taken the advantage of the Pine to shrowd his weary body from the injury of Apollos heat but they entring in the midst of the thicket to draw as near him as they might hear the sound of his instrument rebound against the bushes wherof they were passing glad hoping that he would bewray his thoughts to the dumb trees and sencelesse bushes They therefore listening heard him sing in this manner Floribusnt plenum ver sic mea vita periclis Piscibus ut que fretum sic ego mille malis Adversis cumnâ—or cumulat ut hortus arenis Gaudia me fugiunt sorte petitque dolor My mind is void of mirth no joy my humor doth possesse No pastime doth avail nor sport my grief for to redresse No muse may move no song delight no no nor pleasure please No tune can touch no fancy like no toy can work my case No game no play no dance no shew no company at all No exercise no use of bow nor yet of boul or ball Ne Bacchus cups ne Ceres chear ne Venus looks unsure From wo to wantonnesse can now my pensive thoughts allure Care care doth waste my years though young and vex my youthful age And therefore since no worldly thing my dolour can asswage I am content because compeld where others laugh to weep At night a thousand thoughts resolve where others take their sleep After he had ended this Sonnet Perina his youngest sister séeing that he arose to depart thence whistled and so staied him For he marvelled who it should be but at length espied both his sisters coming towards him which wonderfully astonished him because they had never done the like before and curteously greeting them asked what the cause was of their coming thither Euphilia answered your self brother Perierio For though we have great regard of our own welfare quoth Perina yet we do not regard our selves onely but are as carefull of your fortune as of our own And therefore we quoth Euphilia marking and perceiving by your solitary walks that you were troubled with some grief or other and that some misfortune had happened unto you we were as sorry as if it had béen our own case This brother Perierio is the cause of our coming to see if we might come in knowledge of the evill which tormenteth your youth that it being known unto us might by our diligence and industry be remedied and amended Therefore brother conceal it not from us whatsoever it be and you shall find in us more then sister-like readinesse if more may be Ah loving sisters quoth Perierio I cannot enough thank you both for the love you bear me and in truth the onely cause that I have smothered my pain with silence not detecting it unto any of you hath been for that I was loath that you should be grieved for my sake and I wished nothing so much as that al the discontent and anguish of my evil should redound to no bodies grief but mine own And therefore sweet sisters if you love your selves and me also wish not to be acquainted with my sore least you suffer part of the pain But content your selves and look to the tranquility of your own hearts not tormenting your selves in my behalf But you be deceived herein brother Perierio quoth Euphilia For in thinking to free us from grief by concealing your evil you do amisse Know you not that they which are carefull of any mans welfare and so tenderly love him that they think themselves hurt if any ill light on him are continually compassed with fear if he be grieved thinking the cause thereof oftentimes to be far greater or worse then it is Quando ego non in tui graviora pericula veris And therefore brother you afflict our hearts with divers torments in concealing your evill from us whereas we can but feel one pain if we knew it For now the torment of suspition in suspecting divers things doth assail us of one side fearing sometimes one mischief sometimes another every one whereof woundeth our hearts with passing sorrow And fear maketh the assault of the other side causing us to imagine that the matter is far worse then it is Lastly hope troubleth us as much as suspicion or fear For though it be a motion of the mind of future luck or good to come and not of evill yet is it but a perturbation of the mind troubling and vexing it continually and he that hopeth enjoyeth not his hearts ease nor quietnesse of mind Why then sister quoth Perierio to rid you of all suspicion fear and hope know that I love and suspect no worse nor hope any better and ask we no more for I should not be able to answer you if you should be too inquisitive The reason is because I know not whom I love nor where she is whom I love And is it love quoth Perina that troubleth you Why then left you not this verse out of the Sonnet which you sung to the Cytharen but even now Ne Bacchus cups ne Ceres chear ne Venus looks unsure From wo to wantonnesse can now my pensive thoughts allure Well remembred sister Perina quoth Euphilia for if he be in love he must needs offer sacrifice to Venus and what but the unsure looks of Venus hath caused him to give over all pasture and mirth and live in passionate grief And yet he saith That Venus looks unsure could no way him allure How then can you love Perierio if you be not allured by be â—â—ty Very well sister quoth Perierio For though Venus be accounted the Goddesse of love in being mother to Cupid yet doth she comand no further then beauty stretcheth which is not the onely object that moveth men to love What think you not that vertue nobility excellency or wealth may move us to love Then you must confesse that I may love and yet not allured by Venus colours Neverthelesse know that beauty is the onely cause and motive of my love and yet do I not think that the verse which my sister Perina so well remembred was unfitly inserted among the other verses of my Sonnet For séeing that I loved and yet was bereft of all hope ever to injoy her whom I loved because I neither knew what she was nor where she was as I have already told you by reason whereof I wished no greater pleasure then grief nor better companion then wo and therefore might very well say that the unsure looks of Venus should not provoke my pensive thoughts from we to wantonnesse meaning not by Venus looks sincere and true love but wanton and voluptuous love CHAP. VII How Maffeo arrived at the place where Perierio and his sisters were how he was enamoured on the Lady Eleonora and departed with her into Spain AS Perina thought to reply she was interpelled by a certain Knight that came galloping towards the place where she Perierio and Euphilia sate being sorely wounded in divers places of his body his sword being drawn and holding a scarf
question Now I am to request you to give me leave to follow on my journey for until I find Eleonora I cannot rest And so Maffeo thanking them for their courteous entertainment took his leave and departed Now therefore leaving him to séek Eleonora we will proceed in rehearsing the successe of Perierio his strange love CHAP. IX How Perierio resolved to travel in search of the Lady on whom he was enamoured and how he obtained leave of his father under pretence of becomming a Scholler PErierio being intreated by his sisters to tell them whom he loved though he could not name her for that he knew her not yet he let them know as much as he could tell and declared the whole matter unto them how he met with that Lady by chance how that she asked him his name and country and how therewith she conveyed her self out of sight on the sudden Euphilia and Perina were very sorry that their brothers love was of such a kind that it might not be remedied but by giving over love For it was altogether casual and accidentary neither might they hope that ever he might enjoy his love for that there was nothing lesse like yea it séemed rather impossible For they considered first that he had never séen the Lady before that time nor after by reason whereof though he chanced to sée her perchance should not know her Secondly they marked that he knew not her name her parents or Country to enquire after her so that the nearest place he knew where he might find her was the world and the properest individium to denominate her was a certain woman And lastly they perpended that she sought for some other Knight who had her heart in hold and therefore a very hard matter though Perierio should find her to obtain her love All this considered and weighed they sought to root love out of Perierio his brest which Cupid had so pierced with his dart that all the perswasions of the world could not serve to extinguish the fire which was kindled in his heart and increased more and more dayly In so much that the fire being enflamed and beginning to torment him with insupportable pain he determined to commit himself and his case to Fortune hoping that as the cause of his grief was accidentary so the effect might by chance be redressed and remedied Perierio thus resolved asked and obtained leave though with much adde of his aged father to travel into far countries to sée and learn such things as a young Gentleman ought to know alledging that there was nothing more peremptory to youth then to passe over those years which are apt to comprehend and learn in foul obscurity of ignorance In so much that a young man that will live in credit and reputation ought to travel into strange countries to be acquainted with forreign manners and governments to learn tongues to haunt Vniversities and insinuate himself into the company of learned men All this Father quoth Perierio is necessary for them that will have their lives famous and death honourable Old Camillo replied with Horace Coelum non animum mutant qui trans mane currunt Men change not their manners but the aire that run from country to country Perierio And therefore I am not of their opinion that believe that men by far travelling from home can attain to wisdome and humane prudence For I think that that is not gotten by running into far Countries or by living in exile farre from home but rather by communication and conversation of wise men Yet Perierio séeing that here in this multitude of shepheards little wisdome is to be learned or little profit to experience and prudence to be reaped I and content that thou go to the Vniversity of Salamanca which is within this kingdom and there to repeat such rudiments as thou hast begun at Rome that thou mayst afterward be apt to greater studies and to exorn and beautifie thy mind with the brightness of the liberal Sciences which are the lights of humane understanding Lastly also to fense thy mind with wise and sage precepts of Phylosophy that after thou hast attained to the knowledge of natural things thou maist use moral Philosophy to moderate thy affections and to follow that which thou knowest to be honourable and profitable shunning the contrary Then art thou fully armed to passe forward to travel into other countries to be acquainted with strange customes or to learn diverse tongues otherwise what profiteth it to have coursed through sundry and strange regions and to have séen many kingdomes and manners of divers Nations if he that travelleth wanteth the ripeness of wit and judgement to reap profit by his being abroad Therefore Perierio think not that I disallow of travelling but would have them that take that course not to have their stomacks empty but first guard themselves with the knowledge of Philosophy and humanity and furnish themselves with provision necessary to such journeying For I remember that Homer and Virgil to describe and form an heroical man adorned with all vertues fained that Ulysses and Aeneas had travelled through all the world and not thinking this sufficient they fained that they descended into hell and went into the Elizian Fields and knew those that were in them Perierio hearing his father alledge such points as made for his purpose was excéeding glad at length obtained his Fathers good will to leave the countrey and rustick company of Shepheards to haunt the comely and seemly conversation of Schollers though his mind was more moved to his Lady then to the Vniversity whither old Camilla determined to send him And although Euphilia and Perina knew the colour wherwith he painted the occasion of his travelling yet they reserved the whole sorrow to themselves without declaring it to their father fearing lest he should be discouraged and discomforted thereby that he might hinder his health and for grief fall into sickness considering that old age is so subject to diseases that the least cause in the world of discontent is sufficient to subvert the estate of health in an aged person CHAP. X. How Perierio in his journey met with the fair Shepherdess Ismenia with whom he departed towards the Temple of Diana PErierio lifted up with the wings of hope in a manner doubted not but his fortune would be more favourable then she had been taking his leave of his father and his sisters he betook himself to his journy intending to go to the Vniversity of Salamanea as his father wished but in such order that he would take the néerest way about to sée if Fortune would once again favour him with that sight which made such an impression in his heart that neither continuance of time nor contrariety of thought was able to rase out the print thereof Thus Perierio having travelled six dayes through Woods dales bushes gréens medows hills valies and other solitary place and yet had not met with that which he sought nor séen any likelihood
highest for so I would grant my reason were but fondly grounded neither do I say that the Lilly deserves the head praise among all flowers because it grows not confusedly but in decent and comely order for there are many flowers that growing disorderly in swéetness of scent surpass divers well ranked flowers and lastly I say not that the Lilly is the excellentest flower because it is so swéet a flower but thus I form my reason That stately stateliness white whiteness gallant gallantness and swéet swéetness all these predominant qualities méeting together in the bravo Lilly make her worthy to be honored as the fairest finest and bravest flower that Nature hath framed By this the Countess Verina being come to her lodging Mistress Aureola was to retire from the garden to her sister and so I was forced to leave her having missed of my purpose and no time to break my mind to her in plain words although amidst our dispute concerning the excellency of flowers I used such passionate looks that she might well perceive whereto my discourse tended but howsoever she thought of it I know not but our parting was so amiable that after I had lost the sight of her I felt that I parted from her without parting For my body might well be contained in some other place than hers but my mind followed her wheresoever she went as trustily as her own shadow CHAP. XXXII How Philorenus the younger was enamoured on Aureola concealing it from his brother and how his brother came to the knowledge thereof IN the mean time excellent Princes and worthy thy shepheards you may note that my brother loved her I mean my golden Aureola as intirely as I my self his love being unknown to me For though he knew that I loved her yet was I not as yet acquainted with the love that he bore Aureola And in truth because he knew she was the onely air by which I lived rather then he would do any thing to procure my disquiet resolved himself to die for love of Aureola rather then he should opportunate Aureola to love him and to deprive me of that without which I could not live Insomuch that although he so loved her that for her he would willingly have yeelded to death and resigned his life yet he no way to offend me did not onely conceal his love from Aureola but also occasion being offered him to talk with her did spend all that time in commendation of me protesting unto her that I was so faithfull constant and loyal that if she would dain to reward my love with love and if she did love me she would have cause to glory of her hap in fancying him and placing her love on him who would prove the faithfullest Amant that was in Italy Besides this he made divers verses in praise of her and together with sundry brave and precious jewels presented them vnto her saying that I had sent them whereas in truth I knew not any thing of them Insomuch that more by his industry then mine own diligence though I neglected no dutifull service required in that case at length I obtained the love of mine Aureola For she loved me so affectionately that I might judge her love to be of as great force as mine though indeed it was of such nature that it was divided between us both I mean my brother and me for we being so like one to other that we seemed to be but one we could not shun reciprocation in love but whosoever loved me could not but love him and whosoever loved him could not but love me And although I had certainly known that Aureola loved my brother equally with me as well as I did but guesse that it was so yet had I been nothing sorrie but rather rejoyced greatly that I had obtained so fair a Lady to be both my love and my brothers friend For in verity such was my affection towards him that I could not wish any thing to my self wholly without wishing part of it unto my brother being most ready always willingly to part from any thing which I knew he wished and with a good heart to cease and leave from desiring or wishing any such thing whatsoever he had a mind unto But my brother marking that Aureola could not tell which of us two she loved best or which of us was most worthy of her love and thereby equally loved us both was very sorry fearing least I might be grieved that I did not my self onely enjoy all the love of Aureola And therefore he began to exhort me to séek means to be joined unto her in marriage thinking that so shee should bee forced to withdraw her love from him and wholly be addicted to me being her wedded husband To effect which matter she continually urged Aureola to make promise of marriage unto me very forcibly perswading her thereto and telling her that I who thought my life no life but in respect of hers should never be able to live perfectly untill such time that I being united and tied unto her in the knot of wedlock might enjoy her as my wife untill which thing were brought to passe I should live a most lamentable life full of dolefull discontent Furthermore he promised her that if she would vouchsafe to condiscend to my honest desire and his earnest request he would move the King and Quéene to deale with her sister the Countesse and her other friends about the contracting this marriage and obtain their good will and consent thereto Aureola although she was very unwilling to do so yet because he should not think that she would not grant my request for that she equally loved him with me séemed to grant our request and to be willing to have the marriage contrived betwéen her and my self Yet she would not have any mention made of it unto any of the Court till thrée moneths were ended for certain respects which moved her to conceal the matter so long Which were none other as afterwards we knew by experience but such as proceeded from her own unwillingness to be tyed to me and so to be deprived of the love of my brother For it afterwards was manifested she so loved us both that she wished in her heart that she might have béen married to us both thinking that she should not perfectly have enjoyed one of us if any other woman had been married to the other judging that we were both but one and ought not to be separated And therefore above all things did she desire that she were beloved of us both séeing we were both engraved in her heart that she might not think of the one without remembring the other But my brother thinking that Aureola had a bonnefoy purposed after the time of three moneths expired to marry with me made me glad with the news which he brought me of her mind although himself therewith was utterly spoiled of his felicity and welfare which I came to know by this means It happened even
