to vnderstād the trouth of his death as his father in Lawe his wife and other kinsmen I would in their presence if it please you to cause them to bee called hither declare that I knowe The magistrates amased to se so greate a lorde to cruelly slaine commited her to warde till after diner and commaūded that al the before named should be somoned to appere Who assembled in the pallace with suche a number of people as the Iudges could skante haue place Violenta in the presence of them all with out any rage or passion first of all recompsed vnto thē the chaste loue betwene Didaco and her which he cōtinued the space of fowertene or fiftene monethes without receiuyng any fruicte or comoditie thereof Within a while after he being vanguished with leue maried her secretly at her house and solempnized the neptialles by a Prieste vnknowen declaryng moreouer how thei hadde liued a yere together in housholde without any occasion of offence on her part giuen vnto hym Then she rehersed before them his second mariage with the doughter of suche a manne being there presente addying for conclusion that sithe he hadde made her to lose her honestie she had sought meanes to make hym to lose his life Whiche she executed with the helpe of Ianique her maide who by her aduise beyng lothe to liue any longer had drouned her self And after she had declared the true state of the matter passed betwene them she saied for conclusion that all that she had rehersed was not to incite or moue thē to pitie or compassion thereby to prolonge her life wherof she iudged her self vnworthie for if you qoud she doe suffer me to escape your handes thinkyng to saue my bodie you shal be the cause and whole ruine of my soule for with these myne owne handes whiche you see before you I will desperately cutte of the threde of my life And with those woordes she helde her peace whereat the people amased and moued with pitie let fall the luke warme teares from their dolorouse eyes and lamented the misfortune of that poore creature imputyng the faulte vpon the dedde knighte whiche vnder colour of mariage had deceiued her The magistrates determinyng further to deliberate vppon the whole matter caused the dedde bodie to be buried and committed Violenta againe to Warde taking awaie from her kniues and other weapons wherewith thei thought she might hurte her self And vsed suche diligent searche and inquirie that the Prieste whiche maried them was founde oat and the seruaunt of Didaco that was presente at the mariage of Violenta beyng examined deposed how by his maisters commaūdement he caried his horsse into the countrie and how he commaunded him to come to hym againe the next mornyng to the house of Violenta And all thynges were so well throught to light as nothyng wanted for further inuestigacion of the truth but onely the confession of hym that was dedde And Violenta by the common opinion of the Iudges was condepned to bée behedded not onely for that she had presumed to punishe the knightes tromperie and offence but for her excessiue crueltie doen vpon the dedde bodie Thus infortunate Violenta ended her life her mother and brethren beyng acquited And was executed in the presence of the Duke of Calabria the soone of kyng Federic of Aragon whiche was that tyme the Viceroy there and afterwardes died at Torry in Fraunce who incontinently after caused this historie to be registred with other thinges worthie of remembraunce chaunced in his tyme at Valencia Bandell doeth write that the maide Ianique was put to death with her maistres but Paludanus a Spaniard a liue at that time writeth an excellent historie in Latine wherein he certainly declareth that she was neuer apprehended whiche opinion as moste probable I haue folowed Wantones and pleasaunt life being guides of insolencie doeth bring a miserable ende to a faier Ladie of Thurin whom a noble mā aduannced to high estate as appereth by this historie wherein he executeth greate crueltie vpon his said Ladie taken in adulterie ¶ The .xliij. Nouell THE auncient and generall custome of the gentlemen and gentlewomen of Piedmonte was daiely to abandon famous cities and murmures of common wealthes for to withdrawe themselfes to their Castles in the countrie and other places of pleasure of purpose to begile the troublesome turmoiles of life with greateste reste and contentacion whiche troubles and griefes thei dooe féele that intermedle with businesse of common wealthe whiche was with greate care obserued before the warres had preposterated the order of auncient gouernement that muche a doe you should haue had to finde a gentleman idle in a citie Who rather did resort to their countrie houses with their families whiche were so well gouerned and furnished that you should haue departed so well satisfied and instructed from a simple gentle mannes house as you should