noble Lord Zelauto taketh shypping into Persia. Astraepho séemeth to tell Zelauto of his bolde hâ—â—arding himselfe in such order Zelauto excuseth his boldnesse as well as he can They goe to supper Astraepho in the morning beginneth to talk with Zelauto desiring him to accept in good part his homely entertainment He showeth how he néedeth not to accept of coyne for because he hath Nobody to baâ—ter withal Money in Citieâ— causeth much mischéefe discencion among the commons discorde among fréendes such lyke iniuries Zelauto yéeldeth innumerable thanks for the great courtesies that he hath found béeing but in déede a straunger Astraepho desirous to heare the rest of his trauayles remeÌ„breth him of his former promise Zelauto his coÌ„ming to Zebaia in Persia to the house of one MaÌ„niko Rigustello who lodged ChristiaÌ„s The hostes of the house a Christian a Florentin The hostes and Zelauto conferreth together about his comming to that place and informeth him of the lawes orders of that City The hostes proffereth herself to be his fréend Zelauto giueth her great thankes for her courtesie She demandeth of what countrey he is wherfore his coÌ„ming is and whether hée minded to make his iourney Zelauto reposing a good beleéfe in his hostesse because shée was a christian openeth to her of whence he was how he had traueyled other countreyes and howe hée meant to traueile tyl his tyme were expyred She aunswereth him verie honestly ciuilly so it drewe at length to supper time The Hoste béeing at supper with Zelau knowing he was a Christian and had a good minde to the same him selfe entreth into talke with him The creation of maÌ„ Gene. 1. Manâ— made a gouernor The beastes to labour for him and to be his foode lykewise Man what a losse hee had MaÌ„ cast out of Paradise God yet would not leaue vs succorlesse but sent his Prophetes to preache to vs then his Christ to pay the rauÌ„some of our sinnes what greeuous tormeÌ„teâ— he did abyde for vs yet we do not seeke to amende our naughtie lyuing but dayly sinne more and more Zelauto telleth him what cruelty they vse to a poore meÌ„ber of Christes body when they take him Through waÌ„t of knowledge of God coÌ„meth this great tiraÌ„ny To knowe God is to do as we would be done vnto To knowe God to worship him only To know God to beleeue in his Christe To knowe God bringeth lyfe euerlasting The Hoste mooued in minde at the talke of Zelauto entreth into farder communicatioÌ„ with him The Hoste desireth to know how he might lykewise become a Christian. Zelauto glad to heare the Hosts good zeale yet desireth him to cease of that talke tyll some 〈◊〉 ther more conuenieÌ„nt tyme. The Hoste is wel conteÌ„ted with the reply of Zelauto falleth with him into other talke Zelauto telleth to the Hoste the cause why hée went thus in trauaile Mica Sheffola the Nephew of the Soldane came in â—erie sad and heauy The Hostes of the house taketh the Gentleman about the necke to comfort him Zelauto séeing the great sadnesse of the GentlemaÌ„ speaketh vnto him Zelauto séeketh by many and sundrie-examples to cause the GeÌ„tleman to leaue his great and sodayn sadnesse He applyeth his former allegatioÌ„s to the GeÌ„tleman He sheweth him howe his great lamenting dooth but bring all his sences out of quiet He courteouslie offreth him self to pleasure him by any means that lyeth in him to doo The GeÌ„tlemaÌ„ kisseth Zelautoes handâ— and then beginneth fréendly to talke with him The GeÌ„tleman openeth the cause of his sadnesse to Zelauto His syster for her christian beléefe appointed to death More of her fréends but for feare of suspition dare veÌ„ture to stand in her quarel Zelauto deuiseth what were best to be done in this doubtfull case Zelauto thinketh it a great shame for â—uer vnto him if he should not apply his paynes to set the Lady frée Summa virtutis Potestas est Mors non est foâ—midanda Zelauto replyeth to the demauÌ„d of the Gnetle man He giueth to Zelauto his hand to be a Christian and with him to taste of any troubles Zelauto desireth him in the morning to bring his armor and he wyll discharge his promise The Hoste rendreth thankes to Zelauto The Hoste speaketh to Mica Sheffola The Hostesse speaketh to Zelauto to Mica Sheffola The Hostesse her great good wyll to Zelauto Zelauto thanketh his Hoste and Hostes for theyr good opinion Mica Sheffola depâ—â—teth from Zelauto and goeth to the prisoÌ„ to his syster Zelauto coÌ„firmeth the Hoste in the Christian fayth Mica Sheffola returneth in the morning with the Armour for Zelauto He sheweth the great courage of his Syster to the death Mica Sheffola hearing the ioyful wordes of his Syster reioyced The words he spake to his Sister Zelauto after Mica Sheffola had ended his discourse sayth vnto him Zelauto so armed with so good a courage that hée doubteth not but to spéede well Terolfo the Soldanes son is he that must fyght against Zelauto Zelauto demaundeth at what tyme