ignominious death whereoâ— I haue great pitie The Oration of Apolidon to the Emperoure of Constantinople his father rendring vnto him all obedience The second Booke and first Chapter SYr now of late I haue perceiued and vnderstaÌ„ded by many that my brother is not content with the partage and diuision that it pleased you to ordeine and make for vs bicause I knowe what annoyance this is vnto you and seeing the entiere amitie of him and me is ready to be broke I huÌ„bly beseech you to receiue againe all that it hath pleased you to giue me and to bestow it for I would hold and think my selfe happie to do the thing that might quiet your mynd and right well fethered and content to haue the thing that you haue lefte him A Letter of the Princesse Oriane to Amadis accusing him of vnfaithfulnesse The second booke and second Chapter MY passion without measure procéeding of so many causes dothe constraine my féeble hande to declare by this Letter to you Amadis of Fraunce an vnfaithful and too periured a louer the thing that my dolorous heart can hide no longer For séeing that the vnfaythfulnesse and litle stedfastnesse that you haue vnto me the which am vnfortunate and forsaken of al good fortune bycause I loued you aboue all worldly things is nowe manifest and also that with so great iniurie you are gone so farre from hence to drawe neare to hir the which considering hir yong age and small discretion can not haue in hir the thing to fauor you and to entertaine you she hathe purposed also to banishe from me for euer this extreame loue that I beare you seeing that my heauie and poore heart can haue no other vengeance And if I would take in good part the iniurie and wrong that ye doe me it shoulde be but great folly in me to will well vnto the most vnthankefull for whome to loue perfectly I hate all things and my selfe also Alas nowe I perceiue very well but it is to late that I submitted too vnfortunately my libertie to so ingrate a person considering that in satisfaction of my syghings and passions I sée my selfe mocked and vnfortunately deceyued Therefore I forbid you that you neuer come before me nor where I shall be resident and present and be ye sure that the ardent and burning affectioÌ„ that I did beare you is conuerted as you haue demerited into enmitie and cruell furie Now therefore get you hence to some other place to proue with your periured faithe and swéete wordes and to abuse other vnfortunate persons as well as me besides that you shall hereafter proue that none of your excuses as concerning me may haue nor take any place but I not willing to sée you any more shall lament the reste of my heauie lyfe wyth abundancee of teares the whiche shall not cease but by hir ende that shall not sorowe to dye but bicause you are the homicide The complaint that Amadis made when he receiued Orians vigorous Letter declaring the mobilitie of fortune by the which she banished him from hir companie In the .2 boke and .4 Chapter ALas fortune that art to light and without roote by what occasion hast thou preferd and eleuated me among all the best Knightes afterwardes to bring me to ruine so lightly Now I perceiue well that thou mayste doe more euill in an houre than grace in a thousande yeares for if in time past thou hast done gyuen me pleasure or ioy thou hast robbed me of that euen nowe most cruelly leauing me in martyrdome muche worsse than death and seeing it was thy pleasure so to do why hast thou not at least wise made equall the one with the other considering thou knowest that at other times thou haste contented me nor that neyther without mingling of it with sorowes and great troubles So then thou shouldst haue reserued for me some litle hope with this crueltie wherewith at this present thou dost torment me executing in me things incomprehensible in the thoughtes of those that thou dost fauor the which not knowing this euill estéeme the pompes glories and honors that thou dost lende them sure and perdurable Nor they remember not that besides and aboue the torments that their bodies shall suffer to mayntaine them their soules shall fall in hazard of their saluation Therefore if with the eyes of vnderstanding the which the souereine Lord hath giueÌ„ them they might sée thy mobilitie they should desire rather thyne aduersities thaÌ„ thy light prosperities although it be confirmable to their sensualitie for why by thy flattering and wantonnesse thou dost bring them to ruine and at the last they are constrayned to enter into the laberinth of martyrdome hauing no power at any time to come out againe But aduersities are clean contrarie in so muche that if a man paciently resist them auoyding disordinate apetite and ambition he is lifted vp from this lowe place to glory euerlasting And yet I most vnfortunate could not chuse this good parte considering that if all the worlde were mine and taken from me by thée hauing only the good grace and fauor of my Ladie that shoulde be sufficient to maintaine me in all honor and prosperitie but that fayling me it is impossible for me by any maner of meanes to liue and continue Therefore I heséech thée for the fauor and payment of my faithfulnesse that thou giue me not death with anguishe But if thou be licensed to take my life from me that thou make diligent haste taking compassion on him of whose torment that he shall haue if he liue any longer thou art ignorant A cmplaint of the like argument that goeth before the which Amadis sent to his Father O King Perion my Lorde and father you shall haue very little occasion to be heauie for my death and the cause thereof to be hidden from you but séeing that the heauinesse that shoulde be by the knowledge thereof can not reuoke my torment I pray God that my vnluckinesse be neuer opened vnto you but kept close and hidden as long as you shal liue and that not to aduance and hasten the rest of the yeres that you haue yet to liue Amadis complaint sent to the Lorde Galuanes thanking him for his good and gentle deedes O My seconde father Galuanes I am very sorye that my contrarie fortune hathe not permitted nor suffered me to recompence the greate Obligation and band that I am bound in vnto you for if my father haue gyuen me lyfe ye haue saued it deliuering me from the perill danger of the sea wherevnto I was being as yet in the first houre of my notiuitie and by byrth predestinate and since that you hauâ— nourished me so swéetely and tenderly as though I had bene your naâ—urall chylde Florestans exhortation to his companions being sorie for Amadis whome he esteemed to be in payne to the entent to goe to succour him In the second booke the .6 Chap. MY Lordes it is not for vs to wéepe
is no such thing and â—hat is worsse the more that the Lady or damsell the whiche is loued be of a good house and of great merite so much the more ye do glory wherby men know that not only ye beare them affection but that ye are loued and that she beareth you good wil aboue al other the which is very contrarie to the nature of womeÌ„ I meane of such as may name themselues wise for why the higher that the pareÌ„ts be the more feare they haue that meÌ„ should perceiue their amorous passions and in such sort that ordinarily they denie with word gesture and countenance the thing that they haue most printed in their hart and mind And not without cause considering that the thing which ye turne to prayse as ye think that your loue is made manifest doth bring vnto them and their honor a certayne spot the which oftentimes they cannot well deface So then it is more than necessarie to obserue this modestie and constancie in vs not that I will restrayne my selfe to this law seing that all my glory and felicitie doth hang and dependâ— vpoÌ„ you and so that I desire no greater thing in this worldâ— than that the loue and seruice that I beare vnto you were published euery where to the intent that they which shall haue knowledge of your great valure and of my litle merit may know euen then what is in me to be yours as I am Thus my Lord if séemeth to me that ye should take in good part and greatly to your aduantage the purpose that Gastilles hath written vnto you that ye were bound to my Lady Leonorina and in the presence of the Emperour for I answer you vpon my honour that both your affections are reciprokes and that she hath spoken very wisely vsing suche dissimulation I say not but that she had some occasion to be miscontented considering and seing the wordes which I at other times haue brought hir from you but that is easely amended And if the amitie loue that she so long hath borne you should be vtterly broken as I thinke it be not nother more nor lesse than a bowe that is broken péeced together agayne the whiche is more stronger in the place that it is mended in than in any other so you being present and in hir company shall bring togither and amend that ye shall finde broken and shall make hir to be much more yours than euer she was And therefore I would counsell you that obeying hir ye goe vnto hir and eueÌ„ to morow if it be possible A letter from Armato the king of the Turkes to all the princes of the Orient commaunding them to bring togither their force and strength to chase the Christians out of his limits and to conquer the Empire of Constantinople In the .5 booke the .45 Chapter ARmato called by the prescience of our gods immortall â—o the gouernmeÌ„t and rule of the great kingdome of Turkie Frontier and bulwarke of the Paganes lawe to all hys Califfes Kings Sondans Admirals and gouernoures of the lands that are in the parts of the Orient gréeting At my retourning out of prison whereof we are now deliuered I thought it good to giue you knowlege that not long since ther is come out of the North countrey as men say into these coastes a knight of the line of Brutus the Troyane vnto whome our gods haue permitted for our vnrighteousnesse as it is very like to conquere the mountaine defended putting to death Matroco and Furion two knightes estéemed among the best of all the Orient And that they do that is far worse dayly increase the number of Christians and labour to exterminate and destroy our holy law To withstaÌ„d this we haue taken armes vpon vs and prepared a strong and a puissaÌ„t armie thinking at the least to driue them out of our limites But yet after that we had kept a long siege before the mountaine Defended and had brought it to such extremitie that they which were within had no more vitailes he of whome we doubted most and the firste that enterprised this warre found a meane by the fauoure of a vile palliard one of ours called Frandalo to enter in and by cautell and subtiltie to take vs in such sort that our armie was destroyed and we remayned as prisoners in their handes where they kept vs for the space of a whole yeare most strayghtly during the same our affayres fell from ill to worse so by treson craftinesse they be in possessioÌ„ of Alfarin and of Galatia two of the best hauens of our realme The which they should neuer haue done without the help succour of that traytor vnfaithful Emperour of Constantinople And now they gather so much people that without your ayde we be in danger to fall into their mercie a thing that shall be of greate consequence seing that we be as ye know the frontier and rampier of you all Therefore we praye you and admonishe you in our Gods that as well for the defence of our Lawe as for the vtilitie of all the countrey of the East ye assemble your strength in so greate a number that we maye chase and driue awaye these Christians from our borders and conquer the Empire of Constantinople vnto the partes of Fraunce and Englande the which shall be vnto vs easy and profitable Esplandians letter to the Emperour of Rome shewing hym of the great armie of the infidell potestates sent and prepared to destroy the Christians and that for this cause he must giue help to a thing of so great importance In the same booke the 47. Chapter MY Lord the danger that I sâ—e prepared for all christendome doth coÌ„strayn me to send Enil vnto you by whom ye may vnderstand at length the greate streÌ„gth and puissant armie that all the kings and potentates of the East the enimies of our fayth haue prepared at the persuasion of Armato king of Turkie to come to destroy not onely the Empire of Greece but to presse further vntill they haue cleane extermined and quenched our fayth and beléefe And for asmuch as they whose place and roome ye hold haue bin euermore the true defenders and protectors of our Religion and also bycause the case doth touch you so nigh I thinke my Lorde that ye shoulde spare nothing that is in your might and power but assemble your fores in all extremitie and prepare your vassals to help that good prince the which is the borderer as ye know to you and to all the potentates that hold of the law of Iesu Christ. I haue written likewise to the king my father and to the moste parte of all other Christian Lordes vnto whome I sende Gandalin And bycause I haue charged Enil to shewe you the rest I wyll sende you no longer letter but praye you to beléeue hym as my selfe An iniurious letter of Rodrigue the great Soudan of Liquie to the knight of the great SerpeÌ„t threatning him for his enterprise
the moderatour of all things continually to maynteyne you in his protection Your humble seruaunt Anaxenes Philosopher and Magitian A letter from the Princesse Arlande to the infant Alastraxereâ— quyting hir of hir promise to the end she should not leese hym that she loueth and hateth more In the nynthâ— booke the .56 Chapter MAdam Alastraxeree the dolour accompanyed with an extreame anger that I haue had to see me abused by you â— Dom Florisell of Niquea hath so much preuailed vpoÌ„ me that to reuenge me of such a wrong I was willingâ— to procure his death and yours together you making request to goe to the Vniuerse Towre to fighte with him thinking that â—â—e medling of you twoâ— woulde make no ende without the deathe of one or of other or of bothe of you together but yet afterwardes I bethoughte and consydered in my selfe that hys deathe shoulde bée the cause of myne For the greate and extreme loue as ye doe knowe that I bare hym then I thought it best to desist from this vengeance and to vse humanitie and swéetenesse towards him the whiche he hath not deserued And therefore madame my will was to send this my damsell vnto you to pray you to ceasse and desist from the promis that ye haue made me of the whiche I do quite you by this present letter wherein ye shall finde my humble recommendations to youre good grace praying the soueraigne God to giue me so much grace and fauor that Dom Florisell may once know the entier loue that I beare him and the great wroÌ„g that he disdayning my aliance hath done me Your Arlanda princesse of Thrace Dom Florisell of Niquea excuseth himselfe in his letters that he hath not kept his promis the which he made to the princesse Helen of Apolonia In the .9 booke the .57 Chapter MAdame since my departing from Apolonia where youre grace did me so much good and so well receiued me I haue bin in diuers and many strange aduentures being so farre from you otherwise than I trusted so that I had not the meane nor way to accomplish the promis that I taking my leaue of you at the Abbay of Rois made you whereof I haue bin and am in such a perplexitie that it is impossible for me to declare it by letters assuring you for all that that no other thing hath constrayued me to absent me so long time from your presence but the honor that all knights are bound vnto Therefore I beseech you most humbly not to put me in any fault and to thinke that assoone as I may haue the ways and meane to come to you there shall be no fault nor let but that I will come the which thing I trust surely to do when I depart from hence where I am constrayned by promisse to remayne for a time as Darinell thys present bearer maye shewe you whome ye knowe to be faythfull and secret the whych shall let me at this time to write any longer letters praying you in the meane while to do me so much pleasure as to write me newes of you for there is nothing in thys world that I desire more to know Thus much madame after that I prayed most humbly the Lord to maintaine and to kéepe you in his grace and fauor recommending me with good heart to yours and to that of my Lady Timbria You re faithfull and very affectionate seruant the knight of the she shepeherde The Princesse Helen of Apolonia making an answer to Dom Florisels letters doth send him word that the amitie that she doth beare him cannot suffer hir to keepe hir faith that she hath promised Dom Lucidor In the .9 booke the .58 Chapter LOrd Dom Florisell I haue receiued the letter that it hath pleased you to write me by Darinell the whiche hath certified me of a great part of the aduentures that haue chanced vnto you since ye departed out of this conntrey and therwith of the enterprise that ye haue done in kéeping the toure of Vniuerse for a certaine time the which I desire to be shortly accâ—mplished that ye might shortly come hither to gyue consolation vnto my féeble spirite the which hath bin continually in wrapped since your absence in melancolie heauinesse Alas how oftentimes haue I bene at a point to put my selfe in ieopardy to recouer you Certenly if I coulde haue founde any good meane to haue come thether where ye were be you assured I woulde not haue shewed my selfe slouthfull to haue departed nor the honoure nor reuerence that I owe vnto my father shoulde haue turned me and the fayth much lesse that I haue promised to Dom Lucidor the whiche by my consente shall neuer haue anye part in me for the extreame loue and affection that I beare you cannot suffer it Consider therefore my déere friende the thyng that I doe in your fauor and be not vnthankfull to acknowledge it as I do not mistrust you considering the purpose that ye make me by your letters and the thing that Darinell hath told me praying you in the meane season to kéepe secret the loue that is betwéene vs two and to be a faithfull kéeper of my honor considering that fortune shall shew hir selfe to you and me hereafter more fauorable than she hath done in time past And in this hope I shall pray the creator to giue vs grace to come to our affectionate desire after that I haue presented my most humble recommendations vnto your good remembrance of the whiche my cousin Timbria doth desire to be partaker Your perfect louer Helen of Apolonia The Prince Anaxartes by letters doth shew fayre Oriana the loue that he dothe beare hir and so doing he forgetteth not to prayse hymselfe In the .9 booke the .64 Chapter RIght excellent princesse the diuine Anaxartes the sonne of Mars God of battels doth giue you such salutations as he desireth for himselfe Madame the wound and dolour that I haue receiued by the regard and sighte of your excellente beautie is so great and so vehement that it hath not onely subdued my naturall force and strength that my glorious mother Zahara Quéene of Caucase hath giuen â—e but also they haue so féeblished my diuine vertue whereof I take part of my fathers side that I am coÌ„sâ—rayned to draw vnto you to haue health remedie for my wound for euen as they y be pricked stinged with a Scorpion do vse to take remedie of theÌ„ likewise seing that ye haue bin the cause of the euill that I suffer I search remedie of you the which ye shuld not denie me considering the place of my birth and the power that the mightie Gods haue giuen me of the which the most part of them haue bin smitten with the dartes of loue as I am at this present and so that by no meanes I can resist it And therefore madame do not wonder seeing me to be partaker of the diuinitie that my heart is kindled with youre loue for they which are entierly
fortunate seeing that the power whiche I had to suffer my euil hath continually supplied the fault that was in me to cause you to vnderstande it Neuerthelesse madame I beleue that ye may easily know the extremitie of the pain that I can not expresse vnto you if at least wise ye would haue a respect vnto the great beautie and good graces wherwith ye farre ouerpasse all other ladies of our tyme and of whom I should be vnworthie if my courage dedicated to your perpetual seruice the force of my dolor paine had not giuen me some maner of occasion to merite them and the boldnesse to discouer vnto you my passions to praye you to heale them with the remedie that yée maye knowe to be necessarye for suche an euill This madame shall be a thyng verye well syttyng and conuenient for your accustomed graciousnesse that as ye are the occasion of my infirmitie so likewise to be in time to come the occasion of my health And thereforâ— Madame I pray you to take some compassion of the euill that ye cause me to suffer vniustly and to assigne me a place where I may haue a meane to open vnto you with my mouth and to testifie vnto you by my teares the thing that I suffer in your seruice For why after your answer I may afterwards continue my life in a newe ioy or to finishe it with my auncient olde dolors that by my miserable death I may leaue vnto you and to all the worlde a sure testimonie of your inhumaine crueltie and of my mortall anguishes I therefore pray you madame that after I haue a thousand times kyssed and rekissed your faire handes to giue me the remedie that entierly doth depende vpon your pitie if ye loue not rather cruelly to cause me to die He that hath no desire to liue but to deserue your good grace A letter from Filisell to Marfira by the which he complaineth him of the rigour that she vseth in his behalfe And he prayeth hir to haue pitie vpon him In the 2. booke the .14 Chapter TO the cruell and rigorous Marfira the vnfortunate and miserable Filisell sendeth thée salutation from the whiche he himselfe is abandoned put of through your ingratitude Alas Madame with how much glorie and pleasure haue ye exalted me to the moste highest degrée of my contentation Uerely I thoughte that your highnesse woulde neuer abased your selfe so lowe to shewe me so great fauour as ye haue showed me if it had not bene for the great loue wherewith ye loued me But what haue I done now against you to be thus rigorously intreated what offence might I haue done against my Ladie Marfira seyng that I neuer thought to offende hir what good right might you haue had Madame to doe me nowe â—o great wrong Sée I pray you sée the outrages that ye doe me in place of fauours of the whiche ye are indewed so me for the good will that I beare you Alas why doe yée recompence my extreame loue with so extréeme batred beholde Madame that as long as I receyued your fauour I was bound to liue in perpetuall languour because I was so holde to take vpon me to winne the good grace of your soueraine beautie the whiche then I deserued not But since that it hath pleased you to shewe me your fauour and by that meanes haue caused me to haue a vertue in mée the whiche dothe make me worthy of an higher and a more glorious enterpryse than a man may say yée shoulde beléeue Madame that nowe yée are bounde to entertayne me in this pleasant glory that you your selfe haue caused and made me to merite I pray you then to giue vnto my euill the remedie that yée doe owe it and that yée so oftentimes haue promised or to deliuer me out of this trâ—mperie and deceyte in the whiche I sée my selfe through the anoyance that I suffer whereof I cannot comprehende nor thinke any other occasion but that it pleaseth you by so great and so rigorous an hatred to kéepe we from stable and faythfull loue the whiche I will beare you as long as I liue Thus I shall continue and remayne in this mortall warre vntill it please you to sende mée peace who tariyng and looking for it dothe kisse and rekisse a thousande times your fayre and white handes Marfira dothe wryte agayne to Dom Filisel of Montespin that he shoulde not complayne of hir seyng that shee taketh all the payne that she can to keepe hyr promisse with him afterwardes shâ— fayneth not to vnderstande the trumperie that he wrote vnto hyr of in the foresayde letter In the .12 booke the 14. Chapter DOm Filisell ye haue no occasion to complayne of me as ye complayne for if yée loued me ye cannot denie but that I loue you in like maner And if I haue taried a certaine dayes to doe the thing that yée woulde well I shoulde haue done it was not for lacke of good will as ye say in your letter but for lacke of time and opportunitie the whiche dothe abounde in you and dothe fayle and lacke in mée Also ye send mée worde to deliuer you of the trumperie where in yée are through the anoyance that yée suffer for my loue I answere you that it holdeth not of me that I doe it not but in the defaute and lacke of power and I assure you that if yée coulde doe it your selfe it shoulde be one of the greatest pleasures that mighte chaunce vnto me and woulde God it were his pleasure that yée might so doe for by this meane ye should deliuer me of the paine and trauell that I am in to giue you the remedie that ye aske and demaunde Yet seing that I haue promised you I will fulfill my promisse if it be possible for me and sooner peradueuture than ye doe thinke A letter from Filisel to Marfira excusing him of the trumperie whereof hee wrote vnto hyr In the twelfth booke the .14 Chapter DOm Filisel of Montespin dothe sende to the fayre and gracious Marfira salute the whiche the confusion where your letter hath sette it dothe denie him If I haue decayued my selfe in the letter that I haue sente you yée are not lesse deceyued in yours in the whiche ye beleue that praying you to deliuer me of the trumperie I woulde haue spoken of that wherein there coulde be none as in déede there is none that is to say of the stable and faithfull loue that I beare you as touchyng the whichâ— I in your behalfe coulde not bée deceyued as yée were neuer in mine consideryng that wée loue one another our loue hathe bene well bestowed on the one parte and on the other I onely demaunded of you in asmuche as I coulde not thinke on the occasion why ye had so long a while put me so farre from you that it would please you to deliuer me from the trumperie in respect and consideration of the loue that ye bare me or to say better that
