must Give me the meanes and power to be just And but for charity and mercies cause Reserve no power to suspend the Lawes This I do vow even as I hope to rise From this into another Paradise Vot When your Highnesse hath possessed your Throne I must begin to read the Laws Bellesa ascend's the Throne and Votorio reades That the Queen is to be elected the first of May every yeare by the plurality of the Sisters voyces from which election the Brothers are excluded That the Queen must be aged under thirty and beauty to be most regarded in the election That both the Brothers and Sisters must vow chastity and single life while they remaine of the Order and the breach of this Law is to be punished with death That every yeare at the election of this Queen what Brothers or Sisters shall desire to retire out of the â—rder upon designe of Marriage shall then upon their demand be licensed and at no other time That the Queen shall admit of none into the Order but one every yeare by grace the rest upon publication of their pretence which must be either a vow of chastity which is not ever to be dispenced with or the verification of some misfortune worthy the charity of this honourable Sanctuary which all the Sisters and Brothers are to be Judges of That there is no propriety of any thing among the Society but a community of all which the world calls riches and possessions That detraction from the honour of a Sister without proof is to be punished with the penalty inacted for that fault That no brother or sister shall ever go out of the limits of the Kingdome but by a finall dismission That no such shall ever be received againe upon any pretence That strangers shall be admitted onely by the grace of the Queen or by particular warrant from the King And upon no condition stay above three dayes Vot These be the lawes your Majesty is sworne to protect And now I in the name of all the blessed Society bow in obedience to you Cam. We in the name of all the Sisters salute you Queen and beg to leave the seal of all our duties in your Royall hands They kisse her hands Vot Now Madam after an hour's râ—st the Order requires your Majâ—sty to repaire to the Temple there to perfect all the Ceremony Bel. I can have no such rest Votorio as on my knees before the Gods for I have yet a greater blessing to implore of them then this they have bestowed their propitiousnesse towards my discharge of what they have imposed upon me Princes Votoriâ— have no lesse To pay the Gods than to possesse What are those strangers Vot They are admitted Madam by speciall warrant from the King Exeunt All but Moramente 〈◊〉 Genorio Moramente pâ—lle Votoriâ— back Mor. If you have leisure to allow us so welcome a civility as to satisfie a Stranger 's curiosity you may oblige us in acquainting us what the Queen said of us Vot My profession and your habit Sir enjoynes me both to this and after I have satisfied you in this demand to offer you my service in easing you of any curiosity this place hath put upon you The Queen desired to know onely who you were and how admitted which I gave her an account of as far as my knowledge led me Which was no farther then your admission by the Kings Letters Moâ— The limitation Sir which is upon the stay of strangers here where curiosity is fed so much fuller then it can swallow much lesse digest might excuse an importunate detention of any one but you Sir whose habit renders you so necessary to the residâ—nâ—s as it were a sacriledge to rob them of your time Vot At it is a pious work the distribution of hospitable civility I am the prâ—pâ—rest you could have met Sir to pay the ingenâ—ousnesse of your curiosity with the knowledge of any thing you can aske here Morameâ—te Since this civility may be meritorious to you sir I shall the willing pâ—t â—ou to the exercise of it And first I would gladly â—noâ— the anâ—iquity of the instituted regality with the occasion of it and the rest of the particulars of this place which my Ignorance cannot furnish me with questions for Votorio The ingenuousness of this institution is such as we may joy we owe it not unto antiquity It derives it self no higher then this King's grandfathers time who had a daughter called Sabina a Lady of that strange beauty and perfections as this was but one of the miracles she left us to admire her by The virtue of her resolution takes off much from the wonder of her witt Which seemes to have remain'd imperious and not flexible to her distresse She was sought by two Princes The Dolphin of France and the Prince of Navarr whose passions seem'd so equall as the most powerfull could not beare â— deniall and the weaker found himselfe so arm'd by his passion as he despised the anger which the power of France had vow'd against him if he were preferr'd Sabina's inclination to Navarr drew down the power of mighty France upon this Prince of Vallance But the hope of fair Sabina which he seem'd to think himselfe a gainer by after the losse of most of his country Then Sabina whom it seemes the love of virtue only had made partiall to Navarr found the way to exalt her virtue more then by persisting against difficulties which seem'd to take off from the glory of it by the abatement it procur'd where it