such accompt as you doe make of them since the greatest ought to be blotted out of the memory of him who renders them How said Hylas and shoke his head must one blot out of memory a long service Why then should one ever doe them if things past must be forgotten Beleeve it my good friend Silvander women will easily consent unto such a Law for Ingratitude which is their Nature is the mother of Oblivion but I have so observed the services which I have done them as if they doe seeme not to remember them or to take no notice of them I shall tell them of it as they shall be deafe if they doe not apprehend them And to tell you truly I beleeve if your services did merit as much as mine you would not set so low a rate upon them or to say better you would not make such good use of them As for me I doe thinke the very least service I doe does deserve a great recompence Did I not know said Silvander and smiled that the Isle of Camargue is your Country I should thinke seeing you set so great a value upon a little that you were borne in a certaine Country of the Gaules where the Inhabitants have three qualities which are not much unlike your humour What are they said Hylas I would not willingly tell them said Silvander but since you urge me you shall know The first is that they are rich yet have but a little The second is they are Doctors yet have but a little learning And the last is they are extreamly proud yet have but a a little honour Hylas would have answered halfe in anger but the laughter was so lowd that he could not And afterwards when he offered to speake Silvander was before him and with a smile said let it satisfie you Hylas that I said not this of the Province of the Romans where you were borne but if you thinke your selfe obliged unto some resentment of it I give you leave with all my heart to say as much of the place where I was borne if you please No question replyed Hylas presently but that if your Country were not as much unknown to me as to your selfe I should not be long mute but should say as much for you and with more truth yet not knowing where this strange Land is one may easily judge that it produces nothing but rushes and thistles since it hath sent forth such pricking and biting spirits as yours To which Silvander having no mind to reply because he would not hinder him from his story Hylas after a little silence continued thus The custome of the ancient Towne of Lyons which is to welcome and entertaine all strangers and most religiously to observe all Lawes of Hospitality was a cause that Amasonte Aunt unto Periander a few dayes after the arrivall of these faire strangers did enquire of those who had the guard of them whether it would be permitted to visit them and understanding that the King was very well pleased to allow it she went unto them and offered unto them all manner of assistance and service she had a daughter called Orsinda who was not unhansome This daughter was at the first visit so much pleased with these Ladies and so was Amasonte that they went very often afterwards to see them By fortune the greatest intimacy they had was with that Fair one who had so captivated me And it was as I beleeve besides those perfections which she had above the rest of her companions because she spoke the Gaul language and because she had been brought up in those Countries Periander acquainting me with these passages I told him that he must needs contrive it so by any means that this good Aunt of his did might us admittance without acquainting her with any design And we parting in this resolution that same day Periander dining with his Aunt seemed to be inquisitive in hearing her to tell of these strangers and enquired very particularly how they behaved themselves and whether they were civill and affable to whom Amasonte and Orsinda both giving very high and advantageous Characters of them he feigned an extream desire of seeing and talking with them If you will answered Orsinda you may go with my Mother and me so satisfie your curiosity 'T is true said Amasonte if men may be permitted to visit them and of that I have not enquired but to morrow I promise you to ask the question whether any men have yet or may be admitted and if any have been allowed you shall I warrant you as soon as any And indeed the good Aunt was as good as her word for the next morning she understood that any might come and visit them for the King did not feare any could steal them away having them so farre from home When Periander brought me this newes it was not unwelcome unto me as you may well imagine especially when I heard that the next day in the afternoon they would conduct us thither The day seemed so long to my impatience as I asked what a clock it was above a hundred times thinking the Sun a sluggard and slower then usual I was no lesse unquiet all the night nor had any more patience all the morning untill the hour came when Periander was to go unto the Palace Royall there I so well measured my time as when they came to the Gate I met them and seeming as if the meeting was meerly accidentall I asked Periander whither he was going He answered that he was to wait upon his Mother for so he called Amasonte then she addressed her selfe unto me and said If