nor to make suche lamentations whâ—n necessitie dothe commaunde vs to remember howe to succour and to helpe my Lorde Amadis Let vs leaue such maner of doings to womâ—n and let vs deuise togither to prouide for this great inconuenience And as for me I am of this mynde that we without any longer dâ—lay take our horsses and do our diligence to fâ—ade him then shall we know whether there be any meanâ— to finde remedie for him for the time doing as we do nowe passeth awaye his heauinesse and paynes more and he himselfe goeth further from vs The Lord Ysanie as he saith condâ—cted and led him a little on his way he may shewe vs what way he tooke and if we tarie any longer we shall lose him without hope to see him any more Therefore my Lordes let vs giue our diligence to folow him The Hermite speaking to Amadis doth comfort him in his aduersitie The second booke the .6 Chap. O Knight I beléeue that you haue some great affliction in your soule yet if your heauinesse do proceede of repentance for some certaine sinne that you haue committed truly my sonne you are happie And if it be for some temporall losse as I estéem considering your age the estate wherin you haue liued hitherto you should not thus trouble yourself but require and aske pardon of God who would pardon and forgiue you and receiue you for his The Hermit doth yet speaking to Amadis exhort him to take heart of grace and courage and not to abuse himselfe for women I Promise you my friend that ye do not well being a yong knight and well made to enter into such dispaire and mistrust considering that women cannot kâ—epe their loue no not euen in the presence of them that loue them for natuaturally they readily forget and yet beléeue more sooner specially those things that men which fondly giue themselues vnto them do report of them the whiche euen when they thinke to haue ioy and contentation do find themselues in al despite and tâ—ibulation as ye doe experiment and proue it by your selfe Therefore I pray you from henceforth to be more vertuous and coÌ„â—â—ant and for asmuch as it hath pleased God to call you to the title of a kings son to gouerne his people returne to the world for it should be a losse thus to loose you nor I cannot presume nor imagin who she is that hath brought you to such anxietie considering that if one woman aloâ—e had in hir all the perfections that all women haue together yet we should not for hir sake léese suche a man as yeare The heauines of Oriane for Amadis after that she was aduertised by men of his departure In the second booke the .7 Chapter AH vnfortunate person that I am seing that I with so great wrong haue caused him to die whome I most théeâ—ly loued in this world And séeing it is out of my power to reuoke the euill that I caused I beséech you my friende to accept my repentance in satisfaction of the euilâ— that I haue purchased you with the sacrifice that I shal make of my proper life to folow you vnto death and thus the ingratitude that I haue committed against your fidelitie shall be manifest you being reuenged and I punished Guillans oration to the Queene for Amadis his shield or scutchion that he had founde In the second Booke the .8 Chapter MAdame a few dayes ago and past I founde all Amadis harneys with his stutchion layd nigh vnto a fountain the which men call the fountaine of the plaine field wherewith I was displeased the which I the selfe same houre and time bound vnto a trée leauing it in the custodie of two Damsels which were in my company vntill I had bene through out the countrey to séeke and to enquire what was become of him But I was not so fortunate to find him nor yet to haue newes of him Therefore I knowing the merite of so good a knight whiche neuer had other desire but to prepare himself to do you seruice I purposed seing I could not bring him to bring vnto you for a testimonie witnesse of the bond that I owe to you and to him his armure the which ye shall commaund if it so please you to be set in some euident and open place where euery man may sée them as well to haue and to heare some newes of him by the straungers that ordinarily come vnto this Court as to augment the vertue of all those that commoÌ„ly follow the warres taking an example by him whome they folow the which by his high knighthod hath obtained the first place among al those that euer on their backes ware harneys The lamentation of Oriane vnderstanding by Guillan the losse of Amadis In the second Booke and .8 Chapter AH vnfortunate that I am I may now well say that all the felicitie that euer I had is a very fantasie and my torment a pure veritie considering that if I haue any contentation it is only by the dreames that solicit me by night for being awake all austeritie doth afâ—lict and trouble my poore spirit and in such sort that as much as the day is vnto me a gréeuous martirdome the obscuritie and darknesse is to me only pleasure and solace bycause that sléeping I sée my self before my louer but watch that depriueth me of so great ease causeth me very muche to féele your absence Ah my eyes no more eyes but streames of teares and wéepings ye are well abused for as much as being close ye see him alone that contenteth you and being open al the noysomnesse and troubles of the world come to obfuscate and to darken you At the furdest the death that I fâ—ele nigh and at hand shall deliuer me of this anxietie and you my friend shall be auenged of the most vnthankfull that euer was borne The exhortation of Mabile vnto Oriane that would haue cast hirselfe downe headlong by the meane of Amadis aduersitie In the second Booke the .8 Chapter HOw is it Madame where is the constancie of a kings daughter is this the wisedome whereof ye are so greatly renoumed haue ye already forgotten the euill that ye thought would haue chaunced through the false newes that Arcalaus brought the last yeare to the Court And nowe that Guillan hath found my cousins harneys was the saide bicause that he is dead beléeue me that ye shal sée him shortly again and that he will assoone as he shall sée your letters come vnto you Amadis doth comfort himselfe by the newes that he receiued of Oriane his friende and louer In the second Booke the 10. Chapter O Fearefull hart so long time troubled who coulde haue resisted such a tempest notwithstanding the abundance of teares that thou so coÌ„tinually distilledst and shedst to comâ— to the point of death Receiue at this present this medicine the whiche onely is for thy health and come foorth of these obscure darknesses the whiche haue so long obfuscated
Therefore my friendes let vs stoutly goe forwardes hauing no regarde of any cruell Gyant and full of bloude the whiche are of theyr companie For a man is not the more estéemed bycause of his rude and greate members but for his good heart and courage You sée that oftentimes the Hare dothe ouerleape the Oxe and a Sparow Hauke or a Merline to to beate and to ouercome a Kyte Our enimies do put their trust in the face of these monsters hauing no regarde of the wrong that they haue and doe vs and we truste that God the which is a doer of right will giue vs force and strength to ouercome them through the dexteritie of our persons and diligence that we shall shewe and doe Therefore my friends let vs stoutly go forwardes thinking that euery one of vs euen of himselfe is sufficient and able to fyght and to destroy the moste braue of all their companie assuring you that if we this day winne the honor of the battell besides our renoume and glory that shall compasse the vniuersall worlde there shall neuer enimie of England lift vp his head with an euill eye to looke vpon vs. King Cildadans Oration to his Host to be corageous to defend their libertie In the second booke the .16 Chapter GEntle Knightes of Irelande if ye perceyue why and wherefore you go to fight there shall not be one of you al that shall not blame his predecessor that hath so long delayd the beginning of so glorious an enterprise The Kinges of England vsurpers tyrants not only against their subiects but vpon their neighbors haue taken in times past without any right vpon our auncestours a tribute the which you knowe very well they haue payde oftentimes and for this cause we are come into this place to defend our libertie the whiche can not be payde nor recompensed with no treasure This is your déede and the right not of you onely but of your children the which vnto this time haue ben holden and reputed by them whome you sée and are purposed to make you bondmen and slaues Will you then liue alwayes in this sorte will you continue the yoke for your successors are you of a lesse and weaker heart and courage than youre neyghboures Ah if we be victorious they will restore that they haue of ours I am fast and sure that fortune doth fauor vs For you see the honest men that are come to ayde and to succour vs Knowing our good right and title let vs thruste in among them gentle Knightes for I sée already that King Lisuard and his companie are in doubt to turne their backes vnto vs they be as they say aâ—customed to winne but we shall learne them to custome themselues to be woonne Of one thing I will aduertise you that is that euery man ayde and helpe his companion keeping your selues as strayght and as close togither as may be possible An exhortation of Mabile to Orian the which was not content In the .2 booke the .7 Chapter MAdame I maruell at you and of your maner of doing for as soone as you are gone and deliuered of one enuy and tribulation a newe doth solicite youâ— and you should as me thinketh take better héede what you speake and say of my cousin not persuading yourself that he hath holden or had this purpose or any other to trouble you considering that you may be assured that he neuer thought to offend you in word thought nor déede And the prowesse and noble actes that he hathe done as well in your presence as in your absence might haue borne you sufficient witnesse But I sée well inough what it is you make me beléeue and to thinke that you being wery of my companie will driue me away vnder the colour that my cousin is to much youres abusing your selfe of the seruice that he dothe and heareth vnto you But yet when you haue lost me it shall be but a small matter prouiding that your Amadis I may well say be not the worsse entreated For you knowe well and I also that the least notice that he shall haue of your trouble shall be sufficient and inough to cause him to die so that I maruel what pleasure you take to torment him so ofteÌ„ doing for you that is possible to be done for any other Lady aliue Consider you not that after that Apolidon would that the proofe of the chaÌ„ber forbidden was common to all the worlde that it shoulde not stande with reason for my cousin kéeping Briolanie to do as other do Truely I beléeue that neyther she nor you are yet â—ayre inough to obtaine and â— in that which all the fayre women that haue bene since a hundred yeare hitherto could haue or obtaine Therefore I may well assure me that this newe ielosie procéedeth not of any fault that he hathe made you the which doth not thinke but to obey you but his misfortune hath alreadie so ruled him that to please you he hath not forgotten himself but setting by none estate but by you hathe entierly disdayned all his linage and hathe estéemed them as strangers not knowing them nor no other but you whom he doth reuerence as a God and yet you will vtterly lose him Ah ah the dangers and euident perils in the which he and his haue bene oftentimes for the loue of you as well against Archelaus as in this last battell are now very yll recognised séeing that in the satisfaction of them you desire the destruction of the head and principall of my parents Is this the goodnesse the recognising of the seruices that I haue done you are these the first â—ruites of the hope that I had in you Certes I am now very farre off from the thing that I hoped and breathed for seing before my eyes the ruine and destruction of him conspyred whome I loue best in this worlde the whiche is more yours than his owne But yet if it please God it shall not be so nor no suche inconuenience shall approch me so nigh Certes to morow I will pray my brother Agreus and my vncle Galuanes to conduct me into Scotland the which will do so much for me as to bring me from your companie that is so vnthankefull Then she disposed hir to wéepe so greatly that it séemed she should melte into teares Alas sayde she I pray God that the cruelnesse you doe and shewe to your Amadis may turne to vengeance vpon you to satisfie al his kindred the which shall not lose so much losing him as you alone and againe that this may be the greatest misfortune that may happen and chaunce vnto vs. Orians answer to the foresayd Mabile excusing hir of the thing that they accused hir of In the .2 booke the .17 Chapter AH ah poore vnfortunate woman among all that be most desolate and heauie who would euer haue thought that this thing might haue fame at any time into your hart that you haue now opened vnto me Alas I opened my selfe
vnto you hauing none other about me worthy to vnderstande my heauinesses to haue counsell and comfort and you discomforte me and intreate me worsse than I haue deserued reputing me farre otherwise than I am or shall be so long as my spirite shall sustaine my heart full of bitternesse the whiche causeth me to presume that no other thing but my euil fortune hath aduaunced and brought me into this kind of intreatie séeing that you haue taken in yll parte that I told you for the best And God neuer help me if I thought in all my life of that whereof you blame me and accuse me for I am so sure of youre cousin that I will no other thing but to content and please you and so much there is that I had rather die than that any other than I my selfe should haue the honor of the forbidden chamber Iudge therefore what trouble it shall be to me if Berolanie that goeth before to proue the thing obtaine it This notwithstanding my cousin and friend I pray you to pardon me not to prolong if it be your pleasure to aduise and counsell me of the thing that as you shall thinke I were best to doe for your cousin might be too heauie if he knew the thing that I haue suspected of him A Prophecie of Vrgand vnknowne to Orian foretelling hir the thing that should chance vnto hir In the .2 boke the .18 cha IN the time when your great heauinesse shall take place many good Knights shall suffer for the loue of you Then the strong Lyon accoÌ„panied with his beasts shal come forth of his den through his high roarings and cryings he shall so feare them that shal haue the kéeping of you that you whither they will or no shall remaine betwéen the clawes of the kingly beaste the whiche shall set vpon your head the riche crowne that shall be no more yours then this beast béeing famished and hauing your body in his power shall carie it into his denne where he shall so féede himselfe that he shall pacifâ—e and assuage his mad and outrageous hunger Therefore my daughter take héede what you shall do for the thing that I haue told you shall happen without any doubt An exhortation of Vrgand to King Lisuard inciting him to entreat well his men of war. In the .2 booke the .18 Chaper SYr you séeme vnto me now to be well accompanyed not so muche for the number of great personages whiche are nigh vnto as for the amitie and loue that they as I am sure heare you whereof you should laude and prayse god For a Prince beloued of his may kéepe his estate in great suretie and safegarde therefore syr take payne to entertaine and to entreate them well so that your fortune the whiche as yet dothe not leaue of to fauor you goe not farre from you if you do otherwise and aboue all other things kéepe your self from euill report considering that it is the very poyson and ruine of Princes the which beléeue it A Prophecie of Vrgan vnknown as well to the King as to other his Knightes THere shall be great contention betwéene the great Adder and the strong Lyon the which shall be succored and holpen by many cruell beasts and shall come in such a furie that a great number of them shall suffer dolorous death The fine Raynard the Romayne shall be wounded with the clawes of the strong Lyon and his skinne shall be cruelly rente and â—orne wherewith the great Serpent shall be in great perplexitie At this time the swéete shéepe couered with blacke wool shal be set in the midst of them the which with his great humilitie and his swéete bleings shall mittigate and assuage the brauenesse and frecenesse of theyr courage causing the one to be separated from the other â—ut as sone as the hungrie Woolues shall descende and come from the nexte Mountaynes againste the greate Adder and béeing destroyed by them wyth a great parte of his followers hée shall enclose him in one of theyr cauernes The tender Unicorne putting his mouthe into the braue Lions eares shall with his loude crye awake from his strong sléepe and causing him to take parte of his beastes shall go most diligently to help the great Adder whome they shall fynde bitten and so wounded by the hungrie Woolues that they shall sée great abundance of bloud shed vpon the grounde then he shall be taken from the Woolues teeth and they being pluckt in péeces and life restored to the great Adder leauing al the poison of hir intralles and guttos within hir â—auâ—rns he shall be content and consent to be put among the clawes of the strong Lyon and the whyte Hinde the whiche in the fearfull forest doth eleuate and lift vp hiâ— mowings against heauen shall be reiected and repelled Another prophecie of Vrgan vnknowen to Amadis declaring the thing that should chance vnto him In the .2 booke the 18. Chapter AT the houre and time that ye shal be wounded to death defending the lyfe of another the martirdome being yours and the profite other mens the recompence that ye shall haue shall be a great and an euill contentation and a putting off from the thing that ye desire most to approch vnto Then your good cutting and rich sword shal so bruse your bones and cut your flesh in so many places that ye shall find your selfe weake and faint of bloudâ— and so outrageously pursued that if halfe the world were yours ye would giue itâ— so that your sword were cast into the depth of some profound and déepe lake wherout it can neuer be drawen therefore thinke vpon your destinie the which shall be suche as I haue tolde you Amadis excuse that he calde not his companions with him to be at the combat for he himselfe had taken it in hande In the .2 booke the .19 Chapter MY Lords I pray you all to haue me excused and not to be miscontent with me assuring you that if it had bene in my choise to haue chosen a companion to be of the companie considering the great valiant actes whereof euery one of you is prouided I should not haue knowen whome I should haue chosen But Ardan for the hatred that he beareth me and for the loue that he hath to Madasâ—me would fyght alone against me and seing that he hath so required it I could not nor ought not to refuse it exâ—ept I should haue shewed my selfe a slâ—thful coward and to make a contrary answer not conformable to his request and demaund And when he would haue taken mâ— knights with him where thinke ye I should haue sought for ayde or succoure but among you â— considering ye do know that my force doth it selfe double with yours when we are togyther Amadis answer to Ardan Canille that defyed him before the king In the .2 booke the .10 Chapter HOw now que Amadis do ye thinke that I haue not heart ynough and right to abase the pride of suche a man and so
Angriotes of Estrauaux Oration to King Lisuard declaring vnto him the mischieuousnesse and deceite of Broquadan and Gandandel In the selfesame Chapter SYr my nephew and I here present doe pray you to causâ— those two villaynes Broquadan and Gandandell the which are in your Court to appeare presently vnto whome I will declare the treason that they haue vsed against you Syr these euill men of whome I speake to you not hauing any consideration nor feare of God or of man haue falsly accused my Lord Amadis and other of a thing that they neuer in all their liues thought on by the meanes whereof I dare well say you haue remoued farre from you the best Knightes that euer entred into Englande therefore if these traytors dare maintaine that they are not suche as I name them I alonâ— by the helpe of God and the edge of my sword shall cause theÌ„ to know it And if age should excuse them there is not one of them but hathe children wearing armour and harneys of long time and well estéemed and taken among the Knights of your Court against whom I will fight if they will kéepe and supplie the place of theâ—r euill fathers Gandandels answere to the King excusing himselfe of that that men sayde by him In the same Chapter SYr answered Gandandell sée ye not the audacitie and boldnesse of this braue and iniurious man the whiche is not come into this Court but to shame the gentlemen of youre Court by my troth syr if you had beléeued me long since as sone as he was entred into your Realme so sone shoulde he haue bene hanged vpon the first trée but séeing that you suffer it and beare it and hereafter must not maruell if Amadiâ— in his owne person come hither to do you wrong So muche there is that if I by the liuing God were as yong as I was when I beganne to enter into the seruice of your brother the King vnto whome I haue done many great seruices I am well assured that Angriote durst not dreame to say vnto me the least of the iniuries that he hath spoken before your maiestie But the gallant knoweth well that I am olde and broken as much for the number of my olde yeares as of the insinite woundes the which I haue receiued throughout all the parts of my body in the warres of your predecessors The answere of King Lisuard to the foresayde Broquadan and Gandandell reprouing them of cowardnesse and slouthfulnesse COme hither you haue so oftentimes recited and told me that Amadis and his had purposed to betraye me and to vsurpe vpon me the countrie of England and yet when you should méete you excused your selues from fighting and sent your children to the play that could do nothing therwithall yet God is iust and by as much as I owe him and am bound vnto him it was euil spoken of you nor I would neuer haue estéemed you to be such maner of men as you be The Oration of King Arban of Norgales to King Lisuarde inducing him to call Amadis againe to his court In the .3 booke the .1 Chaper SYr I would thinke it good or euer you did this thing that you shoulde haue the aduice of the noble men of your countrie for you knowe that Amadis and they of his kindred are wonderful good Knights and very mightie through the friendes that they haue Furthermore there is not he that knoweth not howe falsly they haue bene accused before your maiestie whereof the victorie that Angriote and Sarquelles haue obtained within these few dayes that be past against the accusers hath giuen good witnesse and if the right had not bene on their side yet bicause they are good and valiant Knyghts they shoulde not haue bene so easily dispatched of Candandelles children nor of Amadis the whiche thing dothe sufficiently make vs to vnderstande and beleeue that the Lorde mayntained them in their iustification and ryght And therefore syr it should be best as I doe suppose and thinke if it woulde so please you to forget the euill that you bears them and to call them agayne to your seruice séeing that it shall not be greatly approued nor allowed that a Prince should make war against those that he may easily and with his honor call againe to his amitie seruice considering that doing the contrarie is oftentimes losse of men extreme expenses and diminishing of authoritie a thing that shortly after causeth the Lords and neighbors therabouts to desire and to make newe enterprises to get them out of subiection and to enter into a more libertie than they had before And therefore a sage and a wise Prince ought at no time if it be possible to giue occasion to his vassalles to go and depart froÌ„ the feare and reuerence that they owe vnto him but muste proue and assaye by all meanes and wayes to rule them as the good shepeheard by temperate discretion dothe with his shéepe winning their hearts and wils more by faithful loue than by rigour and tyrannie Therefore syr it is necessarie to quench the fire alreadie kindled before it be throughly set a fire For oftentimes after the fault be knowne the remedie is to farre gone Amadis is so humble and so much yours that if you would send to reuoke him you shal easily recouer him with those that haue followed him of the whiche you may be better serued than euer you were The defiance of Cendill of Gâ—not made in the name of Kyng Lisuard to Amadis and to all other his parents and friendes certifying them that the King dothe declare him selfe their mortall enimie In the same Chapter MY Lords I am sent hither vnto you from the most puissant and mightie King Lisuard my soueraine Lord in whose name I defie you and all your parentes friendes or aliance and from him I declare vnto you that if euer he find you in England or in the Isle of Mongase he will cause you to be destroyed and entreated as his mortall enimie Therefore kéepe your selues from henceforth if you may or can for he hath enterprised to inuade you and vtterly if he may find the meane and wayes to destroy you Amadis prayeth Gandales his olde and auncient friend to goe and answere King Lisuard and to aduertise him that he feareth not his threatnings In the selfesame Chapter MY father I praye you to goe with him and say to King Lisuard that I send you particularly vnto him to aduerauertise hym that I set lesse by hys threatnings than he thinketh and if I had knowen the little thanke that he beareth me forâ— so many great seruices as he hath receiued by me I would haue taken good héede to haue entred so often into so greate daungers wherin I aduenture my selfe for hys wealth and the wealth of his realme the which paradueÌ„ture should otherwise not haue remained and bene so entire and whole as it is at this present but I trust in God that wyth the time he shall know this ingratitude