haue dooen from a greate Citie were it neuer so well ruled by some wife and prudent Senatour But sithens the worlde began to waxe olde it is come againe to very infancie in suche sorte that greatest nomber of Cities are not peopled in these daies but with a many of idle gentlemen that make their resiance and abode there not to profite but to continewe their delicate life and thei doe corrupte not onely themselfes but whiche is worste thei infecte them that keepe them companie whiche I will discourse somewhat more at large for so muche as the gentlewoman of whom I will describe the historie was brought vp all the tyme of her youthe in one of the finest and moste delicate Cities of Piedmonte And féelyng as yet some sparke of her former bringing vp she could not be reformed beyng in the countrie with her husbande but that in the ende she fill into greate reproche and shame as you shall vnderstande by the content of this historie In the tyme that Madame Margaret of Austriche doughter of Maximilian the Emperour went in progresse into Sauoie towardes her husbande there was a greate Lorde a valiaunte and curteous gentleman in a certaine Countrie of Piedmonte whose name I will not disclose aswell for the reuerence of hisneresse kinne which doe yet liue as for the immoderatee ruell punishemente that he deuised towardes his wife when he toke her in the faulte This greate Lorde although he had goodlie reuenues and Castelles in Piedmonte yet for the moste parte of his tyme he followed the Courte by commaundemente of the Duke that interteined hym nexte his owne persone vsyng commonly his aduise in al his greatest affaires This lorde at that time maried a maidē in Thurin of meane beautie for his pleasure not estemyng the place from whence she came And bicause he was well nere fiftie yeres of age when he married her she attired her self with suche modestie that she was more like a widowe then a maried woman and knewe so well howe to vse her husband the space of a yere or twoo that he thought hymself the happiest manne a
so many tymes for his sake to fetche so many sighes and with suche sweete woordes to bidde hym bet of good there aud that if he wanted any thyng to tell her and praied hym with pleasaunt wordes to call for that he lacked and that for his sake she would gladlie accomplish his desire who doubteth I saie but he was merueilouslie tormented with a thousande cogitacions now conceiuyng hope and by and by dispaire and still concludyng with hymself rather to die then to manifest his loue And if it be a grief to all yonge men bee thei neuer of so meane and base cōdicion in their youthlie tyme to lose their life what shall we thinke of Antiochus that beyng a yongman of freshe and flourishyng age the sonne of a riche and mightie kyng that looked if he might escape after the death of his father to be heire of al did willingly craue death of that small disease I am assured that his sorowe was infinite Antiochus then beaten with pitie with loue with hope with desire with fatherly reuerence and with a thousande other thynges like a ship tossed in the depe seas by litle and litle begā to growe extremelie sicke Erasistratus that sawe his bodie hole and sounde but his minde greuouslie weakened and the same vanquished with sundrie passiōs After he had with hymself considered this straunge case he for cōclusiō foūde out that the yong man was sicke through loue for none other cause Moreouer he thought that many tymes wise and graue menne through Ire hatred disdaine malinconie and other affections could easilie faine and dissemble their passions but loue if it be kept secrete doeth by the close kepyng thereof greater hurte then if it be made manifeste And albeit that of Antiochus he could not learne the cause of his loue yet after that imaginacion was entred into his hedde he purposed to finde it out by continuall abode with hym and by greate diligence to obserue and marke all his actions and aboue all to take heede to the mutacion of his poulses and wherevpon their beatyng did alter This deliberacion purposed he sat downe by the bedde side and tooke Antiochus by the arme and helde him fast where the poulses ordinarily doe beate It chaunced at that instant that the quene Stratonica entred into the chamber whom so sone as the yonge man sawe cōmyng towarde him sodainlie the poulce whiche were weake féeble began to reuiue through mutacion of the blood Erasistratus féelyng the renforcyng of the poulce and to proue how longe it would continewe moued not at the commyng of the Quene but still helde his fingers vpō the beatyng of the poulces So long as the Quene contiuned in the chamber the beatyng was quicke and liuelie but when she departed it ceased the wonted weaknes of the poulces retourned Not long after the quene came againe into the chāber who was no soner espied by