imperfection was incident to all women but to my Mistresse Diana in whom I euer thought that nature had not omitted to frame euery good and perfect thing But Syluanus after this prosecuting his historie saide vnto him When I came neere to the place where Diana was I sawe her fixing her faire eies in the cleere fountaine where vsing her accustomed maner she began to say O woefull eies how sooner shall you want teares to water my cheekes then continuall occasions to powre you out O my Syrenus I would to God before the winter with his blustring stormes despoyles the greene medow of fresh and fragrant flowers the pleasant vallies of fine and tender grasse and the shadowed trees of their greene leaues that these eies may behold againe thy presence so much desired of my louing soule as mine is eschewed and perhaps hated of thine With this she lifted vp her diuine countenance and by chance espied me and going about to dissemble her sorrowfull complaint she coulde not so cunningly doe it but that her teares made it too manifest by stopping the passage of her dissimulation She rose vp at my comming and saide Sit downe heere Syluanus and see how thou art now to mine owne cost sufficiently reuenged of me Now doth this miserable woman pay thee home againe those paines which thou didst suffer as thou saidst for her sake if it be true that she was euer or yet is the cause of them Is it possible Diana saide I againe that these eares may heare these wordes In the end I perceiue I am not deceiued by saying that I was borne to discouer euery day new kindes of torments for thy sake and thou to requite them with the greatest rigour in the world Dost thou now therefore doubt that thou art the cause of my greefe If thou art not who dost thou imagine can deserue so great loue as this or what hart in the world but thine had not before this bene mollified and made pitifull by so many teares And to these I added many other wordes which now I doe not so well remember But the cruell enemie of my rest cut off my wordes saying If thy toong Syluanus fondly presumeth to speake to me againe of these matters and not to entertaine the time with talke of my Syrenus I will at thine owne pleasure leaue thee to enioy the delight of this faire fountaine where we now sit For knowest thou not that euery thing that intreates not of the goodnes of my Shepherd is both hatefull and hurtfull to my eares And that she that loueth well thinketh that time but ill imploied which is not spent in hearing of her loue Whereupon fearing least my wordes might haue bene an occasion to haue made me loose that great content and happines that I had by her sweete sight and presence I sealed them vp with silence and was a good while without speaking a worde onely delighting my selfe with the felicitie I had by contemplating her soueraine beautie vntill night with greater haste then I desired came on when both of vs then were constrained to goe homewards with our flockes to our village Then Syrenus giuing a great sigh saide Thou hast tolde me strange things Syluanus and all wretched man for the increase of my harmes since I haue tried too soone the small constancie that is in a womans hart which for the loue that I beare to them all for her sake in very trueth greeues me not a little For I would not Shepherd heereafter heare it spoken that in a moulde where nature hath conioined such store of peregrine beautie and mature discretion there should be a mixture of such vnworthy inconstancie as she hath vsed towards me And that which comes neerest to my hart is that time shall make her vnderstand how ill she hath dealt with me which cannot be but to the preiudice of her owne content and rest But how liues she and with what contentment after her marriage Some tell me saide Syluanus that she brookes it but ill and no maruell for that Delius her husband though he be as thou knowest enriched with fortunes giftes is but poore in those of nature and good education For thou knowest how lowtish of spirit and body he is and namely for those things which we Shepherds take a pride in as in piping singing wrestling darting of our sheepehookes and dauncing with the wenches on Sunday it seemes that Delius was borne for no more but onely to beholde them But now good Shepherd said Syrenus take out thy Kit and I will take my Bagpipe for there is no greefe that is not with musicke relented and passed away and no sorrow which is not with the same againe increased And so both the Shepherdes tuning and playing on their instruments with great grace and sweetnesse began to sing that which followeth Syluanus SYrenus what thought'st thou when I was viewing thee From yonder hedge and in great greefe suspending me To see with what affliction thou wert ruing thee There doe I leaue my flocke that is attending me For while the cleerest sunne goeth not declining it Well may I be with thee by recommending me Thine ill my Shepherd for that by defining it Is passed with lesse cost then by concealing it And sorrow in the end departs resigning it My greefe I would recount thee but reuealing it It doth increase and more by thus recording me How in most vaine laments I am appealing it My life I see O greefe long time 's affoording me With dying hart and haue not to reuiue me it And an vnwonted ill I see aboording me From whom I hop'd a meane she doth depriue me it But sooth I hop'd it neuer for bewraying it With reason she might gain say to contriue me it My passions did sollicite her essaying yet With no importune meanes but seemely grounding them And cruell loue went hindering and dismaying it My pensiue thoughts were carefully rebounding them On euery side to flie the worst restraining them And in vnlawfull motions not confounding them They prai'd Diane in ils that were not fayning them To giue a meane but neuer to repell it thee And that a wretch might so be entertaining them But if to giue it me I should refell it thee What wouldst thou doe O greefe that thus adiuring it Faine would I hide mine ill and neuer tell it thee But after my Syrenus thus procuring it A Shepherdesse I doe inuoke the fairest one And th' end goes thus vnto my cost enduring it Syrenus Syluanus mine a loue of all the rarest one A beautie blinding presently disclosing it A wit and in discretion the waryest one A sweete discourse that to the eare opposing it The hardest rocks entendereth in subduing them What shall a haplesse louer feele in loosing it My little sheepe I see and thinke in viewing them How often times I haue beheld her feeding them And with her owne to foulde them not eschewing them How often haue I met her driue and speeding them Vnto
Thither he came and there we were talking together as long as time woulde giue vs leaue and the loue of my side at the lest was so strongly confirmed betweene vs that though the deceit had bene discouered as not many daies after it was knowne it was yet of so great force and vertue that it coulde neuer make me alienate my minde and affection from him And I also beleeued that Alanius loued me well and that especially from that time he was greatly enamoured of me though afterwardes in effect he did not so well declare it so that for certaine daies together our loue happily continued and was handled with the greatest secrecie that might be which was not yet so great but that subtile Ismenia in the end perceiued it who seeing her selfe to be the onely cause thereof and most in fault not onely by deceiuing me but by ministring occasion to Alanius of discouering himselfe and by that which passed to fall in loue with me and to forget her as indeede he did for very greefe was almost out of her wits but that with this poore hope she comforted her selfe againe that if I knew the trueth I would immediately forget and cast him off wherein she was not a little deceiued for as he afterwardes loued me more and more so by his seuerall beauties and singular deserts I was more obliged to loue and honour him But Ismenia purposing to open the deceite which by her owne follie and suttletie she had framed wrote me this letter following Ismenias letter to Seluagia IF we are bound to loue those well Seluagia that loue vs there is nothing in the world which I ought to esteeme deerer then thy selfe but if to hate them that are the cause why we are forgotten and despised I leaue it to thine owne discretion I would put thee in some fault for casting thine eies vpon my Alanius but wretched woman what shall I doe that am the organ of mine owne mishap O Seluagia to my greefe I sawe thee and well could I excuse that which I passed with thee but in the end such fonde prankes haue seldome good successe For laughing but one little hower with my Alanius and telling him what had passed betweene vs I must now weepe and lament all my life time if my greefe at the lest may not mooue thee to some remorse of pitie I beseech thee by all I may that the discouerie of this deceite may suffice and so worke with thee to make thee forget my Alanius and restore this haplesse Shepherdesse to that which being not a little thou art able to doe if loue will permit thee to graunt me this fauour which I request at thy hands When I had read this letter and imparted it to Alanius he then at large vnfolded vnto me the maner of her deceit but not one word of the loue that was betweene them both whereof I made no great reckoning for I was so assured of that which he seemed to beare me that I woulde neuer beleeue that any passed or future thoughts might haue bene an occasion to haue made him afterwardes forget me But bicause Ismenia might not by my silence thinke me discurteous I answered her letter thus Seluagias letter to Ismenia I Knowe not faire Ismenia whether I may iustly accuse thee or giue thee thankes for disposing my minde and affection in this sort nor can resolue with my selfe whether of these two I should doe vntill the successe of my loue doe counsell me heerein On the one side I am sorie for thy ill hap on the other I see that thou wentst foorth as it were to meete and imbrace it Seluagia was free when thou didst delude her in the temple and is now subiect to his will into whose handes thou wouldst needes deliuer her Thou praiest me to leaue off the loue that I beare Alanius with that which thou thy selfe wouldst doe in this behalfe I may easily answere thee Yet one thing makes me very sad that thou art greeued for that for which thou hast no iust cause of complaint which to the patient therof giueth the greatest paine in the world I do often consider thinke of those faire eies with which thou didst behold me and of that sweete face which after many importunate requestestes thou didst shew me and it greeues me Ismenia that such faire things and so like to my Alanius should suffer any sorrow and discontentment at all Behold then what remedie is left for thy greefe that for the bountie which thou hast vsed towardes me by giuing me the most precious gemme thou hadst I kisse thy faire and daintie hands which curtesie of thine being so great God graunt that by some meanes or other I may be able to requite If thou seest my Alanius there tell him I pray thee what reason he hath to loue me for he knoweth already how much he hath to forget thee And God glue thee the content thou desirest which may not be to the cost of that which I haue by seeing my affection so happily and well imploied Ismenia could not reade this letter to the end for in the middest of it her sighes and teares which she powred out were so many that she thought at that very time to haue lost her life She laboured as much as she could to make Alanius forsake me and deuised so many meanes for the same purpose as he to shun those places and occasions whereby he thought he might see her Not that he meant her any harme thereby but bicause he thought by doing so in some part he requited the great loue that I bare him All the daies that he liued in this minde there escaped not any wherein I sawe him not for he passed euermore that way feeding his flockes which from our towne did leade to his He accounted no trauels nor troubles too great which he did for my sake and especially if he thought I regarded them Day by day Ismenia inquired after him and neuer ceased to seeke him out who being sometimes tolde by others and sometimes knowing her selfe that he was in our towne had no patience at all to suffer such a corsiue at her hart And yet for all this there was not anything that contented and pacified her troubled minde more then when she could get some little time to speake with him But as necessitie is so ingenious and politike that it seekes out remedies where mans wit can scarce imagine any despised Ismenia aduentured to helpe her selfe by one which I woulde to God had neuer entred into her thought by faining that she extremely loued another Shepherd called Montanus who a long time had loued and serued her before And as she purposed so she put it in practise to trie if by this sudden change she might draw Alanius to that which so much she desired For there is not any thing which a man thinks he hath most sure though making but a small account thereof but that the losse of it if on a
for the benefits she had receiued by his meanes and for the gentle entertainment she had in his Castle And willing to shew her selfe as liberall and thankefull as the rest she sent him a sweete Cypresse chest finely wrought and carued for a present and within it most curious and costly white garmentes for his owne person The valiant Gouernor accepting the presents with great thankes to them that sent them gaue the horses targets and launces incontinently amongest the gentlemen that did accompanie him that night in the skirmish taking the best of each and also the Cyprsse chest with that which faire Xarifa had sent him for himselfe and returning the fower thousand double peeces to the messenger againe he saide vnto him Tell thy Lady Xarifa that I receiue the Duckets for her husbandes raunsome and to doe her seruice sende them backe againe towardes the charges of her marriage and that for her friendship and sweete sake I woulde change all the interests that I haue in the world in lieue that she would make an account of this Castell as her owne and her husbandes also The messenger returned backe to Coyn where he was well receiued and the liberalitie of the noble Captaine of euery one highly commended whose linage doth continue in flourishing estate to this day in Antiquera equiualent in Heroicall and Martiall deedes with the first originall from whence they are descended The historie being ended Felicia did commend the grace and good wordes wherewith faire Felismena did tell it and so did all the rest that were preient who taking their leaue of the sage Lady went all to take their rest The end of the fourth booke The fifth Booke of Diana of George of Montemayor THe next day in the morning the Lady Felicia rose vp and went to Felismenas chamber whom she found not with few teares newly making an end of apparelling her-selfe thinking euery hower she staied there a thousand yeeres And the sage Lady taking her by the hande they went into a gallerie that looked into a garden where they had supped the night before and hauing asked her the cause of her teares and giuing her som comfort and assured hope that her greefes should haue such an end as she her-selfe desired she saide vnto her There is nothing in the world more ready to take her life away whom I loue well then with incertaine hope to depriue her of the remedie of her greefe for there is not an hower that seemes not so long vnto her liuing in this sort as she thinkes the howers of her life short and speedie Because therefore my desire is to fulfill thine and after some fewe troubles to haue thee obtaine the sweet content and rest that Fortune hath promised thee thou shalt depart from thine owne house heere in the same habite that thou camest when thou didst defend my Nymphes from the force and violence of the brutish and cruell Sauages assuring thee besides that when my helpe and fauour may stande thee in steede vnsent for thou shalt alwaies haue it So that thy departure faire Felismena must be presently trust in God that thy desire shall haue a happie end For if I knew it to be otherwise thou maist well thinke I woulde not be without other remedies to make thee forget these thoughts as I haue done to many other Louers more Felismena was glad to heare the graue