Florestan that hir father would marie hir to the Emperoure against hir will prayeth him to speake to hir father In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter ANd beléeue said she that if he continus in his opinion that the first newes that he shall haue after my departure of me the same shall be of my death for what soeuer shall chance if he separate me from this countrie the Sea and death shall separate me also being well minded to ende my misfortunes by the impetousitie and furiousnesse of the waues the which shal be witnesses for euer of my dolours as they of the which I hope to fynd more pitie than in my owne father parents countrey friendes and seruantes And therefore my Lord Florestan I pray you in the name of God to prepare your selfe to dissuade him of his fantasie or else by my faith this thing shall be vnto him a greate charge in conscience and to me the most strange misfortune into the which any poore damsell disherited and forsaken of God and man might fall Florestans answer to Oriane excusing himselfe to hir that he dare not speake to hir father for hir and that he will cause him to bee spoken to by other In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter MAdame ye shall do me great iniurie if ye haue me not in that estimation that I am entirely yours and ready to obey and to serue you vntill death but to speake to the king your father as ye pray me is impossible for me to do for ye know the enmitie that he beareth me in despite of my Lord Amadis forgetting all the great seruices that he and all they of his linage haue done him in times past and if he haue receiued any by me he ought not to thanke me seing that I did it not for his loue but by his commaundement that hath all power vpon me and vnto whome I may not nor I ought not to saye against the whiche was the cause that I of late was in the warre of the seuen knightes not to ayde those of England but only to conserue and kepe the right that ye haue there as she y one day shall be if it please God Lady â— Quene And as concerning the rest I wil obey you and shal cause king Perin to vnderstand the thing that ye haue told me and other my friendes to assay and to finde remedie in your affaires and I trust they wil in such sort prouide for you that ye shall haue an occasion to content you assuring you that I will tarie in no place til that I be in the inclosed I le where I shall find the Prince Agraies the which hath as ye know a great desire to do you seruice also for the loue of Mabile his sister There we shall aduise vs togyther of the thing that we must take vpon vs without sparing of any thing that is in our puissance and power The Oration of the Earle ArgamoÌ„t to king Lisuard touching the mariage of Oriane tending to turne him from the marying of hir to the Emperoure In the .3 booke the .15 Chapter MY Lord seing it pleaseth you that I speake before thys company the thing that I thinke of the Emperoures mariage with my Lady Oriane your daughter I beséech you most humbly to receiue of me the thing that ye shall vnderstand in good part for it is no lesse treason to dissemble good counsell toward his Prince than to offend him in his proper person therefore beléeue that I without dissimulation shall tell you mine aduice notwithstanding that often ynough I haue particularly declared it vnto you Syr ye knowe that my Lady Oriane your eldest daughter ought to succéede you and to be by reason inheriter of the lands that God and fortune hathe gyuen and committed to your custodie vnto the which by right of nature she hath more iust title than ye euer had for they fell vnto you only by the death of king FalaÌ„gâ—is the which was but your brother and she is your owne daughter and the eldest Therefore consider with your selfe that if he had done on your part as ye apoint to do to my Lady Oriane ye had not bene now so great so mightie a Lord as ye are Wherfore will ye chase hir away to cal my niece Leonor into hir place coÌ„sidering that as I beléeue she neuer offended you And if it séeme vnto you the marying hir to the Emperour Patin ye shal make hir a great Princesse very wel to prouide for hir truely syr you are far from your accompt for you know that hauing childreÌ„ togither if she outliue the Emperor she shal remain but the simple dowager of Rome in place to be after you Lady and Queene of this Realme furthermore do you estéem that your subiects wil hardly coÌ„sent there to by my soule I thinke that if they said yea that it should be perforce and against their wils and therefore so shall it not please God I say no otherwise vnto you than my conscience dothe vrge me being yet assured that for any thing that may be persuaded you you will giue no place but to your owne fantasie Thus I beséech you most humbly to pardon me considering that I would neuer haue spoken so farre without the expresse commaundement that you haue giuen me Grasindes letter to King Lisuard declaring his greatnesse vnto him and praying him to giue hir and the Knight of Greece a salfe conduct to come in safetie vnto him In the .3 booke the .15 Chapter RIght highe and magnificent Prince I Grasinde faire aboue all other faire Ladies of Rome giue you to witte that I am only aryued into your countrie in the guarde and custodie of the Knight of Gréece expresly for this cause that as I haue bene iudged and taken for the fayrest woman of all those of Rome and following this glorie the which hathe so contented my heart that when I am so estéemed aboue al the maydens of your Court then shall my spirit remaine as satisfied of that that it desireth more than any other thing And if there be any Knight that for the loue of any one particularly or for all togither will say the contrarie that he take deliberation of two things The first to fight with the Knight of Gréece and the other that he may haue of the damsell such a Coronet as I weare so that the victor in a signe of a triumphe of the victorie maye make a present to hir for whome he hath fought And if it please you syr to graunt me the thing that I desire of you you shall sende to me by this Damsell and to all my company but especially to the knight of Gréece a safe conducte that he receiue no outrageousnesse nor iniurie if it be not of those against whom he shall fight if he ouercome the first let the second the third the fourth come and all they that will proue him one after an other The Oration of the
the which thing cannot be slacked if thou Emperoure to much hated of good fortune do not shewe thy selfe the most faintharted Prince that euer was borne of mother An exhortation of Mabile to Queene Sardamire to dispose hir to learne pacience in hir aduersitie nor to be astonied at fortunes inconstancie In the .4 booke the .1 Chapter IN good faith my Lady it becommeth as I estéeme a princesse so wise as ye haue bene alwayes reputed to fall into suche extremitie for the vertue of a wise person cannot be knowen but when tribulation commeth sodeinly vpoÌ„ him And further more you that doe beare the title of a Queene ought by good reason to be more constant than a simple damsell should be or any other person vnworthy of the place and kingdome that ye possesse Do ye not know that fortune is mutable and that she will take away hir fauor from whom it pleaseth hir and call it agayne when it seemeth good vnto hir So then séeing that the Emperoures armie is defeated and your selfe at this tyme to be in the handes of the knightes of the inclosed Iland it followeth well that ye should take this chaunce paciently and beare it wisely when that ye cannot amend it be you also assured that ye are in the power of those that shall do you all the honour seruice and good intreating that they may deuise And if the Prince Salust be deade what remedie ye cannot call him agayne with your wéeping these be the common turnes and chaunces of warre to those that séeke theÌ„ And therfore madame if it so please you be no more heauy but vsing your accustomed prudencie and wisedome take the things so as they may chance and come Queene Sardamires answer to Mabile declaring vnto hir that â—he hath a iust occasion to be heauie for the inconuenience that she is fallen in and that it may please hir to coÌ„sent to beare with hir in hir affection The .4 booke the .1 Chapter ALas quoth she it is eâ—sy to him that is in ioy to comfort as ye do the person that is ouerwhelmed with displeasure Neuerthelesse if ye selfe the heauinesse that presseth me ye would peraduenture lament me more than ye do yet I knowe that ye say the truth and that it is impossible for me so at this time to commaund and to rule my selfe to beléeue your counsell Therefore I pray you for the honor of God that excusing my imperfections ye will ayde me your selfe and all these other Ladies also to lament my euill houre and mischaunce irrecuparable The replicatioÌ„ of Mabile to Queene Sardamire declaring vnto hir that to be heauie for the thing that is happened is not the meane to help it In the .4 booke the .1 Chapter MAdame sayd Mabile if ye for our heauinesse of the thing that ye pray vs for might be the better I sweare vnto you by my faith that there is not she in this company as I thinke but would with good heart employ hir selfe but ye know that when the thing is dâ—ne the counsell is taken thus ye may know that of necessitie ye must make an ende of your wepings be it with the time or rather by your prudencie and wisedome Amadis Oration to his companions declaring vnto them the thing that he had vnderstood by Oriane whiche tendth to this that king Lisuard had changed the mind which he had to marry hir to the Emperoure furthermore praying him to prepare him selfe to succoure hir in hir great trouble In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY Lords yesterday my Lady Oriane seÌ„t vnto me praying me that we should fynd some meanes to restore hir to the good grace and fauour of the king hir father and to deliuer him if it were possible of the fantasie that he hathe to marrie hir to the prince of the worlde to whom she beareth little amitie or loue for otherwyse death shal be to hir more agreeable And therefore I thought it good after that I had spoken with some of this companâ— particularly to vnderstand generally of you al what ye thinke for séeing that we haue bene companions to set hir at libertie it is very reasonable we should be to maintein hir but first or euer we enter any further into this matter I pray you to haue before your eyes that euen now your renoume is so knowen thoroughout all the world bicause of the high chiualries that ye haue done that there is this day no King Prince nor Knight of whome ye are not fearâ—d and redouted knowing that to obtaine laude and praise immortall ye haue not only little regarded the great riches and good intreating that ye might haue had in your owne houses but also the bloude of your proper and own harts the which ye haue not spared to cause the most hardie and bold to féele the edge of your sword to the great danger of your persons Whereof the woundes that ye haue in diuers parts the markes and witnesses of your noble actes may giue suche faith and testimonie that fortune hirselfe is bound vnto you whereof she willing to recompence you hath put into your hands and gâ—uen you this glorious victorie that we haue had ouer the two greatest Princes of christendome Not that I will speake of the destruction of their people only being of little merite towards vs but for the succour that ye haue shewed to the most wise gentle and vertuous Lady of the earth the which was at the point most wrongfully to suffer a worse entreatment than may be thought And thus ye haue done right great agreable seruice vnto God executing the thing to the which ye arâ— expressely called that is to sucâ—oure and to help the afflicted from wrongs that men without reason cause them to suffer And if the Emperour and king Lisuard if it so like them will be angrie wroth seing that the right is ours God y which is iust will be with vs also and in such sort that if they of themselues know not what is reason and beléeue by theyr power to ouercome our force strength I promise my selfe hope well that we may so resist theÌ„ that as loÌ„g as the world shal be a world continue there shal be a memorie and a remembraÌ„ce therof Therefore aduise euery one of you what he shall â—hinke best to be done either to make an end of the war that is begon or to make a meane for peace deliuering my Lady Oriane to the king hir father euen as she desireth for as coÌ„cerning me ye shal vnderstaÌ„d that I will no nother thing but that which shal please you nor my fantasie in thys â—hal be no nother than yours knowing you to be such your vertue to be so great that to die for it ye would not go from the magnanimitie of your corages nor suffer the thing wherby our honor be it neuer so litle shuld be abased or diminished The OratioÌ„ of Quedragant to Amadis answering that
to â—e preferred aboue al persons and for whom I haue oftentimes put my body in hazard aud peril of death hauing no other hope of them but to please God and to augment my name in this world the which was the onely cause that last moued me to absent my selfe so from these câ—ntries to go serch among strange nations those that had néede of my helpe where I haue had many perillous aduentures the which thou hast séen and maist report them vnto him Also I comming to this Isle was aduertised how that King Lisuard forgetting the honoâ—r of God the right of men the counsell of his and the instinct of nature that euery good father dothe commonly beare to his childe woulde as it were by a certaine manner of extreme crueltie driue from his countreys my lady Oriane his owne daughter and principal inheritour gyâ—ing hir in mariage against hir will to the Emperour Patin Whereof she made her complainte not onely to those of the Realme of England but required also aide and succor of all knightes that beare armes aswell by letters messages as other wayes praying them with hir handes ioyned together and abundance of teares to haue pitie and compassion of hir miserie And so much she could do with prayers huÌ„ble Orations that the Lorde of all things hath loked mercifully from heauen vpon hir gyuing the addresse and helpe to the knightes that are nowe in this place to assemble them as it were by a miracle where I founde them as thou knowest purposing to aduenture their lyues to set hir and the other that perforce accompanied hir at libertie considering that doing otherwise they in time to come shoulde haue bene blamed giuing occasion to many to presume that cowardise only had turned backe this ayde so greatly recommended and for persons of the qualitie that they be By the meanes wherof the conflicte and battel chaunced vpon the Romanes â—uen suche as thou hast séene it of the which we haue many prisoners and the ladies out of their handes But to make a meanes for their appointment to King Lisuard Quedragant and my cousin Lorian of Moniaste departed lately with an expresse charge and commaundement from vs all to beséeche him take the thing that we haue done in good part and to receiue to his good grace and fauour my lady Oriane and those of hir companie being yet well minded if he will not receiue this offer audaciously boldly by the meanes of the aide of our good friends alies to defend vs against him of y which number Gandalm thou shalt say vnto him that all we together do estéeme him the first chiefest praying him most humbly that he will â—â—ccorâ—s when néede is 〈◊〉 thâ—â— the Quéene my mother also kisse hir hands in my name say 〈…〉 that I pray hir to send hitheâ— my siâ—ter Meâ—â—tiaâ—◠〈…〉 company with these other ladies with whom she may sée â—earne mâ—inie things But or euer thou depart know 〈◊〉 of my cousin Mabile whether it wyll please hir to sende anye thyng thither and therâ—with that thou aâ—ayâ— to speake to Oâ—iane the which will not be so straunge to thée that thou shalt not vnderstande of hir in what estate hir health is and the good will she beareth me Amadis letter to King Tafiner of Boeme praying him to succour him in his great affaires In the .4 booke the .4 Chap. SYr if euer I did you any seruice that any time contented you the honor and the good receyte that I receiued of you and of yours al the time that I soiournd in your Court haue caused me to remaine and as long as I shall liue to be readie not to spare my person to obey and to saue you Therefore I beséech you most humbly not to estéeme that this thing which hath caused me to dispatch this knight and bearer vnto you is to haue any recompence Neuerthelesse I remembring the honest offers that you made me at my departing from Boheme I haue boldned my selfe to send him vnto you to require you effectuously to helpe me in a certaine affayre that is nigh me of the which he shall certifie you beséeching you syr to beléeue him as my selfe and to commaunde his dispatch as sone as it shal be possible to put him out of paine that for you would hazarde his life the whiche is Amadis of Fraunce surnamed in many places the knight of the gréene sworde The deuice of Orian to Gandalin vncouering to him hir heauinesse and that he would finde meanes she might speake with Amadis whome she loueth so well In the .4 booke the .4 Chapter GAndalin my friende what thinkest thouâ— of fortune the which is to me so contrarie that it depriueth me of that person of all the worlde whose frequentationâ— I loue moste being so nigh me and I wholly in his power This notwithstandinge we can not haue the meanes priuily to speake togither without offending my honor and that greatly wherby my heart endureth such paine that if thou knewest it I beléeue certenly thou woldst haue more pitie on me thaÌ„ thou hast the which thing I pray thée shew him to the inâ—eÌ„t that complaying me he may reioyce of the greate affection that dayly increaseth in me to will him well also that he finde some fashion or meane that we may see one another repayring to some part with his companions vnder the collour of thy voyage and of my comfort Gandalins answer to Oriane aduertising hir that she be not deceiued in the singular loue that she beareth to Amadis for his amitie is stedfast as he dayly doth shew in all his actes In the .4 booke the .5 Chapter MAdame que GaÌ„dalin ye haue good cause to beare him such amitie and to remember also the remedie the which he desireth aboue al things for if ye knew the extremitie wherin I haue a hundred times found him ye would not beléeue with what power loue doth rule him I haue séene him dye a thousand timâ—s remembring the fauors that be past the whiche ye haue shewed him and as often times by the remembrance of them to recouer life And I haue séene him among the great dangers of the worlde do seates of armes caling vpoÌ„ you to succoure him so that it is not easy to be beléeued that any knight might haue in hym so great valiantnesse Therefore Madame I pray you to haue pitie on him and to entreat him as he deserueth assuring you that there was neuer a more faithfull knight nor more yours than he is nor there was neuer Lady that had such power vpon a man as ye haue vpon him for in your hands they may entreat of his death or of his life euen as it shall séeme good to you The Oration of king Lisuard to the Queene his wife declaring to hir the wrong that they do vnto him taking the Romanes that conducted his daughter and yet that she dissembled the matter as much as she might so doing he
good part of Orians annoyance troubles I do thinke that they shuld also féele of hir ease and aduancement I commende theÌ„ vnto you assuring you that the greatest pleasure that I can haue in my olde age and yeares is that your bretheren â—alaor and Floristan were maried that I or euer I die maye sée my selfe reuiue againe in them by the linage of you all And therefore I pray you to looke vnto the thing that I haue told you and as soone as ye may Amadis Oration to hys companions offering them a recompence for their trauells which they suffered in the warres for his loue In the .4 booke the .25 Chapter MY companions and friendes the great trauels paines that are paste the which ye haue sustained in this last warre do well deserue that now ye should giue your selues and your minds to rest and pleasure And in asmuch as I am bound vnto you I assay proue by al meanes to cause you to haue the thing that I shal perceiue know ye haue most affection vnto for I by your good helpe that ye haue gyuen and shewen me haue obtained the thing that I loued best in al the world that is my lady Oriane Therefore I pray you with al my hart that euery one of you do presently declare shew me if he pretend or haue any minde to any of these Ladyes Damsels that be here assuring you by the faith of a knight so to labour therin that with the good contentation wyll of their friendes they shall beleue me in that that I shal desire and pray them And furthermore ye know how that Kyng Arauigne Barsinan and many other our prisoners leauing and forsaking the vertue whervnto they were bounde by the order of chiualrie haue exercised asmuch as they could so great tyrannie that they are not worthy of any raunsome but of great punishment for the greuousnesse of their treasons And therfore I do thinke ye should deuise to part and deuide their goods among you And as touching me I quite and refuse my part holding my selfe a great deale more than satisfyed if I might finde and haue the meanes and wayes perticularly to do you pleasure or seruice that might content you The Oration of Bruneo of Good Mere to the Citizens of the towne to the which the Queene of Dace had brought theÌ„ to succor theÌ„ admonishing them to kepe theÌ„ good and true for the iust quarell of their Prince against his enimie In the .4 booke the .27 Chapter LOrds Citizens the loue that ye shew to this yong Prince your liege Lord doth binde him very much as long as he shall liue to will you well The confidence that he hath in you shoulde moue you to honor him ye sée that he is yong and hath little meanes and helpe to chase his enimie out of his borders the which as ye know did murder through treason the last King your good Prince and afterwardes thinking to vsurpe his kingdome he besieged the principall citie and kéepeth it so straight that without your aide it is in danger to be wonne and destroyed with those good men knightes that â—re within it Therefore my maisters the Citizens nowe that the occasion dothe offer it selfe by the returne of the Quéene your good mystresse that bringeth with hir the knightes of the inclosed Isle of the which I am one propose your selues to reuenge the iniurie that ye haue receyued by the traitour and so to labour that your leige Lordes may be set into their lands againe ensuring you if ye wil folow me that I will â—inde a meanes sodenly to take him and his armie and to destroy him by the fauour and helpe of my companions that are within the towne the which shall not faile to come forthe assone as they shall sée the signe that I wyll gyue them Amadis Oration to Dragonis promising him in fauour of the trauells that be past to cause the Realme of the profounde Isle to fall into his handes and to accorde the mariage betweene him and Estoillette In the fourthe booke the .29 Chapter MY cousin since that ye left vs we haue made many mariages of the principallest knightes that be here wyth those that they desired long since And besides this King Arauigne Barsinan and other our prisoners landes and countreys by the consent of al haue bene parted and diuided and bicause of your absence ye were forgotten but good as ye shall vnderstande hath prouided I haue presently bene aduertised by a certaine Esquire that since our departing from Lubanâ—â— the King of the profound Isle the which was wouÌ„ded and hurt is departed vpon the sea a fewe dayes after he toke shipping thinking to returne and retire and therâ—ore I shall cause his Realme to fall into your hands and so ye shal haue by this meanes Estoilletti to your wyfe whom ye haue loued of long time and wel worthy being faire wise and a vertuous Princesse issued of a king of two cotâ—s and aswell loued of Oriane as any other that I knowe I thinke that a man for your contentatioÌ„ cannot better satisfie you thaÌ„ to make you ioyfull of the thing that ye loue and estéeme more than your selfe A complaint of Darioletta for Amadis the which was besieged on euery parte by hir occasion In the fourth booke the .23 Chapter ALas caitife and vnfortunate that I am shuld it be that by my occasion the best knight of the world should die How shall I dare from henceforth appeare are before the king his father and the Quéene or any of his friends knowing the euil that I haue purchast him Ah ah vnfortunate and more vnfortunate than I can saye if in tymes paste I was a meane to saue his life by the inuention of a cradle wherein I put him wheÌ„ he was cast and deliuered to the mercie of the waues and surges of the sea now cleane contrarie I haue aâ—aunced the ende of his dayes when I most trusted to haue had aide and support of him Alas had I not my vnderstanding wit wel aduised when I found him by the sea side and would not suffer him so muche as to returne to the castell Apolidon to take his leaue of my lady Oriane froÌ„ whence he might haue brought some other knightes by whom he might haue had some helpe But what who should receiue punishment but I to much hated of good fortune that hath done a deede of a light and of a too euill forecasâ—ing woman Belan doth sharpely reproue hys sonne Brunor of treason and that he agaynste his fathers promise besieged Amadis In the .4 booke the .34 Chapter INfamous villaine durst thou falsifie my word in the thing that I haue promised wretch that thou art what honour or what gaine canst thou haue of suche an euyll turne and déede as thou haste done seing it was not in thy power to reuoke my life if death had called me and lesse to haue excused thée of treason ending
