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
them taking there feare deliuering them our victorie for if they sée but your assured faces only I am fast and sure that they cannot suffâ—r nor abide it let vs rush in among them for God doth helpe vs. The oration of Lisnarde the King of England vnto his subiectes and freendes exhorting them to giue him counsell About the beginning of the .33 Chapter of the first Booke MY fréendes there is none of you that is ignorant of the graces that it hath pleased God to shew me making me the greatest earthly Lorde that is this day in al the Iles of the Occean therefore it séemeth vnto me very reasonable that euen as we in this countrie be the chéefest that also we be not the second to no other prince to render vnto him immortall thankes throughe good and vertues déedes in the which we ourselues ought to rest and to continue For thyâ— cause I pray and commauÌ„d you for asmuch as kings are the chéefest of the monarchies ye the members that ye aduise you togither in your consciences to counsell me what yâ—â— shall thinke best for me to â—o in this matter as well for the consolation of my subiects as for the entertainement and augmentation of our estate assuring you my friendes that I purpose to beléeue you as my loyall and faithful subiects therefore I pray you once againe that euery man without feare deuise as wel particularly as generally what yé◠shall thinke we should or ought to do in this behalfe The oration of Serolo is the Fleming and Earle of Clare the which he spake and made to the counsell to induce them to the thing that King Lisuard ought to vnderstand and know for the vtilitie and profite of his kingdome In the selfe same Booke MY Lords ye al haue perceiued the good zeale that the king hath to the gouernment and rule not only of the common wâ—ale of his kingdome but particularly for the augmeÌ„tation and honour of cheuaâ—rie and knighthoode the whiche he doth desire to entertaine in greater preheminence than euer it hath bene And therefore my Lordes sauing yours better aduice and opinioÌ„ my mind is that all we doing and following the interpretation of our prince should counsell him that he make himselfe strong with money and men for they are the sinnews and the spirites of war peace by the meanes whereof all earthly kings are mainteyned in their force and authoritie considering that greate treasure truely is to pay the souldiers that cause kings to reign the which by no occasion shoulde any other where he spent or else it shoulde be a very sacriledge seing that it nameth it selfe holy And thus doing he may mainteinâ— his estates in tranquillitie and make and obtayne glorious conquests against those that would let him And to come the better thervnto he ought by meanes to séeke and to recouer and get all the good and valiants of whome he should be aduertised aswell straungers as other shewing them great liberalitieâ— wherby his name shal slye and he spoken of throughout al the world the which from the furthest part of all the earth shall come vnto his seruice trusting for their laboure and seruice to be well rewarded By whose ayde and help he may easely oâ—tayne the monarchie aboue all the princes of the North and West for it was neuer red nor perceyued that anyâ— princes made themselues mightie and greate but hée that â—ought and drew vnto him the good and valiant knightes I say bought fauoring and honoring them and distributing their riches and treasures vnto them that did them little harme but haue conquered greater pursuing and following their victories The oration of Barsinam the Lorde of Sansuegue the whiche held in counsell against the president of Serolois wherein heâ— exhorteth them not to deceiue themselues through euill counsell In the first Booke MY Lords it séemeth beholding your countenance that the Earle of Clares opinion is wholly approued for I sée already that the most part of you do agree vnto his saying without hearing the contrarie part debated neuerthelesse I trust my Lordes to make you all and hereafter the king presently to knowe and vnderstande how greatly I desire to bée a friende vnto him and to you and to all hys realme The Earle of Clare not long since hath counseled that the King your maister shoulde fortifie himselfe in the strength and multitude of straunge knightes the whyche hée counseled to bée called forâ— and that from all the partes of the worlde Certes if hys opinion bée beléeued and that ye bynde youre selues to followe it I am fast and sure that within a little whyle the quantitie of them shall bée so extreame and greate that youre King the whyche is a good Prince and a liberall â—â— willing too thanke and aduantage them shall not onely gyue them the thyng that he is accustomed and woont to gyue you but shall take that is yours from you to gratifie and aduantage them the more considering that naturally all newe thinges not gotten and woonne doe please vs And thuâ— whatsoeuer seruice â—ee shall doe be it neuer so good â—eâ— shall fall into his disdayne and forgetfulnesse and those straÌ„gers shall lift you out of your seates that nowe do promise you sure rest and therefore my Lordes firste or euer I conclude thys fact séemeth to me such and of so greate importance that ye all should take heede with good and ripe deliberation of your wise and sage iudgemeÌ„ts I estéem that there is none of this assistance that doth presume or thinke that I speake otherwise than reason and the good loue that I beare you doth monish me for God be thanked I am such a one that I may as easely passe and set by the greatest prince my neigbour as he may passe and set by me but finding my self and being in so noble a companie among whome I haue receiued so great honoure and fauor I had rether God be my witnesse neuer to haue bin borne than to bowe and turne Thus my Lordes ye ought promptly and diligently to thynke vpon this matter least that hereafter ye repent you with too much leysure The oration of King Lisâ—arde wherein he resolueth the pluralitie of aduises and counselles that was giuen him In the first Booke MY greate fréendes I am well assured that the loue which ye beare me and the desire to do me seruice hath set you in these difficulties and I beléeue that there is not he of you all that hath not spokeÌ„ as nigh the truth as was possible for him to do and so that your aduises be so good that they cannot be better yet this is a thing sure and certaine that the kings of the earth be not estéemed greate for the number of places that they possesse but for the quaÌ„titie and multitude of people whom they command and rule What can a King doe alone it may bée that lesse than the moste simplest of hys subiectes and furthermore it shoulde
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
this daye are a nation of the best warriers of all the world the which haue always discomfited those that would assayle and inuade them praying you furthermore to do better than I can say to consider that this victory vpon those that ouercome al other people doth prepare you an inestimable triumph of glory defacing or dusking at once the most noble of our auncetors elders Prince Anaxaries OratioÌ„ to the Paganes assuring them of the victorie as well for their good right as for the presence of the Infants of the Gods. In the .10 booke the .18 Chapter LOrds quoth he Captaynes and Souldiers we sée ofteÌ„times that the Gods do so shewe their might in the déede of battells that oftentimes the great number of people are broken by the lesse But how much should your courages be assured of all such hazard and danger knowing for a suretie that the right is on your side Also they haue sent you hither their sonne and their daughter to execute their victorie of the which no man should make any doubt séeing the multitude of our aliesâ— and knowing the valiantnesse of the conductore of the armie Now I will hold my peace being well assured that ye are more prompt and ready to the effect of the déede than to hearken to any such words The Oration of Lucidor to the Christians In the .10 booke the .18 Chapter MY Lords I will not vse great nor many wordes wyth you to encrease the boldnesse that is naturally in you and greatly experimented among all your enimies I wyll only reduce vnto your memorie that ye must set your assurance in the diuine maiestie the which doth certenly know to hardeÌ„ your sinnowes and to double your breath to execute his iustice by our hands vpon the vniust vsurpers of other mens Yet that notwithstanding good right hath néede of aid therefore consider all thing to maintain the order of warre that shall be apointed you by your captaynes and the Sergeants of your â—ands being certayne that this one point might depriue and take from vs the victorie whiche we holde as it were euen now betwéene our hands Consider also besides the common right of this enterprise the obligation that euery man hath to assist his natural prince to aid him to maintaine the honor that they haue of long time obtained ioyning thereto your owne so greatly celebrated and honored the which by the losse of this iourney shoulde be abolished and brought to nothing Furthermore aduise you that we hazard our selues much lesse in this battell than our enimies do for if it were so that God forbid that by them we should be broken the losse could not be so greate of our parte fighting in this champioÌ„ countrey for why our wiues infants pareÌ„ts and friends shall remaine entier and whole without léesing of one foote of land but if our enimies chance to be ouerthrowen as I trust all we shall be enriched occupying theyr lands and Lordships with a glorious satisfaction of oure iniurie The king of Scitbes and Dom Florisell of Portingale do defye by a letter Amadis of Greece and Florisell of Niquea vpon the quarell of Lucidor In the .10 booke the .18 Chapter BEing come into this campe to fauor iustice againste the wrong that by you hath bene done to the royall bloude of France specially by Florisell the vsurper of the true bed of prince Lucidor we being for this cause in the battell that is paste it séemeth to vs a thing enorme that so many good men are slayne and other redy to folow them and all for the cause of a woman This considered we iudge it reasonable that ye two whiche are the spring and the begynning of the déede should also beare the whole déede and effecte of the enterprise Therfore Dom Fryse of Portingale I haue apoynted to fighte with you two with eyghteene knyghtes of ours against as many of yours trusting that God will giue vs veÌ„geance vpon you with the fruite of all your glorie redounding with like meane vnto oures And that with this condition that they which winne may driue and cast out of the campe all that be ouercommed and those that be vnder their charge as long as the warre indureth Offering you of oure part such suretie of the camp as we shall desire of you parting the sunne by egall aduantage as well to the chalengers as to the defendaÌ„ts the iudges of our side are the prince Anaxartes and the princesse Alastraxeree and they of your part shall be such as ye shall name within the thirtéene of the date of these present letters of the which we make an end as we trust to make of the whole warre Amadis of Greece and Florisell answer to the kinâ— of Soites letter In the .10 booke the .20 Chapter THe soueraigne God hath in such wise reserued the ouersight of all things by him created that fortune hath no other power but asmuch as it pleaseth him to suffer he is the only stay of his holy faith the which he wil sustayne against all the inuasions of infidelles and false Christians taking their aliance not suffering his laude to be transported to whome it perteineth not And to answer to your letter Amadis of Greece and Florisell of Niquea do accept the combat with eyghtéene gentlemen the whiche they haue chosen against your eyghtéene with such suretie of the campe departing of the sunne winde or dust and other conditions as ye haue capitulated and rehersed In the which we do name for our iudges the high and excellent princes king Amadis of Fraunce and the Emperoures Esplandian and Lisuard of Greece Wherevpon we make an end remitting the end of our combat to the disposition of God. A letter of defyance from the princesse Alastraxeree to prince palanges of Astre In the .10 booke the .22 Chapter THe humayne iustice doth condemne in a great amendes the vassall committing felonie against his liege Lord but they that runne or fall into the crime of the diuine maiestie defyled are cruelly both they and al their posteritie punished This I say for thée PhalaÌ„ges which art ataint of these two enorme vices for thou canst not denye but that thou hast not presented me thy seruiceâ— with fayth and homage and agaynste all right and duetie thou dost rebell and euen nowe doest take armes agaynst me and mine To what ende dothe it tende that thou didst publish the ceremonie and adoration of my Image making to me diuine and godly honoure if thou labor and go about to destroy and to bring me to ruine in open warre Thys proude boldnesse doth constrayne me to denounce vnto thée by this letter mortall combat of my owne person to thine to make and cause thée to knowledge him whome thou haste not well knowen for the day I assigne thée the same vpon the whiche our knightes shall fight against yours that the memory of thy temerariousnesse and pride may be celebrated and shewed in the Theatre of so many
the gentle bastardes chéered of the father the which was so long vnknowen Thus came all these Lordes and Ladies into oure companie also the Princesse Oriana that was met withall vpon the sea and by a strange aduenture deliuered They honoured me for this presente Embassade There resteth nowe that I must returne vnto them to deliuer them into your handes to verifie my worde withall Phalanges dothe require of the Lordes and Ladyes beyng in Constantinople that Alastraxeree whome he hath loued long may be gyuen him in mariage In the tenth booke the 57â— Chapter RIght high mightie Lords the boldnesse of my thoughts the which heretofore haue ben giueÌ„ to a presumptuous diuinitie doth not abase hir wings knowing it to be turned into humaine linage exalted by heroike noble vertue aboue mortal fragilitie Also I faint not to attempt hir as before by the meanes of the aide that I newly finde in your maiesties by the reknowledging of hir kindred vnto whoÌ„ I haue long since vowed my heart my honour and my goods The which if ye iudge that I neuer deserued nothing of you and if ye estéeme not to much vnworthy to haue hir is the gentle Princesse Alastraxeree whom I require to my true and loyall spouse first suÌ„moning in this case the Prince Florisel to quite him towardes me for the duetie of mutuall loue giuing me like comfort and succor as he hath receiued of me as he well knoweth in his affaires A letter of credence of the Princesse Arlande In the .10 booke the .58 Chapter ARlande of Thrace disherited of hir landes bicause she made him heritor of hir hearte that had the propertie of hir libertie so greatly alienated that she can accept no part in his to Florisel of Niquea Prince of Fraunce Englande Apolonia and Rhodes salutatioÌ„ Fortune hath in such wise conspired against me that she hath giuen me no other ynke to write withal but bloud nor no other messenger but a childe nor hath sent me no succour but against the sonne of my mortall enemie for my brothers sake and yet more than this mortall enimie bicause I cannot be my owne friende Loke vpon me ye ladies that doe complaine you of the light turnes of hir customable inconstancie and take an example to hope in desperation She hath not left me as much as my surname the whiche I haue borowed bicause I would not too much astonishe you in the firste sight of the superscription of my letter missiue or in the salutation the whiche shée maie yll sende that hathe of long time hir heart captiue and afflicted as ye well knowe and not long since the body in prison I haue no great leisure with my hande to send my complaintes when that with my mouth I cannot cause them to be vnderstranded Praying you for the rest on my part to beleue this Damsell as reason would on your behalfe â—lorarâ—am doth count to Florisell of Niquea and to the other nobles being at Constantinople the cause of his comming and the imprisonment of the princesse of Thrace In the .10 booke the .58 Chapter MY Lorde the case is this In the time that my Lady had left you in the Isle of Rhodes and was at hir returning in my masters the kings Court she founde there the Duke Madasanill the tyrant of the next Ilandes a fierce Giant great and maruellous mightie accompanied with foure hundred of his cousins like vnto himselfe all they being issued of the linage of Furius Cornelius calling themselues the reuengers of his bloud This Duke required of the king a wife vnder the conditions of the vengeance that be vndertooke vpon Prince Amadis of Gâ—eâ—e for whome I was nourished and instructed if the obligation that came afterwardes had not defaced this cruell enmitie by the meanes of the succour that the Prince gaue him in his extreme businesse whom I loued and honoured and yet knew him not and was desirous with all my heart to serue him But the king perceyuing the newe reconciliation of my Ladie with him that had slaine his brother he deliuered hir quickly into the Dukes handes commaunding him to marrie hir He was euen then readie with the Duchesse Arhide whom he reteyned to come to your marriage Then hearing she should be sent to such other she answered the king beléeue not my Lorde that the trespasse and fault that I haue done to my highnesse in that I could not resist the strength of the loue of the sonne now I make it to the father assuring you that I will neuer haue other husbande than the sonne nor no greater enimie than him that shall purchase euill to the father vnto whome I haue sworne and giuen my fayth of peace and concorde The king was so irrited and chafed with hir answere that euen vpon the fielde he did disherite hir and caused an othe to be giuen to Madasanill the Prince of Thrace setting my Ladie in his power to lodge hir incontinently in the fortresse of the lake of foure pauements the which as men doe estéeme is one of the strongest places of the worlde So he gaue him the charge of hir and of the foure Pauementes to the Giantes his cousins commaunding them to keepe hir in prison a whole yeare if she applyed not hir will vnto him The which if she did not within the terme appoynted he woulde that hir head should be smitten off for the appoyntment that shée had made of his brother The fierce villaine fayled not to fulfill this ordenance moste diligently leading my Ladie wéeping and sobbing to the Castell where he enclosed hir alone with hir cousin Arlinda deliuering the keyes of the prison to a great and a vile Iayler reseruing the comming into the selfe same Castell to himselfe his cousins being established in the foure Pauements the which cause all those to sweare that come thither to be at the vengeance of the death of Furio if not that he will thrust them into déepe and cruell prisons At night they shutte in the Gates of their Pauements and by Caues made vnder the grounde they returne to the Castell béeing distant from the Laake two shottes of a Crossebowe of the which the Duke himselfe doth open and sparre the Gates Well I followed themâ— into the Castell where they suffered me â—o walke at my case but I enforced through sorrowe to sée hir in such estate not knowing howe to remedie it One day she putting out hir head at a little lattis window saw me beneath and sayde vnto me Florarlan prepare thy selfe by some meanes that thou mayst speake vnto me Incontinent I went vp leauing the Duke beneath with his men and I prayed Bocarell the Iayler to shewe me so much fauour as to let me speake a little to my Ladie the Princesse the whiche answered me that if I spake any more vnto him he woulde cast me from the height of the wall Oribaulde quoth I to him if I were weaponed as thou art I shoulde brydle thy snoute well ynough
the translating therof the which although it be but rude and vnpleasant yet my mynde and hand were neyther negligent nor slacke to profite thée and to english it â—o thy consolation and comfort Therfore receyue it I pray thée as it is in good part and with thanksgiuing for my good will and paines taking if thou estéeme it thankes woâ—rthie if not amende it I beséeche thée and I with all my heart shal thanke thée nowe and euer Farewel T. H. in prayse of the booke AS Golde is golde true touchstone tryeth at euerie ryme and season And dothe refyne the good from bad whiche standeth with all reason So Amadis of worthie fame in Fraunce whiche dyd excell VVhose woorke is pende yea for thy sake whome many lyke full well The noble and the valiant the tyrant and the stoute The noble Dame and Damsell eke the louer that dothe doubte The woorthie and courageous knyght that chaleâ—geth the fielde And shewes hymselfe a champion eke and makes his foes to yelde The Lyon and the Lyonesse with courage stoute and bolde Doth shewe them selues in nature playne as they doe heere vnfolde As euery sort maye imitate and learne here for to write To serue their presente vse and tyme a waye for to indite Sometyme with piththie tauntes sometyme in pleasaunt sort Sometymes with iust reuenge of wrong sometymes with decente sporte To euery kynde of wight this booke will serue the turne Of Orations fitte and Pistles pure themselfe for to adorne VVhat thoughe sometyme Demostheâ—es of Athens was the chiefe In Greekishe tongue to vtter there which serues for great reliefe Isoâ—rates by whome the Greekes did reape a perfect gayne So did the Gaules and Frenchmen eke of Amadis certayne And nowe from forayne phrase into our English toung Is brought this worthy worke I say for olde and eke for young Take it in good part therefore and let it not to vewe Till other things come to my handâ— I bid thee to adewe A. R. In prayse of the Booke OF others all Phisitian best who bears of right the bell Is he who most diseases knowes and eke can câ—re them well Of Gardens all most pleasant is that Garden to my minde In which with beautie florishing most sortes of floures I finde That market is extolled most that hath of wares most store For many times to haue his châ—yâ—â— a man will giue the more Uarietie in euery thing except I iudge amisse Doth put away all wearinesse what say you then to this That Author héere hath practised farre passing Phisickes skill For that the body this the minde with pleasures great both fill Or else the Garden greene in which great choyse of floures are For floures do fade this still abides how shall it then compare With this that like a market is in which are to be founde Suche sortes of wares as if for choyse a man would giue a pounde He could not so be sped agayne if he should séeke throughout The world so wide from place to place it viewing round about Uarietie if thou dost wishe then buy this booke so braue By reading which for price but small great profite thou shalt haue Besides the pleasure that thou shalâ— by reading in it reape Of Eloquence and Rhetorike thou mayst hoorde vp a heape To spende when thou hast néede as if thou wouldst persuade Thy friende to helpe when as thy foe doth minde thée to inuade The profites all and pleasures great if I should but rehearse That by this booke may come to thée in suche rude kinde of verse It trouble would perchaunce thine eares that lookest for an ende Wherefore to know of profite more to Preface I thée sende Wherin thou shalt be sure to finde suche things as name doth tell In treasure this thy profite is thou shalt perceyue it well Treasure it hight the name is ryght if well thou do it reade It will procure the Authors sure to haue great thanks for méede FINIS ¶ A Table of the principall matters of this Booke reduced into common places for the more speedie and easie finding of the maner to vvrite Letters missiues according to the minde and argument of him that vvriteth A Forme to declare his aduice to aske or to giue counsell of any thing to Lords friends parents alies or subiects 2 A forme to write or to say that they accepte the counsell giuen 3 A forme to aske or to declare to any man his deliberation and minde concerning some businesse 4 A forme to pray and to desire a man to do a thing or to shewe him selfe fauourable 5 A forme to commende a thing to one and to recite some thing that is chaunced 6 A forme to accorde promise and refuse a certayne thing to any man. 7 A forme to declare to a man the good affection that he beareth him 8 A forme to write willing to recompence or to giue a thing to any man. 9 A forme to laude prayse or to answere to the prayses of some one 10 A forme to giue thanks to one 11 A forme to write when a man will please one 12 A forme to write or to speake amorous and louely purposes 13 A forme to excuse him selfe of faults committed to the preiudice of other 14 A forme to excuse him of the thing whereof a man may be taxed 15 A forme to excuse him and to aske pardon 16 Complayntes and diuers heauinesses 17 A forme to incite one sooner to succour a thing that is in daunger than to tarle to lament some accident or chaunce 18 A forme to comfort one 19 A forme to declare his ioyfulnesse by writing or by worde 20 A forme to complayne him to â—ome one demaunding ayde and comfort 21 A forme to reprehend or to tauâ—â— one whether it be by writing or by worde 22 A forme to threaten or to answere to the threatnings of an other 23 A forme to accuse or to reproche some thing to another 24 A forme to iniurie or to accuse one of vnfaythfulnesse 25 A forme to take or to giue leaue 26 Orations to incite his vassalles friends or alies to take armes and to encourage the souldiers readie to fight 27 A forme to defie one for him selfe or for other 28 A forme to accept or to refuse the defiance 29 A forme to yeelde him selfe prisoner 30 A forme to write or to pronounce any thing in maner of a prophecie Finis Tabulae ¶ A collection of the most excellent orations epistles complaints and other things of all the Bookes of Amadis of France The oration of the Damosell of the Sea to the souldiers of France exhorting them to bataile About the ende of the .9 Chapter of the first Booke MY companions and fréendes let vs be of good courage and cause our fortitude and streÌ„gth to be knowen and remember the estimation that the French men haue obteyned by the feates of armes We haue to do with people astonied and halfe ouercommed let vs not now make a chaunge with
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
thée taking againe the force to serue hir the whiche of hir grace and goodnesse hath reuiued thée Orianes letter to Amadis by the which she excuseth hir selfe vnto him of certaine faultes of loue the which were in hir In the second booke and .10 Chapter IF the greate faultes committed through enmitie afterwards reknowledged to humilâ—at hirselfe be worthy of parâ—on what ought it to be of those that are caused through too great abundance of loue yet my faithfull louer I do not denie you that I deserue not much paine For I should haue considered that when things be most prosperous and ioyful that fortune the which doth spye and considereth them doth come then to bring them heauinesse and miserie Also I should haue remembred your vertue and honestie the which was neuer found in fault and aboue all I should not no not to dye for I haue separated from my vnderstanding the remembrance of the great subiection of my heauy hart the whiche procéeded nor came not but of that wherein youre owne was inclosed being certaine that if any flames haue bene cooled so haue myne also as it is perceyued and in suche sorte that the enuy that he had to find rest vnto hys mortall desires hath bene the cause to augment tâ—em But bicause I haue fayled as they doe that being in the hyghest of their good houre and fortune and very certaine of theyr loue of whome they be loued nor cannot comprehende in them so much goodnesse become iealous and suspitious more by their imagination than by reason dusking this cleare felicitie with the cloude of impacience beléeuing sooner the report of certaine persons it may be that speake euil not very true and vicious than that of their owne conscience and certaine experience Therefore my faithfull friende I pray you effectually to receiue this my damsell as from hir that recogniseth in all humilitie the great fault that she hathe commiited as concerning you the which shall cause you to vnderstande better than my letter the extremitie of my life oâ— whome ye should haue pitie not for any merite but for your reputation the which is not estéemed and iudged cruell nor séeking veÌ„geance there where ye find repentance and subiection when that no penance can come from you more rigorous than that that I my selfe haue appointed and ordeined for my selfe the which I beare and paciently do suffer trusting that ye will remit it and restore vnto me your grace and fauour and lykewise my life that dependeth thereof The lamentation of fayre Tenebreuâ— whiche returned from Mireflâ—ur declaring vnto the Damsell of Denmarke that without cause he had suffered many things touching hir that she was not a faithfull louer In the second Booke the .10 Chapter BY my conscience sayde the fayre Tenebreuâ— I was neuer in more daunger of death and I maruell where she hath forged this fantasie that she had against me seing that I neuer thought to do the thing that shuld displease hir And notwithstaÌ„ding I had forgotten to think on it yet I deserued not so cruel a letter as this is that she wrote vnto me And although I make not the outward shewes and hypocrisies that many caÌ„ do and make yet I leaue not of to measure the goodnesse and graces that I haue receiued of hir nor this thought was not sowen in so euill ground that she shuld not regard the fruite as long as the spirit shal haue meanes to cause the heart to liue seing that the one and the other are wholy dedicate to serue and to obey hir Ah ah my God I remember that when Corissande came into our poore hermitage I beléeued then that it was done for me The good Lady lamented hir selfe of the passion that the suffered for louing my brother Florestan too much and I should die for very displeasure to be so wrongfully chased away by Oriane How great paines what trauels what vnmeasurable torment haue I thus long suffered in the poore Rocke hauing consolation of no creature liuing but of the good Hermit the which solicited me and spake to me of pacience Alas what hard penaÌ„ce for a thing not offended beléeue me my welbeloued Damsel that I was so greatly troubled that from one houre to another I desired deathâ— and oftentimes also I feared to lose my life but thinke vpon the desperation wherein I was then when I shewed the Damsels of Corisâ—ande the song that I made in my great tribulation The Oration of Gandalin vnto fayre Tenebreus brethren to encourage them to searche and to succoure him In the .2 booke the .12 Chapter BY God my Lords all your wéepings cannot cause him to be found whome ye desire if it be not by some other good diligence that ye may newly take vpon you And notwithstanding that ye haue already done what ye can so ye should not he anoyed to séeke him better than euer he waâ— yet sought for seing that ye know welynough what he particularly would haue done for you if fortune had aduanced the occasion Nowe therefore it is youre partes to doe the lyke â—or if ye léese hym thus it shall not be onely the losse of the most gentlest knyghte of all the worlde but of the best pacient that ye haue and furthermore all ye paraduenture may be blamed Therefore my Lordes I praye you for the loue of God to do vnto him the duety of a brother of a friende and of a companion beginning agayne to séeke him without sparing of your bodies or the prolonging of tyme. Defyance made by a straunge knyghte vnto king Lisuard prouoking hym to warre if he wyll not accord to the mariage of Oriane with the prince of Basiganâ— In the .2 booke the .12 Chapter I Defye thée king Lisuard and all thy aliens in the name of the puissant and mightie princes Famongomad Giant of the burning lake Cartadaque his neuew Giant of the defended mountayne Madafabull hys brother in lawe Giant of the redde tower Lord Quedragant brother to Abies that was king of Irelande and of Arcalaus the inchanter the whyche doe sende thée worde by me that they haue sworne the death of thée and thyne And to do thys they wyll ayde king Cildadan to be in the number of the hundreth knightes the whiche shall surely destroy thée Yet neuerthelesse if thou wilt giue Oriane thy inheriter to fayre Madasime the daughter of the most douty Famongomad to serue hir as hir Damsell they will suffer thée to liue in peace and be thy friendes â—or they will marrie hir to thâ— Prince Basiganâ— the which doth well deserue to be Lorde of thy countreys and of thy daughter also Therefore king Lisuard chose of these two coÌ„ditions the best peace as I haue deuised or the most cruel warre that may chance vnto thée hauing to do with so mighty and so doutye princes The answer to the strange knight by king Lisuard shewing the greatnesse of his courage In the .2 booke the .12 Chapter BY God knight they