Ladies wordes to whom she replied thus I know not howe with words discreete Lady I may giue you condigne thankes nor with what deeds and humble seruice make any part of satisfaction of this infinite fauour which I receiue at your Ladiships hands God grant I may liue so long that by proofe your Ladishippe may know the great desire I haue to do you all the seruice I may That which your Ladiship commands me to do I will presently go about which cannot but haue good successe being directed by her counsell that can in euery thing giue the best The sage Lady embraced her saying I hope to see thee faire Felismena in this house more loyfull and contented then now thou art And bicause the two Shepherdes and Shepherdesses are staying for vs it is reason that I go to giue them also some remedy for their sorrowes that need it so much Wherefore both of them going out of the hall and finding Syrenus and Syluanus Seluagia and Belisa attending their comming the Lady Felicia saide to Felismena Entertaine this company faire Lady while I come hither againe and going into a chamber it was not long before she came out againe with two cruets of fine cristall in either hande the feete of them being of beaten golde and curiously wrought and enameled And comming to Syrenus she saide vnto him If there were any other remedy for thy greefe forgotten Shepherd but this I woulde with all possible diligence haue sought it out but because thou canst not now enioy her who loued thee once so well without anothers death which is onely in the handes of God of necessitie then thou must embrace another remedie to auoide the desire of an impossible thing And take thou faire Seluagia and despised Syluanus this glasse wherein you shall finde a soueraine remedie for all your sorrowes past present and a beginning of a ioyfull and contented life whereof you do now so little imagine And taking the cristall cruet which she helde in her left hande she gaue it to Syrenus and badde him drinke and Syrenus did so and Syluanus and Seluagia drunke off the other betweene them and in that instant they fell all downe to the ground in a deepe sleepe which made Felismena and Belisa not a little to woonder to whom the sage Ladie said Discomfort not thy selfe Belisa for I hope in time to see thee as glad as euer any was after their many sorrowes and paines And vntill thy angrie fortune be not pleased to giue thee a needfull remedy for thy great greefes my pleasure is that thou still remaine heere in my companie The Shepherdesse woulde haue kissed her hands at these words but Felicia did not let her but did rather imbrace her shewing how greatly she loued her But Felismena standing halfe amazed at the deepe sleepe of the Shepherdes saide to Felicia If the ease of these Shepherds good Ladie consisteth in sleeping me thinkes they haue it in so ample sort that they may liue the most quiet life in the worlde Woonder not at this saide Felicia for the water they drunke hath such force that as long as I will they shall sleepe so strongly that none may be able to awake them And because thou maist see whether it be so or no call one of them as loude as thou canst Felismena then came to Syluanus and pulling him by the arme began to call him aloud which did profite her as little as if she had spoken to a dead body and so it was with Syrenus and Seluagia whereat Felismena maruelled very much And then Felicia saide vnto her
bicause it was now time to go home and that the flockes tooke their accustomed way towards the village they went after them and by the way faire Diana saide to Syrenus There are many daies past Shepherd since I sawe thee in these valleyes But more saide he since I woulde haue lost my life in lieu she had not seene me that made me passe it away in such great greefe whereas in the end it contents me not a little to talke of my passed fortunes that finde my selfe now in a safe hauen Dost thou then thinke this to be a sure estate saide Diana wherein thou now liuest It cannot be dangerous said he when I dare speake thus before thee I neuer remember saide Diana that I sawe thee so much lost for my loue but that thy toong might haue had as much libertie as now it hath Thou art as discreet in imagining this said he as in all other things else Why so saide Diana bicause there are no other meanes saide he to make thee not know that which thou hast lost in me but onely by thinking that I did not loue thee so much that my toong might not haue that libertie as thou sayest But yet for all this I pray God giue thee so much content as sometimes faire Diana thou hast wished me For though my loue be now past yet the relickes therof that remaine in my soule are sufficient to wish thee al the happines in the world Euery word that Syrenus spake was a dagger to Dianas hart For God knowes if she would not haue rather giuen a more willing eare to his wonted complaints then occupied her minde in beleeuing such apparant signes of his newe libertie And though she answered to euery thing the Shepherd spake vnto her with a certaine kinde of carelessenes and did helpe her-selfe by her owne discretion bicause she would not shew any signe of sorrow for their libertie yet in her minde she ruminated the discontent that by their speeches semblances she had so deepely cōceiued And with talking of these and other matters they were come to their village by that time the Sunne had hidden all his beames and taking leaue one of another they went to their owne houses But comming to Arsileus againe who went with great ioye and desire towards the wood where Dianas Temple was to see his Shepherdesse he came to a little brooke that ranne hard by the Temple amongst a row of greene Sicamours vnder whose coole shadowes he sat him downe hoping that Fortune would send some body that way by whom he might make his Belisa vnderstand of his being there bicause he thought it somwhat dangerous to come vpon her on the sudden especially when she thought him long since to be dead And on the other side the vnpatient desire that he had to see her would not suffer him to take any rest at all But the Shepherd consulting with himselfe what was best to be done espied by chaunce a Nymph of wonderfull beautie comming towardes him with her bowe in her hand and her quiuer at her necke looking on euerie side if she could espie any Deare or wilde beast to trie how she could bestow an arrow that she carried in her bow ready bent But seeing the Shepherd she went straight vnto him who rising vp did her such reuerence as was due to so faire a Nymph whom she curteously saluted againe For this was faire Polydora one of the three that Felismena and the Shepherds deliuered from the violent hands of the Sauages and a deere friend to Belisa But both sitting downe againe vpon the greene grasse Polydora asked him what countrey man he was and the cause of his comming thither Whom Arsileus answered thus The countrey where I was borne faire Nymph hath so ill intreated me that me thinkes it greeues me to call it mine although on the other side I am bound to loue it much and more then I am able to expresse And to tell thee the cause that Fortune had to bring me to this place it were first needefull for thee faire Nymph to tell me if thou dost belong to the sage Lady Felicia in whose Palace I heard say my deerest Belisia doth remaine the onely cause of my exile out of my natiue town of that infinit sorrow which her long absence hath made me feel I am of Lady Felicias house said Polydora the gretest friend in the world to the Shepherdesse that thou hast named and bicause thou maist also make such an account of me if I thought I might profit thee any thing by giuing thee some consel I would aduise thee to forget hir if it were possible or if it lay in thy power not once to haue an amorous thought of hir bicause the remedie of thy griefe is no lesse impossible then the helpe of that which she suffers since the cruell ground doth now feede on him who was once the hope of al her sorrow And may this be true said he that the earth doth consume hir seruant Arsileus most true said Polydora for this was he whom she loued more then her selfe and he whom I may iustly call the most vnfortunate man besides thee bicause thou hast setled thy thoughts in such a place where it is impossible for them to haue any remedie For though I was neuer in loue my selfe yet do I hold it for a firme opinion that the passion of death is not so ill as that which one suffers by louing her that hath her affection setled in another place I beleeue it well faire Nymph said Arsileus and that such are Belisas golden virtues and rare constancie that as imperious death cannot make her settle her affection in any other place so there is none in the world that can make her chaunge her minde wherein faire Nymph the whole summe of my felicitie consisteth How doth thy felicitie consist Shepherd said she by louing so as thou saist when as her loue is so strongly fixed in another place This is a strange kinde of affection and neuer heard of before Bicause thou maist no longer faire Nymph maruell at my words nor at the maner of the loue which I beare to Belisa the soueraigne mistresse of my thoughts giue eare a while said Arsileus and I wil tel thee that thou neuer thought'st to heare although the beginning of it thy friend and the loadstarre of my life hath perhaps told thee And then he told her from the beginning of their loues to Alfeus his inchauntments and braue deceit and euerie thing else that till then in his loues aforesaid befell vnto him which the Shepherd told sometimes with teares being loth to recall to memorie his passed mishaps sometimes with sighes that he fetcht from the centre of his hart imagining what his mistresse Belisa might feele in these occurrents and greeuous accidents And by his dolefull words and alterations in his countenance he gaue so great a spirit to that he said and shewed such signes of inwarde griefe that
you haue reason to bee sorrie for Palnas change yet you haue no cause to maruell at it in that she is a woman which name the ancient writers Philosophers Poets and Painters did not vainely impose to Fortune Pardon me good sir if I am so bold with one whom you loue so well since I haue iust occasion to do it by reason of the great and greeuous charge that she hath left me For if I was then bound of mine owne selfe to obey you to my power now by her occasion I am constrained to serue you more then my forces can well attaine to And if I being placed in your seruice shee had remained still the little that I could do might perhaps haue seemed something but she going awaie for my cause but not thorow my fault for all that euer I can do I shall be yet obliged to more being exchanged for her whom you so greatly loued And the worst of all is that if any thing which not by my will but by some negligence I may commit shall be open to the popular eie it will be a common by-worde in all the citie That it was a good exchange of Palna for Anfilardus Wherefore I beseech you my good Lord that omitting this you woulde accept of my good will which is sufficient enough if in my deedes there shall be any defect and that my fault which must needes proceed from my small abilitie or ignorance be not attributed but to the one or other To this did Disteus answer thus As I neither can nor will denie Anfilardus that I haue not greatly felt the ingratitude of my mother Palna my nurse I meane by not thinking of that mutabilitie which thou saiest is naturally incident to women by reason of the loue that I did alwaies beare her and doe yet to speake the truth which is not so little that in so short a time I may so easily forget the great iniurie which I haue receiued at her vnkinde hands So must I needs confesse that it is a great lightening to my hart that it was done for thy sake of whom I hope it shall be well considered since the greater part thereof is alreadie requited with the good will which at this present thou hast discouered though thy workes also haue seemed of no lesse effect both which when opportunitie shall serue I will not hereafter forget to reward The beginning whereof shall be this That I promise thee bicause I perceiue how heauily thou takest the great greefe which I haue felt for her absence and sweare neuer to shew my selfe agreeued for it in thy presence although perhaps I be in minde nor in thy absence to impart it to any but to my selfe They being in these speeches I came to Disteus house and speaking with one of his men willed him to tell his Master how I was come with a letter from mine Aunt vnto him The page did my errant and as Disteus was in suspence whether he might receiue it or no Anfilardus saide vnto him Sir send for the messenger in for by this you shall the more signifie your goodnes hearing with one countenance the iust and culpable person and not do Palna so much glorie as to make her know that her absence hath greeued you very much Disteus liked his counsell well and thereupon commanded me to come in With thy good leaue Lady Felicia and of all the rest said Parisiles I would aske how being without you might heare these speeches betweene them within From hencefoorth answered Placindus you must vnderstand that we tolde one another all the matters that passed and with this aduertisement I will proceed In the end I came in where Disteus and Anfilardus were and doing my dutie began thus to speake Your nurse Palna with her remembred dutie to you my Lord doth most humblie beseech you to reade this letter which she sends you Disteus tooke the letter and dissembling his greefe as Anfilardus had counselled him said If thine Aunt doth write to me to the ende to excuse herselfe she needed not haue taken these paines for she might haue done heerein according to her owne minde as in that which shall like me best I will do to mine own will and pleasure Thou shalt tell her that I will reade it wherein if there be anie thing for me to do for her I will heereafter bethinke me of it I not perceiuing this kinde of dissimulation maruelled not a little to see how soone he had shaken off the loue that he bare to mine aunt Truth it is that as I was then ignorant of that which afterwards succeeded so I esteemed his coye answere for a point of wisedome and was no lesse ashamed at that she had done With this answer I went my waies and they remained all alone Anfilardus praised not a little his fained answere commended his wisedome in that he would not call her mother as he was wont to do nor name her by her owne name in token of contempt But Disteus opening the letter saw it said thus Palnas letter to Disteus PAlna thy mother from thy milke and from the loue of her inward soule to thee her louing Sonne Disteus sendeth greeting Bicause as I know thou wouldest condemne me for a verie foole if I went about to shew that I had iust cause to forsake thee that wert mine onely comfort and to whom I am so much bound so will I not excuse my selfe heerein which if I should do and say that I am not worthie of reprehension I might then seeme in a manner to charge thee therewith since something must be attributed to so great a chaunge But if any fault be committed I am content that it be onely imputed to me for it shall greeue me lesse that the whole world should condemne me for it then that any should suspect the least defect in thee that might be Wherefore let this onely serue to entreate thee by the amorous milke that thou hast sucked out of my breast to haue so much patience vntill the successe shall manifest the cause hereof which to the end I will passe with the ill opinion that the world hath on me for leauing thee to an effect that shall result to thy profit whereby thou shalt affirme thy selfe satisfied and me acquited with thee at the least whereas for the rest it shall not greatly skill I know well thou wilt obiect say That if there were any hidden thing whereby I might haue procured thy content I had no reason to conceale it from thee I answer bicause I knew thou wouldest by no meanes giue me leaue to depart I would not tell thee of my purpose vntill seeing the good successe of it thou mightest know my great loue to thee since without making thee priuie I haue enterprized so great and difficult a matter And now bicause I haue spoken more then I thought I will conclude with this That I am in good health and not a little glad that my good