me might haue called himselfe the heade of your armes and Duke of Buillon wherof I haue so great dolor that I die a hundred times in a day And as concerning you his good parents I beleue certainly that nature doth so prieâ—â— you that your hart doth blede and that this wouÌ„d shal blede and continue as long as you or yours shall haue the name of gentlemen but yet if ye will follow mine aduise we shal not defer the time of vengeance so long but I shall giue you a meane to recouer our honor so greatly abased that shal turne you to glorie and great profite The curteous Oration of Branzahar Prince of Clarence to the knight Birmartes that would fight with him bicause he had slaine his people In the .7 booke the .54 Chapter KNight thou hast now gotten so great honor that the glory thereof shall remaine with thée for euer and althoughe this thing was against my will and minde and that my hart could not content it selfe for the losse of myne that I loued so well and whom thou hast slaine And although I am called to reuenge them yet considering that this their misfortune chaunced by thy onely valiantnesse doyng the thing that thou shouldest doe to get a name among wise men I could not refraine my selfe but to vse curtesie to thée wardes as reason commaunded me seyng thée to be wery without a sworde and a horse So that if I had the better hande of thee being prouided and wel horsed as I am such a victory shuld rather turne me to blame than to any glory By meanes whereof I loue much better to be on my féete and being equall in armes to let fortune rule and extende hir hande to whom of vs two it shall please hir Birmartes braue answere to Branzahar the Prince of Clareâ—â—â— where he prayseth more his curtesie than he doth wonder of his greatnesse and force but yet to auoyde blame it is expedient for to fight In the .7 booke the .54 Chapter PRince your curtesie hath more astonied me thaÌ„ the greatnesse of your body and the might of your members great and boystous for the magnanimitie of heartes doth not consist in the masse of the flesh but in the propernesse strength of the person the which doth loue honour and doth desire to make his remembrance perpetuall not by brauery pryde but doing his duetie with fewe and swéete wordes and rude execution in suche sort that I finding in you the one of these two poyntes that is curtesie I doubt not that the seconde be farre of considering that very syldome or neuer they leaue eche other no more than the fire the heate and the heate the fire Therfore if it were to me honourable or reasonable I would sooner and more willingly make amitie with you thaÌ„ passe ouer with aduantage to proue our persons one against the other but hauing no order neither you nor I cannot refuse the combat that is offered in so much as it should be an iniurie for you to leaue off the enterprise that ye haue begon and to me great blame not to follow the fortune that this beginning as euery man may sée hath giuen me So then let the victory be as it shall please fortune and him haue it that can get it A letter from the knight of the burning sworde to Magadan wherein he excuseth him of his departing without leaue and doth labour to enter into his grace and fauour seyng he was founde without faulte In the seuenth booke the .16 Chapter RIght highe right mightie and right excellent Prince if the things that be to come were present to men as they be vnknowen vnto them fewe men should finde themselues deceiued and fewer euil men that might by falsely reporting things vnto them deceiue them But such secretes being out of our power certes we should feare more the malice of men than death it selfe that causeth a man to die but once For the deathe that ensueth and followeth these traitours and euill men doth not onely take away life but the immortal honor that euery vertuous person mighte obtaine and get conuerting and turnyng hys good renoume to shame and blame wherewith they féede the eares of them that harken vnto them And of thys victorious King ye may now iudge much better than of any other beyng at the poynt to fall into the reputation of an vniust King beyng in wyll and mynde so wrongfully to put the Quéene to deathe throughe the false accusation that was reported to you of hir and of your faithfull subiecte and seruaunt the Knight of the burning sworde Not syr that I will excuse me of the faulte that I dyd absenting my selfe from your courte following the counsell that Maudan gaue mee for where my innocencie was payne coulde haue no place And furthermore not leauing my honour doubtfull by my flying awaye I shoulde rather haue submitted my selfe to your punishment knowyng your vertue and my iustice than fearing your furie and followyng the death the whyche I deserued not to render my selfe suspecte of the faulte But the gods as I vnderstand haue suffered the truthe afterwardes to be discouered by him that had charged it and that the Quéenes honour and mine was recouered by the inuincible valiantnesse of Amadis the King of England the which sustaining my right slew the traitor in the plaine fielde of battell before your maiestie And neuerthelesse syr if there yet doe reste any sparckle of euill will against your humble seruaunt I beséeche you to forget it and partly to take and to receiue me to your good grace fauour perceiuing that I haue a desire to returne to your excellencie to whom I would already haue come if it had not béene for the promise that I made to these thrée Kings assembled not to leaue theÌ„ vntill the warre taken in hande against two other traitors were ended Therfore it may please you to excuse me kissing the hands of your highnesse in all humilitie The Oration of Abra to hir brother Zair Soudan of Babilon demaunding wherof his anoyance doth procede to giue him a remedie In the .8 booke the .2 Chapter ALas my Lord from whence may this accident procéede I praye you not to hide the occasion any more from me swearing vnto you by the faith that I owe you that if there be any thing wherewith I may giue you any remedie I wil not spare my life for you for why it can not continue seeyng you suffer as ye doe The Oration of Abra to the Princes and Lordes being in the Soudans Zair hir brothers court declaring vnto them the vision of the foresayde Soudan and perswading them to take in hande the combat against the Christians In the .8 booke the .2 Chapter EXcellent Princes and great Lords it semeth that fortune doth present to you all one meane and way seruing our gods to augment their lawe and to make lesse diminishe that by the which they are misprysed And to declare
purpose to mainteine and vphold against all men that my Lady Oriane the Lady of all beautie princesse of Apolonia doth excéede in perfection all the most excellent of the world as I hope to proue by armes vnder such condition that he the which will assay it shall be constrayned if he loue the daughter of any Emperoure or king to beare hir in picture as I do this the which ye sée that I if I remaine victor may set his tablet in that range of other whom I haue conquered and wonne And also where I should haue the worsse I should frâ—m hencefoorth be inforced to leaue off my enterprise without making any mo quarels for the beautie of my louer to the preiudice of those that haue any enterprise Therfore sir now that ye haue vnderstanded my will and mind if there be any that will furnish and fulfill the coÌ„ditions recited before your excellence he shall find me to morow without this palace ready to receiue him The Oration of Zair Soudan of Babilon to the Emperoure of Trebisond in the which he hauing vaunted his fortunable conquests doth protest that by and by he will be baptised trusting that afterwards the Emperoure will not denie him his request In the .8 booke the .11 Chapter RIght mightie Emperoure I estéeme that it is not of late that ye haue knowledge of the kingdomes and great prouinces that I haue subdued and brought to my crowne since the time that the Gods called me to rule the best parte of Asia And leading and in my owne person conducting my inuincible armies these long iorneis during I neuer shewed my selfe to be tardious nor slouthfull but hauing no respect in the perill of heate cold nor of long time nor of any other danger that presented it selfe I haue fréely and at will suffered them all as the least of my souldiers and in such sorte that I fortune fauoring haue made fiftéene great kings my tributaries of the which the most part haue folowed and accompanied me into your court where they be as yet Yea I haue bene taken all my life for the most fortunatest prince that euer bare Scepter but all the prosperitie that I haue receyued in times past is little or nothing in respect of one that ye shall vnderstand and whereof I thinke that both you and all this nobilitie shall maruell It hath pleased God the creator to haue kept me in this your great citie and therewith to giue me the knoweledge of the true faythe that you Christians do obserue and in the which I do intende to liue and die hauing no greater displeasure in my heart but that I haue differred so long to do it And to the intent ye may sée by the effect thereof that I speake not in vayne by and by and in the presence of this assemblie and company I my sisâ—er and all these princes my subiects wil receiue baptisme be baptised trusting that within a while after vsing your accustomed liberalitie ye will not denie me the gifte that I shall pray you to graunt me The complaint of Zair Soudan of Babilon for the Infant Onoloria the which had left him to aquaint hir with Lisuard And he complayneth sore of hir vnfaythfulnesse and faulte committed by hir In the .8 booke the .11 Chapter AH ah heauy thought sayd he that doth fréese and burneâ— my heart and aduaunceth the heauinesse which without ceasing doth fyle and knaw my soule and my spirit Alas what shoulde I do bâ—ing come so late and to so euill a purpose that another hath gathered the fruite and I only haue the sight of the trée another hathe gottâ—n the spoyle and entier richesse and I am yet to enioy the least goodnesse and â— fauor that man may or can estéeme Wherefore then being depriued as I am both of the floure of the fruite togither do I thus trouble my selfe and for hir that after the ensample of a she wolfe doth leaue me and choose Lisuard for disdayning me a seruaÌ„t to make hir selfe a seruant and a slaue and to giue hir to him léesing by this meanes the best thyng that was in hir For why a mayde to say well a virgin and chast is like a Rose being ioyned to the fayre Rosier receyuing no hâ—art neither of beast nor of the iniurie of the time the dauning and albe of the day full of deaw inclining to hir fauor And by this occasion and desire they do ayd and comâ—ort amorous yong ladies that do make garlands nosegays and coronets to adorne their heads withall and to apparell their little tetes or round small aples planted and set vpon their teÌ„der sâ—omackes do gather and possesse But she is not so soone taken from hirâ— gréene braunch and maternall nurishment but that by little and little she léeseth hir grace and bewtie that caused hir to be desired both of God and man In like manner the Lady or Damsell leauing the floure of hir virginitie to be rauished of other the which she should kéepe more déerely than hir goodes or hir owne proper life dothe vtterly alter the pricel that caused it to be estéemed and the good will of those that beare hir good affectioÌ„ and seruice But what It is very like that she taketh little thought or none seing that she dothe continue and is beloued of him vnto whome she hath bin so liberall of hir body Ah cruell fortune fortune ingrate and blind Lisuard alone doth triumph in abundance and I die of necessitie Is it then possible that she at any time will be agreable vnto me Should I thus suffer my body to perish and consume and furthermore to require so ingrat a person No no my dayes shall sooner die than my affection shal at any time returne to hir agayne nor it were no reason And yet that euill man which hath procured me this iniurie and torment shall pay the shot causing him to léese if I may his life and his honor togither A very chast answer of the Infant Gradafilea to Lisuart to whome she sheweth his lightnesse and protesteth howe she would that hir conuersation should be chast with him In the 8. booke the .15 Chapter IN good fayth my friend quoth she ye are as farfoorth as I can sée greatly deceyued and therwith ye do me wrong to estéeme and thinke to diminish my payne with a certayne shame too vnfortunate for my honour I pray you faire sir neuer to haue your Grandafilea in such opinion to thinke by hir that the forces and strength of loue be sufficient to corrupt hir chastitie not hir chast will vertues these things being only reserued to mariage and not for the sensual appetites worthy to be blamed Also that I now do wéepe is not to sée my selfe frustrate of my intention but only for the consideration that I haue that ye shall not as long as ye lyue come to the thing that ye haue vnder the shadow to mitigate and swéetely to ease the euill that tormenteth
me presumed of me For ye may be certaine and sure of this seing that Onoloria onely doth merit you that my will shall neuer haue more power vpon me than I haue ouer it the loue that I beare you coÌ„tinuing with my chastitie and my certain hope my desire vnexecuted and my trauell in repose and rest nor searching no nother thing but your continuall presence and company with the which I shall féele in my selfe more glory and contentation of mind than if I had the entier fauors great goodes and preheminences that all other kings and princes of the earth may graunt and giue me Therefore I pray you that this honest amitie and ordinarie loue that I desire with you be not refused nor denied me but to suffer me for euer to folow you vnder this pretext and condition that the faithfulnesse that ye owe to my lady your wife be in no wise corrupted but so certayne and sure as if she ordinarily had you hanging vpon hir neâ—lie Lisuart doth prayse the excellent answer of Gradafilea and the great vertue that is in hir not suffering hir selfe to be deceiued by foolish loue for the whiche vertue he dothe verye much esteeme hir and doth declare that he is ready to obey hir demaund In the .8 booke the .16 Chapter BY God Madame as farre as I may perceiue and knowe by the things that are in you the works of God are great and wonderfull and it should be ill and hard to be beléeued without one saw it and vnderstood it that in the person of a damsell yong and fayre might be so much force and vertue the which truly do merit you the first place amoÌ„g them whose renoume doth as yet liue this day The which doth cause me to esteeme much more the constancie which is in you than that of the Romaine the whiche with ioyfulnesse of heart burnt his owne arme Also the crueltie that he prepared for himselfe is not comparable to the torment that ye haue willed and will suffer for the loue of me for he that I speake to you of outraged only in one of his members and you the example of all Chastitie haue suffered to saue your honor not your arme only to be burnt but through force of loue the heart and the body where the gentle soule and the spirit so perfect doth repose and rest By the occasion whereof I promis my selfe full well that there was neuer knight so bound to any Lady or Damsell as I am to you in somuch that I may vaunt my selfe that fortune hath bin more fortunable to me than to any of those bringing me so low to exalt me in an instant to so high a degrée preparing the occasion to cause me to be of the most sage fayre and chast princesse of the earth so perfectly loued and so that with good right I shal mainteine against all that nother the renoume of Amadis of Fraunce my Grandfather nor the hardinesse of my father and much lesse the high actes of the knight of the burning sword whose valiantnesse hath already compast the world cannot reasonably be made egall to my good houre and fortune that I reioycing do féele in me and with so great difference of the honorable loue of two the highest Ladies of the earth And as touching that ye demaund of me said he wherof I my selfe should haue first required you I graunt it you with a very good heart reputing your companie so vantagious and gainfull to me that I will neuer leaue you agaynst your will so that force and prison constrayne me not Niquea princesse of Thebes letter to the knight of the burning sword declaring vnto him that being aduertised of his vertues and great valiantnesse she hath taken affection vnto him and desireth to marrie him In the .8 booke the .18 Chapter NIquea princesse of Thebes and whome the Gods haue aduantaged in such perfect beauâ—ie that no lady nor damsell of this time is to be compared vnto hir giueth salutation to the noble greatly renoumed and right valiant knighte of the burning sword Know therfore that his excellence of whome I haue not as yet bin séene nor looked vpon by any man liuing for my presence is forbiddeÌ„ them and my beautie no lesse preiudiciall thaÌ„ the venemous sight of the Basiliske By the occasion whereof they kéepe me close in thys strong towre accompanied with women only the whiche it hath pleased my father the Soudan to giue and apoynt me But that notwithstanding the renoume of your valiantnesse and good grace hath so flown and so spread it selfe here that it hath made an entier and a whole conquest of my heart for your wealth only and the hurt of all other and yet without altering herein my honour in any thing mariage only kéeping the thing that ought most to be kept and commended to all vertuous Ladies shall giue place to my conteÌ„tation to the goodnesse the ye ought to desire being so fauored of fortune the she shall cause you to loue hir to be amiable to hir whom no other but you only doth merit to serue Therefore receyuing the houre and time that the Gods haue reserued for you I pray you incontinent as ye haue receyued and red my letter to come and sée hir that no man could see but to his disaduantage and certayne euil hauing al that is good in hir dedicated vnto you and that to ioyne togyther the paragon of all beautie with the excellence of cheualrie Busando my féeble dwarffe shall tell you the rest from me whome ye may beléeue if it please you as my selfe Niquea the Princesse of Thebes aduertisement to hir dwarffe Busando to keepe secret that she would â—hew him bycause it is the thing that toucheth hir honor In the .8 booke the 18. Chapter MY little Busando I haue otherwhiles promised thée that tâ—ou shouldst be the first that shoulde be partaker of my dolours and to whome I would shew the cause of my heauinesse and that bicause of the coÌ„fidence and trust that I haue in thy faithfulnesse I being a seruaunt as thou art will not from hencefoorth kéepe from thée the secret of my heart truâ—â—ing that putting it into thy haÌ„ds thou wilt faithfully kepe it without disclosing of it to any liuing creature yet first or euer I begin I pray thée to consider how sharpe and howe vehement the force is that constrayned me to tell thée seing that nother shame nor the greatnesse of mine estate could not satisfye my honestie vntill the arowes of loue did so wound my heart that the wound being already putrified the remedy is immortall and incurable I say this because that my life is not only in peril and danger but my owne honor the which thing is worse Therefore my Busando I pray thée to haue before thine eyes the confidence that I haue in thée knowingfull well that who so deliuereth his secret to another to him is committed the thing that he ought to kéepe more derely than
not bound to giue or demaunde more thaÌ„ is possible for the possibilitie failing the obligation and promise taketh no place Abra required me to marie hir and I was bound already so that it was not in my power As concerning the death of hir brother whereof she is so heavie by God and bicause Zair went aboute and did treason and that that was naughte the whiche he inuented against my Lorde the Emperour the Empresse my ladies their children and other she hath more reason and cause to complaine hir of hys honor than of the chastisement that he as it is to be presumed receiued by the diuine iudgement of god And yet I wyll well confesse that for the loue of hir I desire that he were yet aliue but seing that his daies fighting like a good knight are at an end and that she hath receiued the crowne and Empire of Babilon as a sage a vertuous Princesse as she is I thinke that she shoulde forget hir teares and quarrels and to take reason for payment without desiring thus my head to sacrifice it to the vnrighteousness of hir brother And to the verifying of the same I will take paine sauing my selfe to haue yours at such mercie as ye â—e desire mine And to doe this I accepte the defiance and the fielde by you presented The armes are these accustomed among knightes of honor shield speare the day seuen night for your solace for I suppose that ye are sore trauailed bicause of the long iourney that ye haue made The iust and the right God be the kéeper both of the honor and right of him of vs two vnto whome it pertaineth Zahera the Queene of Cauease doth submit hir selfe to doe hir honour saued the wil of Lisuard after the conditions of the combat in the whiche she as she saithe was ouercome In the .8 booke the .49 Chapter THe truth is nor I will not denie it but that by the comnant that we made on the day that we fought together he that of vs two should léese his armour shoulde remaine as ouercome and be bounde to doe the will of the victor All you my Lordes doe knowe what chaunced And althoughe that fortune hath done so little for me as to take from me that was in hir handes to giue it you yet for all that I will not denie you the rest of that that I doe doe owe you for doing the thing otherwise the stroke at the entry might be attributed to such a fortune that it shuld redounde to my greater disaduantage not fulfilling my promise to him vnto whom I owe it Also the gods will not suffer it but rather send death vnto me For notwithstanding I am but a woman yet I knowe certainely that neither corde nor naile can so constraine or close the thing that they will fasten it vnto to holde it stedfast as faith doth staightly hold a gentle spirit with his line or corde indissoluble And for this cause as I haue learned the olde and auncient painters did paint hir with a white lynnen clothe declaring thereby the purenesse which may not nor oughte not to be defyled with anye spotte or perill be it neuer so straunge and daungerous And this is the reason whereby I submit me wholy to your will purposing to obey you so far yet as my estate and honour shall permit and suffer it Now therfore aduise you what it pleaseth you that I shall doe Lisuard doth answere Zahara that she ouercame hir selfe and dothe set hir agayne in hir libertie and for all recompence hâ— requireth hir amitie In the eyghte booke the .49 Chapter MAdame quoth Lisuard â— I thinke there is no princesse nor no other that hath wel considered our combat that doth not estéeme the victory that ye giue me to procéede of youre owne voluntarie will and not of my force and strength For as I haue oftentimes told you it was you your selfe that ouercame you and not I. And so this glory that ye attribute vnto me doth retourne to you and it is reason that it be associated with your good and entier libertie without any order apointed by me otherwise than it shall please you Ye haue it then and enioy it as before requiring of you no other recompence for the seruice and goodnesse that I desire and wish you but that we may continue friends assuring you madame that of my part I as concerning you as long as I liue shall be no nother what euil or displeasure so euer it be that ye haue purchased and sought for me Esclariana the Empresse of Rome comming to king Amadis doth shew him in few words how that Florestan deliuered hir out of the hands of the Pyrats and in recompence thereof she demaundeth him to hir husband and spouse In the 8. booke the .52 Chapter I Beléeue that few of you most excelleÌ„t princes be ignoraÌ„t of the cruell death of the Emperoure of Rome Arquisill and of his sonne the Prince of Inerpie by the occasion wherof the emperiall crowne by the right of successioÌ„ perteineth to me And yet that notwithstanding fortune not being coÌ„tent with the iniurie inhumanitie committed by those that touch me very nigh assaied after that to giue me yet another charge very euil to disgest That was that the Empresse my déere dolorous mother beléeuing to saue me from the tyrants the vsurpers of my goodes brought me by sea into a place where that not only I and she fell almost into the perill of léesing our liues but of our honor it selfe with the greatest shame that euer chaunced to any poore lady or vnfortunate damsel The which I had neuer auoyded without the good succâ—oure and aide of Florestan here present the whiche hath done so much for me as to haue saued me and brought me agayne vnto your hands my Lord whom I pray you most humbly I may find good agreable if so be I haue chosen him for my Lorde and husband for it is reason séeing that he hath taken the care and payne and with such honest and frendly amitie for me that he haue the enioying of my goods and of that that dependeth thereof Amadis doth answer Esclariane and doth accord to hir demaÌ„d In the .8 booke the .52 Chapter IN good fayth my niece quoth king Amadis Florestan my nephewe is the sonne of a good father and he himselfe a knight of so great merit that ye could not appointe you in no place better And I greatly thanke you that ye loue him and him also that he hath shewed him selfe so curteous and so ready to serue you as he hath done Ye require him of me for your husband I agrée vnto your request pray you both that it may be done euen now without any further delay Amadis of Greece taketh paine to perswade Abra that she shuld take in good part the thing that the Gods do send hir and to hope for better in time to come Afterwardes he prayeth hir to
