffer infamous death then to see my father depriued of suche a wife whom he so derely loueth I will giue ouer this vnsemely loue and reuerting my minde to some other wight I will accomplishe the duetie of a good and louyng sonne toward his father Reasonyng thus with hymself he determined whollie to giue ouer his enterprise And he had no soner purposed so to do but sodainlie the beautie of the Ladie appered as it were in a vision before the face of his minde and felt the flames to growe so hotte that he vpon his knees craued a thousande pardons of the louyng God for the abandoning of his gentle enterprise And therewithall contrarie imaginacions began to rise whiche so contended with mutuall resistaunce that thei forced hym thus to saie Shall not I loue this Ladie bicause she is my fathers wife Shall not I prosecute my suite for all that she is my mother in lawe Ah coward faintharted and worthie to be crouned a prince of follie if therfore I should giue ouer my former mynde Loue prescribeth no suche lawe to her suters as pollicie dooeth to manne Loue commaundeth the brother to loue the sister loue maketh the doughter so loue the father the brother his brothers wife and many tymes the mother her sonne in lawe whiche beyng lawfull to other is it not lawfull to me If my father beyng and old man whose nature wareth cold hath not forgottē the lawes of loue in louyng her whom I loue Shall I beyng a yonge man subiecte to loue and inflamed with his passions be blamed for louyng her And as I were not blame warthie if I loued one that were not my fathers wife so muste I accuse Fortune for that she gaue her not to wife to an other mā rather then to my father bicause I loue her would haue loued her whose wife so euer she had been Whose beautie to saie the trouth is suche whose grace and comelinesse so excellente that she is worthie to be receiued honoured and worshipped of al the worlde I thinke it then conuenient for me to pursue my determinaciō and to serue her aboue all other Thus this miserable louer trauersyng in seuerall myndes and deludyng his owne fancie chaunged his mynde a thousande tymes in an hower In th ende after infinite disputacions to hymself he gaue place to reason consideryng the greate disconnenience that would insue his disordinate loue And yet not able to giue it ouer And determinyng rather to die then to yelde to suche wicked loue or to discouer the same to any manne By litle and litle he consumed as fletyng Snowe againste the warme Sonne wherewith he came to suche feble state that he could neither slepe nor eate and was compelled to kepe his bedde in such wise that with superfluous paine he was brought to meruellous debilitie Whiche his father perceiuyng that loued hym verie tenderite conceiued greate grief and sorowe And sent for Erasistratus which was a verie excellent Phisicion and of greate estimacion whō verie instantlie he praied diligently to looke vnto his soonne and to prouide for hym suche remedie as was conueniente for the greatnesse of his disease Erasistratus viewyng and beholdyng all the partes of the yonge gentlemannes bodie and perceiuyng no signe of sicknes either in his vrine or other accidente wherby he could iudge his bodie to be diseased after many discourses gaue iudgemente that the same infirmitie proceded from some passion of the minde whiche shortlie would coste hym his life Whereof he aduertised Seleucus Who louyng his sonne after a fatherly maner and speciallie bicause he was indued with vertue and good condicions was afflicted with vnspeakable grief The yong gētleman was a merueilous trumne yongeman so actife and valiaunt as any that liued in his tyme and therewithall verie beautifull and comelie Whiche made hym to bee beloued of all men His father was continually in his chamber and the quene her self oftentymes visited hym with her owne handes serued hym with meates and drinkes whiche bicause I am no Phisteiō I knowe not whether the fame did the yonge man any pleasure or whether it did him hurt or good But I suppose that her sight was ioyfull vnto hym as of her in whom he had placed all his cōforte all his hope quietnesse delight But beholding before his eyes so many times the beautie of her whō so greatlie he desired to enioye hearyng her speake that was the occasion of his death and receiuyng seruice of meates and drinkes at her hādes whom he loued better then the balles of his eyes vnto whom he durste not make any requeste or praier whether his grief surmounted all other aud therefore continually pined and consumed I thinke if of reason to bée beleued And who doubteth but that he felyng hymself to bée touched with those her delicate handes and seyng her to sitte by hym and
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
was the doughter of the Kyng of Englande and was rapte with an vnspeakable ioye But muche more merueiled the twoo knightes whiche were so troubled and appalled that if thei had béen in any place els sauyng in the presence of the Pope thei would haue killed Alexandro and peraduenture the Ladie her self Of the other parte the Pope was verie muche astonned bothe at the habite and apparell of the Ladie and also of her choise But knowing that the same could not be vndoen he was contente to satisfie her requeste And firste of all he comforted the twoo knightes whom he knewe to bee moued at the matter and reduced them in amitie with the Ladie and Alexandro then he gaue order what was beste to be doen. And when the Mariage daie by him appointed was come he caused the Ladie to issue forthe clothed in roiall vestures before all the Cardinalles and many other greate personages that were repaired to the greate feaste of purpose by hym prepared Whiche ladie appered to bee so faire and comelie that not without deserte she was praised and commended of all the assemblie In like maner Alexandro gorgeouslie apparelled bothe in outwarde apparaunce and condicions was not like one that had lente money to Usurie but of a more princelie grace and was greatelie honoured of those twoo knightes where the Pope solempnelie celebrated again the espousalles And after that riche roial mariage was ended he gaue them leaue to departe It semed good to Alexandro and like wise to the Ladie to goe from Rome to Florence in whiche citie the brute of that accidente was all readie noised where beyng receiued of the citizēs with great honour the Ladie deliuered the three brethren out of prison and hauyng firste paied euery man their debte thei with their wiues were repossessed in their former inheritaunce Then Alexandro and his wife with the good will and ioyfull gratulacions of all men departed from Florence and takyng with them Agolante one of their vncles arriued at Paris where thei were honorablie interteigned of the Frenche kyng From thence the twoo knightes wente into Englande and so perswaded the king that thei recouered his good wil towardes his doughter and sendyng for his soonne in lawe he receiued them bothe with greate ioye and triumphe And within a while after he inuested his saied soone with the order of knighthode and made hym Erle of Cornouale whose wisedome proued so great that he pacified the father and the sonne whereof insued surpassyng profite and commoditie for the whole realme whereby he gained and gotte the loue and good well of all the people And Agolante his vncle fullie recouered all debtes due vnto him in Englande And the Erle when he hadde made his vncle knighte suffred him to retourne in riche estate to Florence The Erle afterwardes liued with his wife in greate prosperitie and as some dooe affirme bothe by his owne pollicie and valiaunce and with the aide of his father in Lawe he recouered and ouercame the realme of Scotlande and was there crouned kyng Landolpho Ruffolo being impouerished became a pirate and taken by the Geneuois was in danger of drownyng who sauyng hymself vpon a title coaferfull of riche Iewels was receiued at Corfu and beyng cherished by a woman retourned home verie riche ¶ The .xxxv. Nouell IT is supposed that the sea coaste of Reggium in Calabria is the moste delectable parte in all Italie wherin harde by Salerno there is a coūtrie by the sea side whiche thinhabitantes doe terme the coaste of Malsy so full of litle Cities gardeins fountaines riche men and marchauntes as any other people and countrie Emong whiche said cities there was one called Rauello where in time paste although in these daies there bée verie riche men there dwelt a notable man of substaūce called Landolpho Ruffolo who beyng not cōtented with his richesse but desirous to multiplie them double was in hazarde to lose hymself and all that he had This manne as all other marchauntes bee accustomed after he had considered with himself what to doe bought a verie greate shippe and fraughted the same with sundrie kindes of marchaundize of his owne aduenture and made a voiage to the Isle of Cypri where he founde besides the commodities whiche he brought many other Shippes arriued there laden with suche like wares by whiche occasion it happened that he was forced not onelie to fell the same good cheape but also was cōstrained if he would dispatche his goodes to giue them almoste for nought whereby he thought that he was vtterlie vndoen And beyng greatlie troubled for that lesse not knowyng what to dooe and seyng how in so litle tyme of a riche man he was come to beggers state he thought either to die or els by piracie to recouer his losses to the intente he mighte not retourne to the place poore from whence he was departed riche And hauyng founde a copesman for his greate barque with the money therof and with other whiche he receiued for his marchandise he bought a small pinnas mete for the vse of a pirate whiche he armed and furnished with all thinges necessarie for that purpose And determined to make hymself riche with the goodes of other men and chieflie he meante to sette vpon the Turkes wherevnto Fortune was more fauourable then to his former trade And by chaunce by the space of one yere he robbed and toke so many Foistes and galleis of the Turkes that he had recouered not onelie that whiche he lost by marchādize but also more then twise so muche as wherevnto those losses did amounte Wherefore well punished with the firste sorowe of his losses knowyng his gaines to multiplie that he neded not to retourne the seconde tyme he thought with himself that the same whiche he had gotten was sufficiēt and therfore determined presētlie to returne to his owne house with his gotten goodes And fearyng the hinderaunce which he susteined in traffique of Marchaūdise he purposed to imploie his money no longer that waies but in that barque wherwith he had gained the same with his ores he tooke his course homeward And beyng vpon the maine Sea in the night the winde rose at the Southeast which was not onelie cōtrary to his course but also caused suche a tempest that his smalle barque was not able to indure the seas Wherevpon he tooke harborough in a Creke of the Sea whiche compassed a litle Islande there expectyng for better winde Into whiche creke within a while after with muche a doe for auoidyng of that tempest arriued twoo greate Argoseis of Genoa that wer come from Constantinople The Mariners of whiche shippes when thei sawe the litle barque had shut vp the way that the same could not goe out vnderstandyng of whence he was knowyng by reporte that he was verie riche determined beyng ikenne naturallie giuen to spoile and loue of money to take her And settyng a shore parte of their meune well armed and furnished with crossebowes thei conueied
it happē that she giue her self fully to the conductiōs of loue and the superplusage of her said excuse ought to consist in that she hath chosen her a sage and vertuous frende if she that loueth hath doen so in deede Whiche twoo thinges as thei should be I suppose are in me and many other also whiche ought to induce me to loue accordynglie as my youth requireth and the great space that is betwene my husbande and me It behoueth now then that thei should aduaunce themselfes in your presence for the defence of my burnyng loue and if the same doe raigne in you whiche haue power in the wise then I beseche you to giue me counsaile and aide in the thing whiche I shall demaunde True it is that for the long absence of my husbande not able to resist the prickes of the fleshe and the force of loue whiche be of suche greate effecte that thei haue many times past and yet daily doe vāquishe and ouercome not onely feble and weake women but also the strongest men I liuyng in ease and idlenes as you sée and forced to folowe the pleasures of loue and to become amourous as I doe knowe well that such thynges if thei were knowen should not bee reputes honest Neuerthelesse the same beyng kepte secrete I thinke shall not be muche dishonest Notwithstanding dame Loue is so fauourable vnto me that not onelie she hath giuen me true iudgement in choise of a frende but hath reueiled vnto me that it is you which is worthie to be beloued of suche a ladie as I am For if I bée not greatlie deceiued I do make accompt that you be the fairest personage the semeliest the most curteous and wisest gentleman in all the Realme of Fraunce And as I maie saie by reason of his absence that I am without a husbande so maie you affirme that you bee without a wife wherfore I beseche you for the loue that I beare vnto you that you wil not denie me your loue and frendship that you wil haue pitie vpon my yong yeres whiche doubtles dooe consume for you as Ice against the fierie flames At whiche worde the teares ran doune in suche abundance that where she thought to make further supplicacion and praiers she had no more power to speake But holdyng doune her heade like one that was ouercome she threwe her self doune into the Erles lappe who like a faithfull knighte began to blame with sharpe rebukes her fonde and foolishe loue pushyng her from hym as she was about to clepe hym aboute the necke and swore greate othes that rather he would bee drawen in fower peces then consent to suche a thyng to be doen by hym or any other against the honor of his lorde maister Whiche wordes the Ladie hearyng sodainly forgatte her loue and in greate rage saied vnto hym Shall I then bee frustrate thou arrant villaine in this wise of my desired ioye But sithens thou goest about to seke my distruction I will cause thee to be put to death or els to be banished the worlde When she had saied so by and by she caught her self by the heare of the head and almoste tare it of cleane and then laied handes vpon her garmentes rentyng the same in peces and afterwardes cried out aloude Helpe helpe The Erle of Angiers wil rauishe me by force The Erle seyng that and farre more doubtyng of the enuie and malice of the Courte then his owne conscience for any committed facte fearyng also that more credite would bee giuen to the wickednesse of the Ladie then to his innocencie conueied hymself from that place and so sone as he could he went out of the palace and fledde home to his owne house where without any further aduise he placed his children on horsebacke and so well as he could caried them to Callice At the brute and noyse of the Ladie many people assembled Who seyng and hearyng thoccasion of her crie not onely beleued her wordes but also affirmed that the pompouse state of the Erle was vsed by hym to bryng to passe the effecte of his desire Then thei ranne to the houses of the Erle in greate furie to arreste his persone but not findyng him there thei first sacked his houses and afterwardes ouerthrewe them to the grounde The newes hereof so wicked as might bee deuised arriued at the Kyng and Dolphins Campe whereat thei were so troubled and offended that thei condempned the Erle and all his progenie to perpetuall exile promisyng greate giftes and rewardes to them that would presente them quicke or deade The Erle beyng offended in his conscience for that he was fledde innocente of the facte made hymself culpable thereof and arriued at Callice with his children dissemblyng what he was and sodainly passed ouer into Englande and in poore apparell traueiled vp to London And before he entred the citie he gaue his children diuers admonicions but specially of two thinges First that thei should beare paciently the pouertie whervnto Fortune without their offence had brought them Afterwardes that wisely thei should take héede at no time to manifest declare to any man from whence thei came and whose childrē thei were as thei loued the price of their owne liues The soonne was named Lewes almoste of the age of ix yeres and the doughter called Violēta was about the age of .vij. bothe whiche childrē as their age could suffer them did well obserue their fathers lesson as afterwardes it did right well appere And bicause that this might the better be brought to passe it semed good vnto hym to alter their names namyng the soonne Perotto and the doughter Gianetta And when thei were arriued at Lōdon in maner of beggers thei craued their almose and beyng by Fortune for that purpose one mornyng at a churche doore it came to passe that a greate ladie whiche was one of the Marshalles of Englandes wiues in goyng out of the Churche sawe the Erle and his two litle childrē beggyng their almose of whom she demaunded what countrie man he was and whether those children were his owne or not To whom the Erle answered that he was a Picarde and by reason of a wicked facte dooen by his eldest soonne that was an vnhappie boie he was forced to departe his countrie with those his twoo children The Ladie whiche was pitifull fixed her eyes vpō the girle who pleased her verie muche bicause she was beautifull gentill and pleasaunt saiyng Good man if thou be contēt to leaue vnto me this thy litle doughter whiche hath a good face I will willingly take her and if she become a duetifull maiden when she is mariageable I will marie her in honeste wise This demaunde greatly pleased the Erle who redely answered that he was contented and with teares trickeling doune his eyes he deliuered and commended his pretie doughter vnto her And whē he had thus wel bestowed her he determined to tarrie no lōger there but in beggyng his almose traueiled through the countrie with his
grauity which once made hir maruelous and singuler aboue all them that lyued in her dayes In the time that this ioly company had furnished and prepared themselues in readinesse Gunfort sent a gentleman of that troupe toward the Emperour to aduertise him of the successe of his iourney Wherof he was exceding ioyful and attended for the comming of his children with purpose to entertayne them in louing honorable wise When al things were in readynesse and the traine of Adelasia in good order according to the worthyuesse of the house whereof the came they rode towarde Sauonne which iourney séemed to them but a sport for the pleasure mixt with compassiō that eche man conceyued in the discourse the Alerane made vpon his misfortunes chaunces aswell in his iourneys as of his abode and continuance in the desertes Which William calling to remembraunce praysed God yelded him thankes for that it had pleased him to inspire into his minde the forsaking of his parentes considering that the same only fault was the cause of their restitution and of his aduauncement and glory being the sonne of such a father and the neuewe of so great a Monarche The fame of whose name made al men quake and tremble and who then had cōmaunded al the troupe of the gentlemen of his court to goe and seke the forlorne louers so long time lost and vnknowen To be short their entrie into Sauonne was so royal and triumphant as if the Emperour himself would haue receyued the honor of such estate pomp Which he commaunded to be done aswell for the ioy that he had recouered the thing which he accompted lost as to declare and acknowledge to euery wyght that vertue can not make her self better knowen than at that time when the actions and dedes of great personages be semblable in raritie excellence to their nobilitie For a Prince is of greater dignitie and admiration than he comonly sheweth himselfe which can neuer enter into the head of the popular sorte that déemeth the affections of other according to their owne rude and beastely fansies As the Gréeke Poet Euripides in his tragedie of Medea doth say Ill luck and chaūce thou must of force endure Fortunes fickle stay needes thou must sustaine To grudge thereat it booteth not at all Before it come the witty wise be sure By wisedomes lore and counsell not in vaine To shunne and eke auoyd The whirling ball Of fortunes threates the sage may wel reboūd By good foresight before it light on ground The Emperoure then hauing forgotten or wisely dissembling that which he coulde not amende met his daughter and sonne in law at the Pallace gate with so pleasant chéere and ioyfull countenance as the like long time before he did not vse Where Alerane and Adelasia being light of from their horse came to kisse his hands and both vpon their knées began to frame an oration for excuse of their fault and to pray pardon of his Maiestie The good Prince rauished with ioy satisfied with repentance stopped their mouthes with swete kisses and hard embracinges O happy ill time sayde he and sorowfull ioy which now bringeth to me a pleasure more great than euer was my heauy displeasure From whence commeth this my pleasant ioy O well deuised flight by the which I gaine that by preseruing my losse once made and committed which I neuer had yf I may so say considering the ornament of my house and quietnesse of my lyfe And saying so he kissed embraced his litle Neuewes and was lothe that Adelasia should make rehersal of other talke but of mirth and pleasure For sayde he it sufficeth me that I haue ouerpassed and spent the greatest parte of my lyfe in heauinesse vtterly vnwilling nowe to renewe olde sores and woundes Thus the mariage begon vnknowen against the Emperours wil was consummate celebrated with great pompe and magniffcence by his owne commaundement in the Citie of Sauonne where he made Sir William Knight with his owne hand Many goodly factes at the Tourney and Tilt were done and atchieued wherat William almost euery day bare away the prise victory to the great pleasure of his father contentation of his graundfather who then made him Marques of Monferrat To the second sonne of Alerane he gaue the Marquisat of Sauonne with al the appurtenances and iurisdictions adioyning of whome be descended the Marqueses of Caretto The thirde he made Marques of Saluce the race of whom is to this day of good fame and nobilitie Of the fourth sonne sprange out the originall of the house of Cera The fift was Marques of Incise whose name and progeny liueth to this day The sixt sōne did gouerne Pouzon The seuenth was established Senior of Bosco vnder the name and title of Marques And Alerane was made and constituted ouerséer of the goods and dominions of his children and the Emperours Lieutenaunt of his possessions which he had in Liguria Thus the Emperour by moderating his passion vanquished himselfe and gaue example to the posteritie to pursue the offence before it doe take roote but when the thing can not be corrected to vse modestie and mercy which maketh kings to liue in peace and their Empire in assurance Hauing taken order with all his affaires in Italie he toke leaue of his daughter and children and retired into Almaigne And Alerane liued honorable amōgs his people was beloued of his father in lawe and in good reputation and fame arriued to olde yeares still remembring that aduersitie ought not to bring vs to dispaire nor prosperity to insolencie or ill behauiour and contempt of things that seme small and base sith there is nothing vnder the heauens that is stable and sure For he that of late was great and made all men to stoupe before him is become altogether such a one as though he had neuer bene and the pore humble man aduaunced to that estate from whence the first did fal and was deposed making lawes sometimes for him vnder whom he liued a subiect And behold of what force the prouidence of God is and what poyse hys balance doth contayne and howe blame worthy they be that referre the effectes of that diuine counsell to the inconstant and mutable reuolucion of fortune that is blind and vncertaine The Duchesse of Sauoie The Duchesse of Sauoie being the King of Englandes sister was in the Duke her husbandes absence vniustlie accused of adultery by a noble man his Lieutenāt And shoulde haue bene put to death if by the prowesse and valiaunt to combate of Don Iohn di Mendozza a Gentleman of Spaine she had not bene deliuered With a discourse of maruellous accidents touching the same to the singuler prayse and commendation of chaste and honest Ladies ¶ The .xlv. Nouell LOue commonly is counted the greatest passion amongs all the most greuous that ordinarily do assault the spirites of men which after it hath once taken hold of any gentle subiecte followeth the nature of the