Sir you be a friend you will not leave Periander alone upon this occasion I will never enquire what it is since you command me answered I and since it is to serve my friend And as I said so I took Orsinda by the arm Periander could not chuse but laugh when he saw me seem so ignorant of the voyage and the readinesse I used in taking hold of the occasion Thus we entred into the place where the strangers were and at the first I saw the faire one whom I so much admired come with open arms a smiling countenance and great demonstration of good will unto Orsinda whose happinesse I envied After the first salutations and complements of course Amasonte desiring I should receive some good looks from this faire Prisoner by her meanes did let her understand who we were acquainted her with the great intimacy betwixt Periander and me and with the desire we had to doe them any service and therefore addressing unto us she shewed her selfe as sweetly kind as civility would permit her Then turning towards me she remembred how I helped her up when she fell at the Temple stairs I perceive Madam said I unto her One shall never complaine of any services done unto you since you can so well remember so small a matter Though our Ladies in Gaul either out of pride or want of memory
she has kept her faith without the least stain though she hath since had so many occasions to hate you she has still continued her love to you and entertaines in her soul those assurances which you gave unto her and though she has had many inducements to cast you quite off yet her heart would never consent unto it being resolved rather to part from her life then those pledges which you gave her of your fidelity These eyes which have been so often idolized by the young Alcidon have been witnesses of many a teare shed for your long absence when I remembred your young promises which now I find to be so false for you never had the least sparke of memory or thought of her unto whom you promised eternal memory Oh Alcidon you shall heare how I have lived since the death of the great King unto whom both you and I were so much obliged and you will confesse if you be not the most unjust man that ever breathed that your silence hath made you unworthy of love but that my affection is still greater then your offence Then she began to repeat all passages since the beginning of our separation unto this meeting not omitting any circumstance that argued my oblivion wherewith she accused me and on the other side to testifie the memory she had of me she related all the remarkable actions that I had done and after a long repetition of them at which I was amazed that she should know so many particulars I perceive said she that you are amazed I should relate your own life unto you but had you beene as you ought I should have come to the knowledge of them from your selfe and not from others which argues a defect in your affection and your silence is a signe of your shameful forgetfulnesse She had continued thus upbraiding me and in relating both her own life and mine very near two hours and would not suffer me to open my mouth in my own defence nor to answer her At last this offended beauty finding some proofe of the power which she had over me she began to change her countenance and language Now Alcidon said she I permit you to speak being contented with two hours silence in my presence in exchange of two yeares voluntary silence in my absence It argues your abundant goodnesse said I unto her and smiled that you will thus change years into hours Your crime is such replyed she that no punishment can equall it but I will shew my selfe as merciful as I am able to punish you if I will Madam said I unto her I should kisse your faire hands by way of thankes for such extraordinary favours were I not afraid I should be perceived but I lay my heart at your feet in testimony of my gratitude I doe most ingenuously confesse Madam the fault wherewith you charge me But if your goodnesse would be pleased to let me tell you the occasion and reason why I was so long silent perhaps you would thinke me as worthy of commendations as of blame Since I have pardoned you said she and given you leave to speake you may say what you please and I wish you may shew such reasons as may perswade me that you are in no fault Let me say then continued I that you may well conceive I grieved extreamly at the death of a Master who loved me so exceedingly and raised me by his favours above the reach of all Court Envy Now I should have extreamly offended against his memory and the offence would have been thought high ingratitude if I should have entertained the least kind of contentment in my soule Times of mourning injoynes us unto sad habits and forbids any thing of joy or content Now the poor and disconsolate Alcidon was forbidden all manner of happinesse and deprived himselfe of all that came from you Madam who was and is his only joy and felicity To satisfie then both my duty and my affection I made choice of so bidding my selfe the honour of hearing from you to the end nothing should divert me from my sadnesse which was then seasonable But Loves knowes and that miserable heart which loves and adores you knowes that in the midst of my bitter sorrowes