moste certaine that there is no martyrdome nor no displeasure that tormenteth a man more than where fayth and true amitie make their habitation Alas my Amadis founde ye euer in me any other thing than affection and good will towarde you Did I euer thing were it neuer so little to cause you to be miscontent By my God ye doe me wrong The Oration of Abra to the Princes and people of Babilon complayning hir of the death of Zair their Prince incyting them to take armes as well for the death of Zair as to resist the Christians In the .8 Booke the .65 Chapter ZAir the last Sommer had enterprised a iourney to Trebisonde trusting with a perpetuall peace and amitie to take and to make an aliance and to marie the Emperours daughter But the euil houre succéeded so that the Souldan frustrated of his intentioÌ„ lost his life as it is manifest to euery man Therefore my Lordes there is not one of you vnto whome such an iniurie doth not redounde your Prince being so euill entreated and finally slaine and with his hande whom I my selfe had chosen and elected for my Lorde and spouse Truely the loue that I bare him hath béene euill recompensed plucking out the bloud out of the bellie of so noble a Prince of the Babilonians and of an infinite of other your friendes parents and kinsfolke And in such a sort that if you well considered how all is past it shall be founde that either your fathers or your brothers or your cousins in particular and general haue béene meate vnto the monsters of the sea their bodies being depriued of all honourable sepulture and buried among the waters of the déepe Abismes Shall this iniurie be forgotten at any time Shall the name of Babilon be made a fable vnto all those that shall heare men speake of their mischiefe Shall the iust veÌ„geance be ended without doing of any other thing Ah ah ye stoute Kings I adiure you by our high and mightie Gods that euerie one of you take his armure not onely to cause it to be knowne throughout all the worlde that ye be the dominators of all Princes that doth offende you but the scourge and chastisement of all nations The Christians as it is reported to me do assemble themselues cause a brute that they will come and finde vs and chasing vs out of our proper heritages proclaime Axiane the sonne of Zirphee Emperour of this Monarch But if ye will beleeue me we shall set them farre from their accountes and go to preuent them and to set them forwards entring into the Empyre of Trebisonde the which being sacked and destroyed we shall passe on to Constantinople where that fire and the edge of our swordes shal be the executours of our vengeance sparing neither king nor man woman nor childe being assured that if ye woulde set forth your ensignes and banners in the fielde that they should resist vs no more than straw agaynst fire And this is the cause Princes most excellent why I sent for you praying and commaunding you that in most greatest and most extréeme diligence ye may possible to cause the Drumme to sound throughout all your Countreyes and to assemble both horsemenn and footemen Galies Ships and other vessels as wel for warre as to carie vittayles that we our preparation being readie may finish and ende the rest of our enterprise so as I haue tolde you the which thing shall be vnto you verie honourable and profitable In the meane while I will sende to my friends and allies requiring and warning them to be fauourable vnto vs and to ayde vs considering that this déed and matter for the reason and cause that I haue declared vnto you doth touch them the Christians being willing to inuade as well theyr Countrey as this here if we will indure and suffer it Niquea preferring Amadis of Grece honour aboue the pleasure that she had of his presence doth suffer him to go and succour his father Lisuardâ— In the .8 booke the .74 Chapter MY Lorde the loue that I beare you is so perfite that vneasily I may giue you councell that shoulde be sounde and to me agréeable in this that ye demaund but yet greater is the force of your honour and renowne séeing that it hath béene the onely meane of the goodnesse that we haue the one of the other And for this cause ensuing and following reason and considering that no Emperour nor King shoulde make himselfe subiect if it were possible nor pay any tribute I thinke that you and I ought to neglect and forsake our pleasures to haue a respect to the thing that beséemeth you for the conseruation of you and of your estate Therefore I giue you if I shoulde so speake all the leaue that shall please you although that in veritie and truth it be due agaynst my will estéeming and holding it great glorie thus to captiuate my selfe to permit suffer you to haue such libertie by the which ye shall execute and cause to be knowne more and more the excellencie of your valiantnesse and high cheualrie The heauinesse of Lisuarde for the death of his wife Onoloria in the .8 booke the .73 Chapter ALas alas fortune what doth rest and remaine from henseforth to satisfie thée to trouble me Wilte thou haue my life a hundred a hundred times thou hast drawne me from the place where I had forsaken thée and yet for all that thou hast taken fro me to cause me to die a hundred tymes vpon a day my deare wife and spouse and hast by this euill houre and chaunce brought vnto me all the other that thou hast reserued and kept for me O God God eternall alas my friend my wife and my faythfull companion ye are all things considered wel at ease liuing in heauen and I remayning and dwelling among such and so great melancolies and heauinesses Pardon me I pray you if I lament wéepe for you too vndiscretely This is not for the good chaunce that ye haue but for sorrow that I do not follow you and accompanie you in your â—ases as ye haue fiftene or twentie yeares folowed me in the most part of my trauels Gradasilea doth comfort king Lisuarde shewing him that heâ— must be constant in his aduersitie and not to sorrow for death so much In the .8 Booke the .73 chapter HOw nowe my Lorde is this the magnanimitie of heart that is woont to be in you haue ye forgotten that you and I are borne to die Thinke ye to reuiue my Ladie againe by wéeping or thus tormenting your selfe she is certainly very fortunate and happie wherefore then do you lament hir so greatly She hath shewed you the way and doth tarie you in the place where one day if it please God we shall see hir Leaue these teares such exterior appearances to those that haue no hope in the second life comfort your self in the lord beséeching him to giue you the vertue of pacience
there And for this cause and occasion we bring in these vessels the excelleÌ„t Quéene of Caucase by whose meanes our enterprise toke place Nor I will not denie that I haue offended you but I trust so much in your fatherly goodnesse that forgotting my faulte considering to whom I haue vowed my selfe ye will pardon me the which thing I require of you with all reuerence Your most humble and most obedient daughter Niquea Amadis of Greece letter to the Soudan of Niquea declaring vnto him the meane of the mariage of him and his daughter praying if he finde himselfe offended to excuse hir and to pardon him In the .8 booke the .84 Chapter SYr the loue that might haue solicited you in your youthe after shall put you sufficiently in remembrance in what paine and little ease they do liue that are ouercome with the passion that I haue séene you suffer waiting for the ioyfull hope of you Nereida and it shall be if it please you to excuse the fault that I haue coÌ„mitted against you aswell for deceiuing you vnder the name and habite whiche was borowed as making the mariage of my Ladie your daughter and me whereof yet ye should not be miscontented with me considering the beauties the perfections wherwith she is indewed from heauen and the iust occasion that I by your selfe haue had to chose hir to my wife and suche a louer as she is to me yet for all that syr if ye finde your selfe in this or otherwise offended I pray you most humbly to blame loue only and to pardon vs both seyng that the noble bloude of Niquea can receiue but glorie and honour by the aliance and kindred that from henceforth it shal haue both of that of Fraunce of Constantinople and of Trebisonde of the which I am descended principall heire And for this cause we goe presently towards the Emperour my father that shall receiue my lady your daughter so well that it shall be a pleasure for you to vnderstande it and to me a sure contentation Trusting syr as touching the rest to be from henceforth such as concerning your selfe that ye shall haue a great cause for this respect to finde al that is past good and reasonable vnto this day that we kisse your hands in all humilitie Your most humble and most obedient sonne Amadis of Greece The Oration of Lisuard to Abra Axiana and other exhorting them to peace and perpetuall amitie In the .8 booke the 90. Chapter VErtuous princesse you excelleÌ„t Ladies ye haue séene and sufficiently ynough perceiued what issue this warre hath had that was begon long since ye know also as wel as we the occasion why it was enterprised and afterwardes sharpned and made worsse and nowe that the affaires be in hand as ye may know and consider it séemeth to vs iust and reasonable seing it hath pleased God the creator to lend vs so faire a victory to assay and proue to make peace and amitie where warre and discord hath had vigure and strength so long time And to come to this after long and ripe deliberation of counsel we are of this aduice mind and do ordeine that you madame Abra shall leaue to my Lady Axiana the Empyre of Babilon euen as she and Zarafiell of good and famous memorie held it and possest it and that ye should peasably enioy al the rest notwithstanding it was conquered by the vertuous and sage Prince Zair or any otherwise The peace remayning perpetually betwéene you two the thyng shall be so well parted and deuided that ye shal haue greatly and abundantly wherewithall to entertayne your estates and to content you And to the intent quoth he to Abra the yoÌ„g infants and princes which haue accompanied you may be partakers of the pleasure of this amitie and confederation we wil marrie them worthily and so that they shal haue great occasion to thanke vs And this for a resolutioÌ„ of that that we toke deliberation of to certifye you and to declare in so high and to so great assemblie praying you both to find oure aduice and counselll good and as it is reasonable for the wealth and highnesse of the one and the other to follow it For as concerning vs we wyll holde vs onely to the honoure that it hathe pleased GOD to graunte vs withoute vsurping or taking of any thyng vpon those that are ouercome whether it be by raunsome in money in lands or possessions An elegant and a pitifull Epistle of Lucell Princesse of Sicilie to Amadis of Grece charging him of vnfaithfulnesse of leafings and of temeritie In the .8 booke the .93 Chapter I Cannot tell by what occasion thou false and vnfaythfull Amadis I haue taken ynke and paper to write to thée this Letter if it be not vpon the hope I haue that ye shall not so soone sée it but that the wrong that ye haue done me shall cause you to waxe redde for shame and that remorse of conscience shall prepare in you such heauinesse that there shall not bée one day of all your lyfe but that thing the which yée haue purchased for me so cursedly shall displease you and in such sort that ye shall receyue part of the punishment that ye deserue betraying me so falsely for louing you so well and faythfully Truely when I thinke of the thing that is â—haunted I surely thinke that I dreame or to be out of my witte But alas to whome shall I go Is it possible that yée bé◠the Knight of the burning Sworde that ouercame the seuen kéepers of the Castell and that did rule and tame the strong Gyantes of the Isle of Silenchiâ— and of whome the renowne is this day so cleare both in the East and in the West Truely it shoulde bée harde to thinke it for where that promise and chiualrie is so commended full vneasily there maye bée resident a heart so cruell and so full of lyes as yours hath shewed it selfe vnto mée abusing and deceyâ—ing mée vnder the colour of amitie and the assuraunce of maryage to sette and bring you to the place where I truste that repentance shall bée the executour of my vengeance But what I féele nowe that ye are farre from honour and vertue that hitherto yée are not ashamed of the thing that maye bée sayde vnto you and whereof â—ée maye bée reproched so that it maye beare good wytnesse of the iniurie that ye haue done to your selfe chaungâ—ng so famous a name to take that with the habite and rayment of a woman verie vnméete and vncomely for those that will shewe the estate of magnanimitie and highnesse Alas when the fidelitie of your Grandfather the good King Amadis dothe present him before my eyes the proofe that hée did that daye when he wanne the gréene Sworde and Quéene Oriane the Kercher none lyke it the entering and comming foorth of the one and other vnder the Arke of faythfull Louers the glorye that youre father Lisuarde receyued by the hâ—â—mâ—tte
rigorously answer the letters of Dom Florisell denying him to be the knight of the she shepeherd In the .9 booke the .34 Chapter I Cannot maruell ynough of your presumption that hathe enterprised to write me the letter that ye haue sent me by the whiche it is easy to knowe that ye go about to deceiue me and to robbe me of the thing that I haue so derely keptâ— vnto this present time and that is promised long since to another that doth deserue it but be ye sure that your fayned and swéete words shall not cause me to consent and agrée to your yll will for I haue well learned God be thanked to kéepe me and to defend me from such assaultes Furthermore if I were at my libertie and power estéeme you that I would so much abase my selfe that am a kings daughter to giue me to a wandring knight and vnknowen as ye are thinke you that I know not who the knight of the she shepeherd is whose name ye do vsurp in your letter Truely to make me beléeue that ye shuld haue shewed your self a little more modest and haue done an act of a greater vertue and valiantnesse than that that ye did the day before when ye outraged my dwarffe in my presence Leaue off therefore to trouble me any more with your letters or by any other maner of meanes and looke that from hencefoorth ye haue a greter consideration and respect to my highnesse and place that I cam fro or else I may aduertise such men that shall cause you to féele your follie The letters of Dom Florisell of Niquea to fayre Helen princesse of Apolonia by the which he doth affirme that he is the knight of the she shepeherd and if that she desire hys death more than to loue him he is purposed to die In the 9. booke the .35 Chapter RIght excellent princesse the knight of the she shepeherd destitute of all health doth send you such as his misfortune doth suffer him I haue receiued the letters the whiche it hath pleased your highnesse to send me by that which I haue perceyued and knowen that ye féele your selfe greatly offendâ—â— for that that loue onely constrayned me to gyue you knowledge of trusting to recouer of you some grace and fauor but séeing that in the place thereof I haue found anger and disdayne with hard threatnings to cause me to féele my presumption I thinke that I cannot better satisfye you for the vengeance that ye desire than with good heart to receyue dolorous death the which I shall find more swéete and amiable than to liue not hauing your grace and fauor But yet before I do execution I was well willing to sende you thys present letter to giue you knowledge that my loue and extreme affection towardes you is not fained nor the surname that I beare as ye send me word falsely vsurped trusting that before my death or after ye shall surely know it and then it maye be ye will be sorieâ— that ye haue vsed so great cruelnesse towardes him that loueth you more than his owne soule the which tarying your answer and latter sentence of death doth pray the creator to mainteine you for euer in ioy and contentation Your most humble and affectionate seruant the knight of the she shepherde Letters from the Princesse Siluia to Dom Florisell of Niquea aduertising hym that she is maried and that she is hys aunte praying hym to abstayne to loue hir and so doing she wyll moue the mariage betweene hym and Alastraxeree In the .9 booke the .38 Chapter REmembring the entier and perfect loue that ye haue borne me Lorde Florisell in lyke manner the greate goodes and honoure that I doe nowe enioye by yours meanes I woulde not fayle in recognising of thys to wrighte thys presente letter vnto you to aduertise you that since that the fortune of the Sea separated vs the one from the other beyng at the fountayne of loue of Anastarax readye to kill my selfe with your owne sworde for the great sorowâ— and heauinesse that I had of youre misfortune and mâ—â—â— the Princesse of Alastraxeree came sodenly vnto vs and saued me from falling into this inconuenience and conducted me to the hel of Anastarax who was taken out and deliuered by the meanes of hir and me and to recompence so great and so good a déede he hath maried me and after the solemnitie thereof was done I by a straunge aduenture was found to be the Emperoure Lisuard of Greece daughter and so your fathers sister Therefore I pray you to transmute and to change this loue and vehement affection that ye beare me to the princesse of Alastraxerce the which for the conformitie of the greate vertues valiantnesse and beauties that are in you both doth only merit and deserue to haue you and as I thinke I cannot giue you a better nor a more condigâ—e recompence for so many trauelles as ye haue taken and suffered for me than to moue the mariage of you and hir whome I haue prayde and desired not to depart from this countrey vntill I haue receiued newes from you Therefore I pray you as much as I may possible to come hither assoone as ye can haue oportunitie that we may set some order whilest occasion doth present it self As touching the rest bicause that this gentleman may shew you by mouth all that is past and done here since the deliuerance of prince Anastarax my déere louer and spouse I wil make an end at this present of the which I desire that Darinell maye be partaker praying the Lord God to giue you the fulfilling of your good desiresâ— after that I haue with good heart presented my recommendations vnto your good grace Your aunt and perfect louer Siluie Dom Florisell of Niquea doth answer the letters of his aunte saying that he is very well eased and ioyfull of hir recognissance as well for the place that she is come from as to be out of the payne that he suffered for hir loue In the .9 boke the .41 Chapter MAdame I haue receiued your letters and by thâ—â— I haue vnderstanded the newes of your commyng to the principalitie of Niquea likewise the consanguinitie betwéene you and me whereof I am as ioyfull as of any thing that might haue happened to me in this worlde bicause that my heart from hencefoorth shal be exempt from the amorouse passioâ— that it hath suffered for the loue of you not knowyng the excellencie of the place from whence ye are issued and come fro and you of your side shal be quited and deliuered of the obligation and promisse that ye made me to content and satisfie me of the thing that so often I required of you if perchaunce the Prince Anastarax should haue refused you the which thing our Lord God hath not suffered nor woulde not frustrate you of your vertues whereof I giue him immortall thankes as to him that hath kepte vs both from committing the thing against his honour and commaundement By
Damselles the good subtiltie that ye haue vsed to finde â— mâ—â—nes for the deliueraÌ„ce of Doâ— Floâ—isâ—lâ— the which is fallen into the handes of the Princesse Arlande of Thrace a thing that ought to make you immortall for euer seeing the danger that ye put your selfe in to shewe so perfect amitie And to shewe you truly what we doe thinke we fynd the acts that ye haue done and doe so excellente and noble that by good reason all the worlde shoulde wishe for suche a personage as was the Grecian Homere to describe your high and heroicall actes to giue an ensample to the posteritie and to intiâ—e them to ensue the lyke Great Alexander néedeth not to goe before you nor Anniball nor yet the Scipions for if they haue had great victories it hath hene with the multitude of men but you alone haue wonne so muche that yée ought to holde and kéepe the hyghest roome not onely among the wyse and valiant men but also among the women more noble All the hygh acts of armes that the noble Quéen Gradafilea did ought in nothing to be compared to yours for al that she euer did was through the force of loue whiche is inuincible and to conserue hir integritie but ye were only moued by a certaine naturall and natiue vertue to doe him good whom ye in no maner of wise knowe not and not to him onely but to all those vnto whom ye perceyued iniurie and extortion to be doone the glorie and the laude whereof redoundeth vnto you Certainly the faire and chaste Iudith that cut cruell Holofâ—rneâ— head off to obserue and kéepe hir chastitie nor Cleopatra that ouercame hir brother Ptolome nor Quéene Fantasâ—lea with many other ought in no wyse to be compared or made equall wyth you which dothe not onely excell all menne and women in vertue and valiantnesse but also in excellence and perfecte beautie exceptyng none nor thys fayre Syluia the whyche as wée haue vnderstanded ye preserued from cruell death when shée woulde haue slayne hir selfe nyghe vnto the Fountayn of loues of Anasterax â— for the absence of Dom Florisell the whyche is bounde vnto you all hys lyfe long and I also for the goodnesse that ye haue doone for me in sauyng of him Notwithstandyng truely as I thynke hée shoulde not séeing the promise that he made me at his departing from hence to be in Apolonia at the aduenture of the contention of the foure brethren haue strayed nor haue cast himselfe into so many ieopardous aduentures without sending mée newes of him yet I will not wryte vnto him least that presenting my fynger vnto him hée take the whole hands considering that his comming hyther shall certifie vs of his béeing so farre off and of his so grieuous absence so that it please you of your goodnesse to suffer him to returne vnto whome you and I are so much bounde for the goodnesse that we haue receyued of him that it is impossible for vs to satisfie him nor you to giue him condigne thankes But Madame we shall pray the Creator to giue you such and so good peace as we desire for the warre that doth torment vs presenting our most humble recommendations to your good Grace Your great friendes and readie to obey you Helen of Apoloniâ— and Tymbria of Boetia The defence of Raison vpon the difference of honour and loue In the .9 booke the .53 Chapter HOnour and you loue it greatly displeaseth me that yée cannot agrée as touching the health of these two armies yet forasmuche as the poynte and the truth of your rightes cannot be knowne but by the effusion of humaine bloude or by the victorie of one of these two armies the issue wherof â—oth depend of the will of God I can giue you no other counsel but to let your men ioyne to the ende that the vengeance and iudgement of God maye be vmpere and arbiter of your difference and debates A propheticall letter of Anaxenes a Philosopher and a calker to Dom Florisel of Niquea In the .9 booke the .54 Chapter MY Lorde the king Arpilion and the Quéene Galathea his verie deare companion and spouse haue charged me to present with a verie good heart their recommendations vnto your good grace and I of my part do no lesse which am theyr Philosopher and a master of arte Magicke Understand my Lordâ— that the goodnesse and valiantnesse which I know to be in you haue prouoked me to aduertise you oâ— certaine great adueâ—tures that shal chaunce vnto you the which I haue foreséene and knowne by my science learning and by the high secrets of arte Magicke and to the intent ye may auoyde and escape them with your honour I send you the helmet that yâ— lost in the sea when that by tempest ye were separated from Siluia the which shall doe you good seruice in a combat that two braue Lions shall make yea for the price of your bloud and there shall come forth of those that fight a light that now is hidden in déepe darknesse the which shall giue light to all those that thought to haue lost it and so well that your â—ead being deliuered from the perill the whiche ye shall sée before your eyes men shall sée an olde wounde renued in you the which shall put you to extreme paine and yet cannot be eased vntill this soueraine remedie shal be multiplied in you and in all those that shall sustaine your part shal be newe woundes whereout shall come a bloud that shall moyst all the lande of Grece by the meanes whereof your body shall be deliuered by a general effusion vntil the payment be perfit Nor the prince the Author of this warre nor his friendes nor confederates shall haue it no better cheape than you aduertising you that the tyme of moste greatest daunger wherein ye maye hée shall be euen then when that the Lion whiche ingendereth the lawfull and legitimate Lions shall finde him selfe in more perill than you And a little whyle after there shall come euen sodainly a Bastarde the which shall beat downe with his brighte and shining armes the glorie not hoped for Then shall arise the sixe bastards and little Lyons the which shall awake their fathers by a more strange fashion than the Lyons progenitours haue giuen lyfe to their little ones and all that with encreasement of your great honour and the inestimable effusion of bloud on the one syde and other Therfore take good héede at the beginning of this euill whereof ye shall haue cause to laude him continually that is laudable aboue all things by whose permission and sufferance all this shall be doone and ye shall daylye holde his diuine hande in your defence Therefore doubte not at all for all thing shall chaunce as I haue tolde you praying you not to be curious to knowe more vntill the soueraigne iudge shall haue executed his determination and will to shewe you a warre whereof peace shall procéede And in this behalf I shal pray
