Hounds cast himselfe his sword in his hand between the Princesse and the Stag who not to be reveng'd at halfes came running with full bent head at her He setledly expected him and by a happy rashnes stopt him with one blow of his Sword The beast wounded to death fell stumblingly on the dust and Alcidiana who thought her selfe dead fell some twenty paces from Polexander The Prince a thousand times more fortunate then he hoped to have been ran to the succour of this new Diana and comming neer with a great deale of respect besought her to tell him what service he might doe her You have given me the most important she replyd that you can ever render me But who are you said she for it seemes you are not of my followers Polexander twice or thrice had a desire to tell her she knew not all that were hers But his discretion not suffring him to take that boldnesse he answered that he was a stranger and not long since by a happy ship-wrack throwne a shoare on her Island At those words Alcidiana considering him better then she had done I think said she much surpriz'd I have already seen you but under another habit then that you were now Polexander was much troubled at it because he durst not avow that truth and yet fear'd to wrong himselfe if he did not confesse it But many of Alcidiana's Ladyes and some Huntsemen at that instant comming in redeem'd him from that trouble Hereupon the Queen arose and all the rest alighting thank this Shepheard said she to her Ladies but for his courage you had found Alcidiana as ill handled as her Paifray With that the Nymphes environ'd Polexander and after they had given him thankes proportionable to the merit of his action began to praise him this his good aspect another his advantageous stature this his beauty that his youth and all were of opinion he had nothing of the Shepheard but the Clothes and apparent simplicity The Vice Roy had no intent to breake off his discourse here and Zelmatida ravished with this beginning expected the sequell with a great deale of impatiency But suddenly there fell such a violent raine that to obtaine a satisfaction He was obliged to returne to the Pallace with the Vice Roy. The end of the third Booke of the second Part of Polexander The second Part of POLEXANDER The fourth Booke ZElmatida staid not till he came to his lodgings that the Vice-roy might the sooner goe on with his discourse which the storme had interrupted And meeting Garruca as he entred his chamber my friend said he thou maist well repent thee for not walking with us Thou hast lost the bravest relation in the world for Pimantus hath recounted to me a part of the wonders of Polexanders life Truely imagination how inventive soever can finde out nothing beyond the prodigies of valour and judgement which have accompanied the tendrest years of that Prince I will relate them to thee at leasure and to make thee more desire it I would have thee heare the sequell of the bravest adventure in the world After he had thus spoke he entred into his privy chamber with Pimantus and Garruca and seating them neere him Father said he turning to the Vice-roy let me know I beseech you with what recompence did Alcidiana acknowledge the great service Polexander did her It was incomparable said the Vice-roy at least if the King my Master may be believed Alcidiana calling him to her asked mâ—…re particularly then she had done at first whence he was what was his condition and whether he had an intent to abide in her Territories He answered the Princesse he was borne in one of the fortunate Islands that the condition of his Predecessors was not without eminency and had alwaies made profession of armes For himselfe he had beene naturally enclined to follow their example and though he found in the mediocrity of his fortune sufficient not to envy the greatest Yet an ardent desire to attaine to honour by difficult wayes had made him leave his Countrey and to search among the perrills of warre and the sea somewhat that might satisfie his ambitious humour That at first he had not found things as he imagined and by an impetuosiâ—…y of youth had often murmured against providence But being miraculously conducted by her to that honour he had alwaies desired he condemned his guilty impatiences and by a just repentance turned into acts of thanksgiving at his distrusts and repinings For to what greater honour said he could that infinite power which governes our adventures raise me then that I receive this day to heare my selfe praised by the sweetest tongue of the world At those words Alcidiana smiled and turning to one of her Ladies called Amintha Confesse said she that all the politnesse and civility is not confind to our Island Since I have beene convicted both by mine eyes and eares I must needes give over the being too Idolatrous of mine owne Countrey and stripping my selfe of part of that love I beare it confesse that this stranger is able to impose a great deale of envy on the bravest men of your Kingdome Alcidiana breaking that discourse began againe what she had left and addressing her to Polexander