beleeue that which from thy very thoughts and affection thou dost tell me I imagine oftentimes that as thou supposest that I loue thee not by louing thee more then my selfe so must thou thinke that thou louest me by hating me Behold Syrenus how time hath dealt better with thee then thou didst imagine at the beginning of our loues with safetie yet of mine honour which owes thee all that it may wherein is not any thing that I would not doe for thy sake beseeching thee as much as I may not to trouble thy minde with iealousie and suspicions bicause thou knowest how few escape out of their hands with safetie of life which God giue thee with all the content that I wish thee Is this a letter saide Syrenus sighing to make one thinke that obliuion could enter into that hart from whence such wordes came foorth And are these wordes to be passed so slightly out of memorie And that she then spake them and now forget me O sorrowfull man with what great content did I reade this letter when my Mistresse had sent it me and how many times in the same hower did I reade it ouer againe But for euery pleasure then with seuen folde paine I am now apaide and fortune could doe no lesse with me then to make me fall from one extreme to another For it had ill beseemed her with partiall hand to exempt me from that which to all others she is commonly wont to doe About this time from the hill beneath that led from the village to the greene medowe Syrenus might perceiue a Shepherd comming downe pace by pace and staying awhile at euery step sometimes looking vp to heauen and sometimes casting his eies vpon the greene medow and faire riuer bankes which from aloft he might easily view and discouer the thing which more augmented his sorrow seeing the place where the beginning and roote of his mishap did first growe Syrenus knew him by and by and looking towardes the place from whence he came saide Vnfortunate Shepherd though not halfe so much as I am that art a corriuall with me in Dianas loue to what end haue thy bootelesse suites serued thee and the disdaine that this cruell Shepherdesse hath done thee but to put them all on my score But if thou hadst knowen that the finall summe of all thy paines should haue bene like to mine what greater fauour hadst thou found at fortunes hands by preseruing thee still in this haplesse estate of life then by throwing me headlong downe from it when I did lest suspect it But now despised Syluanus tooke out his bagpipe and playing on it a little with great sorrow and greefe did sing these verses following I Am a louer but was neuer loued Well haue I lou'd and will though hated euer Troubles I passe but neuer any mooued Sighes haue I giuen and yet she heard me neuer I would complaine and she would neuer heare me And flie from loue but it is euer neere me Obliuion onely blamelesse doth beset me For that remembreth neuer to forget me For euery ill one semblant I doe beare still To day not sad nor yesterday contented To looke behinde or go before I feare still All things to passe alike I haue consented I am besides my selfe like him that daunceth And mooues his feete at euery sound that chaunceth And so all like a senselesse foole disdaines me But this is nothing to the greefe that paines me The night to certaine louers is a trouble When in the day some good they are attending And other some doe hope to gaine some double Pleasure by night and wish the day were ending With that that greeueth some some others ease them And all do follow that that best doth please them But for the day with teares I am a crying Which being come for night I am a dying Of Cupid to complaine who euer craue it In waues he writes and to the windes he crieth Or seeketh helpe of him that neuer gaue it For he at last thy paines and thee defieth Come but to him some good aduise to lend thee To thousand od conceits he will commend thee What thing is then this loue It is a science That sets both proofe and study at defiance My Mistresse loued her Syrenus deerely And scorned me whose loues yet I auouched Left to my greefe for good I held it cleerely Though narrowly my life and soule it touched Had I but had a heauen as he once shining Loue would I blame if it had bene declining But loue did take no good from me he sent me For how can loue take that he neuer lent me Loue 's not a thing that any may procure it Loue 's not a thing that may be bought for treasure Loue 's not a thing that comes when any lure it Loue 's not a thing that may be found at pâ—…re For if it be not borne with thee refraine it To thinke thou must be borne anew to gaine it Then since that loue shuns force and doth disclame it The scorned louer hath no cause to blame it Syrenus was not idle when Syluanus was singing these verses for with his sighes he answered the last accents of his wordes and with his teares did solemnize that which he conceiued by them The disdained Shepherd after he had ended his song began to reuolue in his minde the small regarde he had of himselfe and how for the loue of his cruell Mistresse Diana he had neglected all his busines and flockes and yet he reckoned all this but small He considered that his seruice was without hope of recompence a great occasion to make him that hath but small firmnesse easily cut off the way of his loue But his constancie was so great that being put in the middes of all the causes which he had to forget her who neuer thought of him with his owne safetie he came so easily out of them and so cleerely without preiudice to the sincere loue which he bare his Shepherdesse that without any feare he neuer committed any ignorance that might turne to the hurt or hinderance of his faith But when he sawe Syrenus at the fountaine he woondred to see him so sad not that he was ignorant of the cause of his sorrow but bicause he thought that if he had tasted but the lest fauour that Syrenus had sometimes receiued at Dianas handes such a contentment had bene ynough for him all his life time He came vnto him and imbraced him and with many teares on both sides they sat them downe vpon the greene grasse Syluanus beginning to speake in this sort God forbid Syrenus that for the cause of my mishap or at the lest for the small remedie thereof I should take delight or reuenge in thine which though at mine owne pleasure I might well doe yet the great loue which I beare to my Mistresse Diana woulde neuer consent thereunto nor suffer me to goe against that which with such good will and liking she had sometimes fauoured
nor then to do any more but woonder at their graces their gorgeous attyre their iewels their braue fashions of apparell and ornaments wherewith they were so richly set out Vp and downe this place before the windowes roade many lords and braue gentlemen in rich and sumptuous habits and mounted vpon proud Iennets euery one casting his eie to that part where his thoughts were secretly placed God knowes how greatly I desired to see Don Felix there and that his iniurious loue had beene in that famous pallace bicause I might then haue beene assured that he shoulde neuer haue got any other guerdon of his sutes and seruices but onely to see and to be seene and sometimes to speake to his Mistresse whom he must serue before a thousand eies bicause the priuilege of that place doth not giue him any further leaue But it was my ill fortune that he had setled his loue in that place where I might not be assured of this poore helpe Thus as I was standing neere to the pallace gate I espied Fabius Don Felix his page comming in great haste to the pallace where speaking a word or two with a porter that kept the second entrie he returned the same waie he came I gessed his errant was to knowe whether it were fit time for Don Felix to come to dispatch certaine busines that his father had in the court and that he could not choose but come thither out of hand And being in this supposed ioy which his sight did promise me I sawe him comming along with a great traine of followers attending on his person all of them being brauely apparelled in a liuerie of watchet silke garded with yellow veluet and stitched on either side with threedes of twisted siluer wearing likewise blew yellow and white feathers in their hats But my Lorde Don Felix had on a paire of ash colour hose embrodered and drawen foorth with watchet tissue his dublet was of white satten embrodered with knots of golde and likewise an embrodered ierkin of the same coloured veluet and his short cape cloke was of blacke veluet edged with gold lace and hung full of buttons of pearle and gold and lined with razed watchet satten by his side he ware at apaire of embrodered hangers a rapier and dagger with engrauen hilts and pommell of beaten golde On his head a hat beset full of golden stars in the mids of euerie which a rich orient pearle was enchased and his feather was likewise blew yellow and white Mounted he came vpon a faire dapple graie Iennet with a rich furniture of blew embrodered with golde and seede pearle When I sawe him in this rich equipage I was so amazed at his sight that how extremely my sences were rauished with sudden ioye I am not able faire Nymphes to tell you Truth it is that I could not but shed some teares for ioy and greefe which his sight did make me feele but fearing to be noted by the standers by for that time I dried them vp But as Don Felix being now come to the pallace gate was dismounted and gone vp a paire of staires into the chamber of presence I went to his men where they were attending his returne and seeing Fabjus whom I had seene before amongst them I tooke him aside and saide vnto him My friend I pray you tell me what Lord this is which did but euen now alight from his Iennet for me thinkes he is very like one whom I haue seene before in an other farre countrey Fabius then answered me thus Art thou such a nouice in the court that thou knowest not Don Felix I tell thee there is not any Lord knight or gentleman better knowne in it then he No doubt of that saide I but I will tell thee what a nouice I am and how small a time I haue beene in the court for yesterday was the first that euer I came to it Naie then I cannot blame thee saide Fabius if thou knowest him not Knowe then that this gentleman is called Don Felix borne in Vandalia and hath his chiefest house in the ancient cittie of Soldina and is remaining in this court about certaine affaires of his fathers and his owne But I pray you tell me said I why he giues his liueries of these colours If the cause were not so manifest I woulde conceale it saide Fabius but since there is not any that knowes it not and canst not come to any in this court who cannot tell thee the reason why I thinke by telling thee it I do no more then in courtesie I am bound to do Thou must therefore vnderstand that he loues and serues a Ladie heere in this Citie named Celia and therefore weares and giues for his liuerie an azure blew which is the colour of the skie and white and yellow which are the colours of his Lady and Mistresse When I heard these words imagine faire Nymphes in what a plight I was but dissembling my mishap and griefe I answered him This Ladie certes is greatly beholding to him bicause he thinkes not enough by wearing her colours to shew how willing he is to serue her vnlesse also he beare her name in his liuerie whereupon I gesse she cannot be but very faire and amiable She is no lesse indeede saide Fabius although the other whom he loued and serued in our owne countrey in beautie farre excelled this and loued and fauoured him more then euer this did But this mischieuous absence doth violate and dissolue those things which men thinke to be most strong and firme At these wordes faire Nymphes was I faine to come to some composition with my teares which if I had not stopped from issuing foorth Fabius could not haue chosen but suspected by the alteration of my countenance that all was not well with me And then the Page did aske me what countrey-man I was my name and of what calling and condition I was whom I answered that my countrey where I was borne was Vandalia my name Valerius and till that time serued no Master Then by this reckoning saide he we are both countrey-men and may be both fellowes in one house if thou wilt for Don Felix my Master commanded me long since to seeke him out a Page Therefore if thou wilt serue him say so As for meate drinke and apparell and a couple of shillings to play away thou shalt neuer want besides pretie wenches which are not daintie in our streete as faire and amorous as Queenes of which there is not anie that will not die for the loue of so proper a youth as thou art And to tell thee in secret because perhaps we may be fellowes I know where an old Cannons maide is a gallant fine girle whom if thou canst but finde in thy hart to loue and serue as I do thou shalt neuer want at her hands sine hand-kerchers peeces of bacon and now and then wine of S. Martyn When I heard this I could not choose but laugh to see how naturally the vnhappie
Page played his part by depainting foorth their properties in their liuely colours And because I thought nothing more commodious for my rest and for the enioying of my desire then to follow Fabius his counsell I answered him thus In truth I determined to serue none but now since fortune hath offered me so good a seruice and at such a time when I am constrained to take this course of life I shall not do amisse if I frame my selfe to the seruiee of some Lord or Gentleman in this Court but especially of your Master because he seemes to be a woorthy Gentleman and such an one that makes more reckoning of his seruants then an other Ha thou knowest him not as well as I said Fabius for I promise thee by the faith of a Gentleman for I am one in deede for my father comes of the Cachopines of Laredo that my Master Don Felix is the best natured Gentleman that euer thou knewest in thy life and one who vseth his Pages better then any other And were it not for those troublesome loues which makes vs runne vp and downe more and sleepelesse then we woulde there were not such a Master in the whole worlde againe In the end faire Nymphes Fabius spake to his Master Don Felix as soone as he was come foorth in my behalfe who commanded me the same night to come to him at his lodging Thither I went and he entertained me for his Page making the most of me in the worlde where being but a fewe daies with him I sawe the messages letters and gifts that were brought and caried on both sides greeuous wounds alas coruiues to my dying hart which made my soule to flie sometimes out of my body euery hower in hazard to leese my forced patience before euery one But after one moneth was past Don Felix began to like so well of me that he disclosed his whole loue vnto me from the beginning vnto the present estate and forwardnes that it was then in committing the charge thereof to my secrecie and helpe telling me that he was fauoured of her at the beginning and that afterwards she waxed wearie of her louing and accustomed entertainment the cause whereof was a secret report whosoeuer it was that buzzed it into her eares of the loue that he did beare to a Lady in his owne countrey and that his present loue vnto her was but to entertaine the time while his busines in the Court were dispatched And there is no doubt saide Don Felix vnto me but that indeede I did once commence that loue that she laies to my charge but God knowes if now there be any thing in the world that I loue and esteeme more deere and precious then her When I heard him say so you may imagine faire Nymphes what a mortall dagger pierced my wounded heart But with dissembling the matter the best I coulde I answered him thus It were better sir me thinkes that the Gentlewoman should complaine with cause and that it were so indeed for if the other Ladie whom you serued before did not deserue to be forgotten of you you do her vnder correction my Lord the greatest wrong in the world The loue said Don Felix againe which I beare to my Celia will not let me vnderstand it so but I haue done her me thinkes the greater iniurie hauing placed my loue first in an other and not in her Of these wrongs saide I to my selfe I know who beares the woorst away And disloyall he pulling a letter out of his bosome which he had receiued the same hower from his Mistresse reade it vnto me thinking that he did me a great fauour thereby the contents whereof were these Celias letter to Don Felix NEuer any thing that I suspected