diuines may be as well taken as I. This Infant whome I pray you receiue as hys highnesse doth merit may shew you by mouth the torment and anoyance that I am in Thus I pray you not to denie me your comfort the which I aske not but with an honest intention the which is of one true and perpetuall alliance of vs two And in thys hope I will pray the Almightie to gyue you his grace presenting my most humble recommendations to yours He that cannot be long without your succour the diuine Anaxartes Letters from prince Anaxartes to the Infant Oriana coÌ„tinuing notwithstanding hir answer the burning affection that he doth beare hir and aduertising hir of the daunger into the which he may fall if she refuse him In the .9 booke the .65 Chapter RIght vertuous Princesse I perceyuing the answer that ye haue made to the Infant Artimire by whome I sente you my letters I know that ye find it nother good nor decent that I haue apointed my selfe to come to you for the reason meÌ„tioned in them that is bicause ye are vnder the power of your father and mother vnto whome ye will obey and do nothing but their pleasure the which thing I agrée with you to be reasonable and honest to all persons be they neuer so high and noble but if ye knew what power this little God of loue hath vpoÌ„ men I wil say also vpon the diuines I am assured ye shuld not haue found my humble request so strange for your highnes would haue coÌ„sidered that he doth so blinde men that who so it pleaseth him to smite with his golden dart he for the most part and most often taketh froÌ„ them all discretion as we haue infinite examples by the histories the which at the present I will not recite fearing to trouble you with â—oo long letters but onely pray you to beléeue that your excellent beautie hath brought me to suche a statâ— that if it please you not shortly to shew me some beningne fauour I â—eare me very sore that ye shall sée me fall into the greatest misfortune that may chaunce to any knighte presenting in this behalfe my righte humble commendation to your good grace of the which I desire to be participant considering the meane how that I may demaunde you of the King your father seing that ye wil promise me nothing vntill ye knowâ— his will. The very same that is more yours than his owne the diuine Anaxartes Letters of the Infant Helen to the King of Apolonia hir father by the which she dothe praye him to excuse hir that she is maried without his leaue seyng that the destination woulde so haue it and that the Prince that she hath taken hath deserued much more In the .9 booke the .70 Chapter SYr your most humble daughter Helen doth pray you or euer ye reade these letters at length to consider what power loue hath evpon men otherwise ye woulde Iudge the fault that I haue committed against your goodnesse greater than it isâ— if ye measure the obligation of obedience that all children ought to haue to fathers and mothers Well syr to the end that I disguise nor hide nothing from you I thinke that ye do it for the best to kéepe me farre off from amorous affections separating me from your court and to set mée in this solitarie place with my Aunte and my cousin Tymbria of Boetia but I ensure you that loue hath so assayled me representing to me in fansâ—e the beautie good grace valiantnesse and magnanimitie of Prince Florisel of Niquea that fortune so fauouring me that I haue séene him and knowen the singular vertues that are in him and the vnspeakable loue that he heareth me I haue bene inforced afterwardes that I had promised him mariage by present words to folow him and hereof is witnesse my cousin Tymbria the which hath kepte me companie fearing that ye would haue giuen hir some euill countenance she presenteth hir humble recommendations vnto your good grace prayeth you I also asmuche as I may possible to excuse hir vnto my Lorde hir father assuring you that she is not the cause of the thing that I haue done but contrariwise resisted it with all hir power but ye know syr that no wisedome nor yet no humaine force nor strength can resiste the fatals destinies Thorefore syr ye ought to beléeue suerly that it was the will of God nor ye can not say that I haue offended my honour nor yet yours taking an husbande not agreable vnto my highnesse for he whome I haue chosen doth merite one of a greater stocke than I am for the goodnesse that he doth possesse aswell of fortune as of the spirite yea a great deale more than the Prince Lucidor vnto whom I pray you to excuse me and to consider that I neuer promised him any thing so that he néede not be greatly gréeued with me nor offended with the thing that I haue done in as muche truely as this hath not béene to disdaine his aliance for I acknowledge that he did me much honour willing to take me for such a one as I am nowe to Dom Florisel of Niquea the which hath conducted me to Constantinople accoÌ„panied with Prince Falanges of Astre a Prince as wise and as valiant as he is vertuous and of good grace praying in this behalfe the soueraine creator of al things to giue you health good fortune and long life Your most humble daughter Helen of Apolinia Prince Lucidor of Vengeances letter to the Infant Alastraxeree giuing hir knowledge of the iust occasion that he hathe to reuenge him of Dom Florisel and praying hir not to let him to do it In the .9 booke the .72 Chapter MAdame were it not that I thinke that ye haue bene misinformed of the great wrong that Prince Florisel of Niquea hathe done mée I estéeme that your diuine excellence would not haue béene in battaile against me to haue lefted the effect of the iust execution of the vengeance that I oughte to take vpon him as well in my owne name as vpon the occasion of the iniurie that Amadis of Greece his father hathe done to my sister Lucelle the which is here with me But to the ende Madam that ye may knowe what hath moued me to assaile him in such order as ye haue séene ye shall vnderstande that he rauished and ledde away Helen the Infant of Apollonia the which hath beene promised me of long time to be my wife and for such I haue accepted hir and will haue hir I pray you then to consider how much that thing should gréeue me and shewe not your selfe to be so great an enimie of your owne highnesse and good renoume as to let so iust a vengeance but rather to shewe fauour and ayde to him that foloweth it thus doyng ye shall obserue and keepe the integritie of your iustice Thus Madame presenting my humble recommendations to your good grace I shall pray the soueraine to gyue
you the accomplishemente of your desyres Your cousin and intier good friend Lucidor of Vengeances Alastraxeree dothe answere the letters of Prince Lucidor of Vengeances and dothe shewe him that she hath done hir duetie in helping Dom Florisel and doth praye him to be at one with him In the .9 booke the .72 Chapter EXcellent Prince Lucidor the diuine Alastraxaree the daughter of the mightie Mars the God of battells and of the triumphant Zahara Quéene of the Mount Caucase and of the mountaines of the Orient dothe sende you salutation and amitie Ye shall vnderstande that I haue receiued and read your letter by the whiche ye complaine greatly that I haue holpen Dom Florisel of Niquea by whoÌ„ ye maintaine that ye haue been greatly and sore offended For an answere thereof I pray you to consider how much I am bounde as all other Princes ought to be to fauour and minister iustice to those that haue good right so it is that I am no lesse bounde also to acknowledge a good déede and seruice for I am as muche bound to Dom Florisel as any person may be to any other that for many causes the which to make you vnderstande at this present time I haue no leysure And it séemeth to me that ye should put me in no fault nor be miscontent with the thing that I haue done in his right and if I had or this knowen perceiued your difference yet my highnesse doth binde me to succour him in suche necessitie as I founde him in so that ye ought not to procure your vengeance and iustice by inequalitie of force as I haue séene by experience but to summon him aduertise him to repaire the iniurie that ye maintaine he hath done you and if he refuse to content you and to make you amendes then ye should procéede by good counsell and moderate deliberation Thinke estéeme therfore that I haue not done but my dutie to Dom Florisel nor I will not leaue of to satisfie you and to maintaine your right euen against him the thing being well knowen and examined Yet in the meane space I pray you that ye will enforce your selfe to agrée and accord your differeÌ„ce without sheading of bloud iâ— it he possible and not to folow the impotuositie and hastinesse of your choler that hath caused you to take and to haue the surname of vngeances not coÌ„uenient truly for a Prince for the gods would that we should leaue vnto them all vengeance bicause we cannot kéepe a meane in the executing punishing of those that haue offended vs As touching me I will take paine and praie him for peace betwene you assuring my selfe that he will not denie it me And in this hope I will make an ende at this time wherin you and all my lords of your companie shall finde my recommendations to your good graces beséeching the Gods to maintayne you all in health Wholy yours and readie to doe you pleasure the diuine Alastraxeree A letter from Dom Florisell of Niquea to the Princesse Arland excusing him of this that he cannot beare hir the amitie that he desireth being in loue in another place In the .10 booke the .4 Chapter MAdame the prayses of the warlike victories published in euery place by the cleare trumpet séeme to me of little valure in comparison of him that doth deserue it the which by wisedome is an ouercommer of himselfe For of the first the great part is done to fortune the which is commoÌ„ among vs our Lieutenants and souldiours on the other no man may haue any right but he alone vnto whom all the honour doth perteyne The déed alreadie past betwéene you and me doth summon and inuite you to this conquest of glorie that hath no péere considering the assaultes that your owne will doth both day and night deliuer you the whâ—ch you ought vertuously to susteyne and by your great wisdome to quiet for ye know that on my syde and part I may not obey the law of your true loue hauing lost my entire liberty of the which there remayneth no part that I maye bestowe in your seruice I woulde although I may not I confesse and knowledge the deite but I haue not wherewithall to satisâ—ie bicause of a former obligation and band that doth binde and ingage both the bodie and soule therefore ye must néedes take my good will in payment without complayning vpon me as touching the fault of loue to you wardes in as much as my vnablenesse doth excuse me séeing I had placed it before in another stead nor vnfaythfulnesse considering that my fayth and promise was alreadie set and arested in another place from whence I coulde not retire it Considering therefore that loue no lesse than other naturall things doth continually retaine his propertie the which is to exercise tyrannie agaynst his vassals as he did agaynst Quéene Dido and diuerse great Ladies the which did sacrifice to this cruell God with their pure bloud and at last with theyr lyfe Take an example and looke vpon me to obey his force as ye sée that I could not resist him and ye shall winne aboue me that doth liue in continuall warre this vauntage to remaine in peace and quitnesse of spirite the which I wish you with the encrease of glorie prosperitie with as good an heart as I doe present these most humble recommendations to your good Grace The selfe same which is wholy yours euen as he is his owne Florisell of Niquea Prince of two Empyres The Oration of Prince Lucidor desiring ayde of the King and Princes Apolloniens to reuenge him of the Princes of Grece In the .10 booke the .5 Chapter SIr and you Princes Barons Captaines and Souldiours Apolloniens if our sage auncetours which the worldes that are past did beare had left vs in the succession of so many good documents the certaine knowledge of the traine and gouernment of fortune hir inconstancie shoulde not giue me at this time occasion to blame hir nor hir certaintie a lawe to saye this that I say but forasmuch as she hir selfe hath prescribed the authoritie to execute hir owne minde the Princes of this worlde shall winne much lesse to will to resist hir might than to obey and acquite themselues of the obligation that she often tymes doth lay and intangle them withall Not sir that I will vnder this colour denie in any poynt that I owe vnto your honour nor likewise leaue of to exacte of you in iustice that ye owe vnto mine being disposed to make of two lyke things one or other in the case of the rauishment and rape of your daughter Helen and my spouse In whome no lesse force hath béene done to you than to me the which thing induceth me presently to require that your will conforme it self to mine for our mutuall satisfaction in the enterprise of this iust vengeance Not that I doubt Lorde Birmates or haue any mistrust in this case of your franke and noble courage but feare
those that do require it of you Thus much Madame the high gods maintaine you dayly in their communication inspiring you with a will inclined to my iuste quarrell The same which is alwayes readie to serue your royall maiestie Lucidor of Vengeance Luâ—idor de Vengeurs letter to Florisel of Niquea In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter LVcidor the Vengeur the naturall Prince of Fraunce of Secilo Apolonia by aliaÌ„ce to thée Florisel of Niquea misfortune for all salutation I required thée not long since louingly to restore me my wife spouse Helen whom bothe agaynst God and reason thou hast taken from me in hir fathers house the which thing thou haste refused to doe against all diuine and humaine lawe by the meanes whereof I saie that thou hast done an acte of a brigant a ruffin a rauisher and of a wicked adulterer So I defie thée with fire and bloude thy friendes sautors and alies to bring thée with mine to suche reason that shortly thou shalt come to my mercie to receiue punishment after my contentation and pleasure The answere of Florisel to Lucidor the Vengeurs letter In the 10. booke the .6 Chapter LVcidor the Vengeur Florisel of Niquea Prince of two Empirs c. hath receiued thy presumptuous letter of defiaÌ„ce where vpon he doth answere thée that neuer did thing that a gentelman a louer of his honour ought not to do aduertising thée againe that Helen of Apolonia is my wife and spouse the which he shall defend against thée and all ether that for hir will quarrell with him with suche a charge that thou and thine shall curse the houre that euer ye girded sword against the Grecians for the wounde sake that shall bléede vpon all thy posteritie and confederates for by the vniust refuse of the conditions and offers vnto the which I submitted me thou hast made of thy right thy wrong Wherby we haue God on our side the which by his iustice doth continually punishe the proude nor he shall not suffer thée to vsurpe the right of vengeance that is namely reserued to his diuinitie Florisel letter to the Soudan of Niquea demaunding helpe of him against Lucidor In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter MY Lord fortune hath willed and fauoured me so well to ioyne me in mariage with Helen the Princesse of Apolonia and although the forme maner be somewhat light through the force that I was compelled to vse and so bring hir to Constantinople so it is that to purge the foreset that men might pretend I afterwardes made them so many lawfull offers that the right remaineth on my side hauing offered the aliance of our house to Lucidor the Prince of Fraunce with whom there was some seeing of hir mariage in so muche that the thing done alreadie cannot be vndone Yet for all that he hath not ceased too importunately to trouble me vntill he sent to me my parents fautors and alies a letter of defiance of fire and bloud by sea and by lande pretending as he doth write not only to take my wife fro me but also my head wherof I was minded to aduertise your imperiall maiestie trusting that you will not faile me in this matter My Lorde I beséeche the creator to giue your highnesse a good and a long life Anaxartes writing to Princesse Orian doth complaine him of hir rigour doth pray hir to draw him out of the exile where vnto she sent him In the .10 booke .6 Chapter MAdame the selfe same doth present you health from whoÌ„ ye haue taken it desiring the fulnesse of the houres fortunes of this world to hir that hath cast him into the fountaine of all misfortunes the which he esteemeth lesse than the desperation of your good grace wherein ye haue plunged him through your last rigor the which if he felte that there were any offence in him that might give you any occasion to be rude and hard vnto him he would not onely go about to aske you mercie and forgiuenesse but he would reuenge you vpon himself doing more than the Pelicane for hir little ones but if this be his affection to measure this cause by your extreme beautie he hath neuerthelesse restrained it with the bridle of reason against nature And it he in so little accesse and conuersation that he hath had with you did not once twinckle with his eye to the interest and hurt of your highnesse much lesse he hath hazarde his tong to chaunge the face of his wery heart What reason can ye pretend thus to banishe him from the fruition of your sight for léesing that he séemeth to lyue in darknesse but that the continual flame of his heart cleareth him the which had béen burnt long since consumed to ashes if my ordinarie teares had not béen wherewith I mortifyed it May it please you then for all satisfaction that not I but loue hathe merited for mée to call me againe from this exile or at leastwyse to make me vnderstande euen by your owne hand the conception of your spirite and minde that which mine cannot comprehende if ye desire not the shortâ— death of him whose onelye thought of your excellencie doth sustaine him in a sorowfull life The Oration of the Prince Dom Florisel of Niquea to the Kings Princes Captaines and souldiers of his armie setting before their eyes the victories obtained by their predecessors against many nations and that they should vse modestly the victorie if it be giuen them and to consider that they haue to doe with a victorious nation In the .10 booke the 18. Chapter RIght mightie Emperours Kings Princes valiant captaines and souldiers if the time that is past had not lefte vs the memorie of the noble and vertuous actes of our predecessors and also of many that are yet aliue and present in this battel I would haue esteemed it reasonable ynough that I seing it hath pleased you to chose me the head of this armie notwithstanding I am vnworthy in price and comparison of diuers that are among you should haue made you an Oration to excite your hearts to magnanimitie and valiantnesse but youre vertue knowen already among the Troyans Romaines and Carthagiens the whiche haue oftentimes proued the strength of your armes doth excuse me of thys payne turneth my prayer to God beséeching him through his grace to maintaine audacitie and boldnesse in those from whom as yet it neuer departed Our victory if it so plese him is without doubt the which comming I pray you my Lords and friends to stand and persist in your ranges moderating the heat of your execution so that the rape and pray y which afterwardes cannot scape vs set no man out of his aray whereby we may léese that is certain and reuolt and turne fortune Furthermore I aduise you not to disprayse nor to contemne your enimies but to esteeme them as much as ye thinke your selues to be worth for of a troth the French meÌ„ with whome ye shall haue to doe
good men I doe assure the campe of my side asking no sureties for thine the sunne shal part it self instely if the brightnesse of my shining harnesse do not dasell thy sight Phalanges answer to the defiance of the princesse Alastraxeree In the .10 booke the .22 Chapter MAdame I haue receyued the letter of defiance sent vnto me of your parte the whiche I will not bicause I may not accept in no maner of wise for the offence that ye pretende to me in your firste anger prouoked by the flatterers that are aboute you I trust in your discretion when yée haue receyued me in my iustification to deface it I am come say they to Constantinople to helpe the Prince Florisell agaynst them yée haue done them the honour that they haue not deserued to campe your selfe for their defense in the whiche thing yée are not ignorant of suche cases that doeâ— often times chaunce among Kinges alied togither takyng of contrarie armes one against another for some former obligation or bande such a one as mine is against the Prince Constantine Doe these lordans thinke to range themselues against you in the mortall conflicte of him that dothe die for you a thousande times euery day beléeue or truste they so to couple or set the faithful seruant against his right honorable Mistresse for this cause most deare Lady I beseeche you for the honour that ye haue shewed me to receyue me for your Knight and that ye listen no more vnto them and to content you with my ordinary death without séeking any other for me the whiche taketh no respite in his langure but by the contemplation of your diuine portrayture praying you to intreate him more humaynely hereafter the whiche will ye or no can neuer be but yours A letter to defiance from Macartes king of Thir to king Amadis of France In the .10 booke the .24 Chapter MAcartes king of Thir to Amadis king of England gréeting Fortune long since contrary to my auncetours in the fauour of yours and the Macedoniens turning nowe his whéele to my minde and pleasure hath nowe commaunded me to come and to take vengeance of the bloud of my Syriens that are paste by the edge and cutting of your swordes folowyng the occasion of the newe iniury and wrong by you against the Prince Francis Lucidoâ— committed vnto whom I adioyne my selfe for the restitution of the seconde Helen in hope of a like issue that yée had agaynst the Troyans for the firste Therfore I vnderstanding that you king Amadis are chéefe of the rowte of those that make this warre your name sounding thorow out all Asia hath prouoked me to come to this armie to proue if the effect of your vertue dothe answere to his incredible renoume entring in fiercely against you in a closed â—ampe the victorie whereof shoulde be vnto me a shorte way to the soueraine price of armes if I might ouercome the ouercommer of all other The answere of kyng Amadis of France to the letter of Marcaâ—tes kyng of Thir. In the .10 booke the .24 Chapter KIng of Thir if ye attributed to the soueraigne God the glory that yée holde of fortune and of the strength of your armes I woulde haue you in greater estimation but I doe know that this abuse dothe procéede more of the false beléefe of your Gods than of any other imperfection of the brayne or iudgement But to come to the poynt I accept the combat that yee present vnto me with the specified conditions chosing the seuententh day after this ensuring you the campe on my parte And for my iudges I demande the Princesse Alastraxeree and the Prince Phalanges of Astre they remayning to your choyce whome ye shall elect and chuse for your selfe A letter from Queene Cleofila of Lemnos to the Princes of Greece In the .10 booke the .25 Chapter CLeofila Quéene of the I le of Lemnos salute and peace to the Princes of Greece My Lordes although I am issued and doe come of the noble bloud of Troy and of the kindred of valiant king Gedeon yet I come not to you at this time to renewe the auncient quarell of your Helen of Greece but hearyng the newes in my realme of the maruelous assembly made in this Empyre by the occasion of the rape of the seconde Helen and of the great number of Princes and gentle knightes that come thether aswell of your enimies side as of yours I accompanied onely with Damselles am departed from my kingdome to sée this noble assemble to remayne as neuter of all your differences and striues And beyng ariued to this porte I haue sent you this ambassade to aduertise you of the cause of my comming the whiche is to iudge the valiantnesse and the highe actes that shal be shewed aswell on the one side as on the other and that to bestowe my landes and Lordshippes with the guage of the beautie wherewith the Gods haue willed to indue me vpoÌ„ such a knight whom I shall see accomplished with estate vertue and perfection of his person Wherefore if it please you to giue me a safe conduite for me and my companie of women I will set my foote vpon the earth and come and visite you at Constantinople to sée this goodly â—ourney that shal be soleÌ„nised at the mariage of Helen of Polonia The oration of Queene Cleofila to King Amadis of France In the .10 booke the .28 Chapter MY Lorde I haue hearde say of wise men that the Gods haue set in the motions of heauen and in his lights a certaine force aboue all creatures and that the things fatall cannot fayle to fall there where they be destinate so that it is not in the powre of men to resist it but yet there be chaunces of great violence the whiche may be ouercome by magnanimitie suche as ye haue ended â—o the greate admiration of all that liue Also it séemeth to me that a Lady of estate dothe merite no lesse glorie to sustayne the assaultes of loue and if shee abtayne yea more than other she is more cruelly afflicted by the irreuocable sacrifice of hir fayth desiring rather to die than to bespot it or defile it I say this to declare vnto you the inconuenience that I am fallen in by the influence of loue the whiche I thinke is ineuitable against the effect whereof I am purposed to resiste for the conseruation of my honour For why my Lorde I pray you beléeue mée that since the day that I saw your Maiâ—stie come before me accompanied with the Princes of your owne bloud there was no man of all the companie that pleased me so much and I so printed my affection that it is impossible to deface it and I holde it very daungerous to tary long in your presence considering your faithfulnesse so greatly approued and the reason of my estate sexe the whiche by all meanes do binde me to departe hauing made a dowe neuer to marie but to him whom I should â—inde the