Let us know your resolution said she and whether wee can oblige you to make any stay in this Isle Madam replide the King my Master I have learnt being â—…red up neere the persons of Kings from my infancy that it is for those sacred personâ—…ges soveraignely to determine of the fortune of private men and for those of a meane degree not to propose to themselves any thing but the glory of obeying them This being granted Madam it belongs to your Majesty to pronounce if you please what you have resolved of my fortune and to me to receive the commands you shall please to impose on me as Lawes written in heaven it selfe If I were your lawfull Princesse replied Alcidiana you have reason to speake as you doe but having no other power over you then what you give me your selfe I cannot with justice exercise any Soveraigne Authority over you Polexander with a great reverence making appeare to the Princesse he knew all that obsequiousnesse and respect obliged him to I humbly beseech your Majesty said he to be pleased that I contradict your opinion and remember you how particular men cannot lessen nor suspend the right of Kings and by consequence that they are alwaies invested with that absolute power which the Lawes both divine and humane have inseperably fastned to their condition And in what liberty soever nature gives us birth wee lose that priviledge of birthright as soone as wee are out of that limits of our native soyle and dare enter on that which is subject to the sweet authority of Kings 'T is to no purpose replied Alcidiana to take armes against your selfe and denounce so cruell a warre against your freedome for I accept not the evidence you produce to your owne
his Soveraigne to go testifie himselfe to that visible Angell with what flames of love shee environed him without the seeing her But those who had power over his inclination and principally his mother restrained his first agitations and strove even to smother this growing passion He grew angry at their remonstrances and without neglecting the respect which nature obliged him to preserve he discreetly made knowne to his mother that love was a thing more imperious and of greater power then maternity In briefe he wrote to his Agents they should make all necessary overtures but not engage themselves till they had sent and he received her picture He was obeyed in it and so conformably to his intention that he accus'd his Confidents of stupidity or envy for describing the faire French Lady far lesse attractive then hee found her He presently sent them commission to treat with the Parents of that beauty and the conditions he propos'd being infinitely beyond their hopes he was received with a great many thankes and the faire and innocent Eolinda being delivered into the hands of the English was soone after presented to her lover I will not speak of his overjoyednesse his transports and extasies at the sight of that beauty I cannot better expresse the greatnesse of it to you then in telling you it cannot be done Once the admirable Eolinda was brought to London and receiv'd not onely by private persons but by the King and Queen with so many tokens of estimation that she could conceive her happinesse to be but a dreame or an enchantment Oh how happy had she been had shee dy'd in those fortunate times Truely for her quiet sake 't is to be wished it had hapned then but it had not been so much for her glory For the proofes of constancy and generousnesse she hath since made evident to the world if we consider well of things is the most faire and noble part of her life Within a little while of her arrivall her marriage was celebrated and that with such justs turnies maskes and other gallantries as the Kings owne was not more magnificent You may well imagine what the Prince's joy was for that day 't was incomparable and followed by a satisfaction which had lasted till this day if it had been possible a man extreamly in love and exceeding knowing in the worlds corruption had been capable of possessing without jealously a Lady so wonderfully desired Yet this poore Prince at least I will beleeve so had been free from that cruell fate in marriage if even those who were obliged to divert his suspicions had not fomented them He had not been married a yeer I speak according to mine owne accompt for according to his 't was not a day when his mother who was a Scottish woman and who with her milk had suck'd in all that could be of hair-braind savage and cruell in Scotland became jealous of the power of her daughter in Law and enraged with the diminution of her authority She kept it secret or made it known but to her most particular Confidents For to undertake any thing against Eolinda was to put her self to the hazzard of her owne ruining and in that this stepmother placed the height of her misfortune But after she had a long time undergone it she resolv'd to quit her self of it at what price soever and falling into all those extremities whereto a wicked woman is incident intended either to perish her self or to ruinate the authority of her rivall In the