himself suffered And after we had there walked an half hour or thereabout we returned both of us together to the Court. And as we passed by the Countesse Verina's Garden he espied the Countesse walking all alone whereupon he began to urge me in any case not to let that occasion slip but that I should go unto her and make her acquainted with the love and affection betwéen me and her sister Aureola and that he would go with me to bear me company and to perswade the Countess to consent to the contracting of a marriage betwéen me and Aureola He said furthermore considering the thrée moneths which Aureola appointed to have the matter during that time concealed were expired he had the day before spoken with the King concerning this matter and that his Majesty had promised him to be wholly ours in this point as he had ever before béen in many other and besides told him some things which he should make relation of to the Countesse concerning this match And to tell the truth he grew so importunate to have me go to the Countesse in all hast that I knew not how to shift off this readinesse But because I had purposed to bring that to passe which I will by and by shew unto you I found this excuse to delay our conference with the Countesse that mistresse Aureola for certain causes had urged me to promise her that I would not speak unto her sister concerning any thing touching her before I forewarned her or let her know both that I would do it and the time when I would do it Which promise quoth I being passed I may not break it Whereupon he well contented séemed to take my excuse so well that he rather liked of my unwillingnesse to go to the Countesse then persevered to perswade me thereunto So that we went both to my lodging where we began to read certain chronicles of the ancient estate of Italy things done in times past in the Kingdome of Naples to drive away the rest of the time till dinner were ready that we might have some ancient history or other to delight the King and the Queen withall while they dined For they took such delight in hearing their predecessours déeds and sayings that we could not have done them a greater pleasure then to rehearse either some pretty saying or some other worthy act of such Kings or Quéens as had before them swayed the scepter of Naples But not to be that which I am loath to be I mean tedious unto you noble Princes and shepheards I will hasten to that which I even now promised to let you know concerning that which I had certainly of rips counsell in my heart concluded to do after I knew by my brothers passions that he himself loved Aureola and yet continually furthered my desire to his uttermost part For indeed I was fully resolved to leave Aureola unto him and my self to the hazard of fortune and being so resolved I performed no lesse CHAP. XXXIII How Philorenus the elder secretly left the Court of Naples and how his brother and Aureola went to seek him severally THe next morning I departed very secretly from the Court for Cinqueni thinking to inquire whether I might hear any thing of my father and to be certainly informed whether he were slain among the other unhappy inhabitants or by hap fled and so avoided the furious slaughter which many suffered But before I departed on the cover-lid of a looking-glasse that was in my brothers chamber window I wrote him this farewell I Philo * to * Renus THou which to deck by workman formed art Serve to unfold the cause which made me go And without leave my brother leave and part From Court wherein my onely joy doth grow Love bad me to enjoy my love and stay And love commanded me to go away self-Self-love would have me stay and means procure Loading my self with grief my self to ease considering therefore well the matter sure self-Self-love doth bid me go my self to please For who else is my brother but my self And tendring him right tender I my self Then know my self the cause which made me part Was love which warned me from love to cease For of two loves my heart felt double smart One love gave place that the other might increase Injoy thine Aureola for I am gone And therefore gone that she should be thine own After my brother had missed me marvelling where I should be so long he went to his chamber to drive away the time and to deceive the tedious hours with some kind of reading exercise thinking that I had been somewhere abroad in the fields in my solitary haunt and that I would ere long return to the Court. And leaning on his window he chanced to spie something written on the cover-lid of his looking glasse which he might ealsiy do by reason that I had written with red ink the lid being of white ivory And so taking it in his hand he read the verses which I had left there to yeeld a reason for my sudden departure But he being ravished into admiration and by admiration led into astonishment fell in an extasie Which extasie he being by himself alone and therefore deprived of help in such a case required had almost brought him to his last home Yet after he had a long time lain in a trance he came at last to himself again and then began to curse and rail at fortune for dealing so partially with him in revealing that unto me the revealing of which onely could make him miserable Insomuch that now he knew that which before he not once mistrusted to wit that I the other morning had in the wood heard him lament his ill fortune whereby I knew that which I also never dreamed of concerning his loving of Aureola But so grievously did he take my absence that all his body received the disposition that is caused by a disquiet soul and his face became the very subject of sorrow his countenance being mournfull and his eys being grown to be the very seats of tears Insomuch that whereas no man as yet could suspect or dream that I should be so gone as I was yet seeing him so wofully fashioned straightways judged that he could not be so altered but upon such a cause and whereas they should have known that he was so distempered by reason of my so being gone they contrarily knew of my being gone by reason that he was so distempered To be short he was so tortured by the Butchers of Greece that he was almost deprived of his wits and the use of his understanding and the rather because he was brought in doubtfull resolution whether he should leave Aureola and follow me or leave me and comfort Aureola lest ranging after me through unknown places he should both lose me and himself also He therefore being drawen now to this conclusion now to that hung in the air hovering between heaven and earth not knowing whether he were best by slight
with a pain the like never heard of before The dart penetrated into the very inmost part of my heart and forced me to yéeld to love Séeing then I love and am inroled in the scrowl of those that follow thy bands as a true and valerous Captain lead me to the knowledge of that which I love For I doubt nut but that thou which hast had the puissance to make me love and that so strangely art likewise able to make me know whom I love Thus Perierio after that he had with many sighs and tears bewailed the losse of his former fréedome began at length to consider that the accustomed hour of his returning to dinner was past and therfore least his father should marvell at his long absence and by reason thereof fall into suspition least some mischance had befallen him for old men are always carefull of their children and as often as they be out of sight so often do they déem them to be lost he more like a shadow then a man crossed the nearest way homewards Where he found his aged father sléeping for the heavinesse he was in by reason of Perierios absence rocked him a sleep but as soon as he heard Perierio he awaked and then they fell closely to their chear though Perierios mind ran more on his unknown mistresse then his present meat Whilest that these two were at dinner Euphilia and Perina to shunne the extream heat of Phoebus mounted in his Meridian pride went with their sheep towards the Wood side to take the advantage of the high trees which yeelded a most pleasant shadow Where they sitting together began to take their Oaten Pipes and sing Euphilia began in this manner Whilest Thaetons sage fire his scorching beams On th' earth doth cast and move the sacred crue Of Nymphs most chaste to seek the silver streams Therein to bath their hands of Christall hue My Pipe shall move the air with her sound To send down drops and wet the scorched ground Perina Whilest bright Apollo in his highest seat With fiery lines doth burn the tender grasse My notes shall pierce the skies and Iove intreat To bid the winds represse their furious blasts That sweetly breathing on us in the field The glittering leaves a pleasant noise may yeeld Euphilia The chirping birds now do moiest the air And to the clouds complain of summers heat The hunter ceaseth to pursue the hare And fowls do leave their prey for fainting sweat Now therefore shall my voice the skies ascend To move the Gods this harmfull heat to mend Perina Now do the simple sheep to shadow flie The Traveller by Cinthia's light is lead To shun the rays which sparkling down the skie Proceed from fiery Phoebus golden head My Pipe shall therefore to the clouds complain Resolving them in showers of wished rain What an excellent matter is it said Euphilia sister Perina that we here leading this Country life and being separated from the noise and tempestuous uproars and broyls which commonly are raised in the proud Courts of Princes should injoy such extream pleasure as we do in these pleasant groves sometimes being in the shadow sometimes sitting on the banks of the delectable River and sometimes walking in the dark groves where we both fence our faces from Phoebus injury and delight our ears with the naturall Musick of the singing birds I promise you truly quoth Perina I am of opinion that the noise which the wind maketh among the trées doth delight and recreate the hearts of men more then the fond noise of some people when there is a great assembly For there the greatest pleasure is meer grief proud Majesty and highnesse nothing else but vanity feasts and games nothing but troubles and tempests honour and renown nothing but blind errours and most commonly we find that among them that delight in that kind of life words and thoughts are different the tongue pronouncing otherwise then the heart meaneth But here said Euphilia ambition layeth not her bait neither hath avarice or covetousnesse any place here The people doth not here aspire to honours nor sue for dignities but men live free from passions and perturbations in al virtue and simplicity Here reigneth little or no malice but all things are ruled by justice Neither doth the simple shepheard quoth Perina séek out new parts of the world nor adventure into strange Countries committing himself neither to the cruell furious winds nor unmercifull waves to enlarge his treasure or augment his riches And yet he liveth as contentedly with that little which he hath as he that doth abound in rich possessions and great revenues CHAP. III. How Marcelio came to the house of Camillo and of the strange advenutres that befell him in his love ro Alcida AS Euphilia and her sister were thus discoursing they séemed to hear the voice of some distressed person and Euphilia arising espied a shepheard resting his back against the trunk of a trée but she hoping to gather the sum of his grief by the sense of his complaint steeped immediately applying her ear to the shepheards words which were not unlike to these Ah love thou canst not invent any worse torment then I feel nor thou fortune canst be more variable and inconstant then thou art unto me And it is impossible to find a heart so bereft of all hope and yet so content in suffering pain as mine whereof love is the onely cause which upholdeth my languishing breath to the end that I may indure the grief which continually vexeth me But when shall my tears and life take end when shall my torment cease when shall my sighs bring forth my heart with them And therewith he took his way straight towards the place where Euphilia and Perina sate Whither he arrived so sorrowfull so weary and so grieved that it seemed that fortune pittying his case had purposely sent him to that place to comfort him and asswage his dolours nâ—t onely vp means of the clear water which did spring out of the founâ— in whither the shepheards accustomed to lead their sheep to drink but also by reason of the pleasantnesse of the place the shadow of the trees and exceeding beauty of these two noble shepheards In so much that all these things caused him to think that he had received some solace though the importance of that which he sought and the desire he had to find the same gave him no leisure to rest in that place Yet was he being a stranger so curtuously entertained by the two sisters that he deemed himself not a little happy to have lighted on such company Wherefore he being intreated by them to go with them to their lodging to eat something and to refresh himself with such dainties as their country manner afforded could not but grant their request and so followed them unto their fathers house Where he was received of aged Camillo and his son not as a stranger but as one that had been of their near kindred and affinity
desiring her not to deny her friendly aide and holy herein So that to be short Bergama for that was this other Shepheards name promised her neece that what she could do she would be ready to performe Whereupon she told her what she would have her to do instructing her in all points concerning the same Which tended to no other end then to work our woe and by expelling us by their treachery out of those quarters to enjoy the love of Petulca Insomuch that these two Neeces having agreed and concluded upon the premises thus began Bergama to play her part But you must note that when Petulca the amorons shepheard used to come to our field his way lay hy the place where Bergama kept her sheep So that she espying him on a certain morning betimes marching over her ground to come to pass the time with us in merry chat according to his maner she stepped unto him and knowing with what kind of talk she might stay his journey she cunningly held him prattle until such time as she espied that I was alone For commonly my sister Sybil alias Periander towards noone used to go to our lodging not so well able to suffer the heat of midday as I. Bergama therefore espying me alone called me unto her and asked me where my sister was as if she had not known it when I had answered that she was gone home why then quoth she séeing thou art alone I pray kéep company with me a little and this shepheard who although he had rather be in company with Sybil yet for that maugre his will he must this noone be my guest will not be displeased with your presence sith he loveth yâ—u the better for your sisters sake With that she did lead us both into a delectable Arbor whence I might sée my sheep as well as if I had been in mine owne field and therefore was the sooner intreated to stay with her In the midst of this Arbour was a table of Marble stone on which she laid a fair napkin and set before us such chear as was most wished for in the Countrey at that time of the year praying us to sit downe and take such fare as she had in good part sith she envited us not for the excellency of her delicates but for good will and pleasure of our company So she placed the shepheard Petulca and me together on one side of the Table and she her self sate on the other While we were thus merrily banqueting and talking together thinking or dreaming of no harme Malorena by whose counsaile and instinct all this was practised having notice of our being together by means of a little wench sent under by Bergama her neece in post-haste went to our Cottage and entring into the house spake unto Periander in this manner Fair Sybil I doubt not but you have heard of the love and affection which I have borne towards the shepheard Petulca and that therefore I seemed to be displeased with you because he so dearly loved you and for your sake despised and disdained me But now seeing I know the contrary and being enformed of one of his speciall friends how the matter standeth I perceive that I have greater occasion to be angry with your sister then with you and therefore I thought good to come unto you and to crave pardon of you for that I was offended with you without câ—use In respect whereof for acquittance I will now shew you as great friendship as before I wished you evill You shall therefore understand that your sister Brisilla doth most unnaturally deal with you in loving Petulca whereas she seemeth not to esteem of him and Petulca himselfe doth most shamefully abuse your courtesie in that you give such trust and credit to his feined speeches and dissembling perswasions For he therewith bringeth you in a fooles paradice causing you to beleeve that you are the saint whom he honoureth whereas he like a treacherous caitiffe loveth your sister Brisil so affectionately that he never espieth her out of your company but he hieth unto his Lady passing the time with passionate spéeches swearing each other love and loyalty and therewith conspiring together how they may best deceive you and feed you with this false opinion that Petulca loveth you because you should not perceive that he and your sister could play concord in your absence though they were alwayes at discord in your presence And for because you shall finde my words to be true and acknowledge me to be your perfect friend whom you suspected to be your foe as in truth for a time I could not well disgest you I will lead you in a place where you shall see your unnaturall sister and dissembling sutor banquetting together You know my néece Bergama very well I doubt not which is as shrewd a wench as any in the world if you knew her qualities And I think also that you perceive what great acquaintance there is between her and your sister This Bergama my cunning Néece hath granted them her house for their secret meeting place where Petulca after he hath been with you and sometimes without comming unto you stayeth till he come home and then is sure to enjoy the company of his loving Brisil For as soon as you are gone from her thither she trippeth And if you will follow my counsaile and go with me you shall see how lovingly she at this present sitteth on Petulca's side and maketh good chear with him in Bergama's Arbor I would have you to go with me because if we go to your field we are like to misse of our purpose the reason is for that my shrewd Neece Bergamas standeth on her hold and watcheth for your comming and as soon as she can espy you the convert breaketh up the Shepheard marcheth on forward and your sister returneth to her sheep But where I will lead you we shall not be seen and yet see all And then take Malorena to be your friend when your owne eyes shall force you to confesse the same Periander giving faith to this Syrens sweet Song went with her and according to her saying saw us together though we poor souls most innocent and thought of no such supposed villany Yet Fortune to marre our matter the more and to give the greater colour to Malorena's tale would have it so that while Periander stood with that traitress and looked upon us the shepheard Petulca being of custom merry and pleasant smacked his lips on my cheek as I sat by him which I knowing his humour that he did it of wantonness and not of love made not strange of it seemed not to take it in ill part sith the shepheard meant no evil by it But alas loving shepheards Periander took it so heavily and so ingraved both that which he had heard of Malorena and seen with his own eyes in the ground of his tender heart that now I am compelled to detest that traitres Malorena to hate that deceitful Pergama
and to curse Fortune yet at this hour For when Periander had séen us in the Arbor he returned home presently and thanking Malorena that she had so faithfully bewrayed our treachery unto him desired her to return home with him where he wrote a Letter unto me and sealing it up gave it to Malorena and not doubting of her fidelity prayed her to deliver it unto me which he promised to do and departed from Periander who incontinently went his way I know not whither for since that time that he went home and I was called by Bergama I never saw him nor heard of him nor could know what is become of him The traitress séeing how cunningly she had deluded her neighbour unripped the seales of the Letter thinking she might be her secretary séeing she had done her so good a turn but by chance looking on the subscription before she had read the contents and seeing Periander written instead of Sybilla was strucken in a maze on the sudden not knowing what it meant but to be the better enformed she read the Letter which was thus penned To Brisil health and pleasure BRisil to the end that thou maist enjoy thy Petulca at thy will and pleasure without any hindrance I have left thee and my self meanes to live solitary in some wilderness seeing the society wherein I onely delighted is taken from me Love Petulca and love him so that thou hate me if thou wilt for I cannot but love love thee and so love thee that for fear lest I be troublesome unto thee I have separated my self from thee wishing thee all the pleasure and delight thou canst desire and praying the Gods to save Petulca from all mischance for thy sake Farewell Ever thine though thou weary to be his PERIANDER When Malorena had read that Letter she could not but marvel at the strangenesse of the case for she perceived thereby what kind of sisters we were and though she was sorrée that she had offered such true Lovers that injury yet glad for that she hoped to enjoy the love of Petulca she stayed till he came home and then she shewed him Perianders Letter telling him from point to point how she had served us For she thought when Petulca should know how he was by us deceived in that he loved a man for a woman a youth for a maid yea Periander for Sybilla that then he would be sorry that he so unwisely had disdained her self and set so little by her love But yet she was deceived for Petulca having attentively listned to her tale and well perpended the Letter was so angry at her and enraged that she had committed such villany against us that he swore he would himself revenge the injury by her offered to us And therewith flung from her and presently declared all the matter unto me with tears trickling down his eys and shewed me the Letter which Periander had written unto me whereat I was both so ashamed and amazed that I fell in a swound But being by the industry of Petulca come to my self again I conceived that grief for the departure of Periander and the false opinion which he holdeth of me which now so tormenteth and vexeth me that I wish I had fared as wicked Malorena did who understanding that Petulca had opened all her treachery and divelish practises unto me falling into desparation for that she had attempted so much villany in vain cast her self into the River and so was drâ—wned By means whereof the whole village yea and the neighbour towns were filled with the rumour of this tragedy and I the next morning making no man of my counsel deparâ—ed from thence to seek my sorrowfull Periander Thus loving shepheards have you heard the discourse of my miserable life which now is so much the more miserable by how much the more pleasure and joy I have had therein For the grief which I suffer because Periander the thought of whom and remembrance of whose love is the onely thing wherby I live departed from me with such an opinion is so extream that the greatest pleasure which ever I enjoyed in al my life is no way equivalent or comparable unto it Iudge then your selvs worthy shepheards whether I have not cause to curse Fortune and blame even the Gods of cruelty Wherewith Brisilla having ended her history began newly to wéep and lament most pittifully But Ismenio and Perierio who had so attentively given eare to her discourse that they had not interrupted any part thereof comforted her as much as they might And séeing that by this they were come to the place where Iâ—menia had appointed to rest that night they made provision for supper as merrily as their passions would suffer them falling to their meat refreshed their weary bodies and afterward took their rest As soon as Apollo had lighted on his fiery steeds to run his wonted course Perierio Ismenia and Brisil rising from their bed be took them to their journy towards the Temple of Diana every one of them hoping that they should have their grief if not remedied yet at least something mitigated for the wisdom and divine power of the Lady president of that Temple was so blazed by the Trump of Fame through all the Countries about her that no man in her time which had heard of her celestiall knowledge doubted but that his evill might by that Lady be redressed though it were nere so marvelous so it passed not the bounds of possibility This Lady was called Felicia of whose wisdome knowledge beauty excellency courtesie gracious favour towards all true Lovers and vertuous piety towards all distressed persons Monte Mayor largely describeth in his Diana and forasmuch as the same Monte Mayor copiously setteth forth the sumptuousnesse and magnificence of the Palace wherein this Lady Felicia kept her Court in the fourth Book of the first part of his said Diana I think it superfluous for me to retain the Readers eare with unnecessary relations of those things that by others have so exactly been performed Wherefore turning the gentle Reader desirous to know the curiosity of the sumptuous building both of the Temple and Pallace before mentioned with the situation of the place to the fourth book of Monte Mayors Diana I will prosecute the matter of my history CHAP. XV. How Perierio Ismenia and Brisil in their travell found Marcelio and Maffeo asleep who departed with them towards the Temple of Diana PErierio with his company had not gone above the space of an hour or thereabout they came into a fair green where they saw a shepheard and a Knight lying on the tender grasse asléep both together Ismenia and the Lady Brisil marvelling at that sight séeing two persons of such different calling so fellow likely sléeping one by the other wist not what it meant for they saw neither flock of shéep by them nor yet any other company But Perierio told them that he knew both the shepheard and the Knight also for he had both séen
