Selected quad for the lemma: law_n
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A70917
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The history of Don Fenise a new romance / written in Spanish by Francisco de las-Coveras ; and now Englished by a person of honour.
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Quintana, Francisco de, d. 1658.; Person of honour.
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1651
(1651)
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Wing Q220; ESTC R22454
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188,336
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336
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great storme At this fearfull advertisement every one quit the attention of these prophane discourses and begunne to looke to his conscience and to be troubled with the apprehension of shipwrack They entered into the Gulfe of Leon when Heaven begun to be troubled with a double obscuritie that of the night and that of the storme wherein the windes were so violent that they seemed to move the sea unto the very bottome In a little time the tempest became so furious that all in the ship were fearefull every one cryed out with a good heart for divine assistance and demanded pardon for his faults The Mariners themselves were so amazed that they knew not their compasse nor what to doe or command the cords masts and sailes were broken one from another sometimes the waves lifted up the ship to the clouds and then again cast it down into the most profound deeps It thundered and hailed and the aire produced lightning which served them but for to see things fearfull In the end after having suffered a long storme a wave cast them against a Rock where the ship was split and then some were buried quick in the waves and others ranne to the last remedy of Shipwrack endeavouring to prolong their lives as long as they could floating upon tables and packs Fenise seised upon a square chest wherein was his equipage and so abandoned himselfe to divine mercie and to the misericord of the waves Heaven favourable to his vowes would not let him serve for food to the sea Monsters but had care to conduct him for after having felt all the evils that feare could cause about break of day he saw himselfe neare to shoare which yet he could not come to because the waves seemed to sport with him sometimes they made him almost to touch the land and then cast him much further off then he was before In the end having againe invoked divine assistance the necessity wherein he was taught him to make use of his armes in stead of oares he employed the last vigour of his courage and tooke port betwixt two Rocks kissing the ground and giving God thankes for the miracle he had done in delivering him and from this instant he accounted himselfe a second time borne into the world The sea grew calme and the day by little and little grew light and let him see the pittifull relicts of the Ship and the spoiles of his companions which floated upon the waters He looked about him of all sides to see if he could perceive the top of some Towre or Steeple of some Towne or Village that he might go thither to demand some sustenance but he saw nothing that could give him any hope of relief he had wherewithall to recompence those that should assist him for in this extreame misfortune he had resting a good summe of money which he had in gold about him and in his coffer but at this time it was unserviceable unto him After he had consulted what he ought to doe he left the sea shore sometimes turning back as well to lament his companions who were drown'd as for fear the sea should yet follow him to make him suffer the same shipwrack hee advanced into a field not knowing whither he went nor in what land he was he heard in approaching to a grove a man lamenting which spoke Spanish then joy glided into his heart thinking that he was arrived upon the coast of Spaine and coming neare him by little and little he heard him speake these words Oh great God! the onely recourse of afflicted soules hast thou resolved to abandon me amongst these barbarians for to finish here my daies without enjoying that dear consolation administred unto those who are born under the knowledge of thy Lawes and the true Religion Lord thy will be done if it bee thy pleasure I must resolve to suffer it Ending these last words he gave a great sigh and held his peace because he had perceived our unfortunate Cavalier Fenise who at first imagined himselfe to be in Spaine his owne country now learning the contrary by these words converted his joy into sadnesse presuming that he was upon the coast of Barbary he approached to him that complained and thus saluted him My friend if you finde alleadgement to your troubles in complaining to these trees do not leave to continue behold here another infortunate which may keep you company and helpe you to weep if you please since that it seems by your language that we are of the same country For me I am a Spaniard and native of Madrid Oh God answered the other who was a venerable old man a strange encounter And in embracing him with teares in his eyes what misfortune continued he or what divine power is it that hath conducted you hither Then Fenise asked him in what countrey hee was and then told him of his Shipwrack the most succinctly that hee could for he was so weak that he could scarcely speak After he prayed him to give him something to eat and presently Fredrikc so was this old man called prayed Fenise to expect him amongst the trees and went in diligence to fetch him bread and drinke made of Lemmons and Sugar wherewith Fenise refreshed himself Having thus taken acquaintance one of the other our Cavalier prayed Fredric to tell him by what accident he came there and was obliged to passe the rest of his life in that barbarous region as his complaints had let him understand The old man desiring to satisfie the curiositie of Fenise made him this discourse THE HISTORY OF FREDERICK The illustrious towne where the Court of Spaine is ordinarily kept is the place where I saw my first day as well as you if you be of Madrid as you say I am of noble linage yet I never saw my father he being taken from me by a dangerous sickness before I could have knowledge of him He left me his onely heire and under the conduct of a mother who neglected too much to keep in my youth to which my riches gave mee more libertie than was reasonable Amongst these liberties I made such debauches as I will not recount unto you having been so excessive that to compare that time with the life I lead now I have cause to esteeme my selfe happy although I am farre from it and besides it would augment your wearinesse by a troublesome attention In this age my heart begun to be warmed by love by the perfections of a Gentlewoman of a great family whose carriage was civility it selfe and whose beauty was the object which made all admire its author It Would be superfluous to tell you the arts inventions and subtilties I used to declare unto her my passion and the paines I tooke to finde a favourable occasion to perswade her to compassionate my torments you may imagine them in representing unto your self that she was the most recluse of her time You shall only know that whatsoever services or testimonies of fidelity I could render