that haue giuen you suche commission knowe me very ill for I haue all the dayes of my lyfe more estéemed ieopardous warres than shamefull prayse In somuch that I should be greatly reprehensible towards God the Creator that hath appoynted and made me king ouer so many people if for lacke of hart and courage I should suffer them to be outrageous Therefore ye shall returne and shew them that I had rather haue warre all my life the which they demaund and desire and at the last to die sighting and in battell than after their word and minde to haue peace that which should be so greatly to my disaduantage And bicause I desire to know at length their will and mind I wil send one of my knights the which shal go with you cause them at length to vnderstand my mind intention Florestan defyeth Laudin the which spake sore agaynst Amadis aduantage for whose loue he presented him the combat In the second Booke the .12 Chapter KNight I am not borne in this countrey nor the kings vassall so that for any thing that ye haue said vnto him I haue none occasion to answerâ— in asmuch as here are present many â—etter knights than I am aboue whome I wolde take nothing in hand Yet for asmuch as I cannot find Amadis whiche is as I estéeme very profitable vnto you I am ready to fyght with you and to cease and ende the quarell that ye haue vnto him and to the intent ye may knowe me the better I am his brother Florestan the whiche doth offer to fyght with you vnder this condition and conuention that if I may ouercome you ye shall be bounde to leaue off the quarel that ye haue against him and if ye ouercome me reueÌ„ge vpon me part of your choler and anger But yet thus much there is that ye ought not to fynde the dutie strange whervnto I submit me for I haue no lesse occasion to sustain the quarell against you he being absent than ye haue to mainetaine King Abies whose nephew ye are being full sure that it is in the power of my Lord Amadis to reuenge me if fortune doe suffer you to haue the aduantage ouer me Laudins answere to the Lord Florestan the which in time conuenient doth accept the combate In the seconde booke the 12. Chapter MY Lord Florestan que Laudin as far as I sée and perceiue you haue an enuy and a desire to fight but I can not satisfie you not hauing any power in me to do that wherevnto I am sent by other Also I haue promised my Lordes that called me to their companie before my departing not to take any thing vpon me that might let me to assist and to do my dutie before the battell and therfore you shall at this present time haue me excused till the battell be ended for then I promise you to take vpon me the combate and fight that you demaund and soner I can not tend vnto it Vrgandes Letter to King Lisuard where he forspeaketh the ruine of faire Tenebreus In the second boke the .15 Chapter TO you Lisuard King of England salutatioÌ„ gréeting méet for your Maiestie I Vrgand of Cogneue your humble seruant doe giue you knowledge that the battell appoynted betwéene you and King Cildadan shall be one of the moste cruell and daungerous that euer man shall sée in the which the faire Tenebreus that onely hath giuen you so great hope shal lose his name and through one stroke that he shal giue al his noble acts shal be forgotten you euen then shal be in greater enmitie than euer you found your self in For many good Knightes shall lose their liues and you your selfe shall fall into that danger euen at that instant when the faire Tenebreus shall drawe the bloude out of your belly and yet at the last for thrée strokes the which he shall giue them of his part they shall remayne victors And be ye sure Syr that all this doubtlesse shall chaunce therefore prouidâ— wisely for your affayres Vrgands Letter to my Lord Galaor of Fraunce foretelling him his yll fortune In the .2 booke the .15 Chapter TO you Lord Galaor of Fraunce wise and hardie Knight I Vrgand of Congue do salute you as he that loueth you and esteemeth you and would that you shoulde vnderstande the thing that shall chaunce and happen vnto you in the cruâ—ell battell betweene the Kings Lisuard and Cildadan Be sure therefore that about the ende of it if you be there your strong and boystuous members shall deceiue your inuincible heart and at the departing of the battell youre head shall be in the power of him that through the thrée strokes whiche he shall giue shall remaine victor A Letter of Arban of Norgalles and Angrioâ— of Estrauaux to King Lisuard causing him to vnderstande the great paines that they suffered In the .2 booke .15 Chapter TO the most highe and mightie Prince Lisuard King of Englande and to all our friendes and alies being in his Realme we Arban of Norgalles and Angriote de Estreuens detained and being in dolorous prison at this present signifie vnto you that our misfortune more cruell than death it selfe hath set vs in the power of the vnpitifull Gromadace the wife of Famongomad the which reuenging hir husbandes and hir sonnes death doth afflict vs with so many strange tormentes that it is impossible to thinke vpon them and in such sort that from houre to houre we desire the ende of oure liues to be at rest But this mischieuous woman to cause vs the longer while to suffer doth prolong so much as she maye our death the which with our owne handes we would haue prepared but for feare of the loue of our soules And for as muche as we at this preâ—ent are so sore wounded that it is impossible we may resist any longer we sende you this Letter written with oure owne bloude by the which we beséech God to giue you the victorie against these traytors that haue thus outrageously handled vs and to haue pitie vpon oure soules The Oration of Kyng Lisuard to those of hys hoste exhorting them to fyght strongly In the .2 booke the .16 chapter MY companions and great friendes I beleeue that there is not he of you al that doth not sufficiently vnderstand howe we haue enterprised this battell with good right and also to defende the honor and reputation of Englande the which King Cildadan and they of Irelande would deminish denying vs the tribute the which at al times they haue payd to our prodecessors recognising the benefites which they haue receyued of them in times past I knowe well that there is not one of you all that hath not an entiere heart and a bold and therefore it is no néede further to encourage you against those that you haue to do withall hauing your honor before your eyes the which you estéem more than a hundreth lines if it were possible to haue them one after an other
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
more by force than by his will. And as touching this that he purchaseth my enmitie assure him that he shall haue it so that he shall forget the thing that I and mine haue done in his defence And yet say vnto him that although I alone haue conquered the I le of Mongase that I will neuer set my foote to cause him to léese it nor in place where I maye anoy and trouble the Quéene for the honor of hir Amadis taking leaue of his companions doth exhort them to be vertuous and strong in battell excusing himselfe of hys departing and praying them â—o be continually vnited togither In the .1 Chapter of the .3 booke I Beséech you my fellowes and companions to succoure and to helpe one another and to thinke that the glorie for asmuch as ye go against a mightie king that ye shall get and obtayne if ye ouercome him shall be the greater I know wel that there is not he of you all that is not bound to the wise man and hardie knight the which giueth me good hope that with the helpe of God and the good right of him that dothe conduct you ye shall remit and set a poore damsell disherited in hir first goodes and estate againe I was neuer in my lyfe so enuyedâ— to leaue so good a company as I am at this present but there is not he that ought not to haue and to holde me excused and yet it hath pleased God that the occasioÌ„ hath prepared another meane not to separate vs Of one thing I would pray you that is not to haue any discord among you buâ— to liue togyther as felowes and friendes otherwise yâ— may be sure that the ruine and destruction shall fall on your side A letter of the infant Celinde to king Lisuard commending hir sonne vnto him that proceeded of the loue of king Lisuard and of hir In the .3 Chapter MOst mightie and excellent Prince reading this letter ye may peraduenture remember that when ye traue led as a wandring knight farre and strange countries bringing many perilous and daungerous aduentures to an ends fortune did send and did leade you to my fathers kingdome the which was lately departed and ye found me withdraweÌ„ into one of my castels named the great Rosiâ—r where the braue Antifon besieged me bycause I disdained not being equall to me in nobilitie and lesse a friend of vertue to marrie him And well he could shew it for he had euen then vsurped by force and tirannie vpon me a poore Damsell Orpheline the most part of my countrey when that ye at your comming presented to fyght with him and to sustaine the right that I had the whiche thing he accepted more for the confidence that he had in the strength of his armes than for any other iust quarell vnto whome our Lord shewed hys iust iudgement for you lesse than he of body but in magnamitie of courage greatly exceeding him vaÌ„quished him By the meanes whereof I awhyle after was restored to all my goodes the whiche I will holde of you euen as they were yours and my selfe also for euer to whome at that time and houre ye did so great honor as to come and refresh you in this my great Rosier where afterwards you and I deuising together among my pleasant orchaâ—ds ye gathered roses euen as we sported vs togyther and the floure of my virginitie of the which the place was and is yet very rich and plenteous Therefore I cannot say whether loue woulde it should be so or whether my beautie was the cause but I know well that ye had so great power vpon me and that in me was so little resistance that before ye departed from thence ye left me great with this yong gentleman whome I send vnto you so faire and of so good grace that nature as me thinketh hath taken all hyr pleasure to make him perfect in all excellencie to deface both our sinnes if any sinne was committed Therefore Sir receiue him as yours being of the séede royall of you and mâ— the which thing causeth me to esteeme thâ—t he shall be a prudent man and retaining in him selfe part of the noble actes that are in you and part of the great loue in the which he was engendred on that day when ye gaue me this ring the which I send vnto you agayne in witnesse of the promise that ye made to your huÌ„ble seruant Celinde king Hegides daughter the which kisseth the handes of your royall maiestie The coÌ„plaint of Oriane for the soden departing of hir sonne foreseeing the euill entreating that should happen vnto him The .3 Chapter ALas little creature God giue thée grace to be so vertuous and so good a knight as thy father and to do thée if it please hym so muche good as to sende thée euen at the beginning a more fortunate prosperitie than his was Alas I am constrained to sende thée away and to shew my selfe to thée more cruell than the Tiger or the Leopard to their little ones And bycause I knowe not whether thou goest nor when I shall méete wyth thée agayne it causeth in my soule such heauinesse that fortune caÌ„not prepare such danger that doth not present it selfe before my eyes yet if I at least wayes knew the Nurse that should giue hym sucke I woulde pray hir to take care for him but it may so chaunce that she will take little care for thee and that she before thou haue the power and be able to keepe thy selfe shall leaue thée oftentimes alone being occupied about hir small businesses and deuising with hir neighbours of small matters vnprofitable fables and lyes in the daunger of beasts For I esteeme and iudge that she and other likewise shall repente and thinke thée to be the childe of some simple damsell and to do for thée the best she can shall be to nourish thée in the féelds amoÌ„g the shepherds the which oftentimes cannot so diligently giue héede to their shéepe but that the Wolfe the Lyon against their willes do passe ouerthwart rauishing the thing that they thynke good The complaynt of the damsel of Denmarke after that she had lost Orianes little sonne the which she esteemed shoulde suffer muche euill In the .3 Chapter O Lord God howe hath it pleased you to suffer that thys little creature should perish the whiche neuer offended you Ah ah certesse I am wel worthy to be gretly punished of my owne will his misfortune might fall vpon my owne person for my life is to me very noysome Alas little infant your father being as little as ye are began to proue the dangers of this worlde and yet our Lord of his great goodnesse preserued him but your misfortune euill honoure is farre straunger than his was for notwithstanding they cast hym into the waues and surges of the Sea yet Gandales met him in a good houre and afterwards as euery man doth knowe he tooke him vp but thou little poore one art fallen
that I may accoÌ„pany you if not to giue me leaue for I haue pointed to depart tomorrow early in the morning Amadis answer to Bruneo excusing himselfe that he was constrayned to leaue him In the .3 booke the .5 Chapter BY my fayth my great friend I haue all my life time desired such company as yours is being well assured that there could not chaunce to me but all honour and good fortune But the kings purpose and communication that he of late hath had wâ—th me not as yet to depart from his countrey doth constraine me to leaue and forsake your company whereof I am sore displeased Therefore I pray you to haue me excused praying God that he will conducte yoâ—â— King Arauignes Oration to his Souldiers inciting and prouoking them to behaue themselues strongly in the battell In the .3 booke the .5 Chapter WHat néede is it my Lords greatly to exhort you to fight well and strongly seeing that you are here to doe the same and your selues the authors of this war in the whiche you haue chosen me to be your head and principall coÌ„ductor the which thing is the principall cause and reason why that I shall shewe you what me thinketh and what my mynde is to the intent that after you haue perceiued me you maye haue before your eyes the cause why you are in so great nuÌ„ber of people gathered togither Certainly it is not to defend yâ—ur countrie your libertie your wiues your children or your goods But it is to conquer and to bring vnder the yoke a people the moste proudest and fiercest that is this daye liuing and the which estéeme vs being farre from them as nothing yet that notwithstanding I beléeue that they neare at hande dare not tarie for vs althoughe that you sée them march forwardes furiously but that notwitstanding if you beholde well their countenance it seemeth that it shoulde haue more efficacie to moue you and to giue an heart to fight well than all the wordes of any man lyuing yea although you were in a maner vnprouided and yll appointed But contrariwise we are here the floure and the strength of the most part of al the Ocean Isles and in such a great number that in a maner it were sinne to dout of our certain victoriâ— And more certenly to assure vs therof remembring that we are in a strange land and very farre from our owne not among our good friends but in the midst of al those that desire our death a thing that we can not auoide if we be once broken for they haue many horsemen by the whiche we shall be pursued hauing no maner of meane to retire to our ships And therfore we must be resolued either to winne or to die for the necessitie wherein we be is much more to be feared than their force and might therfore let euery man do his dutie and I hope or and before the night dothe deuide vs we shall be masters and Lordes of all this countrie and afterwardes redoubted and feared in all coastes of the world King Lisuards Oration vnto his Knightes aduertising them of his iust quarrell and that they for this cause should manfully sustaine his part In the selfesame booke the .5 Chap. MY friendes the right being on our side God the which is iust and in whose handes are the victories will if it please him helpe vs And if they would saye that they make warre vpon me to reuenge those only that last inuaded this Realme with King Cildadan be you assured that they maye well finde themselues deceiuedâ— for knowing and beléeuing to reuenge their iniurie vpon trust of some power their shame oftentimes groweth and increaseth and do ende and â—inishe their dayes as I hope they shall vnfortunately for there are none of you so yong and vnskilful to be in any such conflictes that is not experimented and reputed by themselues a wise and a hardie Knight They grounde their victories onely vpon the great number of people that they haue in their campe people I may saye gathered togither and of all nations the most part without order and without obedience the which séeing vs to drawe nigh shall be astonyed or euer we haue abased our lauÌ„ces and if we may once set them out of order and arrayeâ— we shall haue euen what we will. Let vs then boldly go on and make them knowe that they be not better men than their companions of whose burials and sepulchers our lande hath bene fatted and dunged and the Wolues three or foure times with their carren carcases repasted when they were by youre vertue and magnanimitie destroyed in battell The exhortation of King Perion of Fraunce to Amadis and Florestan his sonnes giuing them courage to be strong against their misfortune In the .3 booke and .6 Chap. HOwe nowe be you astonyed so sonâ— of the déedes of fortune are you yet to learne hir moueablenesse by my â—aith I thought you more strong and consâ—ant of one thing I praye you not to giue me more anoyance and heauinesse than I haue for your heauinesse doth cause such passions in my soule as only are sufficient to cause me to dye Therefore quiet your selues and let vs hope in God the which is almightie to drawe vs out of this place We muste commende our selues vnto him and haue our trust in him only but who would euer haue thought that we should haue falne into such an accident or chaunce by the onely persuasion of a simple Damsell vnder the colour of fayning hirself dumbe after that we had escaped the dangers of so cruell a battell Thus my children seing that we can set no order let vs contemning all naturall pitie that yâ—e may haue of me and I of you take our fortune in good worth Amadis answere to Archalaus the which demaunded what he was In the selfesame Chapter BY my fayth Lorde Archalaus when you shall knowe what we be I am sure that you will better intreat vs than we haue bene as yet for you being a Knight as we be and that hath often suffered the mischaunces and turnes of fortune as we doe shall not finde it euill that we haue holpen our friendes as we would doe for you in like case and if there be in vs any noble actes the same should be a meane to cause you the better to recognise and knowe whither you doe vs wrong or no. The Oration of Arquisill a Knight of Rome to his companions not to defer and delay the Combate and fight accorded and appointed In the .3 booke the .7 Chap. HOwe now my Lordes shall you forget and thus lese the reputation of our Empire Shall it be published that eleuen Knights of Rome haue bene through feare of death so slouthful as not to be so hardy to fight with twelue grosse Almaines vnexpert in armes by God if I alone had enterprised and taken them to taske I would not to die a thousand deathes togither defer it And if you feare and doubt of
him that hath destroyed Garadan suffer me to fight with him and prepare your selues towardes the other for I ensure you if our hearts be good we shall ouercome them and recouer the thing that they thinke to haue receiued alreadie by the mischaunce that hapned to our companion let vs therefore fight with them and let vs all die rather than to delaye it considering that for vs it is much better to chuse suche an honorable death than hereafter to liue in perpetuall shame and in so vnfortunate a life as ours shall be Therefore I pray you my Lordes and friendes â—o remember that we goe fight not only to obtaine lande for the Emperor or to entertaine and kéepe the promise that Garadan hath made but for the honor of all the Empire of Rome Finally I haue saide and prayed you to suffer me to fight with him that had yesterday the victorie of our companionâ— I sâ—e him go first and also he shall be the first that as I hope shall be ouerthrown The Oration of the Knight of the greene sworde to King Tasinor taking his leaue of him In the .3 booke the .7 Chap. SYr you are nowe thankes be to God in peace and rid of your businesses therefore if it shall please you to giue me leaue I am purposed to depart to morowe in the morning and to followe my fortune whither it shall séeme and please hir to conducte and to guide me assuring you syr that whersoeuer I bâ— I shall remaine and be your humble seruant as the goodnesse and honor that you haue done and shewed me â—oth â—ynde me Amadis sorowes seeing himselfe absent and so farre from his louer Oriane In the .3 booke the .7 Chap. ALas my louer when shall I sée the time that I may yet haue the good fortune to holde you in my armes Ah ah loue you haue lifted me vp to the greatest honor and fortune wherein any faithfull louer at any time may be But what In as muche as this my glorie had none like it in fauour so much the more it is turned concerning me into tribulation and anoyance feeling my selfe to be so farre from hir that I most desire to sée and to hold And the thing that doth most torment me is the feare least that my absence be the cause that she forgette me or that she besides me haue a newe loue After this he sodainly reprehended himselfe and sayd Alas whereof should this foolish opinion come Ah ah my louer I finde you too stedfast and constant and also I know wel that I haue faulted and sinned against you for my pain and great fidelitie haue so oftentimes giuen me good hope and assurance that I am to blame to haue any doubt of you Furthermore as I know wel I neuer thought but to obey you and shall do all my life long thus you shal haue no occasion to will me euil nor to desire any vengeance vpon me if you thinke not to be offended that I loue you more feruently and constantly than any other could doe Yet I can not tell whether loue will punishe me or no bycause I haue disdayned all other and giuen my selfe so much to you and haue euill intreated many and rigorously refused them But I know well that my thoughtes be so familiar in your heart and your great beautie so caracted and printed in my soule that I must hold and beléeue for a troth that with the time my paynes shall be quenched either by my ende or by your accustomed faythfulnesse The little Oration of Amadis being sore wounded by Andriague the which doth turne him to God to haue pitie vpon him In the .3 booke the .10 Chap. AH ah Lorde God that to redéeme me tokest humaine flesh in the Uirgins wombe and afterwarde iuduredst so grieuous so abhominable a Passion I beseech thée to haue pitie on my soule for I know wel that my body is but earth Amadis giuing thankes to Master Elisabet dothe thanke him for his good intreating In the same Chapter AH my great friende sayde the Knight I may well saye that next vnto God you are he to whom I am most bouÌ„d deliuering me from the great daunger that I was in Also I do assure you that as long as I haue a soule in my body you shal haue a Knight of me readie to do for you without reseruing of any perill or danger considering that you haue done so much for me not knowing me but for a simple Knight nor hauing in all his goods but an yll broken and an vnnailed harneys that there shall not be a day of all my life that I shall not assay to recognise it Master Elisabets answere to Amadis excusing himselfe to â—â—m of his thankfulnesse In the selfesame booke the â—10 Chap. MY Lord sayde Elisabet you shall say what pleaseth you but so much there is that I estéeme my selfe more happy than other like vnto me in as much as I haue saued the life next vnto God of the most gentle Knight that euer did bestride noble horse the which thing I dare saye openly for I haue seene you take in hande and make an end of things vnto all men incredible Likewise I am well assured that froÌ„ henceforth many vnto whome iniurie and wrong hath bene done shall be sustained by you the which shoulde otherwise remaine without any hope And thus being the cause of such goodnesse I shall hold and think me better recompensed than if I had all the treasure of the world together Amadis answere to the Emperor the which would haue retayned him in his Court giuing him thanks for the fauor that he bare him In the .3 booke the .11 Chapter SYr sayde the Knight you haue already done me so great honor that I beléeue as long as I shal liue not to be in my power to do you seruice that may merit the least of the goodnesses I haue receiued of you yet I am so far from my libertie being submitted into the bondage of one alone that I caÌ„ not nor wil not disobey him to please you withal being sure that doing the contrarie death shall not suffer me to be yours long and shall depriue me for euer to be his no more Amadis Oration to the Emperor taking his leaue of him In the same Chapter SYr you haue done me so much honor and goodnesse that euery where I shall be your seruant and readie at all times and as ofte as it shall please you to vse me to obey you And for asmuch as I am appointed folowing the thing that I haue promised to be shortly in the Marches of Rome I beséech you most humblie to giue me leaue to depart Thâ— answere of the foresayde Emperor to Amadis graciously giuing him the leaue that he demauÌ„ded In the same Chap. MY great friende quoth he if it were possible that you might soiourne here any longer you should do me great pleasure But séeing that your wordes haue so bounde you God forbid that I
