voyage findeth but the halfe part of his Marchandise in his ship the gaine of which drew him to aduenture abroad and to leaue his countrie and friends Euen so Leander found himselfe but halfe contented and pleased when he perceiued those to be dead whom he so much coueted in his minde to haue encombred them aliue neuerthelesse he drew neerer vnto the place where they lay marking very wistly both his dead enemies and his wife As he stood thus gazing vpon them diuers conceits ran in his head not knowing well what to thinke of the matter one while he thinketh that his wife loued Antonio so dearely as she would needes die with him an other while he iudgeth rightly of the fact imagining that ciuill discention had caused one to kill an other now he iudgeth that some foe of Antonios had stabd him and then againe he gesseth that some of his friends had offered him this cruell outrage for doing so great villainie against him But Loue crossed all these contrarie conceits dispearsing them heere and there as the cracke of the thunder forceth the cloud to giue way when it breaketh through the same and falleth vpon the ground below he thought he had many iust occasions to hate his wife meaning if she had bene aliue to haue inflicted vpon her that punishment which he had alreadie found her to endure and yet when he had a little better considered thereof in his minde seeing her to be brought vnto so pittifull a straight he could not chuse but must needes lament and bewaile her hard mishap Whilest she liued he loathed her nor will he by any meanes be induced to beleeue that she is culpable of that fault of which he before accused her seeing that now she is dead A friend is neuer knowne so well as when he is mist He commeth neerer and neerer vnto her which wofull Cynthia perceiuing and not knowing who it was but rather supposing that the villaines were come backe againe although she were not quite dead yet did she faine her selfe to be so fearing least they would offer some violence vnto her bodie if she should haue made shew that she had bene still aliue Leander lighting of his horse kneeleth downe by his wife weepeth bitterly and then kisseth her which the poore soule perceiuing maruelling much what this should meane openeth her dying eies a little when after she had a good while wistly looked vpon him she sawe and knew him to be liuing whom she held and accounted to be dead That Romane woman who died with sodaine ioy seeing her sonne returne safe and whole from that bloodie battaile of Cannas and whom she esteemed to be dead was not halfe so much rauished with true delight and amazemēt in viewing him as Cynthia was when she saw her spouse aliue and well And now she striueth as much as in her feeble strength lieth to open wide her languishing eies that she might the better gaze and looke vpon her husband But alas mortall and deadly were the glaunces she cast vpon him mortall were they vnto her to Leander she now began to wende away as mildly as a lambe whilest her wofull husband what sinister conceit soeuer he had before of her died for very anguish to see her in this wofull taking He was aliue and not wounded at all his wife readie to giue vp the ghost all to be mangled with gorie blood and yet had not he his tongue so readie to command as his poore Cynthia had for so great was his griefe as he could not speake as much as one word which she perceiuing and now knowing throughly who he was with a kind of hollow and broken voice she spake thus vnto him Ah my deare husband art thou then come from heauen to assist and helpe thy faithfull wife she being readie to giue vp the ghost and hast thou dained so much as to remember her and to honour her at her end with thy welcome presence Ah say is it thine owne selfe whom I see or is it some euill spirit that hath taken thy shape vpon him to mocke and delude me If it be thee and that thou liuest as yet then thrise fortunate is Cynthia to see thee before she giueth ouer this wretched life And yet if thou be that Leander who sometimes wert the kind husband of vnhappie Cynthia how then canst thou abide to approach neere vnto her she hauing bene the occasion of so many euils lightned vpon thee thou knowing not whether she be cleare from them or no But I see well that Loue draweth all such doubts in thee and will not suffer thee to beleeue any thing that is not good for me And yet Leander hast thou reason to conceiue the worst of me because I haue bene the occasion of many troubles that haue hapned vnto thee notwithstanding I sweare vnto thee by that God before whom I hope to be iudged who reuengeth euery periurie that I am meerely innocent of what ill so euer is done I hauing not bene defiled either in bodie or in minde the Almightie hauing most miraculosly preserued me from all such harme Whereupon she began to discouer vnto him all that had hapned since she last sawe him and withall how she had not made him acquainted with the affection which Antonio bare vnto her the cause of all this mischiefe and the reason that it might haue bene preuent if he had knowne thereof But said she I was in good hope he would haue become a new man being loth to bewray his soilie vnto you because you made so great account of him thinking he would neuer haue borre so bad a minde towards you But now I see this sore to be vnrecurable I know not what to say but onely to craue pardon of you for the same and withall to take some order for my buriall Then sweet husband weepe no more for what reason hast thou to bewaile her death who hath brought thee so many losses and vncurable dammages whilest she liued with thee rather haue you cause to reioyce and be glad to see her finall end and therefore I most humbly beseech you if you doe loue me indeed as you seeme at this time to make some shew that you doe drie vp your teares cease these lamentings giue ouer this sighing and sobbing and suffer me to finish this small rest of my life in some pleasure for my sorrow proceedeth not from my death but for that I see thee thus to take on Trouble not then I pray thee that contentment which I haue to view and behold thee before I shut vp my dazeling eies through thy too much lamenting for my death If thou hast loued me then call to minde this thy good will towards me and let the remembrance thereof now I die perswade thee to doe so much for me It is the last office of friendship which thou must doe for me for now I shall trouble thee no more my glasse being runne and the date of my life in
one that thee and thine should shame But woe is me thou wrongest me if so of me thou iudge Since for thy sake nought to attempt as yet I â—re did grudge Faire thou shalt know that since my heart a widower is through thee He can no ioy what euer take nor longer liuing bee Much lesse that I can like againe I am no Louer such If so thou thinkst thou art deceiu'd and wrongest me oremuch Thy seruant whilst I liu'd I was dying I le be thy slaue To make some mends for mine offence thou readie me shalt haue I le die as thou hast done as one of thy praise enuious Because thou purchast hast for me thy rest from sorrow thus I will not beg that I may touch that prettie cherrie lip Whilst I am dying I confesse my selfe deserue not it Yet gratious Goddesse of my thoughs if those thine eyes so bright Haue not alreadie quite forsooke their wonted clâ—eerfull light Ah then doe but once open them and Plaindor thine regard With one small glaunce who now doth leaue his life through fortune hard Bright starres your Plaindor you shall see loow quickly he will die If you so much doe grace him as to ope but halfe an eye And now in leiu of recompence for wrong that done I haue This blood accept my hainous crime to purifie and laue Sweete Ladie now at last receiue this blood this blood of mine And suffer my dead coarse repose and rest it selfe by thine Thus said with courage great his sword he thrusts into his side And being dead vpon the ground his bodie faint doth glide Which with his lukewarme struaming blood the ground did make to faâ—â—â— Of colour whilst it flowing ratine and dide it ouer all Floretta all this while was not starke dead the poyson strong Was not enough which was the cause her life it did prolong Her he auie eyes she casteth vp and rolleth here and there Whilst in her face a show of death halfe smiling doth appeare And seeing Plaindor falne by her she him doth fast imbrace And with her feeble force doth wipe the blood from off his face His head with dying hand she doth hold vp to ease his paine And hauing giuen to him a kisse rekisseth him againe Wherewith he gaspeth yet once more and thinkes himselfe the most Blessed that in his Mistris armes he yeeldeth vp his ghost Thrise happie Plaindor fortunate eternall is thy glorie For thou hast gained ouer death a pretious victorie Thou diest in the clasped armes of faire