Antiochus but that his poulces receiued vigor and begā to leape and so still continued Whē she departed the force and vigor of the poulce departed also The noble Phisicion seyng this mutacion and that still it chaunced vpō the presence of the Quene he thought that he had founde out the occasion of Antiochus sickenesse But he determined better to marke the same the next daie to be more assured The morowe after Erasistratus sat doun againe by the yonge gentleman and toke hym again by the arme but his poulce made no mociō at all The king came to se his sonne and yet for all that his poulses were still And beholde the Quene came no soner in but sodainlie thei reuined and yelded suche liuelie mouyng as if you would haue said yonder is she that setteth my harte on fire Beholde where she is that is my life death Then Erasistratus was well assured and certaine that Antiochus was feruently inflamed with his mother in lawe but that shame constrained hym to conceale the hotte firebrandes that tormented hym and to keepe them close and secrete Certified of this opinion before he would open the matter he considered what waie were best to giue knowledge therof to kyng Seleucus And when he had well debated of this matter he deuised this waie He knewe that Seleucus loued his wife beyonde measure and also that Antiochus was so dere vnto hym as his owne life Wherevpon he thus saied vnto the kyng Noble Seleucus thy sonne is affected with a grieuous maladie and that whiche is worse I deme his sickenesse to bee incurable At whiche wordes the sorowfull father began to vtter pitifull lamētacion and bitterlie to complaine of Fortune To whom the Phisicion saied If it please yon my lorde to vnderstande the occasion of his disease This it is The maladie that affecteth and languisheth your soonne is Loue and the loue of suche a woman whiche excepte he enioye there is no remedie but death Alas quod the Kyng weepyng with bitter teares and what woman is she but that I maie procure her for hym whiche am kyng of all Asia and maie with intreatie money giftes or other pollicie whatsoeuer make her obediente and willyng to my soonnes requeste Tell me onelie the name of the woman that I maie prouide for my soonnes healthe yea though it cost me all my goods and realme to if other wise she can not bee gotten For if he die what shall I doe with my kyngdome Wherevnto Erasistratus answered If it like your grace your sōne is in loue with my wife but bicause that loue semeth vnto him discōuenient he dareth not to manifest the same for shame but rather wisheth to die then to opē his minde Howbeit I by certaine euident signes doe wei perceiue it When Seleucus heard these woordes he saied O Erasistratus thou beyng so worthie a man to whom fewe in goodnesse and humilitie be comparable so dere and welbeloued of me and beareth the bruite to be the verie hauen and harborough of wisedome wilt thou not saue my sonne whiche is a yonge man now vpon the floure of his youth and most worthie of life for whom the Empire of all Asia is worthelie reserued O Erasistratus the soonne of thy frende Seleucus is thy kyng who through loue and silence is at the poineted death thou seest that for modestie and honestie sake at this his laste and doubtfull passage he had rather chose to die then by speakyng to offende thee and wilte thou not helpe hym This his silence this discrecion that his reuerence whiche he sheweth ought to moue thee to cōpassion Thinke my welbeloued Erasistratus that if he loue ardently that he was forced to loue For vndoubtedlie if he could not loue he would do the best he could not to loue yea and all his endeuour to resist it But who is able to prescribe lawes to Loue Loue I knowe not onelie forceth men but also commaūdeth the immortall Goddes and when thei bee not able to resist him what can mannes pollicie preuaile Wherfore who knoweth not what
made and instructed in his trumperie leauing the poore lorde with a hamer workyng in his hedde that he was like to run out of his wittes So greate is the furious force of the poison of Ialosie which ones hauyng dispersed the venime ouer the harte and intrailes of men the wiseste sort haue lost the due discrecion of their wittes In the mornyng aboute the hower that the amourous foole ignoraunte wherefore he wente in should issue out of his maistresse chamber the Stewarde rauished with inexplicable ioye and gladnesse like to the pleasure of hym that had attained the somme of his desires called his Lorde to see that heauie and dolorous sight The good gentleman perceiuyng the report to be true and thinking that she had vsed the foole to be her bedfelow was like to haue died for sorowe or els to haue torne in peces that vnhappie sotte innocente of the euill suspected by the Lorde who durst not so muche as thinke to dooe suche a wicked facte In the ende