the Lady must suffer death The Hoste his wife coÌ„meth vp to Zelauto The order howe the Lady was lead vnto her death The departure of Mica Sheffola The comming of Zelauto to the place to fight for the Lady The woordes of Zelauto to the Soldane The Soldane aunswereth Zelauto Zelauto nowe setteth a good face on the matter not fearing the Soldane Zelauto his Oration Codrus yéelded him selfe to dye for the sauegard of his people Aglaurus by throwing himself from the walles of Athens redéemed his Countrey Iphigenia yéelded her selfe to be sacrificed The Soldane stroken into a great quan â—arie The Soldane replieth to Zelauto Zelauto talketh to the Lady bound to the stake The Lady replyeth to Zelauto Zelauto speaketh againe to the Lady Terolfo the Soldanes sonne speaketh to Zelauto Zelauto his replye Terolfo his reply Zelauto forgiueth Terolfo Terolfo forgiueth Zelauto Zelauto killeth Terolfo in fight The Ladyes and common people reioyce at the victorie of Zelauto The woordes of the Soldane to Zelauto Zelauto giueth his fare well to all the Ladyes and Gentlewomen Zelauto his Hoste were lead to prison Mica Sheffola awayted for Zelauto at the prison The Hoste apprehended must dye The Hostesse commeth to the prison to Zelauto Mica Sheffola returneth in the morning An notable deuise to helpe Zelauto out of prison The Hoste brought foâ—rth to death Oriana the Mistresse of the prisoÌ„ came vp to Zelauto Oriana telleth Zelauto how at night shée wyll coÌ„uey him ouer the garden wall Shée sheweth him the Monumentes of Brisaro de Saroto Shée commeth vp bydding him to prepare him selfe Zelauto goeth with Mica Sheffola away Zelauto departeth froÌ„ Mica Sheffola Astraepho giueth his censure on this passed tale and goeth to prouide dinner
shall and wyll be all contented to serue at your pleasure The Lady seeing the dutifull showe of submission in the Knight commeth to him saying WEll syr Knight in hope that your after seruice shall prooue so permanent as héere you haue auouched and that you euer hereafter in this péerelesse Princes cause wyll bothe lyue and dye I dare pronounce that you are pardoned and that your offence shall be no more remembred Caesar got him such a noble name through his great compassion and that made Cicero so much to commend him Licurgus when he had his eye put out by the neglygence of Alcander commaunded that his first offence should be forgiuen he would be more héedefull in the next Eusebius wounded to the death with a stone throwen from the hand of a Woman on his death bed forced his fréendes to sweare that they would not harme her for it I may lykewise alleage the woordes of Virgill to thée Forsan et hoc olim meminisse iuuabit and that the sentence of Euripides wyll byd thée beware Dulâ—e est meminisse malorum Nowe is thy first fault forgiuen in hope of amendment so that rather prayse shall be purchased by pardoning thine offence then that rigour should rule to exact on so penitent an offender Therefore behold when Iustice sayth strike Mercie by mildnesse dooth stay the swoord when a crime is coÌ„mited deseruing death Pitty dooth woork on the offenders behalfe Therefore whyle thou lyuest homage her whose mercifull minde wyll not reuenge with rygor for that Uertue hath caused her to pittie thine estate and thou and all that are her dutifull Subiectes say God saue our most vvoorthy Queene Therefore goe your way and fetche the rest of your trayne and so wyll I bring with me all my noble Ladyes and then will we goe together to procure some farther pastime After they had bothe brought theyr traynes they fell to a freshe Tournament and so ended this Deuise Zelauto Now syr haue I not wearied you with this long tedious discourse Tell me I pray you how lyke you of it Is it not woorthy to be caryed in remembraunce because it is such an excellent deuise Astraepho Credit me syr it is the proprest deuise that euer I heard of and if it shall please you to bestowe the same on me I wyll giue you as gallant a discourse to cary with you Zelauto Syr any thing I haue is at your commaundement and I would it were so déere a gyft as I could finde in heart to bestowe on you Astraepho I thanke you for your good wyll hartily But doo her noble Péeres and Lords that are about her often vse to recreate her person with such braue and straunge deuises Zelauto Syr those gallant youthes doo and haue bestowed aboundaunce in the pleasing of her Maiestie and are so well contented therwithall that surely it surpasseth any mans wit to giue them prayse according to theyr desert Astraepho But dyd you euer come in acquaintaunce with any of those noble Gentlemen Zelauto Yea Syr and am much bound to one of them in especiall who sure in magnanimitie of minde and valure of courage representeth in that famous Land a second Caesar to the view of all that know him And a lyttle before I departed out of that woorthy Countrey I wrote a few verses in the commendation