Floretta thine Whilst with her eyes thine eyes thy face with hers doe close conioyne She striuing for to die that she amaine might thee pursue Whom thou doest see though gainst her will thee to suruiue so true And now death had alreadie tane her speech nor could she speake Yet these few words she sighthed forth with hollow voice most weake O Plaindor sweet friend Shepheard mine our Loues though miserable To ages that hereafter come to liue shall aie be able Since through the vertuous paths they trod vntainted chastitie Serues vnto them to be the ground to their Eternitie And though we now die yet our selues thus let vs comfort rife Thou diest forme and I for thee am pleasde to end my life Like faithfull friends we die the one forth ' other 's well apaid And in one Tombe our bodies both shall be enterd and laid Thou goest my Loue before me and I follow thee most blithe As fast as fast I can for thee I meane not to suruiue Yet happie we in dying thus since kissing we embrace Which liuing we durst not attempt for feâ—re to haue disgrace But now I come to thee Thus said she on the face doth fall Of her blest Plaindor whilst her soule doth â—lit away withall Their coarses be within one graue where the â— doe quiet sleepe And in this Rocke vnto their fame this verse was grauen deepe ARCAS hauing heard this pittioâ—s Tragedie could not chuse but weepe dreaming a fresh vpon his auncient Loues when the old man thus awaked him Shepheard Shepheard loue is neuer satisfied nor appeased with teares which is an or dinarie vse with him being alwaies a child as he is In the teares of Louers doth he temper his Arrowes the harder to freese the hearts of their Ladies against them The more he findeth vs to waile and want courage the more he doth taunt and reuile vs Not vnlike vnto that Generall of a field A Similie who more hostly pursueth his enemies when they begin to shrinke backe and recoyle then when they â—valiantly and stoutly stand to beare out the brunt If Cupid hath not yeelded vnto the teares of his Mother much lesse will he be moued at thine True Louers sildome or neuer weepe because their heate consumeth the moysture which is within them A Sentence no more then drie wood can yeeld forth wet water Cease then to waile and in steed of these teares take courage against this fierce enemie If the Gods themselues replied the Shepheard could not resist him how then shall any man be able to encounter with him And what other thing can such miserable wretches doe as be out of all hope but bewaile and lament their vntimely misfortunes It is for hearts of steele resembling blades ouer hardly tempred which rather breake then bowe not to be moued with griefe at all Teares are signes of a pitifull Nature whereas such as are cruell neuer weepe because they are quite voyd of all compassion Though Loue hereat will not be moued yet will gentleâ— hearts relent at the same I knowe he maketh no account hereof neither doe I pretend to sacrifice vnto him with them but rather with mine owne decrest blood How wonderfully art thou deceiued quoth the old man The Alters of Loue as those of the Gods â—ere vpon the earth neuer distill nor drop with blood for can Loue be encountered and met withall amongst braules quarrels and bloodshed No no but where amitie and friendship is there doth he frequent and keepe companie An excellent discourse of the mightines and power of Loue. such onely being to be counted right Louers indeed and worthy to enioy Loue it selfe who beare no malice nor seeke one anothers death O how sweete and pleasing a thing is this kind of amitie which keepeth the Gods in perfect vnitie and vnder whose puissance is the hollow giuing vault of heauen guided Men after the example of the Gods by the aduise of Loue first assem bled themselues together vniting and incorporating themselues within Cities and walled Townes leauing the sauadge wildernesses vnto wilde beasts wherein they before did inhabit Why then doest thou offer blood vnto him O Father of these nocturnall Desarts answered the Shepheard I know thou thinkest otherwise then thou speakest Canst thou compose and frame a gentle and milde Nature An example of nothing but murther and crueltie How many massacres loue hath commenced Troy can witnesse How many cruell griefes
thought but this his happines because it was hatefull vnto his owne natiue countrie ought rather to haue bin counted vnhappines then any felicitie at all for where the publique good is extended not any man there should seeke his owne particular quiet but rather most cheerfully endure the selfesame torment with which his countrie is afflicted But O how worthy of all praise are such who as resolute Saylors shew like courage and cheere as well in aduersitie as in prosperitie being euery way throughly armed and resolued to abide the very shocke push of fortune not loosing their spirits or stomacks any thing at all at the first arriuall of the same but rather are the more strengthened and animated thereby yeelding through their inuincible patience infinit rich testimonies of a most perfect and obsolute vertue indeed Amongst which number wel may Louers be admitted who being at libertie to kill themselues as infamous and degenerate mindes doe and hauing the selfe same meanes and excuses that they haue yet will not perpetrate nor put in practise so vile and horrible a fact to the ende they may the better shew the fruites of their constancie and perptuall vertue in all places wheresoeuer they shall chaunce to come For as he is not excuseable from blame who because he cannot be good therefore giueth himselfe to what is bad inasmuch as herein it is our parts to force our nature it selfe No more is he to be commended who for that he can no longer bandie with his afflictions and with the painefull labours of this world maketh away his owne selfe because we being the creatures of God are bound to take part of all such sinister accidents as it shall please him to send vpon vs without shaking off the same from vs by destroying our selues which the diuine lawe forbiddeth vs to doe As that of the ciuill prohibiteth Bondslaues to flie from the hands of their Lords and Maisters A Sentence They therefore are more to be commended who suffer and sigh forth their griefes then those who because they want force to resist the violence therof slay themselues For vertue shineth most amidst hard and difficult matters no glory at all harbouring amongst base and abiect spirits What 's that you say answered the old man Tell me I pray you is there any thing more sweet or deerer vnto man then life What can make him more renowmed thē to loose that which he holdeth most dearest to follow vertue and to doe nothing vnworthy of his owne honour And if your speech were true then O yee braue martiall spirits and Captaines of warre most miserable and far from glory are you who for the publique benefit and good amongst thousand battailes haue yeelded forth your blood and soules together What worthy exploytes had men shewed abroad what generous acts what valiant deeds and what workes of Eternitie If they had bin such diligent preseruers of their liues when for feare of loosing the same they should haue left behind them millions of vertuous stratagems being the children of praise Fathers of common-wealths in the enterprising of which they stand in perill of their most pretious liues A great credit is it for a man to giue ouer all desire of riches of greatnesse of all pompe and estate and to depriue himselfe of all delicate and delitious kind of liuing but far greater commendation is it vnto him to abandon all these foresaid pleasures to follow vertue in quest and to giue ouer that which is more neare vnto vs then all these worldly felicities I meane our sweet life for not to be borne at all is the greatest ill fortune that can commonly happen vnto men as to haue life is the sweetest and most comfortablest thing A Sentence that can be imagined That it is happines to be borne and to liue in this world I denie said the Shepheard for how blessed had it bin and far better for many a one neuer to haue tasted of this life at all as by their lucklesse endes hath well appeared Life is good and pleasant to such as know how to vse it well but most miserable vnto others for the ende of euery action doth crowne and make perfect the same and no man is said rightly to be fortunate vntill his death be come What happie good or vertuous ende can such make who haue alwaies liued most vngodly when by being so borne they become most wicked sinners being continually troubled in their conscience which like a worme still gnaweth their soules whereas those that liue well and iustly and whose behauiour is holy and vnspotted make most happie endes I say therefore euery mans birth is not happie but rather that it is oft times more miserable vnto some men