should giue any occasion to you or to any other to falsifie or to breake it Grasinde speaking to Amadis otherwise called the Knight of the greene sworde dothe prayse him for keeping of his promise In the same Chapter BEléeue Knight of the gréen sword that if I haue had in time past good estimation of you that now I haue much better séeing that so faithfully you haue kept promise with me being returned from your iourney or euer that it be past ended the which thing maketh me beléeue that you seing you haue not fainted in that will do likewise in this that I haue purposed to put you to ensuing the purpose that we had togither a little before you tooke shipping to go into Gréece Amadis sorowing the absence of Oriane In the .3 booke the â—1 Chapter ALas my louer the long absence of your person hath giueÌ„ me so great passions and sorowes that if it had not bene for feare of the displeasure you should haue had for my death I had bene buried long since and depriued of the greatest goodnesse that could haue chaÌ„ced vnto me that is to haue the sight of you Ha my eyes are you not to blame thus to draw out by force of wéeping the little humor wherewith my heauie heart doth nourish it selfe considering the returning to hir for whose seruice only my spirite is content to be resident and remaine in this painfull heart also if you should haue no hope to sée hir againe yet you haue had more goodnesse through the fauour that she hathe shewed you in times past than euer you deseruedâ—â— And furthermore you may be assured that the stablenesse of hir is so constant that for any accident or chaunce that shall happen vnto hir she feeling in hir heart my fidelitie can not vary and suche that I had a great deale rather die a hundred thousand times than to lose hir good grace Gandalin goeth aboute to turne his master Amadis from sorowe and heauinesse wherein he sawe him for his louer Oriane In the .3 booke the .12 Chapter YOu are que Gandalin a straunge personage thus to punish your selfe when you shoulde comfort your selfe and take a good heart considering that we be in the way to returne to my Ladie Oriane that causeth all these sycknesses and as I thinke you should doe well to drawe you from those thoughts that thus do cause you to die For it is hard if ye fall not then into sicknesse when ye shall haue most néede of health and so ye prepare a worse infirmitie and sicknesse than was before of the which ye shall afterwardes repent you at leasure The Oration of Grasinde to the knight of the green sworde to draw him to hir amitie In the .3 booke the .12 Chapter VNderstand knight that a yeare before ye entred into this countrey I being in a company that the Duke of Basle prepared and made in his owne house wherevnto all the faire ladies and damsels of the countrey were called and inuiteâ— euen as we were in the midst and force of our good théere I cannot tell what moued my brother the Marques of Salander whome ye knowe full well in whose garde and kéeping I was then when he said with a loude voice before the assistance that my beautie was so excellent that no other of the companie ought in nothing to be compared to me and if there were any knight that would hold and sustaine the contrarie that he was ready to fyght with hym Yet eyther bicause he was â—eared and redoubted or it maye be that the opinion of the assistence was such no man wold say against it By the meanes whereof I beare the honour away aboue all the faire ladies of Rome whereof I had such pleasure and contentation as ye may estéeme and if by your meanes I may go further and come to that that my heart hath since desiredâ— I shall estéeme my selfe the most fortunates of all the world The lamentation of Bruneo of Good Mer the which being in the pray and custodie of Amadis fell into the hands I cannot tell of what trayters the whiche wounded him very sore In the .3 booke the .12 Chapter AHah caytife infortunate Bruneo of Good Mer now thou séest well that thou must néedes ende thy dayes with affectionate desire by the which thy faithfull hart hath bene so long afflicted Alas Amadis of Fraunce my good Lord ye shal neuer sée your faithfull companion Bruneo For séeking you as your welbeloued sister Melicia commanded him he is fallen into the handes of traytors that shall sley him without hauing of ayde or succoure of any of his friendes Ah ah fortune the enimie of my good houre thou hast set me so farre from all remedie that I haue not the meane only to make any man to vnderstand how to reuenge me the which thyng should be vnto me such a comfort that my spirite with better will and contentation shoulde depart out of this wretched and miserable world Alas Melicia the floure and glasse of all the most perfectest of the worlde ye shall léese this day the most faythfullest seruant that euer had Lady or Damsell for he neuer thought in his life but to obey please and to serue you And by my soule if ye consider it well ye shall fynde it may be so that this is an extreme losse for you being assured that ye shall neuer recouer any other that is so giuen vnto you as was your Bruneo the wyche doth féele euen now that the light of his life doth go out and his afflicâ—ed heart to léese his strength with the which to remember you onely I at other times haue had meanes and wayes to do many high actes of armes and of great cheualrie Thus I recommend him vnto you desiring you to fauor him and to entreate him as one that neuer fauted in his faithfulnes Alas death that takest me away thou dost shew thy selfe too sharpe and too rigorous towards me causing me to lease all my goodes my pleasure and my ioy not that I will expressely blame thaâ— for depriuing me of my life but for that thou hast not sâ—ffered me or euer I died to accomplish the thing that Melicia had greatly charged me withal the which thing was to â—ind hir brother Amadis Alas this was the first commaundement that euer she made me and shall be as farre as I sée the last whereby I féele my torment to double For if I had had a meane to haue satisfied hir I would haue thoght my trauel wel bestowed But what my louer ye shal léese me or euer I haue had the power to recognise the graces and the fauors that ye haue done for me and shewed meâ—assuring you by my God that I would neuer haue feared death but well to haue finished and ended my life louing you with great affection But yet my euill houre hath depriued me of so great goodnesse causing me to fall into the perill and danger wherin I am The
same man continuing hys complaynt dothe saye In the .3 booke the .12 Chapter Ah my great friende Angriota of Estrauauxâ— where are ye now and how haue ye forsaken me hauing so long time mainteined this company togither and when need is ye leaue me without any ayde or succoure not that I wil blame you for I my selfe haue bene the cause to separate vs thys day to our great misfortune the which shall also separate vs one from another for euer The Oration of Oriane to Florestan declaring vnto him that the absence of him and of Amadis hath caused great harme to many damsels In the .3 booke the 12â— Chapter IN good fayth my Lord Florestan it is loÌ„g ago since we saw you in this countrey whereof I greatly mused as well for the good will that I do beare you as for the néede that manye poore creatures haue suffered the whiche were wont to fynde and to haue succour of you of Amâ—dis and of many other that haue folowed him Cursed be ther that are cause of so long a separation And beléeue that I speake not thys wythoute greate occasion for I know a poore Damsell that is verye néere to be dishorited bycause she hathe not one to defende the wrong that men haue done hir And if Amadis were â—ere agayne and likewise the other whyche are farre from hence she might be sure that hir right should not as it is be taken from him but seing they be abseÌ„t she hath no better hope nor no other recourse but vnto death Florestans answer to Oriane certifying hir that Amadis maketh good cheere and that his name is dayly diuulgate thorough his fortunable conquests In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter MAdame God that is mercifull doth neuer forget those that put their trust in him and if it please him he shall not begin with the damsell that is so desolate As touching my Lord Amadis be ye assured that he is in very good health searching continually strange aduentures and in such wise that for the great feates of armes that he doth in farre countreys where he is his renoume doth diuulgate it selfe in all the coasts of the world King Lisuards Oration to Galaor concerning the mariage of Oriane and the Emperour desiring him to giue his aduise In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter MY great friend I haue alwayes knowen so great fidelitie in you and haue found it so profitable that I ofteÌ„ times haue beleeued your counsell and am purposed neuer to conclude any matter of importance without it Ye knowe the honor that the Emperoure doth me and the embassade that he newly hath sent vnto me desiring me to giue him my daughter Oriane to be his wife And ye shall beléeue me I thinke that the Lord in this thing dothe muche for hir and me for he is at this present the most mightie and redoubted Prince of all chiâ—tendome And being thus well alyed wyth him I from hencefoorth shall haue no neighboure nor enemie that shall dare once lift vp his hornes to hurt or to enuie me and I shal be more feared and obeyed than euer was any king of England Furthermore it shall be in a manner impossible to prouide better for hir than she shall be being the wife of suche an Emperoure and thus Leonor shall remaine after me sole Lady of my landes and countries the which otherwise might be deuided and a thing very hurtful But yet I am purposed to do nothing without the aduice of the Lords and knights of my Court and specially yours the which I pray you by the amitie that ye haue alwayes borne me to tell me freely and frankly and without any dissimulation The answer of Galaor to king Lisuard the which doth tend to disswade to turne him by the reasons that he bringeth in from the foresaid mariage In the .3 booke the 14â— Chapter SYr ye say that marying my Lady Oriane to the Emperoure ye shall prouide so well for hir that it should be impossible to prouide better The whiche thing séemeth to me cleane contrary for she being your principall heire and to send hir into a farre countrey to cause hir to leese hir realme the which is hirs already ye shall make hir poore without men and in subiection to a people not agreing with the maners and conditions of this countrie And if it séeme to you that she to be the Emperours wife to beare the name of an Empresse shall be in more authoritie in time to come by God Syr ye do abuse your selfe and here is the reason therof Suppose that it may chaunce hir to haue male children by the Emperoure hir husband if she remaine widow the first thing that hir sonne shall do vnto hir shall be to cause hir retire and to haue the rule of the Empire alone and if he marrie it will be worse for the new princesse will be inferior to none And therefore it is most sure that my Lady your daughter shall fall into a thousand inconueniences and extreme sorowes hauing forsaken this countrey the which certenly is hir natiue land to liue in a straunge countrie from hir parents subiects and seruants And as conceâ—ning ye say that thorough his fame you shall be succoured feared and redoubted truly sir ye haue thanks be to God so many friendes and knightes at your commaundement that without the ayde of the Romaines ye may easely if ye think it good extend your limits and I beléeue that in the steade to haue any support they shall rather assay to bring you to ruine and to destroy you than as ye estéeme to ayde and succour you for they will haue no egal vnto them nor none greater nor aboue them And furthermore this is certaine that they would demaund nothing more than to haue an occasion to set you in their Chronicles to your confusion and their glory vnder the shadow of some little fauor that they haue borne you the which thing should be the greatest euill that might happen to you and yours And also Syr what reason should it be to put my Lady Oriane your daughter and principall inheriter so farre from you to aduantage so much the princesse Leonor the whiche is the yonger by my soule for a righteous king and that is taken throughout all the world for an author of iustice ye shall make peraduenture the greatest wound in your renoume that euer did prince or mightie king And God neuer giue not only to you the will so farre out of reason but also to the poorest knight of your court beséeching you sir most humbly to beléeue that I would not haue bin so foolish hardy to declare vnto you so freely the thing that I thought good if ye had not expressely commaunded me and also bicause I am minded and apointed to kéepe vnto you all my life the fidelitie that I haue promised as he that doth feele him bound vnto you for the goodnesse and fauor that ye haue done for me Oriane complayning to
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
commonly make a fault gouerning himselfe by reason yet when he presumeth so much of himself that he will haue no counsell but of his own head he falleth often in more daunger than doth the lesse aduised the experience whereof hath ben séene at other times in many Princes My Lorde you sée the extremitie in the whiche my Ladie Oriane is and if you thinke well vpon it you shall easily iudge the inconuenience that maye fall to hir person through too great desperation whereof within a while after you shall be sorie all the dayes of your life And besides all this you may be blamed not onely of straungers but of your own subiects and hereafter be odious vnto them wherof of there may come and arise many chauces and misfortunes Therefore beléeue their counsell that desire your profite and the honor of your Realme for so doing you can not chaunce amisse and although it should chaunce otherwise yet you should be excused and they bounde to finde remedie And furthermore you know well that the fault which is done by couÌ„sell can not be otherwise named but a fault wisely made Sée nowe my Lord why and wherefore I desired you verie humbly vsing fatherly pitie to conâ—ent these Ambassadours by some other meane than with the price of your daughters bloude The Oration of the Damsell Grasinde to King Lisuard declaring vnto him the crueltie that he beareth vnto his daughter Oriane and the damsels of his Court minding to marrie hir to the Emperour In the .3 boke the .17 Chapter SYr hitherto you haue bene taken for the moste estéemed Prince of all Christendome a louer of honor and of all vertue and aboue a all protector of Ladies and Damsels doing and shewing them so great goodnesse and graces that they haue had great occasion to prayse you more than any other that liueth and now losing their hope that they had in you they sée themselues reiected from your great goodnesse knowing how you intreate my Lady Oriane your daughter disinheriting hir of the goods that of right after you should pertaine vnto hir wherof they maruel greatly considering howe it hathe bene possible that your benigne nature might so lightly be turned into so great crueltie as that nowe they neuer hope to haue any thing of you that shal be to their aduantage and comfort vsing such maner of fashions and doings towards hir vnto whom pitie and fatherly loue besides the title and the name of a King whereby you ought to be a mayntainer of right doing iustice to eache one hath bounde you And beleue me syr that it may happen worsse vnto you as wel for the il ensample that you giue the people as for the abundance of wéepings and hard lamentations of my Lady Oriane the which are before God requiring vengeance and so that if you take not héede the end of your raigne shall not ensue and folow the beginning therof in the which you haue prospered as muche as any other King or Prince that we know Syr I will say no more vnto you for I will go after these two Knights that haue taried very long for me Amadis Oration to those of the closed Isle shewing them the great wrong that King Lisuarde did to his daughter willing to marrie hir against hir will with other Princesses and Ladies of his countrie prouoking them to reuenge this wrong and iniurie In the .3 booke the .17 Chap. AS farre forth as I sée the things are much chaunged in England since we went and departed from thence and the King hathe an other manner of fantasie-than he had in times past for I haue seene him more prompt and ready to help to succor Ladies thaÌ„ to his own affaires And I now bee maruell what moueth him thus so fare with my Ladye Oriane seing there was neuer childe more obedient to father as she continually hath shewed hir self And now as Angriot and Brunâ—o do recite shew he hath against hir will and all the Knights of England ioyned hir to him whome in all the world she hateth aboue all other whereof I haue such pitie that if you wil beleeue me and help we shal succor and ayde hir and set hir at libertie But I will take nothing in hande without you al ye ought to remember the othe that Quéene Brisina caused you to make in the Citie of London We all did sweare not to suffer any wrong at any tyme to be done to anye Ladie or Damsell that required vs nowe then shall we suffer hir to be thus yll intreated and captiue of whome at other tymes we haue receyued so greate honour and fauour Shall the Damselles of hir companie be taken perforce and banished for euermore oute of theyr owne countrey by my God if we shoulde suffer it we were worthy to receiue blame without hauing of any meane or excuse to saue vs and we shall fall in the reputation of the increased number of the Knightes vnfortunate Therefore aduise you togither what you will that shall be done for as touching me I am well purposed to deferre and leaue off a voiage that I had taken in hand as I haue by Gidalin certified and told not long since my cousin Agraies Florestan and other And with these shippes that I haue founde in this HaueÌ„ to prepare me to breake the enterprise of king Lisuard and to saue these poore Damsels among whome I know not a more sorowfull except my Ladie Oriane thaÌ„ Olinda whom the King vsing his new cruelnesse will marrie with all constraint and violence to Salust Quide the whiche hath demaunded and required hir But I would faine know by what authoritie he will nowe thus intreate those which are not his subiects nor of his countries specially my cousin Mabile whom the King hir father sent into Englande not to be confederate at Rome but only to dwell with the Quéene and to kéepe Oriane companie the which loued hir so as two yong Princesses might beare familiar amitie togither and I maruell that all his countrie be not alreadie reuolted and turned against him or at the least wise that no knight hath set him selfe forth by armes to say against to resist this his foolish faÌ„tasie but there is none as yet that hath prepared to do it Therfore my friends I pray you al that folowing the auncient custome which hath ben diligently obserued amoÌ„g the wandering Knights to take héede that no man doe them so great wrong nor intreate them so euill Doing this we shal get honor prayse more than euer we gat before without the which in what sort soeuer it be we may be blamed Tell me therefore what you think herein that we folowing the conclusion which we shall take may set an order to execute the same Agraies Oration to his coÌ„panions wherwith he exhorteth them to cleaue to Amadis mynd conclusion In the .3 b. 17. cha I Cannot tell who he should be that would slacke so gentle an enterprise seing that
or euer ye my Lord and cousin arriued and came hither we were gathered togither in thys place to prouide for the same and now that we fynde you so conformable to our willes I am sure that there is none of vs that thinketh any other thing but that fortune doth call vs to performe it and end it promising vs certen victorie being pensife sory for the fauor that she hath borne thus loÌ„g to king Lisuard the which at this present in no wise doth know himselfe and that it is so what hath he to do to sende my sister against hir will into a straunge countrey hath the king my father giuen hir vnto him to do his pleasure with hir ye knowe that a little after our departing out of Englande I sent to the Quéene for hir but she refused me that sending me word by Gandales that she would sée hir intreated nourished as hir proper person Is this the good intreating that she hath kept for hir at the last to destroy hir hath Mabile no nother place to conuey hir selfe vnto but to the Emperours house Is not the Realme of Scotland rich ynough to nourish and to bring hir vp by God this manner of doing of king Lisuard is so vnfortunable and so farre out of reason that I had rather die a huÌ„dreth fold if it were possible than not to be reuenged and already I haue sent to my father to prouide therefore In the meane while I pray you all my Lords to ayde me and you specially whome this iniurie doth touch in a manner as well as me being done not only to my sister your cousin and nigh parente but to Olinda and other of whome folowing the thing that we haue promised and sworne as my Lorde Amadis hath saide we ought to be the protectors and defenders The Oration of Grasind to those of the enclosed I le praising their enterprise going to succoure Oriane and hir damsels In the .3 booke and .17 Chapter BY my God your enterprise is high and worthy of very greate laude and prayse considering that besides the good that ye do to them that ye go to help and succcoure ye shall ensue and follow the other good knights the whiche are of this countrie or strangers so that from hencefoorth men shal not suffer folowing you that any man should do wrong to any Lady or to any other damsell And therefore ye shal so indet them that both they and these that be and that shal come a hundred yeares and mo hereafter shall thanke you King Lisuards Oration to my Lady Oriane his daughter exhorting hir to allow the mariage to be good that he hathe vndertaken to make of hir with the Emperoure In the 3. booke the .18 Chapter MY welbeloued ye haue alwayes shewed your selfe obedient to my will without any contradiction and will ye not continue still as reason willeth you ye melancoly your selfe as farre foorth as I see for the mariage that I haue found out for you whereof I do greatly maruell Estéeme you that I would once thinke to do any thing that shoulde not turne to your honoure and profite Thinke you that I am of so euill a nature towardes you I sweare vnto you by my faith that the amitie that I beare you is so certein and sure that I haue no lesse heauinesse for your departing from hence than â—e haue But ye know that it should be impossible to prouide for you so well as vnto my selfe Therfore I pray you vsing your accustomable wisedom to make better cheere and to reioice your selfe of the goodnesse that is chanced vnto being the wife of the greatest prince of all the world And if ye do that ye shall besides that ye shall be esteemed receiue and comfort your father the which is as heauy of your anoyance as nothing more The answer of Oriane to king Lisuard hir father declaring vnto him the great wroÌ„g that he doth hir to marrie hir against hir will. In the .3 booke the .17 Chapter MY Lord ye haue theÌ„ as farre foorth as I sée resolued the mariage of me and the Emperoure It may be that ye haue made one of the greatest faults that any Prince can do for first of all I will neuer loue the husband that ye gyue me and I am well assured and certaine as I haue declared vnto you not long since that Rome shall neuer sée me willing rather to fall into the mercie of fishes than to dwell in a place wherevnto I haue no desire or affection Now I cannot thinke what hath induced you or perswaded you to do this but the loue that ye beare to my sister and the desire that ye haue to leaue hir your sole heyre and me the moste miserable damsell of all the world but God that is iust wyll not suffer that your intention so vnreasonable shall come to effect but rather shal send death vnto me if it so please him Amadis Oration to his companions admonishing them to take good courage to succoure in so great neede so many noble damsels In the selfe same Chapter MY companions and friends were it not for the assuraÌ„ce that I haue of the vertue and magnanimitie that is in you all I without doubt would refraine to put in aduenture the battell that we sée is ready if we would take it in hande But yet I knowing you to be such as ye are indéede and also the iust occasion for the which we are entred and haue taken the sea I thinke that we shuld not delay it but to cast away all feare to deliuer froÌ„ captiuitie so many desolate damsels the whiche call vnto vs to succoure and to help them by the only obligation and band that we haue to defend their libertie Therefore I beséech you let vs so liuely set vpon these shippes in such sort y setting these ladies out of danger their coÌ„ductors shal neuer bring newes to their Emperour The complainte of Queene Sardamire for the Prince Salust Quide complayning of the euilles and miseries that were to come In the .4 booke the .1 Chapter ALas fortune doth now shew that she will go not only to the ruine and destruction of vs miserable captiues but of the Emperoure and of al his Empire Ah ah poore prince euill lucke hath méetely well runned vpon thee Alas what losse and what heauinesse shall they haue for euer that loued thée when they shall know thy sodein end I cannot tell how thy master may support it and beare it but I beléeue that he shal not so soone heare the newes but that he shal die throgh great anger hauing a good cause for the losse at once of so many great vessels and good men and specially for you my Lady que she to Oriane whome he desired much more than any thing of this world and for whome from hencefoorth shall be moued so strange warres that néedes it must be for many good knights most cruelly to finish and to ende their dayes
he foresayd in the which he declareth that vpon â—ust occasion they enterprised against the Emperoure and that it is needefull in all sweetnesse to aduertise king Lisuard least he shoulde be miscontent In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY Lord Amadis it is very certeine that the enterprise that hath bin made vpon the Emperoure was not for any enmitie that we bare him but only to kéepe our fayth as al good knights should to sustayne and defend the wrongfully afflicted and specally all good Ladies of the whiche all we should be protectors And therefore I am thus minded first or euer we begin this warre that we send to king Lisuard and to cause him to vnderstand the occasion that moued vs to assaylâ— and inuade the Romaines and as quietly as may be if he be miscontent to pacifie him declaring vnto him with all graciousnesse the iniurie and wrong that he did to my Lady his daughter disheriting hir vnder the coloure to marrie hir with a strange Prince the which thing is not agreable vnto God nor to none of his subiects and therfore if it be his good pleasure to receiue hir to his grace and fauor and to forget the enuie if he heare hir any offering vnder this condition to restore hir vnto hym and no otherwise And if he refuse it and disdaine the duetie that we put oure selues in that then we declare resolutely vnto him that we doubt him not and that we if he make warre vpon vs be ready to defend vs In the meane while it is necessarie that we fortifie vs with all things thaâ— are requisite â—o a thing of such importance as this is at least way if he purpose to inuade vs that he find vs not vnprouided although he will be as my mind giueth me more ready to peace than to any other thing but yet that should not cause vs tâ— be slacke to make vs ready and to send to our friends and alies to pray them to ayde vs when we shall send them word The Oration of Oriane to Agrayes thanking him for his benefites and praying him to labour for peace betwene king Lisuard and Amadis In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY cousin notwithstaÌ„ding I haue great hope in the wisdome of your cousin Amadis in the good will that thesâ— knightes beare me so me thinketh that I haue good reason and cause to haue in you a speciall fidâ—litie as well for the obligation in the whiche I finde my selfe bound to the king your father and also to the Quéene for the good intreating that they made me in Scotlande as for that they deliuered me your sister Mabile to kéepe me company by whome onely next vnto God I do liue for why without the comfort that she oftentimes made and gaue me when my misfortunes were most greeuous I had bene buried long since and depriued of this world And although that at this present I haue not the meane to recognise nother to them nor to you how muche I am bound to you yet I hope with the time by all meanes to endeuer me thereto And in the meane while ye shall not if it please you he miscontent that I familiarly do cause you to perceiue the gréeues that I suffer And to begin I pray you that ye leauing off the wrong that my father hath done you will to your power make meanes to haue peace betwene my cousin and him for I doubt not seing the auncient and old hatred that they haue together the occasion that ye all haue to will him little fauor but that full honestly the things begon shall come to no other end than to a great ruine of the one part and other if it be not through the resistance that ye may do vsing in this thing your wisedome and good counsell Of the which thing I pray you againe as well to auoide such inconuenience as not to make me suspect to straunge nations the whiche may hereafter doubt of my innocencie and bespot my good renoume the which is to me of such consequence as ye may iudge and estéeme Agrayes answer to Oriane excusing him selfe vnto hir and promising hir to satisfye hir mind as much as he may posssible and to fynd peace in tyme oportune In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MAdame quoth he as touching the good intreating that ye receiued and had in Scotlande the king my father and the Quéene in that did nothing but that it becoÌ„med theÌ„ to do and I am sure that they haue you in such affection and loue that in things whervnto their power may extend they will emplâ—y it and do it for you as for their best parent and â—â—ie And considering that you doe say of my sister and me the effect shall dayly beare witnesse of our good will that we heare you beséeching you to beleeue that you may commauÌ„d vs as those the which desire your wealth and honor asmuch as their owne And as touching that you haue to cause me to forget the iniurie that the King your father hath dnoe to me and not only to me alone but to all my parents and friends he you assured Madame that the wounde is so great that it will bléede as long as I shall liue knowing the ingratitude that he hath vsed towards vs denying my Lord Amadis me and many other good Knights the request that we made vnto him to giue my vncle Galuanes the Isle of Mongase the which had deserued it and better coÌ„sidering also that it was conquered by the vertue and noble actes of him that prayed him but yet for the honor of you I am content to dissâ—Ì„ble that matter and to force my self vntil then to defer for a time the iust occasion that I haue to will him ill specially bycause he so straungely and after he had receiued of vs so many great seruices chased vs from his Courte as though we had bene his mortall enimies And to shewe you that I will wholly prepare me to please you I promise you Madame to assay to do to my power the thing that you desire of me but it were not reasonable that it shoulde be done so promptly for if I should nowe begin in the word and communication the thinges being thus disposed to warre in place to encourage so many good Knightes as be in this Isle I shoulde put the most part of them hearing me speake of peace in feare presuming that I it might be so helde suche a purpose as though I were the first that were afearde Also I should doe two euils togither that which after this might turne to the losse of vs all and to me alone great dishonor But I hauing your fathers answere shall pray my companions to do as ye haue deuised and counselled in the mean while you should as I do thinke be heauie as little as you may and take the time and fortune most paciently as constantly as you may possible Amadis Oration to Grasinda offering hir all pleasure and