Mistresse had other thoughts then his he begun to seeme melancholick he spoke but by monosyllables he neither eat nor slept but to the halfe part in fine to deliver himself from these inquietudes he pressed the conclusion of the Marriage but of the other side Teodore prayed her Father in his presence to deferre it yet excusing her selfe to be indisposed to that action and he full of respect or rather feare resolved to have patience and suffer In the interim to the end to make him the more sick it came into my fancie to give a serenade to my wife counterfeiting the amorous passionate and having advertised her at what houre I would be under her window she came to the window where she heard these verses recited O busie tedious law of reason How much art thou out of season When nothing can thy fury quell And whilst thy vaine seditious course That would would my strong passions force Makes me against my self rebell Thy Physick cannot me restore Farewell and trouble me no more That Beauty that claimes heaven by merit To which my undaunted Spirit An eternall Victim's made From her sweet as modest eye Le ts such Flames and Arrowes flye That 't were a crime but to evade Thy Physick cannot me restore Farewell and trouble me no more Though hopelesse I am a presumer Yet to adore her 't is my humour She 's too chast too faire not to take Faith to what end then serves thy Treason When I have never so much reason As when I love it for her sake Thy Physick cannot me restore Farewell and trouble me no more In such occasions the greatest part of discreet Lovers content themselves that the subject of their passion know that it is they that give the Musick and endeavour to hide the knowledge thereof from all others but I proceeded otherwise When the Consort was ended I approached to those that had sung and speaking high made my selfe to be named with design to be knowne from thence I went to salute Teodore and after having made her excuses that the Verse and Musick were not so good as she deserved and she had given me such thanks as civility obliged her to I retired my self testifying by my gestures and words that I was much in her favour This jolly troop that accompanied me were not so modest nor made so little noise before the house of Teodore but that they wakened my poore competitor or rather gave him subject to rise from his bed for I thinke his inquietudes would not suffer him to sleep He came then to heare this consort which was as odious to him as pleasant to others that heard it yet he spoke not one word thereof no more than of the words he had heard hee contented himselfe to confer with one of his servants whom he had made his confident who having more wit and understanding let him know that Teodore must needs be engaged in affection to him that gave her the Serenade that such carriages were to beâ— suspected and that the excuses she had made to her Father for to hinder the execution of their marriage testified sufficiently that she had other desires then his In fine he advised him to retire himself if he would save his honour Don Martin being perswaded by these reasons faigned to have received a Letter from his Father which called him home in diligence because he was very sick and taking leave of the father of Teodore promised him to returne as soon as he could possible Thus Teodore quit her self ingeniously of this displeasing pretendant we re-entered into the enjoying of our felicitie one may so call a marriage wherein the affections are conformable The invention was published and the ignorance of the Biscain Gentleman mocked But as there is no pleasure in this life which is not mingled with bitternes not long after his departure my Father in Law took also leave of us for to go into a better life Then pressed with desire to see again my countrey and my other sister which I had left at my house I came to this town accompanyed with my dear Teodore It is now but three daies since I arrived here and this night I have received a writing from Don Martin who incited by his Father and his Friends demands reason of me for the injury I have done him in taking from him his wife J prepared my selfe to meet him not with designe to doe him any displeasure but civilly to satisfie him when a man came as a friend to admonish me not to stirre out but well armed and with a good second because the Letter that I had received came not from Don Martin but from two of the Cosens of Don Pedro in his name who would set upon me to revenge their Kinsman whom they were told I had killed J was not so rash to despise this advertisement J furnished my self with what was requisite to resist mine enemy and accompanyed my selfe with Seigneur Marcell my Kinsman a generous man and to whom J am obliged We came together to the rendezvous which was neare to the place where J set upon you where J knew your valour and where J hurt my heart with a perpetuall sorrow in hurting you for reparation of which fault and to convert our indifferences into affection J consecrate to ease your troubles and misfortunes my house my person and all J possesse Fenise thanked him for his offers and thereupon they arrived in the towne of Valence and at the prayer of Leonard went to light at his house at the same instant a Chirurgeon was fetched who visited the wounds of Fenise to the which he applyed necessary plaisters judging that they were not dangerous but that they vvould be long in healing In effect tvvo moneths vvere spent in this cure during which time Fenise had in abundance all things that was necessary for him so that being obliged with so many benefits he discovered to him the very secrets of his heart and his adventures from the beginning untill the ravishment of Laure the onely thing which troubled him the most Leonard promised to assist him in all that he could possible assured him that he should have presently news thereof or the Ravishers should not bee in Valence These officious promises reanimated the courage and augmented the health of Fenise and as soon as he was able to goe abroad he privately enquired who he was from whom he had received so great an affront The End of the first Booke of FENISE THE SECOND BOOKE OF FENISE WHosoever will make comparison of the inquities of this Age with those of times past will easily see that the World hath alvvaies been vicious and our nature alwaies fragile vvhen I remember the words of Seneca Vertues are perished Fortitude Pietie and Modesty have left us and it is almost impossible for them to finde the way to returne againe unto us I imagine with my self that Fenise lived in the time of Seneca or that Seneca was present