Pallace among whome was the Archebishop of Yorke a man of great reputation singuler learning to whome with the knife in his hande he recyted particularlie the discourse of hys Loue. And after he toke the Countesse by the hand and sayd vnto her Madame the houre is come that for recompence of your honest chastitie and vertue I wyll and consente to take you to Wife if you can finde in your heart The Countesse hearing those wordes began to recolour her bleake and pale face with a vermelion teint and Roseal rudde and accomplished with incredible ioye and contentacion falling downe at his fete sayd vnto him My Lord forasmuch as I neuer loked to be aduaunced to so honorable state as Fortune nowe doth offer for merite of a benefite so hyghe and gret which you present vnto me vouchsauing so much to abase your selfe to the espousal of so pore a Lady your Maiesties pleasure being suche beholde me ready at your commaundement The King taking her vp from the ground commaunded the Bishoppe to pronounce with a hyghe voyce the usuall wordes of Matrimonie Then drawing a riche Diamond from his fynger he gaue it to the Coūtesse and kissing her said Madame you be Quene of Englande and presently I doe giue you thyrty thousande Angelles by the yeare for your reuenue And the Duchie of Lancastre being by confiscation fallen into my handes I giue also vnto you to bestowe vpon your self and your frendes All which inrolled according to the maner the King accomplishing the mariage rewarded the Countesse for the rigorous interestes his so long Loue with such hap and contentation as they may iudge which haue made assay of like pleasure and recouered the fruite of so long pursute And the more magnificently to solemnize the mariage the King assembled al the Nobilitie of Englande and somoned them to be at London the first day of Iuly to beautifie and assiste the Nupcialles and coronation of the Quene Then he sent for the Father and brethren of the Quene whom he embraced one after an other honouring the Earle as his father and his Sonnes as his brethren whereof the Earle wonderfullye reioyced séeing the conceyued hope of his Daughters honor sorted to so happy effecte as well to the perpetuall fame of him and his as to the euerlaseing aduauncement of his house At the appointed day the Quene was brought from her fathers house apparelled with Royall vestures euen to the Pallace and conducted with an infinite number of Lordes and Ladies to the Church where when seruice was done the King was maried againe openly and the same celebrated she was conueyed vp into a publike place and proclaimed Quéene of Englande to the exceding gratulation and ioy incredible of all the Subiectes ¶ An Aduertisement to the Reader AFter these tragicall Nouelles and dolorous Histories of Bandello I haue thought good for recreatiō of the readers to refresh their minds with some pleasaunt deuises and disportes Least their spirites and senses should be appalled and astōned with the sundrie kinds of cruelties remembred in the .vij. of the former Nouelles Which be so straunge and terrible as they be able to affright the stoutest And yet considering that they be very good lessons for auoyding of lyke inconueniences and apt examples for continuation of good and honest lyfe they be the better to be borne with and may with lesse astōnishment be read and marked They that folow be mitigated and swetened with pleasure not altogether so sower as the former be Praying thee most heartely paciently to beare with all thing that shal occurre eyther in these that follow or in the other that be past before Galgano A Gentleman called Galgano long tyme made sute to Madonna Minoccia her husbande Sir Stricca not knowing the same diuers times praysed and commended Galgano by reason whereof in the absence of her husbande she sent for him and yelded her selfe vnto him telling him what wordes her husbande had spoken of him for recōpence whereof he refused to dishonest her ¶ The .xlvij. Nouel IN the citie of Siena in Italie there was a riche yong Gentleman called Galgano borne of noble birth actiue and well trained vp in al kinde of exercise valiant braue stoute and curteous in the maners and orders of all cuntries very skilfull This Galgano loued a Gentlewoman of Siena named Madonna Minoccia the wife of sir Stricca a comely knight and wore in his apparel the colour and deuises of his Lady bearing the same vpon his helmet and armoure in all Iustes Tourneyes and triumphes obseruing noble feastes and banquettes for her sake But for all those costly sumptuous and noble practises this Lady Minoccia in no wise would giue eare vnto his sutes Wherfore Galgano at his wittes end was voyde of aduise what to doe or say seing the great crueltie and rigor raigning in her brest vnto whome he daylie prayed for better successe and fortune than to himselfe There was no feast banquet triumphe or mariage but Galgano was there to doe her humble seruice and that day his minde was not pleased and contented wherin he had not séene her that had his louing heart in full possession very many tymes like a Prince that coueted peace he sente ambassadours vnto her with presentes and messages but she a proude and scornefull Princesse dayned neyther to heare them or receyue them And in this state stode this passionat Louer a long tyme tormented with the exceding hote Loue fealtie that he bare her And many tymes making his reuerent complaints to Loue did say Ah Loue my deare and soueraigne Lorde howe cruell and harde hearted art thou how vumercifully dealest thou with me rather how deafe be thyne eares that canst not recline the same to my nightly complaintes and daylie afflictions How chaunceth it that I doe in this maner consume my ioyfull dayes with pyning plaintes Why doest thou suffer me to Loue and not to be beloued And thus oftentimes remembring the crueltie of Loue his Ladies tiranny he began in maner like a wyght replete with despaire But in fine he determined paciently to abide the good tyme and pleasure of Loue still hoping to finde mercy And daylie gaue himselfe to practise and frequent those thinges that might be acceptable and pleasaunte to his Ladye But she still persisted inexorable It chaunced that sir Stricca and his fayre wyfe for their solace and recreation repaired to one of their houses harde by Siena And vpon a time Galgano passed by the same with a Sparhauke on his fist making as thoughe he went a Hauking but of purpose onely to sée his Lady And as he was going by the house sir Stricca espied him and went forth to méete him and familiarly taking him by the hande prayed him to take parte of his supper with his wyfe and him For which curtesie Galgano gaue him thankes and sayde Sir I doe thanke you for your curteous request but for this tyme I pray you to holde me excused
frequent vse of mighty in countrie terrible shocke of shield Launce is familier in the Court famous in the towne and countrie In whom may pacient bearing of aduersitie and constant suffrance of Fortunes threates more duly to the world appere than in him that hath coÌ„stantly susteined quietly passed ouer the bruntes of the same To whom may be giuen a Theatre of the world and stage of humaine miserie more worthily than to him that hath with comely gesture wyse demeanor and orderly behauiour bene an actor in the same Who is he that more condignely doth deserue to be possesin a Palace of Pleasure than he that is daylie resiant in a pallace of renowmed fame guided by a Queene adorned with most excellent beautie and shape indewed and garnished with great learning passing vertues and rare qualities of the minde To whom I say may constancie of Ladyes and vertuous dedes of Dames nore aptly be applied than to him that hath in possession a Lady and Countesse of noble birth whose sire was the olde Earle of Bedforde a graue and faithfull councelor to her Maiesties most noble Progenitors and father is the same in deare estimation and regard with her highnesse vnder whoÌ„ he trustily honorably serueth whose curteous and couÌ„tesse like behauior glistereth in the court amongs the troupe of honorable Dames and for her towarde disposition first preferred by the Quenes Maiestie into her secrete chamber and after aduaunced to be Countesse of your noble Earledome Besides al which rare giftes by Nature ingrafted in your honor and by her bountifully bestowed vpon the same the perfect pietie and brotherly loue betwene you and the right noble and vertuous the Earle of Lecester your honorable brother is had in greatest admiration Whose noble courage in dedes of honor and passing humanitie to his inferiours is very commendable to the worlde But here I will stay my selfe lest whilest I goe about to extoll your fames I doe for wante of skill in due praise seme to diminishe that which among all men by daily experience is sufficiently renowmed And as your honor dothe with great prudence gouerne that office of the Ordinance wherof I am a member euen so the same hath with great care and diligence commended suche to the Quenes Maiestie to ioyne and serue in the same as officers right worthy their vocations specially the worshipfull Edwarde Randolfe Esquire Lieutenaunt of that office a man for his experience and good aduise rather fostred in the bosome of Bellona her selfe than nourced in kentish soyle although in the scholehouse of curtesie and humanitie he appeareth full carefully to haue bene trayned vp by his vertuous parents which is familiarly knowen vnto me and other that domestically as it were doe frequent his companie But alas my Lorde amonges the midde of my reioyce of those before remembred I can not pretermit the lamentable losse of the best approued gonner that euer serued in our time his Prince and countrie Robert Thomas the Maister Gonner who for skill and seruice both a title of Prince of Gonners iustlye did deserue And see the luck when he thought best to signifie his good will to honor Hymeneus bed at Nuptiall night a clap of that he neuer feared did ende his lyfe Such is the dradfull furie of Gonners arte and hellish rage of Vulcanes worke And therefore that daungerous seruice in skilfull men is specially to be recommended and cherished Wherevnto as your honor hitherto hath borne singuler affection by preferring to her Maiestie suche as from their infancie haue bene trained vp in that necessarie seruice and very painefully haue imployed the same in the time of the Quenes maiestie that nowe is and her progenitors euen so I humbly besech your honor for continuaunce of the same specially in those that be indewed with greatest experience in whome onely resteth the brunt of our defence A seruice so commendable and needeful as none more But what neede I to prouoke the willing mynde whose honor is more prest to cherish such than I am able by wishing heart for to conceyue Finallie yet once againe I humbly besech your honor gratefully to accept this boke at your leisure conuenieÌ„t time to reade peruse the same By reuoluing wherof your honor I trust shal be delighted with the rare histories good examples therin coÌ„tayned such as to my knowlege heretofore haue not ben made coÌ„mon to our countrimen which with al my good wil indeuor I duetifully exhibit Beseching Almighty God fauourably to defend and gouerne your honor prosperously to maintayne and kepe the same godly to direct my right honorable Lady in the steppes of perfect vertue bountifullye to make you both happie parentes of many childreÌ„ and after the expence of Nâ—stor yeares in this transitorie lyfe mercifully to conducte you to the vnspeakable ioyes of his kingdome Nere the Tower of London the first of Ianuarie 1566. By your L. moste bounden William Pamter ¶ A Recapitulacion or briefe Rehearsal of the Arguments of euery Nouell with the places noted in what Author euery of the same or theffect be reade and contayned Titus Liuius ¶ The Romanes and Albanes being at warres for iniuries mutually inferred Metius Suffetius the Albane Capten deuised a way by a Combat to ioyne both the Cities in one Uictorie falling to the Romanes the Romane victor killeth hys sister who notwithstanding is condempned to dye Afterwardes vpon his fathers sute he is deliuered The first Nouell Folio 1. ¶ Sextus Tarquinius rauisheth Lucrece who bewayling the losse of her chastitie killeth her selfe The .ij. Nouell Folio 5. ¶ The siedge of Rome by Porsenna and the valiaunt deliuery therof by Mntius Scoeuola The .iij. Nouell Folio 7. ¶ Martius Cortolanus going about to represse the common people of Rome with dearth of Corne was vanished For reuengement wherof he persuaded Accius 〈◊〉 King of the Uuolcians to make warres vpon the Romanes he himself in their ayde came in his owne person The citie brought to great miserie the fathers deuised meanes to deliuer the same and sent into the Uuolscian camp the mother the wife children of Cortolanus Upon whose coÌ„plaints Cortolanus withdrew the Uuolscians And the citie was reduced to quietnesse The .iiij. Nouell Folio 9. ¶ Appius Clandius one of the Decemuiri of Rome goeth about to rauish Virginia a yong maideÌ„ which indeuor of Appius when her father Virginius vnderstode being then in the warres he repayreth home to rescue his daughter One that was betrouthed vnto her doth clayme her wherevpon rose great contencion In the ende her owne Father to saue the shame of his stock killed her with a Butchers knife and commeth into the Forum and cryeth vengeance vpon Appius Then after much contencion and rebellion the Decemviri were deposed The .v. Nouell Folio 13. Herodotus ¶ Candiules king of Lydia shewing the secretes of his wiues beautie to Gyges one of his Guarde was by counsayle of his wife slayne by the saide Gyges and
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
in perusing of histories then fitly haue I intituled this volume with the Palace of Pleasure For like as the outward shewe of Princes Palaces be pleasaunt at the view and sight of ech mans eye bet decked and garnished with sumptuous hangings and costlie Arras of splendent shewe wherein be wrought and be with gold silke of sundrie hewes the dedes of noble states Euen so in this our Pallace here there be at large recorded the Princely partes and glorious gestes of renowmed wights represented with more liuely grace and gorgeous sight than Tapestrie or Arras worke for that the one with deadly shape doth shewe the other with speaking voice declare what in their time they were Vpon whō doe waite as meete it is inferior persons ech one vouchsafing to tell what he was in the transitorie trade of present lyfe VVherefore accept the same in grateful wise and thinke vpon the minde of him that did the same which fraughted is with no lesse plentie of good wil than the coafers of king Craesus were with store of worldly pelfe And so fare well Authors out of whome these Nouelles be selected or which be remembred in diuers places of the same Greke and Latine Authors Titus Liuius Herodotus Aetianus Xenophon Quintus Curtius Aulus Gellius S. Hierome Cicero Polidorus Virgilius Aeneas Syluius Paludanus Apuleius L Caecius Rhodoginus Italian French and English Pietro Messia de Siuiglia Boccaccio Bandello Ser Giouanni Fiorentino Straeparole The Quene of Nauarre A boke in French intitled Comptes du monde Francois Belleforest Pierre Boaistuau surnome Launay Froisarde Fabian ¶ THE PALACE of Pleasure The Romanes and the Albanes beyng at warres for iniuries mutually inferred Metius Suffetius the Albane capitain deuised a waie by a combate to ioigne bothe the cities in one Uictorie falling to the Romanes the Romane victor killeth his sister who notwithstādyng is condempned to die Afterwardes vpon his fathers sute he is deliuered ¶ The first Nouell NVma Pompilius the seconde kyng of the Romanes beeyng deade Tullus Hostilius succeded a lustie and couragious yong gentleman For as Numa was giuē to peace so was he to warres and valiance It chaunced in his tyme that certein peasantes of the Romane dition and the like of the Albanes was foragyng and driuyng of boties the one from the other At that tyme raigned in Alba one C. Cluilius Ambassadours from bothe places were sent to redemaūde the thinges stollen Tullus commaunded his people that thei should deliuer none til commaundement were giuen in that behalfe for he knewe right well that the Alban kyng would restore nothyng by whiche occasion be might vpon iust cause proclaime warres He receiued the Alban Ambassadours in verie courteous maner and thei as curteously celebrated his honourable and sumptuous interteignemente Amitie proceded on bothe partes till the Romanes beganne to demaunde the firste restituciō whiche the Albanes denied and summoned warres to bee inferred vpon them within thirtie daies after Wherevpon the Ambassadours craued license of Tullus to speake whiche beyng graunted thei firste purged themselues by ignoraunce that thei knewe no harme or iniurie doen to the Romanes addyng further that if any thyng were dooen that should not please Tullus it was against their willes hopyng he would remember that thei were but Ambassadours subiecte to the commaundement of their prince Their coming was to demaunde a restitucion without whiche thei wer straightly charged to proclame defiaunce Whervnto Tullus aunswered Tell your maister that the kyng of the Romanes doeth call the goddes to witnes whether of them first maketh the quarrell to thintent all menne maie expecte the reuenge of those warres Whiche answere the Albane Ambassadours retourned to their maister Greate prouision for the warres was made on bothe partes muche like to a ciuile contencion almost betwene the father and the sonne For the citie of Lauinium was builded by the Troians and Alba by the Lauinians of whose stocke the Romanes tooke their beginnyng The Albanes seyng that thei were defied of the Romanes beganne firste to enter in armes and with a maine power perced the land of the Romanes and encamped within fiue miles of the citie enuironyng their campe with a trenche whiche afterwardes was called Fossa Cluilia by the mean of their capitaine wherein Cluilius the kyng died Then the Albanes appointed one Metius Suffetius to bee their Dictator Tullus vnderstāding the death of their prince with greate expedicion marched into the countrie about Alba passyng by the Albanes campe in the night whiche by the watche and scoutes was skried Then he retired to lodge as nere the enemie as he could sendyng an Ambassadour before to require Tullus that he would come to Parle before thei fought wherein he had a thyng to saie no lesse profitable to the Romanes then to the Albanes Tullus not cōtempnyng that condicion agreed Wherevpon bothe did put themselues in readines and before thei foigned bothe the captaines with certaine of their chief officers came forthe to talke where Metius saied these woordes The mutuall iniuries that hath been dooen and the withholdyng and kepyng of thynges caried awaie contrarie to the truce and that our kyng Cluilius is the authour and beginner of these warres I do heare and assuredly vnderstande for a trothe And I doe not doubt Tullus but thou also doest conceiue the same to be the onely occasion of this hostilitie Notwithstandyng if I maie speake rather the truthe then vtter any glosyng woordes by waie of flaterie the ambicious desire of bothe the Emperes doeth moste of all stimulate and prouoke bothe the Cities beeyng of one affinite and neighbours to frequēt this force of armes But whether this my coniecture bee right or wrong thei ought to consider whiche first began the warres The Albanes haue created me their Capitaine of this their enterprise I come to giue aduertisement to thée O Tullus of this one thing Whiche is that the Thuscans beyng a greate nacion and of power right famous doth enuirone vs bothe rounde about and the nerer thei bée vnto you the more knowledge you haue of thē Thei bee mightie vpon the lande and of greate power vpon the sea Call to thy remembraunce and consider that when thou giuest the signe and watche woorde of the battell our twoo armies shall bee but a ridiculous spectacle to them So sone as thei doe perceiue vs twoe to be spent and weried with fightyng thei will bothe assaile the vanquished and hym also that dooeth ouercome Wherfore if the goddes doe fauour either of vs let vs not shewe our selfes to be wearie of our libertie and franchise that is certaine and hazarde the Dice to incurre perpetuall seruitude and bondage Theerfore lette vs deuise some otherwaie whereby the one of vs maie gouerne the other withont effusion of bloodde of either partes This condiciō nothyng displeased Tullus although in corage and hope of victorie he was more fierce and bolder then the other And beyng in consultaciō about that purpose fortune ministered an apte occasion to them
well doers in their glorie and triumphe to perpetrate thynges vnlawfull Sextus Tarquinius rauisheth Lucrece who bewailyng the losse of her chastitie killeth her self ¶ The seconde Nouell GReate preparacion was made by the Romanes against a people called Rutuli who had a citie named Ardea excellyng in wealth and richesse whiche was the cause that the Romane kyng beyng exhausted and quite voide of money by reason of his sumptuous buildynges made warres vpon that countrie In the tyme of the siege of that citee the yong Romane gentlemen bāqueted one an other emonges whom there was one called Collatinus Tarquinius the sonne of Egerius And by chaunce thei entred in communicacion of their wiues euery one praisyng his seuerall spouse At length the talke began to growe hotte where vpon Collatinus said that wordes wer vaine For within fewe howers it might be tried how muche his wife Lucrecia did excell the rest wherfore q he if there be any liuelihod in you Let vs take our horse to proue whiche of our wiues doth furmoūt Wherevpō thei rode to Rome in poste At their coming thei found the kynges doughters sportyng themselfes with sundrie pastymes From thence thei went to the house of Collatinus where thei founde Lucrece not as the other before named spendyng the time in idlenes but late in the night occupied and busie emonges her maides in the middes of the house spinning of Wolle The victorie and praise wherof was giuen to Lucretia who when she sawe her husbande gently and louingly interteigned hym curteously biddyng the Tarquinians welcome Imediatlie Sextus Tarquinius the sonne of Tarquinius Superbus that tyme the Romane kyng was attached and incensed with a libidious desire to construprate and defloure Lucrece When the yong gentlemen had bestowed that night pleasantlie with their wiues thei retourned to the Campe. Not long after Sextus Tarquinius with one man returned to Collatia vnknowen to Collatinus and ignoraunte to Lucrece and the reste of her houshold for what purpose he came Who beyng right hartely interteigued after supper was conueighed to his chamber Tarquinius burnyng with the loue of Lucrece after he perceiued the housholde to bee at reste and all thynges in quiet he with his naked sworde in his hande goeth to Lucrece beyng a slepe and kepyng her doune with his lefte hande saied Holde thy peace Lucrece q he I am Sextus Tarquinius my sworde is in my hande if thou crie I will kill thee The gentlewoman beyng sore a fraied newlie awaked out of her slepe and seyng iminent death could not tell what to doe Then Tarquinius confessed his loue and began to intreate her and therewithall vsed sundrie menacyng woordes by all meanes attemptyng to make her quiet when he sawe her obstinate and that she would not yelde to his requeste notwithstandyng his cruell threates he added shamefull and villanous woordes saiyng That he would kill her and when she was slaine he would also kill his slaue and place hym by her that it might be reported she was slain beyng taken in adulterie She vāquished with his terrible and infamous threat His fleshly and licencious enterprise ouercame the puritie of her chast harte whiche doen he departed Then Lucrece sente a poste to Rome to her father and an other to Ardea to her housbande requiryng them that thei would make speede to come vnto her with certaine of their trustie frendes for that a cruell facte was chaunced Then Sp. Lucretius with P. Valerius the soonne of Volesius Collatinus with L. Iunius Brutus made haste to Lucrece Where thei founde her sittyng verie pensife and sadde in her chamber So sone as she sawe theim she began pitiouslie to weepe Then her housebande asked her whether all thynges were well vnto whom she saied these woordes No dere housebande for what can bee well or safe vnto a woman when she hath loste her chastitie Alas Collatine the steppes of an other man be now fixed in thy bedde But it is my bodie onely that is violated my minde God knoweth is gililes whereof my death shal be witnesse But if you be men giue me your hādes and trouthe that the adulterer maie not escape vnreuenged It is Sextus Tarquinius who beyng an enemie in stede of a frende the other night came vnto me armed with his sworde in his hand and by violence caried a waie from me and tooke to himself a pestiferous ioye Then euery of thē gaue her their faith and comforted the pensife and languishyng ladie imputing the offence to the aucthor and doer of the same affirmyng that her bodie was polluted and not her mynde and where consente was not there the crime was absent Wherevnto she added I praie you consider with your selues what punishment is due for the malefactour As for my parte though I clere my self of the offence my bodie shall feele the punishemente for no vnchast or ill woman shall hereafter take example of Lucrece Then she drew out a knife whiche she had hidden secretly vnder her kirtle and stabbed her self to the harte Whiche doen she fell doune grouelyng vpon her wounde and so died Wherevpon her father and housebande made greate lamentacion and as thes were bewailyng the death of Lucrece Brutus plucked the knife out of the wounde whiche gushed out with abundance of blood and holdyng it vp saied I swere by the chaste blood of this bodie here deade and I take you the immortall goddes to witnesse that I wil driue and extirpate out of this Citie bothe L. Tarquinius Superbus and his wicked wife with all the race of his children and progenie so that none of them ne yet any others shall raigne any longer in Rome Then he deliuered the knife to Collatinus Lucretius and Valerius merueilyng at the straungenesse of his woordes And from whence he should conceiue that determinacion Thes al swore that othe And folowed Brutus as their capitaine in his conceiued purpose The bodie of Lucrece was brought into the markette place where the people wondred at the vilenesse of that facte euery mā cōplainyng vpon the mischief of that facinorous rape committed by Tarquinius Wherevpon Brutus perswaded the Romanes that thei should cease from teares and other childishe lamentacions and take weapons in their handes and shewe themselues like men Then the lustiest and moste desperate persones within the citie made theimselues presse and readie to attempt any enterprise And after a guarrison was placed and bestowed at Collatia diligente watche and warde was kepte at the gates of the citie to the intent the kyng should haue no aduertismente of that slurre The reste of the souldiours followed Brutus to Rome Whē he was come to Rome the armed multitude did beate a meruellous feare throughout the whole citie but yet because thei sawe the chiefeste personages goe before that thought that the same enterprise was not taken in vaine Wherefore the people out of all places of the citie ran into the marketplace Where Brutus complained of the abhominable Rape of Lucrece committed by Sextus Tarquinius whervnto