his command THe second day after I went from Naples the other Philorenus son unto my Mother by that Castilian Captain dwelling in the same Ciwith the Sergeant that brought him from Cinqueni chanced in the evening time to passe by a Noble-mans house where Hyppolito the Kings son had been at supper who standing at the door among certain Gentlemen espyed this Philorenus and thought undoubtedly that I was the man and that I had changed my apparel to the end that I should not be known to be Philorenus which he imagined that I should have done being unwilling to go in Ambassage unto the King of Persia and yet feared to ask leave to stay at home and to be discharged of that so troulesome a service I being unaccustomed to deal in affairs of so great moment and importance He therefore stealing from his company followed my brother for we came both out of one wombe and when he saw him in place where least company was hee tooke him by the slip of his cloak and calling him by his name Philorenus bad him not be grieved though he were overtaken by him seeing it was his lucke first to bee espied by him that was the best friend that he had in the world My brother knowing Hyppolito the Kings son began to fal on his knees to honour him according to the manner of the countrey marvelling that the young Prince used such words unto him But Hyppolito loth that I should be knowne for the King and all the Nobility knew not but that I was departed from Naples for Persia with something an angry countenance uttered these words Philorenus if thou be wise follow my counsell and leave these tekens of honour lest thou be bewrayed and if my request will not serve let my commandement move thee to be more prudent and follow me Philorenus my brother ravished with marvel what this meant and fearing to displease him who might make him repent his offence did as he commanded And so they went together to the court where Hyppolito bearing my brother into his chamber and shutting up the door lest any of the Courtiers should interrupt them and know of my being there thinking nothing lesse then that the same Philorenus was my Brother séeing neither I my self knew that I had a Brother nor my Brother that he had a Brother in the Court by Fortune lifted to so high estate began in this manner to speak unto him Ah Philorenus who would have thought that the great discretion and wisedome whereby you have obtained such love and credit at my fathers hands had so lost his force and vigor that it suffereth thee so indiscréetly and fondly to behave thy self being imployed by his Majesty in a matter which might have beene committed to the chiefest person of the Realme And art thou so berest of all thy wits and understanding that thou thinkest we are all so blinde that because thou hast put on another Garment wee should not know thee Thinkest thou that we are so forgetfull of thy favour that the change of apparel is able to make thée unknown unto us No no Philorenus and although all other men were taken with oblivion of thy Face yet the Picture of thy Visage the Lineaments of thy Face and the very Phisiognomy of thy Csuntenance is so déeply ingraven in my heart that no time no change no alteration no colour nor no deceit is able to rase out the print thereof Wherefore I cannot enough marvel Philorenus that séeing thou knowest how I am affected towards thee insomuch that thou canst not ask any thing of me that lieth in my power to grant thee and be repulsed thou hast notwithstanding so madly sought so dangerous if I may say my mind so cowardly and base means to shake of the charge committed unto thée by the King whereas if thou hadst but let me know how thou wert unwilling to be imployed therein I would have intreated my father and perswaded him to send some other into Persia that I might have enjoyed your company for whose absence I doubt not but you perceived how sorry I was And now first you know that though you were never more seen by us or known yet you should be deprived of all the credit and honor which you had in the Court being compelled to live in obscurity and base manner wanting both wealth and fame Besides also perpend not onely what injury you offer the King but also the losse and detriment unto his subjects and the neighbour kingdomes of Castile Aragon and Portugal in that my fathers intent is frustrated and an embassage of such moment serving for the welfare of so many worthy kingdoms neglected The consideration whereof I hope will make you come to knowledge of your fondnesse yea rather madnesse in committing so heinous an offence and hurtful trespass whereby you hade deserved the Kings indignation who no doubt if he were acquainted with this your franticke kind of dealing would with no lesse pain then death punish your delict But I judge that the Gods tendring thy fortune have made thee so happie as that thou shouldest be espied by me before thy sinister doings were bewrayed unto any other and so revealed to the King my father to the end that I might provide some remedy in this case and save thée from the danger which otherwise thou wert like to incur My brother Philorenus who all this while stood astonished not knowing the event of this matter marvelled what fury haunted the young Prince to make such a large discourse unto him he knew not what he meant by his embassage or what affair the King should have committed to his charge séeing he had never been near the King and was altogether unknown unto him and therefore he knew not what he might imagine of this accident But knowing that who so commeth near the fire is in danger to be burned that who so playeth with the streams may be drowned and that they that are near Kings are subject to their power began to fear lest this sport should be turned into spight and this young Prince his pastime tend to his wrack And therefore he fel on his knées and made Hippolito this answer Most excellent Prince I am a poor young man unknown in all places of honour and especially in the Court howbeit that I know not how your grace knoweth my name For I confesse my name to be Philorenus yet I vow and protest before the Gods and sacred powers of heaven that I never lived in the Court never wore more sumptuous apparel then now I do never spake unto his majesty or your grace and that I know no more of what embassage you speak or what charge you talk of then I knew at the hour when I was first born Wherefore I beseech your grace to pardon me for I speak the truth as your grace well knoweth who taketh pleasure to mock his humble servant What Philorenus replied Hippolito hast thou not told me thy self that thou wert
for that she dealt so cruelly with them that they were compelled by flight to save their lives when they had not in any manner deserved death But the King being informed of their flight caused all their lands and livings to be confiscatcd and adjudged to his exchequer and my brother Philorenus was the same day arraigned and condemned to be torn in pieces with four horses But it chanced on that day which was appointed for his execution that the Queen fell in labor and was delivered of a daughter to celebrate the feast of whose birth my brothers execution was prolonged thirty days for the King would not have any such act comitted all the time the Queen lay in child-bed In the mean time most gracious Princesse may you think in what taking my poor brother might be that wist not how he might escape that cruel death which he was ordained to die although his conscience cleared him of all offence or crime whereby he might deserve any punishment But at last Fortune minding either to alleviate his grief or to bring him into greater troubles suborned a certain knights daughter which attended on the Queen to snatch occasion at the delay which she heard the King had comanded to be made concerning the putting of my brothex to death and to seek means to deliver him out of prison and thereby to save his life For this Gentlewoman being called Cerasilla whom I loved better then my self thinking with the King and all the rest of the courtiers that my brother was the same Philorenus that courted her and so earnestly made love unto her that she might eastly perceive that he loved and honored her above all other women when she heard that Philorenus was condemned she was exceeding sorry But the good chance of the Queens child-bearing by reason whereof the time of his death was prolonged something asswaged her dolour and gave her hope that she might find meanes to recompence the service which she suposed he had done her Therefore upon the third day after the young Princesse was born considering that all the Courtiers were merry and took more care how they might passe over the time with making good chear and recreating themselves with divers sorts of pastimes then they did in looking who were present or absent or who went in or out of the chamber of presence she stepped from the Queens privie chamber to her chamber and there araying her self in mans apparel for she had a sute belonging to her brother which he had left in her chamber and taking her apparel under her cloak she hieth to the Gentleman that kept my brother and finding him busie with playing at tables asked him how it fared with Philorenus the Gentleman thinking that she had been Mistresse Cerasillaes brother for he knew the cloaths and her brother being but a young youth without any hair on his face she was not misdoubted to be any other then he himself told her that Philorenus would perhaps be as merry as the rest if he knew not the day of his death which though it were prelonged yet it abated not his grief I pray you quoth the transformed Gentleman may not a man talk with him Why not quoth the Gentleman If you please to speak with him I will open the chamber door where he is and you may go to him And with that the Gentleman let her in and went to his tables again with the Gentlemen that kept him company Shee being entred into the chamber where my brother walked up and down very heavily salute◠him and spake unto him in this manner Philorenus albeit you perhaps are of opinion that I did indeed despise the courtesies which you have offered me at divers times as I seemed to make light of them in word and that I rewarded thy service with inward hate as I feigned by outward frowardnesse yet I hope thou shalt in time by trial prove this surmise false and be forced to confesse that she is not ungratefull whom thou so often hast accused to be cruel For though I did repay thee with a frown whē I wished thée a favour and yeelded thee a lowring countenance when I wished thee a pleasing smile to make proof of thy constancy I doubt not but now séeing I make thee acquainted with the cause thou wilt not take the effect in ill part My brother admiring at the strangenesse of this speech wist not what to answer For he knew not the person that spake unto him and was in doubt whether it was a man or a woman her apparel shewing the one and the course of her talk the other and therefore he thought best not to interrupt her discourse but to hear the end of her tale which she continued on in this manner And considering swéet Philorenus that the greatest pleasure that may be done unto any man is to save him from the terriblenesse of untimely death I am resolved to shew thée no lesse gratuity and recompence for thy faithfull and loyall service then to frée thée from the Kings rage or my self to incur the same danger that you be in your self Vnto which purpose I have my self put on my brothers cloathes and brought mine under my cloak to attire you therewith and so lead you out of this chamber where you are imprisoned and rid you from the danger which you know that you now are in And for as much as delay bréedeth danger I pray you dispatch and follow my counsell for the Courtiers are all so filled with wine that we may passe and repasse without suspicion My brother was so perplexed being surprised with gladnesse and grief together that he could scarce tell what he should do for though he suspected that this Gentlewoman mistook him as the King and the other courtiers did yet he feared least she had been suborned by the King to brin g him into a fools paradice and so to agravate his misery Wherefore as he stood amazed doubting what were best for him to do she urged him in this manner to make speed Loving Philorenus doest thou now make so strange of her that to save thy life putteth her own in hazard Hast thou forgotten whaf pleasure thou wert wont to say I did thée in giving thée leave to speak to me and art thou so chary now of thy tongue that thou wilt not utter one word Thou hast oftentimes sworn that thou wouldest not spare thy life to do me service and now I venture mine to do thée pleasure wilt thou not accept of my service My brother considering that the worst that might ensue was death framed her this answer Sweet Lady if I have displeased you with ungratefull silence perswade your self that the onely cause thereof did procéed of the joy which I conceived of your presence whereby I was wrapped in an extasie insomuch that my tongue and my other instruments of spéech as I thought to have welcomed you denied me their accustomed duty having lost their operation by reason of the
excesse of gladnesse which possessed my soul But I beséech you go not about to undo your self to save me least in seeking my weal you procure your own woe so where but one should suffer death you bring both in danger Mistresse Cerasilla glad of his answer but sorry to see him make no more hast to do that which she desired she spurred him forward saying Sweet Philorenus doubt not but I am perswaded of thy love towards me and that I think of thy silence as thou sayest As for the rest let me alone I hope where you fear we shall both fall in the trap that we shall neither of us be snared in the net and therefore be ruled by me seeing womens wits have sometimes brought that to passe which mens minds hath admired To be short my brother became mistresse Cerasilla in attire and was apparelled in her cloaths whose body was the habitacle of my heart accompanied by the Saint whom I worshipped though absent and in whom my mind dwelled though my body was in subjection to the villaines that kept me in their cels after they had robbed me and slain my men Yet if I had then known of the love and affection of my mistresse towards me and how willingly she would have endeavoured to deliver me from the barbarous entertainment of the Egyptian theeves if she had known that her faithfull Philorenus was so afflicted my misery though it had been greater could not have béen half so troublesome unto me nor my filthy prison so noisome But least I be troublesome unto this worthy company by digressing from the matter know that my brother passed for mistresse Cerasilla and she for her brother and bidding the Gentleman that was charged with him Adieu they departed leaving him so busie at his game that he tended his play more then his prisoner Insomuch that they making all the haste they could marched through the Court and resembling that they went to walk in the fields they spared not their legs but sometimes running sometimes going a round pace they did advantage their journey in such manner that the next morning having travelled all night they reached to the wood where I was there thinking themselves out of danger they rested CHAP. XXIX How Philorenus the younger and Cerasilla lost each other in the wood and how the elder Philorenus was delivered out of the Aegyptians Cell by Cerasilla NOw though they had made sufficient provision of money yet when hunger began to gnaw them having disgested their meat by their walk or rather flight they wist not what shift to make for victuals Insomuch that they went straying up and down the wood to see if they could find any roots or wild fruit growing there intending to feed on them till finding the way to some house they might buy other kind of meat But mistresse Cerasilla being weary of raunging and overtaken with sleep lay down amidst the bushes and prayed my brother also to rest himself a while but he having more mind to eat then to sleep bid her take her rest and he would in the mean time seek for some victuals against she waked Insomuch that he marked the place where he left her and went towards the side of the wood whence he might see a chimney smoaking Whereof glad though he feared lost he should be mett with hee ventured and went to the house where he found a poor old woman sitting by the fire all alone and desired her of all friendship to let him have bread for his mony The woman perceiving that he was some Gentleman of account in mean time may it please you to note that my brother and mistresse Cerasilla had changed apparel in the way each taking that sute which agreed to their sexe told him that she had bread but she feared it was too brown for his eating but he desiring her to let him have it such as it was she brought him four loaves which he took and paying her as much as she asked to the wood he returned as fast as he could where he had espied a fountain and therefore stayed not with the old woman to drink she proffering him a glasse of Cydar being a kind of wine made of apples For he purposed to carry mistresse Cerasilla bread first and then to lead her to the said fountain and there with her to quench his thirst But when he came to the place where he left her mistresse Cerasilla was not there for waking out of her sleep she went to see if she could méet with him for because he had been something long away séeing the place whither he went for bread was about one league from the wood and he had wandred up and down the wood about two or three hours ere he came to the wood side whence he espied the smoak she suspected that he was lost in the wood and could not find the way to come unto her again And so it came to passe that she seeking him lost him and he not finding her lost himself For he was so distracted with sorrow and grief that as a man abandoning all hope in a manner dispairing he sate down and laying his elbow on the ground to support his head began in this manner to exclaim against Fortune for her spighfull entreatment Ah Fortune I perceive my destinies have ordained me to be the subject whereon thou mayest work thy power and shew thy inconstancy and whereon thou dost plant the banner of thy forces and hang up the trophees of thy victories For who is there that is acquainted with the course of my life that dare deny but that every part thereof hath bin guided by Fortune and subject to her accidentary government For after the day of my birth the circumstance whereof may be attributed to no power but to the hidden secrets of dame Nature onely was it not a chance and accidental cause that I should with my cradle by my parents be carried out of my country and live in exile before I knew what exile yea what life was was it not say I a token of the sparkles of anger which began to glister in the heart of Fortune and a manifest sign that she began to menace and threaten me some disastrous hap in time to come For I lived not many weeks after but I saw the fire flame which was kindled of the former sparkles and I tried the force of her menaces For before we could reach to any place where we might sojourn death bereft me of my dear mother before nature allowed me to acknowledg the benefit which by her I had and did receive This done Fortune seemed not not to have wreaked her anger sufficiently and as yet became nothing more méek for after my mother was buried and her funeral rights celebrated we came to the village Cinqueni where I was deprived of my father all the hold of my hope and the pillar of my wellfare Now Fortune thought her selfe prettily well revenged on me that had