touching thy loue hath beene so farre from the truth that hath not giuen me occasion to beleeue more often mine owne imagination then thy innocencie wherein if I do thee any wrong referre it but to the censure of thine owne follie For well thou mightest haue denied or not declared thy passed loue without giuing me occasion to condemne thee by thine owne confession Thou saiest I was the cause that made thee forget thy former loue Comfort thy selfe for there shall not want another to make thee forget thy second And assure thy selfe of this Lord Don Felix that there is not any thing more vnbeseeming a Gentleman then to finde an occasion in a Gentlewoman to leese himselfe for her loue I will saie no more but that in an ill where there is no remedie the best is not to seeke out any After he had made an end of reading the letter he said vnto me What thinkest thou Valerius of these words With pardon be it spoken my Lord That your deedes are shewed by them Go to said Don Felix and speake no more of that Sir saide I they must like me wel if they like you because none can iudge better of their words that loue well then they themselues But that which I thinke of the letter is that this Gentlewoman would haue beene the first and that Fortune had entreated her in such sort that all others might haue enuied her estate But what wouldest thou counsell me saide Don Felix If thy griefe doth suffer any counsell saide I that thy thoughts be diuided into this second passion since there is so much due to the first Don Felix answered me againe sighing and knocking me gently on the shoulder saying How wise art thou Valerius and what good counsell dost thou giue me if I could follow it Let vs now go in to dinner for when I haue dined I will haue thee carie me a letter to my Lady Celia and then thou shalt see if any other loue is not woorthy to be forgotten in lieu of thinking onely of her These were wordes that greeued Felismena to the hart but bicause she had him before her eies whom she loued more then her-selfe the content that she had by onely seeing him was a sufficient remedie of the paine that the greatest of these stings did make her feele After Don Felix had dined he called me vnto him and giuing me a speciall charge what I should do because he had imparted his griefe vnto me and put his hope and remedie in my hands he willed me to carie a letter to Celia which he had alreadie written and reading it first vnto me it said thus Don Felix his letter to Celia THe thought that seekes an occasion to forget the thing which it doth loue and desire suffers it selfe so easily to be knowne that without troubling the minde much it may be quickly discerned And thinke not faire Ladie that I seeke a remedie to excuse you of that wherewith it pleased you to vse me since I neuer came to be so much in credit with you that in lesser things I woulde do it I haue confessed vnto you that indeede I once loued well because that true loue without dissimulation doth not suffer any thing
He came to vs where we were set and curteously saluting vs in very good sort and with a good grace requested pardon of vs That certes faire Nympes when I begin to thinke of the sweete behauiour and ripened wisedome of vnfortunate Arsileus I do not thinke that his sinister fates and fortune were the cause that death tooke him away so quickly from my sight but rather that the worlde was not woorthie to enioye any longer so singular a youth on whom nature had bestowed so many perfections of beautie and enriched with so many gifts of the minde as that hee left not his like behinde him After hee had saluted vs and leaue obtained which hee humblie requested of vs to passe away the heate of the daye in our companie hee cast his eies vpon me which had hee neuer done happie had we both beene and was as it appeered afterwardes by diuers signes whereby hee manifested his affection to me extremely ouercome in my loue Vnhappie I that needed not to looke on him to loue him being so much enwrapped in his by seeing him before as hee was nowe in mine after hee had seene me lifted vp mine eies to beholde him at the verie instant when he addressed his to looke on me which forcible encounter both of vs would willingly had not befell bicause that modestie and shame sharpely rebuked me and feare left not him without bitter punishment But he to dissemble his newe greefe began to discourse with me in matters cleane different from those which he woulde haue imparted to me to some of which I answered againe my thoughts and sences being then more careful to see if by the alteration of his countenance or mildenes in his words he shewed any signes of loue then fully to satisfie his questions For then so greatly I desired to heare him sighe to confirme me in my doubtfull hope that in lieu of such a happines I woulde not haue cared to haue passed any greefe whatsoeuer And in the end I coulde not wish for more apparant signes of loue in him then at that present I behelde for what with his toong he coulde not with his eies he manifestly declared vnto me the amorous and secret passions of his hart And being in these points the two Shepherdesses that were with me rose vp to milke their kine whom I praied to take the paines to milke mine likewise for that I felt my selfe not well at ease And needlesse it was for me to entreate them much and for Arsileus to haue any fitter occasion to declare vnto me his greefe wherein I knowe not if he was deceiued by imagining the occasion why I would be without companie but am assured that he was not a little glad to helpe himselfe by the opportunitie thereof The Shepherdesses were busie about milking their kine which suffered themselues to be deceiued with humane industry by tying their gentle cauelings to their feete That Arsileus now newly suprised in loue had yeelded himselfe so much to Cupids bonds that nothing but speedie death could giue him libertie I perceiued apparantly in that fower or fiue times he began to speake vnto me and euery time in vaine for the feare he had of my displeasure came euer betweene him and his speech and therefore I began to talke to him of another matter not farre from his intent bicause he might not digresse much from it inducing him thereby to tell me what it was that so often he went about to speake and could not vtter saying Doth this countrey like thee well Arsileus For the entertainment and conuersation of that where thou hast lately spent thy time is I knowe farre different from ours which therefore cannot so well content thee as that As of my selfe quoth he I haue not so much power so hath not my vnderstanding faire Shepherdesse so much libertie to answer this demand And changing this manner of talke to shewe him the way with occasion I said vnto him againe I haue heard say that in those parts are many faire Shepherdesses that paragonned to vs they so farre excell vs that we must seeme but meane in thy sight that are heere I might be thought too simple saide Arsileus if I woulde confesse this for though there are as faire there as you haue heard yet heere are they which with mine owne eies I daily see that so farre surmount them as the sun doth the chiefest stars in brightnes This is the greatest glose in the world said I againe and yet for all this I am not sorrie that our countrey-women are so farre in your good opinion and liking because I am one of them my selfe Which onely reason saide he if there were no other were sufficient enough to prooue what I haue said So that by word and worde he came to tell me that which I desired to heare though I would not then make him knowe so much but rather intreated him to stop vp the passage of his wordes But fearing least this might haue bene an occasion to qualifie his loue as often times it falleth out that disgraces and disfauours in the beginning are the meanes to make any leaue of their true commenced loue I began to tune againe my iarring answere saying thus vnto him And if thy loue be such Arsileus that it will not suffer thee to leaue of to loue me be secret therein since it is the manner of those that are wise and iudicious like thy selfe to be no lesse in things of meaner consequence Albeit by all this which I haue saide vnto thee I would not haue thee thinke to profit thy selfe any more then that I must for euer liue bounde vnto thee if thou wilt follow my counsell in this behalfe This did my toong speake but an other thing did my pitifull eies affirme with the which I still looked him in the face and casting out a sigh an assured messenger of my inwarde and sensible passion which Arsileus might haue perceiued well ynough if Loue at the least would haue giuen him leaue I held my peace In this sort we departed from one another and many times afterwards he talked with me of these matters who sent me besides many letters and fine Sonnets of his owne making And as he sung them night by night to the tune of his sweete Harpe with amorous teares I oftentimes harkened vnto him so that in the ende both of vs was assured of each others loue But now did Arsenius his father importune me in such sort with his messages and presents that I knew not what way to take to defend me from him And it was the strangest thing in the world to see how the loue which increased euery day in the sonne was also augmented in the father though they were both of different age and powers and yet the same I must needes confesse made me not reiect him nor refuse any thing that he sent me But liuing now in all contentment and seeing my selfe so truly beloued of Arsileus whom I loued
And now the yeeres are past the months and Daies Vpon this confidence and cleere Deceite Wearie with weeping are my watrie Eies Wearie to heare me is the hill and Vale. And in the end thus answered of false Fortune Iesting at that whereof I doe Complaine But wofull man whereof doe I Complaine But of the length of my prolonged Daies Perhaps a slaue to me is cruell Fortune That for my fault she must pay this Deceite Went he not free exempted in this Vale Who did command me to lift vp mine Eies But who againe can tame his greedie Eies Or can I liue if I doe not Complaine Of th' ill which Loue hath done me in this Vale. Curst be that ill that lastes so many Daies But death cannot if this be no Deceite Stay long to giue an end vnto my Fortune Calmes wonted are to come after hard Fortune But neuer shall be viewed of mine Eies Nor yet I thinke to fall in this Deceite O well let the first suffice which I Complaine And will faire Shepherdesse as many Daies As the remembrance lasteth of this Vale. If Shepherdesse that day when in this Vale I did behold thee to my hardest Fortune The finall end had come of all my Daies Or I had lesse beheld those coyest Eies The cause should cease whereof I doe Complaine And I would fall no more into Deceite But purposing to worke me this Deceite When by and by thou sawest me in this Vale Milde thou didst seeme See then if I Complaine Vniustly of false Loue and cruell Fortune And now I knowe not why thou turn'st thine Eies Away vnlesse thou greeuest at my Daies My song of Loue and Fortune I Complaine And since a braue Deceite so many Daies Did last water mine Eies this hill and Vale. This did the Shepherd sing keeping time with his teares and resting with his sighes and the Shepherdesse sat harkening vnto him with great content to see with what a grace he did both play and sing But after the Shepherd had made an end of his song laying his rebecke out of his hand he said to Shepherdesse Art thou now pleased Amarillis for to content thy minde thou maist make me do that which doth vtterly displease me And accursed Alfeus I wish that Fortune would bring thee to that passe wherunto by thy detested forceries I am come bicause thou mightest then know what good cause I haue to hate thee for the cruell despite that thou hast done me O sweet Belisa is there any in the world more bound to thee then I am God graunt I may deduct this sorrowfull life so long that mine eies may once again enioy thy peerlesse beautie that thine may see if I do not acknowledge how much I do owe vnto them These words the Shepherd spake with such plentie of teares that there was no hart had it beene neuer so hard that by hearing them would not haue melted But now that thou hast told me Arsileus said the Shepherdesse vnto him the beginning of thy affection and how thy father Arsenius was the principall occasion of thy seruice and great loue to Belisa bicause when he sued vnto her she did participate and thou profit thy selfe by thine owne letters songs and some times by thine owne musicke of all which he might haue well excused himselfe I pray thee now tell me how thou didst leese her This is a thing said the Shepherd which I would seldome repeat but bicause it is euer thy qualitie to commaund me to tell thee that which is most grieuous vnto my soule hearke then and in a few words I will tell it thee There was a man in our towne called Alfeus who had the name amongst vs to be a great Magician and he loued Belisa extremely before my Father euer began to serue her but she could not abide not onely to see him but not to heare of his name which if any had but founded in her eares they could not haue angred her worse Now when this Coniurer vnderstood I know not how of the appointed meeting betweene me and Belisa to talke together in the night from the toppe of a Mulberie tree in her fathers Orchard Alfeus full of diuels commanded two spirits to take the shape of my father Arsenius mine vpon them that he that took vpon him my shape shuld go to the appointed place the other that took my fathers should come thither shoot at him in the tree with a crosbow arrowe thinking he was not his Son but another then to come presently vnto him knowing him to be his Son should kill himselfe for greefe that he had staine his owne Son to the end that the Shepherdesse Belisa should kill her-selfe seeing my selfe my Father dead or at least do that which afterwards she did This villany did the traitor Alfeus work for despight of that great loue which he knew Belisa did beare me and for the contempt which she had of his vnwoorthy affection When this was in maner aforesaide done and Belisa thought that my Father and I were both staine like a careles and desperate woman she forsooke her Fathers house and is gone where none can yet tel where she is or any tydings of her This did the Shepherdesse Armida tel me and I do verily beleeue it according to that which succeeded after When Felismena had heard what the Shepherd had tolde Amarillis she wondred not a little imagining with her-selfe that all that he tolde did seeme to be true and by the signes that she sawe in him knewe that he was the same Arsileus Belisas seruant whom she thought to be dead and therefore saide to her-selfe It is not reason that Fortune should giue her any content that would denie it a Shepherd that doth so well deserue it and that stands so much in neede thereof I will not at the least depart from this place without giuing him such ioy as he will receiue at the newes of his beloued Shepherdesse Whereupon comming to the dore of the coate she saide to Amarillis Will it please thee faire Shepherdesse to giue the forlorne woman of Fortune that hath lost her way and the hope to finde it out againe leaue to passe away the heate of the day in this place with thee The Shepherdesse seeing on a sudden such exceeding beautie and so comely a feature was so amazed that she was vnable to answer one worde againe but Arsileus saide vnto her There wants no other thing faire Shepherdesse for the performing of thy request but the place which is not so good as thou deseruest but if thou art wont to bee serued with such homely lodging Come in and wherein wee may doe thee any seruice our good wils shall excuse the wants of our abilitie These wordes Arsileus saide Felismena againe seeme well to come out of thy mouth but the ioye that I will leaue with thee in requitall of them I wish may befall to me of that which I haue so