giuyng place to reason he caused the poore foole to be apprehended and put in the bottome of a dongeon and beyōde measure was offended with his wife for that he thoughte the simplicitie of the imprisoned wretch had not the face to demaunde the question and therefore did verely beleue that it was she that had induced him to doe the dede to satisfie her vnbrideled and filthie lust and therefore caused her to be shut vp within a darke and stinckyng prison not meanyng to sée her or to heare her speake for her iustification ne yet would suffer that any man should take vpon him to stande in her defence to bring witnesse of her innocencie For saied he replete with wrathe and anger I dooe better beleue that whiche I haue séene and knowen by myne owne presence then your woordes vaine reasons and complaintes of no good grounde and effect as founden vpon her that hath to muche forgotten herself and her duetie towardes me Moreouer vanquished with the Cholere not without cause truely of a husbande that thought hymself by her onely meanes deceiued and betraied sente worde to the poore captiue that she should then prouide for her soules healthe sithe he was determined the very same daie to make her plaie a Tragedie more cruell then that was pleasaunte whiche she had alredie doen with her beloued in extrudyng her to bee deuoured of his Lions whiche were the ministers for the execution of the Iustice ordeined againste her as though she had béen the moste lasciuious and detestable woman that euer the earth brought forthe The faser and innocente Ladie knowyng the humour and cholere of her housband and likewise seing contrarie to right order of all Iudgemente that she could not bée heard or suffred to make answer passed through the rigorous law of him that thought her to be an Adulteresse And could not tell what to doe but to lamēt her ill fortune gushing forth teares in suche abundaunce that the moste part of her attire were wett and bedewed with the same then fortestyng her self in the hope of the mercifull hande of almightie God the father of all consolacion who neuer forgetteth them whiche with intire faithe doe call vpon hym and appeale to the succour of the holie and precious name of his sonne Iesus Christ our sauiour she with compunction of harte and sincere deuocion suith ioyned handes and knées vpō the graund addressyng her eyes to the heauens praied in this wise Alas my God I dooe knowe and confesse that the multitude of my synues doe surpasse the sea sandes am not ignoraunt that this vnhappie tyme is chaunced vnto me for the punishemente of my forepassed offences Notwithstandyng Lorde accordyng to thy greate goodnesse haue no respecte vnto my demerites and wickednesse whereof my life is full but rather extende thy fauour and mercie vpon thy poore creature whose innocencie thou whiche art the searcher of mennes hartes doest well vnderstande and knowe I doe not desire prolongacion of my miserable life onely maie it please thée O God for thy goodnesse and instice sake to saue myne honoure and to graunte that my husbande maie se with what integritie I haue alwaies honoured the holy bande of Mariage by thée ordeined to thintent he maie liue from henceforthe quiet of this inspicion conceiued of me and that my parentes maie not sustein the blot of ignominie whiche wil make them blushe when thei shall beare reporte of my life past She beyng in these contemplacions and holie praiers preparyng her self to receiue death her husband caused her to be conueied into the Parke of Liōs whiche beyng straunge and terrible at the first sighte did merueillously affraie her but remembryng how innocente she was puttyng her hope in God she wente thither with suche constauncie and courage as if she had been ledde to some ioyous banquet and the people which neuer heard tell before of suche a kinde of death was assembled in greate multitude tariyng to sée the ende of that execucion and talkyng diuersly of that sodaine Iudgemente praied all with one voice for the preseruacion of their ladie of whose chastitie thei were alredie right well assured Nowe as thei attended for the time of execucion the Ladie was placed in the mid of the Parke not without teares and sighes of the Assistauntes who murmured at the remembrance of the horror of a sight so furious The innocent Ladie knéeled doune vpon her knées and bothe by gesture and merie countenaunce shewed how ioyfully she went to suffer that whiche she had neuer deserued Then recōmending her soule to God for whose saluaciō she stedfastly hoped she pronounced this praier a loude O my Lorde God whiche diddest ones deliuer Daniel from a daūger like to this whervnto the false accusaciō of the wicked haue wrongfully cast me hedlong And diddest discharge Susanna from the slander of the peruerse and adulterous Iudges pleaseth thée pitifully to