meane time this young Princesse was admir'd of all desired of many and serv'd but without her consent by two young Lords who flattered themselves with the hope of winning her either by the profusion of their riches or by the greatnes of their services constancy They are now dead and I may therefore speak of them without being accused of flattery I will say then take from their lives the fault of attempting against the honour of a married woman there could be nought found in them but exceeding rare qualities and most eminent vertues This unhappy love which disturbes the most perfect harmony and makes desolate the most flourishing families with one selfe-same arrow pierced the hearts of these two young Lords They sighed one griefe they burnt in one desire they attempted one designe and yet concealed that from one another and never spoke of the disease which they equally suffer'd The youngest was an Earle of an high heart daring spirit and so free an humour that hee thought he committed an offence not in affecting any faire subject but to affect it and not make it knowne The other who was two yeeres elder then he was no lesse free and generous but he affected fame lesse then vertue and so that he performed worthy actions it imported him not whether it came to the knowledge of any man or no. Being of this humour 't was no hard matter for him to hide his passion observe silence and keep that respect whereto Eolinda's vertue and the quality of her husband ought to oblige him The one then by a prudent boldnesse and the other by a generous timorousnesse advanced unperceiveably his designe and let no day passe without trying to make knowne to Eolinda there was in their civilities something more then that which is spoken onely by way of discourse and cometh from franknesse of humour She no sooner doubted of their intention but she dextrously avoided their converse and behav'd her selfe more coldly towards them then the agreeablenesse of the Court permits But when she saw these remedies were not strong enough to cure so great an ill she feign'd she was sick her selfe and was neere two moneths from visiting the Queen that her long absence might heale those whom her presence had wounded But 't is bootlesse to pretend by resisting to have the upper hand of generous spirits Those two young Lords perceiving that Eolinda's sicknesse was a disease that might prove mortall to their affection had recourse alike to preservatives and speciall remedies They prepar'd themselves to suffer for a long time to dissemble much and to grow obstinate against all difficulties They even gave thanks to love that in Eolinda they met with a vertue able for a long time to exercise their great courage On the other side Eolinda beleeving they thought no more on her left her chamber return'd to the Queen who could not almost live without her and came againe with a lustre which she had not before her feigned malady If the ordinary gallants did redouble their sighes at the sight of this new Sun imagine what the two true Adorers did Their quality gave them accesse every where where the King was and their gentlenesse had acquired them so much familiarity amongst the Ladies that the Queen her selfe missed them as often as they were not in her matches and associations These priviledges were the cause why Eolinda could not avoid the occasions of seeing them She must in spight of her selfe endure it
to the place where I had put you to be nursed there I imbarked me and taking you along in spight of all the English Ambushes came happily to Copenhagen Loe my deare sonne all that which I have been desirous to have my conscience discharg'd of before I leave you I thought it not fit to any purpose to give you sooner notice of it for feare lest it might prove a hinderance to your attaining that Throne to which your vertue hath rais'd you in stead of those you have beene deprived of by fortune I confesse that many times since the fatall moment wherein you became so much inamoured on your sister's portraict I have been on the point to declare to you what I have now related but seeing there was nought in your love to be feared considering the inchanted abode where Alcidiana is inclosed and besides I know not what Spirit suggesting to me new prohibitions I imagin'd that the decree of eternall Providence would have all the ventures of your birth concealed still from you Thamiris thus ended her narration and afterwards unwilling to heare any more of what concerned the world died so well that envie and scandall openly repented themselves of such falsities as they had invented against her vertue and contributed as much as they could towards her beatification Here the Dane stopp'd and left Polexander in such an admiration that he was a prettie while without being able to perswade himselfe that the truths he had heard were any other then dreames and illusions At last recollecting himselfe from his wouder Must I then said he beleeve that Phelismond is Alcidiana's brother You are to credit it repli'd the Dane and hold for certaine truth that so many