the top of the hille called Ferrentine to waite for the people as thei passed by called vnto hym the chief and principall personages to prouoke them to take that aduaūtage and then assembled the multitude in the valleie harde by the high waie to whom he pronounced these wordes Forgetting all iniuries and displeasures past doen by the Romane people against the Volsciās how can you abide the contumelte committed this daie wherein to our greate shame and ignomie thei begin to ostentate and shewe forthe their plaies Do not you beleue that euen to daie thei triumphe ouer you Is not your departure thinke ye ridiculous to al the Romanes to straungers and other cities adioynyng Bée not your wiues and children trowe ye now passyng homewardes laughed to scorne What thinke you your selues be whiche were warned to departe at the sounde of the trumpet What suppose ye will all thei thinke whiche dooe meete this multitude retiryng homewardes to their greate reproche shame Truely except there be some secrete occasion whereby wée should bee suspected to violate the plaies or committe some other crime and so forced to relinquishe the companie and fellowship of the houest I knowe not what should be the cause of this repulse Were wee liuyng when we made suche festinacion to departe If it maie bee called a departure and not a runnyng awaie and shamefull retire I perceiue ye did not accompte this to bee a citie of our enemies where I thinke if ye had taried but one daie longer ye had all béen slaine Thei haue denounced warres vpon you whiche if you bee men of corage shall redounde to the vtter destruccion of them whiche first gaue the defiaunce The Vollcians perceiuyng themselues greatly derided for consideracions before remembred determined by common accorde to inferre warres vpon the Romanes vnder the conduccion of Accius Tullius and Coriolanus After thei had recouered diuers of the Romane Cities thei proceded further and in sundry places spoiled and destroied the same encampyng theimselues fiue miles from Rome besides the trēches called Fossas Cluilias In the meane tyme contencion rose betwene the people and the fathers howbeit the fears of forren partes linked their myndes together in the bandes of concord The Consuls and fathers reposed their whole cōfidence in battaill whiche the common peoplem nowise could abide Wherefore thei were constrained to assemble the Senate wherein was determined that Ambassadours should bee sente to Coriolanus to demaunde peace who retourned them again with a frowarde answere to this effecte that first thei should restore to the Volscians their Countrie whiche thei had conquered that doen he willed them to seke for peace Yet thei sent again Ambassadours but in nowise thei wer suffered to come into their campe Then the priestes cladde in their ornamentes and other diuine furniture were sent humblie to make peticion for peace And yet thei could not perswade theim Then the Romane Dames repaired to Veturia the mother of Coriolanus and to his wife Volumnia But whether the same was dooen by common consente or through the feminine kinde it is vncertain It was appoincted that Veturia beyng an aunciente gentlewoman and mother of Coriolanus and Volumnia his wife with her twoo yong children should goe into the Campe to the intente thei by their pitifull lamentacion might defende the citie whiche otherwise by force was not able to be kept At their arriuall Venturia was knowen by one of her soonnes familier frendes standyug betwene her doughter in lawe and her twoo neuies who caried woorde immediatly to Coriolanus saiyng I am verie muche deceiued but that thy mother thy wife and children bee here in the Campe. Coriolanus hearyng him saie so descended from his seate like one not well in his wittes and went forthe to embrase his mother The olde gentlewoman from supplicacions fill into a greate rage speakyng these woordes Abide a while before I do receiue thy embracementes let me knowe whether I am comen to mine enemie or to my soonne or whether I am a prisoner in thy Campe or thy mother Alacke how long haue I prolonged these auncient yeres and hoare heares moste vnhappie that now firste I doe beholde thée an exile and then viewe thée myne enemie Canst thou finde in thy harte to depopulate and destroie this thy countrie wherein thou waste begotten and brought vp Could not thy rage and furie bee mitigated and appeased when thou diddest first put foote into the limites of this thy countrie Did not naturall zeale pearce thy cruell harte when thou diddest first cast thyne eyes vpon this citie Is not the house of thy mother and her domesticall Goddes conteined within the walles of youder citie Dooe not thy sorowfull mother thy deare wife and children inhabite within that compasse Wherefore O I cursed creature if I had neuer had childe Rome had not been now assailed If I had neuer brought forthe a sonne I should haue laied myne olde bones and ended my life in a frée countrie But I could neuer haue susteined or suffred more miserie then is now incident and fallen vnto me nor neuer more dishonour then to beholde thée in pitifull plight a traitour to thyne owne countrie And as I am the moste wretched wight of al mothers so I truste I shall not longe continue in that state If thou procede in this thine enterprise either sodaine death or perpetuall bondage bée thy reward When his mother had ended these woordes the whole traine of gentlewomen brake into pitifull teares bitterly bewailyng the state of their Countrie whiche at lengthe did mitigate the stomacke of Coriolanus And whē he had imbrased his wife and children he dismissed them Then he withdrewe the Volscian campe frō the citée and out of the Romane Prouince Upon the displeasure of whiche facte he died It is saied that when he was an olde manne he vsed many tymes to speake and vtter this sentence That verie miserable it is for an olde manne to liue in banishemente The Romanes disdained not to attribute to women their due praise For in memorie of this deliuerie of their Countrie Thei erected a Temple Fortunae Muliebri to womens fortune Appius Claudius one of the Decemuiri of Rome goeth about to rauishe Virginia a yonge maiden which indeuour of Appius when her father Virginius vnderstode being then in the warres he repaireth home to rescue his doughter One that was betrouthed vnto her doeth claime her wherevpon rose greate contencion In the ende her owne father to saue the shame of his stocke killed her with a Bochers knife and cometh into the Forum crieth vengeauce vpon Appius Then after muche contencion and rebellion the Decemuiri were deposed ¶ The .v. Nouell SPurius Posthumius Albus Aulus Manlius and P. Sulpitius Camerinus were sente Ambassadours to Athenes and cōmaunded to write out the noble lawes of Solon and to learne the Institucions orders and Lawes of other Greke citées Upon whose retourne the Tribunes were verie instāt that at length lawes should be enacted and
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
by fortune bee denied hym yet he doeth excell him bicause he neuer hath experience of thē he liueth in good prosperous helth he neuer feleth aduersitie he doeth nothing that is wicked he is a father of good childrē he is indued with formosttie beautie who if besides al those things he die welt It is he whō you demaunde that worthely maie be called blessed happy For before he die he can not be called blessed But fortunate he maie bee termed For to obtein al whiles you be a liuyng mā it is impossible For as one countrie is not able to serue it self with all comodities but hauing one it lacketh an other Yet the same countrie that hath moste comodities is the beste And as a mans bodie hauing one prefecciō is not perfect bicause in hauing one he lacketh an other Euē so he that hath most vertue is indued with greatest nōber of the aforesaied comodities so quietly departeth his life he in mine opinion is worthie to be intitled with the name of a king A mā must expect th ende of euery thing whervnto it tendeth For God plucketh vp by the rootes many men to whō he hath giuen abundance of welth treasure Craesus misliking the wordes of Solō suffred him to depart saiyng he was a foole that measured present pleasures no better After whose departure the goddes begā to bend their indignaciō displeasure vpon him bicause he thought himself the happiest of al men Long time after Craesus receiuyng corage cōfort frō Apollo at Delphos Attēpted warrs against Cyrus king of Persia. Who in those warres was ouerthrowen and taken prisoner after he had raigned .xiiij yeres and was broughte by the Persians to Cyrus Then Cyrus caused a stacke of woodde to be piled vp and Craesus fettered with giues was sette vpon the same Who then remēbryng the saiyng of Solon that no liuyng man was blessed or in all poincted happie cried out in lamentable wise O Solon Solon Solon whiche Cyrus hearyng caused his interpreters to demaūde of him what the same Solon was Craesus with muche difficultie tolde what he was and declared all the talke betwene hym and Solon Whereof when Cyrus heard the reporte he acknowledged hymself to be also a man and sore repented that he went aboute to burne hym whiche was equall vnto hym in honor and richesse confessyng nothyng to bee stable and certaine in the life of man Wherevpon he commaunded the fire to be taken awaie whiche then began to flame And so with muche a do he was deliuered Then Cyrus asked hym who gaue hym counsaill to inuade his countrie to make his frēde his foe Euen my self saied Craesus through vnhappie fate by the perswasiō of the Grekishe GOD whiche gaue me counsaill to make warres vpon thee For there is no man so madde that had rather desire warre then peace For in peace sonnes hurte their fathers but in warres fathers hurte their children But that these thinges be come to passe I maie thanke the Deuels good grace Afterwards Cyrus interteigned hym verie honorablie and vsed his counsel whiche he founde very holsome good Of a father that made suite to haue his owne soonne putte to deathe ¶ The .viij. Nouell THere was a man borne in Mardus whiche is a Countrie adioynyng vnto Persia called Rhacon that had seuen children The yongest of theim named Cartomes afflicted diuerse honest menne with greate harmes and mischifes For whiche cause the father began to reforme hym with wordes to proue if he would amende But he litle waiyng the good discipline of his father It chaunced vpon a time that the Iustices of the countrie repaired to the Sessions in that Toune where the father of that childe did dwell Who takyng his sonne and bindyng his handes behinde hym brought him before the Iudges To whom he remēbred by waie of accusacion all the mischiefes whiche his soonne from tyme to tyme hadde committed and desired the Iudges that he might bee condēpned to die The Iudges amased at that request would not them selues giue sentence against hym but brought bothe the father and the soonne before Artaxerxes the kyng of Persia In whose presence the father stil persisted in the accusacion of his sonne Why q the kyng canste thou finde in thy harte that thyne owne soonne should be putte to death before thy face Ye truely q the father For at home in my garden when the yonge Lactuse beginne to growe I cutte of the bitter and sower stalkes from the same For pitie it were the mother Lactuse should sustaine any sorowe for those bastarde and degenerate shrubbes Whiche beyng taken awaie the prospereth and encreaseth so greate swetenesse and bignes Euen so O kyng if he be hanged that hurteth my whole familie and offendeth the honest conuersacion of his brethren bothe my self shal bee increased and the reste of my stocke and ligneage shall in like sorte prospere and continue The Kyng hearyng those woordes did greately praise the wisedome of Rhacon and chose hym to bee one of his Iudges speakyng these wordes before the multitude He that dare thus seuerely iustly pronounce sentence vpon his owne childe doubtles he will shewe hymself to bee an incorrupt and sincere Iudge vpon the offences of other Then the kyng deliuered the yonge man from that present fault threatenyng hym with moste cruell death if after that tyme he were apprehended with like offence Water offred of good will to Artaxerxes the kyng of Persia and the liberall rewarde of the kyng to the giuer ¶ The .ix. Nouell THere was a certaine Persian called Sinaetas that farre from his owne house mette king Artaxerxes and had not wherewith to present him For it was an order emonges the Persians instituted by Lawe that euery man whiche mette with the king should giue hym a present Wherefore the poore man bicause he would not neglecte his duetie ranne to a Riuer called Cyrus taking vp bothe his handes full of water spake to the kyng in this wise I beseche God that your maiestie maie euermore raigne emonges As occasion of the place and myne abilitie at this instant serueth I am come to honour your maiestie to the intente you maie not passe without some presente For whiche cause I giue vnto you this water But if your grace had ones incamped your self I would goe home to my house for the best and derest things I haue to honour your maiestie withall And peraduēture the same shall not be muche inferiour to the giftes whiche other now dooe giue you Artaxerxes delighted with this chaunce saied vnto hym Good followe I thanke thee for this present I assure thee the same is so acceptable vnto me as the most precious gift of the worlde First bicause water is the best of all thynges then bicause the Riuer out of the whiche thou diddest take it dooeth beare the name of Cyrus Wherefore I commaunde thee to come before me when I am at my Campe. When he had spoken those wordes he
yonge ones went to inhabite in some other place And the corne accordingly was cut downe by the owner This fable Aesope reporteth premonishyng men to beware of light hope and vaine truste to be reposed in frēdes and kinsfolke And the same Q. Ennius in his Satyres verie elegantly in trimme verses hath set out whereof the twoo laste worthie to bée had in harte and memorie I haue thought good to remember Alwaies fixt fast in breast in prompt and redie wise This Prouerbe olde and true a sentence of the wise The thyng doe not expecte by frendes for to achieue VVhiche thou thy self canst doe thy self for to relieue A merie ieste vttered by Hannibal to kyng Antiochus ¶ The .xxj. Nouell ANtiochus makyng greate preparacion furniture to inferre warre vpon the Romanes decked his armie with Siluer and Golden ansignes and Pendentes wherein he had plentie of wagons chariottes and Elephantes with towers his bande of horsemen glittered gloriouslie with Golden bridles trappers barbes and suche like The king beholdyng in glorious and reioysyng wise his gaie and beautifull armie loked towardes Hannibal and saied How saiest thou Hannibal Thinkest thou that these thynges be not inough and sufficiente to matche with the Romanes Hanibal mocking and deluding the cowardnesse and weakenesse of his souldiors cladde in those precious and costlie furnitures saied All these thynges be inough and inough againe for the Romanes although thei were the moste couetous men of the worlde The kyng vnderstoode Hannibal that he had meant of the nomber of his souldiers and of their brauerie But he meant of the praie and spoite whiche the Romanes should winne and gette The merneilous knowledge of a Lion beyng acquainted with a man called Androdus ¶ The .xxij. Nouell THere chaūced to be certain plaies and games at Rome where were many monstruous and cruell beastes But emonges all those beastes the hugenesse and cruell aspectes of the Lions were had in greatest wonder specially of one Whiche Lion was of an huge and greate bignesse hauyng a terrible voice his clawes stretched for the his bristelles and heare vpright beholding with his fierce and dedly eyes all the multitude stādyng by There was brought in to fight with the Lion emonges all the reste one Androdus a Dacian borne the bondman of a greate personage of the Consular order whom the Lyon beholdyng a farre of sodainlie stoode still And afterwardes by litle and litle in gentle sorte he came vnto the man as though he had knowen him Waggyng his taile like a Spaniell fawnyng vpō his maister and licked the handes and legges of the poore felowe whiche for feare was almoste dead This Androdus perceiuyng the flateries of this fierce beast recouered comforte and earnestlie viewed and marked the Lion Then thei beganne to entre into mutual acquaintaunce one reioysyng at an others metyng Upon whiche straunge euent the people raised greate shoutes and acclamaciōs wherevpon Androdus was called before the Emperor and demaunded the cause why that moste cruell beast did in that sort fawne and fauour hym aboue all other Androdus tolde a merueilous and straunge historie of the cause thereof saiyng If it please your Maiestie when my Lorde and Maister did by the office of Proconsul gouerne Africa I through his causelesse stripes and daily whippynges was forced to runne awaie And when I had gotten pardon of the lieutenāt of that countrie to remaine there I withdrew my self in to the desertes and voide places And lacking meate to ease the paine of hūger I determined by some meanes to séeke mine owne death It chaunced aboute the midde of the daie whē the Sonne was feruent and hot I entred into a Caue whiche was farre from habitacion very wide and large Whervnto within a while after this Lion resorted hauyng one of his féete bloodie hurte For paine whereof he vttred muche mone and sorowe bewailyng the griefe and anguishe of the sore When I sawe the Lion my hart began to quake for feare but beyng come in as it were into his owne habitacion for so it should appere perceiuyng me to go aboute to hide my self a farre of he like a milde and gentle beast came vnto me holdyng vp his foote reachyng the same to me as though he desired helpe and relief at my handes Where withall I plucked out of his foote a stubbe whiche stucke betwene the pawes thereof and takyng a litle salue whiche I had in my bosome I thruste it into the bottome of the wounde and diligently without any further feare I dried the wounde and wiped awaie the blood thereof Wherewith the Lion beyng eased restyng his foote in my hādes he laie downe to refreshe hymself From that daie duryng the space of three yeres the Lion and I continued together and liued with like fare The lattest and beste morselles of those beastes whiche he praied he did euer brynge me into the caue whiche meate bicause I had no fire I rosted in the heate of the Sonne and did eate the same with good stomacke But when I began to waxe wearie of that kinde of meate vpon a tyme the Lion beyng abroade I forsoke the caue and traueilyng almoste the space of three daies I was espied and taken of the souldious and brought home to my maister out of Africa to Rome who immediatlie condempned me to be deuoured of beastes And now I perceiue that this Lion sithens I left his companie is taken and dooeth acquite that good tourne and cure whiche I shewed hym them The people hearyng the discourse of this straunge facte made suite that the felowe might bée pardoned and sette at libertie and the Lion by generall voice was giuen vnto hym for reward Afterwardes Androdus caried the Lion abrode the Citie in a litle corde and had muche money giuen vnto hym the Lion was decked and beautified with flowers And euery manne that mette them did vse to saie This is the Lion the frende of this man and this is the man the Phisicion of the Lion A pretie disputacion of the Philosopher Phanorines to perswade a woman not to put forthe her childe to Nursse but to nourishe it her self with her owne Milke ¶ The .xxiij. Nouell IT was tolde to the Philosopher Phauorinus that the wife of one of his Sectators and scholers was brought a bedde of a sonne Let vs go quod Phauorinus to visite the childwife and to gratulate the father for the ioye of his soonne When thei were entred the house after he had saluted the goodman accordyng to the custome he asked the wife how she did and praied the Goddes to sende her good footyng and then inquired of her trauell and painfull panges whē he vnderstode that her trauell was greate and her bodie weake with watchyng howbeeit somewhat comforted with slepe whiche she had taken he determined to enter into further talke I doubte not gossip q he but that you purpose to nourishe your sonne your self The mother of the woman hearyng him saie so began to praie pardon and