we as we found our selves to be brothers having the same Name Parents Countrey Shape fortune so we swore everlasting friendship and allegiance one to another so loving one the other that though I know that it were impossible for any man in the world so to love any one as I loved him yet am I forced by the consideration of his wonderfull deserts towards me and by the tryal which I have had of his loyalty to doubt whether my love or his were the greatest And because we would in all things be alike and deprive the world of all means to know and discern one of us from the other we continually apparelled our selves alike both in the same colour fashion and order Insomuch that it was hard for the best discerning wit that the world could bring forth to know the one from the other or to find any difference between us Which thing as generally it troubled most of all the courtiers so particularly it was cause of Cerasillacs death who as I told you before bearing me good will and taking my brother for me when she conveyed him out of prison and saved his life and having lost him in the wood afterwards also delivered me from the villainous Egyptians and so was cause of all our blisse This poor Gentlewoman loving us both excellently well and deserving likewise to be honoured of us for very sorrow that she could not discern me from my brother pined and falling into a consumption died Whereof though we were passing sorry yet the youthfulnesse of our young hearts receiving the impression of the beauty of a young Gentlewoman sister to the Countesse Verina quickly forgot the funerals of Mistresse Cerasilla Yet because we could not but acknowledge that we were in great sort beholding unto her we bestowed this Epitaph upon her Sweet sweetness lies beneath this marble stone Which prays all loving hearts her death to mourn Her flower is fall'n though were her years but green When Life's most sweet she bitter Death hath seen We that of her this here have written in Had but for her now neither of us bin By Phi lore nus Phi lore nus But leaving her in her sepulcher I will return the sister of Countesse Verina who being a most beautifull Gentlewoman named Mistresse Aureola so inchanted my mind by the commanding force of her swéet face and sugred tongue that I admiring the much decent colour of the one and the well governed volubility of the other was so ravished in the pleasing delight which her perfections caused in my heart that I judged no woman fair none witty and none eloquent but golden Aureola Who as she passed all women in comelinesse of body and pure snow-like whitenesse of skin so none came near her in those hidden qualities which bred in the brain and fostred in the heart are made known by the tongue But to be short such were her graces both inward and outward that they pierced my heart in such manner that I was forced to acknowledge my self her servant and Cupids captive being subdued by his policy in using the imperiall beams of her beauty instead of darts to infringe and break the priviledge of my liberty Well I loved Aureola and so loved Aureola that for the love of Aureola I could have hated my self I then being in this case began to imploy my brains in searching out manner and procuring means to make my affection known to the Saint I so truly honoured And truly in short time not Aureola's self onely but my brother also began to perceive the fire which being kindled in my heart did cast out such a cloud of love-smoak Now I glad that Aureola knew the manner of my sicknesse but gladder that she seemed not male-content of my welcontentednesse and nothing displeased that my brother was acquainted with my passion seeing that he was an Alterego my self in I will not say another body for it was too like mine to be differenced but another place thought my self the happiest man that lived Ye may judge how much more blessed I would have accounted my self to have been if I might have doubled my single life by marriage with her Vnto whom to lay open the pain which punished my heart for the cause of her I sought occasion very diligently Insomuch that opportunity being presented unto me within a few days after and espying her walking by her self and the trées alone in the garden where her sisters lodging was I thought it but a negligent part to omit that fortunate hour and therefore knowing that the Countesse her sister was gone to the Quéen I posted to my mistresse with a sound courage hoping to return victorious or with good hope of victory Into the Garden I stepped and having set on half a dozen paces forwards towards her I might sée her turn being at the end of the walk Whose heavenly face so dazeled mine eys with the glance that she cast from the other end of the garden that I soon acknowledged that no Sun could so have dimmed my eys but the double Titan which like two little worlds of grace are such ornaments to her face that as they are beholding to it for that it hourdeth them so is it bounden unto them because it is by them adorned and beautified At length I came so near her that manners warned me to salute her though I was so astonished at her celestial shape that I could more fixe mine eys to behold her with admiration then fashion my mouth to salute her with civility Yet love taught me to beware of committing so foul and grosse a fault as not to give her a courteous good morrow who was the efficient of my disquiet evenings Therefore gréeting her after the humblest and lovingest manner my passiō forced me she answered me after this manner Good morrow sir Knight you are very maticuous this morning whatsoever the cause be but I pray you what weather drove you towards these quarters so early Truly Madam quoth I my good fortune séeing I have met with no worse company then your swéet self For as I passed by the Garden wall by chance looking over with a long neck I espied you walking by your self alone and so I thought it good manners to step near and give you the buen giorno And if I thought that my boldnesse in pressing so near you perhaps in such time as you had rather give respite to your solitary delight then otherwise be troubled should offend you as I came intending not to displeasure you so I would depart without performing any thing whereby you might have occasion to be discontented No no sir Knight quoth she beshrew me if ever I could be offended with good company neither have I any such melancholy humour as to delight in beeing alone but that sometimes I am compelled to be solitary for lack of good company And then I must of necessity walk alone and recreate my self with viewing natures diligent businesse in beautifying the earth
reach to the one or by falling come to the other So that his mind being thus suspended he perpended the reasons for both parts which were most forcible to perswade him to the one or the other yet in such order that neglecting fully his own case as one altogether careless of his own welfare he referred all matters to the effecting of that which seemed most expedient and necessary to make me happy and to work my felicity Insomuch that he began to consider that if chance he should have left Aureola and commit himself to the laboursome seeking and uncertain finding of me the loving Gentlewoman might have taken the absence of us both so heavily that she might have thereby fallen into some desperate sickness and perchance remediless Well quoth he put the case should die were it not better that she should die then that I should suffer my brother to live in despair to run round about the world to carry hell with him wheresoever he goeth having his affections like furies and fiends teaxing rending his brotherlike heart to irrisate the barren ground with millions of tears to disturb the guiltless air with lamentable shrieks cries accompanied with sighs and sobs and in a word to be always dying and yet never die Death is the lock that shutteth up misery and endeth all calamity and trouble If Aureola then die O happy she but unhappy I Nay my swéet brother thrice unhappy thou For no doubt if Aureola should die the pain which thou wouldest sustain the grief which would molest thy soul and the torment which would ravish thee in the very gulph of all vexation would so far in extremity pass the anguish wherein thou now doest pine that it would be greater then the pain which causeth the soul to depart from the body Why then I will rather remain by Aureola and so both save her life thine and mine own though scarce mine own seeing that I shall scarce be able to live he being absent And what will he think nay what will all the world say but that I forsooth for love of my brother entertain his love and that I so love him that to shew my love towards him I must needs love his Lady and so defraud him of that wherein his chiefest felicity consisteth the jewel of his heart the treasure of his desires the object of his delight the subject of his conceits the hold of his hope the onely and chief pillar of his life and cause of his being swéet Aureola worthy to be all this unto him he deserving to be as much unto her none of them both owing less one to the other As he was thus quite turning from that mind to the other and resolving to leave all to follow me the beams of Aureolaes beauty reverberating the window wherein he lay musing what he might best do warned him that that Sun was in the garden whose light was able to strive with the Rays of Phoebus for force séeing that his beams may well shine upon men not in them whereas the bright lines that glister from the golden forehead of Aureola did penetrate mens bodies and shine not upon them onely but also within them and through them He therefore espying Aureola walking in the garden alone wept that he saw not me with her saying O sacred powers of heaven séeing that your Deities have been divinely worshipped by me since my Cradle why hate ye poor Philorenus your Servant so that the sight which ought to be unto his eys as gold to the covetous man is unto him as poyson to them that wish to live long Not for that I take any disgrace by the gracious presence of Aureola but that my joy is eclipsed when I behold her without him by her who seemed born to be inseparably joyned with her as white unto snow cold to ice and to use a more familiar comparison as beauty to Aureola Having so said as carried away with a sudden strong gale of wind he hasted to the garden and having passed the courtesies used in salutation and gréeting being asked for me for she knew him by reason of a secret token which we had given to her onely to discern him from me and me from him he up and told her all the matter concerning my sudden departure yet so colouring the cause thereof that she thought that I was gone because I despaired that she should love him better then me For he thought that so she might be moved to pity and by pity to sharpen her affection which should have encreased her love towards me Whereas if he had let her know the true cause of my absence that I was gone to leave her to be his she might have been moved to disdain me which disdain should have nourished the fire which was kindled in his brest by the affection which she bore him and so might she have allured him to to leave me in my pilgrimage and enjoy her to displease whom he did count it a sacriledge But she construing of the matter as my most carefull brother and his brotherlike carefulness enformed and being subject to that custome which by nature is an unseparable companion to the desires of all women I mean to wish and covet that which seems most impossible and to long for such things as cannot be gotten or very hardly had now she heard that I was gone no man knew where whereas before her love inclined rather to my brother then to me she was so ravished with desire to be with me that she presently concluded to her self in heart to take the pains to seek me and although she did conceal the same unto him and dissembled the passion which she felt by reason of my absence by words whilest he was by her yet by deed she sufficiently afterwards shewed it unto all the world For after shee was separated from him by the hastiness of her resolution to execute that which she had purposed she went to her chamber where after she had made her handkerchief drunk with sipping up and drinking in the tears which abundantly issued from out her eys most fertilly yielding fruit of the séeds of sorrow sown in them and having astonished the stones and walls with the admirable shrieks and moved the lifeless pictures that hung in her chamber to pity she impoverished her rich apparel by laying it off and enriched her sisters Cooks wives poor cloaths putting them on her ivory body and so making provision of nothing but a knife to conquer Fortunes envy if chance she would go about to make her miserable in the highest degrée by prolonging her life when as she could not live but discontented she committed her self to her journey and her journy to the Gods calling upon their Deities to be directed in her way O ye sacred powers called she that in heaven take care of us poor mortals who wholly depend upon your favour or disfavor if ever my vows have béen acceptable unto you and my offerings
some other time whensoever it shall please your worthinesse to hear the rest opportunity being thereto offered The Dutchesse Brisil with the other Ladies Gentlemen and shepheards thanking Philorenus assured him that he had done them a pleasure more then mean in that he had taken so much pain as to delight them with that rehearsal of his own fortunes promising that he should find them as ready to pleasure him But the Dutchesse above the rest told him that she hoped as he had begun to delight her with the beginning of his history so he would work the perfection of her delight so begun with the end of the same occasion presenting time and place fit for the purpose as he had promised And therewith they went altogether into the palace where the Lady Felicia meeting them at the garden dore most courteously saluting them being by them saluted first the Dutchess Brisil old Eugerio next then Marcelio and his Alcida with her brother Polydor and his sister Clenarde and so Lexander with his Ismenia and then Philorenus with his Petulca and the rest of the company which courteously finished she led them all into a fair stateÌ„ly hall most sumptuously and gorgeously furnished where the cloth was laid for that the evening bringing something too cold an air with it she thought it better to sup there then in the bower in the garden where they had dined While supper continued the Nymph Arethea sung this sonnet to the sound of her Lute Arethea MY song is love yet strange love not mine own And though I love not yet my tongue will spend In praise of love though many that alone Which theirs is will vouchsafe for to commend But now my thoughts from passions being free My words as true as truth it self shall be Love is the thing through which all men have being Love is the thing which mankind doth preserve Love is the cause of heavens and earths agreeing Love is the Lord whom Gods and men do serve Love is the knot wich sexes doth unite Love in estate maintaineth every wight Love is the tool which finest wits doth file Love unto worthy things mens hearts doth bind Love frames the tongue to use a flowing stile Love is the touchstone of a verâ—tuous mind Love is the spur to valorous exploits Love doth exalt thy mind to heavenly thoughts Love is the joy wherein Lordings delight In Love do Ladies think the time well spent In all is love a comely courteous sight In men a grace in maids an ornament All this of Love and more if more may be I know though nothing Love doth know of me Arethea having ended her Sonnet the Lady Felicia asked Perierio how he liked it and whether he thought not that lovers were beholding unto her for so extolling the Saint that ruleth their affection But he framed her this answer Divine Lady your Nymphs Encomion of love hath so swéetly toucht mine ears that they most willingly and readily carried the meaning of her spéeches to my mind who receiving them with no lesse delight was moved to think so well of them that it now comandeth my tongue to let you understand And in truth Madam as I am glad that I now love not in respect of divers circumstances so I should be singularly sorry if I thought I should never love again And more directly to answer your question I think my self not a little beholding to Arethea for esteeming so much of Love onely for that I have once loved much more think I will such as now féel the fire of fancy glowing in their hearts make account of her for making such account of that wherein they have placed their chief felicity CHAP. XXXVII The dispute which happened between Perierio and the Dutchesse Brisil occasioned by the Song of the Nymph Arethea in commendation of Love ALL the company hearing Periecrio speak in this manner marvelled at the same for they knew nothing how the Lady Felicia had used him in her study by giving him the drink of oblivion And therefore they were amazed to see Perierio a man before so full of melancholy and so pathetical now so freely speak of Love as one not now in Love whereunto he was before so earnestly addicted that he seemed to be bound apprentice unto it for ever But among the rest the Lady Brisil spake unto him in this manner But I pray you sir you that ere while so furiously loved are the hot flees wherein you so madly flamed already quenched yet they seemed unextinguishâ—ble I think they be fair Princesse answered Perierio for they are not quenched but allayed and in this degree it is that I commend love and no doubt but Arethea so thought of it when she so effectually describe it Yet am not I of the opinion answered the Dutchess for that were neither hot nor cold whereas if love should do and cause all those worthy things which Arethea attributeth unto it no doubt it must be extended to some extream point or else how should it be able to work so many excellent matters as she speaketh of nay rather as truth it self averreth even by the mouth of all such as know the excellency of love You say well quoth Perierio but yet I hope you will likewise grant that as in all other vertues so in love also there may be an extremity in excesse which is a vice and not to be defended An extremity quoth Brisil I grant in this that one may love too coldly but too hotly one cannot in my mind For seeing love is commendable as none here gain-say it the more one doth love the more doth he that which is worthy of commendation how shal we then blame him as doing that which is vicious For love is not to be considered as liberallity or other vertues for being too easie in giving and bestowing as more then one is able he falleth from liberallity and cannot be accounted to be liberall but prodigall in that he lavishly maketh havock of more then his ability well can allow or reason perswade him But love the more it possesseth man the more he loveth and the more he loveth the more he possesseth For though by being liberal without measurs that ability waineth and riches decay yet by loving how extraordinarily soever love never waxeth lesse nay increaseth For the more one loveth the more still doth his power to love grow and the more able doth he become to love And so long cannot he fall from love and be accounted no lover as they that by too much spending fall from â—eing too liberall to become prodigall Nay but quoth Peâ—â—â—â—o by loving without reason do we fall from love to madnesse for frantick I account that love which is not guided by reason By reason quoth the Dutchess why love is too noble a thing to be â—iâ—d to any respect either of reason or any other thing 〈…〉 For love being considered in it self is a certain kind of moâ—iâ—â—â—f the mind which moveth of it self and