good will. In the .4 booke the .4 Chap. MAdame I am maruellously displeasant that I had no better oportunitie to do you in this place the honor and the seruice that you merite and deserue but the time so euil to that purpose doth take away the occasion therefore I excusing my selfe do pray you not to take or impute a fault of a good will. For in times past you haue bounde me vnto you that there shall be no daye of all my life but I shall féele me your debter what seruice soeuer I may doe for you And bycause it is nowe long agoe since you did departe from your countrie it may be that the long abyding here in this countrie hath wrought you some displeasure I would therefore very greatly desire to knowe your deliberation and mynde that I might if it were possible haue some meane to obey you in the thing that should please you to commaunde me The answere of Grasinda to Amadis thanking him for his good will and affection that he beareth hir and that she will gather men to succour him in his affaires In the .4 boke the 4. Chapter MY Lord Amadis quoth she I shoulde be of a poore and of a verie slender iudgement if I knewe not certainly the companie and fauor that you did shewe me and that greater honour than coulde haue chaunced vnto me And the good intreating that you had as you say in my countrie if any such was shewed you is nowe but recompensed but to put you out of paine I will shewe you what I thinke I sée many good Knightes assembled for to helpe this Princesse the which altogither for the amitie and good estimation that they beare you haue put their hope and conduct vpon you â—o that it shall be impossible for you to put them from you without your great blame And seing that suche a charge is wholly set and layde vpon you ye must trauell to send on euery side to recouer people to help you so that the honour of so greate an enterprise may remayne with you and by the meanes and help of your friends be yours of the which I esteeme my selfe the firste And for this cause I intende to morow to send maister Elizabet into the parts of Rome to gather as many men as he can as well of my owne subiects as other and as shortly as he may to shippe them and to coÌ„uey them hither And in the meane time I shal kepe companie if it so please you with these other Ladyes if they wyll do me the honoure to receiue me trusting not to forsake theÌ„ vntill this warre begon haue taken another end Amadis letter to the Emperour of CoÌ„stantinople praying him to help him in his warres In the .4 booke the .4 Chapter RYght high and excellent Prince the knight of the gréene sword whose proper name is Amadis of Fraunce doth most humbly salute you And therefore sir I trauelling the countries after the destruction of Endriagne it pleased you to receiue me into youre Citie of Constantinople where after the honoure ye did me and had gently receiued me ye of your liberalitie offered to ayde me in fauoure of the seruices that I had done for you and to giue me succoure when néede shoulde require it through the reduction of the countrie the which ye named afterwards the I le of Sainct Mary Now the occasion is come whereby if it so please you ye may accomplish and fulfill your promise with the most iust quarell that is possible to be had or taken as master Elizabet shall shewe you whome I pray you sir wholly to beléeue for hys sake that doth kisse the hands of your maiestie Amadis Letters to Queene Briolania praying hir to giue good heede to the thing that he writeth and to helpe him folâ—owing hir good will. In the .4 booke the .4 Chap. I Beléeue Madame that after you haue perceiued by Tantilles your Steward the cause that hath moued me to send so diligently that you should fauour the thing that he shall tell you from me being well assured that vsing your gentle nurture you will not fayle me no more than ye beléeue that I woulde be readie to put my foote in the styrrop for you where necessitie shoulde offer it And bicause he hath bene present at the things which after my returne into this countrie haue chaunced me and that I haue giuen him charge to cause you to vnderstand them at length I will not trouble you to put you to the paine to reade any longer letter but I shall pray youâ— after you haue beléeued him to haue me continually in your grace and fauor of the whiche the same Amadis as long as he shall liue as yours desireth to haue a good part Amadis oration to Gâ—ndalin aduertising him of the good confidence that he hath in him and for this cause to goe to king Perin to aduertise him of his affaires to the ende and intent to helpe him In the .4 booke the .4 Chap. GAndalin thou art he that hath euermore had the kéeping of my most secrete and priuie affaires for the great amitie that we from our first yeres haue had togither as if nature of hir own selfe had called vs into one fraternitie Thou knowest that my honor is thyne and that thine doth touche me as myne owne Thou séest the affaires that I am in and of what consequence they be vnto me also the conclusion that by all these Knightes hath bene taken too busie and to call vpon our friendes and alies to haue mightie succour to sustain the force of king Lisuard if he assay and attempt to assayle vs By the meanes whereof I haue alreadie prepared letters to many Princes of whom I trust to recouer a good and a great company of men And notwithstanding thy absence is gréeuous vnto me yet I trusting more in thy diligence than in any others haue thought to send the to King Perion my father the which hath knowen thée long whom thou shalt cause to vnderstand better than any other of what importance this warre is if King Lisuard take it vpon him for as thou maist say vnto him it partly toucheth him in as much as this vnkinde King hath done shewed so great diâ—fame to all those of our linage as to driue them oute of his court after he had receiued of them an infinite of great seruices Thou shalt reciâ—e vnto him by smal pieces that thou knoweâ— and hast sone and the necessitie wherein thou didst leaue vs and that notwithstanding thou shalt yet assure him that I feare no power hauing so good right with me and so many knightes and that I had not made so greate an enterprise 〈◊〉 it had not bene that since God would call me to the order of cheualrie I haue thought nor minded no other thing but to kepe the estate of a knight defeÌ„ding to my power the wrong that men did to many and specially to ladies and Damsels the which ought
doth assure hir to prouide therfore In the .4 boke the .6 Chapter MAdame for things of small consequence that happen by accidence and chance men haue some ocâ—asion to shewe passions and anger but yet as it procéedeth of a smal matter so it ought to be forgotteÌ„ with small remedie But wheÌ„ one is offended by some certain person not only in person or goodes but in his proper honor theÌ„ it standeth with reason to be melaÌ„câ— like and to assay by all meanes and wayes to prouide for it and in such sorte that we taking vengeaunce of him that did the offence gyue knowledge to euery one of the displeasure that men haue receiued by the gréeuousnesse of the matter Nor I tell you not this without a cause ye haue borne haue had following the nature of mothers an heauinesse and a sorow too much apparant for the absence of your daughter and for all that I estéeme my selfe fortunate for the hope the which I haue that it may be soone forgotten But the poyson is found in the tayle and such that the thing which is nowe happened toucheth me so néere that I shall neuer be in rest till I be satisfied euen as I desire The Romanes which coÌ„ducted your daughter are destroyed the Prince Salust Quide is slayne she and all other taken prisoners by the knightes of the Iland inclosed the which are estéemed fortunate for such a victorie hauing done as they thinke more than euer any other did in England And forasmuch as the renoume shall flye throughout al the world it is now very requisite méete that ye dissemble vsing more wisedome than passion doing this ye shall be greatly estéemed our enimies astonyed and I greatly contented with you trusting in suche sort to prouide that your honor and mine shall be kept entirely The Queenes answer to king Lisuard somwhat excusing the enterprise done by the knights of the inclosed Iland against the Romanes In the .4 booke the .6 Chapter MY Lord ye haue taken as it hath pleased you the displeasure that I haue borne and suffered for the separation of your daughter mine but as touching the fauor that they of the inclosed I le haue shewed hir if you well consider the time wheÌ„ ye were a wandring knighte as they be ye would hold them for the most part excused of their enterprise do ye thinke that they vnderstanding the heauinesses that she made and also the common brute that was throughout all the laÌ„d that ye against hir will would marrie hir to the Emperour that thâ— same hath not moued them to help hir considering they haue nothing more commended vnto theÌ„ than the ayde and succoure of Ladies and Damsels of whome they are required much more then by good reason of your daughter that knew theÌ„ and estéemed them of long time Beléeue me my Lord that they be not wholly in faulte and ye shall knowe in the end that their intention was not to trouble you presuming peraduenture that ye were importunately driuen to make this mariage and against your will. A letter sent by Oriane being in the inclosed I le to the Queene hir mother by the which she declareth vnto hir the troubles and tormeÌ„ts that she receiued vpoÌ„ the Sea and how that the knights of the inclosed I le taking pitie on hir haue succoured hir that it wold please hir to appease hir fathers anger counsell the Ambassadors whome they send to the king howe they shall do to be well receiued In the .4 booke the 7. Chapter MAdame in asmuch as ye are already aduertised as I beloue of my misfortune such as it hath bin so it semeth to me to stand with good reason to make you partaker of my sorowes for the beginning of this letter to pray you most huÌ„bly to coÌ„sider how my misfortune hath perswaded me after that ye banished me out of your countrey from the king my fathers preseÌ„ce froÌ„ yours also a thing to me almost vnsupportable but ye not coÌ„teÌ„t therwith I was brought by the teÌ„pest the Romaines which coÌ„ducted vs being ouerthroweÌ„ to the inclosed I le by those that knowing the wroÌ„g that meÌ„ did vnto vs haue hazard their liues to kepe to let vs passe any further And bycause I doubt that such a thing cannot be pacified betwene my father and them without great effusion and shéeding of bloud except you Madame take the care therof I thought good to sende this bearer vnto you praying you for the honour of God to take compassion of your daughter to greatly desolate and to do so muche with the king that she may returne vnto him and be in his fauor not hauing offended him except he hath taken displeasure that I haue obeyed him too much for in that thing only I hold me culpable and faultie and no otherwise And to aduise you of that that remayneth how that they in whose power I and my women are at this present will send Ambassadors to hym as wel to know how he taketh the succoure that they haue made me as to pray him to haue pitie vpon me as I haue charged Durin to giue you knowledge before their coÌ„ming wherevnto Madame ye shal help me if it so please you and also to make peace and an end of this great warre through euill fortune now begun the whiche is in this your most humble and obedient daughter Oriane The Oration of Quedragant to king Lisuard from the knights of the inclosed Iland by the which he sheweth him the office of a king to receiue an Ambassage and that he ought to excuse the enterprise of the knights of the inclosed Iland and to receiue the Lady Oriane his daughter into his court and into as great fauor as he did before In the .4 booke the 7. Chapter SYr it is a very laudable vertue and worthy of commendation among kings and princes to vnderstand and with great pacience the thing that the Ambassadors of straungers are charged to say and to declare vnto them putting from them all passions so that they if the Ambassage that is made vnto them doth content them may receiue the more ioy and the Ambassadors better receiued and fauored and contrariwise if they speake things that displease them that this notwithstaÌ„ding they know how to dissemble their choler to giue them gratious answers for the respect of the estate that they are called vnto Sir I beséech you to pardon me that I haue vsed suche deuastiations vnto you swearing to you by my God that I haue not done it for any doubt that we haue of the assurance that it hath pleased you to giue vs but greatly to prayse the vertue of so good a Prince that so liberally hath graunted vs the entrance into his countrie O sir the occasion of our comming to your maiestie is by the commaundement of the best knight that we know Amadis of Fraunce and generally of all those that are with him in the inclosed Ale the
countenance they make they in a manner woulde be content that ye had the worse bycause ye followed not thryr fantasie notwithstanding that I doubt not but that there is none of them but wyll serue you faythfully Arcalaus Oration to King Arauigne inducing him to make war and to runne vpon King Lisuard and vpon Amadis in such suche places of theirs where they might be beste offended without succour and to make warre there where they be most letted and troubled In the .4 booke the .18 Chapter SYr a foure dayes past I certainely vnderstoode that King Lisuard and Amadis of Fraunce two the most greatest enimies that ye may haue are in such quarrell and strife that there is no hope that euer they shall haue peace together they gather greate companies of men to fighte and to giue battell whereof there cannot ensue and follow but the finall destruction of the one or other and peraduenture of both together And bicause the occasion doth nowe call you aswell to reuenge you of the losse that you haue had by them in times past as also to extende your limites borders making your selfe peaceable King of England I thinke ye should defer no longer to gather your people together and to call for all your friendes that whilest they be letted ye may easely enter into their countrey being far off from their aide and succour and if it chaunce that they méete together and fight then not gyuing the Uictor any leysure to refreshe his men ye must sodeâ—ly take him and geue him so sore a battell that neither of them both escape And ye shall vnderstand syr that the occasion of their enmitie doth procéede bicause that King Lisuard sent his eldest daughter to Rome giuyng hir in mariage to the Emperour but Amadis of Fraunce one of them that caused himselfe to be named in the battel that we lately lost the knight of the serpentes the which had if ye may remember it the gilded harneis with many other met the Romanes vpon the field whom they inuaded and finally destroyed and flew the Prince Salust Quide the Emperours nigh knisman the other taken prisoners with the Ladies and Damsels the which they haue caried and conueyed into the enclosed Iland where they retaine them as yet and yet I cannot well declare you the cause why they beganâ—e this warre but I am sure that King Lisuard to reuenge his iniurie prepareth the greatest armie that he can and that Amadis in like case hath sent into all partes to gather men to defende him if he be assayled And therefore Syr during this trouble ye shall haue if ye will a meane to giue them both the greatest ouerthrow of all the world taking them vnawares as I haue tolde you And to the end and intent that ye may at your eye know the victorie to be certaine I will doe so much that Bersimen Lord of Sanguese the sonne of him that the King caused to be burnt at London and likewise all those of the linage of Dardan the proude whom Amadis destroyde at Windesor shal come and helpe you with the King of the profounde and déepe I le and thus beyng with so great a number of good knightes ye shall not néede to doubte but that ye shall come to your intent and purpose King Arauignes answere to Arcalaus by the which he is purposed to follow his counsell In the .4 booke the .8 chapter My great friend quoth Arauignes ye tel me great things although that I had purposed not to tempt fortune any more shewing me so litle fauor in times past so it should be great fâ—lly as me thinketh to leaue those things which bâ— so many meanes offer themselues to augment my honour great profit for if in suche a case y enterprises guided by reason come to the issue that men desire he receiueth such fruit of his labor as he deserueth And if it chaunce otherwise meÌ„ at the least wayes do eâ—ecute the thing to the which vertue doth hind them to maintaine their authoritie the which ought not so greatly to esteme the misfortunes which are past that they when the houre presenteth it selfe shoulde delay to receiue it not losing their courage nor continuing all the rest of their life as fearefull faint hearted Seing therfore that I am in these termes I wil beleue you praying you whilest that I shall prepare my armie to order the rest to go to Barsinan and the other and to cause them to ioyne with vs. Agraies Oration to the knights of the inclosed Isle vpon the enterprise of the warre inciting them to shew themselues vertuous and strong in the businesse that doth offer it selfe In the fourth booke the .10 chapter MY lords I cannot tell how that we with honestie may delay to take vpon vs this warre seing the iust occasioÌ„ that we haue and that our enimie euen now maketh as though he would come to finde vs but yet who so wil beleue me he shall neither get nor obtaine the honor but yet let vs doe our diligence to assemble our strength and let vs go into his cuntrey and cause our selues to be knowne for such men as we be for once if we suffer them to come hyther we shal set theÌ„ in such a pride that he which of his nature is presumptuous shall thinke to haue already the vpper hand of vs and so we shal be in diuers maner of sorts yll estemed giuing occasion to many to doubt as much of our right as of my lady Orianes for whoÌ„ we are fallen into these matters As touching my selfe I sware vnto you vpon my honor that if it had not béen for the instant and great prayer and request that she made vnto me to haue peace I had neuer consented that they shoulde haue sente any Ambassadours into Englande béeyng so outrageously vsed as we be But feyng that our enimie doth declare so muche vnto vs I am quited of my promise and resolued neuer to enter into amitie or aliance with him vntill he hath felt howe greatly we may anoye him or helpe him séeing that we haue the wayes to recouer as warlikemen of warre as they be which he shall bryng with him Thus my maisters I am of this mind that we prepare our selues to war without any longer delaye and that we assone as our aide is aryued go straight to London if he come forwards to fight with vs to giue him battell Amadis Oration to Agraies vpon the resolution of the warre beyng readie to doe his duetie and to followe Agraies aduise In the .4 booke the .13 Chapter MY cousin I as yet haue séene none but that is ready to do that you haue said and if any haue â—ebated the inconueniences that may commonly chaunce in warre that is not yet to saye that they will exempt themselues but to prouide for the same as reason would they shoulde And as concerning that they thinke it good we shoulde enter into King Lisuardes land nor
to giue him leysure to come finde vs here I haue bene euer of this minde if the rest of you my Lordes and good friendes will the same for by this meanes he perceiuing that we aproche so nigh vnto him will chaunge pâ—raduenture his opinion and shall require vs to doe the thing that we in times past most humbly desired him The Oration of Guillan the pensife to the Emperor of Rome in the name of King Lisuard declaring vnto him the taking of his meÌ„ and of the lady Oriane that therâ—ore he is purposed to make warre against the knights of the Isle inclosed and that it would please him therefore to ayde him In the fourth booke the .13 Chapter SYr sayde Guillan King Lisuard my maister doth sende yâ—a word that for to haue your amitie and perpetuall aliance he was well content following the request that ye caused to be made vnto him by your Ambassadors to marrie the lady Oriane his eldest daughter and principall inherit or vnto you and in déede after many difficulties auoyded among the princes Lordes and subiectes of his Realme he deliuered her into the hands of those that haue power by you to receiue hirâ— but it chaunced that Amadis of Fraunce and other his mates with a certaine number of shippes spied them and in suche sort assailed theÌ„ in a straite that after they had â—ought a lonâ— space the Prince Salust Quide was slaine and all the rest of your men were ledde as prisoners into the inclosed Ilande where that as yet my lady Oriane is detained the Quéene Sardamire and other that were in this company But yet afteewardes thinking to pacifiâ— the faulte that they had done they sent Ambassadours to his Maiesâ—ie offering him many good partes and offers the which he woulde not receiue before he vnderstoode your wil and pleasure for as much as the iniurie that they haue done him doth touche you as much or more than him And therefore he hath commaunded me to shewe you that if ye be minded to take vengeance on them that he will bring a great armie into the fielde if ye of your part will doe the like being assured that if your strength be once ioyned you and he shall easely bring them to suche a point and reason as ye shall thinke good The Oration of King Lisuard to the Romanes setting before theyr eyes the great wrong done vnto theyr companions and that they shoulde therefore seeke to be reuenged against their enimyes and not to lease theyr courage in so iust a quarrell In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY masters and great friends ye haue sene and proued in these two méetings how that fortune hath shewed hir selfe our enimie in suche wise that in giuing vs the worsâ— shée hath triumphed by the death of my good brother the Emperour your maister and of many other valiant knightes the woyche in effect reuenging them vpon theyr â—nimyes woulde haue come to the thing that they become vnto â— bycause that this was the fayrest experience that they coulde doe by their vertue and strength to obtayne the glory whervnto they breathed And to come therevnto they thought it lesse than nothing to put their lyues in ioperdie and that it â—â—s muche better to dye valianâ—ly defending themselues than goyng backe to escape And bycause they woulde fall into no suche dishonour and shame they had rathâ—r throughe great magnanimitie of courage to endure and suffer fortune than to obey feare not bicause I wyll in alâ—â— thing reâ—â—ke those that scaped knowing the great diligence that they puâ— themselues to but to pray you â—ll that preferring your honour aboue the heauinesse that ye maye haue of the losse of your companions yâ— will assaye the truce fayling to reauenge them fighting strongly with them that are too prouide of their viâ—orie I am of this mynd that we shall put our selues in lâ—sse daungers and lesse â—azaâ—de our selues tyll wâ— may haue vpon themâ— that they haue had vpon vs nor that to haue lesse courage to assayle them or to defende vs if fortune doe continue to diffaine â—s consideryng that if we all die that it shall be vnto vs an immortall glorie and one Sepulchre the most honorable that wée can wyshe for or desire for all the earth in generall is the verye place where the bodyes of noble and couragious men shoulâ—e bée layde whose memorie is not conserued and kepte onely by Epitaphes and inscriptions but by the renoume of those that publishe themselues among strange nations that consider more in theyr mindes the greatnesse and heygth of courages than the thing that fortuned vnto them considering that cowardnesse accompanyed wyth shame is more grieuous and diâ—pleasant to a man that hath a good and an entire harte than the death that chauncâ—th by manfulnesse with the hope of publike glorie That thing my great friends maketh me beleue that ye not degeneratyng from your predecessors shall doe that â—hâ— worldâ— may knowe the great vertue and constancie that is in you and that in tho deathe of your Prince all yours â— not ioyned and contained Therefore I pray you to tell â—e the deliberation where to ye intrude to the intent that I following your resolution may take counsell on my part to set in order the thing that shal be necessarie assuring you by tâ—â— worde of a King that if I should die a thousande deathesâ— I will not departe from hence vntill I haue an ende of my enimyes or they of me Nascian the hermites Oration to King Lisuard aduertising him that he is not so nyghe him without a great cause and occasion and furthermore he sheweth him that he shoulde not goe aboute to marie his daughter Oriane to the Emperour bycause she is ioyned to another and giueth him the reason why And by this meanes he entendeth to turne him from the enterprise of warre In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter SYr ye haue good cause and reason so to thinke for certainly my great age and estate where vnto it hath pleased the Lorde to haue called me long since doth well excuse me to be among this bloudy people yet considering the euill that myghte haue happened if I had deferred my enterprise I haue not feared to trauell my body trusting to doe agreable seruice to God and healthfull to your soule Understande syrâ— that beyng a fewe dayes since in the hermitage wheâ—e by chaunce I wayted for you and when you and I communed togethen of the strange nouriture of Esplandian I then knewe the occasion of the warre that ye haue begonne agaynst Amadis and hys and neuerthelesse I am sure that ye can not doe nor perfourme the thyng that ye haue enterprised that is to marrie my Ladie your daughter to the Emperour of Rome for the whyche too manye yll chances are alreadie chaunced not onely bycause they are not agréeable as well to the greatest as to the leaste of your Realme as oftentymes they haue caused it to
be told you but for another reason syr the whych was hyd from you and manyfesâ— to mée agaynst the which by the law of God ye cannot say the contrarie That is how that my lady Oriane is already ioyned in mariage to another wherwith our Lorde hath béen wel conteÌ„ted it was his pleasure it should be so Syr this is it why I saide vnto you that the thing whyche was hid from you was manifest to me as I shall euen now declare vnto you for ye cannot knowe it of any other â—ut by me Syr the selfe same day that I by your commaundement was to séeke you in the forest where to giue the longer pleasure of hunting to the Ladies that were there with you ye caused your pauilions and tentes to be spred and set vp I brought vnto you I know not whether ye remember it the yoÌ„g Esplandian the which ye represented to the Lionesse that had giuen him sucke euen from the beginning and on the selfe same day I heard my lady Orians confession wherein she declared vnto me that she had promised Amadis to marie him when he deliuered hir from the handes of Arcalaus the enchaunter vnto whom ye had deliuered hir a little before that the Damsell by whom ye were enchaunted set you your estate in more danger thaÌ„ was possible froÌ„ the which Galaoâ— retired and deliuered you And beléeue syr that it is verye like that our Lorde God hath consented to this mariage for why EsplandiaÌ„ is come forth of whom Vrgande the vnknowâ— hath told so many maruels the which ye know And therfore ye ought not to be displeased séeing that Amadis is a Kingâ— sonne and estemed in al places one of the best and most gracious knightes of the worlde wherefore syr I counsell you shewing your selfe such as ye haue bene alwayes to saue the honor and conscieÌ„ce of my lady your daughter and that making an ende of this warre ye call hir againe and entreate hir from henceforth â—s reason would ye should thus doyngâ— the Lorde will be contented wyth you the which otherwyse may be angrye for the effusion of so muche humaine bloude the which ye hitherto caused to be shed without any occasion The Oration of Nascian the heâ—mit to Amadis wherein he admonisheth him to put al his affaires to God by whose meanes he hath auoyded so many daungers and euident periâ— and that he as much as he might should seeke for peace of King Lisuard In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY sonne before ye shall vnderstand perceiue the cause that hathe moued me to come and see you I will set before your eyes the great obligations for the which ye are indâ—tted to our Lord that from hencefoorth ye may be the more inclined to do the things that may be agreable and pleasante vnto him I beléeue ye haue oftentimes heard and assured it that from the first day that ye were borne ye were deliuered to the waters of the Sea and set in a little bote without any other defender or kéeper than God by whose goodnesse ye fell into the hands of such as afterwards haue so eleuated you that ye are come to be the most accomplished knighte that men do know at this present for why the Lord hath giueÌ„ you the power and force to fyght and to ouercome diuers Gyants monsters Tyrantes and very cruell beastes whereby your renoume is extended in all quarters of the earth And seing he hath prouided you of so great grace it is reason that ye should know him as the soueraigne Lord and to take payne to giue him thanks humbling your selfe before his face or else all his fauors that he hath lent you shall turne to your shame and rebuke My sonne ye may sée howe old and how caduke I am so that nature doth almost fayle me and yet I feare not to take vpon me thys long iourney to come to you bycause I being in my hermitage haue perceiued the discord that is betwene you and king Lisuard with whome I haue spoken of late and do find him such as a good Prince should be the seruant and minister of God and prest if there be no let in you to gyue an eare to peace the whych ye should not refuse as well for the quietnesse and rest of your conscience as of your body And to the intent ye should not disguise youre fantasie I maye assure you that I knowe more of your affayres than ye thinke for my Lady Oriane hathe tolde me in confession the secretes of you both Amadis answer to Nascian the hermit wherein he recogniseâ—â— his fault with a promise to amende In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY Father if I serued the Lord after the graces that he hathe shewed me I shoulde be the fortunatest knight of the world but I a sinner as I am preferring sometimes my pleasure aboue his glory fall and do amisse as other men do whereof I am displeased and sory and hope knowing my fault to do better from hencefoorth thaÌ„ I haue done in times past praying you most humbly not to feare or to defer to tell me the thing that ye shall sée I ought to do to please him for in as much as I may possible I will obey you Nascian the hermits Oration to king Perion Amadis father solliciting him to procure peace In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter SYr I beséech you to beleue that considering the estate that I of long time am called vnto and the greate age that I am in I would not haue departed from my wood and forest to come among so many men of warre if it had not bin that my long tarying might haue caused an euill whereof the Lord might haue bin angrie not only with and against you and the people that is gathered togither in these two féelds but also against many other that could not do with this discord that is betwene you and king Lisuard with whome I haue spoken already and haue so well conuerted him to peace that he is ready as I haue told your sâ—nne Amadis to receiue it and hath remitted me wholly vnto you Therfore I beseech you sir giuing vp your passions to the profyte and â—ranquilitie of so many people not to disdayne the thing that is offered you and that you your selfe should purchase and labour for King Perions answer to Nascian where he â—heweth the greaâ—e â—ault committed by the king and yet that notwithstanding receyuing Oriane into the court with his fauour he is ready to mâ—ke peace prouiding that he marrie hir not agaynst hir will. In the same Chapter MY father quoth king Perion God â—e my witnesse of the displeasure that I haue had for the things that be past with the losse of so muche good people and how willingly I woulde haue taken another way if king Lisuard would haue perceiued it but he did alwayes at hand shewe him selfe so high that he whatsoeuer we sayd vnto him setting the matter