none grieved me so much as that I was distanced from your presence and memory Two things principally may argue the truth of this unto you First if I had not truly loved you my age would not have permitted me to live so long amongst so many faire Ladies without love Secondly as soone as I had in some sort forgotten my sorrowes for my great losse my continuall thoughts of you would never let me be in quietnesse untill I had the honour of seeing you The danger of the journey nor the distance from the great Euricke whose favours shine upon me as fast as those did from Thorismond could not hinder me Now Madam I prostrate my selfe at your feet resigning unto you all my affections all my thoughts my heart and soule beseeching you to receive them not as any new offering or fresh acquisition but as yours from my infancy my Destiny my Master and my heart did give me unto you I shall receive your excuse said she unto me as they use to receive a debt from a bad pay-master though the money be a little too light and I will beleeve what you say upon condition that none of your future actions give me any cause of doubt When I would have answered I was hindred by the Lady of the house who came to tell us it was Supper time therefore we referred the rest of our discourse till after it was done And it was no sooner ended but I out of civility falling into discourse with one of her Sisters she came unto us and having separated me a little from the rest we fell into talke where we left with so much contentment unto me that I must needs confesse my joyes were never greater Thus we spent part of the night at last bed time forcing us to part we advised upon a more safe place of meeting and being constrained to depart in the morning it was now long before we could resolve upon the place At the last she said unto me but in a very doubtfull manner I am loath Alcidon to put you into any danger but since you are so urgent upon it I will tell you that I have a Sister married within five or six Leagues of this place where we might very well meet were it not that my brother in law is an Enemy unto King Euricke yet were there no other difficulty but that we might find a remedy but as ill lucke is he hath invited a great Company to the marriage of one of his Sisters so as all things seeme contrary unto us I do not think there is one of any quality in all the Province which is not an enemy unto the King your Master I must confesse Father I found much danger this way but when I considered
victory but I was forced to take up Armes against a new enemy For Eurick being extreamly offended at Clarinta but for some great and prudent considerations durst not make shew of his resentments he resolved to make her repent it and through envy would chastife her by conferring those favours on another which might have been hers could she have been contented to be onely his And in order to this resolution whereas before time his affection was divided amongst three now his intention was to place it all at least all his favours upon one onely Mistress I told you before that when I desired Alcidon to make addresses unto Clarinta there was another Lady whose name was Adelonde unto whom the King had made some signs of goodwill And now in revenge upon Clarinta he devotes himselfe and all his favorable addresses unto her she is now become his and the Courts onely Idol so as though her extraction was much inferiour unto Clarinta's or mine yet such was his designe to preferre her before us both so as I must confesse I was two or three times in a mind to break off quite with him But Alcidon by his wise advice still disswaded me and in this made me overcome both my selfe the King and her so as I may well say that I doe owe all the contentments which I have since received unto him and his patience Adelonde being now raised above all her hopes she still raised her pretensions unto a higher pitch and though all the world did thinke the favours which this great Prince conferred upon her to be very high yet still her desires were higher These insatible desires prompted her to make use of all wayes just or unjust easie or hard to accomplish them And therefore when some of her friends advised her to use some charmes thereby to retaine the wavering minde of this Prince she hearkened unto them Whereupon she gave unto the Great Eurick a bracelet of her haire the lockets whereof were Lions set with stones These Lions had such a quality as whosoever wore them about their arms they could love none but her Perhaps it may not be strange that two such puissant passions as Love and Ambition should tempt her unto this Crime had she rested here and not addâ—d a second which indeed proceeded meerly for want of judgement But she thinking that he would preserve them as precious Gemmes and would weare them continually or at least to make him do so and not give them unto another she told him that a very learned Druid who had a very particular care of him and his Crown knowing what wicked attempts would be against his life and state had made those Lions under such Constellations and with such Art that as long as he wore them about his Arme no enterprise of his enemies should have any effect against him but as often as any