there was a yonge man called Euathlus who beyng desirous to be an Orator and a pleadyng aduocate to the intent he might postulate accordyng to the accustomed maner of Athenes in those dates accorded vpon a price with a renewned Oratour named Protagoras that he should instructe hym that arte for a price agreed vpon betwene them vpon condicion that the Scholer should paie the one halfe of the money before hande vnto his Maister and the rest at suche tyme as he should proue to be an Aduocate so well instructed that at the first matter whiche he did pleade he should obteine sentence on his side and gaine for his labour and industrie But if sentēce were pronounced against him he should not be boūde to paie the same Uppon this conclusion the Maister taughte hym with greate diligence the vttermoste of his knowledge in that arte The Scholer againe learned and reteined his teachyng with greate prōptitude and redinesse of witte When Protagoras had taught hym the vttermoste of his knowledge The scholer Euathlus to defraude hym of the reste of his money determined neuer to be Aduocate whose craft Protagoras perceiuyng cited hym by write to appere before the Iudge to answere the rest of the bargaine When thei were bothe come in the Iudges presence Protagoras spake to his scholer in this wise Euathlus the bargain betwene vs thou canst not chose but confesse and acknowledge whiche in effecte is this It was agreed that I should teache thee the arte of pleadyng and in the first matter whiche thou diddest pronoūce and sentence giuen on thy parte thou shouldest paie me the other halfe of the money for the firste moitie I receiued before hande and now to auoide the satisfaction thereof although thou knowest that I haue full well deserued it thou to defraude me of my duetie refusest to bee an aduocate But I will tell thee this thy determinacion is but vaine frustrate for I haue intangled thee in suche nettes that thou canste not escape but by one meane or other thou shalte be forced to paie me For if the Iudge doe condempne thee then mangre thy head thou shalt be constrained and if contrarie wise sentēce be giuen on thy side thou shalte be likewise bounde to paie me by thy verie couenaunt sitheus thou art boūd therevnto when thou pleadest first and sentence giuen in thy behalf Doe now then what thou list for in fine thou shalt be forced to paie me in despite of thy teeth All the assistauntes helde with Protagoras affirming his suite to be verie reasonable Notwithstandyng Euathlus with a bolde spirite aunswered for hymself in this maner Sir Protagoras it semeth vnto you that I am conuicted but staie a while and giue me leaue to speake and then you shall perceiue in what whise I will cōfounde your argument Here you haue brought your action against me whereof I trust vpon my reasonable aunswere before the Iudges to be discharged For if by this your pleadyng by circumstaunces art of an Oratour whiche you haue vsed in all your discourse the matter shall fall so out as sentence be giuē on your side then the bargaine made betwene vs is voide and of none effecte bicause I losyng the profit of my first pleadyng wherein by our agrement sentence should be giuē on my behalfe the same bargaine is not accōplished For you should bee paied the moitie of the money behind with that cōmoditia which I did gaine by my first pleadyng For whiche cause there is no reason but I must be discharged of your demaunde After this debatyng of the matter the Iudges wated the argumentes of bothe partes whiche seemed so doubtfull vnto them that knowyng not how to giue sentence thei suspended the processe The same Aulus Gellius reciteth an other like question whiche he referreth to Plinie as the first aucthor thereof There was a lawe saieth he in a certain citie that what soeuer he were that committed any valiant facte of armes the thyng that he demaunded what soeuert were should be graunted vnto hym It chaunced that a certaine persone did this worthie act and required that a mannes wife whom he derelie loued should be giuen vnto hym whiche wife by force vertue of the lawe was accordingly deliuered But afterwardes the man from whom his wife was taken did the like facte and demaunding his wife to be redeliuered vnto hym againe saied vnto hym that had her if thou wilt obserue the lawe thou muste of force deliuer vnto me my wife but if thou do not like the law thou oughtest yet to rēder her vnto me as myne owne The other answered hym in like sorte If thou obserue the lawe this woman is myne for I haue first wonne her by the lawe but if thou doe not approue the lawe thou hast no right to demaunde her she now beyng myne ¶ Seleueus kyng of Asia gaue his wife to his owne soonne in mariage beyng his mother in lawe who so feruentlie did loue her that he was like to die Whiche by a discrete and wise muencion was discouered to Seleucus by a Phisician ¶ The .xxvij. Nouell ALthough the wise Philosopher Plutarche elegantly and brieslie describeth this historie in the life of Demetrius yet because Bandello aptly more at large doeth discourse the same I thought good to applie my yenne to his stile Who saieth that Seleucus kyng of Babylone a man verie victorious in battaill was emonges the successors of Alexander the greate the moste happie and fortunate He had a sōne called by his fathers name Antiochus After the deceasse of his wife his sonne increased and gaue great hope of valiaunce in future time to become a valiante gentleman worthie of suche a father And beyng arriued to .xxiiij. yeres of age It chaunced that his father fill in loue with a verie faire yonge gentlewoman discended a greate parentage called Stratonica whom he tooke to wife and made her Quene and by her had one sonne Antiochus seyng his mother in lawe to be besides her greate beautie a curteous and gentle Ladie begā to be verie amourous of her whose hart was so sette on fire without apparante shewe that incredible it is to expresse the loue that he bare her And yet he thought that loue to be vnnaturall bicause she was his fathers wife and therefore durfte not discouer it to any man And the more secrete he kepte it the more the heate began to boile and consume him But bicause he sawe that loue had fixed so deepe footyng that he was not wel able to retire he determined after long sorowe and great turmoile to seke some quiet hauē to rest his weather beaten barke that hadde been tossed with the waues of pensife and sorowful cogitacions His father had many Kyngdomes prouinces innumerable vnder his Empire At whose handes Antiochus craued license to visite some of them for his disporte and recreaciō of purpose to proue if he could auoide that vnseasonable loue wherewith his harte was surprised But he
so many tymes for his sake to fetche so many sighes and with suche sweete woordes to bidde hym bet of good there aud that if he wanted any thyng to tell her and praied hym with pleasaunt wordes to call for that he lacked and that for his sake she would gladlie accomplish his desire who doubteth I saie but he was merueilouslie tormented with a thousande cogitacions now conceiuyng hope and by and by dispaire and still concludyng with hymself rather to die then to manifest his loue And if it be a grief to all yonge men bee thei neuer of so meane and base cōdicion in their youthlie tyme to lose their life what shall we thinke of Antiochus that beyng a yongman of freshe and flourishyng age the sonne of a riche and mightie kyng that looked if he might escape after the death of his father to be heire of al did willingly craue death of that small disease I am assured that his sorowe was infinite Antiochus then beaten with pitie with loue with hope with desire with fatherly reuerence and with a thousande other thynges like a ship tossed in the depe seas by litle and litle begā to growe extremelie sicke Erasistratus that sawe his bodie hole and sounde but his minde greuouslie weakened and the same vanquished with sundrie passiōs After he had with hymself considered this straunge case he for cōclusiō foūde out that the yong man was sicke through loue for none other cause Moreouer he thought that many tymes wise and graue menne through Ire hatred disdaine malinconie and other affections could easilie faine and dissemble their passions but loue if it be kept secrete doeth by the close kepyng thereof greater hurte then if it be made manifeste And albeit that of Antiochus he could not learne the cause of his loue yet after that imaginacion was entred into his hedde he purposed to finde it out by continuall abode with hym and by greate diligence to obserue and marke all his actions and aboue all to take heede to the mutacion of his poulses and wherevpon their beatyng did alter This deliberacion purposed he sat downe by the bedde side and tooke Antiochus by the arme and helde him fast where the poulses ordinarily doe beate It chaunced at that instant that the quene Stratonica entred into the chamber whom so sone as the yonge man sawe cōmyng towarde him sodainlie the poulce whiche were weake féeble began to reuiue through mutacion of the blood Erasistratus féelyng the renforcyng of the poulce and to proue how longe it would continewe moued not at the commyng of the Quene but still helde his fingers vpō the beatyng of the poulces So long as the Quene contiuned in the chamber the beatyng was quicke and liuelie but when she departed it ceased the wonted weaknes of the poulces retourned Not long after the quene came againe into the chāber who was no soner espied by Antiochus but that his poulces receiued vigor and begā to leape and so still continued Whē she departed the force and vigor of the poulce departed also The noble Phisicion seyng this mutacion and that still it chaunced vpō the presence of the Quene he thought that he had founde out the occasion of Antiochus sickenesse But he determined better to marke the same the next daie to be more assured The morowe after Erasistratus sat doun againe by the yonge gentleman and toke hym again by the arme but his poulce made no mociō at all The king came to se his sonne and yet for all that his poulses were still And beholde the Quene came no soner in but sodainlie thei reuined and yelded suche liuelie mouyng as if you would haue said yonder is she that setteth my harte on fire Beholde where she is that is my life death Then Erasistratus was well assured and certaine that Antiochus was feruently inflamed with his mother in lawe but that shame constrained hym to conceale the hotte firebrandes that tormented hym and to keepe them close and secrete Certified of this opinion before he would open the matter he considered what waie were best to giue knowledge therof to kyng Seleucus And when he had well debated of this matter he deuised this waie He knewe that Seleucus loued his wife beyonde measure and also that Antiochus was so dere vnto hym as his owne life Wherevpon he thus saied vnto the kyng Noble Seleucus thy sonne is affected with a grieuous maladie and that whiche is worse I deme his sickenesse to bee incurable At whiche wordes the sorowfull father began to vtter pitifull lamētacion and bitterlie to complaine of Fortune To whom the Phisicion saied If it please yon my lorde to vnderstande the occasion of his disease This it is The maladie that affecteth and languisheth your soonne is Loue and the loue of suche a woman whiche excepte he enioye there is no remedie but death Alas quod the Kyng weepyng with bitter teares and what woman is she but that I maie procure her for hym whiche am kyng of all Asia and maie with intreatie money giftes or other pollicie whatsoeuer make her obediente and willyng to my soonnes requeste Tell me onelie the name of the woman that I maie prouide for my soonnes healthe yea though it cost me all my goods and realme to if other wise she can not bee gotten For if he die what shall I doe with my kyngdome Wherevnto Erasistratus answered If it like your grace your sōne is in loue with my wife but bicause that loue semeth vnto him discōuenient he dareth not to manifest the same for shame but rather wisheth to die then to opē his minde Howbeit I by certaine euident signes doe wei perceiue it When Seleucus heard these woordes he saied O Erasistratus thou beyng so worthie a man to whom fewe in goodnesse and humilitie be comparable so dere and welbeloued of me and beareth the bruite to be the verie hauen and harborough of wisedome wilt thou not saue my sonne whiche is a yonge man now vpon the floure of his youth and most worthie of life for whom the Empire of all Asia is worthelie reserued O Erasistratus the soonne of thy frende Seleucus is thy kyng who through loue and silence is at the poineted death thou seest that for modestie and honestie sake at this his laste and doubtfull passage he had rather chose to die then by speakyng to offende thee and wilte thou not helpe hym This his silence this discrecion that his reuerence whiche he sheweth ought to moue thee to cōpassion Thinke my welbeloued Erasistratus that if he loue ardently that he was forced to loue For vndoubtedlie if he could not loue he would do the best he could not to loue yea and all his endeuour to resist it But who is able to prescribe lawes to Loue Loue I knowe not onelie forceth men but also commaūdeth the immortall Goddes and when thei bee not able to resist him what can mannes pollicie preuaile Wherfore who knoweth not what
in this order but their substaunce lefte them by their father was verie muche consumed And their reuenues not able to maintaine their expences began to decrease wherevpon thei were faine to morgage and sell their inheritaunce in suche wise as in the ende thei grewe to extreme pouertie And then penurie did opē their eyes in like sort as before richesse had closed them vp For which cause Lamberto vpon a daie did call his other twoo brethren vnto hym and tolde them of what honour their father was to what value his richesse did amounte and now to what pouertie thei wer come through their disordinate expences giuyng them counsaill so well as he coulde that before miserie did growe any further vpō them by sellyng that whiche was left thei should goe their waie Whiche thei did And without leaue taken of any man or other solempnitie thei departed from Florence and taried in no place before thei were arriued in Englande Where takyng a litle house in the citie of London thei liued with litle expences and began to lende out their money to vsurie Fortune was so fauourable vnto them by that trade that in fewe yeres thei had gained a verie notable some of money whiche made them one after an other to retire againe to Florence with their substaunce where thei redemed a greate parte of their inheritaunce and bought other lande and so gaue themselues to mariage continewing neuerthelesse in England their money at interest Thei sente thither to be their factour a yonge manne their nephewe called Alexandro And thei three dwellyng still at Florence began againe to forget to what miserie their inordinate expences had broughte them before And albeit thei were charged with housholde yet thei spente out of order and without respecte And were of greate credite with euery Marchaunte whose expences the money that Alexandro many tymes did sende home did helpe to supporte for certaine yeres whiche was lente out to diuerse gentlemen and Barons of the countrie vpon their Castelles Manours and other reuenues whereof was receiued an incredible profite In the meane tyme the three brethren spent so largelie that thei borowed money of other fixyng all their hope from Englande It chaunced contrary to the opinion of al men that warres happened betwene the kyng of England and one of his sonnes whiche bredde muche diuision in that Countrie some holdyng of one part and some of an other By meanes whereof all the manours and morgaged landes were taken awaie from Alexandro hauyng nothing whervpō any profite did rise But daily trustyng that peace should be concluded betwene the father and the sonne And that all thynges should be surrendred aswell the principall as the interest he determined not to departe the countrie The three brethren whiche were at Florrence not limityng any order to their disordinate expences grewe daily worsse and worsse But in processe of tyme when all hope was past of their recouery thei lost not onely their credite but the creditors desirous to be paied were faine to sende thē to prison And bicause their inheritance was not sufficient to paie the whole debt thei remained in prison for the rest And their wiues and childrē were dispersed some into the countrie and some hether and thither out of order not knowing how to do but to abide a poore miserable life for euer Alexandro whiche of long tyme taried for a peace in Englande and seing that it would not come to passe considering with hymself that ouer and besides his vaine abode for recouery of his debtes that he was in daunger of his life he purposed to retourne into Italie And as he traueiled by the waie alone and departed from Bruges by fortune he perceiued an Abbot clothed in white in like maner about to take his iourney accompanied with many Monkes and a greate traine hauyng muche cariage and diuers baggages before After whom rode twoo olde knightes the kinsmenne of the kyng with whom Alexandro entred acquaintance by reason of former knowledge and was receiued into their companie Alexandro then ridyng with thē frendly demaunded what Monkes thei were that rode before with so greate a traine and whether thei wente To whom one of the knightes answered that he whiche rode before was a yonge gentle man their kinsman which was newlie chosen Abbot of one of the best Abbaies in Englande And bicause he was verie yonge and not lawfull by the decrees for suche a dignitie thei went with him to Rome to obteine of the holie father a dispensacion for his age and for a cōfirmacion of that dignitie But thei willed hym to disclose the same to no manne And so this newe Abbot riding sometymes before and sometymes after as we see ordinarilie that lordes doe when thei trauell in the countrie It chaunced that the Abbot perceiuyng Alexandro ridyng besides him whiche was a faire yonge manne honest curteous and familier who at the first meting did so merueilouslie delight him as any thing that euer he sawe in his life and callyng hym vnto hym he began familierlie to talke and asked what he was from whence he came and whether he went To whom Alexandro declared liberallie all his state and satisfied his demaūde offryng vnto hym although his power was little all the seruice he was able to dooe The Abbote hearyng his curteous offer and comelie talke placed in good order consideryng more particulerlie the state of his affaires and waiyng with hym self that albeit his traine was small yet neuerthelesse he semed to be a gentleman and then pitiyng his mishappes he recomforted hym familierlie and saied vnto him that he ought daily to liue in good hope For if he were an honeste manne God would aduaunce him again not onelie to that place frō whence Fortune had throwen hym doune but also to greater estimacion praiyng him that sithēs he was goyng into Thuscane whether he likewise went that it would please him to remaine in his compaine Alexandro thanked hym humblie of his comfort and said vnto him that he was redie to imploie hymself where it should please hym to cōmaunde The Abbot thus riding into whose minde newe thoughtes entred vpon the sight of Alexandro It chaūced after many daies iourneis thei arriued at a village that was but meanlie furnished with lodgyng The Abbot desirous to lodge there Alexandro intreated hym to lighte at the Inne of an hoste whiche was familiarly knowen vnto him and caused a chamber to be made redie for hymself in the worste place of the house And the Marshall of the Abbottes lodgynges beyng alredie come to the Toune whiche was a manne verie skilfull in those affaires he lodged all the traine in that village one here an other there so well as he could And by that time the Abbot had supped night was farre spente and euery man repaired to his bedde Alexandro demaūded the host where he should lie To whom the hoste made answere Of a trouthe Maister Alexandro I knowe not for you see that all my
where it maie chaunce that you neuer vnderstoode so muche before this tyme I will tell you the whole discourse So it is that Pietro my father yours dwelte of long time wherof it is possible that you haue heard report at Palermo where through the goodnesse and frendlie behauior of hym there be yet some remaining that did beare hym singular good will and frendship But emonges other whiche loued him moffe my mother which was a gentlewoman and then a widowe without doubt did loue him best In such wise that she forgettyng the loue of her father and of her brethren and the loue of her owne honour and reputacion thei dealed so together that thei begatte me and am here as you see Afterwardes when your father and mine had occasion to departe from Palermo he retourned to Perugia leauing my mother behinde and me his yong doughter neuer after that so farre as I knowe caring either for my mother or me wherof if he were not my father I would blame him very muche cōsidering his ingratitude towardes my mother Albeit he ought to vse towardes me so muche affection fatherlie loue as to his owne doughter being come of no kitchin maide ne yet of any basewoman For my mother otherwise not knowyng what he was did commit into his handes moued of mere loue bothe her self and all that she had But what Thynges ill dooen and so long tyme paste are more easie to be reprehended then amended Thus the matter went he left me a litle infant at Palermo where when I was growen to yeres my mother whiche was riche gaue me to wife to one of the house of Gergenti a gentleman of greate honestie and reputacion who for the loue of my mother and me retourned to dwell at Palermo where greatlie sauoryng the faccion of the Guelphi he began to practise a certaine enterprise with our kyng Charles whiche being knowen to Kyng Federic before the same enterprise could take effecte we were forced to flie out of Scicilia At what tyme I had thought to haue been the chiefest Ladie that euer was in that Island wherefore taking with vs suche fewe thinges as we were able to carie fewe I maie well call them in respecte of thē we possessed and leauyng our houses and pallaces we came vnto this citie Where we founde kyng Charles so benigne towardes vs that he hath recompenced parte of our losses whiche wee susteined in his seruice For he hath giuen vs possessions and houses with good prouision of housholde to my husbande and your brother in lawe as you now sée and perceiue And in his maner I doe remaine here where swete brother I thāke God and not you that at this presente I sée you and therewithall she tooke hym aboute the necke wepyng tenderly and then kissed his face againe Andreuccio hearyng this tale spoken in order and digested from poinct to poinct with good vtterance wherof no worde stucke betwene her teeth or was impeached by default of tongue And remembryng how it was true that his father dwelte at Palermo knowyng also by hymself the maner of yonge menne whiche in their youthe be prompt and willyng to loue and seyng her tender teares her imbracynges and honest kisses thought al that she had spoken to bée moste certaine and true And after she hadde doe on her tale he answered in this wise Madame you maie not thinke vnkindnesse if I dooe meruaile at this for that in verie déede I haue no acquaintance of you no more then if you had neuer been borne But whether my father hath spoken of you or of your mother at any tyme truely I doe not now remēber but so muche the more I dooe reioyce that I haue founde a sister here as I trust bicause I am here alone And certainly I knowe none so honourable but you maie seme agreable vnto hym so well as to me which am but a poore marchaunte howbeit I doe beseche you to tell me how you did knowe that I was in the citie To whom she answered This mornyng a poore woman whiche oftentymes repaireth to my house gaue me knowledge thereof bicause of longe tyme as she tolde me she did dwell with your father at Palermo and at Perugia And bicause I thought it more conuenient and mete to bid you home to myne owne house then to seke you in an other mannes I thought good to sende for you After these woordes she began in order to inquire of the state of his parentes callyng them by their proper names wherevnto Andreuccio made answer that now he perceiued he had better cause to giue credite vnto her woordes then before Their discourse and talke of thynges beyng long and the weather hot she called for Greke wine and Comfittes and made Andreuccio to drincke Who after the banquette destrous to departe to his lodgyng for it was about supper time she by no meanes would suffer him but makyng as though she were angrie saied vnto hym Oh God I see now moste euidently that you doe make litle accompt of me beyng your owne sister whom you neuer sawe before and in her house where vnto you ought to resort when so euer you come to towne And will you now forsake the same to suppe in an Inne But of trouth you shall not chose but take part of my supper And although my husbande bee not at home whereof I am right sorie yet you shal knowe that his wife is able to make you some good there To whom Andreuccio not knowyng well what to saie els made this answere I do loue you as I ought to loue a sister But if I go not to mine Iune I knowe thei will tarie for me all this night before thei goe to supper to my greate reproche and shame Praised bee God quod she then I haue seruauntes to aduertise your hoste that you be here with me to the intent he shall not tarie for you But pleaseth you sir to dooe me this greate curtesie that I maie sende for your companions hither to beare you companie that afterwardes if you will néedes depart ye maie goe all together Andreuccio answered that he would sende for none of his companie that night but for so much as she was so importunate he hymself was right well contente to satisfie her requeste Then she made as though she had sente to his Inne to giue worde that thei should not tarie for him And after muche communication supper was placed vpon the table serued in with many deuises and sundrie delicates abundantlie and she with like sleightes continued the supper till it was darke night And whē thei rose from the table Andreuccio made hast to departe but she would not suffre hym tellyng hym that Naples was a Towne so straight of orders that none might walke abrode in the night and specially straūgers And that like as she had sente woorde howe thei should not tary for hym at supper euen so she had doen for his bedde All whiche Andreuccio beleuyng and