forwards by our Ambassadors specially for the estate of my Lady Oriane whoâ—e he would haue disherited regarded it not presuming so much of him selfe that by the ayde of the Emperoure of Rome he shoulde drawe vnto him all the world By the meanes whereof he refused not only to put thys that we deferred into iustice but disdayned to heare it spoken of And yet if he will nowe submit himselfe to reason I haue suche a hope in myne that they will follow myne aduise the whiche hath alwayes aspyred to shorten these discords whyche proceede not but by the thynges wherevnto he is bounde to his owne bloud by the right of nature and so that if he will repeale my Lady his daughter to hys good grace and fauoure and not marrie hir to any personage little or nothing agreable not onely to hys people but to all those that dothe knowe hym or that shall heare it spoken of we will render hir to him agayne continuing hys good friendes if he desire it or to suche as he willeth The Oration of king Perion to the principall of his armye wherein he reciteth vnto them the purpose of Nascian and that they should not be so affectionate to warre not to procure peace if it may be obtayned and he giueth them the meanes howe to haue it In the same booke the .19 Chapter MY masters and great friendes euen as we be bound to put our goodes and persons in daunger not only for the defence of our honour but also to mainteine equitie and iustice so are we bound to leaue off all passions and hatred and to reconcile our selues to our enimie when that of him selfe he presenteth the peace For notwithstanding that waâ— at the beginning may be conducted and made without sinne and offending of God yet for all that at the end if by fantasie and little knowledge we remoue farre from reason the thing that at the firste was reasonable dothe conuert it selfe to iustice nor ye shall not thinke that without a cause I hold you with this purpose Nascian the holy man whome the most part of you doth know came to me not long since as ye might haue séene to assay to set and to make peace betwene vs and our enimies wherevnto king Lisuard is ready to harken if there be no fault in vs and yet I would giue him no resolute answer vntill I had firste knowen youre mind and deliberations for it semeth to me very reasonable that as ye haue made your selues partakers of the trauell strife so ye should be also of the rest and tranquilitie therefore I pray you that euery one of you without dissimulation do say that he shall thinke best and afterwards God as touching the rest shall counsell vs And as concerning me following the aduice that Nascian hath giuen me I shall fynde it and thinke it good that we choose two of our knightes vnto whome we shall giue all and full power to determine wyth those other two that king Lisuard shall name all the differences for the which this warre tooke his beginning notwithstanding yet that I alone will not be beléeued in this case but follow the aduise that ye shal finde proper and méet for the wealth of all togither The answer of Angriot of Estrauaux to king Perion the which doth prayse him for his good counsell that following the same it shall be more reasonable to obtayne peaceâ— than to sustayne the daunger of the warre In the selfesame booke the .19 Chapter SYr ye haue bin chosen the head of this enterprise as well for the dignitie of a king whiche is in you as for the estimation and fauoure that euery man beareth you by the meanes whereof ye may resolue the affayres of this warre as ye shall thinke best But yet seing it is your pleasure that I first before all other shall say and shew mine aduise it séemeth to me I speake vnder correction that if the peace be offered vs by our enimies that we should accept it for it cannot come at thys tyme but to your aduantage hauing not onely the ouerhand of him but also my Lady Oriane as yet in youre puissance and power for whose sake we haue brought this host into the féeld And as concerning too name two of our companions to accord as ye say all differences I know none more méete for this businesse than sir Quedragant and sir Brian of Moniâ—st the which at the beginning had in a manner a lyke charge when they were in Englande to excuse vs to king Lisuard for rescuing of his daughter taking hir out of the power of the Romaynes and I beleeue that willingly they will take the payne if they be apoynted to finish this mater Arquisill being asked of king Lisuard of his deliberation and mynde doth answer that he with his men is ready to obey him and that it shall be more expedient to purchace peace than warre In the same booke the .20 Chapter MY Lord if the Emperoure were nowe aliue we that were his vassals should be constrayned to serue hym as well in warre as in peace but being departed and dead â—s he is with the ende of his life the power that he had to commaund vs is ended and yet we will do for you at thys time as for him so that our seruice as touching vs shall in no wise be slaked as long as ye shall thinke it good to vse vs yet if king Perion will draw to peace I beléeue that they which loue your honoure as they ought will continually counsell you to accept it so it be not too hurtfull vnto you Ye may know by the sight of the eye that fortune at this present is not yours and at length peraduenture we shall yet haue worse than we haue had before The king of Suesse his resolution vpon the former purpose hauing for a conclusion that the goodnesse of peace is to be preferred aboue the trauelles of warre In the .4 booke the 20. Chapter MY Lorde quoth the king of Suesse if peace may be intreated with your enimie I counsell you not to refuse it seing that the most part of your men be hurt and sicke yet at the least way make a good long truce and in the meane whyle that it continueth ye may make your selfe strong and afterwardes begin againe if you thinke it good King Lisuards answer to the king of Suesse by the whiche he declareth that he desireth but peace and doth promis to send men to make it In the .4 booke the .20 Chapter IF it be possible for me quoth the king we shall be no more in this payne and trouble â—or king Perion hath chosen on his partie two of his knights to accord our differences and strifes and I will name two other quoth he to king Arban of Norgales that is you and Guillan the pensife that vnderstandeth the thinges and howe they be past ouer and done bicause he was continually and dayly present In the meane while I
will send Nascian agayne to king Perion to pray him to returne and to remoue his campe one day more backwards and we shall depart from the towne Lubanie for the tyme that the communication of the peace shall endure and continue Amadis speaking to Arcalaus the prisoner that asked him mercie sayde that he had not deserued it seing he woulde not haue mercie vpon himselfe yet repenting him and renouncing the euill he woulde pardon him In the .4 booke and 23 Chapter MErcie quoth Amadis I cannot tell how thou woldst I should giue it thée considering that thou couldst neuer giue it to thy selfe for if it had bin so thou wouldst haue made an end long since of so many cruelties as thou hast done exercised Notwithstanding if thou wilt repeÌ„t thée with a good hart promis me to returne no more I wil pardon thée Arcalaus answer to Amadis the whiche sayde that his nature could not incline to repent if the necessitie that he is in coÌ„strayned him not In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter I Thinke quoth he that it should be for me too hard yea verely impossible for the custome hathe knowen so to ouercome me and accustomed me to take pleasure to do ill that now I cannot giue me to goodnesse but necessitie the whych is the hard and the rigorous bridle to chaunge all euill custome to vertue shall peradueÌ„ture constrayne my old yéeres séeing the state that I am in to haue that in them that my youth and libertie haue disdayned both in déede and in will. Arcalaus continuing his words and setting before his eyes king Arauigne prayeth him to be beneuolent to the poore afflicted that fall sometimes into the power of their enimies and that he gloâ—ifye not himselfe too much in his good fortune In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter I Pray thée Amadis behold this vnfortunate king the which was not long ago ready to be one of the greatest princes of the world and in a moment the selfe same fortune that shewed hirself to loue him hath vtterly cast him downe and destroyed him to whome thou shouldest giue good regard for thou and all other that aspire to greate thinges are subiect to suche and like diffame And bycause the victor and the pardoner haue commonly noble and couragious hearts intreate vs now so as thou wouldst that we being in the place that we be should intreat thée that hereafter thou be not reproched Amadis Oration to the Romaines that were prisoners vpon the treatie of peace In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter MY masters it cannot be but that ye haue knowen the end of the war moued in these countries by the meanes wherof al the princes in a maner of the West and the most parte of those of the East were in armes and bycause that we be now vpon the pointe of a perpetuall peace I thoughte it reasonable that nothing notwithstanding ye be my prisoners shoulde be concluded without your knowledge and as well for this occasion I haue caused you to come as also to praye you for my loue and fauoure to fynde and to thynke it good to choose and to accept Arquisil to your Emperoure for besydes that there shall not be found as I haue vnderstanded a more néerer to come to the Empire than he I knowe that he deserueth it and for thys cause I praye you moste affectuously And doing thys ye shall shall prepare and obtaine two great profitable good things the first calling to the gubernation of so excellent a Monarchie a sage wise and vertuous Prince well to kéepe it and to intreate you swéetely and amiably the other that for the loue of him I wâ—l giue you with libertie the raunsome that I shoulde haue of you remayning besides as long as I shall liue your particular friende Therefore aduise what answer ye will giue me that I of my part may afterwardes aduise me how to vse my selfe towards you The answere of Brandaiel the most auncient of the Romanes to Amadis the which declared vnto him that he was readie to obey his will and that conferring of this matter wyth Flamian with libertie to do so and other Romanes he assured him that all things shoulde be after the will of Amadis In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter MY Lorde true it is that we are your prisoners and wée knowe full well the honor that ye do vnto vs the good entreating that we haue had of you since the time that we ariued and came into the inclosed Iland therefore I wyll surely answere for my companions that there is not he among vs that will not employe himselfe most willingly to serue you but we can not resolue you of that that ye labour for the Lorde Arquisil before we haue spoken with Flamian and other captaines of Rome which are in this armie and therfore we pray you that we may conferre with them swering vnto you that we for our part shall so extend our hand that in all things your will shal be satisfyed The OratioÌ„ of King Lisuard to Amadis his sonne in law aduertising him to laude God for the fauour that he hath borne him in his great affaires and that he most recompence those that put their bodyes and their goods to succour him in his most great affaires And also that he remember the Ladyes that haue continually accompanied and comforted Oriane In the .4 booke the .25 Chapter MY sonne séeyng it hath pleased God that with so great honour ye haue ended your quarrells ye must referre the glorie wholly vnto him and that as long as ye shall lyue ye be thankefull â—o your friendes the which to succour you in such businesse haue not spared their own liues the which do binde you to loue them honor them moreouer to recompence theÌ„ the best ye may possible considering that without the aide that they haue holpen you withall it is most certain ye should haue béen in great doubt to léese not only your life but your honor the which is estéemed a hundred times more And therfore it is reason that euen as they haue béen partakers of the perils and daungers that they be now also of the pleasures and conteÌ„tations that ye haue receiued by theÌ„ So then aduise you to fauor them in all that ye shall know them to be affectionated vnto distributing vnto theÌ„ the pray that is in your hands hauing the Kings Arauigne Barsinan and other prisoners And furthermore to do so much for those whoÌ„ ye know to pretend any affection to the Ladies which are in the company of Oriane that they may haue like conteÌ„tation as ye haue marying theÌ„ to those that they do like and loue And for this cause I put into your hands your sister Melicia to giue hir vnto him that ye shal estéeme to deserue hir Ye haue also your cousin Mabile the Quéene Briolanie that hath so greatly bound you vnto hir Grasinde and the Quéene Sardamire the which haue had a
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
that thou hast begonne so vnwisely against the knighte that is entred into my land and countrey vnder the suretie and assuraunce of my faithe Arte thou hytherto ignorant that I for nothing that euer shoulde chaunce vnto me would not do contrarie to my promise but to my power kéepe it estéeming it more than thée or my owne lyfe by the faith that I owe vnto God it letteth very little that I cause thee not to be hanged at the corners of this place to be an ensample to suche naughtie fellowes as thou art enimyes to truth vertue Take take me this villaine and binde his handes and his féete and that afterwards they doe beare him to the knight saying vnto him from me that I send him the traitour that hath offended him and me much more and that I pray him to take the vengeance for vs both that he hath merited and deserued The Oration of Belan to the chiefest of the armie presentyng himselfe in Amadis name knowledging that vniustly he woulde haue warred agaynst him In the fourth booke the 37. Chapter MY Maisters if ye maruel of my coÌ„ming to you so greatly vnprouided I my self haue maruelled of that that I knowe hath chaunced vnto me beyng since the time and ageâ— of my knowledge in continuall deliberation to â—lea and kyll him whom I loue and estéeme thys day as my selfe and thus it is not to be doubted that the executions of mens wils are more in the hand of God than in the power of those that will execute them as I by my selfe haue experimented for there is none of you as I beléeue but knoweth me to be the sonne of the valiant and doutie Giant Madafabul the Lorde of the Isle of the tower Vermeile whom Amadis slewe in King Cildadans warres when he caused himselfe to be named the fayre Tenebreus And for asmuch as naturall reason did incite me to take vengeance the contrarie hath chaunced for he with his owne hande hath ouercome me and destroyed mée The lamentation of Queene Brisene for King Lisuarde which was lost declaring the mobilites of fortune In the .4 booke the .38 Chapter DEceitfull and fearefull fortune the hope of the miserable and cruell enimie of the prosperous haue I nowe occasioÌ„ to praise me of thée for if in time paste thou madest me ladie of many Realmes obeyed and honoured of so many people and aboue all marriedst me to a mightie and a vertuous King in one onely moment thou hast caused me to leese him thou hast taken from me all the ouerplus of my honour and goods seyng that vpon him hung all my ioy and honour anâ— my life And therefore I knowe well that thou reioysest to make me paye the interest of my pleasures the whyche in tyme paste thou hast lent me But why doe I complaine me of thée hauyng of so long tyme perceyued and knowne that this is thy fashion to doe at the furdest deathe shall make an end of al that thou canst inuent to hurt me and hauing this hope I will comfort my selfe and of thy selfe shall haue the victorie The consolation of Grumendan to the Queene Brifane beiâ—â— too much discomforted for the losse of King Lisuard Iâ— the .4 booke the .38 Chapter BY my trothe Madam ye do wrong thus to take the thingâ— to the worste seeyng that I haue hearde you recite a hundred tymes that the â—â—ertue of prudencie and wysedome cannot be knowen in any person except he be solicited and veâ—â—ed with tribulation and affliction so then the counsell that ye were wont to giue to other is nowe more than necessarie for your selfe And is it but nowe or to daye that ye knowe that fortune hath two daughters the one of many is called good and the other euill If the good haue accompanied you vnto this time and that the euill doth visite you in hir plaâ—e arme you as a vertuous princesse with the armour of constancie and wisedome to defende you against hir and ye shal see that she will be annoyed to followe you and shall leaue you or else I foresie as touching you two accidentes and chaunces nighe at hande and irreparable the one of the perdition and losse of your selfe and the other of the king if at his returne he doe finde â—ou deade To saye that he is loste are but wordes for he cannot be so hidden but we should â—ither sée him or haue some newes of him whether he be in this country or in anye other nor his prison or captiuitie can not bee so strong but by the ayde of your subiectes and the fauour of your friendes and aliance he maye be delyâ—â—red and very shortly if it please Godâ— And thus I beséeche you Madam that leauyng of the things that to you are hurtfull ye séeke for newe counsell and comfort to come to that that as concerning this maybe necessarie A leâ—er from Queene Brisane to Amadis praying him to succoure king Lisuard the which was prisoner In the .4 booke the .38 Chapter MY Lord my sonne if in times past the estate of king Lisuard your father hath bin defended and augmented by your meanes it is now a better time and season than euer it was to employ your selfe seing the ruine that is prepared to kéepe and to conserue him in his entire estate for not loÌ„g â—ince some of his enimies as it is very lyke haue conueyed him and imprisoned him so that neuer a one of vs can tell where nor wherfore the which thing causeth me to esteme that without occasion of any greater enterprise they haue not premeditated or forethought this treason And for as much as this thing toucheth you next vnto me more than any other I haue well willed to aduertise you by Brandonias this present bearer the wâ—ich hath séene and vnderstanded all and shall tell you the passion and trouble that I am in betâ—er than I can write it vnto you wherefore I pray you to beléeue him as my selfe and to aduise you of the rest Vrgand doth comfort Oâ—iane much troubled for the losse of hir father king Lisuard the which was taken exhorting hir to pacience and to put all to god In the .4 booke the .38 Chapter MAdame quoth Vrgand I pray you not to discomfort you so knowe ye not that the more that men be called to great roomes the more they be subiects to receiue great tribulatione for notwithstanding we be all of one mould all bound to vices and passions equall to death yet the Lordâ— omnipotent hath made vs diuers in the goodes of the worlde giuing to one authoritie to other subiection to some pouertie and miserie to other abundance and prosperitie and all as it pleaseth him And therfore madame compassing and comparing the goodnesse that ye haue had with â—â—e euils and troubles that ye are in the dolour and heauinesse with the pleasures paâ—times which are past ye shall haue no cause so to complayne you but to thanke the Lord seing it is hys
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
and that he should assure himselfe to be destroyed and that he woulde combat and fighte with him In the .5 booke the .48 Chapter ROdrigue the great Soudan of Liquie a friende of the gods mortall enimie of their enimies defender of Pagane lawe to thée that dost call thy selfe knight of the great Serpent greâ—ing Know thou that the occasion which hath caused vs to passe ouer so great a sea to come to these marches hath beene vpoÌ„ hope to reuenge the outrages that my vncle Armaâ—o King of Turkie hath receiued of thée and of thy companions neuer doyng thée displeasure And for asmuch as we holde our selues sure of the ruine of that euill Emperour that doth fauor thée in so many euill and damnable enterprises as a fewe dayes since he and his did passe by the edge of our swordes so should I be sorie that this misfortune should first chaunce â—o thee vntill I made a profe of thy person and mine bycause of the renoume that is of thée through all the world Thus aduise thée if thou wilte accepte the combat or fight of vs two alone of tenne against tenne or a hundred against a hundred or in a more great number if thou think it good Swearing vnto thée by all the gods that they whom thou shalte bring with thée for these affaires shall haue no more displeasure than my proper person if it be not of those that shall be ordeyned to fighte with them folowing the couenauntes that wée shall make Therefore make me an answere worthie and meete for thee and so that thy honor be not defiled Norandel and other his companions letter for an answere to Rodrigue accepting the combat and fighte that he offered wyth the assurance of the fielde In the fifth booke the .48 Chapter THe knightes and seruauntes of Iesu Christ being nowâ— present with the Emperour of Constantinople for the defence and augmentation of the Christian name to thée Rodrigue Soudan of Liquie condigne gréeting Thou hast sent to the Knight of the great Serpent a Damsell who is called Tienna the which hath deliuered vs certaine letters whiche were sent to him the summe wherof conteineth two things in the first thou doste complaine of the enterprises that hée hath made vpon Kingâ— Armato thy vncle The other the desire that thou hast to proue thy person against his or a great number agaynst a greater if he thoughte it good But in as muche as the Knight which thou demaundest is not present héere nor in place to make thée answere we haue aduised to satisfie thée for him and to accept the offers that thou hast made hym assuryng thée that there is such a personage in this companye a Kings sonne and nyne other with him that shall fighte wyth thee and wyth the lyke number of thine if thou wilte appoynte and giue them the suretie of the fielde nor we will not faile to be in the place established and appoynted Letters from Rodrigue Soudan of Liquie and Calasia Queene of Californie to Amadis of Fraunce and his sonne Esplandian to accepte the combat and fyghte to knowe the vertue and sâ—rength of the best combattant In the fifth Booke the 52. Chapter ROdrigue Souden of Liquie the mortall enimie of the enimyes of our gods and Calasia Quéene of Californie a region ritch of golde and precious stones more than any other we declare vnto you Amadis of Fraunce and King of England to your sonne the knight Serpentine that our defence and comming into this countrey hath bene caused and standeth vpon two pointes The one is the hope of the ruine and destruction of Christentie and the other to assay and to cause you to léese the renoume that men giue you to be two the best knights of all the world for we thinke our selues such that if ye will take this combat in your owne persons to ours we shall cause it to be euidently knowen that our valiantnesse is no lesse than is yours And to the ende that the glorie of those that wyn maye be manifest they that be ouerthrowen shall remayne in their power to dispose them as they shall thynke best aduise you therefore to make vs an answere by this our messenger whom we haue charged to declare vnto you if ye refuse this that from henceforth we shall haue a iust cause â—o attribute vnto vs the superioritie of all the prayses and fauours that fortune hitherto hath borne you and hereafter to estéeme you lesse than in times past ye haue béen estéemed The Emperour of Constantinoples Oration to Amedis and other his friendes to aduise and to take counsell vpon the mariage of his daughter with the yong Esplandian vnto whom so doyng he dothe promise the rule of the Empyre In the .5 booke the .54 Chapter MY brethren Lords and goodfriends the obligation wherin I am bounde vnto you is so greate that althdughe it hath pleased the Lorde to make me Emperour of all Gréece yet I knowe well that it is not in my poure to satisfye you not holding all the honour and goods that I haue nexte vnto God be it in particular or general but of you I am now thrée score al horie and very caduke and féeble throughe the paines that I toke in my youth following the feates of armes I haue but one daughter the which is the staffe and hope of my olde age whom as I haue deliberated with my selfe I do purpose if ye thinke it good to marrie to the valiant knight Esplandian and by the same meanes to remit the Empyre and the rule of all my countrey vnto himâ— And to liue the more solitarie and to separate my selfe from the worlde I haue also concluded with my selfe to retire with the Empresse my wife to the Monasterie that I caused to be builded and there religiously to recognise God and to do penance for the faultes that in times paste I haue committed Therefore my good Lordâ— and friendes I pray you if ye all agrée to this to declare it vnto me and you first of all my Lord and brother Amadis whom the matter toucheth as from the father to the childe The Oration of Lisuard to the Emperour of Trebisonde praying hym to shewe him the knight which he armed of lateâ— to receiue at his hande the feates oâ— knighthood In the .6 booke the .6 Chapter SYr the high renoume and your great goodnesse knowen through all the world haue moued my companions and me to come to your court not onely to doe you reuerence as the greatnesse of your maiestie doth merite but haue esperance and hope to heare newes of a yong gentleman the whiche ye haue as it is told vs made knight not long ago at the request of a Damsell that brought him vnto you And for asmuch sir as I neuer had intentioÌ„ to receiue chiualrie of any other hand than of his and that my age dothe séeme to haue done more than it hath done yet I most humbly doe pray you to tell vs