of that vertuous Mayden Quéene and also I wrote a few other in prayse of that noble Lord to whome I am bound for his singuler bounty Astraepho I pray you Syr if those verses be not out of your remembraunce let me heare some part of them Zelauto That you shall wherfore marke what I wryt in the prayse of the English Quéene Zelauto heere telleth to Astraepho the verses that he wrote in the commendation of the Englishe Queene QVEL CHE MI. MOLESTAVA ACCENDO ET ARDO IF eyes may iudge and minde may full suppose the Vertues rare that I of late haue seene Then pen at large may perfectly disclose the seemely honour of a Virgin Queene VVhose perfect prayse deserues to be vnfolde And blasde abroade in trumpe of beaten Golde The Graces three attendant stand at beck Diana dooth her royall raygne support Vertue dooth stand all vice to countercheck and Modestie beares sway in all her Court Trueth rules aloft repelling darke debate Iustice dooth sway the swoord of her estate Prudence dooth stand on right side of this Queene and Temperaunce a Garland holdes before Then Fortitude standes ioyntly them betweene and Tryall he dooth garde her euermore Peace on the left syde Plentie on the other Thus seemely they adorne the Queene their mother Sobrietie dooth beare the flagge on hye Virginitie standes clothde in Vestall white Her trayne behinde borne by Humilitie Pittie lykewise waytes on this woorthy wight Thus euerie thing standes in so good a frame That farre and neere dooth spreade her golden Fame FINIS Astraepho Zelauto beléeue me I neuer heard in all my lyfe so many Uertues resident in a mortall creature But certaynly as I know your iudgement is excellent in such matters so I confesse agayne that had I not heard it of you I would not haue beléeued it But now Syr I pray you let me heare the verses which you wrote in commendation of that noble Gentleman whome you praysed so much lykewise Zelauto That you shall and I would I were able by pen to prayse or by paynes to requite his singuler great curtesie Heere Zelauto rehearseth the verses that he wrote in the prayse of a certayne Noble Lorde in the English Court. IF euer Caesar had such gallant Fame or Hanniball whose martiall lyfe we read Then in your Honour I esteeme the same as perfect proofe in vertue and in deede My pen vnable is your prayse to paynt VVith Vertues rare that dooth your minde acquaynt VVhat I haue found I neede not to expresse what you haue done I farre vnwoorthy was But Nature yet dooth cause me thinke no lesse but that with looue you dyd respect my case And such great looue dyd in your heart abound That straunge it is the freendship I haue found VVherfore for aye I Honour your estate and wishe to you to lyue Argantus lyfe And all your deedes may prooue so fortunate that neuer you doo taste one iot of stryfe But so to lyue as one free from annoy In health and wealth vnto your lasting ioy FINIS Astraepho Surely belyke Zelauto you haue found great fréendshippe at that noble Gentlemans handes But referring all other matters aside tell me what became of your CompanioÌ„ that went with you into England Zelauto Truly he was so farre in loue with the Countrey that I could not get him from thence when I departed And in déede so would I lykewise haue stayde if my Fathers commaundement had not bene such which caused me to hasten away because I would sée other Countryes Astraepho Then you dyd depart shortly after and left your Companion there Zelauto
to the death of the Lady as he was now sorrowfull for the yll successe of his sonne When I was come before him he sayd We confesse Syr Knight that you haue done the déede manfully and that you are woorthy a greater rewarde then héere you are lyke to gayne but yet since you haue â—ereaued my Sonne of life we must therefore deale the more hardly with you And as the rewarâ— you must haue for your victorie is death â— euen so we wyll you to take it patiently and not to sâ—riue least farder harme doo arise vnto you If you had saued the life of my sonne we could then haue permitted more pittie then nowe we can or if you had wouÌ„ded him yet that he might haue lyued your fréedome had béene soone â—bought where now all the ritches of India is not able to doo it Your selfe was not altogether ignoraunt before how that the redéeming 〈◊〉 life was the death of the partie whatsoeuer and we infourmed you that in such sort you might behaue your self as no man should molest you you haue now dealt so with vsâ— that 〈◊〉 fréendship may be found and beside your 〈…〉 vtterly condempne 〈◊〉 Yet wyll we somewhat vse you honestly in the matter you shall not presently féele the 〈◊〉 of your paine but for the space of fowre dayes lyfe shall be graunted you in which tyme dispose your selfe to dye for there is no other meanes caÌ„ be made for youâ— Thus doo we not deale with you as sharply as we might â— nor vse 〈◊〉 otherwise then the Lawâ— was appointed she hath her life