soonne Perotto went into Wales not without greate labour and paine as one neuer accustomed to traueile on foote Where dwelte one other of the kyng of Englandes Marshalles that was of greate aucthoritie and kept a noble house To whose court the Erle and his sonne oftentymes repaired to practise begge their liuyng where one of the Marshalles sonnes and other gentlemennes children doyng certaine childishe sportes and pastymes as to runne and leape Perotto began to entermedle hymself emonges them who in those games did so excellently well as none was his better whiche thyng diuers tymes the Marshall perceiuing and well pleased with the order of the childe asked of whence he was It was told him that he was a poore mannes soonne whiche many tymes came thither to begge his almose The Marshall desiryng the childe the Erle whiche praied vnto God for nothyng els liberally gaue hym vnto hym although it gréeued hym to departe from hym The Erle then hauyng bestowed his sonne and his doughter determined no lōger to tarry in Englande but so well as he could he passed ouer into Irelande and when he was arriued at Stanford he placed hymself in the seruice of a man of armes belōging to an Erle of that countrie doing all thinges that did belong vnto a seruing man or page not knowen to any mā he cōtinued there a long time with great paine and toile Violenta named Gianetta that dwelte with the Ladie at London grewe so in yeres in beautie in personage and in suche grace and fauour of her lorde and Ladie and of all the rest of the house and so well beloued of all them that knewe her that it was meruailous to sée All men that sawe her maners and countenaunce iudged her to be worthy of greate honour and possessions by reason whereof the Ladie that receiued her of her father not knowyng what she was but by his reporte purposed to marrie her honourablie accordyng to her worthinesse But God the rewarder of all mennes desertes knowyng her to be a noble woman and to beare without cause the penaunce of an other mannes offence disposed her otherwise and to the intente that this noble gentlewoman might not come into the hādes of a man of ill condicion it must be supposed that that whiche came to passe was by Goddes owne will and pleasure suffred to be dooen The gentlewoman with whom Gianetta dwelt had but one onely sonne by her husbande whiche bothe she and the father loued verie dearly as well because he was a soonne as also that in vertue and good merites he greatly excelled For he surpassed all other in good condicions valiaunce goodnesse and beautie of personage beyng about sixe yeres elder then Gianetta who seeyng the maiden to bee bothe faire and comely became so farre in loue with her that he estemed her aboue all thinges of the worlde And bicause he thought her to be of base parentage he durste not demaunde her of his father and mother to wife But fearyng that he should lose their fauour he kepte his loue secrete whereby he was worse tormented then if it hadde been openly knowen And thereby it chaunced through Loues malice he fill sore sicke For whose preseruacion were many Phisians sente for and thei markyng in hym all signes and tokens of sickenes and not knowyng the disease were altogether doubtfull of his health whereof the father and mother tooke so greate sorowe and grief as was possible and many tymes with pitifull praiers thei damaunded of hym the occasion of his disease To whom he gaue for answere nothyng els but heauie sighes and that he was like to consume die for weakenesse It chaunced vpon a daie there was brought vnto hym a Phisicion that was verie younge but in his science profoundlie learned and as he was holdyng hym by the poulces Gianetta who for his mothers sake attended hym verie carefully entred vpon occasion into the chamber where he laie sicke and so sone as the yonge gentleman perceiued her and that she spake neuer a worde or made any signe or demonstracion towardes hym he felt in his harte to arise his moste amourous defire wherefore his poulces beganne to beate aboue their common custome whiche thyng the Phisicion immediatly perceiued and merualled stādyng still to se how long that fitte would continue Gianetta was no soner gone out of the chamber but the beatyng of the poulces ceased wherfore the Phisicion thought that he had founde out some parte of the gentlemannes disease and a litle while after seming to take occasiō to speake to Gianetta holdyng hym still by the armes he caused her to be called in and she incontinently came but she was no soner come but the poulces beganne to beate againe and when she departed the beatyng ceased Whervpon the Phisicion was throughly perswaded that he vnderstode the effecte of his sicknes and therewithall rose vp and takyng the father and mother aside saied vnto them The health of your sonne doeth not consist in the helpe of Phisicions but remaineth in the handes of Gianetta your maide as I haue perceiued by moste manifest signes whom the yonge man feruently dooeth loue And yet so farre as I perceiue the maiden doeth not knowe it you therefore vnderstande now what to doe if you loue his life The gentleman and his wife hearyng this was somewhat satisfied for so muche as remedie mighte bee founde to saue his life athough it greued them greatly if the thing wherof thei doubted should come to passe which was the marriage betwene Gianetta and their soonne The Phisicion departed thei repaired to their sicke soonne the mother saiyng vnto hym in this wise My soonne I would neuer haue thought that thou wouldest haue kept secrete from me any parte of thy desire specially seyng that without the same thou dooest remaine in daūger of death For thou art or ought to bée assured that there is nothyng that maie be gotten for thy contētacion what so euer it had been but it should haue been prouided for thée in as ample maner as for my self But sith thou haste thus doen it chaūceth that our Lorde God hath shewed more mercie vpon thée then thou hasle doen vpō thy self And to th ende thou shalt not die of this disease he hath declared vnto me the cause of the same whiche is none other but the great loue that thou bearest to a yonge maide wherso euer she bee And in deede thou oughtest not to bée ashamed to manifest thy loue bicause it is meete and requisite for thyne age For if I wist thou couldest not loue I would the lesse esteme thee Now then my good sonne be not afraied franckly to discouer all thyne affectiō Driue awaie the furie and thought whiche thou hast taken whereof this sickenes commeth And comfort thy self Beyng assured that thou shalt desire nothyng at my handes that maie be doen for thy contentacion but it shall bee accomplished of me that loueth thee better then myne owne life and
Dowrie And bicause she maie not be destitute of her Dowrie I purpose that he and none other shal haue the reward whiche the king hath promised to be so greate Thou shalte manifest thy self Perotto to bée the soonne of the Erle of Angiers and Violenta the wife of Giacchetto to bée thy sister and me to be the Erle of Angiers thy father Perotto hearyng this and stedfastly beholdyng hym beganne to knowe hym and wepyng threwe himself doune at his féete and afterwardes imbracyng him saied My deare father you are right hartly welcome Giacchetto hearyng first what the Erle had said and after seing what Perotto did he was incontinently surprised with so greate meruaile and ioye that he knewe not what to doe notwithstandyng giuyng credite to his woordes as beyng ashamed of the opprobrious talke whiche he had vsed towardes the Erle as to a seruaunt weping fell doune at his féete and humblie asked pardon for all his rashe behauiours towardes hym whiche was curteouslie graunted vnto hym by the Erle who tooke hym vp And after euery of them had a while debated of their Fortune and had well bewailed the same and reioysed one with an other Perotto and Giacchetto would haue newlie apparrelled the Erle but he in any wise would not suffre them And beyng desirous the Giacchetto might haue assuraunce of the reward promised he would that he should firste presente hym to the kyng after that sorte in the habite of a seruaunt as he was that he might make hym the more ashamed TheÌ„ Giacchetto with the Erle and Perotto after came before the kyng and offred to present the Erle and his children if it should please him to rewarde hym accordyng to the Proclamacion The kyng incontinentlie caused to bée brought forthe a rewarde of merueilous value as Giacchetto thought and commaunded hym forth with to presente the Erle and his children accordyng to his promisse Giacchetto then tourned about and placed before hym the Erle his seruaunt and Perotto saiyng Sir beholde the father and the sonne the doughter whiche is my wife is not here But by Goddes helpe you shall sée her shortlie The kyng hearing this behelde the Erle and albeit he was so greatlie chaunged from his former fauour after he hadde well viewed hym a while he knewe hym and with teares standyng in his eyes he caused the Erle to rise vp that knéeled before hym kissyng and imbrasyng hym and verie graciouslie receiued Perotto and commaunded forthwith that the Erle should bée restored to apparell seruauntes horsses and furniture accordyng to his state and degée whiche incontinently was doen and moreouer the kyng greatly honoured Giacchetto and forthwith desired to knowe all their Fortunes passed And when Giacchetto had taken the greate rewarde for bringyng forthe the Erle and his children the Erle saied vnto hym Take these royall rewardes of the Kyng my soueraigne Lorde and remember to tell thy father that thy children his nephewes and myne be no beggers borne of their mothers side Giacchetto tooke the reward and caused his wife and his mother in Lawe to come to Paris likewise thither came the wife of Perotto where with greate ioye and triumphe thei taried a certaine space with the Erle to whom the kyng had rendred all his gooddes and had placed hym in greater aucthoritie then euer he was before Then euerie of them tooke their leaue and retourned home to their owne houses and from that tyme forthe the said Erle to th ende of his life liued in Paris in greater honour and aucthoritie then euer he did before Giletta a Phisicians doughter of Narbonâ—â— healed the Frenche Kyng of a Fistula for reward wherof she demaunded Beltramo Counte of Rossiglione to husbande The Counte beyng maried againste his will for despite fled to Florence and loued an other Giletta his wife by pollicie founde meanes to lye with her husbande in place of his louer and was begotten with child of twoo soonnes whiche knowen to her husbande he receiued her againe and afterwardes she liued in greate honor and felicitie ¶ The .xxxviij. Nouell IN Fraunce there was a geÌ„tleman called Isnardo the Counte of Rossiglione who bicause he was sickly and diseased kepte alwaies in his house a PhisicioÌ„ named maister Gerardo of Narbona This Counte had one onely sonne called Beltramo a verie yonge childe pleasaunt and faire With whoÌ„ there was nourished and broughte vp many other children of his age emonges whom one of the doughters of the saied Phisicion named Giletta who feruentlie fill in loue with Beltramo more then was meete for a maiden of her age This Beltramo when his father was dedde and lefte vnder the roiall custodie of the kyng was sente to Paris for whose departure the maiden was verie pensife Alitle while after her father beyng likewise dedde she was desirous to goe to Paris onely to sée the yong Counte if for that purpose she could gette any good occasion But beyng diligently looked vnto by her kinsfolke bicause she was riche and fatherlesse she could sée no conueniente waie for her intended iourney and being now mariageable the loue she bare to the Counte was neuer out of her remembrauÌ„ce and refused many husbandes with whom her kinsfolke would haue placed her without making theÌ„ priuie to the occasion of her refusall Now it chaunced that she burned more in loue with Beltramo theÌ„ euer she did before bicause she heard tell that he was growen to the state of a goodly yonge gentlemanne She heard by reporte that the Frenche Kyng had a swellyng vpon his breast whiche by reason of ill cure was growen to a Fistula and did putte him to meruellous paine and grief and that there was no Phisicion to be founde although many were proued that could heale it but rather did impaire the grief made it worsse worsse Wherefore the kyng like one that was in dispaire would take no more counsaill or helpe Wherof the yonge maiden was wonderfull glad thought to haue by this meanes not onelie a lawfull occasion to goe to Paris but if the disease were suche as she supposed easely to bryng to passe that she might haue the Counte Beltramo to her husbande Wherevpon with suche knowledge as she had learned at her fathers handes before time she made a pouder of certain herbes whiche she thought meete for that disease and rode to Paris And the first thing she went about wheÌ„ she came thither was to sée the Counte Beltramo And then she repaired to the kyng praiyng his grace to vouchsaufe to shewe her his disease The kyng perceiuyng her to bee a faire yonge maiden and a comelie would not hide it but opened the same vnto her So sone as she sawe it she putte hym in comforte that she was able to heale hym saiyng Sire if it shall please your grace I trust in God without any paine or grief vnto your highnesse within eighte daies I will make you whole of this disease The kyng hearyng her saie so began to mocke her
crueltie towardes her he thought by the destruction and slaughter of Guiscardo to coole her burnyng loue And therefore commaunded twoo of his seruauntes that had Guiscardo in kepyng without any noise to strangle hym the next night and afterwardes pluckyng his harte out of his bodie to bryng it vnto him who did as thei were commaunded And the nexte daie the kyng caused a faier Cuppe of golde to bee brought vnto hym wherein he laied the harte of Guiscardo whiche he sente by one of his familer seruauntes vnto his doughter and commaunded hym when he presented the same vnto her to saie these woordes Thy father hath sent thee this present to comforte thy self with the thyng whiche thou doest chieflie loue as thou hast comforted hym of that whiche he loued moste Gismonda not amoued frō her cruell determinaciō caused to be brought vnto her after her father was gone venemous herbes and rootes whiche she distilled together and made water thereof to drincke sodainly if that came to passe whiche she doubted And when the kynges seruaunt was come vnto her and had deliuered his presente he saied as he was commaunded Gismonda tooke the cuppe with a stoute countenaunce coueryng it so sone as she sawe the harte and vnderstoode the wordes she thought verely that it was the harte of Guiscardo wherefore beholdyng the seruaunt she said vnto him Truely it behoueth that suche a harte as this is should bée intombed in no worsse graue then in gold whiche my father hath moste wisely doen. Afterwardes liftyng the cuppe to her mouthe she kissed it saiyng I haue in all thynges euen vnto this time being the last ende of my life alwaies founde the tender loue of my father towardes me but now I knowe it to bée greater then euer I did before And therefore in my behalfe you shall render vnto hym the last thankes that euer I shall giue hym for so greate a presente After those woordes tourning her self towardes the cuppe whiche she helde fast beholdyng the harte she saied thus Oh sweete harborough of my pleasures cursed be the crueltie of hym that hath caused me at this tyme to looke vpon thée with the eyes of my face it was pleasure enoughe to sée thée euery hower emonges people of knowledge and vnderstanding Thou hast finished thy course and by that ende whiche Fortune vouchsaufed to giue thée thou art dispatched and arriued to the ende wherevnto all men haue recourse thou hast forsaked the miseries and traueiles of this worlde and hast had by the enemie hymself suche a sepulture as thy worthinesse deserueth There néedeth nothyng els to accomplishe thy funeralle but onely the teares of her whom thou diddest hartely loue al the daies of thy life For hauing whereof our Lorde did putte into the heade of my vnmercifull father to sende thée vnto me and truely I will bestowe some teares vpon thée although I was determined to die without sheadyng any teares at all stoutlie not fearfull of any thyng And when I haue powred them out for thée I will cause my soule whiche thou hast heretofore so carefully kept to be ioyned with thine For in what companie can I trauell more contented or in better saufgarde in places vnknowen then with thy soule Truely I am well assured that it is yet here within that hath respecte to the place aswell of his owne pleasures as of myne beyng assured as she who is certaine that yet he loueth me that he attenddeth for my soule of whom she is so greatly beloued When she had thus saied she began to let fall as though there had béen a fountaine in her hedde so many teares that it was a miracle to beholde her oftētymes kissyng the dedde harte Her maidens that stode aboute her vnderstoode not what harte that was nor wherevnto these wordes did tende but beyng moued with compassion thei all wept pitifullie demaunding although in vaine the occasion of her sorowfull plaintes and comforted her so well as thei could Who after she had powred for the sufficient teares lifted vp her hedde and when she had wiped hereyes she saied Oh louyng harte all my duetie is fulfilled towardes thée hauyng now nothyng to doe but onely to yelde forthe my ghoste to accōpanie thine And this saied she caused the glasse of water whiche she had made the daie before to bee brought vnto her and poured it out into the cuppe where the harte laie all bained with a multitude of teares whiche she puttyng to her mouthe without feare dronke vp all And that dooen went into her bedde with the Cuppe in her hande tossyng her bodie as decently as she could vpon the same holdyng the harte of her dedde frende so nere as she could vnto her owne hart Her maidens seyng this although thei knewe not what water it was that she dranke sente woorde to the kyng who fearyng that whiche happened incontinently wente doune into his doughters chamber where he arriued euen at that instaunte that she had cast her self vpon the bedde and beyng come to late to succour her with swete wordes be began seing her in those pangues to wepe bitterlie To whom his dougther saied Father kepe in those vndesired teares and bestowe them not vpon me for I desire them not who euer sawe manne besides you to bewaile the wilfulnesse of his owne facte Howbeeit if there dooe yet reste in you any sparke of that loue whiche you haue alwaies borne towardes me graunte me this last requeste that although you were not contented that I should liue secretly and couertly with Guiscardo yet at lest cause our bodies to be openly buried togethers where it pleaseth you to bestowe them The anguishe and sorowe would not suffer the prince to answere one worde for weping And then the Ladie perceiuyng her ende approche cleped and strained the dead harte hard to her stomacke saiyng Farewell swete harte in God for I am goyng to hym And there withall she closed her eyes and lost her senses departyng out of this dolorous life In this manner sorowfullie ended the loue of Gismonda and Guiscardo as you haue heard whom the Prince after he had wept his fill and taken to late repentaunce for his crueltie caused honorablie to be buried and intombed bothe in one graue not without greate sorowe of all the people of Salerne Mahomet one of the Turkishe Emperours executeth curssed crueltie vpon a Greke maiden whō he toke prisoner at the winning of Constantinople ¶ The .xl. Nouell IF you dooe euer make any proofe or triall to knowe of what trampe the arrowes of Loue bee and what fruicte thei bryng to them that doe vse and practice the same I am assured you shal bee touched with some pitie when ye vnderstande the beastlie crueltie of an Infidell louer towardes his Ladie He of whom I will declare the historie is Mahomet not the false Prophete but the greate graundfather of Solimā Ottoman Emperour of the Turkes whiche raigned at that time He it is that to the shame and eternall infamie
made and instructed in his trumperie leauing the poore lorde with a hamer workyng in his hedde that he was like to run out of his wittes So greate is the furious force of the poison of Ialosie which ones hauyng dispersed the venime ouer the harte and intrailes of men the wiseste sort haue lost the due discrecion of their wittes In the mornyng aboute the hower that the amourous foole ignoraunte wherefore he wente in should issue out of his maistresse chamber the Stewarde rauished with inexplicable ioye and gladnesse like to the pleasure of hym that had attained the somme of his desires called his Lorde to see that heauie and dolorous sight The good gentleman perceiuyng the report to be true and thinking that she had vsed the foole to be her bedfelow was like to haue died for sorowe or els to haue torne in peces that vnhappie sotte innocente of the euill suspected by the Lorde who durst not so muche as thinke to dooe suche a wicked facte In the ende giuyng place to reason he caused the poore foole to be apprehended and put in the bottome of a dongeon and beyōde measure was offended with his wife for that he thoughte the simplicitie of the imprisoned wretch had not the face to demaunde the question and therefore did verely beleue that it was she that had induced him to doe the dede to satisfie her vnbrideled and filthie lust and therefore caused her to be shut vp within a darke and stinckyng prison not meanyng to sée her or to heare her speake for her iustification ne yet would suffer that any man should take vpon him to stande in her defence to bring witnesse of her innocencie For saied he replete with wrathe and anger I dooe better beleue that whiche I haue séene and knowen by myne owne presence then your woordes vaine reasons and complaintes of no good grounde and effect as founden vpon her that hath to muche forgotten herself and her duetie towardes me Moreouer vanquished with the Cholere not without cause truely of a husbande that thought hymself by her onely meanes deceiued and betraied sente worde to the poore captiue that she should then prouide for her soules healthe sithe he was determined the very same daie to make her plaie a Tragedie more cruell then that was pleasaunte whiche she had alredie doen with her beloued in extrudyng her to bee deuoured of his Lions whiche were the ministers for the execution of the Iustice ordeined againste her as though she had béen the moste lasciuious and detestable woman that euer the earth brought forthe The faser and innocente Ladie knowyng the humour and cholere of her housband and likewise seing contrarie to right order of all Iudgemente that she could not bée heard or suffred to make answer passed through the rigorous law of him that thought her to be an Adulteresse And could not tell what to doe but to lamēt her ill fortune gushing forth teares in suche abundaunce that the moste part of her attire were wett and bedewed with the same then fortestyng her self in the hope of the mercifull hande of almightie God the father of all consolacion who neuer forgetteth them whiche with intire faithe doe call vpon hym and appeale to the succour of the holie and precious name of his sonne Iesus Christ our sauiour she with compunction of harte and sincere deuocion suith ioyned handes and knées vpō the graund addressyng her eyes to the heauens praied in this wise Alas my God I dooe knowe and confesse that the multitude of my synues doe surpasse the sea sandes am not ignoraunt that this vnhappie tyme is chaunced vnto me for the punishemente of my forepassed offences Notwithstandyng Lorde accordyng to thy greate goodnesse haue no respecte vnto my demerites and wickednesse whereof my life is full but rather extende thy fauour and mercie vpon thy poore creature whose innocencie thou whiche art the searcher of mennes hartes doest well vnderstande and knowe I doe not desire prolongacion of my miserable life onely maie it please thée O God for thy goodnesse and instice sake to saue myne honoure and to graunte that my husbande maie se with what integritie I haue alwaies honoured the holy bande of Mariage by thée ordeined to thintent he maie liue from henceforthe quiet of this inspicion conceiued of me and that my parentes maie not sustein the blot of ignominie whiche wil make them blushe when thei shall beare reporte of my life past She beyng in these contemplacions and holie praiers preparyng her self to receiue death her husband caused her to be conueied into the Parke of Liōs whiche beyng straunge and terrible at the first sighte did merueillously affraie her but remembryng how innocente she was puttyng her hope in God she wente thither with suche constauncie and courage as if she had been ledde to some ioyous banquet and the people which neuer heard tell before of suche a kinde of death was assembled in greate multitude tariyng to sée the ende of that execucion and talkyng diuersly of that sodaine Iudgemente praied all with one voice for the preseruacion of their ladie of whose chastitie thei were alredie right well assured Nowe as thei attended for the time of execucion the Ladie was placed in the mid of the Parke not without teares and sighes of the Assistauntes who murmured at the remembrance of the horror of a sight so furious The innocent Ladie knéeled doune vpon her knées and bothe by gesture and merie countenaunce shewed how ioyfully she went to suffer that whiche she had neuer deserued Then recōmending her soule to God for whose saluaciō she stedfastly hoped she pronounced this praier a loude O my Lorde God whiche diddest ones deliuer Daniel from a daūger like to this whervnto the false accusaciō of the wicked haue wrongfully cast me hedlong And diddest discharge Susanna from the slander of the peruerse and adulterous Iudges pleaseth thée pitifully to beholde thy poore creature Pardon O Lorde forgiue I humblie beseche thee the simplicitie of my deare husbande who dealeth thus with me rather through the circumuencion of deceiptfull cauillyng slaunderers then by his owne malice and crueltie Receiue O my GOD and mercifull father Receiue my soule betwene thy besse handes whiche thou hast redemed by the bloodde sheddyng of thy soonne Iesus vpon the Tree of the Crosse. As she had ended these woordes she sawe the Lions come for the rampyng and bristleyng vp their heare stretchyng foorthe their pawes with roaryng voice cruelly lookyng rounde about them Of whom the Ladie thought to be the present praie But the goodnesse of God who is a iust Iudge and suffreth his own elect to be proued to the extremitie of purpose to make their glorie the greater and the ruine of the wicked more apparaunt manifested there an euident miracle For the Lions beyng cruell of nature and that tyme hungrie and gredie of praie in lieu of tearyng the Ladie in péeces to gorge their rauening paunche thei fill to lickyng and fawnyng