that ye know that after I haue found him I may haue of him that I hope for and desire aboue all things Melies letter to the Emperour of Trebisonde auanting hir selfe to ouerrunne and wynne the Christians and to constraine them to beleeue the Pagans lawe In the .6 booke the .7 Chapter MElie lady aboue all Magicians enimie to the lawe of the Christians and curious to augment day by day the lawe of our gods Thou shalt know Emperour of Trebisonde that Constantinople shall be shortly besieged by thrâ—e score and seuen Princes of the Pagan faith Where I personally will be to take my pleasure to sée it burne and the euill men that doe possesse it and him likewise of whome all Christentiâ— shoulde hope to haue fauour as of his refuge and principall aide But it shall happen farre otherwise for she vnto whoÌ„ thy daughter is deliuered hath put hir in my power and in so sure kéeping that neither Amadis hir grandfather nor yet hir father Esplandian although they were vnbewitched shoulde haue no meane nor wayes to succour and to helpe hir And yet that is but little in respecte of the thing that I intend to doe for by little and little I shall haue the rest of you to dispose you after my owne will and pleasure constraining the ouerplus of the vulgar people be it by loue or by force to turne to our faith and haue you no doubt of this for all this shall chaunce and that easely Frandalo making reuerence to Perion doth offer him his seruice In the .6 booke the .12 Chapter SYr Cheualier I am wholly yours so that ye maye commaunde me as him that desireth to obey you for the honour of King Amadis Esplandian your brother whose friend and well affectioned seruant I am A cursed letter of the infant Melia to the Emperour of Constantinople foretelling him that he shall receiue much misfortune and destruction In the .6 booke the .12 Chapter MElia Infant the most cruellest enimie of Christianitie to the Emperour of Constantinople ruine and intyre malediction Know thou that shortly thou shalt feele misfortune the which by myne occasion is prepared for thée and such as neuer the like was spoken off for with thy owne eyes thou shalt see the death of thy people the destructioÌ„ of thy cuntrey a strange martyrdome of him whom thou louest best in this worlde and finally the end of thy life in miserie In witnesse whereof this sworde shal hang in the ayre ouer thy great Câ—â—tie vntill that a prophecie of Apolidon that remayneth to be fulfilled haue his effect Then it shall vanyshe awaye and shal be séene no more The Oration of Alquise to the Princesse Gricelleriaâ— from his Knight Lisuard from whom he presenteth hir a Prince and the children of the King of Hierusalem and doth praye hiâ— for his loue to intreate them well In the .6 booke the .14 Chapter MAdam your knight the which far passeth al other in valiantnesse and in greate goodnesse of armes doth salute you as hir whom he desireth to serue all his lyfe in witnesse whereof he doth sende you by me the thing that he hath conquered and gotten since the daye and time that he departed from you to his very great displeasure and heauinesse That is this gentleman a verie doutie Prince amoÌ„g the Pagans and of good right for he beyng at libertie maye commaundâ— in the countrey and land of Liquie no more nor lesse than the Emperour your father doth in his And these other are the King of Palestines children brother sister the which he doth praye you to receiue and dispose as your owne And also he charged me to assure you that intreating them graciously and as he estéemeth of your goodnesse he shall be singularly well pleased for and bycause of the place they are issued out of and the conquest that he hath done and had of them at his beginning The letter of Perion called the Knight of the Esphere to the Princesse Gricelleria certifying hir of the great loue that he beareth hir and also that he feeleth him selfe very fortunate that he was sent to a lady of so high a price vnto whom he is readie to obey In the .6 booke the .14 Chapter MAdam I knowe not how I may satisfye the great goodnessâ— that ye graunted mee vpon the day that ye accepted me for yours seyng that the best knight of the world should not thinke him sufficient to serue so great a ladye and Princesse And I then poore dum man that hath done as yet no acte of Chiualrie beyng come to suche honour is it any maruell then if my hearte hath desired to take things in hande wherof wyth reason it hathe esperance and hope to continue in thys hyghe place putting farre from hym all feare and perill of deathe by the continuall remembraunce that he hath of your good grace the whiche hath so captiuated my libertie that my eyes haue béene incheined with the bandes of your fortunable presence euen since the daye that they sawe the brightnesse of your diuine face But this prison is hidden in suche libertie that it causeth me to liue for the enuie that I haue to obey and serue you for euer assured that otherwyse my soule troubled bycause of your absence shoulde not remaine one houre in this body passioned and troubled for the great loue that he beareth you Thus Madam I beséeche you commaunde the thing that pleaseth you I should doe and hauing pitie vpon your poore slaue sende him by this Damsell which is faithful your will beleeuing hir as touching the ouerplus of the thing that she shall tell you From him that doth kisse the hands of your highnesse in all humilitie The answere of the Princesse Gricelleria to Perion called the the knight of the Esphere wherein she declareth that she is glad that she hath receiued his letters reuealing vnto him hir amorous passions and recommendeth vnto him the Damsell Lisuart praying him to bring hir out of danger In the â— booke the .21 Chapter THe great pleasure that I haue receiued with your letteâ—â— and the presents the which ye haue sent me by this damsell haue renued in my heauie heart the annoyance troubles the which my soule suffered through your long absence And beléeue me my friende that were it not for the continuall presence of your person the whiche I haue in the eyes of my vnderstanding it were impossible for me dayly to resist so many assaults the which loue deliuered vnto me euen the selfe same day that ye came mute and dumbe into this court not speaking one worde to me nor to no other but the hope that I haue that ye will shortly returne as this messanger hath assured me doth giue me a certaine force and strength to suffer this that I endure without any releasement Buâ— for a conclusion and to the entent that with more occasion ye may come to see me as I trust I pray you to keepe your selfe nigh vnto
Trebisond Amadis king of France and of England and Calafie the Lord ruler of the Iles of Californie wher gold and very precious stones do grow in greate abundaunce aunswering in lyke manner to the thrée letters that you Armato king of Persiâ— Griâ—ilant Prince of the I le Sauuagine and Pintiquinestra the Lady of the people without heads haue sent vs certifying you that our iourney into these borders of the East hath bin for the defence and increasemeÌ„t of the law of Iesu Christ in whome we beleeue and also to destroy those the whiche are against him Thus after we had receiued your letters we haue bin content to agrée to the combat that ye demaunded with such weapons as ye shall choose for as concerning the campe we meane and purpose that it shall be before thys great Citie trusting that our only God in whose hand are the victories shal giue vs it ouer you to the confusion of your Idolles and greate domage and dishonor of your persons And for asmuch as this damsell hath charge and power by vs to tarrie to rest with you as for the ouerplus we haue remitted it to hir Thuâ— much there is that we sweare vnto you and do promise in the fayth and word of a king that for â—he time of the combat none of our camp shall moue to do you any iniurie or hurt prouiding that ye do the like on your side whereof we will haue assurance and promis by oth as reason doth require Amadis Oration to his men vpon the refusing of the peace demaunded of the Paganes exhorting them to fight strongly In the .6 booke the .26 Chapter SYrs it is certain that this cursed and reproued people are descended into these marches more to offend our religioÌ„ and the fayth of Iesu Christ than the countrey of Greece or the people of Constantinople and for this cause I thinke it best seing that fortune hath borne vs so good a face at the beginning that we should not put hir far from vs but by the aide of God to do so much as to driue those knaues vnto the welles and fountaâ—â—es of Tartarie and furthermore not to graunte them any apointment or truces as â—hey demaund for if ye hearken vnto them ye shal certenly not only giue them leysure to assure themselues but leauing off they shall recouer new force and strength setting as much by vs as by bathed hennes or villanes without shame and full of cowardnesse And this I would greatly allow that we without dissimulation should go and visit them euen at their owne câ—bbans And if ye woulde alleage vnto me that they are a greater number than we be there is an answer that the most parte of them are sicke in anguish and destroied through famine and hunger and moreouer we fight for the fayth of Iesu Christ in whose hands are the victories that which doth assure me that he will be with vs and that we should not doubt The letter of the infant Onoloria to the knight Lisuard taxing him of dissimulation and of fancie In the .6 booke the .30 Chapter SEing that your vnfaithfulnesse the most ingrateful man that is among the liuing is now so manifest as coÌ„cerning me that no excuse be it neuer so well cloaked can couer the fault of your hart I forbid you from hencefoorth vpon the payne of youre life to be in no parte where I may sée you or once to haue any newes of you for why it was not for me the which am of such a house as men know and to whom ye should haue come to vse dissimulation vnder the coloure of seruice the whiche thing doth cause me greatly to maruell that ye were so folish and hardie to tell me the thing that ye told me before ye departed from this towne and to send me word of that that ye charged Alquise last of all to shew me of your parte Proue therefore from hencefoorth to deceiue the simple damsells not extending thus your nettes to abuse great ladies the which resemble me and complayne them of you hauing a good meane and occasion to cause you to be put to death were it not that by the death of so vnfortunate and so miserable a person as ye are your lightnesse might be discouered and my honor had and put in doubt A letter of Sulpicie king of the Sauuagine to Amadis king of England offering him the combat vnder the conditions employed by the foresayd letter In the .6 booke the .51 Chapter SVlpicie king of the Sauuagine by the death of our vncle Grisilant of good memorie whome our Gods do intreate wyth Ambrose and Nectar Garfant and Bostrosse our vâ—ry déere and welbeloued brothers wil thée Amadis king of Englande to witte that we hauing the Gods of forces and meanes to reuenge as well the death of our foresaid vncle as the vsurpation that thou hast made vs for the Castle of Roch wher thou hast left one to gouerne named Sarquilâ—s the whiche since thy departure hathe gathered togither a greate number of Christians that are entred into our countrey wherof haue ensued many and infinit murders and yet may chance hereafter But to resist and to auoyde this we haue thought to presente vnto thée the combat of vs thrée againste thrée of thine vpon this condition that if we be victors thou shalte reuoke Sarquiles restoring our Castle into our hands and al that hath bin since vsurped and if we be ouerthrowen the rest of our countrey shall also remayne vnder thy obeysance and we shall leaue it vnto thée franke and frée neuer more to quarell for it the which thing we woulde not put vnder fortune so variable were it not for the good right that we haue and the wrong that thou dost vnto vs And to the intent thou shouldest not go back from so reasonable things we sweare vnto thée and promis in the word and fayth of a king not to fayle in one poynt and furthermore to giue thée suretie vnto all and against all except vs thrée if thou wilt come or send hitherâ—f no we shall apoint vs to go vnto thée or to some other place that thou shalte deuise prouiding also that thou vse vnto vs like faithfulnesse as we present vnto thée A braue answer of Mirammolin to Brian of Moniastes herauld In the .6 booke the .59 Chapter HErauld returne to thy master tell him that I haue not trauerst the seas so much nor taken in hand the conquest of Spayne to retire and draw my selfe backe with threatnings when I was but a litle one they made me aferd with Woolues but now that I am a king commaunding men I feare not the threatnings of those that I trust to ouercome and shall haue at my discretion and commaundement before it be night A letter from VrgaÌ„d of Cognue to the knight of the burning sword foretelling the thing that shall chance vnto him the which is a certayne affliction scantly able to be borne In the .7 booke and
.19 Chapter VRgand of Cognue gréeteth thée knighte of the burning sword know thou that to retire to another place out of prison thou or euer it belong shalt enter into a more and a greater captiuitie where neuer slaue was put and thy soule and body shal be so afflicted that this same sword the whych hath oftentimes saued the place that thou art issued of shall thorough pierce thy body and within a while it shall bée pluct out by his hands that thinking to saue himselfe shall restore thée a life worsse than a thousand deathes togyther thys martirdome shal endure vnto the time that thy fathers house being at a point to fall downe be holpen and saued by his first possessioner and beléeue me for it shall so come to passe as I haue foretold thee And to the intent thou mayest credit it vnderstand that to saue thée froÌ„ one misâ—ortune into the which thou shouldest fall this day fighting with the knight of Quay I gaue thée a white shâ—eld and did aske thée the gifte that afterwardes thou didst graunt me and didst kéepe it whereof thou shouldest thanke me bycause that without my prouidence thou shouldest haue falne into a repentance as long as thou hadst liued as by the time thou shalt know better and rather trauell not thy selfe to thinke to knowe nothing for that should be but lost payne and labour as wel as to search it of me let it suffise thée that I know thée better than thou knowest thy selfe and for the hope of a help and succoure that I trust once to haue of thée I did beare and shew thée such fauor Go on with the residue of thy enterprise without delay of any occasion that should present it self perceiuing that it is the will of him whose man thou shalt be in time to come Zirfee being praysed by the knight of the burning sword doth answer that he did but his dutie seing that the propertie of noble men is to do noble actes In the .7 booke the .30 Chapter IN good fayth sir knight ye giue me great prayses for the thing that hath not deserued it and the which I coulde not but do without leauing off thrée principall points the which all required of mine estate whereof the first is to knowe in time of aduersitie the pleasure that we haue receyued of our enimie causing euery man to know that he whome a man may graciously recompeÌ„ce in season hath also a meane and a way to reuenge iniuries suffered during his misfortune The second doth shew it selfe in all ciuill season and of pitie after as the case doth offer it selfe And for the thirde not to trouble the minde at no time for the noyances and troubles that chance but that reason and discretion may continually haue dominion and rule And these three poynts are notoriously necessary to all noble men continually to maynteine â—irmâ—ly and vnmouably their high and great estate for vertue that dothe not perishe causeth a man to be muche more noble and exalted than all the corruptible goodes of fortune and subiect to hir passions and mobilitie seing also that often times and too much they are giuen to suche as neuer deserue them But it goeth farre otherwise with vertue for he alone doth obtaine it that doth a déede worthie to haue it Also men by vertue onely ought to be estéemed and honored yea and reputed more ritcher thaÌ„ if they had all the ritches of the world bicause that the true ritches which perishe not are the renoume of the good and the noble actes of a vertues man. The Oration of Maudan to the King requiring his pardon for the treason that he had committed promisyng so doyng to obey him more than euer he dyd In the seuenth booke the 46. Chapter SYr ye may sée in me how that fortune doth play with such euill men as I am nor it was neuer séene but that one sinne draweth vnto him another and the second many moe in so much that at the last they blind men so well that thinking to goe the great way they fall into the dytch that they made whereout afterwards they cannot draw themselues The which doth nowe manifest it selfe in me that enuying the honour that ye dyd to the knight of the burning sworde found and inuented the thing that I tolde you of him and the Queene to driue him from your court to haue and to obtaine his place Well I was cause of that great euill and I know that I merite an excéeding great torment yet Syr I beséech you preferring pitie mercie aboue the rigour of your iustice that it wil please you to pardon me causing euery man therby to know that my sinne and fault is gréeuous and your clemencie and goodnesse very extreme and great the which shal turne to your great laude and praise I and mine remaining for euer bound to serue you more than any other of your subiectes in as much as ye shall pardon and forgyue me more than all other The Oration of Queene Baruca to the King of Saba hir husband praying him to receiue hir into his good grace and not to be no more so light to beleeue without hearing of bothe partes In the .7 booke the .46 Chapter MY Lord seyng this my innocencie is open and knowen I beseeche you to receiue me into your good grace as I was before and to remember another time not to beléeue so lightly without vsing your power vpon the accused or euer ye heare his iustificatioÌ„s considering how ye haue procéeded rigorously not onely against my chastitie but against my honor and the honor of the house that I come of The Oration of Magadan King of Saba to the knight Amadis of Fraunce excusing himselfe that he receiued him not as he deserued praying him not to take it in euill part In the 7. booke the .46 Chapter MY great friende if I had knowen you aswell yesterday as I do at this present I would haue borne and shewed you more honor but the griefe that I had of the euil words that were tolde me oâ— the Quéene caused me to forget all curtesie yea and my owne nature the which is to receiue all straungers that come to my court graciously So I pray you not to take this faulte in yll part but to excuse it and wyth this charge that from henceforth I will take payne and labour to amend it The Oration of the Duke of Buillon to those of his linage prouoking them to take vengeance for the death of his sonne and to recouer their honour so abused In the .7 booke the 48. Chapter MY masters my good friends and alies ye haue séene and knowen the dishonor that the Emperour our Prince hath purchased not only to me but to you all aswell in particular as in generall and in such a sort that hauing no regard to vs which are so great and mightie he as euery man doth know hath onely caused him most villaine to be taken that next vnto
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
vnto you that I speake not without reason ye shall vnderstande that the great God Iupiter Mars appeered one of these nights past to your good Prince Zair wherof the euill doth come that noth hold trouble him And they haue threatned him verie sore reproued him seing they called him not to such a highnesse to let the faith of the christians to increase and not to â—are for that in the which he liued And bicause he would not wholly fall into their indignation bad to commaund you incontinently to enterprise the conquest of Trebisonde or else that we and he should be so well chastened that prouing the rigorousnesse of fortune we should come late to repentance Thus if we will obey them executing their holy will we shall be sure of the victorie and Zair shall mary Onoloria the Emperours daughter of whom I spake vnto you of these two shal come so complet a knight that the sunne is not brighter among the starres than his renoume shal be from the Orient to the Occident among men And this is Princes and Lordes the cause for the which the Soudan your soueraigne King hath caused him to be called for this day purposing as touching his part not to shewe himself any other than most humble and most obedient to gods will trusting that of your parte ye wil not be tardife in so good a worke but cause your high valiantnesse and chiualrie that is in you to be knowne throughout all the world ye shall follow that is predestinate vnto you of the which I may beare witnesse for althoughe I be but a woman yet should I be very displeasant that so glorious an enterprise should passe out of my presence sighte Thus honourable Princes make ye together a resolution vpon this that your king intended to shew you with his own mouth if the euill that he féeleth had not forbydden and letted him to speake purposing wholly to ensue and follow the inspiration of Iupiter and your good aduise trusting in the faithfulnesse zeale that euery one of you hath as I thinke to the encreasement of his honour the which shall be your wealth and aduancement A letter from Abra in the name of Zair hir brother Soudan of Babylon to the Infant Onoloria of whom being very amorous he laboureth to haue hir good grace and fauour In the .8 booke the .7 Chapter MAdam I pray you as much as is possible reading thys letter to consider howe Zair the Soudan of Babilon the king of the Pagan Princes and the most mightie Monarch that is this day vpon the earth doth finde himselfe so beaten with the arrowes of the god of loue the which being enforced fréely to declare vnto you the paine that he indureth to be yours hath coÌ„ceiued this boldnesse to write this word vnto you to cause you to vnderstand that the seruitude that he beareth was diuinely motioned and by the inspiration of Venus sonne the which appearing one night among all other to me represented to me the excellencie of your beautie so liuely that he woulde me the ruler and Lorde of Lordes and that all my lyfe haue béene frée and withoute subiection to become seruaunt and slaue of your good grace the which thing I require you most humblye not to denie mée but waying the greatnesse of my estate and the noble bloude whereof I take my beginning to vse me as I deserue assuring you Madame that hauyng this fauour I shall estéeme it more than if the rest of the whole worlde toke me for theyr naturall Lord and yet more if I myghte receiue some Iuell or some sleue of you to weare ending the combattes that I haue set forth to vpholde your perfecte beautie the which far passeth all the most excellent that hath bene or maye be for euer kissing for the ouerplus a thousand and a thousande times your diuine and white handes with all reuerence The Oration of Abra Zair sister to the Infant Onoleria expouÌ„dyng vnto hir the vehemente loue that hir brother do the beare hir the whyche oughte to moue hir sweetely to intreate hym and to take pitie of his torment In the eyghte booke the .7 Chapter I Maruell Madam how it is possible that with so great beutie and wisedome that is in you rigour and disdaine maye haue any parte Ye haue as I haue vnderstanded slenderly regarded the letter that the Soudan my brother hath writteÌ„ vnto you and the euill that he suffereth in louing you so perfectly as he hath certified you I pray you for gods sake to coÌ„sider that his life if ye vse long such crueltie towards him will be short and that ye shall leese in léesing of him the best and the most affectionated seruant that euer ye shall get and me also the which hath merited more greater punishmente for the wrong that he hath done you in louing you if it may be cald wrong than you him for why he neuer thought but to obey and to please you and I for to find some remedy for his vnmeasurable passion the which hath bin the cause why I haue sent you by one of my women the thing that hathe somewhat better as she hath reported to me contented you The answer of Onoleria to Abra Zairs sister reprouing hir of hir foolish enterprise and that if hir brother make any further suite she will cause it to be reuenged In the .8 booke the .7 Chapter I Thinke Madame that it shoulde sufficiently ynough haue suffised you that ye haue done already without charging me a new and so that if I haue had some occasion of griefe or anoyance against your brother to haue bin on my part too much forgetfull Now where ye thinke to excuse him ye accuse him the more and do cause me to thinke that ye doubt that I féele not my self to be the daughter of so great an Emperoure and to be extract and to come of suche bloud that I had rather neuer to haue bin than for any thing to defile the least part of my honour And therfore assure him that causeth you to vse such wordes that I if he continue in this foolishe suite and you in your importunitie shall aduertise suche a one that in aduenging me shall complayne of you and of him euen as ye merit and deserue The Oration of the knight Birmâ—rtes to the Emperoure of Trebisond wherein he aduertiseth him of the will that he hath to fyght in the honor and fauor of my Lady Oriane whome he esteemeth the most perfect in all things that is in the rest of the world In the .8 booke the .9 Chapter RIght mightie and excellent prince the representation that I beare of hir that hath not hir péere in perfect beutie doth remoue the fault from me that I might haue receyued not doing at my comming the honor and reuerence vnto you that your highnesse merited And for to declare the cause that moued me to come to this your court ye shall vnderstand sir that I
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
his owne affection And so thou shalt haue in remembrance as well to hide my thought as I haue had paine first to open it vnto thée The answere of the dwarffe Busaneo to Niquea assuring hir so to be hirs that he woulde not to die for it doe the thing that should offend hir In the .8 booke the .18 Chapter PArdon me Madam for ye doe me wrong beyng in doubte that I am any other than obedient to youre will. Also I would sooner chose to die than for any thing to transgresse it beséeching you moste humbly to beléeue that your Busando hath no more power vpon himselfe than it pleaseth you â—o giue him So then commaund him hardly all that shal please you and with so much faithe that he shall kéepe it so close as though ye had shewed it to no other but to your owne soule estéeming me to be so greatly beloued of vertue that she as touching me shall ouercome all things that I may thinke to be contrarie vnto it The Oration of the knight of the burning sworde to Lucelle the Princesse of Siceli declaring â—nto hir that he is vehemently wounded with hir loue â—umbly beseeching hir to feele in hir selfe this great amitie and to haue pitie of hys payne and dolour In the .8 booke the .21 Chapter WOuld God Madame that loue had as well employed his forces and strength vpon you to my aduantage as he hath willed to do towardes me making me wholly yours and so greatly affectioned to honour you and to serue you that if all things went by reason the flames that burne my heauie hearte shoulde be the meane to giue me suche quiet and rest that you your selfe féeling the thing that causeth me to suffer would blame your selfe to esteeme and thinke your selfe so cruell But séeing that my euill houre dothe consent that I alone should suffer I estéeme the trauel fortunate and luckie if it content you trusting that I knowyng my selfe such as touching you wil haue pitie vpon me if not shortly at least waye in time trusting so in your goodnesse honestie that ye knowing that ye are the cause of my martyrdome will not be so cruell as to suffer suche a knight as I am and onely borne in this worlde to obey you and to â—â—eâ—se you in all that yée shall thinke good to commaunde hym to dye so miserably and wretchedly The answere of Lucelle to the knight of the burning sworde causyng hym to vnderstande that she beareth him as good affection as she maye in true and faythfull amitie and to marrie together if she maye doe it In the .8 boke the .21 Chapter AH ah my friende quod the Princesse howe say you that to me thinke ye that I holde you so farre from reason to thinke in your minde that I would knowledge the seruices that ye haue done for me to be things vnmete for my honor Beléeue me that ye shall not liue béeing deceiued in the loue that ye beare me for I loue estéeme you so muche that if all the Monarchie of the world were set on the one part and you alone on the other and that the one and the other wer at my commaundement I would accept and choose you for my onely lorde and husbande rather than to remayne ladie and empresse of the rest And this is it that causeth me to be very sure that your heart doth not desire nor would not thinke vpon any thing wherof my reputation might haue any â—lur or the least blame that any man might presume Likewyse I will sweare vnto you that no other but you shall at anye time possesse my heart for it is and shall be yours as long as I haue life in my body to will you well The knight of the burning swords letter surnamed Amadis of Grece ansvvering to Niqueas letter aduertising hir that he is redy to come to see hir seing she hath graunted him hir good grace the which shal cause him liue content In the .8 boke the .22 chapter MAdame I haue receyued the letter whiche it hath pleased you to write to me by this bearer and reading it I by by felt my heart inclined to doe you all the seruice that shall please you to haue of it desiring no greater goodnesse than to sée and to enioy your presence being well assured that my eyes receiuing this fortune that your two swéet and pitifull eyes shall haue compassion of the euill that I suffer for the thing that I neuer offended So that I ye giuing me a certaine parte in your good grace shall lyue contente and you obeyed and honoured by him vpon whom you haue entier commaundement the which desireth you to doe so much for him as to suffer and to set an order that he may sée you and kisse your diuine handes recognisyng the grace and fauour that ye haue shewed him sending him worde of youre will by Busande the whiche he shal take payn to accomplish euen as I haue prayed him to shewe you by mouth whome ye may beléeue if it so please you as from your most humble and obedient seruant the knight of the burning sworde The complaint of Onoloria for the absence of Lisuard and and therfore she prayeth him to haue pitie of hir extreame dolour and to come vnto hir In the .8 boke the .36 Chapter ALas my deare friende wherevppon thinke ye nowe to leaue hir thus alone and not fauoured whose esperance and hope is more than halfe dead For as the shadowe doth augmente at the departing and going downe of the Sunne and rendereth terrour obscuritie and darkenesse to fearfull and not well assured heartes in lyke manner feare you beyng absente and out of my syght dothe holde me so assieged that it forâ—aketh me not one houre but dothe what it can or may to cause me to léese you and my lyfe together Therefore nowe O my swéete lyght and my onely sun aduance you come to giue cléerenesse to my spirite whiche is now so obscured and dusked with mortall noysomnesse that the first newes that ye shall heare of me poore woman shal be as I thinke the desperate ende of your Onolorie the whiche doth no lesse serue you and call you to hir helpe and succour than she is easye and ioyfull of your libertie and deliuerance The Oration of a Trumpeter to Queene Liberna from the people of Abernis praying hir to excuse them and to pardon theyr faulte that they haue committed against hir Maiestie In the .8 booke the 31. Chapter MAdam your humble subiects constrained by the violence of Abernis to take armes and to warre against you doe praye you in all humilitie to receiue them from henceforthe vnto your good grace and to forget the faulte that they haue committed against your maiestie vnder this charge and condition that in time to come they shall be faithfull and obedient so much or more vnto you as other subiectes or vassalles the which are in other prouinces and countreys The Queenes