will not be subject unto any part of the mind and I hold opinion thâ—â— reason is governed of love and not love guided by reason For when love hath once taken hold of the heart when it thinketh good it calleth for the counsell and assistance of reason but otherwise it will not wait or attend upon reason to be directed by it Neither do I judge them to be reasonable lovers that in love take counsel of reason or go about to love with reason For they that love indéed unlesse they do many ways surpasse that which reason teacheth them or do more then by reason they are moved to do I think their love to be but of a small account and scarce to be called love And not to fetch any instance a far of but even from your self if you had not left your father and your sisters as I have heard you say to séek the Lady in whose beauty your soul danced and forsaken your country for so I call the place where your dwelling was planted to travel through desart places and unknown regions to find out her who was cause that you lost your self no doubt you would not have thought that you had loved nor any man else would have said that you had done so And yet if you had hearkened to reason undoubtedly you had not left your aged father and comfortlesse sisters deprived of your company to seek the company of the Lady who fled your company for reason would have conducted an whole army of arguments to disswade you from that enterprise which would have been nothing else but to force you to cease from love For certainly had you stayed at home you had either not loved at all or at least but very little béen troubled with passion Insomuch that you sée how that reason and love cannot agrée together for they are opposite enemies one to the other And therefore I cannot see what love it is that thou say thou would have guided by reason That love Madam quoth Perierio which I onely account love and not I onely but all such as will not disgrace the excellency of so worthy a thing as love is For to let you know how I would have love guided with reason I understand the matter so that I would have them that love therein to shuâ— such inconveniences as bréed shame infamy and reproach unto them that love if they be not avoided As to love that which ought not to be loved as Pasiphae loved the Bul by whom she bore Minotaurus many other things which might be considered which onely can be judged by the rule of reason Besides I remember many that describe love whose descriptions I like not for my part say that love is full of dissembling hypocrisie strife debate brawling vice offence quarrelling envy hate jealousie murther prodigality gréedinesse covetousness anger and many other mischievous inconveniences which I think one that loves may very well avoid all I mean by the help and counsel of reason which tells us that they ought to be shunned Why but good sir quoth the Dutchess that love whereof you talk is not love but lust the gulph of all mischief for lust is subject to all such vices and more but not love Why then inferred Perierio must you grant that love not limited by reason is lust Nothing so quoth the Dutchess for love in the very nature and essence therof considered otherwise it is diversly taken is a knot or bond which tieth knitteth and uniteth two hearts inseparably and maketh them one insomuch that love it self so considered to attain to the very purity and singularity thereof is to endeavour and labor by al means whatsoever to the making of them Two hearts One and to that one thing must all actions be directed Insomuch I say that such persons as will claim the right title of lovers must neither be feared with dangers nor driven back by force nor chased with terrour nor removed with reason from endevouring and working to make themselves deserve to be inseparably joyned with that which they love and to become as the same thing it self and one thing with it Wherein I pray you cannot this be the onely and very force of love and not of lust Very well Madam quoth Perierio So sir quoth she I pray you have you forgotten that you even now said that you accounted all love not guided by reason lust which how grossely it was spoken I will thus with one small example make you confess your self Put case the Duke of Florence loveth some Lady either for her beauty grace comliness vertue or other gifts by God and nature bestowed on her which Lady he cannot enjoy as his own I mean have her heart united to his as his is tied to hers and be loved of her as he loveth her for there must be reciprocation in love unless he spend all his Revenues his Dukedome and afterward having obtained his hearts desire of her and hath of her heart and his made but one yet cannot enjâ—y her by reason of her parents that for one reason or other would have her either married to some other or rather not married at all then to him and so lives still in body separated from her though in heart and soul never but by her his Dukedome gone and all his wealth consumed thinking the jewel which he hath thereby gotten of a higher price then all his substance I mean the love of his Lady being onely content with this that she loves him Now let me ask you this question would not reason if the Duke had guided his love by the rational measure of his understanding have counselled him not to lose his credit his wealth his renown and not to have undone himself for that which he might not fully enjoy though he enjoyed as he desired It may be so Madam quoth Perierio but what then Marry this quoth she Then his love was not guided by reason yet there is no man that will nay can say but that it was pure love not spotted with the blot of any lust and therefore against your former principle are you forced to confess that all love not guided by reason is not lust Perierio marking the subtilty of the Dutchess in taking hold of his words and going about to canvas him that way séeing she could not go through with her matter which was to prove that no love could be too extream great and that upright love was not to be guided or governed by reason he unwilling to let her yet so carry it away made answer thus Many things may be spoken which divers ways are to be understood For sometimes things properly taken are improperly applied to sundry purposes And so when I said that love not not guided by reâ—son was lust I understood not lust as it is properly taken for the carnal desire and libidinous cipidity of the flesh â—ut rather for the vice which is committed by desiring that which ones affections urge him to covet and
and sobs that he could scarce with much ado speak embracing us all one after another to take his leave and bid us farewell before the hour of eminent shipwrack was come It would be a great enterprise and difficult matter for me presently to recount what tears Aloda wept and what grief I suffered for her sake and therefore I will onely tell you one thing that nothing so much grieved me as that my life which I had offered for her service could not take end without her death In the mean time our forlorn ship driven with the force of the angry waves and furious winds which blew so marvellous strongly flying all night though the streight of Gilbatan more swiftly then we wished or served our turn the next day went astray I know not how many leagues into the large Mediterrean sea Where after that we had long wandred hither and thither the force of the wind and waves driving us up and down for the space of that dry and night the next morning the tempest séemed to be something asswaged and the rufull waves abating their courage Neptune spread a pleasant calm over the sea wherewith we were not a little cheared But fortune not contented to have heaped such a world of calamities upon us would also take her pleasure in mocking us in the midst of miseries For on the suddain the wished calm was turned into a worse and greater extream tempest then before which brought us into such extreamity that we hoped not for one hour of life At last one side of the ship being strooken with a great raging whirlwind the other side lay flat upon the water and was in danger to sink presently When I saw the manifest danger I began to ungird my sword to the end it might not hinder me and imbracing Alcida I leaped with her into the ship boat Clenarde being a light and nimble Gentlewoman following us did the same not leaving behind her bow and arrows for that she estéemed more of that than of some great and precious treasure Polidor thrusting his father forwards thought to have done as much and to have leaped into the boat as we had done but the ship-Master with another Marriner leaped in before them And as Polidor with his aged father thought to have followed the boat was separated from the ship by reason of a mighty wave which was driven by the wind betwixt the ship and the boat so that they were forced to remain in the ship the sight whereof in short time we lost and never since heard any news of her But I am of opinion that all doubt removed she was swallowed up by Neptunes greedy waves or that crossing overthwart the Sea she perished miserably on the coast of Spain How Bartophamus the Pylot by Treason left Alcida in the Isle Formentaria and Marcelio in the Isle Juique and carried away Clenarde and what ensued PErierio and his sisters listening to Marcelio's discourse he proceeded in this manner Alcida Clenarde and I being in the boat conducted by the industry and diligent painfulnesse of the Marriners we went astray up and down the seas for the space of one whole day and night attending for Death from hour to hour without hope of any remedy not knowing where or in what part of the world we were This notwithstanding the morning next following we perceived that we were very near to land endeavouring to row as near it as we could possibly At the length the two Marriners being very cunning in swimming did not onely leap into the water to swim to the shore but also drew us all to that so long desired land After we were so happily delivered from the danger which furious Neptune threatned us the Marriners fastened their ship-boat to the shore side and knowing the place where we landed told us we were in the Isle of Formentera and wonderfully marvelled that we had run so many miles in so little time But they had such experience of the wonders that fierce tempests are accustomed to do that they were not too much amazed at the course of our navigation Yet howsoever the tempest had driven us we were then assured and out of danger of the menaces wherewith fortune feared us amidst the inexorable waves But we were so gréeved for the losse of Eugerio and Polydor so troubled with wearinesse and so famished with hunger that we had none or little cause to rejoice of the life which we had recovered Neither will I now rehearse what tears Alcida and Clenarde shed because they had lost their father and brother to the end that I may tell you the sorrowful and unhappy successe which I had in that desart and solitary Isle For after that by reason we were arrived in the same I was delivered from the fury of the sea love became such an adversary and enemy unto me that he séemed to be grieved that my life was saved from the pecil of the tempest and that he would torment me with a new and more grievous pain when I thought my self to be in safety For malicious Cupid wounded the heart of the Pylot who was called Bartophamus and rendred him so far in love of the beauty of Clenarde the sister to Alcida that to attain to the point of his intended desires he forgot the law of friendship and fidelity and imagined a strange and wicked treason which he did put in execution Which was such As the two sisters wept and grievously lamented their fathers and brothers miserable death it happened that Alcida overcome with heavinesse and wearinesse she lay down on the sand and fell a sléep Whereupon I began to say to the Pylot friend Bartophamus if we take not some order to provide for victuals and if our ill luck be such that we can find none we may make account we have not saved our lives but rather that we have changed the manner and kind of our death and therefore would I that you and your companion should go to some village or burrough of this Isle which thou may find to fetch meat for us to eat Sir Marcelio answered Bartophamus fortune hath done us pleasure enough in bringing us hither and helping us to arrive at this Isle though it be desart and barren And you must not think that we shall here find any meat to asswage our hunger and remedy our necessity for the country is not inhabited But I will tell you how we may find means to suffer no hunger do you sée yonder litle Isle that lieth right over against us in that Isle there is great quantity of Dear Conies Hares and many other beasts There is also a Hermitage where the Hermite hath good store of bread and meal Therefore I am of this advice that it were good that Clenarde whose dexterity and cunning in shooting is not unknown unto you should passe over to that Isle and carry her bow and arrows which she hath here with her kill some Hart or Doe I and my companion
thereof began to be wonderfully discomforted and thought his pain vainly bestowed séeing that Fortune was blinde and made no discretion of persons but ever wrought by chance bestowing her favours not where she would but where they fell Perierio thus discomforted climing on the top of a hil heard a most swéet and melodious voyce sounding to a harp within a little wood where the high Oâ—kes made a pleasant shadow And drawing néer to the wood he marked that it was the voice of a shepheard who after she had ended her song began thus to complaine of her misfortune No doubt but all the starrs that from the skies send light on the earth have agréed and consented to my mishap and ill fortune neither is there any thing on earth that may yield me any comfort or consolation but love which is subject to fear turneth and converteth my sorrowfull soule into pure ice Ah Fortune how canst thou be so cruel How canst thou forbear to succour a heart so distressed as mine séeing that I am falsly suspected of disloyalty And therefore I must accuse thée Lexander thou art the man whom I must burthen with the cause of all my grief unto thée do I discover and unfold my plaints hard-hearted and cruell Lexander in whom no pitty taketh place For if thou wer'st of my side I would not care though Heaven Earth Love and Fortune were against me and enemies unto me After that she had ended her complaint she fetched a heavy sigh from her heart and therewith wept so bitterly that Perierio might easily perceive that she was in that pittiful and lamentable taking by reason that her husband falsly suspected her to be disloyal and unfaithful so that he entred into the wood and found her sitting upon the grasse in the shade néere to a delectable Fountain which issuing from the top of the hill ran along a great part of the wood in divers places But when she saw Perierio comming neer her though she was something discontented that she was interpelled amidst her passions yet beholding that he seemed by his behaviour to be some Shepheard of great account being most courteously by him greeted saluted him likewise with such modesty that he began to misdoubt whether she were Alcida the promised spouse of Marcelio For he called to mind how that Marcelio had told him and his sisters that Alcida had cloathed her self in the habit of a Shepheard because she might be the harder to be found by him and therefore spake thus unto her Beautiful Shepheard for so your coat bewrayeth though your singular grace make me suspect that your calling is contrary to your colours I shall desire you not to be discomforted though I have troubled you at this time intruding my self into your company for as I have discourteously offended so shall you find me most ready to make amends for my boldnes Gentle shepheard answered she I am so forsaken of al comfort and solace that good company cannot offend me therefore where no fault is committed there is nothing to be misconstred of And to put you out of suspition know that I am a shepheard as wel in vocation as in habit called Iâ—menia and born néer to the Temple of Minerva in the kingdom of Portugal But I pray you what chance hath brought you hither into these Countries or do you by hap dwell hereabout In truth Ismenia quoth Periorio my ill fortune hath brought me hither for I neither dwell here nor ever was in this place before I was born in Italy but with my father and sisters transported to the fields annexed to the river Epla about four or five dayes journey hence I know the place very well quoth Ismenia it is not far from the pasture where fair Euphilia so renowned in all that quarter doth féed her shéep I hear you name my sister quoth Perierio and am glad to have met with one that is not wholly unacquainted with our Family What say you quoth Ismenia In truth unto a woman so distressed as I am being desolate and forsaken of my loving husband nothing could have hapned more wished for then to have met with such honest and vertuous company as it hath pleased the Gods to comfort me withall in directing your self towards these woods And forasmuch as I am in mind to go to the Temple of Diana if your journey ly that way I shall think my self among so many mishaps to have received no small favour of Fortune As for me quoth Perierio where I am I know not nor whether I may go and therefore am induced to think that Fortune beginneth to repent her self of her shrewdnesse in that she hath favoured me with so worthy a guide as your self to lead me forth of my straying errours to some place where I may enquire for directions in my journey And I am most passing glad that you go towards the Temple of Diana of the sumptuousnesse whereof I have heard such famous relation among the Shepheards in the Village néer my fathers Farme that I have a long time been moved with great desire to see the same And therefore fair Shepheard take which way you will and Perierio will follow you Ismenia glad that this Shepheard was in her company began to march hoping before Phoebus should attain to his Western home that they should reach to a Farme where she thought that they might be lodged that night But to shun tediousnesse in their wearisome journey Perierio desired her to recount and declare the cause of her griefe unto him Ismenia answered that although the memory thereof could not but pierce her heart with the prick of exceeding sorrow yet notwithstanding because he desired whom she could not say nay she was content to make a pastime of her misery And thus in this ensuing Chapter began the History of her Tragedy CHAP. XI How Lexander was enamoured on Ismenia and how he was crost in his love by his father Filene IN our Village dwelled a certain Farmer that had a comely youth to his son in beauty passing all the Shepheards thereabout being called Alanio who féeding his shéep in a pasture ground not far from ours used sometimes to come to me and keep me company sitting in the shadow by me and telling of tales or passing over the time with some other kind of honest recreation whereby at last grew such a familiar acquaintance betwixt us that love joyning our hearts together we were not well while we were separated the one from the others company To be short he loved me and was loved of me There was in the same Village a fair beautiful Shepheardesse called Selvagia who for her beauty might be compared with Venus in the valley before Parys when she won the golden Apple Of which Shepheard my Alanio became enamoured wherupon I to be revenged on him fained to favour Lexander his deadly enemy Which fained love of mine at length by reason of the acquaintance that grew between us changed into such pure
and true love that by reason thereof I am fallen into the misery in which I now finde my selfe at this present Now continuing the history of my life you shall know that Lexanders father called Filene sometimes frequented my fathers house by reason of certain businesse that my father and he had betwéen them concerning Oxen and Kyne and séeing me although he was something old yet he fell in love with me and that so greatly that he became foolish mad and frantick He became so importunate unto me and troubling me above a thousand times daily declared me his passions grief but all could not help For I would never give eare to his prattle nor mark what he said and though he had been much younger or lesse aged and by many parts more perfect then he was yet for him could I not have forgotten his son Lexander who had so won my heart that I had wholly given him the possession thereof The old man knew not what friendship was between his son and me for Lexander was so obeysant and dutifull that he behaved himself secretly in wooing me least his father knowing thereof should have rebuked him and have occasion to be angry with him And in like manner was Lexander altogether ignorant of his fathers folly who because he should not give his son example of lightnesse took all the regard he might to his love from him Neverthelesse the foolish cocks-comb ceased not to molest me with importunate requests to take him to my husband He made me wonderful large proffers he promised to give me many cloathes and jewels and he sent me many Letters hoping thereby to change my mind In his time he had been a Shepheard most excellently qualified eloquent in spéech and witty which you may easily gather by a Letter which he wrote me as I yet remember Filene to Ismenia FAir Shepheard love is cause of all such fault as I can commit in writing unto hoping that I have not commited any in loving you And if perhaps my Letter be troublesome unto you believe certainly that I already fear the answer you will make I have a thousand times signified and declared unto you what affection I bear you and in recompence thereof you take pleasure in mocking me You openly laugh at me to see me like to dye for love of you but as for me I am glad to see you laugh though it be to my ruine and destruction For when I remember and think of my evil and see that you take pleasure therein rejoycing at my misery I perceive that you will not remedy my grief insomuch that it were an exceeding folly for me to regard your mocking seeing that my life and death consisteth in you to dispose of me as you please If you ask why I should love you I answer because I am forced and cannot but love you insomuch that though I might live and not love you yet I had rather to dye then so to live for when I remember your graces and perfections I cannot but judge them happier that die for love of you then those that can behold you without admiring your exceeding vertues for I cannot be perswaded that a man may die more happily then he who loseth his life by reason of such heavenly beauty as yours which hath so pierced my breast that I am not mine own but yours for as soon as I saw you I began to love and to pine for grief And if you say that I am to be blamed because I am amourous and yet old in that respect I sue for remedy unto you seeing that I have not so greatly offended in loving you as in knowing you so late For I acknowledge that I am old and I am not a little grieved that this my pain is not as ancient as the course of my age and I am sorry that I might not have loved you from the first day that I was born as well as since the first hour that I saw you certifying you that this love shall dure and continue till death Marvel not sweet to see me grey and wrinkled and though you surpass me in valour yet I think it but small reason that a man should lose his pay and salary under this colour that he is an old Souldier The new built houses are not comparable to the ancient buildings of Rome and commonly all men alwayes say that among all things the old is the best Love would not untill this present time make me feel the pinching pain of amorous passions because he well knew that affection was more firm and fancy less fickle in an old man as I am then in tender age where every look is love and every face a new fancy I am firm and constant to love you for ever and old never to be loved as long as I live Young men that say they love are double and subtle they fain but not fancy their forehead is marked with Venus badge but their heart never felt Cupids shaft And when they plead for mercy alledging that they dye for love then are they less subject to passion most free from fancy Their changeable affection is assured liberty their passion pastime their love a custome and not a pain Think not sweet that I am like the amourous youth who having received a favour of his mistress vaunteth and boasteth thereof to all the world for though I had received ten thousand I should be as constant and firme in keeping them secret But as I see you disposed and bent to work my death I fear that I shall endure much torment and have occasion to say little and brag less yet the chiefest favour whereof I may boast is to die for the love of Ismenia With what great reason may I find fault with the time considering that I who love you most am least esteemed But alas I loved you too late and seeing I was not born at the same time that you were it is reason that I should dye for love of you Ah fair Shepheardess had my Fortune been such that I might have been of your time I had had that which had been sufficient to win your love and to deserve favour of you for though it becommeth no man to blaze his owne praises yet affection forceth me to say that among all the young men of our time none might compare with me at dancing leaping foot-ball hand-ball bowle bow cithren pipe flute and all such kinds of exercise wherewith our Countrey youths recreate themselves and win the hearts of their mistresses But ah cruell chance what serveth either that which is or that which hath been unto him poor wretch that is buried in the bowels of forgetfulness because he is neer unto his death In the mean time may it please you to consider by that which I have said that the glory of your perfection which at this present maketh you famous to all the countrey shall finally fade as the pride of the sweet violet decaieth with the