round about with Myrtles and Laurels he found Dianas sheepe that went by themselues all alone feeding amongst the trees vnder the keeping of two fierce masties And as the Shepherd staied to looke vpon them thinking of the time wherein he had greater care of them then of his owne the masties with great furie came running vpon him But when they came somewhat nigh and knew him by wagging their tailes and holding downe their necks that were armed with collers of sharpe nailes the one fell downe at his feete and the other by skipping vpon him fawned on him with the greatest ioy in the world And the sheepe did no lesse for the Bell-wether with his rurall bleating came to the Shepherd whom all the rest followed and knowing Syrenus came round about him which sight he could not behold without teares calling to mind that sometimes in the company of faire Diana he had fed that gentle flocke And seeing that in the silly beasts that loue and knowledge did abound which wanted in their mistresse it was so forcible a motion in his minde that if the vertue of the water which sage Felicia had giuen him had not made him forget his olde loue it might well haue beene that there was nothing else in the worlde that coulde haue let him from renewing it againe But seeing himselfe thus in the mids of Dianas sheepe and with the thoughts that the memorie of such a thing did put before his eies to the tune of his merie Recbecke he began to sing this song PAssed contents O what meane ye Forsake me now and doe not wearie me Wilt thou heare me O memorie My pleasant daies and nights againe I haue appaid with seuenfold paine Thou hast no more to aske me why For when I went they all did die As thou dost see O leaue me then and doe not wearie me Greene field and shadowed valley wheare Sometime my chiefest pleasure was Behold what I did after passe Then let me rest and if I beare Not with good cause continuall feare Now doe you see O leaue me then and doe not trouble me I sawe a hart changed of late And wearied to assure mine Then I was forced to recure mine By good occasion time and fate My thoughts that now such passions hate O what meane ye Forsake me now and doe not wearie me You lambes and sheepe that in these layes Did sometimes follow me so glad The merry howres and the sad Are passed now with all those daies Make not such mirth and wonted plaies As once did ye For now no more you haue deceiued me If that to trouble me you come Or come to comfort me indeede I haue no ill for comforts neede But if to kill me Then in summe Full well may ye Kill me and you shall make an end of me After Syrenus had made an ende of his song faire Diana knewe him by his voice and so did the two enamoured Shepherdes Syluanus and Seluagia They called to him telling him that if he was minded to passe away the heate of the day in the field there was the fresh fountaine of the Sicamours and faire Diana both which should be no small allurements to inuite him thither Syrenus answered him that be must needs stay all day in the field vntill it was time to go home againe with his sheepe to the towne and comming where the Shepherd and Shepherdesses were they sat round about the cleere fountaine as they were commonly woont to do But Diana whose life was so sorrowfull as one may imagine that euer sawe a Shepherdesse the fairest and wisest that was then knowne married so greatly to her greefe went day by day seeking out new occasions to entortaine the time and to passe her life away and studying often to preuent her continuall and sorrowfull thoughts But the Shepherdes sitting and talking of other matters touching the feeding of sheepe and their profite Diana brake off the substance of their talke saying to Syluanus It is a proper thing Shepherd that sitting before thy faire Seluagia thou talkest of other impertinent things and not of praising her beautie nor of the great loue that she beares thee Let the field and lambes alone the good or ill successe of time and fortune and enioy the good hap that Shepherd thou hast nowe by being beloued of so faire a Shepherdesse for where there is so great reason to haue continually such contentment of minde thou need'st not care for that which Fortune doth but sometimes giue How much I am beholding to thee Diana answered Syluanus none can expresse but he that knowes what great reason I haue to acknowledge this debt bicause thou didst not onely then teach me to loue well but now also shewest me the way to vse the contentment that my loue affoordes me The reason thou hast to warne me not to talke of any other matter my Mistresse being in presence but onely of the content that by her sight I receiue is great infinite the which I promise thee faire Diana to do while my happy soule shall be conteined in this ioyfull body But I maruell at one thing to see how thy Syrenus doth cast his eies another way when thou speakest vnto him it seemes thy wordes please him not or that he is not satisfied with thy answers Blame him not said Diana for carelesse men enimies to their own good will do more then this Enimy to mine own good said Syrenus If I was euer such an one let death punish me for my error This is a prety shift to excuse thy fault To excuse my fault said Diana If I haue not yet the first offence to do thee I pray God I may neuer haue any other cōtent then that which I now enioy It is wel that thou dost finde fault with me for being married hauing parets But it is wel said Syrenus that thou didst marry hauing another Loue And what power had that Loue saide Diana where obedience was due to parents And what power had those parents saide Syrenus that obedience those times those fauourable or sinistrous successes of Fortune to ouerrule so true a Loue as before my departure thou didst shew me Ah Diana I neuer thought there was any thing in the worlde that could dissolue so great a faith as that and how much more Dianas considering that well thou mightest haue married and not forgotten him who loued thee so entyrely But thinking of the matter vnappassionately it was now better for me since thou wert resolued to marrie and being married to forget me quite For what reason saide Diana For what saide Syrenus Bicause there is no woorse thing in the worlde then for a Shepherd to loue a Shepherdesse that is married nor that makes him that beares her true loue and affection sooner to loose his wits and sences the reason whereof as wee all know is that the principall passion which doth torment a louer after the desire of his Mistres is cruell iealousie For what dost thou
sing and bicause thou art such a friend to wailing and sadnes it were not meete thou shouldst sing at my will and pleasure but to leaue it to thine own But yet let vs tune concord with these Shepherds and aske them what thou shalt sing Thou commest too late to agree and concord with vs now said Syrenus but bicause it pleaseth thee so entreat him to expresse by his song the cause of his sorrow and passions Let him sing what thou wilt saide Diana and what hee will bicause thou maist not say that I neuer knew how to consorme my selfe with thee Then did Firmius take his Rebecke and began to sing in manner following SHepherds giue eare and now be still Vnto my passions and their cause And what they be Since that with such an earnest will And such great signes of friendships lawes You aske it me It is not long since I was whole Nor since I did in euery part Sreewill resigne It is not long since in my sole Possession I did knowe my hart And to be mine It is not long since euen and morrow All pleasure that my hart could finde Was in my power It is not long since greefe and sorrow My louing hart began to binde And to deuoure It is not long since companie I did esteeme a ioy indeede Still to frequent Nor long since solitarily I liu'd and that this life did breede My sole content Desirous I wretched to see But thinking not to see so much As then I sawe Loue made me knowe in what degree His valour and braue force did touch Me with his lawe First he did put no more nor lesse Into my hart then he did view That there did want But when my brest in such excesse Of liuely flames to burne I knew Then were so scant My ioies that now did so abate My selfe estranged euery way From former rest That I did knowe that my estate And that my life was euery day In deathes arrest I put my hand into my side To see what was the cause of this Vnwonted vaine Where I did feele that torments hied By endlesse death to preiudice My life vvith paine Bicause I savve that there did vvant My hart wherein I did delight My deerest hart And he that did the same supplant No iurisdiction had of right To play that part The iudge and robber that remaine Within my soule their cause to trie Are there all one And so the giuer of the paine And he that is condemn'd to die Or I or none To die I care not any way Though without why to die I greeue As I doe see But for bicause I heard her say None die for loue for I beleeue None such there bee Then this thou shalt beleeue by mee Too late and without remedie As did in breefe Anaxarete and thou shalt see The little she did satisfie With after greefe The Shepherdes gaue a diligent eare to Firmius song to see if by the same hee would giue some light of the loue that he did beare to Diana but he was so vigilant to the contrarie that though hee reported the cause of his passion yet they could vnderstand no more then they did at the beginning It was needlesse for the three Shepherdes to know Firmius passion by hearing him sing who wished rather that he had manifested it by words that he might not afterwards denie it or to say better confesse it when any such speech shoulde bee offered thereof For whensoeuer they tolde him of it he spake of it so obscurely that hee neither confessed nor denied that he loued her And so to this intent he finely cloaked with Syrenus that Diana by his meanes should demand the cause of his sorrow thinking with himself that for any thing that might ensue being demanded by her he woulde not deny to manifest it vnto her But if he could haue concealed his loue as well by deedes as he did by wordes the Shepherds might haue beene as wise as at the first for euer knowing it But it fell not out so to Diana who vnderstood well by his last verse that all the rest were onely ment of her for it answered to the latter end of her speech when they both talked so secretly togither And so she made great account of Firmius for his wittie and short answer Euery one commended his singing and Diana as well for this and for that which he sung on the Baggepipe as also for that which he had spoken to Syrenus was somewhat enclined to like him thinking verie well of that which he had sung and spoken Considering besides that the trouble which the Shepherd felt being in her presence was no small cooling carde and a sharpe bridle to his toong For this feare which Diana cleerely perceiued was for her sake she soone tooke away bicause Firmius might be more accepted of her if there were at the lest any thing acceptable or pleasant to one that found her-selfe in so miserable an estate as she was But when the song was ended Diana said she would depart bicause she had staied there a great while and would go seeke out her husband Delius who would not willingly haue beene one moment out of her sight and companie Being determined therefore to depart Syrenus entreated her to take her Baggepipe againe with her if so it pleased her bicause none other should vnwoorthely enioy such a sweete Trophee as Firmius had made of it She tooke it bicause she thought thereby to shewe some especiall fauour to Firmius And taking it from the tree she said vnto it God knowes I do not carrie thee as a meane to ease or mittigate my passion and sorrow my intent being cleane contrarie for though I might seeke some fauour and helpe to sustaine them being so many as they are yet will I not aduantage me with any such remedy but I do take thee with me bicause those Shepherds might not haue an occasiō to blame me for discurtesie When she had spoken this she turned to them and asked them when they would depart who told her in the morning for now they had set all things in good order and durst not stay any longer bicause Felicia about that time would looke for their comming whom they had promised to returne assoone as they had set their flockes in good order and in the custodie of some faithfull Shepherdes Their departure greeued Diana not a little though she woulde not manifest so much but saide Since it is then so the Gods be fauourable vnto you and be your guides They thanked her againe and praied her not to sorget to looke to their affaires as they would be carefull for hers and charged her besides to thinke vpon Firmius and his busines and to supply his wants if in their absence he stoode in need of any thing And that the pleasures and fauours that she did him they would esteeme as much as if she had bestowed them on themselues since hee remained there to keepe and
not fauoured with some remedie I know well faire Shepherdesse pardon me for saying so that reading these ill compacted lines thou wilt be in suspence to know the man that shewes himselfe so much appassionate for thy sake if any such thing occur to thy thoughts demaund it I beseech thee of a hart which thou hast lately got into thy subiection for that shal tell thee so sincere and pure a truth as here by a sencelesse wit simply set down Alas for me that going to visite one wounded with a knife I returned from thence wounded by thy Iuorie hand thou going to comfort a weake man in bodie did'st leaue me wounded in soule Behold therefore if being compassionate with him thou hast not beene cruell to me Thou wilt say perhaps thou didst not thinke any such thing would fall out which I beleeue verie well when as the same did as little fall in the compasse of my thought But yet thou canst not be iustly excused from fault and punishment since no lesse then her that with suspitious and priuie weapons armes her selfe thou art woorthie of both Who then can carrie about her such secret weapons as thou hast done assayling my soule vnarmed then and without defence with such a victorious and wounding hand I will not trouble thee any more with my vnpolished simple reasons vntil the string of my iarring fansies be tuned by thy most soueraigne hande which the immortall Gods defend with their mightie handes as thou maist me with thy milke white hand This letter being short and sententious pleased the Shepherdes verie much But when it was read out Faustus said Behold here good Shephedes the estate wherein I am attending the sentence of my glorious death or happie life written by that incomparable white hand Entreat gentle Shepherdes the Amorous God of loue if your sacrifices be acceptable to him to wound her like my selfe with his golden headed arrow and hide his leaden one from her If the seruants of this little boy enamoured Shepherd said Seluagia may preuaile any thing to obtaine such fauour of him thou shalt be soone deliuered from these passions by the milde entreaties of my Shepherd Syluanus here and of my selfe But it is needlesse to make this Shepherd Syrenus a meane and intercessour for thee bicause he is the most iniurious rebell to loue that dwels in these villages here abouts O Iupiter said Faustus Is it possible that I inioy the thing before mine eies that next to my most soueraigne Shepherdesse I desired to see whose loues haue wearied fame so much in euerie place I was about to aske you who you were and which way you trauelled wherein it onely remaines for you to satisfie my desire since of the first I am not ignorant Although first I would rather aduise thee Syrenus for keeping my promise to Cupid and pray thee besides hauing mature consideration to his inuincible might to follow and obey him and to beware to rebell against his soueraigntie bicause thou maist not say that I haue not warned thee before I thanke thee for thy good will said Syrenus but for thy coūsel I care not Well said Faustus herein I haue discharged my duty thou maist do what thou thinkest best But yet take heed least somtimes hereafter thou beest not punished like my selfe But then Syrenus bicause he would not haue him talke any more of that matter told him whither they went but could not tell him of their returne I am sorrie for that said Faustus bicause at your returne I would willingly goe with you to see the vngratefull Shepherdesse Dians whom I haue heard woonderfully commended for beautie and fine graces and to behold in what hart such forgetfulnes could harbour hoping that if for the great desire I haue to see her I stay here till your returne to accompanie you home thou w◅ not be angrie Syrenus Not I said Syrenus but as I must warne you to take heed so must I tell you that this counsell is better for you