intended an advantage And so fearing left his sufferings might raise his virtues to such an estimation as he might be thought to haveâ—d served her and so the matching of herselfe might lessen her resolved to take the glory wholly with the sufferings to her selfe And so sent to the victorious Dolphin â—hat had allready made himselfe Prince of Navarr and bragg'd that with that title he would wo Sâ—bâ—â—a her promise that upon condition of his restoring Navarr unto the Prince and swearing future peace she would never marry the Prince of Navarr The Dolphin whose successe had nourished his love with hope even in Sabina's direct denialls swallowed this as an assurance of his wish without examining the words beleeving his own flattering omen more security then even Sabina's promise He accepted the conditions and presently restored all his conquests though the Prince refused the treaty and the future peace Yet he instantly performed all that Sabina asked who now resolved to publish the performance of her vow 'T was sure the gods that did infuse these thoughts for a reward of so supream goodnesse and made the monument of her admiration a Sanctuary for distressed virtue so to convey to future times a blessing with the memory of her She begg'd of her father leave to make a vow of chastity and desired a propriety of this place as her dowre which nature seemes to have made of such unmatch't delightfullnesse as if
her I can now serve the Prince with such a rare uninterested faith it shall not wish for recompence having allready more reward then he can give the will of Fidamira Which the Gods keep for a reward of all his glorious deeds at his returne in giving him but even as much to give to Fidamira as his consent unto her will Which as the consummation of his glories and our joyes I must expect And now by loosing of your hands let fall this partition which they yet hold up And in this darknesse pray our harts may not lye long under the whole weight of love they now must beare but that our joyes may be restored to ease them Fidamira Mine shall turn inward all their light upon my thoughts which shall be polished as they shall still answer one another with the reflex of my Agenor's Image Agenor Move Fidamira now and let 's with equall steps fall thus from one another while this earth we tread by interposing of it's selfe between thy light and me shall shâ—ddow out this dark Eclipse Enter Basilino in his â—isguise Basilino It is no injury to Fidamira to leave her where I have put off my selfe I find a yeelding in my genius to the curiosity of passing by the Shepheard's Paradise to which peacefull harbor I have heard of such a strange repair o wrack't and hop-lesse forâ—unes as the distresse hath proved a blessing Enter Agenor Basilino Here comes Agenor not yet fitted for our journey Have you taken your leave of my Sister Agenor did she not cry she is fond of you Agenor She is pleased with me Sir as the object of your goodnesse Basilino I 'le advise with him You eome Agenor opportunly to vote in a cause concerns you too Whether we may take fitly this opportunity to see the Shepheard's Paradise as we passe forwards to Navarr I can have admission by a blank of my fathers with a warrant for it and the time of the election of the Queen which is every yeare the first of May is now within three dayes What sayes Agenor Agenor I do beleeve it Sir a curiosity worthy of an entire purpose Therefore not to be omitted lying in the way of our designe which cannot be better begun than by the information of your selfe in such a variety as all forraign nations do admire as it were a heavenly Institution that extends it selfe to all strangers whose births are such as may be worthy fortunes prosecution and the distresse seeme so desperate as it may bring honor to the remedy And this may prove Sir your neerest way unto your journeyes end the forgetting Fidamira For sure Sir beauty is soonest worn out of our memories by the imposition of new weight upon it and so the last presseth away the former And fame tellssuch wonders of this place as sure it is rather a religious fear than your fathers guard secures their solitude from the invasion of nations on the pretence of adoration And it may be Sir the gods will not indebt you for so much as the composition of your broken mind to any nation but your own Basilino It must be Atheism in love not change of my Religion it must be that beleefe which I resolve that Beauty is but an Idea not to be enjoyed but by imagination and by this Atheism must I be saved Agenor Agenor Ther 's nothing sure Sir so impossible to be enjoyed as your enjoying this opinion long unlesse you could refine your selfe into an Idea abstracted from your flesh You must not only lose yoâ—r memory but all your senses to retain this new opinion Can you think Sir beauty was never enjoy'd Basilino Never Agenor There is no Lover's soveraign-fancy that will not confesse that Beauty is so set up as 't is even above his highest thoughts and to endeare his thoughts alleadgeth an impossibility of thinking height enough Can our sense then Agenor get up such a pitch where even our fancy flatts into an excuse Agenor These are but Love's raptures that somtimes carry