fall of the Sommer Now you are hard as a rock and cruel but when you shall be overtaken with age then shall you want the liberty and force wherewith now you disdain me For this is the revenge which love taketh of you that he then bringeth you into deadly pain and torments when hope beginneth to fail you Filene sent me this Letter and many more with other Songs and Sonnets wherewith if I had bin as greatly moved as contented and delighted he had Iudged himself happy and had been ill wedded but it was impossible to finde any where means whereby the picture and image of my beloved Lexander might be rased out of my heart For he so pleased me and was so constant and perfect in love that his wil and mine was but one will his word and mine one word and his heart and mine one heart Never did he perform less in deed then in word he promised His doings were alwaies correspondent to his sayings And as for me what Lexander liked I could not mislike and whatsoever displeased him was horrible to Ismenia In this pleasant life and sweet concord having passed certain years we purposed to confirm and establish our content and to signe our wished desire with the seale of honest and chaste marriage And although Lexander before he would take me to his wife intended to speak unto his father first and to ask his consent as it beséemed an obedient son to do yet when I had advertised him how that his father would not be willing to agrée unto that match by reason of the foolish desire he had himself to take me in marriage he estéeming more of his own content and the estate of his own life then of his due obeysance towards his father concealed the matter So that this unfortunate marriage was made with the consent and good will of my father at whose house the wedding was kept where there was such feasts games sports and pastimes held in respect of our marriage that it was spoken of in all the Boroughs and Villages thereabout When the amorous old man knew that his own son had deprived him of his love he became so furious against Lexander and me that he hated us both and abhorred us worse then death it self in such manner that he would never after sée us or come néer us On the other side a certain shepheardess of the same vilage called Felisarde who so fancied Lexander that she almost fell mad for love of him who made no account of her by reason that he loved me so well and because she was an elderly Maid and nothing well complexioned séeing that he whom she so dearly loved had wedded me almost fell into dispair In so much that our marriage bred us two deadly enemies The angry old man to have occasion to disinherit his son determined to marry some fair young woman by whom he might have children but though he was excéeding rich yet all the shepheards of our country disdained to be married unto him except Felisarde onely who to have opportunity to allure my husband to her unlawfull and dishonest lust for she had not as yet forgotten the love of Lexander willingly took old Filene to her husband She had not long time béen married but she began to practise meanes to gain the love of my husband and for that intent she sent a Maid that served her called Sylveria unto Lexander to tell him that if he would grant her her will she would obtain pardon for him from his father and besides she would do him much pleasure and shew him great favour but she could never corrupt him with all her large proffers and fair promises to consent to her wicked wil wherefore she considering that she was so despised and so little regarded of Lexander began mortally to hate him and endevoured continually to move her husband more and more to indignation against his son Neither was she content with that but determined also to practise a strange and villanous treason against us both for she had in such a maner won the heart of Sylveria her maid by reason of her flattering promises and other favours which she had done her that she was ready to do whatsoever she would have her although it had been against Lexander whom she respected for the time that she had served in his fathers house So that they secretly consulted among themselves how they might be revenged of me and at the hour appointed for the execution thereof Sylveria went forth of the Village and comming to a certain Gréen néere the River where Lexander used to féed his shéep she stepped unto him and with a troubled countenance as if she had some matter of great importance to tell him spake unto him in this maner Ah Lexander how well and prudently have you done in eschuing the love of your wicked mother in law unto which although I sometimes encited you yet know that I did so by reason of her importunate requests but now I know how the matter standeth she shall not be able any more to make me the messenger of her dishonesties I am acquainted with some of her secrets that concern her nearly and are such that if you knew them although your father be so cruell unto you yet would you not leave to hazard your life for his honour I will not say any more because I know you to be so wise and indued with such discretion that it shall not be necessary for me to use many words and reasons in your behalf Lexander being astonished to hear her talk in this order misdoubted some dishonesty of his step-mother But to know the truth and to be throughly informed he desired Sylveria openly to shew him all the matter and to let him hear what it was that she knew of Fehsarde her mistresse At first she would be prayed séeming to be unwilling to disclose a matter so secret but at length she declaring that unto Lexander which he demanded of her and which she so greatly desired to tell him stuffed him with a lie most notably well forged and contrived Saying and considering that it is a matter of great weight both unto your self and your father Filene in like manner to know that which I know I will most plainly declare it unto you assuring my self that you will not let any man know how that I have discovered this secret unto you You shall understand that your mother in law Felisarde hath purposed to defile your fathers bed with a certain shepheard whose name I will not tell you séeing it lyeth in you to know him if you please for if you will come this evening and enter into that place where I will lead you you shall finde the Traitress with the Adulterer in your fathers house for they have so appointed it because that Filene your father doth this night lye abroad and doth not returne till to morrow about midday by reason of certain affaires moving him thereto Therefore prepare your self
if you will follow my counsaile and about eleven of the clock at night come unto me to our house where I will bring you to the place where you may easily do that which you shall think convenient for the honor and credit of your father and by meanes whereof you may also be reconciled unto him Sylveria said all this dissembling so cunningly that Lexander resolved to put himself in danger to be revenged of him that thought so fouly to dishonour his father And thus the traitress Sylveria glad that she had deceived my husband by the counsel of Felisarde returned home to let Felisarde know the effect of her talk with Lexander and what he appointed to do CHAP. IX How Lexander through the treachery of Felisarde and Sylveria would have slain his father and what ensued thereon THe obscure night had not so soon vayled the aire with the curtain of darkness but Lexander comming to the Village and taking a dagger which he had gotten by the decease of his Vncle Palemon went just at eleven of the clock at night to his fathers house where Sylveria expected him according as they had ordained Where was ever such treason seen Or where such malice thought She took him by the innocent hand and ascending the staires as softly as they might she led him to the chamber doore where Filene his father lay with Felisarde asleep when she had brought him there she said Lo Lexander now are you in place where you ought to have your heart and hand required in such a case Enter into this chamber and ther◠you shal finde your step-mother in bed with the adulterer With that she got away and retired as swift as she could Lexander being deceived by that dissembling traitress gave faith to her words and incouraging himself drew his Punyard and having thrust open the doore with his foot entered into the Chamber like a furious man and being inraged with a loud voyce uttered these words Traytor I will presently make thée dye the loves of Felisarde shall but little availe thée nay they shall be the cause of thy death and ruine And so saying altogether enraged and not knowing who was in bed with Felisarde his stepmother lifted up his hand to clap his weapon into his fathers brest but as Fortune would have it old Filene knew his son by reason of the light which was in the chamber and thinking that Lexander purposely came to kill him because he had so ill used him both in word and déed sate upright in his bed and crossing his arms spake thus unto Lexander Ah my son what cruelty moveth thee to become the butcher of thy natural father Call your judgement and enter into your wits again and seek not to shed my blood or tearm my life with so tragical an end For if I have been something rigorous unto you and unnaturally dealt with you being my son I crave pardon intending to become most favourable unto you ever hereafter When Lexander perceived the treason of Sylveria which had almost been cause that he had slain his own father he fell into such an extasie that his force failed him and his dagger fell out of his hand without his knowledge for he was so amazed of the treason which he had committed against his father had not God provided the contrary that he could not feel his weapon drop out of his hand but altogether troubled and confounded like a man that was bereft of all his sences went presently out of the chamber and out of his house Felisarde knowing what should chance that night watched for the comming of Lexander who was no sooner entred in the chamber but she leaping out of her bed fled into a more inward and back room where barring up the door she fréed and exempted her self from the fury and anger of Lexander But when she saw that he was departed and by reason thereof she out of danger returning to her bed where Filene lay trembling at the peril which he had so wonderfully escaped she began to stir up her husband against Lexander his son exclaiming in this manner O Filene now may you sée what a son you have and know that to be most true which I so often have admonished you concerning his evil nature and inclination O cruel Lexander O traytor Lexander how commeth it to passe that Heaven doth not confound thée why doth not the earth open and swallow thée up into her bowels why do not the brute beasts tear thée to pieces and why do not all men persecute thee and punish thee according to thy heinous actions Accursed be thy mariage accursed be thy disobeisance accursed be thy loves and accursed be thy Ismenia séeing that she hath inticed thée to execute such a cruel act and abhominable déed Ah Traitor thou hast not chastised the shepheard Alanio who unto thy great dishonour and shame hath dishonestly haunted and entertained thy wife Ismenia whom she loveth better then thy self and yet thou wouldest kill massacre thy owne father who alwayes hath made great account of thy life honor and credit Ah unhappy father Ah unfortunate old man what fault hast thou committed so great as to be slain and murthered by thy son by him whom thou hast engendred whom thou hast brought up and nourished And for whom thou hast suffered a thousand troubles Now therfore take heart cease henceforth to bear him any more love or affection commit him to the rigor of the law that he may be punished as he hath deserved for if he that hath committed so execrable an offence escape due punishment every disobedient child will be emboldened and unfearful and thine at length will in good earnest lay hands on thée to shorten the course of thy odious life Sorrowful and troubled Filene altogether amazed and fearful hearing his wives voyce and weighing the horrible treason which his son had thought to commit upon his person became so angry that taking up the dagger which Lexander as I told you had let fall out of his hand went forth as soon as the day appeared to assemble the Iustices of peace and chiefest of the Village together in the criminal Court where he with aboundance of teares flowing out of his eyes spake unto them in this manner I call God to witnesse most excellent shepheards that I am so grieved with that which I am to declare unto you that I greatly fear lest my spirit and breath faile me before I have opened the matter unto you Especially séeing it is such that I may be estéemed most cruel in that I publikely complain of my son expounding his misdeeds and wickednes unto you which being so strange that I know not how it may be accordingly punished and chastised I beseech you to see what is convenient to be done in this case to prescribe him such and so just a punishment that other children may thereby take a manifest example how to behave themselvs towards their parents Ye know very well that
I have nourished him carefully and maintained him as a father ought to do brought him up painfuly taught him and instructed him and what trouble paines and labour I have had with him what counsel I continually have given him and how mildly I have rebuked and chastised him in his youth Now is he sorely against my will married to the Shepheardess Ismenia and because I have rebuked him therefore instead of revenging himielf on the shepheard Alanio who shamefully entertaineth as all the Village knoweth the said Ismenia his wife he hath turned his rage against me intending to murder me He found meanes the last night to enter into my house yea into my bed-chamber where I lay and slept with my wife Felisarde and there with this ponyard would have slain me and verily had dispatched me if God of his grace had not taken his force from him in such sort that he could not hold the dagger in his hand but was constrained to let it fall and so confounded and bereft of his sences departed without executing his damnable enterprise And this is it that I had to say thus is the matter verily passed as my beloved spouse can better inform you But for as much as I certainly know that my son Lexander had not taken upon him to commit such an horrible treason against me his father unlesse he had been counselled and provoked thereto by the inticements and allurements of his wife Ismenia I beseech you to perpend and weigh what ought herein to be done to the end that my son may be punished for his offence and false Ismenia also as well for the counsel which she hath given unto her husband as for her lightnesse and dishonest love towards Alanio Filene had scarce ended his tale but the people began to murmure and make such a noyse that it séemed that the whole Village should have presently sunck in the ground in so much that the hearts of all the Shepheards were troubled and all conceived generally mortal hatred against Lexander Some said that it was pitty he should live till Phoebus had reached to his Meridian seat others said that he ought to be cast into the River others that it was pitty if he were not burned quick and others that he ought to be committed to the mercy of the cruel and savage beasts finally there was no one person that was not stirred up against him Besides they did likewise all marvel of that which Filene falsly alleaged concerning my life but they were neverthelesse all of them so amazed at the fact Lexander that they did not greatly hearken to the accusation and impeachment which Filene most falsly by reason of Felisarde his wives deceitful spéech had made against me When Lexander had heard what his father had deposed against him in the Court of criminal cause in the presence of the Iustices and audience of all the people he was wonderfully grieved besides when he understood what his father had said against me he conceived such excéeding sorrow that it passeth my ability to express the same And thence commeth all my grief thence took my evil it offspring that was the cause and beginning of all my labours travel pain and sorrowes For my dear husband Lexander remembring that in times past I did love was loved of Alanio and that love forgotten and dead oftentimes may be renewed and revived again because he saw that the Shepheard Alanio whom I could not abide to sée whom I abhorred for Lexanders sake was yet amourous of me daily shewing me such curtesies and importunate cherishments he thought verily and perswaded himself that all was most certain and true which his father had spoken of me in the face of the world In such maner that he dispairing as well for the treason committed unto him by Traitress Sylveria as for the suspition which he conceived of me departed incontinently from the village since which time he was never séen there nor any news brought what is become of him And as I knew that he was departed and the cause wherefore by report of certain shepheards his friends unto whom he had rehearsed the whole matter I likewise left the village to séek him and intend not to rest any where untill I find my sweat spouse to the end that I may excuse and clear my self unto him of that fault which is falsly imputed to me and which he suspecteth to be most true It is long since I have wandred up and down through the world to seek my husband and although I have sought him and inquired for him in most places and especially all the chiefest and principall farmes houses villages and boroughs of the country yet can I not hear any thing of him The best adventure that I have had in this my endlesse voyage was that two days after I departed from our village in a certain valley I met the traitresse Sylveria who having heard of the voluntary exile and banishment of my husband Lexander went after him to discover her treason unto him repenting that she had so highly offended him But she had not as yet found him and as soon as she saw me she approached near me and falling fiâ—t on her face cried me mercy and at my will rising she opened the whole matter vnto me Whereof I was not a little glad thereby understanding how that abhominable treason was practised against us And although I was but a weak woman yet I could have unlaced the traitresse members and teared her to piece-meal with mine own hands yet I withheld my self because she onely could remedy my harm by reporting her own mischief I willed her diligently to seek my beloved Lexander and to give him notice how all the matter was passed and therewith on the sudden I left her going one way and I came anut her to the end that either of us might find him Thus gentle shepheard have you heard the plain and true rehearsall of all my miseries and calamities And for as much as Phoebus is not yet drowsie or sleepy nor like to reach to his Western bed so soon if in like manner you as I have done will take pleasure in reporting the cause and off-spring of your wandring errors I doubt not but we shall reach to the place where I hope we shall rest this night by that time that you have added the canclusion to your narration Alas quoth Perierio the conclusion must néeds follow quickly where the narration is sooner ended then begun For all the speciallity that I can use in declaring the cause of my misery is this generall rule that I know that I am most miserable For I love but whom I know not and that is all I can say concerning my self Perierio hod scarce ended his words but Ismenia made sign that he should hearken to a certain voice which she thought to Have heard in the woods for there was a Gentlewoman in the habit of a shepheard not far from the place where they