then that which you gaue me In these and other speeches they passed the time away vntill the hower of their departure came wherein with profered courtesies and gentle offers on both sides they went euerie one his way With some small force yet went vermillion Apollo shining ouer the face of our old mother when the three Shepherds comming neere to the Iland where they had beene before at their last departure did see a companie of people together and as they came neerer to them knew it was Felicia some of her Nymphes with Don Felix and his Lady Felismena Not a little amazed thereat they staied and perceiued how they came guiding their steps towardes them But they maruelled verie much to see them come so silent and not talking a worde But Felicia being come and the Shepherds hauing in dutifull sort saluted her and the rest asked her the cause of their comming that way and of their vnwoonted silence Whom she answered saying The desire I haue my friendly Shepherds to pleasure Lord Felix and Felismena and the loue I beare to you to giue you all possible content hath mooued me to bring them hither against your comming bicause you might in so delightfull a place as this recreate your mindes altogither The cause of my comming in such silent sort and without any singing of these louers or of my Nymphes is bicause their noise may not depriue both them and you of a sight woorthie the marking which shal by by ensue wherby you shall know that as you your selues are not onely in loue so all alone you do not suffer troubles and sorrowes for your deerest loues And therfore I will you all to follow me as softly as you can The Lady then going vp with her companie along the Spring in the Iland the way which I said before did lead to the pleasant meade where the fountaine of the Laurell trees was came vnawares to the very entrance of it The which Lord Felix and his beloued Ladie not hauing seene that place before imagined it to be some earthly paradise or that they were in the pleasant fieldes of Elysium although they were not suffered to take any other delight therein but only the pleasant view therof with their wandring eies bicause for the strict silence inioyned them with wordes and woorthy praises they durst not extol that place of paradise nor had leaue to demand any thing concerning the same At the entrance of it Felicia sat her downe and all the rest after her who staied there a pretie while not daring almost to breath and sawe no more then the trembling Sunne-beames that with force seemed to passe betweene leafe and leafe amongst the greene trees that grewe neere togither whereupon their thoughts went wandring and musing of many matters and their harts were constrained to bite on the bit of forced patience And faine they would haue changed in their iudgements the pleasure to see that which Felicia promised them to
Commaund him therefore I beseech you righteous Iudges to offer no violence to me for carrying away what is mine owne The Iudges not knowing what to determine in so doubtfull a case Carpostus said I know not graue Iudges why in a matter so manifest as this you should suspend your iust iudgment but that without delay you should proceed to definitiue sentence vnles you seem to make any more doubt herein which if you doe I will cleere it if it please you to send the child backe againe to my lodging by this boy who shall incontinently returne with him againe for whom I will in the meane time remaine heere a pledge bicause it shall not be saide that I tooke possession of him before sentence giuen That being graunted him he willed the boy that brought me but secretly in his eare to carrie me backe and to bring the other childe not forgetting to put on his owne coats who did it incontinently and hauing brought Parthenius there before them all without any more adoe he ranne to his Father Sarcordus and to his knowen nurse Sarcordus wife The Iudges seeing so strange an alteration and thinking he did what he listed with the child for they tooke me and Parthenius to be both one commaunded to lay hands on him for a notable Sorcerer To whom Carpostus seeing whereabout they went said Though here I am worthie Iudges at your disposition and commaund yet do me this fauour I beseech you to suspend your doome vntill you see the end of this matter it may be you will delight your selues with the conueiance rare sequele of it And then he bad the boy carrie back the child commaunding him softly in his eare to bring me and the other childe backe againe but both naked And this he deuised because Parthenius might not be knowen by his coats But before we cam he requested the Iudges to command Sarcordus his wife to go aside or to put themselues amongst the prease of the people so that the child when he was commight not see them They did so behold we were both broght naked thither and playing togither at the sight whereof the standers by maruelled verie much and they that came to behold the fame of that which was past wondring yet a great deale more and others that came after vs in the streetes looking vpon one another in signe of admiration spake not a word but opened their hands and sometimes lifted vp their eies to heauen in token of great wonder admiration Then with a loud voice Carpostus before we came spake thus One of these children is mine the other is Sarcordus his Let him therefore take his owne But bicause the child by seeing him may not know him let him come to claime him behinde the people and I will also hide me heere Sarcordus being therefore come in manner aforesaide and not able to discerne which was his my nurse saide Now do you see graue Iudges and good people assembled to behold the ende of this debate howe I haue this day to delight you with a rare noueltie presented before your eies the strangest wonder in the world bicause you might not woonder at me nor repute me for such a foole as you haue taken me for that which these fewe daies past I haue done with Parthenius beleeuing he was my sonne and bicause you might see whether I had iust cause to claime him with assurednes for mine owne or not They were all passing glad to see this strange conclusion and tooke him for a very wise man in that he had so well contriued the matter to saue his credit And with great reason saide Lord Felix though all was done in my opinion by Calastas counsell albeit I cannot also otherwise thinke but that Carpostus was very wise by knowing how to gouerne himselfe so well against the whole towne When he had saide thus Delicius proceeded in his discourse saying They put on our garments againe and to giue either their owne was no lesse variance and as great difficultie as before for if we of our selues had not made our selues knowne to our nurses either of vs going to his owne we might haue both gone naked home againe But from that time we entred both into such a mutuall league of amitie that by no meanes they coulde part vs asunder for much force had one God I knowe not that reigned in vs ouer each others soule diuining the great and inuiolable friendship that should be betweene him and me I feare me noble Sir and the rest that you would a good while since haue asked me what was become of my deere brother Parthenius for so we euer called one another and other questions that you haue left of not to interrupt mee in my tale Delicius would haue passed on farther but his falling teares would not permit him Wherefore Cynthia came to him saying Drie vp thy teares Shepherd and tell on thy tale for by doing this thou shewest the small confidence and hope thou hast in my Lady Felicias helpe whereas I my selfe haue also diuers times tolde thee before that thy sorrowes shall be remedied Delicius then wiping his eies saide Thou tellest me O Nymph by that which I shew the small trust I haue in Felicia but I tell thee that by thy speech thou dost manifest how little thou art acquainted with my greefe and how lesse thou knowest of like passions to which knowledge I wish thou maiest neuer attaine since ignorance in such matters is much more expedient I could tell thee much about these effects if I thought not to offende this woorthie companie but onely one word I will tell thee That hope doth not pardon the punishment although it doth lighten it a little But thou seemest Shepherde saide Polydora to know the very secrets of our harts bicause as thou hast tolde true touching the desire we had to know what was become of thy deere brother thou didst chaunce to say that we would not giue thee leaue for answers and replies wherefore dissembling thy greefe for a while tell out the rest as thou hast begun With a good will saide Delicius But let it not greeue you woorthie personages if you heare not now of my beloued brother considering that the great greefe which I suffer for him must nowe suffice and that the processe of my historie shall in conuenient place declare it amplie vnto you and if not so at some other time you shall know it when you shall see what great reason I haue to solemnize such a memory with these and many more teares The fame of this strange accident I told you of and of our great likenes within a fewe daies after came to the eares of old Synistius gouernour of the kingdome where we were borne who was placed there by Rotindus king of Eolia for the which cause Synistius commanding that wee should be brought vnto him as well for our great likenes as for the great beautie which we were reported to haue
power to do Wherby you see that I haue placed my loue on him that cannot though faine he would requite it with his againe But you will aske me perhaps in whom the cause impediment consisteth that they are not answerable to that which both are so iustly owing me To this I answere my greatest and deerest friend I haue in this worlde bicause for hir both are alike wounded with Cupids inuincible flight she dying no lesse in both their loues And who this is you may easily gesse for she can be no other then Stela And yet I sweare to you by all that a true louer can protest that I neuer wished Stela any ill though she is now and hath euer beene the cause why I am not beloued of these two peerelesse Shepherds For I could for mine owne part do no more in her cause then she doth in mine and though I hated her besides yet it stoode me in hand to be her friend when by her meanes I enioyed Delicius sight hope by the same to see Parthenius But bicause you may know how we lost our liberties and they remained without theirs I will onely tell you that which maketh for this purpose The same day as they afterwards tolde vs that Stela by the ordinance of the Gods came to our company for now you know that I am one of the Nymphes of the renowned and famous riuer Duerus Parthenius and Delicius did see Stela and both of them equally loued her though then it seemed not so for Parthenius concealed his affection bicause Delicius had manifested his before But when Delicius tolde that he was enamoured of Stela they agreed to stay in a forrest hard by to see if somtimes comming out of the riuer they might haue some occasion to talke with her But when she came out and they offred to come towards vs that went in company of her we fled away and ran back againe to our riuer Who perceiuing it was not possible to talke to her in that sort concluded to deceiue vs by wearing Shepherds weeds and leauing of their courtly apparell Thus therefore attending daily for vs Stela and I came foorth and as they saw vs though they made no shewe thereof one of them plaied aloud on his Baggepipe to inuite vs I thinke vnto their musicke which when we heard as it was a thing not vsed there manie daies before we came somewhat neere and hid our selues behinde a companie of thicke Sallowes But they who by stealth were looking on vs perceiuing their deuise to haue a good beginning made as though they had not seene vs and betweene themselues praied one another to play or sing some song In the end Parthenius getting the vpper hand Delicius tooke his Rebecke whereon he so sweetely played and sung to it that we thought Apollo had committed some newe fault to become a Shepherd againe and that it was euen he that made that sweete melodie The song was of great sentence the inuention wittie and the forme of it curious wherefore lend an attentiue care to the one and the other if you desire to delight you with it NEuer a greater foe did loue disdaine Or trodon grasse so gay Nor Nymph greene leaues with whiter hand hath rent More golden haire the winde did neuer blowe Nor fairer dame hath bound in white attire Or hath in lawne more gracious features tied Then my sweete Enemie Beautie and chastitie one place refraine In her beare equall sway Filling the world with woonder and content But they doe giue me paine and double woe Since loue and beautie kindled my desire And cruell chastitie from me denied All sense of tollitie There is no Rose nor Lillie after raine Nor flowre in wonth of May Nor pleasant meade nor greene in sommer sent That seeing them my minde deliteth soe As that faire flowre which all the heauens admire Spending my thoughts on her in whom abide All grace and giftes on hie Me thinkes my heauenly Nymph I see againe Her necke and breast display Seeing the whitest Ermine to frequent Some plaine or flowers that make the fairest showe O Gods I neuer yet beheld her nier Or far in shade or sunne that satisfied I was in passing by The meade the mount the riuer wood and plaine With all their braue array Yeeld not such sweete as that faire face that 's bent Sorrowes and ioy in each soule to bestowe In equall partes procur'd by amorous fire Beautie and loue in her their force haue tried To blinde each humane eie Each minde and will which wicked vice doth staine Her vertues breake and stay All aires infect by fire are purg'd and spent Though of a great foundation they did growe O body that so braue a soule dost hire And blessed soule whose vertues euer pried Aboue the starrie skie Onely for her my life in ioies I traine My soule sings many a lay Musing on her new seas I doe inuent Of soueraine ioy wherein with pride I rowe The deserts for her sake I doe require For without her the springs of ioy are dried And that I doe defie Sweete fate that to a noble deede dost straine And lift my hart to day Sealing her there with glorius ornament Sweete seale sweete greefe and sweetest ouerthrowe Sweete miracle whose fame cannot expire Sweete wound and golden shaft that so espied Such heauenly companie Of beauties graces in sweete vertues died As like were neuer in such yeeres descried Now as Delicius had ended his song and Stela thinking that he had made an end indeede of singing and playing although it was not so for Delicius was requesting Parthenius to play on his Rebecke and to sing she saide vnto me Tell me faire Crimine Enioyeth this solitarie place oftentimes such like voices ioyned with such heauenly sweetenes If it be so I cannot but in some sort complaine of the amitie lately commenced and confirmed betweene vs in that I haue not spent the time in such pleasure and delight as now by the sweetenes of this musicke and fine song we haue amply had After that cruell Gorphorost my deere friend saide I whom the Gods confound for bereauing vs of a great part of our pleasures began to dwell in these partes this is the first Bagpipe and Rebecke that in this forrest hath beene long since touched of so many Shepherdes and Shepherdesses that haue continually plaied and sung in other times before when they fed their sheepe heere and passed away the heate of the day vnder these greene trees whereupon I maruell no lesse at the noueltie of this accident then at the rare melodie of the song for I neuer heard the like since I first dwelt in this place nor that euer delighted my senses so much But bicause they begin to play and sing againe let vs goe a little to them for they seeme to be milde and courteous youthes and such that make a shew to haue some respect and reuerence of vs that be Nymphes When I had