discourse whiche setteth before your eyes what ende the fonde loue of them ordinarelie haue whiche without reason not measuryng their owne abilitie doe suffer themselfes to be guided and ledde into their sensuall lustes and appetites For ill successe faileth not in a beginnyng the grounde whereof abhorryng reason is planted and laied vpon the sandie foundacion of pleasure whiche is shaken and ouerthrowen by the least winde and tempest that Fortune can bluster against suche buildyng Didaco and Violenta Didaco a Spaniarde is in loue with a poore maiden of Valencia aud secretely marieth her afterwardes lothyng his firste mariage bicause she was of base parentage he marieth an other of noble birthe His first wife by secrete messenger praieth his companie whose request he accomplisheth Beeyng a bedde she and her maide killeth hym She throweth hym into the streate she in desperate wise cōfesseth the facte before the Magistrates and is put to death ¶ The .xlii. Nouell THere is no manne but doeth knowe that Valencia is at this daie the chief and onely Rampar of Spaine the true seate of Faithe Iustice and Humanitie And emōges all the rare and excellent-ornamentes that citie is wel furnished with so trimme Ladies and curteous gentlewomen as thei knowe how to baite and féede yonge men with foolishe daliaunce and idle passetyme So that if there be any beetle hedde or grosse persone the better to allure and prouoke him to those follies thei tell hym by a common Prouerbe that he must goe to Valencia In this citie there was in old tyme as it is at this daie a verie auncient stocke and familie called Ventimiglia out of whiche be descended a great nomber of riche and honorable knightes Emonges whom not longe tyme passe there was one named Didaco verie famous and renowmed to be the moste liberall and familer gentleman of the citie who for wante of better businesse walked vp and doune the citie and so consumed his youth in triūphes maskes and other expences common and apt for suche pilgrimes addressing his loue indifferently to all women without greater affection to one then to an other and continued that order till vpon an holy daie he espied a yong maide of smal yeres but of verie exquisite beautie whiche maiden sodainly castyng her eye vpon hym so pearced the knight Didaco with her looke that from that tyme forthe she entred more nere his harte then any other And after he had wel marked her dwellyng place he many tymes passed and repassed before the doore to espie if he might gette some looke or other fauour of her that began alredie to gouerne the bridle of his thoughtes and if it chaunced that the gentlemanne behelde her she shewed herself curteous and amiable indued with grace so good that he neuer departed ill contēted out of that streate The gentleman continuyng certaine tyme in those vanities was destrous to know a farre of what she was of what lineage and of what vocacion And after he had curiously serched out all her originall he vnderstoode by diuers reporte that she was a Goldsmithes doughter whose father was dedde certaine yeres before hauyng no more but her another aliue and twoo brethren bothe of their fathers occupacion Notwithstandyng of life she was chaste honeste defamed with none although she was pursued of many Her outwarde beautie did not so muche sette her forthe as her grace and order of talke who although brought vp in a citizens house yet no ladie or gentlewoman in the Citie was comparable to her in vertue and behauiour For from her tender yeres she was not onely giuen to her nedle a méete exercise for maides of her degrée but also was trained vp to write and reade wherin she tooke so great pleasure that ordinarilie she carried a boke in her hande whiche she neuer gaue ouer till she had gathered some fruicte thereof This knight hauing receiued that first impression of the valor and vertue of Violenta for that was her name was further in loue then before and that whiche added more oile to the matche was the continuall lookes wherwith she knewe how to delight him and with them she was so liberall that so oft as he passed through the streate she shotte them forthe so cruelly that his poore harte felyng it self so tormēted could not indure that newe onset By reason whereof thinkyng to quenche the fire that by litle and litle consumed hym he would attempt her chastite with giftes letters and messengers whiche he continued the space of halfe a yere or more Wherevnto Violenta giuyng no place in the ende he was constreined to assaile her with his own presence and one daie findying her alone at the doore after he had made a verie humble reuerence vnto her he saied Maistresse Violenta consideryng your order and the colde regarde that you haue to my letters and messages I doe remember the subtiltie that is attributed to the Serpente who with his taile stoppeth his eares bicause he will not heare the woordes whiche hath power to constraine hym to doe against his wil which hath made me to leaue to write vnto you to desire specially to speake vnto you that myne affectuous accentes my sorowfull wordes and feruente sighes might certefie you better then Paper the rest of my passion beleuyng verely that if the heauie sounde of my greuous complaintes maie come to your eares thei will make you to vnderstande a parte of that good and euill whiche I feele continually in my harte although the loue whiche I beare you be suche that I can not giue suche liuelie experience outwardly beyng but litle in comparison of them whiche maie be séen within And pronouncyng those wordes there followed so many teares sobbes and sighes that thei gaue sufficiēt testimonie that his tongue was the true and faithfull messenger of his harte Whereof Violenta somewhat ashamed with a constaunte grace said vnto hym Senior Didaco if you dooe yet remember your life past and mine honestie whiche peraduenture you haue thought either rude or cruell I doubte not that you haue any cause to maruaile of my presumpcion and to attribute that to vice whiche is familier with vertue For although that you haue sollicited me to loue you by an infinite nomber of letters and messages yet it is so that followyng the nature of maides of my degrée I haue neither allowed them nor yet cōdempned thē as where vnto accordinglie I haue made none answere not for despite or contempte but to lette you knowe more certainlie that by fauoryng your enterprises I should increase your grief whiche can receiue none ende by the waie you pretēde For although that I haue made the first proofe vpon my self and therfore of reason I ought to lamente them whiche bee in semblable paine yet I will not let slippe the bridle in suche wise to my passion that myne honestie shall remaine in an other mannes power and so it maie bée at the mercie and curtesie of them who not knowyng how dere
coste requisite for suche a matter In this sort thei spent the daie in great ioye and mirthe whiche thei can conceiue that bee of base birthe and exalted to some high degree of honor till night was come and then euery man withdrewe themselfes leauyng the bride and her husbande to the mercie of Loue and order of the night Who beyng alone receiued equall ioye and like contentacion which thei fele that beyng pressed with ardent and greuous thirst doe in th ende afterwardes with liuely ioye and all kinde of libertie quenche that cruell discommodite and continued in those pleasures till mornyng that daie began to appere to whom Violenta saied My honourable Lorde and dere husbande sithe that you bee now in possession of that whiche you haue so greatlie desired I humbly beseche you to consider for the tyme to come howe and what wise your pleasure is that I shall vse my self For if God graunte me the grace to be so discrete in pleasyng you as I shal be redie and desirous to obeye you in all that you shall commaunde me there was neuer gentle mannes seruaunte that did more willingly please his maister then I hope to do you Wherevnto Didaco answered My sweete and welbeloued wife Let vs leaue this humblenesse and seruice for this tyme to them whiche delight in those thynges For I promis you of my faithe that I haue you in no lesse reuerence estimacion then if you had come of the greateste house in Cathalongne as I will make you vnderstande some other tyme at more leasure But till I haue giuen order to certaine of myne affaires I praie you to kepe our Mariage secrete and bee not offended if many tymes I doe resorte home to myne owne house although there shall no daie passe by my will but at nighte I will keepe you companie In the meane tyme to buie you necessaries I will sende you a thousande or twelue hundred Ducates to imploie not vpon apparell or other thynges requisite to your degrée for I will prouide the same my self at an other tyme but vpon small trifles suche as be apt and conuenient for housholde And so departed Senior Didaco from his wiues house who did so louyngly interteigne hym that by the space of a yere there was no daie wherein he was content without the viewe and sight of his wife And vpon his oft resort to their house the neighbours began to suspect that he kept the maiden and rebuked her mother and brethren but specially Violenta for sufferyng Didaco to vse their house in suche secrete wise And aboue all thei lamented the ill happe of Violenta who beyng so well brought vp till she was twētie yeres of age and a maiden of suche beautie that there was none in all the citie of Valencia but greatly did esteme her to bee of singuler honestie and reputacion Notwithstandyng degeneratyng from her accustomed vertue thei iudged her to be light of behauiour giuen to lasciuious loue And albeit that very many times suche checkes and tauntes were obiected and that she vnderstode that murmur and talke yet she made small accompt of them knowing that her consciēce by any meanes was not charged with suche reproche hoping therewithall that one daie she would make them to giue ouer that false opinion when her Mariage should be published and knowē But certain tymes féelyng her self touched and her honestie appaired could not conteine but when she sawe tyme with her husbande she praied hym very earnestly to haue her home to his owne house to auoide slaūder and defamacion of neighbors But sir Didaco knewe so well how to vse his wife by delaies and promises that she agreed vnto hym in all thynges had rather displease the whole worlde together then offende hym alone Beyng now so attached with the loue of the knighte that she cared for nothyng els but to please and contēt hym in all thinges wherevnto she sawe hym disposed and like as in the beginnyng she was harde and verie slacke in loue now she became so seruent earnest in her affections that she receiued no pleasure but in the sight of Didaco or in that whiche might contente and please him best Whiche the knight did easely perceiue and seyng himself in full possession of her harte began by litle and litle to waxe cold and to be grieued at that which before he compted deare and precious perswadyng himself that he should doe wrong to his reputacion if that Mariage vnworthie of his estate were discouered and knowē in the citie And to prouide for the same he more seldome tymes repaired to visite his wife Violenta yea and whē so euer he resorted to her it was more to satisfie his carnall pleasure then for any loue he bare her And thus forgettyng bothe God and his owne consience he frequēted other companies in diuerse places to winne the good will of some other gentlewoman In the ende by sundrie sutes dissimulacions and hipocrisies he so behaued hymself that he recouered the good will of the doughter of Senior Ramyrio Vigliaracuta one of the chiefest knightes and of moste auncient house of Valencia And as we haue declared before bicause he was riche and wealthie and issued of a noble race her parentes did easely agrée to the Mariage And the father hauyng assigned an honourable dowrie to his doughter The Nuptials were celebrated publikely with greate pompe and solempnitie to the greate contentacion of all men The Mariage doen and ended sir Didaco and his newe wife continued at the house of his father in lawe where he liued a certaine tyme in suche pleasure and delectaciō as thei dooe that be newly maried Whereof the mother and brethren of Violenta beyng aduertised conceiued like sorowe as accustomablie thei dooe that sée the honour of them that be issued of their owne bloodde vniustly and without cause to bée dispoiled And these poore miserable creatures not knowyng to whom to make their complainte liued in straunge perplexitie bicause thei knewe not the Prieste whiche did solempnise their Mariage On the other side thei had no sufficient proofe of the same And albeit thei were able to verifie in some poinctes the first Mariage of Didaco yet thei burste not prosecute the lawe against twoo of the greateste Lordes of their Citie And knowyng the stoute harie of Violenta thei thoughte to conceale the same from her for a time but it was in vaine For not longe after she was certified thereof not onely by the nexte neighbours but by the common brute of the citie whiche reported that in tēne yeres space there was not seen in Valencia a Mariage more honourable or roiall nor better frequented with a noble companie of gentlemen and Ladies then the same was of the yong knight Didaco with the doughter of Senior Ramyrio Wherwithall Violenta vexed beyonde measure pressed with yre and surie withdrewe her self into her chāber alone and there beganne to scratche and teare her face and heare like one that was madde and
her what she had doen. To whom Violenta answered Ianique is thou hast made a good beginnyng to our enterprise I likewise for my parte haue not slepts For I haue deuised that wee muste prouide for a strong roape whiche wée will fasten to the heddes hedde and when he shal bee a slepe I will cast the other ende of the rope to thée ouer thwarte the bedde that thou maieste plucke the same with all thy might and before thou beginnest to pull I will with a knife cutte his throate wherefore thou must prouide twoo great kniues whatsoeuer thei cost but I praie thée let me alone with doing of the fact that I maie dispatch him of his life whiche alone did make the first assault to the breache of mine honour Ianique knewe so well howe to prouide for all that was requisite for the execution of their enterprise as there rested nothyng but oportunitie to sorte their cruell purpose to effecte The knight six Didaco at the hower appointed tolde his newe wife that he must goe into the coūtrie to take order for the state of his lande and that he could not retourne till the next daie in the mornyng Which she by and by beleued And the better to couer his facte he caused twoo horsse to d ee made redie and rode for the whē the clock strake iiij And when he had riden through a certaine streate he saied to his manne whiche was went to serue his turne in loue matters cary my horse to suche a man out in the Countrie and tarrie there all this daie and to morowe Mornyng come seeke me in suche a place when I am gone from the house of Violenta In the meane time set my horsse in some Inne For in any wise I will haue no manne knowe that I dooe lie there whiche dooen the maister and the seruaunte went twoo seuerall waies The knight beyng come to the house of Violenta he found Ianique tariyng for hym with good deuocion to vse hym accordyng to his desert and conueied hym to the chamber of Violenta and then she retourned aboute her businesse The knighte kissed Violenta and badde her good morrowe askyng her howe she did Whom Violenta answered Sir Didaco you bid me good morrowe in woordes but in déede you goe to prepare for me a heauie and sorowfull life I beleue that your minde beareth witnes of the state of my welfare For you haue brought me to suche extremitie that you sée righte well how nothyng els but my voice declareth me too bee a woman and therewithall so féeble a creature as I still craue and call for death or for pitie although bothe of th one and of the other I am not heard at all And yet thinke not Didaco that I am so farre out of my wittes to beleue that the cause of my writyng the letter was for hope that you remembryng my bitter paines your owne hainous crime I could euer moue you to pitie For I am perswaded that you will neuer cease to exhauste and sucke the bloodde honor and life of them that credite your trumperies and deceiptes as now by experience I knowe by my self with suche deadly sorowe that I still attende and loke for the sorowfull ende of my life Didaco seyng hee thus afflicted fearyng that her cholere would further inflame beganne to cull her and to take her now into his armes tellyng her that is Mariage with the doughter of Vigliaracuta was cōcluded more by force then his owne will and minde bicause thei pretended to haue a gifte of all the lande and gooddes he had in succession after his father was dedde which if thei did obteine by lawe he should be a begger all the daies of his life and that the same was dooen to prouide for the quiet state of them bothe and nowithstanding he had maried an other wife yet he purposeth to loue none but her and meante in tyme to poison his wife and to spende the rest of his life with her And thus sewyng to remedie his former fault by surmised reportes chaunting vpō the cordes of his pleasaūt tongue he thought with Courtlike allurementes to appease her whiche had her wittes to well sharpened to be twise taken in one trappe howbeit for feare of driuyng hym awaie and to lose the meane to accomplishe that whiche she intended she saied vnto hym with forced smilyng Sir Didaco although you haue so ill vsed me in tyme paste that I haue no greate cause to beleue your present wordes yet the loue that I beare you is so rooted in my harte that the faulte muste bee very greate whiche should remous the same in consideraciō whereof I will constraine my self to beleue that your woordes bee true vpon condicion that you will sweare and promis to lie with me here ones or twise in a wéeke For me thinke that if I mighte at tymes inioye your presence I did remaine in some part of your grace and fauour and should liue the beste contented woman a liue Wherevnto he willingly agreed with a greate nomber of other like protestacious prompte and redie in them whiche meane deceipt But if the poore miserable woman had perced the same in the depthe of her harte and had credited all that he spake no doubte he would haue chaunged his mynde Thus either partes spente the daie in colde and dissembled flatteries till darke nighte with his accustomed silence did deliuer them the meane to exercise their cruell enterprise So sone as supper was dooen Didaco and Violenta walked vp and downe together talkyng of certaine common matters till the knight pressed with slepe commaūded his bedde to be made redie It neded not thento inquire with what diligence Violenta and Ianique obeied that requeste in whom onely as thei thought cōsisted the happe or mishappe of their enterprise To whom bicause Violenta might shewe her self more affectionat went firste to bedde and so sone as thei were laied Ianique brewe the curteines and tooke awais Didaco his sworde and makyng as thoughe she had a thing to doe vnder the bedde she fastened the rope and taked vp the fire whiche was in the chimney cariyng a stoole to the beddes side and laieth vpon thes ame twoo greate kechin knifes whiche doen she put out the candle and fainyng to goe out of the chamber she shut the doore and wente in againe And then the poore infortunate knight thinking that he was alone in the chāber with Violenta began to clepe and kisse her wher vnto she made no refusall but desirous to renewe his olde priuate toles she peased hym of all loue that he bare vnto her to kepe troce for twoo or thrée howers for that the night was long inough to satisfie his desires affirmyng that it was impossible for her to wake bicause fiue or sixe daies before by reason of her griefes she had not slept at all notwithstanding she saied that after her sixtie sléepe she would willinglie obeye him Whervnto the gentleman was easely perswaded
lawes And besides that I shal not be alone amongst princesses that haue forsaken parents and countries to folow their loue into straunge Regions Faire Helena the Greke did not she abandon Menelaus her husband and the rych citie of Sparta to follow the faire Troian Alexander sayling to Troie Phedria and Ariadne despised the delicates of Creta lefte their Father a very olde man to go with the Cecropian Theseus None forced Medea the wise furious Lady but Loue to depart the Isle of Colchos her owne natiue country with the Argonaute Iason O good God who can resist the force of Loue to whome so many kinges so many Monarches so many wise men of all ages haue done their homage Surely the same is the only cause that compelleth me in making my self bold to forget my duety towards my parents and specially myne honor which I shall leaue to be reasoned vpon by the ignorant people that considereth nothing but that which is exteriourly offred to the view of the sight Ah how much I deceyue my selfe make a reckning of much without myne hoste And what knowe I if Alerane although he doe loue me wyll lose the good grace of the Emperour and forsake his goodes and so it may be to hazarde his life to take so pore and miserable a woman as I am Notwithstanding I will proue fortune death is the worst that can chaunce which I accelerate rather than my desire shall lose his effect Thus the faire and wise Princesse concluded her vnhappy state And all this time her best friend Alerane remayned in great affliction beyond measure and felte suche a feare as cannot be expressed with wordes only true louers know the force altogether like to that wherof the yong Prince had experience and durst not discouer hys euyll to her that was able to giue him her allegeance much lesse to disclose it to any deare friende of his into whose secrecie he was wont to commit the most part of his cares which was the cause that made him fele his harte to burne like a litle fier in the middes of a cleare riuer and sawe himself selfe ouerwhelmed within the waters hotter than those that be intermixed with sulphure do euaporat and send forth ardent smokes in an AEthna hill or Vesuue mountayne The Princesse impacient to endure so long could no longer kepe secrete the flames hydden within her without telling and vttering them to some whom her minde liked best and there to render them where she thought they toke their essense and being casting away all shame and feare which accustomably doth associat Ladies of hir estate and age One day she toke secretely asyde one that was her Gouernesse named Radegonde a Gentlewoman so vertuous wise and sober as any other that was in the Emperoures courte who for her approued manners and chaste life had the charge of the bringing vp and nourishing of Adelasia from her Infancie To this Gentlewoman then the amorous Princesse deliberated to communicate her secretes and to let her vnderstand her passion that she might finde some remedie And for that purpose they two retired alone within a closet the pore louer trembling like a leafe at the blast of the weasterne winde when the sunne beganne to spreade his beames syghing so strangely as if hir body and soule would haue departed sayde thus The trust which dayly I haue had in that naturall goodnesse which appeareth in you my mother and welbeloued Lady ioyned with discretion and fidelitie wherwith all your actes and affaires be recōmended do presently assure me and make me bolde in this my trouble to participate vnto you my secretes which be of greater importance without comparison than any that euer I tolde you persuading my selfe that the thing which I shall tell you whatsoeuer it be be it good or ill you will accepte it in suche wise as your wysedome requireth and to kepe it so close as the secrete of suche a Lady as I am doth deserue And that I may not holde you long in doubte what it is knowe ye that of late the valor prowesse beauty and curtesie of senior Alerane of Saxon hath founde suche place in my hearte that in despite of my selfe I am so in loue with him that my life is not deare vnto me but for his sake my hearte taketh no pleasure but in his glory and vertue hauing chosen him so vertuous a Prince for my friend and one day by Gods sufferaunce for my laweful spouse and husbande I haue assayed a thousand meanes so many wayes to cast him of to blot him out of my minde But alas vnhappy caytife Fortune is so frowarde and so vnmercyfull to my endeuour that the more I labour and goe about to extinguish in me the memorie of his name and commendable vertues so muche the more I do enlarge and augnient them the flames of which loue do take such increase that I do little or nothing estéeme my life without the enioying the effecte of my desire and the tast of such licor which nourishing my hope in pleasure may quench the fier that doth consume me Otherwise I sée no meanes possible but that I am constrayned eyther to lose my good wittes whereof already I felte some alienation or to ende my dayes with extreme anguishe and insupportable hearts sorrowe Alas I knowe well that I shal lose my time if I attempt to pray the Emperour my father to giue me Alerane to my husbande syth he doth already practise a mariage betwene the King of Hungarie and me And also that Alerane although he be a Prince of so noble bloud and so honorable house as the Saxon is yet is to base to be sonne in law to an Emperour In these my distresses it is of you alone of whome I loke for ayde I counsayle being certayne of your prudence and good iudgement and therfore I pray you to haue pity vpon me haue remorse vpon this immoderate passiō that doth torment me beyond measure Radegonde hearing Adelasia disclose this talke wherof she would neuer haue thought was so confounded and astoned that of long tyme she could not speake a word holding her hed downe reuoluing thousand diuers matters in her minde knew not wel what to answere the Princesse Finally gathering her spirits vnto her she answered her with teares in her eyes saying Alas Madame what is that you say Is it possible that the wisest vertuons and most courtcots Princesse of Europa could suffer her selfe in this sort through her onely aduise to be transported to her owne affections and sensual appetites Is it wel done that you seing in me a discretion and modestie doe not imitate the puritie therof be these the godly admonicions which heretofore I haue giuen you that you will so lightly defile your fathers house wyth the blot of infamie and your self with eternall reproche Would you Madame that vpon th ende of my yeares I should begin to betray my Lorde the Emperoure who hath committed to my