answere to hir people declaring that wyth good hearte shee dothe pardon them of theyr offence vpon the hope of theyr amendment In the .8 booke the .31 Chapter MY friendes séeing ye haue taken this iourney ye shall finde me a gracious Princesse and as affable as Albernis was vnto you greuous and vneasie I know wel ynough that many of you were seduced and forced to make warre that manye a one also forgat themselues more than they shoulde haue done Yet that notwithstanding vpon the promise that ye haue made me and in the hope that I haue of your amendment I am readie to make you a generall pardon and to intreate you from henceforth as a good and a vertuous Quéene and Princesse ought to intreate and gouerne hir good and faithfull subiectes The Oration of Queene Liberna to the knight without rest causing him to vnderstande that she is so taken with hys loue that he hath all power vpon hir In the .8 booke the 31. Chapter I Promis you knight without rest that coÌ„sidering the great valiantnesse that is in you and the goodes that I haue recouered by your meanes and occasion only I am purposed to cause you to léese the name that ye beare and to giue you such might and power vpon me as a Lord and spouse may take vpon his wife and louer For I confesse that there was neuer princesse nor no other so taken with loue as I am towards you although that in a manner ye are vnknowen vnto me Abra the princesse of Babilons letter to Lisuard reproching hys great cowardnesse that he killed hir brother Zair whereby he hath shewed that he hath cleane forgotten the loue that she did beare him and that she therefore will sacrifice hir selfe to death for to celebrate the remembrance of hir foresaid brother In the .8 booke the .34 Chapter ABra princesse of Babilon seruant of the souerayne Goddes and enimie to those that are against them to thée ConstaÌ„tine and Prince Lisuart murtherer and rauisher of the spouse of the diuine lande of Babilon leauing and forsaking it by the death of the most noble Zair Orpheline of his royall cheualrie and made bare and spoyled of hir hope to recouer any more such another lord Tell me ingrate is this the reciproke loue wherewith thou wast bound to me giuing thée knowledge of the goodnesse that I desired and wished thée Is this the recognising of the election and choise that I made of thy person to be my Lord spouse Is this the fruite of my esperance and hope that thou didst then put me in wheÌ„ that in the presence of so many princes I required thée to voutsafe to take me to thy wife and perpetuall louer hauing thée so well printed in my heart that thou shouldst not depart from thence as loÌ„g as life shuld rest but shouldst be resident there to norish my desire the better that I haue to reueÌ„ge the death of my wel beloued brother But alas who would euer haue thought that the fearefull sea shuld haue bin consecrate with his body and sepulture Certesse I beléeue that the sea is ignoraÌ„t that she hath him drowned in the depnesse of hir waters For if she had knowen it it is very like that the waters would already haue triumphed yea in communication with the soueraigne heauens holding themselues honored to enioy his bloud and diuine body And if the sea be not yet aduised nor the earth as yet hath not perceiued it it woulde not haue delayed hir complaintes and dolours so long from the soueraigne Gods to haue and to recouer hir spouse and hir iust possessor agayne that hath bin vsurped from hir domination and put into so contrary an element whereof peraduenture may chance in time to come continuall warre betwene hir roundnesse the depenesse of the abismes each of them pretending the reioycing and gard of his prince and magnificent dominator and ruler But if these two do complayne the fire and his element will not holde their peace but shall complayne them for euer through the regard and consideratioÌ„ of the sacrifices that the gods hoped for if he had dyed and deceased vpon the earth The ayre then is alone that doth enioy the thing that thâ—u dost possesse that is the assurance of the death of Zair Also he was present and occupied in the conflict betwene the infernall furies the whiche during the battell vomited out brimston and filthy stinches by the mouth of an infinite sort of canons and other artillerie But alas alas what vengeance shall be done for him for whome the ayre the â—arth and the fire shal at somtimes féele his absence and the déepe waters glory for the possession of his body yea and other truly than it at thy death at the end I say of my life seing me thus depriued of my Lord brother At the end I say of my life bycause that cruell loue will not suffer the vengeance vpon thée but that I must sacrifice my selfe to adorne thy death that shall make myne very happy and fortunate So shall thy funeralles be entirely celebrated by the death of Zair and of me to the end that fortune make them egall at the victorie the which she would haue graunted thée not only in thy life against knights and beasts most cruell but in the death that she shall procure thée that as long as she shall liue defieth thée the which shall be no longer than thou shalte be resident in the worlde that by such and so straunge crueltie the desire of my vengeaunce may be executed A letter of Zahara Queene of the mount Caucasus to Lisuard contayning that she is come to Babilon to marrie Zair but finding that Lisuard had slayne him she defyeth him In the .8 booke the .35 Chapter ZAhara Quéene of the mount Caucasus Lady of all Hiberia victor else of great prouinces of the Saâ—â—ates Corces Hircanie and Massagetes to thée Lisuard the Infant of two soueraine Empyres of Greece and Trebisond gréeting Know thou that the renoume of the stoute Soudan Zair hath caused me to come from my countrey that is farre hence into this greate Citie of Babilon trusting to haue giuen him the possession of my selfe and of my kingdomes togither my immortall glory continuing vpon his name But after that I knew that fortune whiche sometimes was his friend had suffered hys bloud to be shed leauing me by this meanes and for euer without a husbande that there shoulde remayne no other that myghte come vnto the merite of my highnesse béeing suche a princesse as I am and indued with the beautie that the Goddes haue gyuen me by whose aduise the mariage of vs twayne had bene consummated if misfortune as it hathe done hadde not sayde agaynste vs but whatsoeuer impediment or let that vnkind fortune hath done to my destinie yet it cannot hide nor quench the glory of Zair his death being reuenged by thine And to come thervnto I defye thée as touching thy person
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
the King of Crete for he thinking to reuenge the death of Sulpice and his brethren the whiche Lisuarde Pirion and Olorius put to death hath lost his owne And he was the first that this inuincible Quéene destroyed with the stroke of an arrow But he with too little consideration began to reuenge the iniurie that he promised him was done by whome I spake vnto you without finding of any proper occasion after hys owne mind vntil one day among other knowing me to be craftie malicious as I am he declared vnto me what he thought praying me on my part to giue him couÌ„sell The which thing I promised him to do and when I was aduertised of the great assemble and méeting that they made here I purposed my enterprise such as ye shall vnderstande This it was that I couÌ„selled him to sende me towards you with feyned swordes and so forged that they shoulde breake euen at the first stroke that they should be occupied And bicause I would forget nothing I led these two dwarfes with me so wel appoynted that they should assay the speares of the two knightes that which I should deliuer them at the tilte and to leaue them assoone as they should sée them redie to enter in as they could do ful wel The thréed whereof I spake vnto you was the ambush where my king was present with his brother ten other knights that incoÌ„tinent should assaile my pigeons I cal them my pigeons whom I purpose to take and deceyue vnder the shadow of pitie the which I diâ—guised vnto them in your presence so that all the purpose that I spake vnto you of yesterday was false and only inuented and found to take either king Amadis the Emperor Esplandian or some other of their linage as it shuld happely haue come to passe if that fortune or to speak better the soueraine Gods had not willed the contrarie For the king of Crete willing to make sure his enterprise had brought with him aboue a thousand chosen knights the which I cannot tell by what Amazones were hewed in péeces of whoÌ„ they doubted but little Nor they would neuer haue cared for it if it had not béene for the report that was brought them by his spâ—es the which the king had ordinarily in this towne But what is become of them I cannot say but I will say vnto you that if our purpose had taken place the will of the king was such that he woulde haue caused two knightes the which I had brought from hence to haue past ouer the sea to assay proue to haue woonne through their puisance the Castell of Rocke and Lica not long ago vsurped vpon king Muton his brother and then to haue cut off their heades and haue sent them vnto you As touching the rest of the fortune ye knowe it as well as Iâ— therefore I will holde my peace praying you if ye enuie to preferre mercie aboue my faulte to giue mée the shortest and readiest death that ye may possible the whiche shall well content me séeing that my Lorde and Prince is departed and dead Abra complayning hir selfe of the enmities and wrongs of Cupido In the .8 booke the .57 Chapter AH ah sir they that haue not experimented your forces and power do thinke them as I beleeue farre other than they â—e I pray you most humbly either to take from henceforth a name conformable to your workes or the déedes like vnto your name For why as concerning my selfe I haue more cause to name you the God of enmitie and of misknowledge than that that ye apply appropriate to your selfe Also the other Gods haue had as me thinketh great wrong to suffer you to haue some iurisdiction and power to vse it so as ye continue séeing that the propertie of a God is goodnesse iustice mansuetude pitie liberalitie and amitie wherewith he recompenseth his seruantes and ye your ministers cleane contrarie And seing it is so how can ye excuse you or cause any reasonable persoÌ„ to find your vniustice cruelnesse good that ye haue vsed against my brother or with what armes can ye honor and adorne your triumph that a C. times in a day hath giuen me death not to haue power and to be able to die But alas what doe I say to whom doe I speake or why will I thus contestate or enter into reason with him that hath none Cerâ—es neither your eyes nor you were neuer bounde but to excuse your fault vpon the blindnesse that is in you attributing to you vpon this occasion such iustice or to saye better suche pleasure as is agréeable and pleasant vnto you Lucelle doth grieuously complaine of Amadis of Greece that forsaketh hir without offending him in the .8 Booke the 63. Chapter ALas was there euer Damâ—ell more vnfortunate than I am or that hath a greater occasion to complaine hir hauing a feyned louer set in the place of perfite amitie within a while to forsake me and mocke me But alas where is now this promise so oftentymes sworne and those feigned teares that you Amadis to intrappe me hath so oftentymes shed vpon your face in my presence Ah ah ye euill man one day ye reputed me for a Venus that rested as ye assured me in your heart but now the poyson being manifest I sée clearely that she is the Venus that ye auauanâ—ed you of The which thing shall cause me as long as you shall liue to estéeme you slouthfull and vnfortunate to haue taken so great paine and pleasure to deceyue me Therefore all thing truely and well considered ye should as me thinketh haue a respect that I being the daughter as I am of so great a king deserued to be otherwayes entreated of you and not with such mockes as ye haue drest me withall But I vnderstand full well that as yet ye will take a glorie whereof I shall complaine me for euer of you and of the loue which I nowe abhorre more than euer I had it in reuerence For as there is no pleasure that can bée made equall with the perfite amitie of two louers so there is no hatred or impacience that can more trouble the spirit than iust iealousie without whiche all other martyrdome that mingleth it selfe with the swéetenesse of loue is not as mée thinketh but a multiplication of loue and a true inticement wherewith she vtterly destroyeth hir selfe An extréeme brought or thyrst causeth water to be the better accepted and long fasting giueth meate a better taste Also the goodnesse of peace and rest of the minde cannot be sounde nor estéemed of him that hath not experimented the strong cruell and hard warre that suspicion doth make The absence of a friende is sometimes well supported and borne withall for the hope of a newe ioy at his returne And one excuse one disdaine one refuse one euill looke one light miscontentation but after that hypocrisie and falsnesse is knowne to be in the heart that one estéemed faythfull it is
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
his companion hath ingendered in me a sonne and a daughter so fayre and of so goodly forme and proportion that their forme and shape doth shewe vndoubtedly the fruite to be engendered of a God the whiche thing causeth me to say that their vertue magnanimitiâ— and valiantnesse shall be such that they shall be taken among men for halfe Gods. Of the whiche pleasure and honour thus receyued by me I thought it reasonable to make you partakers to the ende ye should be merrie and ioyfull as they doe merit ye shoulde béeing the infantes and children of such a God the whiche is the mightie Mars whose anger doing the contrarie may greatly trouble and hurt you whereof I Zahara your friende shoulde bée maruellously displeasant the which thing hath caused me to pray you once againe in the name of my Lorde and friende to haue the natiuitie of these my two children in singular honour and recommendation and from henceforth to haue and to holde the mother of them in the place that she deserueth seing that the Deitie and Godhead is ioyned in hir so that the worlde by me doth take part of the diuine séede And besides this noble Emperoure of Trebisonde we haue elected and chosen you presently to giue the order of chiualrie to my sonne Anaxartes as soone as hée shall come to the age for to receyue it and the sworde by the hande of my great friend Abra and Amadis of Grece I require you in like case to giue it to my daughter Alaxtraxerâ—e and that Niquea whome ye loue so greatly doe hir confirmable office to Abras sonne not knowing any other more worthie than ye are to approch to the diuinitie béeing such as all men do estéeme you and for such I shall hereafter take you giuing peace to your Monarchies and estate royall when these my children folowing the nature of their father shall bring all the rounde worlde to obey them and to reduce it to the obedience of the lawe of oure Gods the whiche yée haue forsaken to followe him that hathe no power and then yée shall knowe the power and merite of Zahara the whiche dothe salute you all Your cousin and perfite louer the diuine Zahara The answere of the Empresse Abra to the foresayde letter dispraysing the false Gods of Zahara and exalting the onely liuing God in Trinitie In the .9 booke the 6. Chapter RIght highe and excellent Quéene of Caucase the friend and companion of the Gods immortall The Emperour my Lordâ— and spouse with the companie of Kings and Princes Ladies and damsels haue séen by the letter that ye haue sent hyther the fauour and great goodnesse that is chaunced vnto you the gods hauing you as ye doe say in so great estimation that Mars hath engendred of you a sonne and a daughter worthie for their perfection to be the childreÌ„ of such a father whereof certainly we are very ioyfull as my foresaid Lorde and husband this high and noble company hath commaunded to certifie you to giue you knowledge But yet I maruell how ye vnderstande this that in time to come ye shall haue some knowledge of your amitie to leaue the countrey and Empires of my Lord in peace and suertie I knowe not whether your children may conquer all the world after your deuise but I am sure that we kéepe the true law and honor one God in Trinitie by whose aide we haue no occasion to feare neither your Mars nor Iupiter nor any other the whiche haue closed vp the eyes of your spirit that ye should not know him at whose foote all creatures whether they be in heauen in the earth or in Hell ought to fall downe and make obeisance The goodnesse of whom hath so visited me that he hath prouided me of like linage as ye haue that is of a sonne and a daughter And Amadis of Greece also of a little Prince so excellent that at the least he may aduaÌ„ce him not to owe your Anaxartes any thing whereof I was well willing to aduertise you trusting that ye would be no lesse ioyfull of our good houre and fortune than all this great and noble companye hath bene of yours recommending vs all to you Your cousin and good friende Abra. The letters of Anaxartes and Alastraxarce to the inhabiters of the vale of Rochers intreating of the excellencie and soueraigne goodnesâ—e of the Gods. In the nynth booke and .10 Chapter ANaxartes and Alastraxarce sonne and daughter of the God of battelles and of the moste mightie Quéene Zahara of Caucase to the thrée estates of the vale of Roches loue and fauour Uery deare good friends as it hath pleased the great immortall gods that no inexpugnable fortresse of the Castell of Lac nor the incredible force of the horrible Giants Bradaran and Brandauell wiâ—hall their mighte craftinesse and subtiltie coulde not let that the diuine Iustice should not be executed vpon them by vs the Children of Mars sente into this worlde to put in effect the Iustice and vnmouable iudgement of their supreme mighte and power willing thereby to shewe that al resistance is vaine and vnprofitable against the power of heauen and will of those that gouerne and rule all this that is contayned vnder his roundnesse we had a good will to aduertise you of the deadly ruine of the foure Giantes the tyrantes of this countrey that chaunced vnto them by the sharpenesse of our swordes to the ende that you and all other mighte knowe that the gods haue the authoritie and power they alone to do all things by the same might and power that they haue made them of nothing specially resisting those that are greatly bounde to know them and yet doe not their duetie the which thing might be alleaged against the reasonable creature that leadeth a life like vnto beasts not obseruing the law ordained by the infallible creator to conduct him by reason aboue his will considering also that all other creatures by the prouidence and goodnesse of the soueraine gods are set vnder the hand and subiection of men euery one of them doing their diligence to maintaine it selfe in his order and to kéepe that wherevnto the gods haue stablished it as we sée the maruellous order of the heauens of their planets and cléerenesse of tame and wilde beasts of the birdes in the ayre the fishes in riuers and déepe seas of the plantes and swéete herbes wherof men sée that the earth doth length and is garnished with diuers works in time and season very gracious euery one of these things féele and perceiue his owne nature not goyng nor passing ouer it one pointe Seing then that al things haue béene set in the hand yea vnder the féete of man what reason shall excuse him not to obserue the ordinance of the creator and if he doe it not how ought he to be the more punished and chastened by the diuine lawes Truely my deare and good friendes he deserueth no lesse punishement than that that is chaunced
vpon the Giantes your cruell tyrants and rulers whose deathe and correction ye shoulde not estéeme to procéede from anye other than from the gods immortall wherof they will gyue you very swifte witnesse seing that two onely persons haue destroyed and brought to ruine suche and so fearefull mâ—nsters notwithstanding the situation of the very strong and inaccessible places the Gigantine forces and all their puissance and might both craftie and subtill Againe my deare and good friendes we counsell and admonishe you that ye giue no place to your affections so that the anger of God fâ—ll not vpon you if ye disobey the children of Mars sent hither to be soueraines and to set peace in your countrey As touching the rest ye shall come vnto vs to vnderstande the â—uerplus of our will. Arlande the Princesse of Thrace letter to Dom Florisel of Niquea praying him to come to see hir to vnderstande and to reuenge the wrong done by Amadis of Greece to Balarte his brother In the .9 booke the .14 Chapter ARlande Princesse of Thrace to the Knight of the shée shéepeheard gréeting The renoume of your excellent beautie and glorious actes of armes that runneth not only throughout all this countrey of Thrace but almoste throughout the world hath drawne me into so great admiration and desyre to know the truth that after I had consulted with our goâ—â— vpon these affaires and matters and that they answered 〈◊〉 after the common brute and rumour I was well willing to sende you this presente and to praye youre Lordshippe to come hither to vnderstande and to perceiue the wrong that the vnfaithfull and traitour Armadis of Greece did to my verie déere and onely brother Balarte Prince of Thrace by whose death the succession of this Realme after the decease of my heauie father shall pertaine to me yet with this charge to pursue and reuenge the death of my foresaide Lorde and brother Therfore if it please you to come hither to execute this reasonable vengeance I haue purposed and doe promise you in recompence of the duetie that ye shall doe to make you Lord and master of my selfe and of all that I possesse in this worlde aduertising you moreouer that the gods haue reuealed vnto me that ye onely are he to whom this great iustice and glorious vengeance is reserued Obeyng then the diuine prescieÌ„ce of the gods leaue off from henceforth to pursue the vengeance of a sort of euill iniuries and quarrels of Damsels of to base qualitie and come to take the possession and enioying of great goods and honors the which are prepared here for you thus doing ye shall content me and make me ioyfull She that desireth to remaine for euer in your good grace and remembrance Arlande The answere of Dom Florisel of Niquea to the letters of Arlande graciously refusing hir demaunde aswell bicause that Balarte was iustly slaine as that Amadis of Greece was his father In the .9 booke and the .14 Chapter DOm Florisel of Niquea the sonne of the right vertuous and stout Prince Amadis of Greece to Arlande the Princesse of Thrace salutatioÌ„s eueÌ„ such as hir excelleÌ„cy deserueth Madam I haue receiued the letters which it hath pleased you to send me by this your Damsell and reading them I knowe the great desire that ye haue to reuenge the deathe of Prince Balart your brother slaine as I haue vnderstanded most valiantly in the campe of the battell by the handes of my right déere father Amadis of Greece for a good and a iust quarrell a thing that should diuert and turne you to make any such suteâ— for the more that the cause of his death shall be published the more dishonor shal fall both vpon him vpon those that shal enforce themselues to reuenge him euerie man euidently knowing his vnrighteousnesse for the mischeuous turne that he purposed to doe vnto him that with all graciousnesse and good intreating receiued him into his house Therfore Madam finde it not strange at al if in this I satisfie not your desire not for the regarde of the honour and reuerence that I ought to haue naturally to him that hath begotten me but for as much as I should greatly offende God and my honour yea I should do against all reason to reuenge so vertuous an acte putting the case that another than my father had done it And I well assure you that who so euer woulde obey you in tâ—at he shall finde himself iustly smitten of God augmenting the shame and dishonour of him that deserueth to be buried in the darkenesse of obliuiousnesse As concerning the goods that ye promise me that is to make me possessour and to enioye your excellent beautie and all your possessions ye may vnderstande by these present letters that I vnder the condition that ye damaund haue a iust occasion to refuse theÌ„ neuerthelesse I thanke you as much as I caÌ„ possible for your good wil and affection that ye beare me in recompence wherof I promise you to employ me to be your seruaunt and to serue you in all that honour and vertue shall commaund me Thus much Madam praying the creator of al things vnto whom vengeance ought to be reserued to giue you his holy grace and after that I may be affectuously recommended â—o yours He that desireth you all goodnesse and encrease of honour the knight of the she shepherde A letter from Dom Florisell of Niquea to fair Helen princessâ— of Apolonia excusiâ—g himselfe of the boldnesse that he taketh to write vnto hir and to present hir his heart In thâ—â—â— booke the .33 Chapter MAdame if ye wil measure your highnesse and aduise you vpon the kingdome that ye possesse in respect of me that am but a wandring knighte and yet vnknowen vnto you I thinke well that ye would maruell of my temeritie and foolish boldnesse that durst write vnto you at this present but if ye would consider how great the force of loue is I am wel assured that your benignitie and sweetenesse shal excuse me and accuse this diuine beautie and good grace the which yesterday did so rauish me of my libertie that I had not the power nor the will neuer to loue or to serue any other but you For this cause I tooke boldnesse to pray you as humbly as I may possible to receiue my faithfull heart the whiche hathe left me to be wholly yours and doth suffer me to keepe and to name me your knight and very affectionate â—eruant the which shall little estéeme all his misfortunes that are past if ye would do him so great honor as that he might one of these dayes tell you by mouth that he feareth to write vnto you bicause of the little aquaintance that ye haue of him praying the creator and maker of all things the which hath mâ—ued you with so great beautie to giue you the increase of honor and felicitie You re most humble and obediente the knight of the she shepherde The princesâ—e of Apolonia doth
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
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
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
paragon of all men such as I iudge you to be nor to associate any other vnworthy of the giftes and graces that nature and fortune hath moste largely giuen mee and finding you appointed to another Lady I remayne tormented with an incurable sicknesse the whiche doth receiue some lightning and rest discouering my heart to you This done I haue purposed to depart from this countrey to returne into my owne realme considering that from henceforth there is nothing more to be séene worthie of memorie and that the greatest strokes of the combattes of the valiant men of both parties are fallen and giuen Thus not béeing able to accomplish my desire as touching you I pray you not to take it in euill part but to lay the fault to loue of whom ye know the power and might the which is such vpon me that my will shal neuer be changed nor set vpon any other but by your consent to the which I wholy submit myselfe my honour saued The answere of Amadis of France to Queene Cleofila In the 10. booke the .28 Chapter MAdame I humbly thanke you for the good affection that it pleaseth you to shew me and I prayse God that giuing you such affection ye drawe to him that doth accept it with such discretion and iudgement as is conuenient for your honestie promising with good heart to answere it vntill I haue quited me to you wardes of so good a knight as I thinke my selfe to be to the intent that your fayth be no longer charged The Oration of Dom Florisell of Niquea to Lucidorâ— In the 10. booke the .30 Chapter LVcidor I haue alreadie by letters caused you sufficiently to vnderstand howe little right yâ— haue in this quarell offering you vpon conditions more than liberall to the which I was not bounde in respect of the tranquilitie of our people the which I neyther came nowe to augmentâ—â—â—â— to diminish but onely to vnderstande whether the iourneyes or battailes past alreadie in the whichâ—ye haue knowne your disaduantage haue not reduced you to reason This is the summe of this that hath led me and brought me The answere of Lucidor to Dom Florisell of Niquea In the 10. booke the .30 Chapter FLorisell if I had had so féeble a courage as ye lay vnto me I woulde first haue parleyed and spoken of the matter and not haue accepted the battell our continuance and preparation doth cause you oftentimes to doe the contrarie As â—â—ncerning the aduersitie of Fortune that as ye alledge vnto vs in certaine combats we haue proued and ye knowe â—ull well that at tymes ye haue felt part your selfe And if it were so yet the hazarde thereof through his ordinarie varietie woulde nowe cause me to trust to be better as nowe it hath done ioyning vnto vs the newe ayde and succour that God hath sent vs by the valiant king of Thir. Therefore thinke not to conuert and â—urne me at all by such wordes but be you certaine that through the confidence that I haue in him and in the iustice of my cause I will tarie for such an ende as he shall giue vs in the battell leauing you the assurance that ye hold in Fortune the which before this hath béene fauourable vnto you lifting you vp to the highest part of his whéele to abase you downe the more lower Phalanges Oration to his companions and Souldiours shewing them that the prognostication of birdes are not to be feared seing that they must fight against men and not agaynst birds furthermore that their enimies do march and go in companies greatly extended enlarged the which is an easie thing to be broken In the .10 booke the .31 Chapter LOrdes Princes and Souldiours the Gods in times past haue giuen you and me great victories by the which we in many Countreyes haue made both the sea and the earth to tremble and quake I doubt not at all â—o do here as much or more with the floure of the chiualrie of the worlde the which to assure vs and to honor vs haue giuen vs charge of the battell willing to sustaine the vauntgarde and the rereward for our suretie yet I do thinke that many among you would rather dâ—sire the first ranke whervnto ye may chaunce to come all after the recounter and méeting is and I haue felt and perceyue that some of you not well instructed are afearde of the signes of Doues and Crowes that this day haue foughten in your sight Well I will well it be so and that it is an euill presage and signe But yet I say vnto you that the Gods haue sent vs such signes celestiall to giue vs a marke of a great victorie hauing threatned our courages to crowne vs with higher glories bicause ye had not in you the magnanimitie and holdenesse to resist such doubtfull temptations the which they would shewe vafor to proue vs The true assurance of armes should not be taken of byrdes with whom as with our enimies we wil not fight but in the strength of the souldiours armes and in the good arte and knowledge of warre of the Capitaines in the which I will well assure you and aduertise you as touching the businesse that I sée prepared for vs this day that their square companies as ye may sée go very large and farre extended one from the other to represent vnto vs a very great multitude and we contrariwise must and ought to go the onâ— nigh vnto the other as we be The which thing they do feigne purposely to put them out of feare of the number of their enimies This done I hope that our good order the which is the principall poynte of warre shall soone breake them being thus open and it may be through vncarefulnesse negligence chauncing vnto them through the hope that their Magicians haue giuen them by this friuolous and vaine flight But ye sée already at your eye their misorder the which is your certaine aduauntage if ye can take it This is my companions the thing that I would haue sayd vnto you recommending to you my honour and yours Amadis of France with a warlike Oration doth comfort hys Knightes and his Souldiours the which had beene discomfited and doth teach them a certaine subtiltie to deceyue the enimie In the .10 booke the .32 Chapter LOrdes Knights and Souldiours I will here rehearse or lay vnto you the déede of another to compare it vnto ours that is that hauing respect vnto the strong and cruell battail of Pharsalia in the whiche Iulius Caesar after diuerse victories that he had agaynst him ouercame Pompeius how thinke you that it had béene possible for Pompeius children to gather so few men as they had left but that feare cowardnesse neuer occupied theyr courage the whiche afterwardes set him in that estate to conquer the Empyre if he coulde haue folowed his fortune And be it so that nowe I sée nothing in you but dolour and displeasure bicause of those that be deade yet I shall