ashen dish out of one of their scrips and ranne to the riuer for some water and hauing brought it besprinkled both their faces with it who being therewith and with shaking them a little awaked with a merier countenance then courage I said vnto them What faintnes of hart is this yoong Shepherds Yee are but yoong Apprentises it seemes in Cupids seruice since you will giue him ouer at the first encounter by leauing your liues in his hands But faine would I know Parthenius for then I imagined nothing of his secret loue what made thee so much besides thy selfe for the cause of Delicius his griefe and of his sudden traunce I know well enough What did Stelas sharpe answere touch thee so neere No answered Parthenius What was it then said I againe Parthenius who would not for all the world haue manifested the loue he bare to Stela answered bicause I saw my deere Delicius in some danger whose chiefest desires and their full accomplishment I rather wish with greater content and in higher degree then mine owne It greeued me not Gentlemen to heare him speake this for now had the impatient worme of iealousie begun to gnaw my throbbing hart I beleeue thee said Felismena but knowest thou what I thinke of all these matters and contentions that thou hast tolde That thou wert the onely gayner since thou enioyedst so pleasant though so small a time being in such sort as thou wert with Parthenius By our virgin rights I sweare to thee saide Crimine that I would rather haue beene depriued of that delightfull being with my Parthenius so that I had beene excused of the great greefe I had to see him in so pitifull a case For if thou hast not tried faire Ladie yet happily thou maist haue heard say That a pleasure or delight is but halfe tasted which is distempered by one bitter greefe or sorrow But leauing this aside will you knowe said Felismena whereupon I haue thought Whereon said Crimine On this said Felismena musing with my selfe how thou couldest call the Shepherdes by their owne names whereas thou saiedst they could not be knowen one from another for their great likenes which caused thee to request some priuie tokens to discerne them which hitherto yet thou hast not told vs. So that I conceiue not how without knowing them distinctly as if the difference were now made thou shouldst name them so right giuing to each his proper name Thou saiest well faire Lady said Crimine But that which is already told may satisfie thy demaund For Delicius alone was the man I said that loued at the lest openly without telling whom vntill this last accident befell which we by his speeches and so soone as he had but opened his mouth easily gathered so that although we knew not them when we came to them yet by the manner of their talke we were afterwardes cleered of that doubt It is well said Doria And as thou louest thy selfe faire Crimine proceede in this historie of your loue and fortune for I am partaker of some of the paine wherein thou leftest the solitarie and sorrowfull Shepherdes To comfort them in their great greefe saide Crimine I reasoned with them with some apparant and consolatorie wordes but the afflicted Shepherdes ceased not to powre out abundance of teares with no small quantitie of burning sighes whereupon blaming them sometimes and sometimes incouraging them I endeuoured to cheere them vp but all was not ynough to disburden them of despaire in that sorrowfull place if I had not armed them with an apparant hope to restore Delicius to Stelas fauour againe by enioying it more then euer he had before though he would not haue meanely contented him with that alone whereof he was depriued without requesting any more But thinking it was now more then conuenient time to goe my waies I tooke my leaue of the Shepherdes promising them to doe what possibly I could in their affaires in the which I onely commended patience vnto them for a few daies telling them that a hard impostume in the beginning could not be cured vntill by time and plaisters laide thereunto it be first mollified and made tender and that in the meane while I would not with other Nymphes forget to visit them though not so often as I desired not to leaue Stela all alone as also for auoiding of suspicion In this space of time bicause Delicius and Parthenius did leade so sad and vncomfortable a life which by no kinde of pastime could be cheered and also bicause the vowed time of Gorphorosts comming abroade was neere at hand all our company was dissolued Parthenius who was not onely carefull for that which touched him but especially for that which was needefull for his friend went sometimes walking vp and downe along the riuer bankes and by singing many amorous and sorrowfull sonnets practised to enter into familiaritie friendship with fierce Gorphorost bicause they might by these meanes whilest hee kept him companie and tolde him many things to please his louing humour without any danger continue still in that forrest and also bicause holding him other times with tales and discourses Delicius my selfe and Stela if Stela perhaps grewe afterwards to be more gentle might in the meane time be secure in mutuall company togither Parthenius therefore beginning his walkes in this sorte fierce Gorphorost came downe from a high hill whom when Parthenius beheld he sat him downe vpon a round banke made by the water and plaied on his Baggepipe so loud that Gorphorost might heare him But scarce had the sound thereof pierced his eares when step by step which any other Shepherd with running very fast could not out-goe he came to the riuer bankes on the other side when Parthenius sawe him nigh at hande he left his Baggepipe and taking his Rebecke began to sing in the praise of loue for afterwards he told vs all the matter the which for that it made for his purpose as also for the sweetnes of the song delighted not a litle the fierce shepherd who had foorthwith passed to the other side where Parthenius was if he had not feared by cōming vpon him vnawares to haue made him run away though he was now somewhat assured to the contrarie when hee sawe Parthenius being so nigh vnto him not once begin to stir nor to leaue of his singing whereon presuming a little he spake thus vnto him aloude for the distance of the place by reason of the great riuer being betweene the noise which the waters running with great force continually made were an impediment that he could not be so well heard So may this God be euer fauourable vnto thee iolly Shepherd if thou wilt giue mee leaue to come to thee to enioy part of thy sweete musicke and songs for by her that hath sole power ouer my hart I sweare thou shalt not nowe nor at any time heereafter haue any harme at my hands Parthentus hereupon made him a signe to come
knowe is not vaine The God Hymen not beeing hatefull to mee I coulde perhappes submit my selfe to this onely fault But I beseech the Gods the earth may first swallowe mee vp and Iupiter with his thunderbolt smite me to the mournfull shades of Acheron and perpetuall night before I violate thee O chastitie or breake thy holy bondes The chaste minde that euer I haue borne shall accompanie me to my graue But I know it offends me not by thinking to which of both I shoulde encline if my firme intent should turn to any side which of them both excels the other in disposition feature and beautie to loue the one more for that and forsake the other for this I cannot discerne who are so like that if they themselues beheld one another they could not knowe the one from the other Great is the goodnes of Parthenius for euen to the hazard of his life he offered it for safetie of his friend What wittie and readie answeres for Delicius What wisedome to make my companion helpe his and me not to forsake him and that fierce Gorphorost might not hurt him Parthenius in the end deserued well my loue but yet I thinke he goes not beyond Delicius who needed not the fauour of his brother to helpe him and could no doubt haue done no lesse then he And though he neuer had occasion to shew the sharpnes of his wit his pithie wordes and wittie answeres from the which he was cut off from the very beginning yet how cleerely by all his sweete songs and ditties that he made did he manifest it What verses did he carue in the tree or rather in my hart how modest by refraining not to offend me to speake of that which concerned him most O God and what great reason haue I then to loue him But who beleeues not that Parthenius if he had also loued me would not haue done as much Alas then for me to whether of them shall I incline Must Delicius be despised bicause he loues me and for desiring so much my loue againe Must I consent that he die bicause he desireth to liue with me Must he be guerdoned with vnworthy death for so high a desert of his great loue O haplesse Delicius I would I had neuer seene thee or thou not cast thine eies vpon me Thou well deseruest my loue if I had not vowed chastitie and if my importunate destinies had not threatened me with marriage But must Parthenius be reiected bicause he loues me not as Delicius doth For this he is more woorthie to be admitted into my loue It imports but little that he loue mee not so I loue him that hath so many good parts in him woorthy to be beloued That which most of all forceth me to his loue is that I cannot suffer with patience that Crimine should loue him But whither do I range in these wandring thoughts what need I take such care for them after so many whom I haue despised Why doe I thus torment my selfe Their beautie mooues me not and yet the same might well do it who are but yet boies They themselues mooue me not but their yong and flourishing youth But let them go hence in a good hower now that of mine owne free will I haue counselled them and the rather since marriage is denied mee Let them go and seeke forth some other loues since none that are wise will reiect them But alas for me this leaue is too harde With these last words not able to passe on further though many other things remained still in my minde I held my peace my toong was silent but my hart did still speake And with these and like wordes and praises poore soule without knowing what I did and rude in such affaires I loued without the sence of loue I conceiued the fire without seeing it and nourished a wound in my vaines without feeling it Three or fower daies passed in the which we went not to the Shepherds bicause Crimine came not foorth for seeing herselfe disdained of Parthenius she endeuoured to forget him by her absence which kindled her fire the more So that I would haue beene now glad that Parthenius had loued Crimine in lieu of seeing him and Delicius For the which I many times importuned her that we might go see them by putting her in mind of the hope that Delicius had giuen her but for all this she forced herselfe not to come before him There remained now but two daies to come of the time prefixed for Parthenius departure when not able to endure so long an absence I spake thus vnto her It might not a little reioice me deere sister if we went to see the Shepherds bicause I promised to speake with Parthenius before he went Crimine desiring the same no lesse then I as I imagined answered me saying Thou maiest go good friend although I will not denie that I desire to see mine enimie But this haplesse loue is so cruell that I cannot choose in the end but tell thee the truth that my going this time will auaile me as little I know as other times before Behold thou canst not tell Crimine saide I what Delicius hath done for thee in recompence of the good turne he owes thee for the promise he made thee and if this were not so remember that certaine daies past my selfe hauing lesse occasion and will to go yet onely to content thee I went thither So that thou art bounde now to performe my request when I was then so willing to do thy command Thou hast ouercommed saide she I will nor cannot gainsay thy forcible reasons Whereupon we went to the Shepherds whom when I espied gone aside for on purpose they were talking very earnestly togither I saide to my companion They should now talke of some great matters and it may bee Delicius is talking about thy affaires Nay about thine answered she againe And it was true indeed For both of them were in counsell togither as afterwards we knew it Being come to the Shepherds we found such an alteration in them that it seemed very strange to vs. What will you more but that Delicius seemed to haue changed the loue that he did beare me to bestow it on Crimine when he had greatest reason to loue me Who at the last time when I spake to him got more of me then euer he did before I coulde not by any meanes know the cause of this sudden change Truth it is that as I had perceiued Delicius loue to Crimine to be but colde as that I also held him for such an one who would not change without great occasion and not able to coniecture it by any fault of mine owne I haue suspected and Crimine thinkes no lesse but that Delicius by some waies should know of Parthenius secret loue to me and by sayning that he had forgot mee it was to giue place to his deere friend in my loue Which if it be so as we beleeue
sonne Polydorus bicause they would not be depriued of that merrie song which they expected at Belisas handes said vnto her The praise faire Shepherdesse and defence of women is iustly due vnto them and no lesse delightfull to vs to heare it with thy delicate voice repeated It pleaseth me well said Belisa if it like you for there are many sharpe and stinging inuectiues if I could remember all the verses in it but yet I will begin to recite them bicause I hope that in singing them one will reduce another to my minde Then Arsileus seeing that Belisa was preparing herselfe to sing began to tune his Rebecke at the sound whereof she sung the song that she heard Florisia in times past sing which was this Florisias Song FLie storming verse out of my raging brest With furious anger malice and despite Indigned spirits once at my request Powre foorth your wrath and pen prepare to write With scornefull stinging and inuectiue stile Against a people brutish base and vile Avile peruerse and monstrous kinde of men Who make it but their pastime and their game With bar barous mouth and with vnciuill pen To slaunder those who lest deserue the same Women Imeane a work manship diuine Angels in shape and Goddesses in minde Thou wicked man that dost presume too hie Of thy perfections but without desart False man I say accustomed to lie What euill canst thou thinke within thy hart Or speake of her whose goodnes more or lesse Doth fill the world so full of happinesse But onely this that woman was the cause Though not alone of one exceeding ill In bringing foorth constrained by natures lawes A man whose mischiefes all the world doth fill Who after that he is conceiu'd and borne Against his mother proudly liftes his horne Whom if she had not borne poore silly dame With fewer greefes her life she might haue lead For then he should not slaunder thus her name And such a crowe she should not then haue bred That being hatch'd her dam would thus despise And daily labour to plucke out her eies What man in all the world did euer knowe Although the tendrest father he had beene Those cares and greefes that sorrow and that woe Which wiues haue for their husbands felt and seene And how the louing mother for her sonne With sorrow hath beene oftentimes vndone Behold with what affection and what ioy What gentlenes and what intensiue loue The mother dothintreate her little boy Which after doth a Traitour to her prooue Requiting ill her paines and loue so kinde With powring sorrowes still into her minde What iealous feares what fearefull iealousies Doe haunt the mother for her cruell sonne What paine when that in any paine he lies What greefe when that with greefe he is vndone What perfect gladnes and what sweete content When that he is to any goodnes bent Alas how pensiue and how sad they ar If that their husbands suffer any paine What sorrow when they trauell somewhat far What moane when that they come not soone againe A thousand greefes to heare their losse of wealth Ten thousand deathes to heare their want of health But men that are so full of false deceate Our daily sorrowes neuer doe requite Or thinke of them though they be neuer so great But rather such their malice and despite Is that our louing cares both great and small Vniust suspects and iealousies doe call The cause of which surmise is onely this That as these wicked and detested men Of custome are enclined to stray amisse And in false loue their wits and wealth to spend Do thinke it now a burden to their liues To be belou'd so truely of their wiues Then since in louing them we euer finde Our selues a payde with hatefull scorne and blame I thinke it best for easing of our minde Quite to forget their nature sexe and name Or else