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
to withdrawe themselues into their chamber and then she went in to the garden where Alerane first made his plaintes as you haue heard before in which place her husband taried for her God knoweth whether they renewed their pastime begonne the day of their mariage but fearing to be taken they beganne to playe the comedie the actes whereof were very long and the scrolle of their miseries to prolixe to cary before they came to the Catastrope and ende of their Comicall action For leauing their sumptuous and riche apparell they clothed themselues wyth Pilgrimes attire taking the Skallop shell and staffe like to them that make their Pilgrimage to S. Iames in Gallisia The Princesse toke the personage of a yong Wench ruffing her heare which she had in time passe so carefully kempt curled and trimmed wyth golde and iewels of inestimable value wherin consisteth the chiefest grace touching the beauty ornament of the woman Who is able to deny but that this naturall humour and passion borne so sone as we which they call Loue is not a certayne essence and being the force vigor wherof is not able to abide cōparison Is it no small matter that by the only instinction of Loues force the daughter of so great a Prince as the Emperour of the Romaines was should wander like a vagabonde in dissembled apparell and poorely clothed to experiment and proue the long trauayle of iorneys the intemperature of the ayre the hazarde to méete wyth so many théeues and murderers which lay in wayte in all places for pore passengers and moreouer to féele the bitternesse of trauayle neuer tasted before the rage of hunger the intollerable alteration of thirst the heate of hote sommer the coldenesse of winters yee subiect to raines stormy blasts doth it not plainly demonstrate that Loue hath either a greater perfection than other passions or else that they which fele that alteration be out of the number of reasonable men endued with the brightnesse of that noble quality This faire Lady recouering the fieldes wyth her husbande with determination to take their flyght into Italie was more ioyefull freshe and lustye than when she lyued at ease amongs the delicates and pleasures that she tasted in her fathers court Sée howe fortune and loue were contented to be blinde closing vp the eyes of them that follow their trace subdue themselues to their edictes and vnstable disposition And truely this rage of Loue was the only meane to dulcorate and make swete the bytter galle of griefe which those two louers felte defatigated almost with tedious trauaile iudging theire wearinesse a pastime and pleasure being guided by that vnconstante captayne which maketh dolts and foles wise men emboldeneth the weak hearted and cowardes fortifieth the séeble and to be shorte vntieth the pursses and bagges of couetous Carles and miserable Misers Now whiles our faire pilgrimes without any vowed deuocion were abrode at their pleasures being wery with the way they had trauayled all nighte the morrowe after theire departure all the Emperoures house was in a greate hurlye burlye and stirre for the absence of Adelasia The wayting maydes cryed out and raged wythout measure with suche shrichinges that the Emperour moued wyth pytie althoughe his griefe and anger was greate yet he caused euery place there aboutes to be searched and sought but all that laboure was in vayne In the ende perceyuing the absence of Alerane suspected that it was be which had stolen away his faire Daughter and brought him into suche a passion and frensie that he was like to runne out of his wittes and transgresse the boundes of Reason Ah traytour sayde the good Prince Is this the guerdon of good turnes bestowed vpon thée and of the honour thou hast receiued in my company Do not thinke to escape scot frée thus wythoute the rigorous iustice of a father deserued by disobedience and of a Prince against whome his subiect hath committed villany Ye God giue me life I wil take such order that the posteritie shal take example by that iust vengeance which I hope to take of thée arrant theefe despoyler of my honor and consolation And thou vnkinde daughter shalt smartely féele the wrong done to thy kinde and welbeloued father who thinketh to prouide for thée more honorably than thy disloyaltie and incontinencie so farre as I sée doe merite and deserue sith that without my leaue and thy vocation thou hast gotten thée a husband worthy of thy folly with whom I hope to make thée vnderstande thy fault my displeasure which I receiue through thy shameful act so reprochfull specially in her which is the daughter of suche a father as I am and descendeth of the most royall race in al Europe Many other things the Emperor sayde in great rage and furie And in the ende commaunded that one should goe into Saxon to knowe if Alerane had conueied his stolen daughter thither but he could bring no newes at al from thence He assayed then if he could learne any tidings of them by other meanes causing by sound of Trumpet to be cryed in all the Townes confining that if any person coulde bring him worde or doe him to vnderstande certayne and sure newes of those two fugitiues he would giue them that wherewith they should be contented all the dayes of their lyfe But he wanne so muche by this third serche as he did by the first two Which thing the Maiestie of God semed to permit and suffer aswel for the happy successe that chaunced afterwardes as for the punishing of the rashe enterprise of two Louers which liued not very long in prosperitie and ioy but that they felte the hand of God who sometime suffereth the faithfull to fall to make him acknowledge his imbecillitye to the ende he maye confesse that al health sustenance rest and comfort is to be attended and loked for at the handes of God When Alerane and his Lady were gone out of a city within the Emperours lande called Hispourg being come into certain wilde and desert places they fel into the lapse of certaine theues which stripped Alerane into his shirt and had done asmuch to the poore Princesse if certaine Marchauntes had not come betwene which caused the théeues to retourne Alerane was succoured with some clothes to couer his body and releued with a little sume of money which being spēt those two Kings children were constrained to begge and aske for gods sake reliefe to sustayne their infortunate life Which distresse was so difficulte for Alerane to disgest that he was like standing vpon his féete to die for sorrowe and want not so muche for the aduersitie wherevnto he was brought through his owne fault as for the pitie that he had vpon his deare beloued Lady whome he sawe in so lamentable state and knewe that she might attayne to her auncient dignitie and honour againe if she listed to prefer reward or prise before his lyfe for which she spared not the very laste droppe of her
bloude She knowing the dolor and anguish that her husband endured comforted him very wisely with ioyful countenance saying How now deare husband think you that fortune is or ought to be still fauourable to Princes and great Lordes Do you not know that greate hulkes and shyppes doe souer perishe and drown in maine seas and riuers amiddes the raging waues and surges than in narrow flouds and brokes where the water is still and calme Doe you not sée greate trées whose toppes doe rise alofte aboue the highe hilles and stepe mountaines soner shaken and tossed with blustering windie blastes than those that be planted in fertile dales and lowe valleys Haue you forgotten so many histories by you perused and read with so great delight when you were in the Emperours court Doe not they describe the chaunge of Monarches the ruine of houses the destruction of one Realme acquited by the establishing and raygne of another What Prince Monarche or Captaine was euer so happie that hath not felt some griefe and misfortune Alas swéete heart thinke that God doth chastise vs with his roddes of tribulation to make vs to knowe him but in the meane tyme he kepeth for vs a better fortune that we loke not for Moreouer he neuer forsaketh them which with a good heart doe goe vnto him hauing their affiance in his great goodnesse and infinite mercy Alerane hearing the wise talke of his wife could not forbeare wéeping and sighing answered her in this maner Ah Lady in beauty and wisedome incōparable it is not my fortune that causeth my minde to wander and stray from the siege of constancie knowing well the qualities and number of Fortunes snares and howe ielous she is of humaine ioy and felicitie I am not ignorant that she layeth her ambushes and doth beset the endeuors soner of personages that be noble and of highe parentage than of those whose heartes be base and vnable and their victories not able to attayne to any iote of honour and fame But good God sayde he embracing his deare beloued spouse it is for you Maame that I endure tormente hauing made you to abandon the pompe of your estate and bereued from you a King to be your husbande causing you thus to féele an horrible and newe kinde of punnishment hunger famine I meane in the middes of these deserts and wilde places and therewithall haue ioyned you in company with an infortunate companiō who for comforte and solace ministreth teares and sighes O God most high and puissant howe profounde and darke are thy iudgements and how righteous is thy iustice I acknowledge mine offence to be the cause of thine anger and originall of our trespasse and that this payne chaunceth to vs for our sinnes which haue so wickedly betrayed the best Prince of the worlde and forsaken the company of him at whose bountifull handes I haue receyued better intertaynment and greater honor than I deserued Ah Emperor Otho that thou art so well reuenged nowe with cowardly fraude and deceipt committed against thée by Alerane of Saxone taking away her from thée which was the staffe future staye of thy reuerende age And as he was perseuering in this talke Adelasia seing him in that contemplation plucked him by the arme saying Sir it is time to consider our owne affaires we haue trauayled I cannot tell howe farre without rest me thinke our fortune being no better that we ought to remaine in some place attending for the grace and mercy of God who I hope will not fosake vs. They were then in Liguria in the deserts betwene Ast and Sauonne a coūtrey in the time wel peopled furnished with huge and darke forests garnished with many trées great high By the aduise then of Adelasia the Saxon Prince forced by necessity the maystresse of all artes retiered into those forestes where he practised the occupation of a Collier and some sayde that nature taught him the order how to cut his woodde to make ready his pittes and to knowe the season and time when his coales were burned ynough Great paines he susteyned about his businesse and went himselfe to sell his coales which he bare vpō his shoulders to the next market Townes till he had gayned so much as bought him an asse where with he dayly trauailed to vtter his coales and other deuises which néede had forced him to learne In this time Adelasia was deliuered of a goodly childe whome they named William And afterwardes by succession of time she bare vj. sonnes more For they dwelt almost .xviij. or .xx. yeares in that pore and miserable life and had dressed vp a little lodging within a caue that was faire and brode wherin very trimly and well they had bestowed themselues When the eldest of their sonnes was growen to the stature of a pretie stripling the father sent him sometime to Sauonne and sometime to Ast to sell their litle marchandise for reliefe of their houshold But the boy whose bloude coulde not conceale and hide the nobilitie of his birth hauing one day solde certaine burdens loades of woode and coale bought with that money a faire yong hauke which he caried vnto his father The good man gently rebuked his sonne and sayd that such game belonged not to men of their degrée and that they had much a doe to liue without employing their money vpon suche trifles Long time after William being arriued to the age of xvi yeares went to Sauonne to sell certaine ware by his fathers commaundement and with the money he bought a very sayre sworde which when his father fawe with teares in his eyes he went aside and sayde to himself Ah vnfortunate ladde that thy harde luck should do thée this great wrong truely neyther the pouertie of thy parents nor the place of thy bringing vp can deface in thée the secret shyning brightnesse of thine Auncestors vertue nor the prediction of thy corage and manhode in tune to come if God giue thée grace to aduaunce thée to the seruice of some noble prince Notwithstanding for that time he ceassed not sharply to rebuke and threaten his sonne in suche wise that the yong man hauing a heart greater than his force determined secretely to depart from his parents Now fortune chaunced so well and apt for his purpose that then at the very same time the Hongarians were entred Italy to spoile and rob the country against whom the Emperor marched with great expedition wyth an huge and goodly army of purpose to force them to leaue his land in peace William hauing knowledge hereof proceded towarde the Emperours campe where he shewed in déede great hope being of so small yeares of his future valiance and prowesse by the dedes of armes that he did during that warre Which ended and the enemy put to flight the Emperor went into Prouance to put in order his affaires in his realme of Arles which then was subiect to the Empire Afterwards he retired into Italy with deliberation to seiorne at Sauonne
for a certayn time which dyspleased William nothing at all bycause he should remaine harde by his Parentes who were very carefull for his well doing vtterly ignorant where he was become And notwithstanding a hope what I know not made them expect of their sonne some good fortune in time to come who was now growen great and of goodly perfection one of the most valiant souldiours that were in the wages and seruice of his Maiestie Which very brauely he declared in a combate that he fought man to man with an Almaine souldior that was hardy big made feared of all men whom neuerthelesse he ouercame in the presence of the Emperor his graundfather Who I knowe not by what naturall inclamation dayely fixed his eye vpon that yong Champion began to beare him more good wil than any other in his courte which was an occasion that an auncient Gentleman seruing in the Princes court ftedfastly beholding the face behauiour countenance of William semed to sée a picture of the Emperor when he was of his age which was more exactly viewed by diuers other that were broughte vp in their youth with Otho Wherof being aduertised he caused the yong man to be called forth of whome he demaunded the names of his Parentes and the place where he was borne William that was no lesse curteous humble and wel manered than wise valiant and hardy kneled before the Emperor with a stout countenance resembling the nobilitie of his Auncestours answered Most sacred and renowmed Emperor I haue nothing whereof to render thankes to fortune but for the honour that your maiestie hath done vnto me to receiue me into your noble seruice For the fortune and condition of my parentes be so base that I blushe for shame to declare them vnto you Howebeit being your humble seruant and hauing receyued fauour of your Maiestie not commonly employed your commaundemente to tell you what I am I will accomplish aswel for my bounden duty wherwith I am tied to your maiestie as to sastisfie that which it pleaseth you to commaunde me Be it knowen therefore vnto your Maiestie that I am the sonne of two poore Almaines who flying their owne country withdrew themselues into the deserts of Sauonne where to beguile their hard fortune they make coales sel them to sustaine and relieue their miserable life In which exercise I spent al my childehode although it were to my great sorrowe For my heart thought Sir that a state so vile was vnworthy of my coragious minde which dayly aspired to greater thinges and leauing my father and mother I am come to your seruice to learne chiualry and vse of armes and mine obedience saued to your maiestie to finde a waye to illustrate the base and obscure education wherein my parents haue brought me vp The Emperor seing the curteous behauiour of the yong mā by this wise answere remembring the similitude of his face which almost resembled them both suspected that he was the sonne of Alerane and of his daughter Adelasia who for feare to be knowen made themselues Citizens of those deserts albeit that William had tolde him other names and not the proper appellations of his father and mother For which cause his heart began to trobbe and felt a desire to sée his daughter and to cherish her with like affection as though he had neuer conceyued offence and displeasure He caused then to be called vnto him a gentleman the nere kinsman of Alerane to whom he sayde with merie countenaunce and ioyful there You doe knowe as I thinke the wronge and displeasure that your cosin Alerane hath done me by the rape and robbery committed vpon the person of my daughter you are not ignoraunt also of the reproche wherewith he hath defiled al your house committed a felonie so abhominable in my court and against mine owne person which am his soueraigne Lorde Notwithstanding sith it is the force of Loue that made me forget him til this time rather than desire of displeasure I am very desirous to sée him and to accept him for my sonne in law and good kinsman very willing to aduaunce him to that estate in my house which his degrée and bloude doe deserue I tell you not this without speciall purpose For this yong souldiour which this day so valiantly and with such dexteritie vanquished his aduersary by the consent of al men which haue knowen me from my youth doth represent so well my figure and lineaments of face which I had whē I was of his age that I am persuaded and doe stedfastly beleue that he is my Neuew the sonne of your cosin Alerane and my daughter Adelasia And therfore I will haue you to goe with this yong man into the place where he shall bring you and to sée them that be his parents bycause I purpose to doe them good if they be other than those whom I take them But if they be those two that I so greatly desire to sée doe me so much pleasure as I may satisfie my heart with that contentation swearing vnto you by the crowne of my Empire that I will doe no worse to them nor otherwise vse them than mine owne proper person The gentleman hearing the louing and gentle tearmes of the Emperor sayde vnto him Ah Sir I render humble thanks vnto your Maiestie for the pitie that you haue vpon our dishonored race and ligneage of Saxone dedecorated and blemished through Aleranes trespasse against you I praye to God to recompence it we being vnable and to giue you the ioy that you desire and to me the grace that I may doe some agreable seruice both in this and in al other things I am readie Sir not onely to goe seke my cosin if it be he that you thinke it is to carry vnto him those beneficial newes which your Maiestie hath promised by worde but rather to render him into your handes that you may take reuengement vpon him for the iniurie that he hath done to the whole Empire No no sayde the Emperour the desired time of reuengement is past and my malice agaynst Alerane hath vomited his gal If in time past I haue thrifted to pursue the ruine and ouerthrowe of those two offenders nowe I goe about to foresée and séeke their aduauncement and quiet considering the long penaunce they haue taken for their faulte and the fruite that I see before mine eyes which is such that it may by the smell and fragrant odour thereof supporte the weakenesse and debilitie of my olde yeares and constraineth me by the vertue therof to haue pitie vpon his parentes which through their owne ouerthrow haue almost vtterly consumed me Those wordes ended the good Prince gaue euident testimony of desire to sée his only daughter by the liuely colour that rose in his face and by certaine teares rūning downe along his heard that began to ware graye Then he caused William to come before him and commaunded him to condude the gentleman to that part of the