small gift of the King and of me although his newes was so evil because he told us that he saw the Prince fléeting up and downe the waves upon one of the ship-hatches hoping that he was somewhere cast on land though perhaps so far that he could not so soon return home to Albion I will not hear make mention what a living death or dying life I poor wretch led all the while that Periander was absent sometimes perswading my self that he was dead and sometimes hoping to see him and injoy his presence but this I will leave to your discretion loving shepheards and passe on forwards in the declaration of this lamentable history You shall therefore know that after Barsalis had been six moneths at home the Admirals son returned to his fathers house attired like a ship slave and told us such a tale of his wonderfull adventure how he was cast on the shore side with his mast-piece and how he fared on the land that not the Court onely but all the Country also admired at his hard fortune But concerning the Prince he could tell no more then the other traitor had done yet to give a colour of likelihood he agreed to the same report which the Villain Barsalis had made And though my hope was small yet I took the greater courage because sir Massicour◠that Arch-traitor had escaped such dangers and troubles as he made us beleeve And howsoever my young heart strived against sorrow and grief yet the Queen being old and weak of nature consumed for very grief and dyed Who being buried and intombed what mourning what grief and what sorrow was made not in the Court onely but generally over all the Countrey I am not able to expresse And as for my selfe though I was very sorry for her death yet was the grief and pain which I suffered for the absence of Periander so great and excéeding that I could scarce think up-any other thing and therefore the sooner forgate the death of the Quéen CHAP. XV. How the traitor Massicourt slew himself because he could not obtain the love of fair Brisilla also how the King was enamoured on her BY this time began the traitor Massicourt to make love unto me and to cast such passionate looks upon me at all times that he passed by me or came into the place where I was that I could not chuse but perceive that he was becom darling to Venus by the forcing dart of her Son Cupid and that he suffered great pain for my sake I was sorry for his case because he was a most gallant Gentleman excéeding both in perfection of body and readines of wit but yet my hart was so fixed on Periander that although I had certainly known that he was dead yet could I not have forgotten him to love any other Yet howsoever I was affected Massicourt found meanes to enter into the Orchard I being there alone and emboldned himself so far that he came unto me gréeted me and with all humility by word of mouth declared what torment he suffered for love of me desiring me to be merciful unto him Whereunto I answered that I could shew him mercy in pittying his case and exhorting him to change his mind but other mercy I could not shew him and so I flung into the Palace and left him among the trées which might have been witnesses of the teares he shead Yet he gave not over the field for all he had had but ill successe at the first assault and purposed to send me a Letter hoping that ink and paper would do more then his bare words had done Especially because he being passionate was not able in my presence to expresse his mind neither would I hearken unto his speech Insomuch that he thinking that I could not do lesse then read all whatsoever he wrote though I could not give ear to his sayings dispatched a Letter and conveyed it into my hands as secretly as he could which letter was written to such an end Massicourt to the Dutchess Brisil PArdon me gracious Lady if I am troublesome unto your grace for I am forced by that Lord whom I must obey The sum of my desire is to please your grace and my chiefest felicity consisteth in your content therefore think not Lady that I would willingly molest you My humble Petition is that it may please your grace to weigh the torment grief and pain which I suffer which if your gracious mercy do not slacken is like to seal my love with death and to give the world cause to accuse your grace of cruelty Mercy Madam is an ornament to Ladies of high estate I wish not that you should forget the Prince Periander but to admit me as copartner and pertaker of your grief Neither do I crave that your grace should not love Periander whether he be dead or yet live but give me leave to love you and to accept of my love as a comfort to asswage the sorrow you suffer for Periander Farewell When I had read this Letter I could not but be angry for it grieved me that he went about to withdraw me from the love of Periander though he séemed to wish the contrary For how could I have loved him and not forget Periander how could I have been merry with him and mourn for Periander and how could I laugh with him and wéep for Periander wherefore incontinently I wrote him this answer Brisilla to Sir Massicourt YOur conscience urged you Sir Massicourt to crave pardon in the beginning of your letter foreknowing your offence But your excuse is for that you are constrained by him whom you must obey Cupid you mean I am sute but how shamefull it is that a Knight should so bewray his pusilanimity and faintnesse of courage I leave to your own consideration And to let you understand furthermore that if your desire be to please me and therefore far from undertaking any thing that may trouble me you shall obtein your wish and enjoy true felicity which you affirm to consist in my content if you molest me with neither letter nor speech to love you For in so doing you shall bind me to acknowledge that you have done me a singular pleasure You know that I have already told you that I am sorry for your torment and passion though I may not be your Physitian Neither do I think the world so mad as to judge me cruell if your folly cause you to die Though it be a common and usual custom unto all your sex to talk of the mate befor you have the check You can teach me that mercy beseemeth maids but you forget in the mean time that Knights ought not to be unmerciful as to seek the overthrow of our honesty and to spoil us of our honour Have not I given faith to love Periander and shal I not incur foul shame and dishonor if contrary to my promise I love you but would you have me use your love as a pastime to forget the dolor
no traitor known till clad in clay This Gibbet here was set it to bewray For the King was terribly enraged when he had heard this strange kind of treason which was the cause that now he loved her whom he had wedded to his son and hated him whom he was by Nature bound to love For lest Periander should return into Albion and marry with me whom he would have to be his wife the King forgetting both the law of Nature and Honesty wrote unto the King of Spain that his Son Periander was guilty of treason against his own person being his Father and therefore desired him upon all friendship and the alliance that had a long time béen between the Kingdomes of Spain and Albion to keep his son close prisoner and to let him be used as hardly as any of all the other Captives which were in his Kingdome or Domions When I had heard what answer the King had returned by the Embassadors of Spain my heart was ready to burst And I was minded divers times to dispatch my self with one of my garters thinking that by my death I should deliver Periander from imprisonment and move the Kings mind to use his son as he ought to do But I know not how I was always so falsly allured with hope that I continually abstained from shortening my life and thereby prolonged my misery You shall therefore understand that I got one of the Embassadors Pages to carry a Letter from me unto Periander and to deliver it secretly into his own hands which the youth promised that he would accomplish though it should cost him his life and to reward his readinesse and to make him the willinger and carefuller to discharge his duty I gave him twentie crowns to drink The Letter was written to this effect Brisilla to the Prince Periander SWeet Periander the joy which poor Brisil conceived when she heard of her Periander was too great to be of long continuance and even as the herb that groweth and fadeth in one hour so the mirth that possessed my soul was in a moment expelled and banished You accused the Pylot Barsalis but you might rather have cursed the traytor Massicourt as the chief cause and first beginning of all our sorrows for the furious love hypocriticaf friendship and malitious policie of that unhappie Knight hath wrought first his own ruine and therewith our adversitie How miserable and unhappy art thou Periander that thy own natural father hateth thee How unfortunate that thy parent conspireth against thee And how unluckie that he who ought to be thy chief friend is become thy enemy Nay rather how wretched is distressed Brisil that unhappie Periander must be thus miserable unfortunate and unluckie for her sake Ah Periander could my captivity set thee at liberty how pleasantly and how willingly should the world see me run to the Prison and yeeld my leg to the Stocks or Iron Gyves Nay might the dearest bloud that succoureth my faithful heart purchase thy ransome from imprisonment and obtain thee thy souls desire how soon should my breast offer it self to my knife to be set a broach and to have a passage made into the inmost part thereof But no the Gods and fortune envy at me too greatly to suffer me to injoy so great happinesse If no man can or dare tel you the cause of your fathers suddain wrath against you know that I have found means to rid you of that doubt and to let you understand that accursed Brisil is the occasion thereof though she had rather die then live to see thee wronged The King thy father will be married to Brisil and therefore must Periander be banished which is more imprisoned among strangers far from home But assure thy self Periander that I will rather die then undo that which is knitted with my faith and bound with my honor If you can patiently endure your imprisonment perswade your self that I will couragiously abide my martyrdome Which for that as it cannot but be the crown of mine honour so also is like to be the cause of my releasement I wish that it may happen with all speed That Brisil being lifeless and forgotten Periander may be reconciled to his father return to his country and injoy his pleasure untill the decease of the King then to be crowned with the glorious title of King of Albion And thus faithfull Brisil biddeth thee farewell lamenting nothing so much as that she was not in the galley by you to row for you and bear all the travel that you by reason of her were constrained to suffer among them unnaturall Moors and galley slaves Adieu Thine and therefore thy self miserable Brisilla This Letter I had no sooner delivered to the Page but Embassadours departed from the Court having taken their leave of the King and embarked themselves the next day after to return into Spain When they were gone the King sent for me and asked me whether I was not yet resolved to love him séeing he hated his own son for love of me Whereunto I answered that if his Majesty loved me indéed he would likewise love his son séeing that I loved none but his son nor could not love any other as long as I lived But to be short and as little tedious loving shepheards as I possibly may after we had reasoned and argued together the space of a full hour he in protesting how intirely he loved me and that he could not live unless he enjoyed Brisil as his Quéen and I in defending that I might not love him nor live if I break my promise made to his son in his presence and by his consent at length he burst out into these raging words Proud Brisil and ungrateful Duches thou despisest the high offers of a King and contemnest the love of a Monarch that governeth a whole Kingdome And thinkest thou not that I cannot command thée séeing an huge people is ruled by me I promise thee that I will teach thee not to say nay when I demand and to be ready to grant when I request Therefore know that thou shalt be married unto me wilt thou or wilt thou not and the Marriage day shall be the ninth day after to morrow See then that thou prepare thy self against that day to condescend to my pleasure lest thou wilt rue thy stubborn hardneckedness And with that he turned from me into the next chamber and left me poor distressed wight ready to yield up the ghost at the sound of his conclusion But snatching hope by the subject I thought either the Kings minde might before the appointed day be altered or fit opportunity offered me to escape his tyranny by flight But neither I could in time get away nor the King had forgotten his intent But the day which he had appointed for the Wedding being come and all things in a readinesse sent for me I although I did not well know what to do yet râ—sting upon this point rather to die then to forsake Periander and
Therefore least if his father the King of Albion should upon my flight send new Embassadors to the King of Spain to have his son put to death for he divers times swore unto me that Periander should die if he any way hindered his marriage with me or brought Albion to be dealt withall not according to fatherly affection but his mercilesse rage we thought best not to expect the worst but to play safe as long as time and occasion was offered us To make few words Periander the next morning by break of day got out of the prison telling the Iaylor that he went to a place where Florina had appointed him to méet her and coming to the hous where I waited for him she presently departed from Sivil intending to trabel towards some solitary place where we might live untill we heard of the death of the King of Albion And because we should not be known if search were made after us we cloathed our selves both alike in the habite of country maids as if we had been two sisters CHAP. XVII How the Prince Periander and Brisilla became shepheards and how by the means of Malorena and Bergama the Prince departed from Brisill AT length travelling thus together we arrived to a certain village which is called Ezla where we purposed to keep our residence And although we had sufficient wherewithto maintain our selves yet the better to avoid suspition and to have wherein to imploy our leisure and to take our delight and pastimes we bought a flock of sheep and learned to play the shepheards as wel as we could none of al the inhabitants knowing but that we were two sisters For Periander was yet but young and had no beard and besides he was so fair of complexion that it had been impossible for one to suspect that he was no woman After we had passed over one moneth in that haven of content and passing pleasant kind of life I enjoying the presence of my Periander and he of his Brisil in spight of the world fortunâ— began to envy at our felicity and to evert the happy estate wherein we lived For it chanced that we being both at the feast which was celebrated in honour of the Goddesse Ceres there was a young shepheard being son unto one of the richest farmers in our village who casting his eys on Sybilla for so I named Periander who was thought to be my sister was fetttered in the snare of his beauty that we were so troubled with importunate requests and sutes of this youth that we wist not how to dehort him from folly or how to quench the burning flames which consumed the poor shepheards hearâ— For the crueller Sybilla my supposed sister seemed to be the more he was provoked to hope for mercy the colder she shewed her self to be the hotter he was the more she disdained the more earnest he sued the more she crossed him for his fondnes the more he hoped for kindnesse Insomuch that poor Petulca for so was that wretched shepheard called so miserably loved that all the Countrey knew by his colour what Captain he honoured and served His joy and welfare which was wont to recreate the whole company of the Inhabitants was changed into Melancholy His young face which was a fashion of Modesty Grace Mirth Beauty and Comliness waxed wrinkled his limbes weakened and all his body decayed So that as he was generally pittied of all men so were we most wofully grieved at his hard Fortune though wée could not help or remedy the same Nevertheless séeing that Petulca ceased not from his suit but so hotly followed his cause pleading for mercy to save his life I counselled Periander to fain as if he loved him hoping that we might by that devise and meane escape the ill will and anger which we were like to gain of all our Neighbours if the youth had died For his passion was such that nothing but death only could move him to leave his love Thus Petulca loving a young Prince in the habit of a lovely shepheard and perceiving that he had won the Fort which he had so fiercly assaulted revived again and in short time became as pert as trim as ever he had been He came twice or thrice in the week unto us and so pleasantly discoursed of divers matters as occasion offered that we could not have changed the recreation which he had by his honest company and merry conversation for the richest jewell of India As he had lived in this contented and pleasant manner one month it happened that the daughter of a shepheard called Petrueco dwelling in the next Farm to our cotage was fo intricated in the net of affection and so intangled in the beauty of Petulca that she allured him by continuall favours loving glaunces curteous gréetings pleasant spéeches and all means she could invent to gain his good will and to move him to love her but all the world was not able to alter his minde though we wished that he might have béen inticed by her deserts to repent of his first bargain At length when Malorena so was this unhappy shepheard named espied that Petulca was so ungratefull that he would not any way requite her curtesies with favour she began most deadly to hate my sister I mean Periander supposing her to be the cause of all her wo For as she knew Petulca was in love of my said sister so she thought that he was as well liked of her which induced her to be perswaded that we of purpose entertaind him the more kindly to hinder her matter whereas contrarily when we knew that she so dearly affectioned him we made less account of him hoping that he wearied with our coynesse might have lent his eare to his new Mistresse that honoured him so highly Yet howsoever we wisht her well and longed that she might enjoy her hearts desire she nevertheless being of contrary opinion became our mortall foe If she chanced to passe by us she did cast such a lowring look upon us as if she would have eaten us if she had lighted at unawares in the company where we were she thought her self the worse if she spake of us to others she belyed us and invented tales to defame and discredit us Yet all this served not but intending fully to revenge her self of the injury which she dreamed that we offered her she excogitated this stratagem There was in the same Village a beautiful young Mâ—id Neece to this Malorena who by reason that she kept her sheep in the next pasture to ours kept great company with us and became very familiar and friendly unto us Which her Neece Malorena espying thought to use her as the instrument of her supposed practises Therefore on a certain morning she sent for her made such a sugred spéech unto her declaring the occasion why she sent for her the estate of her love towards Petulca the love of Petulca towards Sybilla alias Periander and briefly all that concerned this matter