to leaue our ioies in looking on them Or if we looke not once to thinke vpon them But yet it is a pretie iest to see Some kind of men whose madnes is so great That if the woman will not wholly bee At their desires then in a franticke heat They call her Tygresse cruell and vnkinde And trasteresse vnto a louing minde Then shalt thou see these men vnseemely call The modest women whom they would haue naught Coy and disdainfull to conuerse withall And her that 's chaste vnmanner'd and vntaught Those that be wise and sober full of pride And cruell those whose honesties are tride I would to God that those dishonored names Did fit them all as well as all the rest Then none of them should bide so many shames Nor be deceiu'd by men that loue them lest For being cruell proude and rusticall They would not loue nay could not loue at all For if the thing which they so faine would haue By any meanes they cannot once obtaine Then do they wish for death or for their graue But yet the same no sooner they attaine But make it but a sport and merie game And straight forget that ere they lou'd the same They faine themselues most sorrowfull and sad And wearied with a long and painfull life They still do tell the paines that they haue had And other lyes which are with them so rise They call themselues vnhappie poore and blinde Confounded slaues yet all but words of winde O how they can make Oceans of their eies And terme their flames their torments and their paines And breath out sighes like vapours in the skies And belch out sobs like Aetnas burning vaines In many things the greatnes of their minde They shew contemning base and doubtfull feare As those whose tender loue hath beene so kinde Vnto their husbands when they liuing were That all their moanes and sorrowes for their death They ended soone by stopping of their breath And if for vertue and his chaste intent Hippolytus deserued any praise On th' other side behold that excellent And noble Roman Matrone in her daies With stabbing dagger giuing vp the ghost I meane faire Lucrece for her honour lost It was no doubt great valour in the youth As neuer like hath beene in all the rest Who vowing to his father faith and truth Deni'd his stepdames foule and fond request All which admit Hippolytus is but one But thousands of Lucrecias haue beene knowne Giftes haue we more our beauties set aside For in good letters famous haue we bin And now to prooue our iudgements often tride And sharpnes of our finest wits therein Let Sappho and Corynna well suffice Who when they liu'd for learning got the prise And learned men doetherefore banish vs Their schooles and places where they do dispute For feare if we should argue and discusse With praise we should their arguments confute Too proud therefore they would not by their will That women should excell them in their skill And if some authors scorned in their loues Haue written ill of women in their hate Not this our credits any whit
to so faire a dame as Alcida and to so faithfull a louer as my selfe Vnto this passage my good fortune conducted me thus high she reared me vp to throw me downe afterwardes headlong into the depth of miseries wherein wretched man I still remaine O transitorie good mutable content vading delight and inconstant firmenes of mundaine things What greater ioy could I haue wished for then that I had alreadie receiued and what greater crosse am I able to suffer then this which I now carie about me Oh faire Shepherdesse entreat me no more to molest thy eares with so large and lamentable a historie nor to pierce thy compassionate hart with recitall of my ensuing calamities Let it content thee that thou hast knowen my passed felicities and desire not to search out farther my present greefes bicause I assuredly know that as my long and pitifull historie will be tedious to thy eares so will my continued disgraces alter thy reposed minde To which Diana answering said Leaue off Marcelius these excuses for I would not desire to know the successe of thy life onely thereby to reioice my minde with thy contents without sorrowing for thy calamities but woulde rather heare euerie part of them to bewaile them also in my pitifull hart How greatly woulde it please me faire Shepherdesse saide Marcelius if the good will I beare thee did not force me to content thee in a matter of so great grief And that which greeues me most is that my disgraces are such that they must needs fill thy hart full of sorrow when thou knowest them for the paine that I must passe by telling them I reckon not so great but that I would willingly suffer it in lieu of thy contentment But bicause I see thee so desirous to heare them out although they shall force me to make thee sorrowfull yet I will not seeme to leaue thy will herein vnsatisfied THen Shepherdesse thou must knowe that after my vnfortunate marriage was agreed vpon the Kings licence being now come her old father Eugerius who was a widower his sonne Polydorus and his two daughters Alcida and Clenarda and the haplesse Marcelius who is telling thee his greeuous accidents hauing committed the charges left vs by the King to sufficient and trustie Gentlemen embarked our selues in the port of Ceuta to goe by sea to the noble citie of Lisbone there to celebrate as I saide the marriage rites in presence of the King The great content ioy and pleasure which we all had made vs so blinde that in the most dangerous time of the yeere we feared not the tempestuous waues which did then naturally swel rage nor the furious boysterous winds which in those moneths with greater force violence are commonly woont to blow but committing our fraile barke to fickle Fortune we launched into the deepe and dangerous seas heedlesse of their continuall chaunges and of innumerable misfortunes incident vnto them For we had not sailed far when angrie Fortune chastised vs for our bold attempt bicause before night came on the warie Pilot discouered apparant signes of an imminent and sudden tempest For the thicke and darke cloudes began to couer the heauens all ouer the waues to roare and murmur and contrarie windes to blow on euerie side O what sorrowfull and menacing signes said the troubled and timorous Pilot O lucklesse ship what perils assaile thee if God of his great goodnes and pitie do not succour thee He had no sooner spoken these words when there came a furious and violent blast of winde that puffed and shooke the whole bodie of the ship and put it in so great danger that the routher was not able to gouerne it but that tossed vp and down by this mightie furie it went where the force of the angrie waues and windes did driue it The tempest by little and little with greater noise began to increase and the rauing billowes couered ouer with a fomy forth mightily to swell The skies powred downe abundance of raine with throwing out of euerie part of it fearful lightnings threatned the world with horrible thunders Then might there be heard a hideous noise of Sea monsters lamentable outcries of passengers and flapping of the sailes with great terrour The winds on euerie side did beat against the ship and the surges with terrible blowes shaking her vnsteadie sides riued and burst asunder the strong and soundest plaunchers Sometimes the proud billowe lifted vp vs to the skies and by and by threw vs downe againe into deepe gulphes the which also with great horrour opening themselues discouered to our fearfull eies the deepe and naked sandes The men and women ran on euerie side to prolong their ensuing and haples death and did cast out some of them dolefull sighs other some pitifull vowes and others plentie of sorrowfull teares The Pilot being appalled with so cruell Fortune and his skill confounded by the countenance and terrour of the tempest could now no more gouerne the tottered routher He was also ignorant of the nature and beginning of the windes and in a moment deuised a thousand different things The marriners likewise agast with the agonie of approching death were not able to execute the Masters commaund nor for such lamentations noise and outcries could heare the charge direction of their hoarse and painfull Pilot. Some strike saile others turne the maine yarde some make fast againe the broken shrouds others mende and calke the riuen planks some ply the pompe apace and some the routher and in the end all put their helping hands to preserue the miserable ship from ineuitable losse But their painfull diligence did not helpe them nor their vowes and teares profit them to pacifie proud Aeolus and Neptunes wrath but rather the more the night came on the more the winds blew and the storme waxed greater and more violent And now darke night being fully come and angrie Fortune continuing still her seuere punishment the olde Father Eugerius being past all hope of helpe and remedie looking on his children and son in lawe with an appalled and altered countenance felt such great sorrowe for the death that we had to passe that his greefe and compassion for vs was more bitter to our soules then the thought of our proper and present misfortunes For the lamenting olde man enuironed on euery side with care and sorrowe with a pitifull voice and sorrowfull teares said thus Ah mutable fortune common enimie to humane content howe hast thou reserued so great mishap and miserie for my sorrowfull olde age O thrise blessed are they who fighting in the middes of bloudie battails with honour die in their yoong and lustie yeeres bicause not drawing foorth their line to wearied old age haue neuer cause with greefe to bewaile the vntimely death of their beloued children O extreme sorrow O balefull successe who euer ended his daies in so heauie a plight as I poore distressed man that hoping to haue comforted my naturall death by leauing them to
the worlde that might haue suruiued not onely to performe the due of my last obsequies but to continue my line and memorie must now miserable man perish in their deerest companie O my deere children who would haue thought that my life and yours should ende at one time and by one misfortune Faine woulde I poore soules comfort you but what can a sorrowful father tell you in whose hart there is such aboundance of greefe and want of consolation But comfort your selues my children by arming your inuincible soules with patience and lay all the burden of your sorrow vpon my backe for besides that I shall once die for my selfe I must suffer so maine deaths more as you haue liues to leese This did the olde and sorrowfull man abruptly deliuer with so many teares and sobbes that he could scarce speake embracing first one and another and then altogither for his last farewell before the very point of danger and death was fullie come But now to tell thee of Alcidas teares and to recount the greefe that I endured for her sake were too difficult and long a narration Onely one thing I will not omit to tell thee that that which did most torment me was to thinke that the same life which I had offered vp for her seruice should now be iointly lost with hers In the meane while the forlorne and tossed ship by the force and violence of the fierce westerne windes which by the streights of Gibraltar came blowing as they were madde sailed with greater speede then was expedient for our safetie and being battered on euery side with the cruell blowes of enuious fortune by the space of a daie and a night vnable also to be guided by the skill and ceaselesse labour of the marriners ran many leagues in the long Mediterranean sea wheresoeuer the force of the waues windes did carrie her The next day following Fortune seemed a little while to waxe more calme gentle but on a sudden turning againe to her acccustomed crueltie she droue vs into such danger that nowe we looked not for one halfe hower of life For in the ende a fierce and mightie tempest came so suddenly vpon vs that the ship driuen on by the force of a boisterous blast that smit her on the starboord was in so great danger of turning bottome vp that she had now her forepart hidden vnder the water whereupon I vndid my Rapier from my side espying the manifest and imminent danger bicause it might not hinder me and imbracing my Alcida leaped with her into the Sciffe that was fastened to the ship Clenarda that was a light and nimble damsell followed vs not forgetting to leaue her bowe and quiuer in the ship which she esteemed more then any treasure Polydorus imbracing his old father Eugerius had also leapt in with him amongst vs if the Pilot of the ship with another mariner had not beene before him But at that very instant when Polydorus with olde Eugcrius were next to them preparing themselues to leape out of the ship a mighty great blast of winde smiting on the larboord brake the cockboate from the ship and droue them so far asunder that those miserable men that were in her were constrained to tarrie there still from which time vnlesse a little while after we lost sight of them and knew not what became of the ship but doe verily thinke that it was either swallowed vp by those cruell waues or else smiting vpon some rocke or sandes neere to the coast of Spaine is miserably cast away But Alcida Clenarda and I remaining in the little Sciffe that was guided by the industrie of the Pilot and of the other mariner went floting vp and downe a day and a night attending euery minute of an hower apparant death without hope of remedie and ignorant in what coast we were But the next morning finding our selues neere to land we made towardes it amaine The two mariners that were very skilfull in swimming went not alone to the wished shore but taking vs out of the boate caried vs safely thither After that we were deliuered from the perils of the sea the mariners drew their Sciffe to lande and viewing that coast where we arriued knew that it was the Iland Formentera woondering not a little that in so small time we had run so many miles But they that had so long and certaine experience of the casuall effects which outragious tempests are woont to cause maruelled in the end not much at the preposterous course of our nauigation Now were we safely com to land secure from the dangers of passed fortune but yet surcharged with such sorrow for the losse of Eugerius Polydorus so ill intreated by greef care so weakened by hunger cold that we had no lesse sure hope of our safety nor recouery of our liues then ioy of our passed perils I passe ouer with sileÌ„ce faire Shepherdesse the great complaintes that Alcida Clenarda made for the losse of their father brother bicause I wold quickly com to the period of this lacrymable historie to the haples successe that befell to me since I came to that solitary Iland For after that in the same I was deliuered from FortuÌ„es crueltie Loue enuying that poore content of mine became my mortall foe so extremely that sorrowing to see me escaped from the tempest with a new and greater greefe when I thought my selfe most safe he tormented my scarce reuiued soule For alas wicked loue wounded the Pilots hart whose name was Sartofano and so enamoured him on Clenardas beautie that to come to the end of his desire by imagining and hatching in his wicked hart a strange and inopinate treason he forgat the lawe of faith and friendship And thus it was That after that the two sisters had with bitter teares and lamentations offered vp the sorrowfull effectes of their louing harts as obsequies to the ghostes of their deceased parents it fell out that Alcida wearied with the long greefe and troubles that she had passed laide her selfe downe vpon 〈◊〉 sand and being ouercome with deepe melancholie fell fast asleepe The wâ—… when I perceiued I said to the Pilot. My friend Sartofano vnlesse we seeke out somthing to eat or if in seeking our hard fortune will not conduct vs where we may finde some foode wee may make full account that we haue not saued our liues but rather changed the manner of our death Wherefore I pray thee my good friend to goe with thy fellow marriner to the first village thou canst finde in this Iland to seeke out some victuals for the sustenance of our hungrie bodies Whereunto Sartofano answered Though Fortune hath sufficiently fauoured vs by bringing vs safe to lande yet thinke not Marcelius to finde any thing heere to eate this being an Iland of townes desert and of people inhabited But to comfort you againe I will tell you a remedie how to saue our selues from dying for hunger For see you yonder little