beauty above sense In any kind it were injustice to require of our senses the carrying of us above ground when they were not ordained to flie Their motion is towards fixt-materiall-objects which they can reach and are not bound to comprehend Lover's descriptions that enlarge beauty into a spaciousnesse where it loseth it selfe because it cannot be compassed Take this rule Sir Sense is not bound to follow any thing out of sight and within those bounds it can injoy all it meets Basilino Well Agenor we shall have leisure to discourse of this as we go let 's set forward then towards the Shepheards Paradise We must change our names I le call my selfe Moramante Agenor And I 'le change my name into Geâ—orio we must make haste Sir the journeys equall the days we have left for them King Osorio Timante King Are the lodgings prepared as I commanded Timante They are Sir you are obeyed in all things King When Fidamiâ—a comes bring her in forbeare till then I must do her some honor may be so suddain so strange as may o're take Basilâ—no before he can get out of our kingdome Fâ—damira all in black led by Osorio and Timante the King looks amâ—zâ—dly on her at the fiâ—st King I thought I might be tempted to owne some power to oblige such a creatâ—re on whom nature seems to glory to have bestowed all herâ— Yet I will not be so unjust to the departed Basâ—lâ—nâ— as to appropriate any thing I am to deliver to you For in his Will he hath left you all that I can give you Neither could I have beleeved it could have been so difficult the being Executor to a Prince For I finde more due to you than he could bequâ—ath or I dispose unto you Therefore be pleâ—sed fair Mâ—ide to ease me so much as to name your wishes since you have reduced a King to the beleefe of having nothing worthy of you and therefore dares not chuse for you Fidamira If the departed Prince Sir have in his Will bequeathed any thing to pious uses to purchase prayers for his successe and faire return your Majesty will prove an improvident dispâ—nâ—er of them in the choice of me whose devotion is allready kindled in so pure a flame as interest would dimm it and not nourish And even my wishes Sir are all so cleare from any stain of selfe advantage as they are such as your Majesty cannot possesse me of King â—ll 〈◊〉 Fidamira my impotency as a King in the disposing any thing so worthy and yet beg the knowledg of thy will in a more powerfull name a servant unto Fidamira Andâ— by the vertue of that name beleeve my selfe inforced to a captivity of any thing that â—he â—â—all wish Fidamira You have allready Sir furnisht me with an unlook't for wish the expiation of the guilt your proclamation of your selfe hath cast upon me I had another Sir so innocent as it was fit for you to joyne though you could
making me happier then your selfe by the disparity between what you give and can receive Bel. I can give nothing now Moramente but my promise to be shortly my self and so it may be I shall be able to give you more then now and Gemella though she hath not told me who you are hath assured me you are not what you seem and so an agreement now would be void on both sides Therefore now take this watch with my promise that before it measure three hours more you shall know my story and then I shall have a fuller power to give for having promised nothing the time now admits not the telling your story if you would advance the knowledge of you Therefore we must now part I for preparation of the ceremony of the new election Mor. I will then confesse Madam only as much as the time will give you leave to know which is that I am more then I seem even more in love with you then I can seem to be but there will nothing now seem strange in all my story but your qualification of me with more honour then nature can bestow I accept this pledge of your promise and shal thus by you try both experiences If time in the despair doth seem to move Slower or towards the promised joyes of Love Exeunt Mor. and Bel. Enter Romero Rom. Sure Nature did make up our lines in wreathes and the first instant motion is set against the Scrue and so we move in a continual revolution to unwind our selves and by the same degrees that we unwreath our lives we find a flacknesse and an enervation in those parts that loosen first Our leggs are first unjoynted So by degrees this loosenesse riseth up and slackens So the frame of man as all the parts unfastning at last seem but to have a contiguousnesse and no connexion to one another for all their functions part while they hang yet together till the last turn devolved falls to the dissolution of them all So that man is only brought by ruine unto rest I am so neer this last dissolving turne as I will now lay my selfe down here on this soft ground that I may fall in pieces with lesse pain I have visible misery enough to assure me of pitty this head on which the sun it self did snow and cold can only thaw There 's nothing fitter for the vertue of this place then age as nothing so unrelievable but I have such unspeakable misfortunes as makes my age a blessing as it promiseth a speedy delivery from what youtâ— could have no hope but death the losse of three such Princes in my charge as the safety of a kingdome