Phalanges by the hand requiring you through amitie and loue to marrie mée and I make you lord of my person and of all my countreye bycause of the grace force valure and beautie that I know in you the which I estéeme no lesse than those that they haue reported to me of the excellent prince Phalanges of Astre Wherefore choose you now either to passe by the satisfaction that I offer you or by rigour of my lawes in the punishment of the refuse For I cannot anull my ordinances that I haue made but the husband of whome I shall be prouided shall haue power to abolish them Phalanges doth refuse the mariage preâ—ented for the loue of Alastraxeree of whom he is amorous and in loue In the .10 booke the .44 Chapter MAdame I do vnderstaÌ„d very well the summe of your coÌ„stitutions tending to the conseruation of mortall honor but of my part I am constrayned to kéepe inuiolably the diuine thoughtes in me infuded by the celestiall princesse Alastraxeree the daughter of the God Mars and of the Quéene Zahara but if they will force me to the contrary I had rather die in the fayth of my goddesse and more than that by so â—aire hands as yours be Therefore madame I put my life into your hands for the soule and the will remayne to hir vnto whome it is dedicated long ago For the rest I thanke the Gods and you for the honor that ye haue offered me y which I cannot accept Amadis of Greece speakinge to Lucell doth accuse and excuse him togither of the fault that he as touching him hath coÌ„mitted praying hir to forget it In the .10 booke the .54 Chap. MAdame I certenly do know that besides the â—eruent desire that the beautie such as yours is doth cause in euery person well borne there is yet a more like nature among certain that doth draw to one mutuall affection the whyche wise men do call Simpathie and yet engendreth a certayne entier feruent and inuiolable amitie of the which our firste loue betwéene you and me dothe gyue vs witnesse although it may séeme vnto you that my long absence hathe somewhat cooled it since that I haue bene alied by the force of certaine secrete destinies to another But ye see that this coniunction is not durable and that your fortune doth call mine backe to his first influence the which should cause you to estéeme that my desire hath slept onely as the fire couered vnder the cinders the which by by doth reuâ—ue more strong and more vehement than euer it was And thinke not Madame that there is in the worlde any moe than one way to such an extremitie of wills nor that ye can haue any other than me I being vpoÌ„ the earth we are as it were two lutes set in one tune so that the one giuing founde the stringes of the other not touched the which is set ouer against it doe moue and causeth strawe if it be laide vpon it to moue Madam if these reasons take no place in your vnderstanding at least wise consider you the stocke whose youg ones do norishe their dame as their turne dothe fall so you recognising the pleasures and seruices that haue first aduaunced you if not this riâ—â—rous penance shall make an ende of my miserable dayes Lucidors Oration to the Lordes and Ladyes beyng at Constantinople rehearsing vnto them diuers and perilous aduentures and denouÌ„cing the comming of diuers Princes wherof the companie maruelled verye sore and reioysed In the .10 booke and .57 Chapter MY Lordes the soueraine god and maker of this worlde doth cause vs to play heauie and bloudy tragedies when it pleaseth him and afterwardes comedies and ioyfull enterludes when his godly will doth beare and suffer it Wherevnto we must applie our obedient and subiect wills doyng and of necessitie following vertue without kicking against the spurre complayning in himselfe of his fatall ordinances he doth sende vs great aduersities to cause vs to knowe his greatnesse and our weakenesse and afterwardes raine and faire we at her in witnesse of his goodnesse the which will not destroy vs after his might and our demerite I will not put you in remembraunce of the miseries that are past but I will shewe you suche newes whereof I beléeue that none of you shall not coÌ„plaine that I toke the gantelet for in such things God hath vsed me for a meane as of a Scorpion that maketh the wounde and draweth afterwardes a remedie first I will come to you Madame Niquea declaring vnto you that your Amadis of Greece beyng inchaunted in the praye of the Princesse Arlaride bycause of hir brother whom he had slaine for the loue of you was not onely vnbewitched by my sister Lucelle but aduertised of the daunger whereby he saued him selfe yea after that she gaue him such decasion that â—â—eâ—â—at once he restored vnto my sister the pleasure that she had shewed him and conuerted the mortall hatred of Arlande into true and heartie amitie deliuering them out of the handes of a Duke a Pagane the which broughte them to Vengeance for his cousin the King Breon O what maner of eyes of â—ortune afterwardes we comming to succor these ladies we happened vpon him and knew him not where we had such a doe that ye may iudge his vertue In the meane while the false Duke had scapte him if he had not lept into the shippe the which did cary him among al his enemies where he had béen lost if God had not giuen vs so good an houre to depart had not drawen him out of â—o certain danger and peril The fortune of time caried vs to the Isle of Rhodes where that by straunge encounters and méetings this valiant Prince had such a conflicte againste the valiant Florisel his sonne that they both laye in the place for deade the braue Quéene Zahara in the fauour of the father sustained the matter agaynst the Princesse Alastraxeree and the Emperour of Rome against the strong Anaxaries and I agaynst the hardie Prince Phalanges But by the inconuenient chaunce of the father and the sonne the Quéene was knowen and made an ende of all our combattes declaring vnto vs after that the solemne teares were shedde vpon the two Princes that laye starke and styffe howe that by force of the inchauntment they came together another tyme of whome came the two Iâ—ells Anaxartes and Alastraxeree wherof they had had no knowledge nor remembraunce if at the seconde tyme they had not founde them selues together in the selfe same place that did put them firste in remembraunce of the ende of the charme And thus as we were in this discomfort we were all enchaunted and bewytched vntill the comming of the Quéene Argenes of the sage Alquif Vrgande and M. Elizabeth the whiche set vs againe in our estate ioyning therevnto the aduertisement of the wise Mirabelle by whom all the secrets of the Castle were discouered the father and the sonne healed of their woundes and
to doe to thine For the assurance of those condicions I haue signed this letter with my name and sent it sealed with hir bloude in thy presence as innocent as thine is euill and without faulte The Oration of Dom Florisel of Niquea to the assistance in Constantinople where he excuseth him of the thing that Sidonia dothe accuse hym of and giueth assurance to all those that vpon this quarell be willyng to combatte and fight In the .10 booke the .65 Chapter IF moste nobâ—e Lordes manne ought not by the lawe of true amitie spare body nor goodes in any businesse of his fréende what may hée then reserue at the poynt of the extremitie of his owne lyfe into the whiche the Prince Phalangâ—s was runne by the rigorous lawes of the I le of Guinday if I had not sodainly succoured and holpen him although to the preiudice of the fayth that I firste owe vnto God and after to my deare Lady Helen of whome I hope for no lesse pardon than of the diuine maiestie in like offence The Quéene that accuseth me is indued with so great grace and perfection that she alone maye inforce all humayne heartes to hir will and pleasure and if she complayne of the too solemne bande of fained mariages the mishap that is chaunced muste be imputed to hir selfe through the constraint of hir owne ordinances and lawes For all that I doe for satisfaction of hir honour wherewith they will charge me I consent that this present portraiture be tâ—ed to a corde the which shal be set vp in the courte of this palace and the chances of these poore maydens in another that the facte may be the better published and that the knightes through ignorance fayle not hir at the enterpryse of this quarell for the whiche euen nowe I sweare and promis such assurance as is conuenient in such a defiance to all those that are nowe in this citie and will enter in campe for hir against me that if the vengeance be due vnto hir it be not delayed on my parte Certaine complayntes extract out of the Eleuenth booke the first Chaptâ—r in the whiche menne may see Queene Sidonia complayne hir inconstantly ynough of loue O True dissemblyng of him the whiche vnder the image and name of an other did gather the firste flowre of my youth what ioy shalte thou bring me giuing me the meanes to quench and to mortifie the fire of his loue by the vengeance that I purchace vpon him for the outrageous rauishment of my honour For I haue concluded and appoynted to giue thée with my realme to whosoeuer shall present the head of the Father to the Daughter the whiche thing I beséeche the immortall Gods to consent and graunt for the iuste punishment of this false Prince a Grecian and in witnesse of my chastitie by him fraudulently defilâ—d my will beyng nothing bespotted nor violated O deare Moraisel into what excesse of torment haste thou caste me to enforce my will so affectionated towardes thée to sweare and to prepare for thée an immortall vengeance as to sacrifice thy heade to my vigorous honour and afterwardes to offer vp my life to thy shadow who euer sawe suche a confusion of loue and hatred or twoo suche extremities to extinguishe the meane and the way of honestie An other complaynt of Queene Sidonia In the .11 booke the 1. Chapter O Gods why haue ye not fulfilled me with the like fortune to that of this lady in ioyfulnesse of so excellent a Lorde if ye will not shewe me so much grace and fauour what reason had he to cause me to feele and taste the swéetenesse of his perfections and afterwardes to leaue me a famished martirdome of the swéetenesse of voluptuousnesse Oâ— loue I would gladly complayne me of thée that hath so vnfaithfully intreated me if thou dydst not beare thine excuse by the priuiledge of thy naturall reason and therefore I should doe wrong to founde me in reason againste him that vseth none I am in peace and in mortall warre I feare I hope I burne being as colde as yce I flie to heauen beyng wholy in the earth and yet nothing is done in déede I embrace all I am in prison that doth nother open nor shutte they doe lace and vnlace me with one lace Loue dothe binde me togither and vnbindeth me giuing me his grace and afterwardes taking it fro me a good and an euill houre in my chace doe follow me I sée my wealth and to my hurte I doe runne I am equally bothe life and death yea I purchace both life and death and I woulde perish and I demaunde succour in this state I am for Florisel Florarlam prayeth Arlande to declare vnto him what she knoweth of his parents In the .11 booke the .5 Chapter MAdame I am inforced then to confesse you a heart breaking that dothe torment me of the thing that I haue as I consider receyued of your grace to haue bene hitherto so well intreated the obligation whereof doth charge me with a déede that can not well be borne in asmuche as I know not yet who I am nor who was my father nor my mother if I knew they were of base condition I would so much the more acknowledge that the liberall nourishment that ye gaue me was of your onely fauour without my deseruing or any of mine And in case they were other I woulde prepare me to pray them for the satisfaction that I am indewed vnto you for the great goodnesse and honour that yée shewe me Therefore madame I pray you to alighten me of my greate sorow that I beare and suffer and to certifie me of all that yée know Arlande dothe wryte subtilly to Dom Florisel the whiche doth sende him his sonne to make hym knight finally she prayeth God to rewarde him for his deceytfulnesse In the .11 booke the .5 Chapter MY Lorde I sende you a Iuell whereof in time paste I robbed you and yet tooke nothing of yours that was subiect to the common lawe of the citie and yet ye haue satisfied me with the greatest goodnesse yée may wishe for in this worlde I trust that the confession that ye make shall discharge me of this faulte seyng that the restitution dothe folowe As long as he was in my possession I kepte him very carefully for my parte that I had in him nowe reason would that ye shoulde take care for yours whereof I am constrayned to aduertise you bicause yée shoulde no longer pretende any cause of ignoraunce This bearer Florarlan the fayre damsell willyng to obtayne laude ensuing the trace of hir aunceters desireth to be made Knight at the handes of the Emperoure your father I pray you to doe so muche for your selfe for hir and for me as to present hir In the meane while I affectuously recommende me to your good grace without hauing of any hope praying God my Lorde to render you the rewarde of your deceytes in like measure as ye haue measured to other
onely fountaine of my wealth I pray you not to do me so much harme as to frustrate me of the consolation that I receyue nowe declaring my miserie vnto you Yet if I in this thing commit any offence it shall please you to consider that the feare the which I haue of your chaste honestie cannot resist my desire nor the fire wherwith I burne will not suffer me to disguise and hide my anguishes any longer from you But if your highnesse will wholly denie me the conuenient remedie of my sicknesse at leastwise ye shall not forbid me at all or let me to open the euill that I suffer for your beautie for if ye may knowe it I haue the contentation of this glorie without looking for any other helpe I then onely requyre for this day that I maye name me your knight and that vnder so great an houre and good fortune I maye finde my selfe assured agaynst all daungers praying and beséeching you Madame not to refuse me this gifte considering that hauing set all my power in you there remayneth in me no force but that the which it shall please your good Grace to giue me The answere of Princesse Leonida to Prince Rogel In the 12. booke the .1 Chapter MY Lorde content your selfe with the fauour that the hardinesse of your thoughtes hath graunted you vpon me and knowe that I a Damsell as I am I haue no lesse néede of my chastitie for the conseruation of my honour than you as ye say of my good grace to come to the heade of your enterprise Therefore to proue vs both at auenture wherevnto wise men shall now conduct vs my presence shall suffise you if ye should as ye doe say receyue so great good fortune for as touching my selfe I will content me with yours and with the armes of my chastitie A pitifull complaint of Diana for the absence of Agesilan hir Louer In the .12 booke the .6 Chapter AGesilan ye shoulde content you with the name of Daraide and with the amitie that one Damsell doth beare to another without the increasing thus of my amorous passions by the chaunging of your name that I in your absence shoulde suffer the feare of a hundred daungers in the whiche peraduenture ye are not But what say I For if ye loued me with the like loue that I loue you ye shoulde endure and suffer for mée the selfe same trauell that I nowe suffer for you Alas my deare friende I thinke that loue woulde that I shoulde pay by the anoyance that I receyue by your absence the dolour that yée shoulde nowe suffer for béeing so farre from mée O that it pleased GOD I mighte holde my heart in my hande to the entente I might as well contemplate with the eyes of my heart my Agesilan the whiche is there so liuely printed as I haue him both nighte and day represented before the eyes of my thought Alas loue wherefore is it thy will that my sufferance farre passeth his that loueâ—h me constrayning me to kéepe that secrete the whiche thou doest suffer him to open For why giuing me a lyke aduauntage I am sure that the publication of my dolours might prepare me some quietnesse in steade of hyding them I féele that dayly theyr fiercenesse dothe growe within my courage after the fashion and maner of fire straytely kept within the fornace continually doubling his force strength O fountaynes of my teares succour and helpe my lyfe in this daunger of the burning flames in the which ye sée that my heart doth consume and burne and ye heauie sighes faythfull witnesses of my heauinesses giue mée a little ayre to my embrused breast that I die not and that dying I cause not him to dye likewyse for whome onely I enforce me to liue Alas Daraide yée haue brought mée out of this trumperie by the whiche yée shoulde haue enioyed my loue without opening of your thoughtes to mée to torment mine the more with this cruell flame the whiche béeing discouered coulde gyue you no lesse alleageaunce than it giueth mee nowe discomfort assaying mée to holde and to keepe my wyll and mynde couert Alas Agesilan howe shoulde you holde and thinke your paynes well recompensed if I were suffered or euer I die to cause you to knowe that the feare of léesing my lyfe coulde not wynne so muche vpon mée that I woulde wryte vnto you the extréeme passion that I suffer for your loue Comforte your selfe my Lorde and friende by the consolation that I receyue hearing you named onely althoughe I kéepe this ioye secretâ— to my selfe Alas Duchesse Lardenia why haue yée discouered that Daraide commaunded you to kéepe secrete O that the reuerence and the respect that shée had to my honestye had greatlye ouerpassed youre obeysaunce séeyng that wyth these cruell martyrdomes shée durste not discouer to mée the thing that yée wythoute anye payne that mooued you were bolde to open vnto mée O howe muche shoulde I hate the pleasure wherewith ye haue made Agesilan so greatly in your debt and me to trauell so greatly through dolour and paine O howe much Daraide are ye bounde to hir I vâ—rie little to you O the grieuous heauinesse for why I will holde my peace but so doing I pay for my silence that I owe vnto my dolour séeing that I endure it without hope of any other rewarde and I will endure and suffer it in time to come with the reason that I haue to endure it and yet searching al meanes and wayes by the which I may come to the rest that other Louers desire and of their Louers do looke for The complaint of Daraide wishing for death bicause he durst not bee knowne to his Ladie In the .12 booke the .7 Chapter ALas I sée nowe that my death onely shall cause my Ladie to knowe me séeing that I dare not discouer and open who I am fearing to léese vtterly the fauours that I haue receyued of hir Alas my Ladie Lardenia if ye cannot succour me by some remedie at leastwise ye shall succour me by the pitie that I pray you to take of my misfortune If ye can giue me no hope giue me some consolation that I in this trauell in the which ye sée me do not vtterly dispayre O that my destinies are miserable for why the thing that I séeke for my comfort that is the sight of my Ladie whiche doth encrease my martyrdome more and more Alas my deare Lardenia what good counsell can ye giue me séeing that my dolor doth not suffer it What consolation séeing that the meane from whence I shoulde receyue it that is the presence of my Ladie causeth me to double my anoyance and trouble What remedie séeing there is no hope what life séeing that I am in a continuall death Alas my Ladie Duchesse I know that ye cannot giue me the thing that I demaunde of you nor I aske it not of you for any other intention but to take the pitie on me that doth wholly lacke
in my Ladie O howe often doe I desire death how often in the selfe same houre doe I feare it to the ende that I lese not the occasion euermore of continue in my mortal anguishes and paines O how much more fortunate should I be if I wholy had lost my vnderstandinge and yet I wil not léese it fearing to lese with it the remembrance of the reason whiche proceedeth from my sense and perseueraÌ„ce for the great pride of my thoughts Alas it shal be best to holde my peace that I doe my selfe no wrong seing that I knowe not and knowing that I may not speake through the straunge dolours for the which the desyre to die and the will to liue doe torment me An amorous complainte of Daraide to the Princesse Diana In the .12 booke the .8 Chapter O Madame by what meanes maye I at any tyme recognyse the great fauor that hath pleased you now to shew me O happie wordes of the heart séeing they are so greate a cause of so great quiet and reste to the great wounds of the soule O celestiall handes the which by your diuine beautie may make and cause two springs of teares to flowe oute of my eyes to remedie the cruell flames wherwith I féele me to be burned Alas by what meane shall I rewarde you â—or the good succor that ye presently giue mée to my mortal heauinesse And I pray you madame séeing that wordes doe fayle mée in this dolour nor that I can not tell the thing I do endure that it woulde please you to supplye this faulte and to comprehende through this diuine spirite that the Gods haue infuded and put in you the euâ—ll that I suffer thus cruelly and that this little whiche I declare vnto you maye bee equall in his extremite in the perfections wherewyth the Heauens haue made you noble aboue all the Princes of the worlde Alas madame it semeth to me that I doe iniurye and wrong to my selfe to lyue so longâ— hauing so iuste an occasion to dye I féele that my lyfe doâ—th euen nowe complaine it selfe and lament within me bicause that my wordes woulde shewe you the dolours and paynes that I suffer for your loue althoughe they can no other wayes be discouered but by my death Alas I die and I sée well that I die and yet I cannot cause the nyest ende of my lyfe to be knowne I am wholy brought to Ashes and yet the fyre doth not ceasse to martyr mée Alas Madame pardon me if I knowe not what purpose or communication I holde or haue wyth you For it is not to be maruelled at if I know not what I ought to doe when I knowe not what I ought to saye Séeing then that I lacke the greatest good thing that I coulde haue in this worlde whiche is to cause you to knowe my euill and paine I beséeche you to consider it by my silence and the little power that I haue to declare it or of your selfe to bestowe the soueraigne graces that the Gods haue gyuen you to thinke vppon the default of my purposes for why by this meanes I am fast and sure that ye shall knowe the thing that I sâ—â—fer althoughe I can not expresse it The complaynt of Daraida In the .12 booke the .9 Chapter ALas fayre Diana howe greatly doth the clearenesse of thy beames negligently spread in this medowe encrease my anguishes and heauie thoughtes For by thy light as cleare as Siluer thou renuest my memorie of hir that doth shine with much greater beautie vpon my heart than thou doest nowe vpon the earth the whiche with lesse care than thou dothe burne by day through hir sight by night by hir remeÌ„brance hir continuall clearnesse vpon me O Madame Diana the too cruell Gods haue willed that ye in the night should reioyce you in the portraiture of youre Daraide whome you haue in your companie and that Daraida separated from you had onely the meane to contemplate hir that doth shine throughout all the world with the same name that ye haue but not with such a beautie The complaynte of Daraide In the .12 Booke the .9 Chapter SEing it iâ— my Ladie Diana that the Gods haue giuen to your highnesse a beautie sufficient to embrace all creatures that may comprehende it neuer so little howe can you accuse the flames with the whiche I burne through youre meanes séeing that they discouer themselues in the presence of hir that of hir selfe did kindle them Alas Madame beholde howe your knight is well nighe brought to Ashes and howe all the teares that roll from his two eyes yea rather from hys two Ryuers all along hys heauie face coulde not suffise to temper the fyres of your vniust and obstinate cruelnesse O me miserable what shall I doe more than to make you knowe my euill I vndoe my selfe and those that doe make mée slacke to tell you and so muche the more I slacke the hope of my remedie O loue I pray thée from henceforth to giue some rest to my dolours and paynes eyther by a more fortunate lyfe or by a nighe and a shorte death Alas I die and yée Madame whiche is the occasâ—on haue no pitie of him that pyneth awaye in a desperate martyrdome and torment for youre loue Consider that if for a tyme yée shoulde forgette youre great and soueraigne perfâ—ctions yée woulde soone remember the greatnesse of my merites and of that wherein the extreamitie of my passion dothe bynde you to mée wardes Alas Madame howe muche the better shoulde yée knowe my tormentes my martyrdome my dolours my sighes my trauelles and the burning flames of my loue if yée woulde regarde them hauing no respecte to that diuine beauâ—ye the whiche dothe lette that no man canne bée worthye to haue you if it bée not one of the highe and soueraigne Gods immortall But alas my extréeme euill fortune willeth that I after the fashion of a Pecocke should deface the fayre wheele conceyued by the hope of my thoughte beholding the sylthinesse or foulenesse of the feete whiche is the least and fewest merites that I knowe in my self Thus madame the knowledge of your highnesse doeth let you to estâ—â—me my smalnesse The letter of Filisell of Montespin to Marfira praying hir to take pitie of the torment that he suffred for hir loue and to giue him a meane to speake with hir In the .12 booke the 13. Chapter DOm Filisell of Montespin doeth send to the fayre and gracious laâ—â—e Marfira health and good fortune the which he himselfe hath lost by the violence of hir diuine beautie I knowe not madame whereof I shoulde moste complayne mée eyther of the payne that I suffer for your loue or of the thing that I may not cause you to knowe to be suche as I féle it for by this meane my payne is so greately tormented willing to expresse it by my wordes as I am my self tormented that I haue not the power to expresse it But O I well