beholde thy poore creature Pardon O Lorde forgiue I humblie beseche thee the simplicitie of my deare husbande who dealeth thus with me rather through the circumuencion of deceiptfull cauillyng slaunderers then by his owne malice and crueltie Receiue O my GOD and mercifull father Receiue my soule betwene thy besse handes whiche thou hast redemed by the bloodde sheddyng of thy soonne Iesus vpon the Tree of the Crosse. As she had ended these woordes she sawe the Lions come for the rampyng and bristleyng vp their heare stretchyng foorthe their pawes with roaryng voice cruelly lookyng rounde about them Of whom the Ladie thought to be the present praie But the goodnesse of God who is a iust Iudge and suffreth his own elect to be proued to the extremitie of purpose to make their glorie the greater and the ruine of the wicked more apparaunt manifested there an euident miracle For the Lions beyng cruell of nature and that tyme hungrie and gredie of praie in lieu of tearyng the Ladie in péeces to gorge their rauening paunche thei fill to lickyng and fawnyng
her by the arme conducted her vnto his castell deuising of pleasaunt matters And he was greatly astonned to sée so rare a beautie as appeared in the Princesse Which neyther the wearinesse of the way nor the parching beames of the Sunne could in any wise so appaire but that there rested ynough to draw vnto her the very hartes of the moste colde and frosen men of the worlde And albeit the Lorde of Mendozza tooke great pleasure and admiration in beholding her yet was it nothing in respect of the Duchesse who after she had aduised and well marked the beautie excellency and other giftes of grace in the Lorde of Mendozza she confessed that all that which she had hearde of his sister was but a dreame in comparison of the proufe which discouered it selfe vpon the first viewe Seming vnto her by good iudgemēt that all the beauties of the worlde were but paintings in respect of the perfection of that which she saw with her eyes Wherin she was not deceyued albeit that her feruent loue might haue bewitched her senses For all the Histories in Latine Spanishe Italien the which make mention of Mendozza giue vnto him the first place in beautie of all the Princes and Lordes that were in his time The poore Duchesse after she had manifested by outwarde gestures and countenances to the Lord of Mendozza that which was in the inwarde part of her heart without receiuing the full satisfaction of his sight which she desired determined hauing soiourned thrée dayes in his Castle to depart the nexte morning vnwares to the Knight to perfourme her voyage And so soone as the light of the daye began to appeare she went to the chamber of the Lady Isabell whome she thanked affectuously aswell for her good company as for the great courtesie and humanitie that she had receiued in her house And hauing taken leaue of her departed with her trayne The Knight Mendozza about an houre or two after her departure aduertised therof was greatly troubled what the matter might be that she was gone without taking leaue of him And after that he had a little thought therevpon he easily perceyued that all the fault therof was in himself And that this great Princesse had abandoned her countrie of purpose by all iudgement to visite him and that he had shewed himselfe very slack for her satisfaction in that he had not offred her his seruice Whereat being iustly greued she did not vouchsafe to giue him a farewell And so accusing himselfe he determined to follow after her accōpanied only with two Pages And for that he was on horseback it was not long before he espied her in the high way to S. Iames where lighting frō his horse he walked two miles wyth her seasoning the matter without intermission desiring her amongs other things to let him vnderstand what displeasure she had conceiued in his house that caused so spedy and secret a departure adding thervnto that if her pleasure were he would accompanie her to the place whither she was vowed and would also reconduct her in his owne person to Thurin in so honorable sorte that she should haue cause to be contented Then passing further with sighes sayde vnto her Madame Fortune had done me a great benefite if when my sister made her vowe to goe to Rome I had lost the battaile against myne enemies and that her vowe had bene without effect For it might haue bene that I should haue remained quiet by the losse of some of my people But alas I fele nowe since your comming into this countrie a battaile so cruell and assault so furious in my heart as not being able any longer to resist it I finde my selfe vanquished and caught captiue in suche sorte that I knowe not to whome to complayne but to you which is the motion of all my disquietnesse And yet which grieueth me most you dissemble as though you did not vnderstand it And