then pleasant or fortunate for better were it for such a one neuer to be at all then to be borne and so to loose his soule and glory his name and memorie through his leaude and wretched misdemenor An example The Spartans far wiser then we were of mine aduise who made so light account of life as the least naturall imperfection that their children brought with them into this world was the cause they threw them into their common shore or priuies thereby taking from them their humane essence and their liues How many miserable wretches shall a man find in this world to liue in such extremitie and want as they wish they neuer had bin borne desiring nothing so much as to haue their daies abridged and out off and to lie full low in their quiet graues Therefore to be borne and to liue in this world are not such pretious things as you account them but rather most grieuous and troublesome so as a man comming to loose the same looseth no great matter Vertue being his pledge for so small a losse Neither will I denie the worthy deedes which the vertuous bring to passe they not standing any thing at all in feare to loose their liues and yet the very selfe-same consideration which maketh them esteme so little of their health witnesse sufficiently enough that it is not prized by them at any high rate seeing they are content to exchange it for death If the good Iob before he had suffered what he did had ended his life he then had bene depriued of that prayse which his rare patience purchased vnto him An Example as we finde in the sacred Scriptures And yet quoth the old man what good did all these complaints vnto Iob which he so often repeated in his miseries they not being any thing lessened or asswaged by the same And so to begin where we first left What auaileth the miserable to lament For more is he to be commended that with discretion concealeth his greife and with milde constancie beareth out the same then he that maketh proclamation of it by wailing bewraieth it by sighing and by his condoling maketh it more apparant euery way Not so neither replied the Shepheard but rather it is quite contrarie
bestowe it cheerfully on her For in giuing her that which is thine owne thou shalt deserue as well at her hands as those who are farre mightier then thy selfe vnto whome the heauens haue giuen better meanes to succour their Countryes then they haue vnto thee For euery one is discharged after he hath payd what he doeth owe and hauing performed what he can to the vtmost of his power But it is not a sufficient discharge for the bad debtor An example to say he hath nothing and yet in the meane time can find wealth enough to supplie his own need Change then thy mind take thy iourney with me and I will thinke my selfe fortunate if I may restore thee vnto thy Countrey againe because of the great want she hath of such of her children as are good naturall faithfull and valiant Amongst which number I account thee as one of the chiefe To this speech Arcas was about to replie when the sound of a most pittious voyce ouerdrowned his so that to vnderstand the same he was husht and silent This voyce sighed forth this Sonnet following Accursed wretch and shall my blubbered teares Nere mollifie my Mystris flintie heart O no for these strange heats my bodie beares My teares to fire doe change to breede my smart Shall I no more behold her beautie bright Which wonted was alone me so to please No no for now I liue withouten light Since her I see not cause of my disease In double wise alas I finde my griefe Whilst trebble still surmounteth my disgrace First cause I am a Thrall without reliefe And next for that I see not her faire face Thrise blest the dead far happier then my selfe Death makes an ende of all their martyring paine But I still toyling keepe on sorrowes shelfe Then is my life the worser of the twaine Halfe dead halfe liue I languishing doe lie Vnder the beautious eyes of my proud FAIRF Whilst I more cruell finde my destinie Exilde from her the essence of my care Oh what colde passions in strange vncoth wise Thy wofull absence breeds through woes dispences Since that thy sight made smile my weeping eyes The losse whereof depriues me of my sences DEARE what am I poore I withouten thee But like a coarse quite void of vitall breath Accursed Fate that such a Law should bee To force men liue against their wills on earth Of thousand griefes the least and smallest crosse A Louer louing doth in Loue indure Is worse by ods then is of life the losse Which we by gentle death our friend procure Compar'd vnto the passions which I feele O happie Fate that so would'st ende my life To rid me of my troubles euery deele A Cordiall wore and comfort passing rife What shall I not from these plagues be releasde Neuer before expir'd be my lifes date Of blessings all t is not t is not the least To die whom Heauens whilsts that the liues doth hate O heauens when will you gainst me quiet cease And for a while take truce to doe me spight No no I see with me you 'l haue no peace Yet vertue after stormes doth shew most bright You then doe meane thus still my heart to racke On tenters yours to sound my constancie But to what ende doe you the same alacke When I it know and beare it patiently Then cease yee Gods to grieue me still with plagues Ah whither carrie you my vexed soule But t is no matter shew your vtmost rage Not you my dame alone can it controule As long as she to accept it please in shewe You cannot hau 't nor for you shall it care For dutie lesse to heauens and Gods I owe Then to my lifes sweet death my cruell FAIRE He that sung this was the Shepheard Coridon whome as Arcas wilfull banishment had brought by chance into this Desart and who calling to mind his Loue sung this dolefull Dittie which being ended and perceiuing Philistell Arcas and the old man together he runneth strait vnto them and most ioyfully saluteth them praying them to heare a certaine wofull historie of the truth of which his owne eyes had bin witnesses in this his traualie Wherupon they graunted his request and euery one of them taking their places to sit downe they began to listen vnto him most attentiuely when the Shepheard spake as followeth The Tragicall ende of chast Floretta Although the Almightie through his diuine prouidence hath most prodigally bestowed vpon the soule of man many faire and goodly perfections making him capable to know and vnderstand euery thing Neuerthelesse if there be not some striking motion to awake him or some strange accident to pricke him forward he remaineth oftentimes as senselesse without shewing any effects of his power and might at all For a horse although he be by nature quicke light and full of life yet if he be not spurred forward well he will neither runne orderly nor yet keepe any pace rightly at all Now the sharpest spurres of the soule are Glory and Loue being the first deuisers of his actions and the chiefest causes of all his enterprises A braue Generall or Commaunder of a field egged forward with desire of glory will with the price of his blood amidst thousand of dangers in despite of all hazards venture to shew a proofe and signe of the brauenes of his minde A witnes wherof is Themisticles who was enuious of the glory of Milliades So likewise a Louer will make shew of a thousand proofes of a gallāt spirit deuising all the best meanes he can to bring himselfe in credit with his Mistresse to the ende he may thereby obtaine the sooner his desire And of such inuentious Iupiter is found to be the first inuenter Warre then and Loue are the two most necessarie spurres for the minde although they are sharpe and violent as a comfortable potion though bitter to heale the sickelie body And when by chaunce the spirit of man is toucht vnto the quicke with these two hot spurres together thē is the time whē we shal see the same to discouer all her perfectiōs worthy qualities at the full For when the valiant champions begin once to loue then doe they become most rare and admirable in their actions as well by their valiantnes to get the good will of their Ladies as also because they lesse esteeme of their liues then they haue done heretofore Of which number were Hercules Troylus Achilles infinities of other more And if the Romane writers speake truely we find not any braue caualier without a Ladie or Mistris This being the occasion that I haue vsed this little preamble before I come vnto my historie which is a mixt discourse both of Mars and Venus For you shall vnderstand that a certaine Duke of Banier had not long since a most faire and vertuous daughter but yet most vnfortunate as most commonly the vertuous are because they being enuied for the same alwaies find a number of enemies to conspire and worke