wood where séeing himself out of the troublesom Forrest was grieved that he had lost Pharelus in that sort before he had resolved whether he would reveale himself unto him or no but yet remembring that Pharelus said he meant to be at Leon within six days he was the gladder séeing wher he knew to find him if he concluded to return with him to Albion Insomuch that sitting down on a bank by the wood side began in this manner Ah unfortunate Periander now mayst thou well perceive that Fortune hath sworn to be thy enemy for ever For hath she not first suborned the Traytor Massicourt to work thy misery and so laid the foundation of all thy troubles He being cut off and his villany detected hath she not armed thy owne natural Father against thâ—e and stirred him up to wrong thée of thy right And now the Gods being incensed and provoked to wrath by such impiety have by their vengeance moved him to repent Hath she not battered the Fort which I ne'r thought she should have béen able to incorporâ—te Ah Brisil Brisil never did I think that Fortune should have triumphed of her victories in making conquest of the néerest thing that touched my heart and that she should have braved me with the trophies of thy disloyalty Ah how often was I wont to say unto Fortune when she threatned me to deprive me of honour living renown yea life â—nd all that none of all that was mine thinking that I might claime nothing properly to be mine but lost thy love faith and loyalty not caring to lose the whole world so I might enjoy thee whom I thought that neither alteration of time nor distance of place nor mutation of manners nor change of estate nor any thing whatsoever either hell or fortune might procure could have withdrawn from Periander In her was my mind fixed my hope planted and all my confidence seated séeing therefore that fortune hath béen able to make conquest of her I am constrained to confesse and acknowledge that she can do what she will and that we may not resist her pleasure Insomuch that I strive against the stream and cast stones against the wind in opposing my self against fortune seeing she hath vowed my utter ruine and will bring her will to passe The ashes of the old Phoenix bréedeth the new and with me the end of one misfortune is the beginning of another How can I then hope ever to injoy content seeing I never had happy hour if fortune looketh on me she lowreth if she turneth her face from me she threatneth me if she remember me she is inraged at me and if she smileth she flattereth whether dissembling to wreak her anger and ingraft her spight against me whom she could never brook Yet Periander how canst thou so greatly complain of her séeing that she so favoureth thée that thy father who was thy foe is now becomes thy friend thou that wert but a Kings son art now when thou wilt a King and where thou didst live in imprisonment in exile and misery maist now live in Court in liberty and in all the pleasure of the world No no fond fool fortune doth not this but the just Gods and if she be any cause of it she doth it onely thereby to entice me to become as disloyall as Brisil and so wholly to vanquish and overcome me But no though I have acknowledged her to be never so puissant yet she shall not make conquest of my fidelity nor brag of my disloyalty séeeing I will not nor may give over the love of Brisil and thought she neglect and hate me yet will I love and honour her till death After Periander had thus lamented the losse of the love of Brisil he determined to go to the City Leon to méet with Sir Pharelus and with him to return to Albion intending to live there and enjoy his Fathers Crown but never to love any but Brisil or to knit himselfe in marriage to any other And resolved to take his journey by the same village where he left Brisil meaning to speak with Malorena and to leave a Letter with her for Brisil as he had done before in which Letter he purposed to let Brisil know of all that which he had learned of Pharelus wohm he found and lost in the wood He intended also to write a Letter to Petulca and to let him know as much protesting that if hee would come into Albion when hee were Crowned he would give him the Dukedome pertaining unto Brisil in marriage with her and doe him all the honour that a Monarch might do to any of his Péers seeing that Brisil made such account of him In this mind Periander returned secretly unto the village where he had sojourned with Brisil and changing his attire apparelled himselfe in mans cloathes according to his sex and nature And being come to the village he tooke his lodging in a shepheards house where he thought he was least of all known When he had entred into the house and caused supper to be made ready he asked one of the shepheards daughters whether they knew not a certain shepheardesse called Malorena for he thought to have spoken with her and to know of her how Petulca and Brisil were moved at his departure to leave the Letters which he purposed to write with her to deliver them to Brisil and Petulca wherewith they were halfe angry thinking he did it to have occasion to speak ill of the maids and shepheards of their country and therefore gave him this answer We knew her but too well and if we thought you were one of her favourites you should have but had lodging here Pardon me fair shepheards replied Periander if I offend against my knowledg for the cause that I ask for her is that I am her cousin have not séen her this great while I as yet have never heard any ill of her nor ever knew any thing by her but that she behaved her self as a maid of her calling ought to do Thereby quoth the shepheards wife we perceive thee to be but a stranger here and therefore to be excused for as you say she was famed for one of the most modest maids of the whole country but now of late she hath committed great villany against two of the loyallest lovers that ever the world harboured And thus the good wife declared the sum of the whole matter unto Peaiander how all things were passed which so altered his affections that all they that were present could perceive that he was moved thereby Yet least he should bewray who he was forced himself as much as he could to abstain from sighing or weeping til he was alone at which time he poured forth whole flouds of tears out of his eys for grief that he had shamefully suffered himself to be deluded by Malorena and thereby brought himself into all these miseries where otherwise he should have béen the happiest man that lived Neverthelesse when he had heard what
upon the expiring of thrée moneths on a certain morning betime that I rising somthing early walked abroad in the fields without the City to a little wsod not far off to recreate my self with a solitary walk being as it were wearied with the turbulent multitude of people both Citizens and Courtiers Which wood when I had but even entred me thought I heard one sorely lamenting his estate and by the voice knowing that it was my brothers I listened very attentively to know the cause of his complaints whom I heard thus to cry out against fickle fortune Yea Fortune yea Thou art Mistress and wilt be Mistress Philorenus must testifie the same and register in the bottome of his heart that he was born to be crossed by Fortune I thought that the Gods had forbidden thee to vex me any more but I perceive thou wilt do what thou wilt though heaven deny But accursed mayest thou be of heaven earth and hell for so denying mortal wights that thou séemest to have no Deity but such as is procured by the glory which thou takest in making men miserable Yet why do I so blame Fortune séeing that if another man were in my case he would think himself infinitely beholding to her in causing all things to fall out so agreeing to his humour For thou lovest Aureola how much thou knowest then séeing thou hast had sufficient token of her love towards thee and considering that he that loveth desireth nothing so much as mutualsy to be loved of her whom he doth love how canst thou complain of Fortune Again when your mind was such that you wished her to be wholly your brothers and desired that she should be his wife you sée al things happen to your pleasure considering that Aureola hath promised to marry her self to him and yet you will will exclaim against Fortune all this is true But the Hag doth let all things fall out according to my mind knowing that in doing so she doth most torment me For she hath made my life so miserable that no content can be harboured in my disquiet breast being the very habitacle of restless thoughts And in this thing is the means which she useth in vexing me contrary to all other mishaps and evils in that she vexeth me with effecting those things the effect of which I most wish for and desire Which thing how straÌ„ge it is I leave to the consideration of those that have the use of their wits séeing by fortunes envie I am my self deprived of that benefit Alack what shall then poor Philorenus do seeing he is so entangled in the love of Aureola that he must either die or injoy her as his own and yet so loveth his brother who cannot in like manner live if separated from the same Aureola thâ—t he will die a thousand deaths rather then be disloyal to him Die therefore Philorenus die and seeing there ore not as wel two Aureolas as there be two Philorenus's make thy self lifeless and thy brother happy he being one Philorenus alone and enjoying one onely Aureola And put case thou wert dead Philorenus and dead for no other purpose but to make thy brother happy in the highest degrée oh how swéet a death would such a death be unto thée But yet thou mightest be deceived for thou knowest nay so knowest that thou canst not doubt but that that life will be but a bitter life unto him thou being without life and so thou mightst by thy death procure to him either a bitter death or a life worse then any death What then resteth thrice miserable wretch if that thou canst neither live to thy mind nor die to thy mind Die living and live dying and yeeld thy heart to receive each print of grief that thou mayest always die being torn with tormenting pain and yet never be dead least thy plague rebound from thée to thy brother and therefore I bid thée farewel Aureola farewel my brother must enjoy thee and I must suffer you both After that he had so shut up his complaint as if he had signed it with the seal of death he fell down on the ground being unable to stand on his feet any longer there he lay strugling as if soul and body would have parted so strong and vehement was the pang that pinched him Insomuch that although I was loath to shew my self vnto him there lest he should know that I had heard and seen him yet compassion becomming master amongst my affections for that he needed help in that case forced me to runne happily to him to aid him But he no sooner espied me but leaped up again so suddenly that if I had not both seen and heard his former scrikes and cries I would have surely been perswaded that he did but shew me a tumbling trick and that he had been exercising his body to some acts of nimblenesse And besides also before I could salute him by reason that I so marvelled at the strangenesse of his change he spake unto me so chearfully that I could scarce answer him for admiring at the force which his love towards me had suddenly procured him His legs were scarce able to hold his body and seeing me his heart commanded them to support him his eys which were so hiddeÌ„ with the tears which he shed that no man could have séen them as soon as they beheld me séemed to have recalled the flouds that came out of them and to have in a moment swallowed them up and his face which did as it were swim in tears seemed to drink up the moisture at my comming as the morning dew vanisheth in the presence of Phoebus when he sendeth his golden beams from his fiery chariot to cherish the pleasant fruits of the earth after they have wept by reason of the dark coldnesse of the mirthlesse night Wherefore I séeing that my brotherly brother was so loth to make me acquainted with his passions onely because he would not give me occasion of grief but kept it all to himself I dissembled as much as I could lest I should by letting him know what I knew quite discomfort him and truly make him comfortlesse And although by reason of that which I knew of him pity caused such grief in me for his discomfort and passionate torment that I think if he had not been in place I had sunk to the ground for a stronger foundation to hold up my distracted body oppressed and weighed down by the heavinesse of passing sorrow then my legs which séemed to shake like the pillors of a Church that is falling yet neverthelesse for that time I plucked up my spirits and though not so wel able as he yet as wel as I could I dissembled my passion and answered him as chearfully as possibly I might entertaining him with such talk as I thought most expedient to cause him not to misdoubt of any thing Insomuch that he neither thought that I had heard him nor knew that I felt the pain which he
which he did not sing but thwacked them out looking in his paper as if he would have dared Radamanthus that appointeth the shadows their pennance in hell from his infernal chair Palemon EVen beauty it self is Palla not beautifull or fair If beauty any have of her that all they do borrow Not white but whitenesse sweetnesse and comliness it self Not sweet not comely as yeelding that to all othess Of which they boast 'T is Pallaes list she to claim it Next Polemon came an old shepheard though never married who thinking that he had offended Cupid to let his young and strong years slide and slip away without doing him service purposed to make amends by pining for love in his old days for such a face had the follow and a body well befitting such a face that he might well love but never be loved unless Cupid would be revenged of some Vesta minded maid for neglecting and dispising his Deity and so make her dance in the net of folly with this old lovelesse face both of them crying Peccavi penas domus His name was Schalco and as Aureola was informed by the shepheardesses of the country he most importunately made love to the fair shepheardesse Ura daughter to one of the King of Naples farmers Which maid so did hate him that although he was most wealthy having store and abundance of all manner of country riches yet she thought her self discredited in that she was loved of him These were his verses Schalco AS I my sheep by Phoebus fall went homeward for to drive He promised a gift full gay ere long he would me give One of his golden beams shot from his chariot of fire Which I to Vra will present to be her winter fire Oh Phoebus crosse thy beams with silver lines even latherwise That I with Vra might mount up and dwell with her in skies Next to old Schalco young Dorus a pretty stripling to be chamberlain to Cupid made haste to tell his tale For as he was rival to Schalco so he would not omit to say something that might please Ura. And therefore hoping by deriding of Schalco whom he knew Ura could not abide he thought to gain her favour These were his verses Dorus. IN skies old Schalco would with Vra dwell And ride with her in Phoebus golden coach Where when on him she thinks death doth incroach And rather then with him would dwell in hell Give her a winter sire thou shalt do well But see thou burn thy bones by that same fire So will she love thee which sith you desire Seeing not in skies procure the same in hell One more beside this did Aureola mark whom she therefore marked because she judged him worthy to be marked He was called Otto and as she had heard sonne to a Duke in France and passing through Italy to sée the country saw the fair shepheardesse called Laurea of whose beauty and graces fame had béen very prodigall and he having séen her with liking liked her with love and loved her with constancy In somuch that to become hers he ceased to be his own and leaving parents land honour and living became a shepheard to win the love of Laurea who once had told him that she might fancy no higher then a shepheard But oh heavenly Laurea quoth Aureola thy modesty was too great to be of base birth thy humblenesse too gratious to be of low parents No no nature hath not wronged thy vertuous beauty and beauty made more beautifull by virtue but fortune hath envied at thy perfection Thou wert found in the wood by old Panteo who possesseth thée as his daughter and whom thou for thy bringing up doest reverence as thy father why might not as well hard-hearted Kings as poor beggars have left thée there swadled in base and poor cloaths Insomuch that Aureola was fully perswaded that Laurea was some noble born maid though by fortunes hard intreatment she was not known what she was Neither did Aureola guesse amisse for afterwards it was well known that this Laurea was sister to the Dukes son that loved her It fell out after this manner There was great war betwéen the King of Gaul and the Emperour of Greece The King sent a mighty army into Italy to be revenged of the Italians that had assisted the Emperour with men and money Among many other Noblemen that were in the Kings army was Duke Otto this new become shepheards father with the Dutchess his wife and young Otto his onely son being of two years old having no more children then him It chanced that the Kings army was overthrown and the Duke and all his retinue taken prisoners saving the Dutchesse who was fled unto a certain wood being all alone where after she had béen one moneth nourished by a poor old woman that lived a solitary life in that wood she was delivered of Laurea whom she named Sylva after the place where she was born Within a wéek after the Dutchesse had beene brought a bed died their good old hostess to her great discomfort But then she takes her child and thinking to march toward some village she went from the cave about sixe miles where she espied the village where Laurea was brought up And pondering with her self how she might passe unknown for that all the inhabitants of thoâ—e countries were enemies to the King of Gaul she layed her child down by a broom bush because she might go the lighter meaning to go back to the cave and put on the dead womans cloaths and so to return again presently But before she could reach to the Cave she was met withall by a certain Italian Knight who liked her so that he secretly conveyed her to his house notwithstanding that she most earnestly intreated her to let her first go fetch her young babe which she had left but three or four miles off For he mistrusted that she had but invented that excuse to delay the time and fearing lest some other company might pass that way before she found the child among his men carried her to his house The same evening Phebus having inclosed his heat within his western tower the old shepheard Panteo according to custome hied to the wood to fetch wood to warm his old limbs the next winter with the fire he hoped to make of it and so he found young Sylva by him called Laurea The Knight being importuned by the Dutches sent his men to the wood to séek fyr her child but they could not find it therefore could hardly believe but either she lyed or some body else had taken it up The Dutchess was daily solicited by this Knight to yéeld her body to his pleasure but she would not he kept her close prisoner 8 yéers which being expired the Knight being beheaded by the command of the Nobility of Italy by reason of some trespass by him committed and some kind of treason by him put in practise against the state of the countrey she got away and
so harkening to the lure of his passions boweth his will to their beck and draweth his will to will that which his affections wil which may be and is improperly called lust also For as properly it is so called by reason of the filthy desires of the flesh so improperly is it so also called for the desire of ones passions and affections when one setteth aside the sound perswasion of reason and applieth his will to follow that which his affections move him unto And thus did I say that all love not guided by reason was lust in that they that so love do not what reason willeth them but what they lift and what the will of their affections as it were forceth them to do CHAP. XXXVIII How Perierio and Marcelio with the rest of their company taking leave of the Lady Felicia departed THe Lady Felicia hearing Perierio and the Dutchess so earnestly each stand to their own sayings merrily brake up their gentle cavil saying I perceive Gentiles if my Nymph had not ministred occasion of talk we had béen very silent all supper time But yet quoth the Dutchess with our rude discourse it may be we have bred trouble to your ears and this company Not to me truly quoth Felicia Nor to us I dare say for the rest quoth Marcelo As for me said Alcida I have conceived great delight in hearing the well agreeing strife betwéen the two disputants considering that though in words they disagreed yet in sense they both agrée in one as in spéeches the Dutchess hath showed that love néedeth not to respect reason so in very déed hath she by example shewed that she hath vertuously loved therefore her self guidâ—â— her love with reason And no doubt quoth ancient Eugerio where she saith that love must not be tied to reason her meaning is that they which love ought in such manner to pursue their love that they do things which are beyond the common expectation of men and indéed such things as may séem to be against reason so long as they are not contrary to vertue for considering that she would have such as love not to overrun vertue in my opinion she cannot be much discrepant from Perierio in that he would have love guided by reaâ—on meaning thereby that he would not have so excellent a thing as love is disgraced with vice which cannot be committed by the counsel or consent of reason Thus was supper time spent which being ended and the cloth taken up by the Nymphs the Lady Felicia with all the company walked out into the fields to recreate themselves and take the evening air which done the curtain of darkness being spread all over the air they were warned to return to the Palace where they were all accompanied to their lodgings by the Nymphs The next morning Marcelio with his Alcida and her father Eugerio and her brother and sister Polydor and Clenarde took their leave of the Lady Felicia yéelding her as many thanks as they might and departed thence to end their journy which they had taken to Lisbon there to celebrate their marriage as they purposed when they took ship In like manner the beautifull shepheards Lexander and Ismenia departed from the Lady Felicia to return home to their village being glad they had so hapily met in that place Furthermore Perierio now delivered from the furious passion that overturned his understanding before merrily taketh leave of the company and taketh his journey to Salamanca The Dutchess Brisil remained with the Lady Felicia until she heard some certainty of Periander which Felicia said would not be long The rest of whose histoâ—y with the event thereof what hapned to him before he was married to Brisil and crowned King of Albion with the success which Maffeo had after he departed from Felicia to séek his Eleonora and lastly the adveÌ„tures of Perierio with the loves of his beautiful vertuous and noble sisters Euphilia and Perina after the death of their aged father Camillo if almighty God give me life and leisure I wil write hereafter for the pleasure of my loving country-men In the mean time I coÌ„mit my self to their prayers and them to the tuition of God FINIS