enterprise was attempted to his prejudice these Lions would advertise him by scratching his Arm gently with their Clawes But see sage Father how the Heavens doe mock at those who would compasse their designes by unlawful meanes That which this Lady had taken so much paines about to augment and preserve the affection of this great Prince unto her was it which made her entirely lose it For as soon as ever he perceived that she made use of Charmes and Magick he believed that all the inclinations he had unto her proceeded from some Divels and not from her beauty or any merit in her and from that time did so extreamly abominate her as he would never come neere her and when he spake of her he called her his Medea and his Witch I have related this passage Father not as any way relating unto Alcidon or me but onely that you may better know the humour and spirit of the Great Eurick and by that to judge whether I had not great reason to preserve his good will unto me by all manner of prudent subtilty that possibly I could and whether I had not as good reason to impose this task upon Alcidor Now whatsoever I shall relate unto you more concerning this great Prince will not at all concerne the difference betwixt us for since that time we lived together as we did before The King he returned unto me with all manner of submission and sorrow for offending a person whom formerly he had loved Alcidon he â—loved and courted Clarinta before my face never rendring unto me those offices which the affection I had unto him merited and which by the law of Fidelity he was bound to pay had there beene any spark of that virtue in him As for me I bore it out as well as I could and preserved the Kings favours to me with all possible solicitations so as I could with truth say that amongst all my cares none was so great as to see this fickle Alcidon was not ashamed to serve that Lady in my very presence after so many promises of affection and fidelity to me But Father why should I talke any more upon this subject since I now must tell you of this great Princes death and tell it I must since I owe it unto the memory of the greatest and most generous Prince that ever raigned in Gaule Now therefore sage Adamas that the great Eurick finding the affection of Clarinta fickle and that of Adelonda full of foul practices he thought mine onely worthy of himselfe for he saw me keep such a retired decorum in all my wayes as he could not suspect I loved any but himselfe unlesse it was Alcidon of whom he could not entertaine the least spark of jealousie But calling all my actions into his memory and how modestly I had tolerated his various affections and departures and also how sweetly I received him at his returne he came at length to that resolution which I desired and declared that he would marry me and make me Queen as well of his Dominions as of his heart and affections Judge Reverend Father whether I and all my relations had not good reason to deem our selves fully happy But alas I find too well that the heavens are not pleased to let a high happinesse last long For when I was arrived at the very top of all my hopes happinesse and desires when I had made all preparations of joy for the marriage a cursed Assasinate being inspired with a hellish spirit did ravish him from me by a fatall blow which he trayterously gave him to the heart Oh Heavens Can you suffer such a horrid villany to passe unpunished must not such a Monster as this be made an eternall example of horrour to affright all men if there be any so unnaturally wicked from such a cursed act You may imagine in what a sad condition I was when this fatall newes was brought unto me by the outcryes of the People For my part I am not able to tell you how I tooke it for I did not onely lose the use of my reason but also of my senses for
but they thought they heard Horses trampling in the streets which caused Cryseide and Clarina with their guide to put on their Horses the one way and Arimant with his faithful servant the other The Cavalier by the favour of the night and the thick wood did easily save themselves and the third day came to Vienna betimes where they lodged in the Inne next the Bridge At night asking newes of his Host he heard how King Gondebunt was returned from Gaul Cisalpine loadned with victory and spoil but at his return had received a very great displeasure because an Italâ—an Prisoner with whom he was much in love with had escaped from him and no intelligence could be given of her And to manifest the truth of this said the Host I will shew you the Kings Proclamation to that purpose this day published Then pulling out a great Paper printed he read these words Gondebunt the son of Gondioch King of Burgundy Lord of the Seguanois Lingones Vellaundonois Ambarres Heduois Catalauniques Matisques Alexens Allobroges Basilians Latobriges Sebusians Secusians Secusienses Vabromaines Sedunois Augustes Sallases Centrons Bramovices Ebroduntians Segovellaunians Galloligures Governour of the Alpes Sempronians Jovinians Pennines Coties Sebatians Maritimes c. Unto all to whom this our Will and Pleasure shall come Greeting In as much as there is nothing that more offends a generous courage nor gives it a more just desire of revenge