a darke and gloomie cloud no more was now seene the comfortable day whilst the vnwelcome night brought with him his obscure frightfulnesse desperate danger his dispairing feare and iueuitable death his cruell amazement presenting these Tragicall shewes before the eyes of the poore distressed passengers No sweet Musicke was now heard nor no signe of ioy or pleasure was amongst them Only the Seas and the windes spake made a noyse and roared most horribly which was the cause that cold feare began as then to take possession of their soules and death to seaze vpon them whilst salt teares fell downe like swinging showers vpon their shaking hands held vp to heauen for mercie Most wofull were their cries most heauie their sobbing and groaning and most mournfull and pittifull the complaints which they made in this their extremities Their leaking ships were tossed and tumbled here and there some in one place and some in another as pleased the vncertaine windes not vnlike the conquerour who deuiseth and separateth his prisoners as he thinkes best according vnto his owne minde some of them were carried vnto one strange cost and some vnto another euery one of them hauing a contrarie fortune most of them in the ende being drowned and fewe or none of them saued and safely come to land That vessell in which the poore Princes remained was by chance cast vpon the cost of Spaine Alas how were her eyes swolne with teares her heart broken with griefe and her very soule galled with sorrow to see what hard fortune was hapned vnto her and vnto all her companie and traine 〈…〉 â—â—â—es were all falne into the bottome of the Sea whither she looked 〈…〉 follow after complaining most heauilie of her partiall destinies that had brought her to be a prey vnto the watrie Monsters The wearied Marriners and tired Sailers had wrought all the meanes they could both by cunning and force to withstand the rage of this storme but all in vaine for the pumpe was not able to deliuer forth one quarter of the water which the billowes of the Sea continually beate in in the ende the windes drew this ship vpon the coasts of Spaine as I said before and in such a case as was most daungerous by reason of the Rockes that were there all about which was the cause in despite of all the Sailers it ranne vpon a hard shelfe being with the blowe broken and splitted all in sunder A wofull spectacle was this to behold and as drerie a Tragedie for to report What eyes could see this and not weepe what eares can heare this and not tingle And what tonge can reade this dolefull storie and not faulter in his speech Then then euery one cried out for mercie from aboue one catching a boord an other a chest this one thing and that another and all to saue their liues their sweete liues which all doe hold so deare but yet for all that all of them in a manner notwithstanding were cast away and perished onely Iustina by the grace of God and assistance of Fortune hapned vpon a casket in which were her Iewels which she grasping fast within her armes the vnmercifull windes wearie of their cruelties through the helpe of a great waue of the Sea threw her vpon the sandie shore but yet in so miserable estate as most pitifuall it ws to behold her she being pale heauie and more then halfe dead through feare and sorrow insomuch as she moues no more then a senselesse stone representing the forme of a dead coarse rather then of a liuing creature in which dreadfulnes was found as yet some small sparke of life Thus long time did she liue as one breathlesse and liuelesse not being able to call or to recouer her vitall spirits againe In the ende though it were first long she came vnto her selfe beholding with a pittious eye so many drowned coarses to flote vpon the water and so much costly stuffe and rich treasure to be cast here and there vpon the shore and how hauing somewhat recouered her former senses lifting vp her moistned eyes and trembling hands vnto heauen she began thus O Sage Romane that rightly diddest blame such who when they might take their iournie by land will foolishlie commit themselues vnto the mercie of the waters And thou prudent Philosopher who wert of opinion that a man sailing in a boate had but two fingers as it were of life Alacke alacke too true were your words I hauing prooued the same not a little vnto my cost and misfortune O God what vice what fault or what sinne hath brought me vnto this remedilesse mischiefe into which I now see my selfe plunged ouer head and eares was this my doing or did I euer goe about to labour or seeke for this vnfortunate alliance which hath cost me and my companie so deare No no I rather sought how to resist the same to the vttermost of my poore power and to shun and auoyd as much as lay in me this fatall and ominous marriage Ah vnfortunte children from whom the respect and duetie they owe vnto their parents taketh away all the power and authoritie they haue to dispose of their owne persons as themselues doe chiefely couet and desire my minde did prognosticate this misfortune vnto me yet could not I auoyd it and as another vnluckie Cassandra I aduertised my selfe before hand of a mischiefe to come vnto me yet would I not giue credite vnto the same Woe is me woe is me because I see my selfe deliuered now from one daunger and for that I am exempt and freed from the malice of the spightfull Seas Am I therefore more happie then these breathlesse trunkes which lying before me are depriued of life by these vnmercifull Surges No no for they by this meanes are cleared from all debts and whereas I am yet to pay mine and that perhaps with greater miseries and mischiefes and after a worse manner farre by oddes then they haue any waies done For what can I hope for in this strange Countrey where I finde my selfe comfortles and alone but either to starue and die for hunger either to be dishonored by the rude inhabitants and people heere remaining or else to be deuoured with the iawes of some one wilde beast or another Yet Heauens I pray to graunt me rather that I may satisfie the famlne of these sauadge monsters then to be rauished and to loose mine Honour it being the chiefe and onely Iewell which I desire to conserue in this world O haplesse Ariadne and yet farre more fortunate then I An example for thou being left in an vncouth Iland all alone diddest doubt nothing but death being throughly assured as concerning the preseruation of thy virginitie and good fame whereas I alack feare greatly both the one and the other To whom may I vtter my complaints of whom may I intreat for comfort whom may I craue to assist me and from whom may I purchase to obtaine remedie for my so great griefe and anguish
be knowne for feare least being discourered she should be conueied vnto the Prince of Danes and so by that meanes forced to leaue the companie of the Spanish Knight whome now she dearely loued although she somewhat dissembled the same most earnestly desired him not to bewray what she was vnto any man vntill she should finde a fit time to be knowne Which he most willingly promised giuing her more honour from that time forward and vsing her with greater respect then he had done before verie much discondemning his owne iudgement in that he could not perceiue this Ladie to be noblie discended seeing so many rich proofes and apparant signes of the same as her courtly demeanure her rare vertue her stately Maiestie her learned discourse and excellent beautie gaue forth sufficient testimonie which euery one did admire at Meane time these vertuous Louers twaine did burne in oneselfe fire And languishing did pine away for want of their desire But alas no remedie could be found to ease their passiōs for the gentleman knowing the Princes descent to be so great and worthie durst not as much as once presume to thinke she would vouchsafe to accept him for her husband chusing rather to die a thousand times then to be very troublesome vnto her or to receiue so bitter a pill from her as a sharpe repulse which he knew he should neuer be able to disiest but onely by death This conceit bred such a melancolie apprehension in him as by little and little he began to languish away his blood was dried vp his colour gone and his strength decaied so as he seemed rather a dead coarse readie to be laid in his graue then a man likelie to liue This sudden accident troubled euery one all lamenting the misfortune of this gentle Knight especiallie wofull Iustina who knew her selfe to be the onely cause of this sorrow and which was worse knew no meanes how to remedie the same without disparagement vnto her credit yet in the ende she resolued with her selfe if otherwise then well should happen vnto Alphonso to die for his sake so dearely did she loue him who now was growne to be in such a pittifull taking as he could neither rest sleepe eate nor drinke so as he was forced although sore against his will to keepe his loathed bed where he thought neuer to haue seene his Mistris more A strange