beare thée O fortunate Damsell that by thy death hadst might to pay the thing thou diddest owe to my Diana for thy loue althoughe that hir mother coulde not doe so muche for hir owne O faint Moraisell howe arte then nowe well reuenged of mée and well satisfyed of the vengeance that I of so long time haue sought for O Gods immortall séeing that ye denie me iustice leauing me in this miserable life I will not refuse it nor denie it to my owne handes and I will kepe the priuiledge of my franke and frée will the which I haue receyued of you from the time that I was borne Well then and killing my selfe with my owne handes I giue my selfe life the which ye haue denyed me bicause ye promptly and readily ynough gaue me not to death The Oration of Daraide giuing and causing himselfe to bee knowne and taken of Diana for Agesilan of Colcbos â— In the 12. booke the .22 Chapter IF the great enterprises were not accompanyed with daunger beléeue this Madame that the prayse of those that shoulde chaunce to haue the victorie shoulde be verie little and for this reason and cause the greater that the perill is so much the more is the honour the glorie and the mortall renowne Thinke not the great thinges can be ended by small things nor with little trauayle men can not wynne muche prayse Thus Madame ye may knowe this that to conquere and get you must be put in aduenture séeing that I assaying nowe to winne you put my selfe in hazarde to léese you Alas sée this is the occasion that so greatly giueth feare vnto my wordes bycause that willing to haue and get a great gaine I am in daunger of a great losse and fearing that séeking you too muche that I léese you not the more for why to aduenture my selfe to léese my selfe in this praye I aduenture but little seeyng that it is nowe so long ago that I am left in youre loue althoughe yet that in parte of the worlde I haue not had so great gayne as in one fortunable losse The cause of my amorous passions is manyfest by the excellencye of your beautie The dolours past the which I haue suffered in your seruice doe giue you a sure testimonie of the regarde and reuerence that I haue had alwayes to youre highnesse The boldenesse that I nowe doe take doth sufficiently excuse it selfe by my payne and the prowdnesse of my thoughtes throughe my royall and noble lynage accompanyed wyth chaste and lawfull desyre wherewyth I haue alwayes kepte the reuerence due to youre honour and shall kéepe it all my lyfe wythoute desyring or praying you to gyue mee anye remedye for my anguyshes and paynes if it bée not vnder the tytle of faythfull maryage and kéeping in you youre chastitie euen suche as ye nowe maye haue it Or else Madame with these conditions it may please you to knowe that vnder the name and vnder the habite of Dariade ye haue in your presence Agesilan the sonne of the great Prince the prudent Phalanges of Astre and of the strong Princesse Alastraxeree Maruell not that I haue thus disguised me and couered my self with such armes to winne your good grace for in any other habite but in one like vnto yours I could not haue hazarded my selfe in an enterprise at least way so perilous with any hope of victory Ye know now Madame the thing that hitherto I haue continually kepte secrete from you ye sée the dolorous woundes wherewith in this cruell warre of loue your excellent beautie hath cruelly wounded me I haue nowe defended my selfe long inough couering me vnder the shielde of onâ— Daraide disguised nowe Madame I confesse that ye are victorious and to you I render my armes to set vp a triumphe at and in the strength force of your immortall beautie beséeching you to take me to mercie kéeping the fidelitie and reuerence that I owe vnto your highnesse and the which I promise you and do sweare by my immortall God to kéepe it all my life vnder the title of mariage But if by the rigour of your answere ye wil refuse and denie me the pitie that I require beleue Madame that very long ye cannot be rigorous vnto me and that shortly my pitifull death shall cause you sorow it to whome as long as he liued ye were so cruell So my vnfortunate soule shall hitherto comfort hir selfe after that the body be buried by your lamentations O I most fortunate that hath set my heart in so noble a place that the ioyfulnesse of my desires doe make me the most fortunatest of al the earth and the last of my misfortunes doe promise me yet a certaine consolation Nowe Madame ye haue hearde the litle that I can say of the great dolour that I suffer and the lest of the trauell whereof I féele that I haue trauelled But if I cannot sufficiently inough expresse vnto you the euill that I indure ye may easily comprehende it if yée estéeme it so great in me as your beauties and your excellencies he great in you seyng then that by this meane ye may know by your selfe the immortall anguishes that torment me and if yée cannot perceyue it by your selfe I beseeche you againe by the iuste pitie that the victor shoulde haue vnto him that is ouercome to receyue me to mercie seing that I â—oe yéelde me and to intreate me in your seruice as him whose death and life doth depende vpon your crueltie or vpon the fauours of your good grace The cruell answere of Diana to Daraida bycause shee was declared to be an other than a damsell In the .12 booke the .22 Chapter KNow Daraida that by chaunging your name ye haue also changed into hatred the loue of the whiche by your deceiptfulnesse ye haue had so long a pleasure and if the nexte parent that is betwéene you and my accustomed benignitie resisted not the execution of my courage I woulde cause you to be chastened with suche a torment as the deceyte wherewith yée haue abused me doth merite But to leaue no occasion to any man nor not to thinke that your proudenesse hath founde any fragilitie in me I will not vse vnto my honour the pitie that I owe vnto it to defende it by your death from the offence that yée haue committed for I will not â—haâ— men shoulde publishe that your temerarious â—oly shoulde by the onely sight of mee cause so greate glorye neyther I will that yée shall remayne without any punishment although that the payne be too much vnegall for your offence whereof yée shall excuse you And therefore I prohibite and forbidde you to be at any time in my presence wheresoeuer I be for my honour in asmuch as it cannot be done as Daraide and as Agesilan doth not suffer it The complaynte of Daraide In the twelfth booke the .22 Chapter O Swéete death why doest thou suffer me yet to returne to lyfe agayne O miserable lyfe why doest thou denie me
death O loue how muche hatred haue I proued in thée O cruell hatred wherefore doest thou take the name of loue Ah ah I vnfortunate in searching of loue I haue founde his contrarie and thinking to finde a necessary remedie for my disease I haue encreased it without any comparison O my Lady Diana how oft haue I feared the crueltie that I proue now in you Seyng then that your will is suche I would it should not please God to sende one thing that is so impossible to me as to liue any longer with the disgrace and disfauour of my Lady O euill houre to much miserable for I requyre nothing but it is denied me by the thing that I require it nor I flie nothing but it is graunted me by the thing that I flie Alas madame Lardenia I beséeche you to take no pitie vpon mée seyng I pitie not my selfe and that to conforme my will to my Ladies will for I cannot will but that shée willeth and I hate my selfe more than shée hateth me but if ye loue me it shal be reason that ye will that I will that is onely to goe to accomplish the promisse that I haue made to my Lady the Quéene so that all that I shall doe from henceforth shal be done agaynst my will for I knâ—we that in fulfilling that I haue promised hir I shall yet accomplish the wil of my Lady Diana Well now I perceiâ—â— well inough that the Quéene made me not without occasion such a strange request as she made me for that was bicause that by the death which I shall receyue she may vse the pitie towards me that my Lady Diana denied me cruelly to sley me Certainely I can hope no lesse of the valiantnesse and highe Chiualrie of the Prince of Greece in this combat that I haue enterprised against him but that by the death of so féeble and so disfauored a creature as I am he shall satisfie his glorious renoume and that vnto the whiche he as a noble knight was bound to doe repairing the wrong that I receyued to liue the longer O fortunate Prince seyng that all things prepare themselues to his good houre and I likewise vnhappie seing that fortune and the Quéene and the will of my Lady Diana haue prepared by the handes of so great a Lorde the death whiche after my law I could not purchase with my owne hands O mightie God how thou euerywhere doest shewe thy sage prouidence for in this iudgement of my death pronounced by the mouth of so noble and so excellent a iudge as my Lady is it was very reasonable that ye should helpe hir with so excellent a minister to execute hir soueraine iustice with the lamentable sentence of my cruell destinies A letter from Balthasar kyng of Russia and from Bruzerbe kyng of Gaza to Sidonia the Queene of Guinday requiryng to mary hir and hir daughter and if they refuse them they denounce hir warre In the .12 booke the .42 Chapter BAlthasar kyng of Russia aswell in his owne name as in that of other soueraigne kings of the Orient whose signe and seale is set to this letter doth sende salutation to Sidonia the Quéene of the I le of Guinday the which she may receyue if she thinke it good receyuing those with hir good will for hir espouse the whiche otherwise are disposed by force to accomplishe their willes Therefore Quéene of Guinday ye shall vnderstand and know that nother the iniurie receyued for your loue nor your beautie nor for that of your daughter Diana are not yet out of the remembrance of Balthasar and of Bruzerbe kynges of Russia and of Gasa Therefore we haue landed in your Ileâ— with a mightie army requyring you before and aboue all thinges to graunt vs peace and you and your daughter in mariage or if ye will not do it vntill force doe that with reason that curtesie may refuse and denie we denounce you warre with fire and bloud and we make the immortall Gods iudges of the losses and calamities that shall chaunce through your occasion calling fortune to our ayde the whiche seyng our wonderfull armie hath already giuen vs the assurance the whiche your subiectes if ye defende them not shall wante assuring vs of the amendment and healyng of our woundes whereof the paine loue and the iniuries heretofore suffered haue wounded our courages vntill death you your daughter through your beauties holding vs in a more cruell warre than that the which is most cruelly prepared for you if your gratiousnesse giue you not peace the whiche wè are minded to conquere by force of armes The answere of Sidonia Queene of Guindaye to Balthasar king of Russia by the which she aduertiseth him that she will defende hir chastitie asmuche as she may and that she rather will kill hir selfe than to obey vnto him In the .12 booke the .42 Chapter SIdonia Quéene of Guinday to Balthasar kyng of Russia and to all other kinges of his linage the whiche are come vniustly with him to inuade hir Ile dothe sende salute and health the whiche the Gods should not saue very long in so vnreasonable a quarell I woulde not be so afrayde king Balthasar if it were conuenient for me in time to come to proue agaynst my breast the sworde of Lucrece as chastitie doth binde me nowe to defende me against thine But if neither the loue that I beare to the Prince of Greece nor the feare of his highnesse coulde neither set nor make peace nor truces to the stronge warre that I haue prepared against him scarcely the leaste warre wherewith the king of Russia dothe threaten me can cause me in anywise to feare and yet it is lesse possible that the hatred I beare him may through his proudnesse be couerted into loue nor estéeme not at all that my minde and will is so fliyng and inconstant that hatred shall cause me to séeke peace with thée to my dishonour seyng that loue for my honour constrayneth me to make warre against the Prince of Greece God forbidde that Sidonia shoulde lesse estéeme the nobilitie of hir courage than the greate force of armes wherewith thou threatenest mée with fire and bloude for with fier and bloud I will defende my chaste will and I will assay to kéepe it with the selfe force that the Gods haue sometimes suffered that it was kepte agaynst themselues And know that making warre agaynst me thou doest make it yet more rigorous agaynst thy honour and willing to consume my Countrie with thy fiers thou canst not consume the fire wherewith the Prince of Greece hath enflamed me It may be that thou shedde the bloud of my subiectes setting them vpon the edge of thy swoorde but when thou shalte haue done it swoordes to shedde our bloude shall neither fayle my daughter nor me for we had much rather to die in our chaste libertie thaÌ„ to liue in a vile seruitude The hatred that caused the Quéene of Carthago to die for AEneas shal not
to complaine you of my father for if he haue receiued any goodnesse of you it was for my loue and fauor only and by my commaundement and not for his loue for I alone caused you to come and soiorne in his company And so it is not in him to recompence you but in me whose ye are It is very true that he coÌ„tinually hath thought the coÌ„trary the which doth greatly blame you that ye answered him so vndiscretely And againe bicause your departure being constrained is to me the most grieuous thing that might chance vnto me yet I am content to satisfye my selfe and to obey reason more than delight and pleasure the which I haue by your presence Therefore my friend I will that that pleaseth you bycause I am well assured that to what place so euer ye shall resort your hart that which is mine shall remaine with me for a gage of the power that ye haue giuen me ouer you and it also that my father léesâ—ng you shall knowe by those few that shall be left him the thing that he hath lost in you Amadis answer and replication taking his leaue of Oriane In the same Chapter MAdame said Amadis the goodnesse that ye do vnto me is so great that I estéeme it no lesse than the redemption of my proper life for ye know that euery man of vertue ought to haue hys honor in suche estimation that he should prefer it aboue his owne life Thus Madame seing it is of force the I to coÌ„serue it must go far from you do so much yet if it please you for me as during my absence to send me as oftentimes as ye may newes of you and continually to kéepe me in your grace and fauor as he the which was neuer borne but to obey and to serue you Amadis Oration to his companions declaring vnto them the causes of his departing from the king In the selfesame Chapter MY Lordes bicause men haue wrongfully blamed the Lord Galuanes Agraies my selfe and some other that are here present to leaue and forsake the kings seruice as they and I haue appointed we thought it méete and good to cause you to vnderstand what the occasion is I beléeue that thers is not one of this company that doth not perceiue whether that since our comming into England the authoritie of this prince be augmented or diminished therefore without consuming of time in rehersing the seruices that we haue done for him for the which we had hope to haue had wyth thanks good and great recompence I wil declare brâ—â—fly vnto you whaâ— ingratitude be vseth against vs in suche wise that as mutable incoÌ„stant fortune doth oftentimes turne vpsidowne all things so he hath changed his conditions eyther by euil counsel that he hath receiued or by some light occasion that we knowe not So muche there is that the Lorde Galuanes required vs to moue vnto him it is not yet eyght or tenne dayes agoe the prouision for the mariage of hym and of Madasime and in so doing to cause hym to enioy hir landes with this charge to hold them in fée and homage of hym and of his crowne the which thyng we promised him to do By the meanes wherof assoone as it was profitable for me to go I and other of thys company haue bene with him to make this request but without hauing any regard eyther of vs that spake or of him for whome we labored the which is as euery man doth know the king of Scotlands brother a wise and asmuch as is possible a hardy knight the which euen of late against king Cildadan hath not spared his life but hath done his dutie as much as any that came thither he hath refused vs and burdened vs with iniurie nothing conuenient nor méete for such a king And yet at the first we cared not for it vntill he sayde vnto vs all when we made certayne demonstrations vnto him that we shoulde search in some other place those that knew vs or that did more for vs than â—e and that the world was great and wide ynough to do this thing without troubling of him Thus my companions séeing that we being in his seruice haue always obeyed him so as concerning my selfe I am very well content in this case not to fayle but to depart out of hys countrey But yet bycause this leaue as I do thinke touched not me only nor those that he spake vnto but to all other the whyche are not his vassalles I thought it méete to cause you to vnderstande the matter to the intent ye might thinke vpon the thinges that were to come The Oration of Angriote of Estrauaux to drawe the other to leaue as Amadis did the kings house In the same Chapter MY lords it is not yet loÌ„g ago since I knew the king and for the little knowledge that I haue had of him I neuer saw a wiser vertuouser or a more temperate Prince than he in al affaires And therfore I am in doubt that the communicatioÌ„ which he hath had with Amadis and his Lordes that wer present came not of his own fansie but that he was induced to do it by som enuious euil person that hath persuaded him to be miscontent with them And bycause I haue séene within these nyne or tenne dayes Gandandel and Broquadan speake oftentimes vnto him and that he listened vnto them more than to any other I doubt that these are they that haue â—rued this matter for I haue knowne them of long time for the moste enuious of all the world Therefore I haue euen to day taken deliberation to fight against them and to maintaine that falsly and mischieuously they haue set the Kyng Amadis at debate if they will excuse them bycause of their age they haue eache of them a sonne that of long time haue worne harneys with whome I my selfe will fight if they be hardy and bold to cloke the treasoÌ„ of their naughtie fathers Amadis Oration to King Lisuard whereby he leaueth his seruice In the .2 booke the .21 Chapter SYr if I in any thing haue made you a fault God and you be witnesses assuring you that although the seruices that I haue done you haue bene small the will that I haue had to acknowledge the goodnesse and honor the which it hath pleased you to shewe me hath bene great in all extremitie You sayde vnto me that I should go and search in the world who knowe me better than you giuing me sufficiently inough to vnderstand the little enuie that doth let you that I dwell no more in your court But séeing it hath so pleased you to coÌ„maund me it is reason that I obey you not that I will depart from you as from my souereine for I was neuer your vassall nor of no other Prince but of God only but I take my leaue of you as of him that hath done me much good and honor vnto whom I beare my loue and a desire to serue
Lord Quedragants Oration to King Lisuard leauing his seruice In the selfe same Chapter SYr I had neuer dwelt in your Court but at the request of Amadis willing and desiring to be his friend for euer and séeing that by his occasion I was yours by like reason I depart from you for euer considering that my little and small seruices shall haue but little hope séeing that his great seruices are so euill recognised and rewarded hauing no remeÌ„braunce of the Obligation wherewith you are bounde vnto him that deliuered you from the hands of Mandafabul nor of the victorie that you wonne and obtained vpon King Cildadan by his and his parents bloude I could put you in remeÌ„brance of the good turne that he did you when he deliuered you and your daughter Oriane as I oftentimes haue heard it spoken from the hands of Archalaus and not long since my Ladie Leonor the which Famongomad and Basigant his sonne Giants most cruell of all the world held as prisoner to haue slaine hir thus the ingratitude that you do now vse against him is so great that it depriueth you of all the knowledge of truth And therefore he should no lesse estéeme this leaue so sone giuen than the retribution of his seruices so well accorded and rewarded And as for me I am purposed to follow him and to go and depart from your Court. The Oration of Guillan the thoughtfull excusing himself that he could not folowe Amadis In the selfesame Chapter MY Lord you knowe my affaires and that of my selfe I being wholy vnder and subiecte to the will of an other can doe nothing For the which I suffer anguishes and paynes most straunge the which are the cause that I can not folowe you whereof I am ashamed so great a desire I haue to knowledge the goodnesse and the honor that you being in in your companie haue done for me praying you most humbly at this present to hold and to haue me excused Amadis Oration to the foresayd Guillan excusing him that he leaueth not the Kings house In the same Chapter MY Lorde Guillan God forbid that through my occasion you shoulde â—e faultie to the Ladie that you loue so perfectly but I counsell you to obey hir and to serue hir as you haue done hitherto and the King in like maner being sure of this that you your honor saued shall be in all pointes my friend and faithfull companion King Lisuards answere to Gandandell and Broquadan declaring their insufficiencie to gouerne and rule his realme In the selfesame Chapter I Do maruel that you are so bold and presumptuous to persuade me to leaue vnto you the rule not only of my house but of al this kingdome knowing that you are not sufficient to do it Think you that the Princes Lords of this Monarchie will obey you knowing the place from whence you are descended And if you thinke and beléeue to playe the good husbands willing to enriche me by sparing of money thinke you that I may better bestowe it than to giue it to Gentlemen and Knights that are in my seruice seing that a Prince can not name himselfe a King except he haue men at his coÌ„maundement And if before time I shewed my selfe liberall to those which at your instance I haue chased away by those I was maintained famed and redoubted and therefore content you with that that you haue done without any more disguising of thinges or else I will shew you that it displeaseth me Amadis Oration to those that would go to defend the right of Madasime exhorting them to deliuer out of the Kings pryson twelue Ladies In the same Chapter MY Lordes answered Amadis the thinges that be debated with or by rype deliberation come willingly to a good ende and doubt not that the thing that you purpose to take vpon you shall not be nor happen to youre honor althoughe the thing were more in hazarde and of more difficultie than it is and yet I will if it so please you declare that I doâ— thinke You all as farre as I sée doe tast and labor to set the twelue Damselles at libertie which at this present are prisoners in King Lisuards prison my mind is that twelue of you and no moe be at this enterprise and so euery one shall haue one and the twelue Damselles shall be particularly bounde to twelue Knightes and that the rest of this companie shall stand still to helpe the incouueniences that may chaunce The complaint that Orian made when she felâ—e hirselfe great with chylde In the .2 booke the .22 Chapter ALas my friendes nowe I sée well that fortune wil bring me to vtter ruine You knowe the inconuenience that of late chaunced to him that of all the worlde I loued best and nowe that is worsse the thing that I feared and doubted most is chaunced vnto me for certainely I am with chylde and I know not what I may doe so that I be not destroyed and lost Sarquiles Oration to King Lisuard aduertising him of the dangerous enterprise and treason of Broquadan and Gandandel In the same Chapter SYr I am not yet your subiecte nor your liege man but yet in recognising the nurture that I haue learned in youre Court I am bound to saue your maiesties honor Therfore syr I aduertise you that three dayes since I fortuned to be in a place where I perceiued that Broquadan and Gandandel did not only conspire but alreadie haue committed againste God and you the most greatest treson that may be thought It is sure and certain that they do purpose to counsell and to persuade you to put Madasime and these Damsels to death and as touching the rest syr I trust that all their mischieuousnesse or tenne dayes be past shall be disclosed And to set those villaynes in authoritie you haue caste awaye not long since my Lord Amadis and many other good Knightes out of your companie I am no more purposed to remaine here and I take my leaue of you to go and to séeke my vncle Angriote whome if God be pleased you shall sée shortly héere againe and me with him purposed with force of armes to open vnto those two traytors their vniust and false conspiracie The coÌ„maundemâ—nt of King Lisuard to Broquadan and Gandandel animating them to execute the thing that they had promised COme hether you know that oftentimes you haue solicited me to put these poore Damsels to death persuading me that it was a iust and a reasonable thing to doe so And that you and your children if need were would sustaine this counsel vnto death You haue perceiued what Ymosil and his companions haue saide vnto me the which I finde to be good and iust therefore it is time that you aduise you of the thing that you haue to do For by the faith that I owe vnto God I will licence none of my other Knights to fight with them and if you prouide not for this you shall be punished and the Damselles deliuered