then Ingratitude and Treason And whereas to our great griefe at our return from our long glorious and dangerous voyages we are advertised that Cryseide one of our Prisoners and one upon whom we had showred abundant favours has ungratefuly escaped our Guards which was impossibly for her to doe without the counsell and assistance of some persons ill affected unto us who have perfidiously stoln her away in contempt of our royall Power and Authority For these causes and many others thereunto moving us and by the advice of our Great Councell to chastise such ingratitude and Treason We doe Declare and Promise by the Great God whom we adore by the soul of our most honoured Father and by the majesty of our Crowne That whosoever shall bring unto us this ungratefull Cryseide our fugitive Prisoner or shall reveale him or them who are the cause of her flight or who does perfidiously keep her give her any assistance or favour of what quality nature or condition soever we will grant unto him such favour as he shall aske of us and will not upon any cause ground colour or consideration whatsoever break this our Royal word promise and solemn Oath And we do enjoyne and command all our Sheriffs and other Officers to publish this our Will and Pleasure throughout all our Dominions Given at our Royal Town of Lyons in the Iâ—es of July the second year of our Raign Arimant hearing this Proclamation was in extreame feare lest Cryseide should be known as she entred into the Town especially when the Host continued his discourse and told him that the King had sent persons who knows her unto all Bridges and advenues of Towns This caused him to take Bellaris apart and command him to provide mens habit both for Cryseide and Clarina in all possible haste and as soon as they were ready to carry them that way they were to come that they might so disguise themselves before they entred into the Town Bellaris did as he was appointed and all being ready he went to meet them In the mean time Arimant furnished himselfe with better Cloaths then those he had from Bellaris But fortune who was minded to vex these two generous Lovers yet a little longer and to have greater testimonies of their love and courage did so contrive the matter that at the very same time Bellaris met Cryseide and when she thanked the Gods for Arimants safe arrivall unto Vienna the King Gondebunt being hunting the Hart he rode close by her onely with five or six who followed him and because he observed that as soon as she spyed him she retired her selfe behinde the next bush which stood a little out of the way he followed her onely out of curiosity But Bellaris knowing him at the very first he clapped himselfe flat down upon the ground in a valley which Cryseide could not doe nor Clarina neither because they were on horseback so as the King overtaking her and seeing her in the Gaulish mode he thought at the first that she was some of that Country who because she would be retired went out of the high way but asking her who she was and whither she went as soon as ever she opened her mouth he knew her for though she had the language of Gaul very good yet she had the accent and tone of a stranger And looking a little neerly upon her though she endeavoured to hide her face all that possibly she could Oh Heavens said he it is Cryseide Then lighting from his Horse he ran to embrace her How long is it faire Ladie said he unto her since you first took this disguise What good Angel is it that hath broâ—ght you again into my hands and what Devil was it that took you out of them Poor Cryseide more amazed then is imaginable to see her selfe in the power of him whom she most feared and falne from such a height of happinesse into such a gulph of misery she stood a while and could not answer At the last seeing there was no way to conceal her selfe she resolved to take heart and most couragiously answered thus You ask me Sir when I assumed this habit and disguise and I answer ever since Love did command me And because you call that good Angell who got me out of your hands a Devill I must vindicate his honour and let you know Sir that it is unworthy in so great a King to break both the Lawes of Humanity and the Lawes of Chivalry which commands you to assist relieve and honour Ladies and not to take them Prisoners and keep them against their wills The King hearing the freenesse of Cryseides language and his love not letting him consent unto what he knew was the duty of a Cavalier he answered her Before any should doe you any wrong Madam I will lose both my Crown and my life and in this which I do I intend it for your good and advantage and not to harme or wrong you in the least degree She would have replyed but the King was so over-joyed at this happy encounter and not willing to enter any further into discourse he took her Horse by the bridle and led him into the high-way where taking his own Horse he returned to Lyons presently more contented with this prize then with all his Victories When Cryseide was thus taken Clarina could easily have saved her selfe if she would as well as the Guid but having no mind to leave her she did follow her voluntarily Thus was the sad Cryseide carryed back to Lyons and put amongst the rest of the