thing Louers resemble the Basiliske who desireth to see that within a cristall glasse which is the cause of his owne death So these poore wretches couet nothing so much as the presence of that thing which doth shorten their liues soonest thinking themselues most miserable when they are depriued of the same They account no time happie but when they feele death and nothing is more agreeable vnto them then that Subiect which taketh away their life from them Verilie if the law doth most iustly condemne such for wilfull murtherers as destroy and make away themselues then ought Louers to be placed amongst the ranke of these her selfe-wild murtherers for their onely follie hastneth the ende of their liues making them to die before their time This poore knight lieth grieuously sicke without hope of recouerie and Iustina resolueth for companie to take the like course she thinking it to be no reason that she should liue ioyfully when her friend should be dead through her onely occasion O how bitterly did she curse her cruell fortune seeing her selfe inuironed with two such violent extremities either to permit him to die whom she loued more then her selfe or else to suffer her honour to be crazed which she loathed more then death In the ende she resolued rather to ende her daies then to scandalise her good fame with soule reproach and to leaue the bodies both of her selfe and her friend breathlesse then to deface her chastitie which she preferred before all things else in the world Hauing set vp her rest thus she goeth to visit her sickly friend who seeing her come began to open his eyes to mooue his bodie and to change his colour and countenance which soden alteration she presently perceiued by reason she knew better then any other the cause of his sicknes comming to his bed side she sits her downe by him and taking him by the hand with a soft and pittious voice she began thus to speake vnto him What cheare sweet Gouernor and how fare you what will you with this your sicknes make so many of your good friends ill who so much loue you and desire your welfare If you will not liue for your owne sake at the least yet seeke to recouer for theirs for what pleasure or delight can they take seeing you brought into this low estate in which now you are fallen We ought more to respect the good of our friends then our selues because we are borne for them your vertues your youth and your valour are to be profitable vnto your countrie kindred and friends neither can they as yet well spare them that death should enioy them Liue my good Lord liue and let not your priuate losse be a generall hinderance vnto all your countrie For vnhappie is that man who standeth in steed of a fire to burn his owne proper realme You that haue so often discomfited your enemies wonne so many braue victories and subdued and brought vnder so many valiant aduersaries will you suffer your selfe to be ouercome with a little sickenes which you may if you so please easilie driue away from you Courage man courage and like a good Physition heale your selfe be not the occasion lest for want of helping your selfe it be thought that you haue bene a wilful murtherer of your owne bodie A Sentence For he may well be tearmed a murtherer of his owne life who shunneth the meanes for to conserue the same and who entertaineth for his friends the executioners thereof Comfort your selfe thē I beseech you and with your recouerie make your friends recouer their former ioy againe banishing away all their sorrow with your abandoned sicknes And as for my selfe I offer vnto you all honest seruices as farre as honour permits to helpe you vnto your health againe which I esteeme as dearely of as mine owne life for the many courtesies I haue receiued most gratiously of you which I know and acknowledge so worthie of recompence as if I thought my life might buy and redeeme yours I would thinke my selfe most fortunate to haue it bestowed vpon so rare and worthie a Subiect The poore Gentleman beholding his cruell mistresse the onely pretious Balme for his sicknes with a heauie eye who neuerthelesse Thrise happie thought himselfe to see that beautious face Although she had brought him into so pittious a case Clasping her faire white hand hard within his forcing the very walles themselues to yearne and grieue at his pittious languishing with a hollow voice interrupted with many sobs and sighes perceiuing death to approach he faintly replied thus Ah my sweet Charge what
poasting towards Alphonsos Castle where he and his companie being disguised lay in waite for the Spaniard not daring for his life to set vpon him nigh the Kings Court lest his villanre should be descried and he well punished for the same About some sixe daies after he was gone Alphonso leaueth the Court highly commended and much praised of euery one little suspecting any treason with a small traine following him when being now within two leagues of his Castle behold the vngratefull Dane and his attendants to come out of a little wood well armed at all points and to rush sodeÌ„ly vpon Alphonso who being of an excelleÌ„t spirit courage carried himselfe so brauely as before he caught his deaths wound the Prince was turned off from his horse starke dead vpon the ground by him who being the first that set vpon him But in the ende What can the valiant Hercules gainst oremuch force preuaile Couragious mindes will sooner die then yeeld themselues or quaile So our worthie Spaniard had rather be killed manfully then saue his life by base and ignoble flying away But after he had fought a long time hauing giuen vnto many their death wounds and receiuing many himselfe his enemies still hemming him in round about setting vpoÌ„ him with a fresh assault at the last he falleth downe dead from his horse which the villaines perceiuing and doubting lest they should be followed by the countrie they tooke vp the dead course of their Prince in hast lamenting this hard aduenture and setting spurres to their horse away they flew as fast as the winde being neuer heard of after Behold here one of Loues feâ—sts of a contrarie fashion vnto other bankets For his first dishes presented at the table are pleasant sweet and delightsome but his last course is bitter cruell wofull bloodie and full of murther His chiefest companion is quarrelling Mars neither doth he euer march without hauing with him either Rage Furie or Follie. Meane space some of Alphonsos men who as crauens retired apart when the skirmish was at the hottest seeing their enemies fled came backe againe where all the broile had bin longing to know how their Maister had sped whom they found with a thousand wounds well nigh bleeding through euery part of his bodie and lying amongst the thickest of his enemies which were slaine by his owne hand whereat they making most pittious mone began to search if there were yet any one sparke of life in in him or no At the last they hauing done their best indeuour to recouer him he began to come a little vnto himselfe againe when scarce being able to open his eyes dimd and damd vp with death his soule readie to flit from hence vnto a better world with a hollow voice he thratled forth these few words My dearest friends let me intreat you to shew me this fauour it being the last which I will euer hope or looke for at your hands to conuey this my martyred body vnto my faithfull spouse to the ende I may be so happie as once to see her and to bid her farewell More would I say but I am so faint I cannot His sorrowfull seruants yerning for very griefe and dissoluing themselues into salt teares cursing now though too late their cowardly running away carried his dying carkasse faire and softly towards his house To Cleopatra so Marke Anthònies dead coarse Was brought which she drew vp to her with wofull force O what a spectacle what a tragicke present and what a bitter encounter was this for miserable Iustina to meete withall who not long before had heard how happily and how valiantly her kind husband had conquered his enemie in the sight of all Spaine which good newes had filled all her spirits with an exceeding kind of pleasing ioy and comfort But alas what a change and alteration was this from the first matter Ah how much more is that misfortune liuely toucheth vs to the quicke which when we least thinke of it surprizeth vs altogether vnexpected we passing our time in iollitie and pleasure then such as we are prouided for when it commeth it being long since we looked for the same and therefore the better prepared to beare the burthen thereof Meane time the poore Ladie must needs tast this bitter potion beare as well as shee can this terrible clap of dismall thunder No sooner had she a sight of this dying coarse which she thought to be starke dead But that she tooke on as one distraught and quite out of their wits O faire haire before