to bring me to my last ende you are departed this day out of my house not dayning to sée me or to appease me with one farewell which hath so further inflamed my passion that I dye a thousande times in a day Beseching you for the time to come to entreat me more fauorably or you shal sée me in that state wherein you woulde be loth to sée your enemy Which is most cruell death And in dede he shewed sufficiently how great the grief was that prest him how well the passion that he felt was agreable to the wordes which he spake For in pronouncing his wordes he sighed so in hys tale and changed his colour so often and had his face so besprent with teares that it semed his soule attached with superfluous sorrowe would at that very instant haue abondoned his body Which the Princesse perceyuing touching at the quick the very spring of al his euill sayde vnto him Seigniour Mendozza I know not what you woulde that I shoulde doe more for you nor for what occasion you doe pretend that I should be the cause of your death For if the occasion thereof should happen through my default my lyfe by strength or abilitie coulde not endure one houre after for the sorow I should conceyue therof Think me to be yours and be not offended I besech you if openly I doe no longer talk with you For I would not to wynne al the goods in the world that any of this traine which doth accompanie me should perceyue any one sparke of the great kindled fier wherin my hart burneth day and night for your sake being assured that if you had felt one houre of my paine in place to accuse me of cruelty your self cōplayning would pitie the griefe which I haue sustayned for your long absence For without the continuall presence of your person representing it selfe in the eyes of myne vnderstanding with a firme hope once to haue séene you it had bene impossible for me to resist the long and hard assault where with loue hath euery houre assailed me But one thing I must nedes confesse vnto you that by reasō of the cold welcome which you made me in the beginning I thought it procéeded of some euill opinion conceyued of me or peraduenture that you had thought me ouer liberall of myne honour to haue lefte the countrie where I commaunde to render my selfe subiect to your good grace which caused me without leaue to depart your house But nowe that I do know by your countenance and teares the contrarie I acknowledge my faulte and desire you to forget it With full promise that at my retorne frō my voyage of S. Iames I wil make you amendes in the very same place where I cōmitted the fault And remayning your prisoner for a certayne time I will not depart from you vntill I haue satisfied by sufficient penaunce the greatnesse of my trespas In the meane tyme you shall content your selfe with my good will and without passing any further retorne againe home to your Castle for feare least
mortall body And if I should so farre forget my selfe as willingly to commit a thing so dishonest your grace ought for the loyall seruice of my father and husbande towarde you sharpely to rebuke me and to punishe me according to my deserte For this cause moste dradde soueraigne Lord you which are accustomed to vanquishe and subdue other be nowe a conquerour ouer your selfe and throughly bridle that concupiscence if there be any vnder the raines of Reason that being quenched and ouercome they may no more reuiue in you and hauing liuely resisted the first assaultes the victorie is but easie which shall be a thousand times more glorious and gainefull for you than if you had conquered a kingdome The Countesse had scarce made an ende of her tale but one came to tell them that the Tables were couered for dinner the King well fedde with Loue dyned for that tyme very soberlye and not able to eate but vpon amorous dishes did caste his lokes inconstantly here and there and still his eyes threwe the last loke vpon that part of the table where the Countesse satte meaning thereby to extinguishe the boyling flames which incessantly did burne him howbeit by thinking to coole them he further plondged himselfe therein And wandering thus in diuers cogitations the wise aunswere that the Countesse made like a vaunte curreur was continually in his remebrance and was well assured of her inuincible chastitie By reason wherof seing that so harde and enterprise required a longer abode and that a heart so chaste could not so quickly be remoued frō purpose careful on the other side to giue order to the waightie affaires of his realme disquieted also on euery side throughe the turmoile of warres determined to depart the next day in the morning reseruing till another tyme more conuenient the pursute of his Loue. Hauing taken order for his departure in the morning he went to seke the Countesse and taking his leaue of her he prayed her to thinke better of the