forest where his father dwelled Wherevnto the yong man readily and with al his heart obeyed Thus the Lord Gunfort for so was Aleranes cosin called accompanied with his little cosin and many other gentlemen wente toward the place where the Colliar Princes remained And when they were néere the craggie caue the lodging of Alerane the whole company lighted of their horse and espied him busie about the lading of his coales to sende to Ast. For the arriuall of the Emperor to Sauonne stayed Alerane from going thither himself by reason his conscience stil grudged for his fault committed against him Alerane seing this goodly company was abashed as though hornes had sodenly growen out of his head and yet the sight of his sonne richely furnished and in the company of Gunfort his cosin did more astonne him For he suspected incontinently that he was dyscouered and that the Emperour had sent for him to be reuenged of the fault so long time committed And as he had imagined diuers things vpon his hard fortune wtin his fansy His sonne came to embrace him vpon his knées to kisse his hands with an honest and hūble reuerence saying to Gunfort Sir this is he of whom I told the Emperor of him I toke my being This is my father All this while the good father embraced his sonne very hard and wéeping for extreame ioy sayd vnto him Alas my sonne if thy comming be so happy vnto me as it is ioyfull yf thy newes be good prosperous which thou bringest thou doest reuiue thy father halfe dead and from lamentable dispaire thou doest replenish and fill him with such hope that one day shall be the staye of his age and the recouery of his greatest losses The sonne not able to abide the discourse of his parents affaires could not comprehend any thing at the pitiful meting but stode still so astonned as though he had bene fallen from the cloudes Now during this time that the father and the sonne thus welcomed one another Gunfort toke hede to all the countenaunce and gestures of Alerane There was no part of the Colliers body that he forgat to viewe and yet remembring the voyce of his cosin and séeing a wound that he had in his face was sure that it was he And then with hys armes stretched forthe he came to clepe Alerane about the necke whom he made to loke redde with his warme teares saying Ah Alerane the presente torment now but in time past the pleasaunt rest of our race What Eclipse hath so long obseured the shyning sunne of thy valiant prowesse Why hast thou cōcealed so long time thy place of retire frō him which desired so much thine aduaūcement Hast thou the heart to sée the teares of thy cosin Gunfort running downe from his eyes vpon thy necke his armes embracing thée with such loue and amitie that he cannot receyue the like except he be something moued by thée in séeing thy louing entertaynement Wilt thou deny that which I knowe by a certayne instincte and naturall agrement which is that thou art Alerane the sonne of the duke of Saxone and so renowmed through out al Germany Doest thou pretēd through thine owne misfortune so rooted in thy heart by liuing in these wildernesse to depriue thy sonne of the honor which the heauens and his good fortune haue prepared for him Ah cruell and pitilesse father to suffer thy progenie to be buried in the tombe of obliuion with eternall reproche O vnkinde kinsman toward thy kindred of whome thou makest so smal accompt that wilt not vouchsafe to speake to thy cosin Gunfort that is come hither for thy comfort and the aduaūcement of thy familie Alerane sore ashamed aswell for the remembrance of his auncient fault as to sée himself in so pore estate before the Emperours gallants answered Gunfort saying My Lorde and cosin I beseche you to beleue that want of desire to make my complaynt vnto you and lacke of curtesie to entertayne you haue not made me to forget my duety towardes you being aswel my nere kinsman as suche a one to whome I haue done wrong and very great iniury by offending the Emperour But you doe know of what puissance the prickes of conscience bé and with what worme she gnaweth the hearte of them which féele themselues culpable of crime I am as you sayde the present missehap of our house for the opinion that the Emperour hath conceiued of my folly and shal be the rest if you will doe me so much pleasure to ridde me of this miserable life both of you and of the minde of a father iustly displeased against hys daughter and the quiet of a Prince offended with his subiect For I sweare vnto you by my faith that I neuer so muche desired lyfe as I now doe couet death for that I am assured that I being dead my pore companion and welbeloued wife shall liue at her ease enioying the presence and good grace of her father What meane you so to say answered Gunfort The Emperour is so well pleased appeased that he hath sworne vnto me to receiue you as his sonne in lawe and my Lady your wife as hys deare beloued daughter whome I pray you to cause to come before vs or to signify vnto vs where she is that I may do reuerence vnto her as to my Princesse soueraigne Lady William was all amased and almost besides himselfe hearing this discourse and thought he was eyther in a dreame or else inchaunted till that Alerane called his wife by her proper name who was so appalled to heare the word of Adelasia that her hart was sodainly attached with terror and feare when she sawe so great a company about her husband And then her sonne came to do his duetie not as to his mother onely but as to the daughter of an Emperour the wife of a Prince of Saxone She agayne embraced and kyssed him although she was surprised with feare shame and so moued with that sodaine sight that she had much a doe to kepe her selfe from faynting and falling downe betwene the armes of her sonne and thought that she had passed the place where Gunfort was who going towarde her after his reuerence and dutie done made her vnderstand the charge he had the good will of the Emperor which determined to receyue her agayne with so good order and entertainment as might be deuised Which earneste wordes made them to resolue vpon the prouse of fortune and to credite the promises that Gunfort made them in the Emperours behalf Thus they forsoke the caue their coates and fornaces to reenter their former delightes and pleasures That night they lodged at a village not far frō the forrest where they carried certayne dayes to make apparell for these straunge Princes and so well as they coulde to adorne and furnish Adelasia who being of the age almost of .xxxiiij. or .xxxv. yeares yet manifested some parte of the perfection of that deuine beautie and modest
of my life The Secretarie retorning and hauing recited the answere of the Countesse the King rapte with an impacient and extreme choler woulde againe attempt an other newe way and consuming by little little in this amorous fier began to sort out of the limits of Reason And almost out of his wittes demaunded of his Secretarie Doe you thinke it expedient that I make request to her father bicause I want counsell in other thinges To whome the Secretarie boldly sayde that he thought it vnreasonable to seke ayde at a fathers hands to corrupt his daughter faithfully telling to the King the reproch and infamie that would followe thereof aswell for the old seruice that her father had done to his auncestors as for his great prowesse in armes for which he was so greatly commended But Loue the mortal enemie of all good councell so blinded the eyes of the king that without any further deliberation he commaunded the Secretarie to goe seke the father to demaund help of him for matters of importance which the Earle vnderstanding obeyed incontinently where the King alone in a chamber lying vpon a bed after he had commaunded him to shut the dore and to sitte downe by him sayde these wordes My Lorde I haue caused you to come hither for a certayne occasion which toucheth me so nighe as the losse or preseruation of my lyfe For neuer through any assault of Fortune the sharpnesse whereof I haue often felte haue I bene vanquished with so great enuie and malice as nowe For I am so vexed with my passions that being ouercome by them I haue none other refuge but a moste vnhappy death that euer man can suffer if presentely I be not holpen Knowe ye therefore that I déeme him onely to be happy that by Reason can rule his wittes not suffring himself to be caried into vaine desires In which point we do differ from beasts who being lead onely by naturall order doe indiffenretly runne head long whether their appetie doth guide them But we with the measure of Reason ought to moderate our doings with suche prouidence as with out straying we may choose the right way of equitie and iustice And if at any tyme the weake fleshe doth faint and giue ouer we haue none to blame but our selues Who deceyued by the fading shadow and false apparance of things fall into the ditch by our selues prepared And that which I doe alleage is proued not without manifest reason wherof I nowe doe fele experience hauing let slip the raines of the bridle to far ouer my disordinate affections being drawen from the right hand traiterously deceyued And neuerthelesse I cannot tel how to retire to take the right way or how to tourne my backe from that which doth me hurt Wherefore now vnfortunate miserable that I am I acknowledge my selfe to be like vnto him that followeth his game in the thicket of a woodde rushing through thick and thinne at all aduentures not knowing howe to finde the way he entred in but rather the more he desireth to followe the trace the more in the ende he is wrapped in the bushes So it is my Lord that I cannot and may not for all my foresayde allegacions so colour my fault or purge myne error but that I must confesse and acknowledge it to be in me But I speake to this ende that séeking a farre of the originall of my griefe you woulde helpe me to complayne and to take pitie vpon me For to tell you the truth I am so intricated in the Labarinthe of my vnbrideled will that the more I doe aspire to the better alas the worsse I am Haue not I good cause to complayne my Lorde that after so many famous victories achieued by sea and lande wherewith I haue renowmed the memorie of my name in all places am nowe bounde and vanquished with an appetite so outragious that I can not helpe my self whereby mine owne lyfe or rather death is consumed in such anguishe and mortall payne that I am become the very mansion of all mischiefes and onely receptacle of all miseries What sufficient excuse for my fault may I henceforth alleage that in the ende will not display it to be both vnprofitable and voyd of Reason But what shall be the buckler of my shame if not my youthly age which pricketh me forwarde to leue lyke a sharpe needle the force whereof I haue so oft repelled that nowe being vanquished I haue no place for reste but in thy mercie who in my fathers dayes diddest liberally spende thy bloud in many notable enterprises in his seruice which afterwardes thou hast so well continued that in many daungerous affayres I haue diuers tymes proued the fidelitie of thy Counsell whereby I haue brought to passe things of great importaunce and therein hitherto neuer founde thée slack and vnfaythfull Which when I remember doe prouoke me to be bolde to declare vnto you mine entent which by your onely worde you may procure the fruite wherof being gotten you shall winne the heart of a King whome you may vse as you list all the dayes of your lyfe And the more the thing shal séeme harde difficult or paynefull the greater your merite shall be and the more firmely shal he be bounde which doth receyue it Consider then my Lorde how profitable it is to haue a king at your commaundement You haue also foure sonnes whom you cannot honorably aduaunce without my fauour swearing vnto you by my regall Scepter that if you comfort me in my troubles I wil endue the thrée yongest with so large possessions that they shall haue no cause to be offended with their eldest brother Remember likewyse what rewardes I haue bestowed vpon them that serue me And if you haue knowen howe liberall I haue bene towardes other thinke then I pray you how bountifully you binde me towardes you vpon whome my life and death dependeth The king ending his sorowfull complaynt stopped by sobbes and sighes helde his peace And the Earle who tenderly loued his prince hearing this pitiful discourse the faythfull witnesse of his inwarde passion and not able to coniecture the occasion was maruellously troubled in himself and without longer aduise ouercome with pitie he made a liberall and very sodayne offer to the king of his lyfe his children and of all that he was able to doe Cōmaunde my soueraigne Lord quod he with wéeping teares what it shall please you to haue me to doe if it be euen to bestowe mine owne lyfe for your sake For by the fayth and foaltie that I doe owe to God and to your grace I sweare that many dayes and yeares paste I haue bounde my selfe inuiolably and all mine abilitie without exception so long as my tongue is able to sturre and my breath shall remayne within this body faythfully and truely to serue your Maiestie not onely for that my dutie bindeth me but if it were for your sake to transgresse and excéede the boundes of mine honor But the good
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
that time he gaue him selfe to those affaires And Maister Stricca he cōtineallie obserued both with singuler loue and duetifull frendshippe Whereby it is vncertayne whether was most singuler in him his continency at the very instant by refrayning that vehement heate of loue which so long time with great trauayle cost he had pursued or his regarde of frendship to Sir Stricca vpon wordes of commendacion spoken behinde his backe Bothe no doubte be singuler vertues méete of all men to be obserued but the subduing of his affections surmounted and passed Of a Duke of Venice Bindo a notable Architecte hys sonne Ricciardo with all his familie from Florence went to dwell at Venice where being made citizens for diuers monuments by them done there through inordinate expences were forced to robbe the Treasure house Bindo being slayne by a pollicie deuised by the Duke and the State Ricciardo by fine subtelties deliuereth himselfe from foure daungers Afterwardes the Duke by his owne confession vnderstanding the sleightes giueth him his pardon and his daughter in mariage ¶ The .xlviij. Nouell IN the noble Citie of Venice there was once a Duke that was verye stoute and riche and therewithall of great experience wysedome called Valeriano di messer Vannozzo Accettani In the chiefest Churche of which Citie called San Marco there was a stéeple which was very fayre sumptuous and of greatest fame of any thing at that time that was in Venice which stéeple was lyke to fall downe by reason of certayne faultes and decayes in the foundation Wherefore the Duke caused to be searched thorowe out all Italie some cunning workeman that would take in hande the reparation amendment of the same With promise of so much money as he wold demaund for doing therof Wherevpon an excellent Architect of Florence named Bindo hearing tell of this offer determined to goe to Venice for the accomplishment of that worke and for that purpose with his only sonne and wife he departed Florence And when he had séene and surueyed the stéeple he went straight to the Duke and tolde him that he was come thither to offer his seruice for reparing of the same whom the Duke courteously interteygned and prayed him that he woulde so sone as he coulde begin the worke Whervnto Bindo accorded and with suche diligence and small time he finished the same in better forme and suretie than it was at the first Which greatly pleased the Duke and gaue Bindo so muche money as he demaunded making him besides a citizen of Venice for the mayntenaunce of whole state he allotted him a sufficient stripende Afterwards the Duke called him vnto him and declared that he woulde haue a Treasure house made wherein should be disposed and layde vp all the Treasure and common ornaments for the furniture of the whole Citie which Bindo by and by toke vpon him to doe and made it of suche singuler beautie as it excelled al the monumentes of the citie wherin al the sayde treasure was bestowed In which worke he had framed a stone by cunning that might be remoued in and oute at pleasure and no man perceyue it Meaning therby to go into the chamber when he list Whervnto none in all the worlde was priuie but himselfe When this Palace and Treasure house was done he caused all the furnitures of silkes hangings wrought with golde canapées clothes of state riche chayres plate and other ornamentes of golde and siluer to be caryed thither whiche he called La Turpea del doge was kept vnder fiue keyes wherof foure were deliuered to foure of the chiefe citizens deputed to that office and were called Chamberlaynes of the Treasure house and the fift key the Duke himselfe did kéepe so that the chamber coulde not be opened except they were all fiue present Now Bindo and his familie dwelling at Venice and he being a Citizen of the same began to spende liberally and to liue a riche and welthy lyfe and his sonne Ricciardo consumed disordinately wherby in space of time they wanted apparell to furnishe their bodyes whiche they were not able to maintayne for their inordinate expences Wherfore the father vpon a night called his sonne vnto him and got a ladder and a certaine yron instrument made for the purpose taking also with him a litle lime and went to the hole which Bindo artificially had made in that chamber taking out the stone wente in and toke out a fayre cuppe of Golde which was in a closet and afterward he went out and placed the stone agayne in his due place And when they were come home they brake the cup in peces caused it to be solde by pece meale in certayne cities of Lombardie And in this sort thei maintained their disordinate life begon It chaūced not long after that a Cardinall arriued at Venice about affaires with the Duke and the State who the more honorablie to receyue hym opened the Treasure house to take out certaine furnitures within as plate clothes of state other things When the dore was opened had taken out the sayde necessaries they found a cuppe lesse than ought to be wherwith the chamberlaines contended among themselues and wente to the Duke telling him that there wanted a cuppe Whereat the Duke maruelled and sayde that amongs them it must nedes be gone And after many denials and much talke he willed them to say nothing till the Cardinall was departed The Cardinall came aud was receyued with honorable interteignement and when he was departed the Duke sent for the foure Chamberlaynes being desirous to knowe howe the cuppe was gone And commaunded them not to departe the Pallace before the same was founde saying that amongs them it muste néedes be stolen These foure persones being together and debating amongs themselues howe and by what meanes the cuppe should be taken away were at their wittes ende At length one of them sayd Let vs consider whether there be any comming into the chamber in anye place els besides the dore and viewing the same they coulde not perceiue any entrie at all And to proue the same more effectuallie they strawed the chamber aboute with fyne chaffe and did sette fyre on the same which done they shut fast the windowes and dores that the smoke and smoulder might not goe out The force of which smoke was such as it issued through the hole that Bindo made wherby they perceiued the way howe the robberie was committed and wente to the Duke to tell him what they had done The Duke vnderstanding the fact willed thē to say nothing for that he woulde deuise a way to take the théefe who caused to be brought into the chamber a caldron of pitche and placed it directly vnder the hole aud commaunded that a fyre shoulde be kepte day and night vnder the caldron that the same might continually boyle It came to passe that when the money was spent which the father and the sonne had receyued for the cuppe one night they went againe to the
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
to deuise some meanes in th ende to knowe the truth and decréed a constitucion that for the space of .xx. dayes no fresh meate should be solde in Venice At which decrée all the Citie merueyled Afterwardes he caused a very fayre fatte Calfe to be solde seassing the price of euery pounde at a Fiornio which amounteth to a French Crowne or there aboutes and wylled him that solde it to mark thē that bought it Thinking with himselfe that he which is a Théefe is licorous of mouth and will not stick to giue a good price although it cost him a French crowne for euery poūd Making proclamation that he which would buye any fleshe meate shoulde resort to the market place where was to be solde All the Marchaunts and Gentlemen repayred to buye some of the Ueale and vnderstanding that euery pounde woulde not be solde vnder a French Crowne they bought none at all This Calfe and the price was bruted in all places and came to the knowledge of the mother of this yong man who sayd vnto her sonne I haue a minde to eate some of the Ueale nowe solde in the market Ricciardo aunswered Mother make no hast to buye it but first let it be cheapened by other at length I will deuise a meane that you shall haue it For it is not wisedome for vs to be the first that shall buye the same The mother lyke an ignoraunt vnskilfull woman was importunate to haue it The sonne fearing that his mother woulde sende for some of the Ueale by other caused a Pye to be made prepared a flagon full of wyne both which were intermixed with things to cause sléepe taking bread the sayde pye and the flagon of wyne when it was night putting on a counterfait beard and cloke went to the stall where the Ueale was to be solde which as yet was whole vnbought And when he had knocked at the shop dore one of the Guard asked who was there To whom Ricciardo sayd Can you tel me wher one Ventura doth kéepe his shoppe of whome one of them demaunded what Ventura I know not his surname sayde Ricciardo that I would he had bene hanged when I came first to dwell with him why who sent thée sayd one of the guard his wife quod Ricciardo and had me cary him this meate aud wine for his supper But I pray you sayde Ricciardo let me leaue the same with you till I goe home to know better where he kepeth his stall And maruell not I pray you why I knowe not where his shop is for it is not long sithens I came to dwell in this citie And so leauing behinde him the pye and the bread with the flagon of wyne he made hast to depart and told them that he would come againe by by When he was gone one of them toke the flagon and dranke and afterwards gaue it to his companion and sayde Drinke for thou neuer diddest taste of better wine in al thy life His cōpanion drank and merily cōmuning of this matter they fell a sléepe Ricciardo loking in at a hole of the dore séeing them a slepe went in and toke the calfe and caried it home whole as it was sayde to his mother Holde mother there is your lust cut it out And by and by she cut out a great pece The Duke so sone as he heard that the calfe was stolen the maner howe did wonder very much and determined yet to know what he was And caused a hundred poore people to come before him and taking their names he sayd vnto thē Get ye to al the houses in Venice vnder colour to begge almes And marke if you sée in any house fleshe dressed or any pece at the fyer which if you doe ye must be importunate in begging till they giue you eyther fleshe or broth And he among you all that shall bring me the first newes I will giue him .xx. Crownes These beggers dispersed themselues into euery corner of the citie demaunding their almes amongs whome one of them asked his almes at the house of Ricciardo and approching nere espied openly fleshe at the spitte and asked a morsell thereof for goddes sake to whom the vndescrete woman seeing that she had plentie gaue a litle pece The poore man thanked the good wife and prayed God to saue her life And as he was going downe the steppes of the dore Ricciardo met him with the fleshe in his hande Wherewithall astonned he willed him to retourne in againe and sayde he would giue him more The begger gladde of that wente in againe whome Ricciardo caried into his chamber and when he was within he strake suche a full blowe vppon his heade with an axe that he kylled him and threwe him into a Iakes shutting the dore after him In the euening these poore men retourned to the Duke according to their promise and sayde howe they could fynde nothing The Duke called thē by their names and compting them founde one lesse than the number whereat he maruelled And after he had well aduised with himselfe what should become of him that lacked he sayde Certaynly the poore man is slaine Then causing the Councel to be assembled he declared what he had done and yet sayd that it were méete the party were knowen Wherevnto one of the Senators sayde Your grace hath duely made searche by the belly and mouthe to finde out this verlet I thinke it now necessary that triall be made by Lecherie which commonlye accompaneth licorous mouthes Then it was concluded that the moste riotous and lecherous yong men such as the Duke had in greatest suspicion to the number of .xxv. shoulde be warned to appeare before him which accordinglye was done amongs whom was this Ricciardo These yong Roysters assēbled in the Palace euery of them maruelled wherfore the Duke had caused thē to come thether Afterwarde the Duke commaunded .xxv. beddes to be made in one of his great chambers to lodge euery of the sayde .xxv. persons by himself and in the middes of the chamber he commaunded a riche bedde of estate to be sette vp and furnished where was appoynted to lie his owne daughter which was an exceding faire creature And in the night when these yong men were layed in their beddes many gentlewomen attendant vpon the Lady came in to bring her to her lodging And her Father deliuered to her a sawser full of black die or stayning and sayde vnto her If any of these yong men that doe lie here by thée doe offer to come to thy bedde loke that thou mark him in the face with this stayning colour that he may be knowen At which wordes all the yong men maruelled and therefore durst not attempt to goe vnto her but sayde one to another Surelye this commaundement of the Duke hath some secrete mysterie in it Notwithstanding Ricciardo determined about midnight to go to her bed And when the candle was out being awake of purpose he rose vp and went to the