depâ—ndâ—â—h successively on each of them the ones bloâ—d powred out at his nations sacrifice So innocent as his infancy better assâ—reth us now what he is thâ—n it could have promised what he would have been the other a Princesse such an emission of nature as it were above it self as she promised nothing so low as could be hoped before and yet the miracle of her obscured all that he did promise She was so acceptable to all as she made the losse of her brother and sister a pâ—blick joy as it conveyed the Kingdome unto her this angel then vanished from amongst us out of my hands or if she were a woman now she 's above an angel for she might dye obscurely but could not live so My enquiry had she been upon the earth must have met with the report of her no nation bâ—t must have sent out proclamations of their glory in having of her Should I goe back now to the aged King that hath no soul left but an expectation and so take his soul too away and then live to see unfortunate Navarr lye like a headlesse trunk subject to the first power that would sease it Nay I will lay my life down here and by the application of all these sorrows to my soul try if I can â—right it out of this weake body which hath no strength to oppose the passage of it Enter Genorio Gen. I have sought Moramente every where but in Love's Cabinet and cannot find him Sure Fortune is scrupulous of letting me have so much joy as â—h'obliging him Here is a stranger the gods assist you Sir in all your wishes Romero Pardon me Sir if I do not so much as wish you well least fortune that hath undertaken the opposition of all my wishes might be by them brought against you Gen. It seems then you were chased hither by Fortune not led by Curiosity Rom. I have been so inconsiderable to fortune as she hath not thought my personall afflictionâ— worthy her intention but hath run through me and wounded others whose losse hath brought no lesse then the curse of a whole nation upon me Gen. Have you ever been in love Rom. Never Sir I have not known so light a griefe in all my life you are happy whose youth knows no true pain and therefore doth account the frights of love which imagination brings the heighth of all affliction Gen. Comfort your self then for you are not so unhappy as you might have been Rom. You may bragge Sir you have made me smile to think to how little disquiet this place is subject thereforepray Sir be so charitable to tell me whether this place doth certainly make all happy that are admitted to it if so I would avoid it It is a curse I have not the wishing my self happy by forgetfulnesse Gen. If there be any certain vertue in this place I believe it is in the inversion of the conditions it receives All the effects I have found of it yet have been so I thought my self when I came hither as unlikly to become unhappy as you can now your selfe to be relieved And I have seen another's fortune turned to the opposit extreame of what it was brought hither And if you would not forget stay not here For I am such a witnesse of that effect as if you knew my story you would beleeve that virtue unresistable Romero starts up Rom. How miserable am I that even you that pretended to be an oblivious Trophy are my remembrancer and of a misery greater then your age is capable of Will you give me leave to look upon this jewell Pray Sir do you remember so much as how long you have had this jewell Gen. I have had it longer then I can remember any thing 't is part of my story which is so strange a one as if you knew it it would make you think your selfe happy I am so subject to forget as I had allmost forgot my haste Which if you knew the occasion of you would leave wondring at your selfe Rom. This fond young man 's in love And is grown vaine of his afflictions because they are of his own makeing He carries a greater misfortune of mine about him which he knowes â—ot of than he takes upon him That crosse of diamonds the prince Pallantus had about him when his
joy of finding a son You must have all my soul a while till I have discharged my selfe of what I owe your father In whose name I am to beg of you and conjure all this society whom I esteem so justly blessed as I doubt not of their wishes to my successe to joyne with me in a pretence I am to deliver to you in the name of the King and of a Nation which by me now begs reliefe of you This Society understands you so well as I may better aske of them then tell them what a blessing your company is And if it be such an one to strangers let them judge what a joy it will be to a father to whom you have been so long a stranger And though it seemed misfortune cannot afford you lesse then a Crown yet you ought not to make that Crown which nature hath made yours unfortunate Therefore heare the distresses of the King your father that cry so lowd in the complaints of the losse of you as they hear not the cries of all his kingdom for their exposure to the first strong power that will seize it His age must quickly leave the first invader for his heir You know your brother and your sister the Prince Palant and the Princesse Miranda perished both infants at the seige of the cursed Pamlona Since the King your father having destin'd you to the Prince of