daintily curled how cruelly were you then torne But farre fairer face how wert thou bescratched and thou beautious brest how wert thou be bloodied So great was her anquish as she fell downe in a sowne vpon that bodie whom she so dearely loued embracing the same most tenderly it being that which she more accounted of then of any thing else in the world Thrise happie had she bin and not a little beholding vnto death if at that houre he had bereft her of life but her fortune was not so good for she was compelled to liue the longer because her paine should be the greater And now she being come vnto her selfe againe although it was a woful mirrour to behold his pale bloodlesse face his mangled flesh all to be sprinkled washed in his owne gore yet did she not sticke to kisse his wan and cold lips a thousand times and more whilst her teares serued her in steed of water to make cleane his wounds to wash away the blood and to solemnize his drerie Funerall with the same Carelesse of her health she lay long time vpon the wet ground whilst she held the coarse as pittifully in her lap as the kind nurse doth her little Infant in her armes neither did she remoue her sweet mouth from his but kept it still close thereon desirous to die as he had done Out alas alas cried she where am I who am I what do I see is it possible that I should yet breath hauing lost the onely life of my soule And you mine eyes are you so cruell vnto my health that you will abide to behold that which will force you to be more miserable and yet mine eyes my wofull eyes it is no shame to behold your best benefactor looke then on him your fill although pittilesse death hath closed vp his sight with an eternall sleepe But thou art dead for me my deare husband for my cause hast thou lost thy life and for no other O wretched iourney and most vnhappie that euer thou tookest in hand yet was it not death that slew thee No no death durst But it was I and euen I t' was I and none but I and I alone whome thou diddest thinke to be thy louing wife Ah sweete sweet Husband shall I be guiltie of this fault by murthering of my selfe which I haue committed against thee No no for my death cannot counteruaile thine Shall it be said that
heare any tidings either of that treacherous villaine or of his wife In the end he lighteth vpon a great thicke gloomie Forrest through which as he rode he found a dead carkasse of a man and a woman lying by him being in little better case then he was But leauing Leander and his companions seeking their aduenture we will come vnto wofull Cynthia his wife and when fit time shall serue we will discouer who was that creature dead and who that woman being almost in as bad a taking as he vpon whom Loander so strongly hapned Cynthia being carried away from her husband so sodenly and by such barbarous treacherie was for a great while as one in a traunce hardly comming vnto her selfe againe And certainlie I thinke that if women were subiect by nature to die for sorrow then no doubt but she had died for neuer was there woman in this world more sad or heauie than she was no not Niobe Hecuba Oenone Porcia Cornelia nor any other Ladie were she neuer so ouerwhelmed with miseries But this kinde of death seldome or neuer is incident vnto the Female kinde as that of sodaine ioy is Long lay she in this Extasie or sound and long was she before she recouered her right sences againe and so much was she astonisht in her minde with the same as the passage of her speech was kept close and shut from her yet at the last her vitall spirits recouered force within her and her tongue had libertie to speake But alas she could not as much as pronounce one word neither was she able once to open her mouth so wofully did she weepe and so pittâ—fully did she sob and sigh Diuers sorts of colours and that in great number must a cunning Painter haue to draw a faire and great Picture Euen so thousands of teares and millions of sighes had this wretched Gentlewoman need of if she meant liuely to set forth and bewaile her Disaster at the fall For neuer was any Ladies sorrowes to be compared vnto hers Hellena was rauished but with her owne consent Neither did her rauishment bereaue her husbands life as hers did Penelope was dailie and hourely sollicited and importuned by a number of tedious and impudent suters but yet she was suffered to liue chastly and to attend the returne of her Vlisses Hecuba after shee had seene her husband murthered and all her sonnes slaine was led away as a captiue or slaue into Greece and yet had shee more reason to haue borne with patience these her misfortunes though in a higher degree of miserie rather then Cynthia in hers For Hecubas mischaunces proceeded from her enemies to whom the law of Nations giueth leaue to doe what mischiefe they can whereas haplesse Cymhias vnhappines came from him whome she esteemed as the dearest and most faithfull friend her Husband had Lucrctia for losse of chastitie slewe her owne selfe but her death was the death of her aduersarie and the life and libertie of all her Romane Citizens And theresore no woman can be said to haue bene more wretched then hopelesse Cynthia for she saw her Leander murthered as she thought whilst she remained as prisoner in the power of him that was his bloodie Butcher looking euerie houre to be forced of her honour and good name Infinit were the occasions that she had to complaine and the reasons without number that compelled her to exclaime against the most partiall Destinies For what could she loose more pretious and deare then her sweet Spouse whom she esteemed more then her honor and her owne life Needs therefore must her complaints be greeuous and her lamentings heauie and bitter as one that dispaired of all comfort to come Ah woe is me cried shee out why was I borne and why did my mother bring me into this world since there is no person liuing so vnfortunate as I am for I doe not count those miserable who haue liberty to shorten their owne dayes by death but onely such as faine would die and yet cannot Is it possible that one should be borne vnder so hard a Planet as not to be able to die when most fainest he would O how great is that euill when it forceth vs to require ayde of the Fatall sisters to ridde vs of the same whom men detest and loath as their mortall enemies And yet can none but they relieue and ease such wretched creatures The healthie man whilst he is well loatheth and abhorreth to take or taste anie potion or medicine but when he is sicke he is glad and faine to swallowe it downe be it neuer so bitter and sower So we whilst we liue merilie and at harts ease we contemne death but when our griefes are so great as wee are not able to endure them then we account our selues as happie to haue him O God is it possible for me to be able in words to deliuer my losses for my sighes to deplore them for mine eyes to bewaile them or for my heart to be of force to endure them If the losse of paltrie goods maketh men outragious in their passions and if the death of our kinsfolks or friends be sufficient to engender afflictions in vs how much more then haue I cause of insupportable sorrowes Alas I haue lost my kinde husband but am I able to say so and not my soule to flie forth of this miserable bodie or is my condition so miserable that I may say I haue lost him indeed No no I will neuer belieue it rather will I die then perswade my selfe of any such vnwelcome matter vnto me But say I die yet haue I lost him yea I haue lost him and onely through mine occation I haue bene the homicide of my husband and I alone haue slaine him but why then alacke doeth not the rigour of the Lawe passe vpon mee which condemneth such murtherers vnto death Was it not enough for mee to be brought into the most wretchedst estate of all others to be depriued of my deare Leander but that I must be the cause of his vtter ouerthrow also Damned and accursed Beautie how wise was that young Romane Gentleman Spurius who most cruelly mangled and defaced his louely face because hee would haue none to like him And so thrice happie had I bene if I had spoyled and made foule this my wicked countenance which was the first motiue of all these euils and mischiefes following O faire soule of my deare Spouse and Bedfellow great reason hast thou now to complaine of mee iust are thy accusations and most right thy greeuances against me yet since the Gods are appeased with the sacrifices of men I hope that my life shall be a sufficient satisfaction for the offence I haue done vnto thee Thou liuest in the heauens where nothing is hid from thee and seeing thou knowest all things thou needest not to doubt of mine innocencie herein But what is this vnto thee seeing now thou liuest no more and that thou art cut off before thy