strange and incredible accidents happened by the guidance of a spirit which without blasphemie cannot be accus'd of ignorance neglect nor injustice These prodigies are infallibly the presages of some extraordinarie event but till time shall make them knowne be pleas'd that I relate what ensued the death of the vertuous Thamiris A few dayes after Phelismond had rendered her her last dues he return'd to the King his master who had nothing whole and sound but his understanding assoone as he saw the tearme was expir'd which Phelismond desired he assembled the estates and causing Phelismond to be crown'd with the consent of all his Peeres impos'd on him all the markes and all the cares of regall authoritie The joy he tooke in being disperplex'd and unloaden of that glorious and stately slaverie or rather in satisfying his affection by the putting off all soveraigne authoritie to place himselfe beneath what hee lov'd retarded the houre of his death and made him live five or six moneths more then he had done in such quiet and contentment as hee had never before beene acquainted withall He imitated those lights which never give so faire a lustre as when they are readie to goe out for he did in so little a time many actions of courage and justice he intimated most sensible sorrow for his weaknesse and exactions and calling to him the chiefe officers of Copenhagen intreated them to love their new King as they had done him and besought their pardon for his defects committed through want of judgement and too much facilitie Phelismond was so sensibly grieved for the death of so good a master for he then died that he found nothing but bitternesse in the beginning of a new authoritie wherein ambitious men finde all height of felicitie But time that takes away the feeling of sorrowes as well as joyes restored him to his former temper and gave him so many severall imployments that he thought of nothing but how to make himselfe worthie of a dignitie whereof all good Princes acquit themselves with no little difficultie Assoone as he had any time to himselfe he bethought him of the Queene his sister and your Majestie and giving me in charge his letters instructions and presents commanded I should doe my utmost to finde you and at last if it were possible to land in the inchanted Island I tooke my leave of him in promising that I would never returne till I heard newes either of your selfe or Alcidiana to that end have I been at the Canaries and receiving no satisfaction there but that you were away if that could be any I thought good to informe my selfe what was the best course to be held for the Inaccessible Island those to whom I made that proposition were ready to laugh at me and said that only Chance was the Pilot to that Isle At last to free themselves from my importunities they told me what they knew of that inchanted piece of earth and this is the tenth day that I have wandred up and downe these seas to finde it and left my ship to the sole guidance of Chance to see whether it be as good a Pilot as your mariners assured me After the Dane had thus ended his discourse Polexander was put into so deep a musing that he remained a long time scarce knowing where he was at last he came againe from that amorous Lethargie and many sighes over-passed I am said he the onely man that cannot tread on my misfortune Zelmatida saw all things arm'd against him yet the power of Kings the elements surie the distance of one world from another and in briefe the blindnesse of his Mistresse have not been prevalent enough to barre him from his felicitie Phelismond hath had impossible designes yet one way or other he hath brought them to perfection Bajazet hath o'recome all difficulties which oppos'd his contentment and in one day seen himselfe King of many Realmes and the enjoyer of whom he affected Even my poore Iphidamantus hath met his rest Onely against me are eternally shut up all wayes which tend to any felicitie O just heaven O pitifull providence how long shall I be so wretched as to have no reason to hope for a better fortune The Dane shew'd well by hiâ—… judicious discourse with Polexander that Phelismond knew well how to chuse such as he imployed in his affaires but all that hee could thinke on to quiet or give any content to our Heroe's minde serv'd but to surcharge him the more In the meane time the day left them and night augmenting their disquiets they commanded their mariners to strike saile and lie at hull left they might lose the Inaccessible Island in the darke if by chance it might present it selfe to our view Night had her course as well as day and retir'd to give the other place Polexander seeing it breake made inward vowes to it and passing even to Idolatrie which was not criminall because forc'd promised the Sun to hold him for his visible Deitie if he would be propitious to his intentions but his prayers were too wrongly addressed to have any good successe That day they made a great deale of way yet advanc'd his designe no more then if he had stucke still in one place Night coming on changed the manner