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
Florisel dothe wryte to Queene Sidonia that although shee pursued his death by the bringer of the letter yet he for hir loue saued his lyfe and is minded to doe so to all other letting yet all that he may that Diana drinke not of the cup that she hath promised hym In the eleuenth booke the .14 Chapter MAdame I sende you the salute that ye haue purchased to take fro me by this bearer to the whiche I haue giuen it for the fauour of your seruice as my will is to doe to all those that shall reclayme or speake agaynst you what daunger so euer my life be in The whiche I shall saue to my power to cause other to thinke vpon a better dowrie for Diana and vpoÌ„ a more honest cuppe to drinke in at hir mariage than in hir Fathers goblet Therefore I will sustayne this warre that yée deliuer mée vntill I haue wonne made peace with you and till shée haue founde a more kinde husband than he with whome ye would cause hir to couple and to ioyne hir hand defiled in my bloud the which is hir owne A letter from Abra moste diligently recomfortyng Amadis of Greece vpon the death of his wife Niquea In the .11 booke the .24 Chapter MY Lorde if ye should not suffer extréeme choler and heauinesse for the decease of your good companion the Empresse Niquea ye shoulde be defiled with too great inhumanitie and ingratitude seyng the heauinesse that straungers themselues doe make the whiche ye should haue felte more nearer than all other So swéete and so faithfull a coniunction cannot be departed without a great and a naturall heart breaking but after that the first motioÌ„ hath giuen his alaruin the sprite must come to himselfe agayne and take his breath considering that teares be but loste vpon a thing irrecuperable the torment vaine in a cace that is without remedie Doe ye desire hir yet in this worlde ye are enuious and doe hate hir wealth doe ye sorow hir ill she is in a life immortall muche more fortunate than is yours doe ye wishe to folow hir to the place that she is gone vnto ye shall offende God to labour to departe from hence before ye haue finished all that he hath appointed you to ende in this worlde Ye haue the renoume of magnanimitie among all knightes but if ye suffer to be thus ouerthrowne of your selfe ye shal léese at once al the victories that ye haue wonne vpon other so if ye shewe your selfe strong and vertuous to resist this gréeuous passion ye shall ioyne the heigth and fulnesse to the triumph of all your cleare and noble actes This acte of lamenting is an vnworthy acte for a man and much more for a Prince that should be an ensample of light As for the reste ye know that she was borne mortall and that we shall not tary long after hir to set the countrey at libertie Aduise you then by wisedome to drie vp your teares for vnto the ignorant the time dothe issue at length conformyng your selfe in all things to Gods will. Abra the Emperesse of Constantinople and Princesse of the Oriental regions Arlande dothe complayne hir of the doloures that loue dothe cause hir to endure and suffer afterwards she prayseth the beauties of Cleofila In the .11 booke the .89 Chapter AH ah loue wherein haue I offended thée to intreate mée thus cruelly arte not thou of a straunge nature to torment and martyr those so extréemely that hide thée and inclose thee in the closet of their brestes and if they lefte thée forth to giue thée ayre wilt thou rewarde them within with refuse and pulling them farre from the wealth that they approched vnto loue if this be to assay the constancie of thy subiectes is not mine sufficiently proued by the lengthe of tyme if this be to cause the suger of thy sweete drynke Ambrosia to sauer better by the sourenesse of thy firste iuyces this thing is so greate that it may dull the tast of the palate sâ— greately that it shall haue no vertue nor power to féele the swéetenesse of thy celestiall meate I say not that the appetite dothe not awake and quicken through falling and abstinence but yet a man may suffer so greate famine and hunger that the bowelles may shrinke and so the appetite is loste O loue I knowlodge my crime in that I haue bene bold to vse such amorous language and woordes to so chaste a Lady I ought to haue bene contented with hir good chéere with hir amiable deuices with hir swéete lookes and to be shorte with hiâ— fayre simple and hir gentle receyuing looking at hir discretion for the gifte of hir gratious graunt Ah ah false tongue that doest afflict and punishe all the reste of the body by thy forfast vomiting out at all aduentures the thing that had bene better vnspoken than spoken nowe I would gladly teare him and teare him with my téeth if I trusted not that hereafter with an honorable amendes thou mayest yet vnto hir amende thy faulte and render vnto this weary body some pleasure in rewarde of the ill that thou doest cause it nowe to suffer O God what an euill is it to be depryued of all the goodnesse that I receyued of hir riant and laughyng eye of hir Golden mouthe of hir hande taking mine for there shall neuer be Lady better spoken better manered as I beléeue nor hath bene nor neuer shall be Doth Diana auaunce hir of hir beautie Cleofila doth not owe hir very much she maketh much ado of hir whitenes defacing the snow the brownnesse of my Quéene is wel mingled with ruddinesse the whiche is not so very smothe nor wanton the fashion of hir body is slender and so rounde as it were made after a towrâ— hir disposition so ioly that it séemeth O loue that thou arte tied to all the endes of hir members and that thou doest daunce and playe at all hir ieâ—tes and mouings for shée hath a perfect grace and a certaine good comelinesse in all thing that shée sayth or doth she hath no name the whiche dothe dayly halfe inrich hir beautie wheresoeuer she dothe méete with hir and where there is any fault she doth â—â—uer it with hir diuine clearnesse and so that I beléeue Venus your mother is no other thing than hir grace or if it be so hir onely companion And who would not perish by the sight of such a Basiliske and whose eyes would not vasell at the brightnesse and clearenesse of such a Sunne Dom Rogel doth pray Leonida to hold and to take him for hir knight In the .12 booke the .1 Chapter IF ye knewe the greatnesse of your beautie as well as it is imprinted within my heart I am certaine Madame that ye woulde easily excuse the boldenesse that I take vpon me to declare vnto you the dolours which I féele dayly to increase in meâ— by the swéete violence of your diuine perfections And for as much as ye are the
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
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
ye should beare me For it séemed to me if ye had loued me so much as I loued you ye would not haue deferred the healing of my sickenesse so long as ye haue done Alas Madame howe farre are ye deceiued if ye thinke that I at any time haue the power to repent or to go farre from the great loue that I haue borne you and shall beare you as long as the spirite shall breath within my body for truely there is nothing in the world that was more impossible for me Think not at all Madame louing you as I doe loue you that euerâ— I coulde fall into any repentance of your loue considering the glorie and pleasure that I finde in louing of you I pray you then to giue me life through your fauour to my great ioye or shortly to send me death through your disfauour to make an ende of my anoyance and of the dolour in the which I shall continually remaine vntil ye giue me rest and the tranquillitie that your letter dothe promise mée and looking for so great and good and houre I kisse a thousand times your fayre and delicate handes A letter from Filisell of Montespin to Marfira complayning of the long terme and time that she hath set him to haue the ioyfull pastime whereof he had alreadie tasted and he prayeth hir to alleage it In the twelfe booke the .14 Chapter DOm Filisell of Montespin doth sende to the faire and gracious Marfira health the which he hathe losâ—e by the moste gréeuous sickenesse that he as yet hath proued Alas Madam if euer I loued you with good affection nowe I die wholly for your loue and if euer I had any hope to reioâ—ce of your diuine beauties now I am at the last in desparation bicause the long time that I must tarie without hauing any more the ioy of the goodnesse and pleasure whereof through your good grace I haue tasted and sauored the tranquilitie and gracious swéetenesse If before this I haue had any desyre I haue desired it after such a fashion that I knew not the thing that I desired But now being learned by experience I know that I desire the most pleasure and goodnesse that is possible to desire sauing one other that I knowe but ye maye not know it although the pleasure that I desire be extréeme Hitherto Madame I haue tormented my selfe to sée and to beholde the apparant graces of your beautie by the whiche yé◠maye make subiect to your seruice the fierce heartes of men more than barbarous but nowe I torment me to reioyce and play with your graces secretes of the which I among all other haue merited the pleasure Alas Madame cause I beséech you that so great goodnesse as ye haue shewed me turne me not to greater euill and denie me not the remedie which kissing your fayre and white handes I pray you to graunt me as soone as the dolorous passion in the whiche I am doth requyre it Filisels letter to Marfira reioysing himselfe and giuing hir thankes for the good houre that shee caused him to haue praying hir to continue vnto him hir grace and fauour In the .12 booke the .15 Chapter DOn Filisel of Montespin doth sende to the fayre and gracious Marfira the salute whereof he enioyeth to his great contentation The glorie wherein I am is so great that I can not tell with what wordes I ought to prayse it so that the prayse may be compared to his greatnesse O I the most happiest of all knightes of the worlde séeing it hath pleased you Madame to make me worthie through your fauours of the thing that I by my selfe could in no wise decerne This letter is onely to cause you to vnderstand my great ioy by the which ye are now indetted to me for the thing that hath caused me to merit it that is that I returne very shortly vnto you to take and to haue the selfe same pleasure of your beautie that it pleased you the last night to graunt me so that by this newe ioy I may rewarde the anoyance that I endure in the time that I cannot finde the oportunitie of so great a pleasure Wherefore Madame I pray you continually to intertaine me in such a good houre that if ye haue béene the cause that I am nowe exalted to so high a degrée that hereafter ye be not the cause of my miserable fall and ruine But to the entent ye shall not reprehend me of too great importunitie I will make an ende of my letter kissing a thousande tymes your white and delicate hands in remembrance of the peace that folowed the warre that is past I recommend me to my deare Caria praying hir shortly to purchase me the tyme so greatly desyred in the whiche I maye renue the fortunate occasion of my glorie The complaint of Queene Sidonis In the .12 booke the .21 Chapter O Graue honour of my high and royall lynage howe hast thou conducted me to an euill fortune whereof I may receyne a iust rewarde of my folly O loue howe doest thou cause to appeare in me thy deceytfull force and strength causing mée to vse hatred and crueltie vnto him that I loued much more than my selfe O Fortune with what inconstancie and lightnesse art thou chaunged putting me then in such desperation when I beganne to haue hope shortly to accomplish the thing that I desired most in this worlde O Gods immortall with howe much rigour haue ye willed to recompence the flerce pride and the prowde presumption of the Quéene Sidonia O my deare daughter and yet the daughter of him that robbed the holy rites of my chastitie Alas howe woulde ye haue payed me for the thing that ye denyed anâ— for the loue that ye bare continually to your father in recompence of the outrages and iniuries that I dayly sought for him O my daughter the first of the worlde and none like in beautie to the ende to make and to render like vnlike the delour that I endure nowe for thy death O cruell death howe doest thou leaue me in so miserable a life O cruell life howe doest thou leaue me in so miserable a death O Gods immortall wherefore doe ye suffer so great an iniurie as is that which I receyue by my life séeing my daughter Diana is dead But what do I say It is iust that ye as ye are iust doe shewe me to rigorous iustice to cause me to take vengeance vpon my selfe confounding me in a certaine dolour and heauinesse the which I haue procured to my selfe Alas Daraide howe doest thou giue to me and my daughter the dutie whereof thou wast indetted vnto vs to me giuing me with thy ende the ende of the folly of my vengeance in killing againe by thy death the hope and confidence that I had in thy life to my daughter recompencing hir death by thine the which is the last payment whereof thou wast bounde to the loue that thou didst beare hir and to that that she did
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
assure my selfe to be excused of this sacrifice that I speake of and that ye shall cause it to fall vpon our enimies to their great confusion and to your perpetuall glorie Nowe in this confidence I will make an ende of my wordes to beginne the effect and I will call to the defence of our libertie the fauour of the Gods and the succour of the straunge knightes the whiche are nowe in my Court and bycause my treasures as great as they bée shall not bée sufficient to recompence theyr vertue I will praye them to haue a respect to the honour and to the immortall renowme that is prepared for them for the true and better recompence of the trauayle that they shall obteyne dayly wandering thorowe the worlde to employe the force of theyr highe chiuarlie for nowe they haue founde in thys warre a verye iust occasion A Letter from Queene Sidonia to king Amadis of France and â—o Orianâ— by the whiche shee doth them to vnderstande the fulfilling of certaine Prophecies alreadie past and that there bee other of the whiche they must make an ende In the .12 booke the .60 Chapter TO the right excellent prince king Amadis of France and to Quéene Oriane Sidonia Quéene of the I le Guinday and all the Princes Kinges and Quéenes assembled in hir great Citieâ— doe sende salute the whiche Fortune hathe graunted them after many calamities which are past Understande then right excellent King that the inconstant fortune after that the disguised Daraida had set the Prince of Grece with his heaâ—e in my power hath brought oure highnesse in suche extremitie that wée and oures were â—allen into a miserable seruitude if the victorious Princes the King Dom Phalanges of Astre and the Knightly Quéene Alastraxeree in this néede and busynesse had not holpen vs for why my Citie béeing almost taken of oure enimyes that then beganne to enter into it these twoo noble Princes did not onely take and recouer the Citie from the Kinges of Russia and Gaza and the victorie the whiche they nowe esteéemed certaine but further they brake them and sette them and theyr confederates in suche a rowte that they sette vs agayne in our fyrst libertie and in oure auncient herytage By the meanes whereof after the Prophecies of my fayre Diana Daraida béeyng past Phoebus came did beheade in my presence within the Towre of Diana the Image of Dom Florisell whose heade did depriue mée of all sentimentes and enforced Dom Rogel of Grece to auenge the death of hys father for the trespasse of Daraide And afterwardes the combate was so greate betwéene them two and with suche sheadding of bloude the whiche they loste the same day that euen both of them fell downe vppon the grounde as deade vntill that the braue Serpent and the victorious Quéene knowing againe after the Prophecyes hir deare sonne vnder the habite of Daraide reuealed vnto hir by hir dolorous cryes and mortall mourning the thing whiche was the occasion to léese the name of Daraide and to recouer that of Agesilan with my daughter Diana for hys spouse whome hée had woonne alreadie by the faythfulnesse and constancie of his loue in the vertue whereof they set at libertie and out of prison the infant Dom Rosaran and the duchesse of Bauire in the inchaunted Towre whose prisoners they shoulde haue remayned without comming forth vntill they two the most accomplished and perfit in faythfulnesse of loue may giue them the wayes and meane and to vs the consolation of the heauinesse that we suffer by their absence the which shall endure vntill the excellent King and Quéene of Englande be entered into the inchaunted Castell deliuering them out of prison to the great glorie of their faythfull loues and to the consolation of vs all Therefore to find some maner of peace in this warre we pray you and beséech you by your comming ye will finde the meanes we may haue it the whiche thing shall returne to your greate lawde and to oure rest wythoute the whiche wée shall remayne and bée vntyll by youre comming yée make an ende of this inchantment and doe set at libertie these two faythfull louers of your linage Amadis of France and Amadis of Grece letters to the princesses of the I le Solstice praying them to accept the peace that they are mynded to make betweene them In the .12 booke the .64 Chapter TO the right excellent and most fayre Princesses of the I le Solstice Amadis of France king of Englande and Amadis of Grece Emperour of Trebisonde Prince of Grece of Englande of France and king of Rhodes salute and therewith peace and rest of your perillous warre Ye shall vnderstande that fortune and the tempest driuing vs into this Isle with the Quéenes and Princes of our companie we haue perceyued the warre ye make one agaynst the other therefore desiring to set you in amitie we send vnto you the fayre Duchesse Siria the which shall tell you from vs the thing that we haue charged hir withall praying you to beléeue hir as our selues And desyring to make an ende of your trauell we sende you peace the which ye may not refuse neyther of the one part nor of the other at leastwise if ye haue any sisterly charitie before your eyes A letter from the knight Afronteur to the Princes and Princesses of Grece conteyning a certain Prophecie by the which he trusteth to be reuenged of them In the .12 booke the .66 Chapter TO the right excellent Princes and Princesses of Grece Afronteur of subtilties Lorde of Cautels chastener of the vncarefull counseller of those that iourney and deceyuer of those that be better counselled I sende you salute and health that therewith ye may mainteyne your selues in rest vntill ye haue had experience of my stratagemes I am come out of your power and nowe I finde me in mine owne after that I haue béene as well intreated of the Damsels as I am minded to intreate theÌ„ if at any time I may haue them in my power to render and to doe the like vnto them This is it my Lords that causeth me to wish and desire to haue you as many as yée be in my hands as I thinke it shall happen if the prophecies of my Gods deceyue me not for I finde by them and ye if ye thinke it good do remember that shortly the forces of the fronters and borders shall through a certayne ambushmente destroy the house of Grece and that the braue Lyons of the king Licbrastron shall be brought vnder and the strength of their clawes effeblished vntill the Lord of Russia set them agayne at libertie by the obscure and dark cloudes of his knowledge to his great glory and to the lande of him that shall cause them to enioy that clemencie for the rewarde of the rigour that is past and considering this warre I wyll sende you peace without the which it is impossible to prepare the thing that is necessarie for an armie A temerarious Letter from Bruzarte king of Russia to the Princes of Grece threatning them destruction and ruine In the 12. Booke and the .100 Chapter DOn Bruzarte king of Russia confederate with a hundred and thréescore kings of the Orient by the counsell and diuine sufferance of our soueraigne Gods disdayning at and for so many offences that haue béen done vnto them by the house of Grece hauing so often times moysted the fieldes with the bloud of their seruaunts and set fire in their tents they haue nowe gathered their armie togither bicause that the smoke of the burned temples as it were out of a censer is ascended before their diuine Maiesties to require vengeance and it is paste and gone into their most soueraigne and heauenly Empire Therefore we haue ordeyned after the power graunted vnto vs by the Gods that all the house of Grece shall passe by the edge of the sworde and all their Cities shall be burnte with our flames that within a while after the Russians may cause them to be edified and buylded agayne to the great glorie of their vertue and to the immortall glory of our Gods and calling vpon their name we sende you this arest signed not aduertising you otherwise of the day nor of the hourâ— when wée shall put it in execution and bicause yée shall giue entier credence vnto it we haue signed it with our signes and sealed it with our royall armes and haue sent them to you by these so very little creatures as they shal be great that ought to execute it And hitherto we pray our Gods to kéepe you in health for your greater sicknesse assuring you that for a short peace ye shall haue a long warre in the whiche wée promise to couer the great seas and the large champion fields with our armies and to make them red with your bloud A Letter of Amadis de Gaule and of the Emperours Esplandian and Amadis of Grece to all their friends and vassals In the .13 booke and the fyrst Chapter WE Amadis de Gaule the King and the Emperours Esplandian and Amadis of Grece with all the Kings Princes and Knights assembled in the Citie of Constantinople to all our friends and vassals gréeting Wée let you wit that the enimie of mankinde hath inflamed the heart of the king of Russia to come agaynst our Imperiall Citie with an infinite and an incredible armie of an hundred and thréescore crowned Kings besides a number of Califes Souldans and Tamberlanes meaning to destroy and subuert the same and vtterly to extinguishe therewith the name of Iesus Christ and therevpon to aduaunce and set vp their false Prophet Mahumet as by a letter or writing of defiance to vs in that behalfe sente more playnely appeareth And for that you may vnderstande the great importaunce of these affayres and in what daunger the key of Christianitie standeth wée pray and beséeche you our good and deare friends and commaunde and firmely enioyne you our subâ—ects and vassals that you do make all the diligence that possibly you can to present your selues with all your forces within our sayde Citie And also that you do shewe suche fayth and fidelitie to this Knight the bearer héereof as you would do to our owne persons The ende of the extract of Amadis of Fraunce Imprinted at London by Henry Synnemanâ— for Thomas Hacket
the Emperour my father the which will not faile as I thinke to bring you with him his affaires beyng paste and ended In the meane while I would desire you to assayâ— and proue by all meanes to drawe and deliuer the faire damsell Lisuard out of daunger being certaine that if ye will doe so much for hir and me that ye shall come to your honour as the most fauoured of fortune and of high chiualrie that is this day amoÌ„g those that weare armes For the which thing I pray you as much as I may possible for the wealth of my sister the which is so affectionated vnto hir that she cannot liue if the Lord do not comfort hir of the heauinesse that she hath takeÌ„ from the day that she lost hir out of hir sight for night and day she dyeth through loue desire And bycause I haue charged Alquise to tell you the ouerplus I pray you beléeue hir as comming from hir the which is more yours than hâ—r owne A letter from King Armato to the Emperour of Trebisondâ— presenting him the combat In the .6 booke the .22 Chapter ARmato King of Perse the mortal enimie of the Christians the seruaunt of our gods and principall protector of their holy law to the Emperour of Trebisond condigne salutation Know thou that to haue the Citie of Constantinople with thys countrey at my discretion I not long ago am come to the field accompanied with such a puissance as euery man knoweth And bicause I vnderstaÌ„d that thou art newly come to help my enimie I thought to send and present to thee the coÌ„bat which art the principall defender of the Empire of Greece against me that am the principall that doth pretend his ruine Nor excuse not thée by thy old yeares for if thou haue touched fourescore of thy age I euen at â—he houre when thou wast borne had knowledge of my nurse The combat that I pretend to haue of thy person and mine is only to get honor and to proue with the dint and stroke of the speare sword whome fortune doth fauoure most of thée or me therfore aâ—uise thée to make an answer that may be for thy honor A letter of Grifilant the Lorde of the I le Sauuagine to Amadis the king of England praying him to enter in like maner into the campe of batell to see and behold who shall obtayne the victorie In the .6 booke the .22 Chapter GRifilant Lorde of the I le Sauuagine seruant of the Gods of the Sea affectionated and giuen to the ruine of the vnfortunate Christians of whome thou Amadis king of England art buckler and protector Neuerthelesse that hathe not named me so much to the desire that I haue to proue my selfe against thée as the high cheualrie whereof thou art renoumeâ— throughout all the parts of the world But seing that the principall occasion that moued me to come foorth of my countrey hath bin not onely to help the mightie king of the Turkes but to get laude and reputation by armes and that fortune hath so much fauored me to haue brought me to the time and place where I haue a meane to fight with thée I pray thée that we may enter into the field one against the other assuring thée that if my Gods will graunt me the victorie I shall estéeme my selfe the most fortunate knight that euer was borne and that most rightfully hauing the vpper hand of thée the head and principall of all cheualrie And although the contrary should chance vnto me yet I should not be the lesse estéemed among wise men for it is sufficiently well knowen what maner of men and how many redoubted personages thou hast ouercome and if the worst fall the honorable death that I shall receiue shall be a great quietnesse to my mind being assured that my life cannot endure being purposed to spare my body little or nothing for the meâ—ings and combates that shall be from hencefoorth betwéene our men and yours Graunt me then the thing that I demand and so doing thou shalt do for me and for thine honor Letters from the Queene Pintiquinestra to the Queene Calaâ—iâ— admonishing hir that she wil fight with hir In the .6 boke the .22 Chapter PIntiquinestra Quéene of the people that haue no heades to thée Calaâ—ie that dost commaund the strong Iles of Califorâ—nie salutations such as I desire fro thée I aduertise thée that to cause my valiantnesse to be knowen to those that mosâ—â— coÌ„tinually do haunt armes I haue of late left my countrey and am come to this camp and fielde where I haue certaine knowledge that thou art newly come to defend him that wold entirely destroy vs And bycause thou art esteemed ready to fight as much or more than the best knight of the worlde I haue perswaded my selfe that if I may ouercome thée in the campe of battell that this honor shoulde be vnto me immortall Now as me thinketh the match is well made of a woman to a woman both preteÌ„ding one thing that is the glory and renoune of valiantnesse Therefore aduise thee if thou wilt proue thy force with mine so that from henceforth meÌ„ may iudge who hath better right to weare the crowne of a Queene and the gouernment of women that can win men by loâ—e and by armes The Emperoure of Trebisondes Oration to his knights vppon the agreement of the combat aduertising them that he is resolued to goe and fight with his enimie In the the .6 booke the .22 Chapter RIght vertuous knights I bâ—ing well assured that ye alwayes haue had so good and so entire hearts and honor in such recommendation that ye were neuer astonyed for any perill or danger that might happen vnto you I pray you effectuously to thinke vpon me what I ought and wil beleue of you that is that for to die a thousand deathes I would not so farre forget my selfe that my old yeares shoulde be defamed or to say better put in doubt be the reputation neuer so little that I gat when I was yong and better and more disposed than I am now Certes my heares are white and gray but the heart is yong and disposed and the will as good as euer it was Armato demaundeth combat he shall haue it he sayth that he is a friend and an augmenter of his law I am the most humble seruant of Iesu Christ the which shall help me if it so please him and as I trust in him Therefore I pray you as much as I may possible not to contend or resist any more whether I shoulde enter into this combat against my enimie or no for my resolutioÌ„ is to win or to die and let God do what shall please him The Emperoure of Trebisondes letter answering togither Armato Griâ—ilant and Pintiquinestra to aduertise them that they accept the combat being assured to obtayne the victorie considering the iust quarell of the Christians In the .6 booke the .22 Chapter WE by the grace of God Emperoure of