the foresaid people most miraculously Manna from heauen when they were almost dead for very hunger Thou diddest make cleare water to flowe from the hard and frozen Rocke to staunch their drinesse and thou Lord didst free them from the power of Senacherib by thy holie Angell Thou diddest deliuer Daniel from out the Lyons denne and the modest Susanna out of the bloodie hands of the two olde Palliards the Elders And so sweete Sauiour hast thou protected mine honour which without thee had bene ouerthrowne vtterlie Thrice happie I that through thy sacred guiding of me haue escaped this misfortune but far more blessed in that I shall leaue this world in this bad and wretched time where nothing doth raigne and dominiere but vice Treason and violence I most humblie thanke thee most mercifull Father for so great a benefite bestowed vpon me For what could happen more acceptable vnto me then to follow my deare Husband into heauen thereto continue with him and to enioy euerlasting glorie with thy Saintes Let vs die willingly then Cynthia with a braue minde and constant resolution leauing a rich testimony of our loyall loue and affection vnto the posteritie that shall come hereafter And although a faithfull Christian ought not as hee is dying either to desire or to wish anie vengeance for to light vpon his aduersaries and enemies yet must I needs confesse that it is a great solace and contentment vnto mee to die in the middest of such as were foes vnto my Leander land mine honour and the rather because they are dead as well as I to make satisfaction for their faults O GOD how sacred are thy decrees how iust thy iudgements and how rightfull thy proceedings Thou hast not permitted the murtherers of my Husband to liue long after they had done so horrible a deed and contrarie to all expectation thou hast defended mee from their most furious and vnchast lust and therefore I will take this my crosse most patiently and will be contented to die as willinglie as when I was first ioyned by the holie Church vnto my deare Husband in sacred marriage bandes most religiously And yet my Soueraigne Sauiour I greatly feare thy Iustice the number of my faults weighing farre more heauie then my good deeds but thou canst if thou so please deface them all Thou art the God of all mercie and art mercifull vnto all men for the consolation and saluation of whome thou thy selfe of thy great compassion hast bene willing to die O then let this innocent blood of mine shed by the aduersaries of thy glorie be sufficient to wash my sinnes away through thy grace and let my modest and stainelesse minde be as a fire to consume the number of mine offences O yee mine eyes the Authors of my disasters cruell and proud eyes first motiues of these our common miseries calamities soone shall you loose your wanton lights and soone shall you be closed vp with an yron sleepe of death for euer But ô gentle Death when commest thou come I beseech thee come away vnto mee who art so courteous so apte so fit and so profitable for my sorrowes Often haue I desired thee a thousand times haue I called for thee and with thousands of intreaties and prayers perswaded thee to come to assist mee and now thou art come I salute thee and thanke thee entertaining thee as one who can saue mee from a great losse thou being able to withdraw me from shipwracke and of power sufficient to bring me safely into the Hauen where I long so much to be O how foolish is that Marriner who being miraculouslie arriued in the Port will backe againe into the Sea whilst the storme playeth his part and not stay vntill the weather be cleare and calme Euen so how madde were I if hauing cast Anker at the Hauen of my well-fare I should now begin to wish to liue once more returning backe into this miserable life in which we encounter so many dangerous Rocks and perilous stumbling blocks as we can neuer be quiet Then let vs die what say I die Nay rather let vs liue for hee onely liueth happily that changeth this fraile and transitorie life after an immortall and an euerlasting estate That Farmer may be saide to be right fortunate who leaueth his Farme which hee holdeth of his Lord to enioy a faire Mannor in Fee simple to him his heires for euer This was the cause that so manie holie and graue persons haue wished for death thinking that being dissolued from life they should become farre better by this alteratation and change Elias liuing in the wildernes did often couet it Old Symeon demanded it and Saint Andrew refused to liue to make his choyce of death Who then can hinder mee but that I should desire it imitating so many worthy personages No it is that I onely require and looke for For the griefe thereof is lesse then the least paine we feele when we are aliue That debtor that is still vexed haunted and abused by his Creditor because hee should pay what he oweth is he not happie when he hath made euen with all men that he may after liue in quiet If so why then farre more blessed are they who pay their due vnto Nature vnto whome they are indebted and who by tendering the same vnto her which they must once doe are quited and freed from all worldly calamities afterwards to come My onely desire is to see and stand before the presence of my most gracious Lord and GOD and to behold the face of my louing Husband wayting and attending vpon him Dispose thee then once more Cynthia to goe this pleasant voiage resoluing to giue ouer this mortall life to enioy an immortall felicitie Lord then receiue my soule and deliuer it out of the hands of mine ancient and sworne enemie the diuel So said the dolorous or rather ioyfull Cynthia who hauing laide her selfe downe in a comely manner expecting euery minute when she should die tooke thought for nothing but how she might be buried orderly But God tooke order for that matter For no sooner had she made an end of her Praier but Leander by chaunce came that way who perceiuing farre of these dead bodies and desirous to know what they were set spurs to his horse to ride towards them and when being come neare them by little and little he found what he so much sought for As the young amorous Bull seeing a farre of a young Haifer to brouse vpon the bankes of a cleare Riuer approacheth neerer neerer to know the better if it be his Loue or no and as he marcheth forward holdeth vp his head for ioy because he findeth her by certaine markes to be the same So Leander euery step he goeth reioyceth greatly in his minde as assuring himselfe that he hath now found that which with so great labour he had made search for But as that Marchant is not throughly ioyfull who after he hath made a long and dangerous
an other mans vice but on the contrarie our neighbours error must serue vs in steed of a darke night wherein during the same to kindle our owne vertue must shine bright instructing our selues by his famous example as the ancient Spartaines caused their slaues to be made drunke to the end that their children might hate wine by the brutish and dishonest actions they sawe these base creatures commit being possessed with this liquor It is a foolish conclusion to say that if my neighbour be a foole I must therefore become insensate and set fire on my owne house because I see my neighbours on a burning flame It is rather requisite that an other mans doing be beneficiall vnto vs and that the vice of our neighbour reforme our owne and not make vs to offend like himselfe For vertue would be imitated and vice auoided To maintaine that no man can be constant and resist Loue were to erre grosely For Alexander amidst his great victories delights and conquests performed it Demosthenes refused the Loue of Lais louing ten crownes better then the enioyance of her This wise and graue Philosopher I say whom she could neuer set on fire either by her wanton enticements amorous lookes or her beautie so renowmed so that she thought him an insensible stone and not a man You should in this doe iniurie to modest Scipio who being conquerour of all Affricke religiously abstained from the loue of a woman And a thousand others haue liued free from this misfortune which you may not rightly place in the number of offenders For their fault obscure not the excellent glorie of the vertuoâ—â— and drawe not from their offence matter of opprobrietie against the wise It will be greater honour vnto you to see wise men in name offend and your selfe free from fault then if you erred after the example of some simple creatures Oh Shepheard replied Arcas I denie the foundation of your argument for I will not confesse that it is a fault or crime to loue and iudge Louers no lesse wise then those that haue not loued at all for he may iustly be said to be peruerse and an offender whose offence procureth publike dammage but so farre of is a Louer from preiudicing men that quite contrarie he profiteth them greatly The Louer like the prodigall man iniureth none but himselfe he onely beareth he