let her goo where sâ—e please and 〈◊〉 your death which we are sorie 〈◊〉 yet can not it be 〈◊〉 When I had well aduised my selfe of this sharpe sentenceâ— and that no remedy there was but Lawe must procéede then looking on all sides and beholding the trickling heares of the modest Matrones the 〈◊〉 and Gentlewomen 〈…〉 for me the commmon people also vsing such pittifull 〈…〉 that it gréeued theÌ„ in fierly to heare such wofull 〈…〉 taking heart 〈…〉 and dreaâ—ing no myserie but trusted in my Christe assuredlie and thus I aunswered the Soldane 〈…〉 of the déede that 〈…〉 moues of these 〈…〉 as of sufficiencie 〈…〉 other I must néedes abide the death and there is no remedie then beholde me as wylling to the losse of my lyfe as I was dillygent to discharge the Ladyes distresse It is not my lyfe that I doo accoumpt of nor yet my death that wyll returne your aduauntage This Ladyes well fare is all my desire and my dying for her to cause you worke no more iniurie to her But since the death of your Sonne is the cause of your choller and that if he had lyued the better might haue beene my happe I trust you are not ignoraunt what belongeth to the Lawe of Armes and what passeth betwéene vs in sight ought to be pardoned I was as vnsure of my lyfe as he and I was as hopefull of victorie as he If then bothe parties doo their dillygence as beséemeth them what harme eyther of them sustayne is not to be accoumpted of Therfore if for his death you deale with me extremely I must néedes say you vse extremitie and no Lawe or Iustice. And for the fowre dayes of respyte you haue graunted I am to thaÌ„ke you for that it is more of your clemencie then of my simple deseruing yet in the meane tyme I accoumpt my selfe but a dead man for that your doome is passed albeit Lawe is to execute Wherefore you noble Ladyes you verteous Damoselles and you déere Lady in whose defence my death is obtayned from my heart I bid you all farewell wishing as wel to your swéete selues as to mine owne poore heart and if my tyme had not béene cut of so soone as nowe it is you should haue séene that which now I am not able to vnfolde In your causes I lyue and dye and for your sakes I haue thus much attempted therefore to you all I byd farewell And to you all in generall whose wylles I sée should not want to woorke my well fare I would my abilytie were as sufficient to pleasure you as I would be wylling with my paynes to profite you Then the Soldane and all his trayne departed and I was conducted with a dozen Officers with their Halberds to my lodging where when I was vnarmed bothe mine Hoste and I were lead to the prison such a multitude of people following vs and such good report euerie one gaue me that credite me I went as wylling to the prison as to my lodging At the prison gate I saw Mica Sheffola the Ladyes Brother for whome I aduentured awayting my comming who had prouided for me the best and pleasauntest Chamber in the prison and got me the lybertie of the Garden to walke at my pleasure and at last rounded me in the eare saying Good Syr feare no daunger for God and I will hence delyuer you but I am sorie for your Hoste because he is already apprehended vnto the Soldane and his Maiestie tolde vnto me euen now when I departed from him that to morrowe he shall be executed before the prison I dare tarie no longer for feare of béeing suspected I haue prouided all thinges for you héere to morrowe I will come againe about the howre he must dye Alas me thought these were farre wursser newes then the other I could not speake to mine Hoste because he was haled and pulled in so violently and layde in a déepe dungeon by himself and clogged with so many Irons as he could possibly beare Well in the after noone my Hostesse Dania came to speake with her Husbande but could not then came shée vp to me informing me of all that Mica Sheffola had tolde me I demaunded of her how he was knowen She aunswered that for the woordes hée vsed in my cause other suspicious talke Well quoth I you were not best to tarie héere long least you be suspected likewise No Syr quoth shée I wyll byd you fare well tyll to morrowe and then shall you sée my poore Husband miserably martyred In the morning returned Mica Sheffola bringing me a great deale of Golde to spende in the prison and demaunded of me how I was vsed in the prison I aunswered very well I thanked him for his sake I wanted nothing Then he desyred the Iaylor to let me into a Chamber towarde the stréete that I might sée mine Hoste put to death the which I thanke him he dyd Then quoth he vnto me without the Cittie I haue prouided for you â— lustie Gâ—urser and Armour to defende you with all soone at mydnight at the dead tyme of the nyght shall you be let into the Garden and there clymbe ouer to me and I will receyue you for I haue gotten the keyes of the Soldanes Treasurie and soone at mydnight will I steale from thence so much as shall serue you in your