Castile a Prince thought a match for your vertue as well as your condition In the time of this treaty you fled attended only by my son I upon whose trust this misfortune lay like Treason have been ever since in the search of you and now the gods have been pleased to blesse my dispaire with what they have so long denied my hope the finding you Madam I must now addresse my selfe not only to you but all this society for judgment of this pretence of a King and a Nation which in a new way demands reliefe not by admittance but dismission Bel. I must confesse Romero all you have alledg'd against me But in my defence desire this faire Society whose judgments would be injured in my unnaturallnesse to beleeve that even these and the honor of this place did not divert me from the sense of my fathers afflictions whose reliefe I did deferr to bring thee more intire after the Prince his marriage should have removed all subject of dispute between us Here I resolve to stay till then confident that my fathers consent to the estimation of my selfe in the expression of my equall unwillingnesse â—o that his passion to Fidamira did avow would justify my presumption on his patience Rom. This was a sense Madam you ought your vertue while the Prince's unsensiblenesse seem'd to provoke it to a valuation of its selfe But now the same vertue that did convict him will plead for his acquittance Now as your goodnesse ought not to avert it selfe from his repentance which his leaving Fidamira and his journey devoted to your pardon do assure therefore Madam in my mind you owe the King your father this satisfaction for all his sufferings A returne of a full obedience â—or all the hazard he hath runn with you I have heard 〈◊〉 late that he hath pittied so the Prince as your admission of him into yours would bâ— a joy that would indâ—are your presence I remitt my selfe to this Society And bâ—g of them that if their judgments agree with 〈◊〉 thâ—ir prayers may do so too Gem. We have our own interests me-thinkâ— that ask our sollicitations that we that know thâ— blessing of such a Queen may still enjoy it both exalâ—â—d for hersâ—lâ—â— and us Cam. Even this our derived light of Soveraignty must grow brighter so drawn from a more glorious body then it was ere before All. We all joyne in this â—uppâ—ication for the Pâ—ince Kâ—ng I think my 〈…〉 the good fâ—rtune I owe this place to contribute what my power affâ—rds to all the wishâ—s of this Society And my admiratioâ— to you Madam engageth me to what I owe my countrey and my Prince to lett you know that I wâ—s lately a witnâ—ssâ— of the Kings wishâ—s to the hâ—ppy conjuâ—ction of the Prince and Princessâ— of Navarr And I am so assâ—red of his consent as I dare answer for it with my life Bâ—l. I wish the King and Prince so much happinesse as it were presumption in me to think I could afford it them Let me aske you some questions of my father Romero Gem. Mâ—thinks Moramente you are too cold an interceder for the Prince that are so much concerned in all his wishes Mor. Therefore Gemella I may be thought too partiall to hâ—m Your uninterested prayers may challenge more successâ— Now Genorio you that can report Princes lives away so easily can you speake me dead too and be beleeved For only so thou canst get trust of me againe when I perceive thou canst deceive all the world Did not some such Angell tell you of Bellesa's love as of Saphira's death Gen. Consider Sir how meritorious this report proveâ— to your life and you may think that an Angell prompted iâ— for your justification to the Princesse and the rest of the world to whom your vow was known Doth not this your beliefe approve to her the cessation of your designe which else might have been objected to you even by her And must not the sense that you expressâ—d then of her death indeare you to her now And when you know the reason of this my report even the falshood of it will justify my trust to you Bâ—â— Sure â—oramente knows the Prince best of any body I will inforâ—e my selfe of him And take his counsell bâ—fore I do resâ—lve Gem. You cannot resolve better Bâ—llesa goes a part with Moramente Bel. What say you Moramente Have I not chosen a 〈◊〉 counsâ—llâ—â— in â—his cause Now you know me fully and 〈…〉 givâ— mâ— your advice For I am resolved to be 〈◊〉 bâ— you in the disposing of my selfe 〈◊〉 Coâ—fident of what you say Madam I shall beg of 〈…〉 â—he Prince 〈◊〉 Iâ— your charity Moramente so much above your lovâ— Mor. No Madam It is my love that is so humble as to expect nothing but by charity And if my intercession for the Prince obtaine pardon for him I shall esteeme it as a favour done to me Bel. I thought you would desire nothing but pardon for him and for your sake Moramente it will be easy for me to yeeld to as much as you shall desire for him Mor. I will no longer seeme to owe you lesse Madam then I do I do accept this pardon which is so strange an one as it makes me a Prince and the same that you have pardoned And to deserve this grace I do resigne it back to you and so expose my â—elfe to all your wills without claiming any thing that your not knowing me might seeme to engage you to You already are acquainted with my story which I must thus farr inlarge That taking