talke made vnto her the day before but aboue all he besought her to haue pitie vpon hym Wherevnto the Countesse answered that not onelye she prayed God incessantly to giue him victorie ouer his outwarde enemies but also grace to tame that carnall passion which did so torment him Certaine dayes after that King Edward was arriued at London which was the place of his ordinarie abode the Countesse of Salesburie was aduertised that the Earle her husbande being out of prison consumed with griefe sicknesse died by the way homewardes And bicause they had no children the Earledome retorned to the King which first gaue the same vnto him And after she had lamented the death of her husbande the space of many dayes she retourned to her fathers house which was Earle of Warwicke And for so muche as he was one of the Kinges priuie Counsell and the most part of the affaires of the realme passed by his aduise and counsell he continued at London that he might be more nere vnto the Kinges person The King aduertized of the comming of the Countesse thought that fortune had opened a way to bring his enterprise to desired effecte specially for that the death of her husbande and the witnesse of his earnest good will would make her more tractable The king seing all thing as he thought to succede after his desire began to renewe his first affections séeking by all meanes to practise the good wil of the Countesse who then was of the age of .xxvi. yeares Afterwardes he ordayned many triumphes at the Tilte and Torney Maskes Momeries feastes banquets and other like pastimes wherat Ladies accustomably doe assemble who made much of them all and secretely talked with them Notwithstanding he could not so well disguise and counterfait his passions but that he still shewed himselfe to beare beste good will to the Countesse Thus the king coulde not vse suche discretion in loue but that from his secret fier some euident flames did issue out But the Countesse which was a wise and curteous Lady did easely perceyue how the king by chaunging the place had not altered his affection and that he still prosecuted his talke begon at Salesberic She despising all his amorous countenaunces continued her firme and chaste minde And if it chaunced that sometimes the king made more of her than discretion required sodainly might haue bene discried a certaine palenesse in her face which declared the little pleasure that she toke in his toyes with a certayne rigor appearing that yelded to the king an assured testimonie that he laboured in vaine Neuerthelesse she to cut of all meanes of the Kings pursute kept still her fathers house shewing her self in no place where the king might sée her The king offended seing himselfe depriued and banished her presence whome he estemed as the comfort of his lyfe made his secretarie priuie to the whole matter whose fidelitie he had wel proued in matters daungerous with minde to pursue her by other way if it chaunced that she persisted in her wonted rigor and refusall Howbeit before he proceded any further sith he could not secretely talke with her he purposed to sende her a letter the Tenor whereof insueth MAdame if you please by good aduise to consider the beginning of my Loue the continuance of the same then the last issue whervnto it is brought I am assured that laying your hand vpon your heart you will accuse your self not onely of your curst and froward stomacke hitherto appearing but also of that newe ingratitude which you shewe vnto me at this houre not contented to be bathed plondged by you in the missehap of my payne paste but yet by a newe onset you abandon your felfe from my presence as from the sight of your mortall enemie wherin I find that heauen and al his influences doe cry out for mine ouerthrow wherevnto I doe agrée since my lyfe taking no vigor and increase being onely sustained by the fauour of your diuine graces can not be maintained one onely minute of a day without the liberall helpe of your swéetenesse and vertue beseching you that if the heartie prayers of any mortall tormented man may euer haue force and power to moue you to pitie it may please you miraculously to deliuer from henceforth this my poore miserable afflicted mynde eyther from death or martirdome He that is more yours than his owne Edwarde the desolate King of Englande The letter written with his owne hand and sealed with his seale he commaunded the Secretarie to goe to the Countesse at her fathers house and secretly to deliuer the same which he did And the Countesse hauing read and perused it sayde to the Secretarie My frende you shal tell the king that I doe beseche him most humbly to send me no more letters or messages touching the matters wherof he hath written For I am in such wise resolued in the aunswere which I made him in my Castle that I will persist immutable to the ende