onely endureth he onely suffereth but from his torment ariseth mortall glorie to the subiect he loueth for was there euer Ladie faithfully by her seruant beloued that did not both honour and sing forth according to the abilitie of his inuention her excellent and rare vertues What can mortall men desire more deare and precious then to see themselues honoured and made immortall to future ages the which Louers fauoured by the Muses may make their Ladies and Mistresses That great King of Macedon thought he not Achilles happie to haue bene set forth and commended by Homor and all great personages haue they not desired the like honour Not to be moued with the passion of glorie is to be brutish and without feeling or not to be stirred vp with a desire to make ones name liuing after death is a signe of a base and boorish minde They to whom the heauens haue not imitated either Art or Learning to attaine to this glorie by writing seeke after it in buildings or other rare workes of great charge and expence which continue for some time but not so long as bookes But it is certaine that the Muses hauing taken Loue in a snare of flowers would say nothing else but crowne this God with greene garlands acknowledging that they should be nothing without him who giueth them vttrance power breath to set forth their verses in despite of time it selfe For neither the greatnes of gifts nor of feare nor the hope of rewards nor threatnings could neuer make a learned Poet write well of any one if he doe not loue and affect him but on the contrarie onely Loue will make him speake better of those whom he shall loue simply without hope of reward then of those whom he loueth not and yet expecteth from them some recompence Questionlesse without Loue many excellent bookes which are made in the honour of men would be yet to doe a thousand other noble Acts which now through him be apparant to the eies of men Commendable therefore are Louers and more then any other sort of men at least they loose not time nor consume it not in doing nothing Oh Godhead replied Coribant but on the contrarie a thousand euils haue proceeded from Loue The ruine of Troy may verifie this and a thousand other testimonies I but quite otherwise replied Arcas Loue stood the Troyans in steed for he sent them the meane to kill Achilles reuenging the death of their Princes he being dead they in such a sort weakened the enemies Campe that without Treason Troy had neuer bene subiect to the Greekes But what hath Loue to doe with the Treason of men as long as he is not the cause thereof And yet the selfelame Loue replied Coribant was it not the cause of the death of modest Hipâ—olitus who was pittifully slaine by the vniust dealings of his wicked Stepmother Nay rather quice contrarie aunswered Arcas he was the occasion that he was made immortall he being raised from death vnto life againe by the cunning of that learned Esculapius who could neuer haue done him so great a good turne vnlesse he had first tasted of death through Loue. But what say you then quoth Coribant vnto Loue which forced Tarquin to offer violence vnto the castitie of Lucres being the cause of so great a mischiefe It was an occasion replied Arcas rather of a maruellous good turne by reason it was the cause of libertie of the Romances with the vtter ruine ouerthrow of their TyraÌ„ts and Lucretia dying in that order as she did was she not most fortunate and happie For doth not such a one die happily who as Codrus by his death preserueth his countrie making the same through his losse to be fortunate afterward And yet the verie same Loue said Coribant was the Author of the cruell perishing of Piramus and Thisby they hauing but a sorie guerdon for their so constant affection which the one bare vnto the other Is he not then bloodie minded and cruell No truely replied Arcas for what more sweet and pleasing kinde of death could they suffer than they did And had it not bene a thousand times better that one of them should die with the other thaÌ„ to be separated diuided seeing the Louer that loseth his Mistris or that Ladie that hath lost her seruant liue not at all but rather languish And yet still the same Loue was it said Coribant which vrged the daughters of Minos to betray their aged Father giuing instructions vnto Theseus how to slay the monster and to get out of the Labyrinth when he had done Why and the same Loue answered
and as kinde vnto vs as euer he was before The weaker must alwaies yeeld somewhat vnto the stronger because the one is neuer distraught nor carryed away with our publike affaires where the other are drawne abroad with much businesse and diuers cares which hindereth them oftentimes to remember or thinke vpon their inferiours Let him then liue if he be as yet liuing For neuer let Diana wish to liue to see that day wherein she shall be reproached to haue bene the cause of his death who by his writings doth eternize the Vertuous especially when I may preserue his life and that he seeketh not to haue any thing of mee that is preiudiciall vnto mine honour This was the answere of wise Diana vnto faire Orythia who most kindely thanking her in my behalfe came merrilie away seeking to find me out Who no sooner saw me but that shee deliuered vnto me my Ladies minde and therewithall aduised me to goe presently vnto her and to present my selfe vnto her How to requite this curteous Nymphe for so exceeding a fauour done vnto mee I know not Whilst I was framing a set speech in my minde to shew my selfe in some sort gratefull vnto her How now quoth she it is no time now to studie away and get you gone vnto your Mistris As for thanks I looke for none at your handes I hauing done but what was my dutie seeing such as are bound must needs obey yet I beseech the goddesse of Loue to make thee once to pittie me who wish thee no worse fortune then I doe vnto mine owne soule although thy chiefe happines must needs be my bad ouerthrow And hauing so sayd casting a pittious eye towards me and sighing most heauilie as if her heart would haue burst she went away from me and so left me I could not chuse but weepe thinking vpon her When remembring my Ladies message I set forward speedilie to wend towards her carrying in my hand a certain Sonnet which I had made in her praise not long before meaning to present it vnto her Being arriued where she was I found her accompanied with other Nymphes sitting by the side of a Fountaine which issued forth from out the veines of a stately Rocke the water whereof was farre clearer then any Cristall in whose bottome was a dainty yealow Sand such as that of Pactolus intermixed with a number of precious stones of sundry colours had a man bene able to haue thrust his nimble hand deep enogh he might without wetting of his arme with exceeding great pleasure haue taken a number of little fishes running vp downe and playing most wantonly there one while hyding themselues within the entrailes of the grauell and another while in sundrie corners and holes of the Fountaine Whilst being slipperie and skipping too and fro they would most cunninglie get out of the fingers of him that had caught them From this Fountaine there came forth two sweet Riuers which growing into a great water ranne round about the whole Countrey loosing themselues as they fell into the Sea adioyning This Fountaine was shadowed ouer with beautious Cipresse and louely Orenge ttees the sweete buds and blossomes whereof was able to rauish the mindes euen of bruit Beasts within the Rock were many seates to rest on framed by nature so artificiallie as no cunning could any way come neare them they being alwaies couered with pleasing Camomell the more to delight the sense of man The ground all along was full of greene grasse and other pretie hearbes which the teeth of Cattell had neuer spoyled nor ouer-heate of the day scorched or burned Manie sweete Rose-trees sprung forth from out the sides of that Rocke in diuers places and that in so iustand seemly an order as you would haue thought they had bene planted and set by the handy-labour of some curious Gardiner whilst all sort of Roots sprouted out in their right colours the odoriferous sent whereof was such and the scituation of the place so delightfull as you would haue thoght your selfe in Paradice as long as you had continued there Neuer was there Pallace more beautifull That Fountaine which the warlike Horse caused to spring out of the ground An Example with the hoose of his foote was nothing so daintie although more commended by such as dranke of the water thereof they being inspired with the gift of Poetrie euer after In this so pleasant a seate then did I finde gratious Diana passing away her time one while with washing her beautifull face an other while her Diamond eyes and then againe her long and slender hands No care as then troubled her neither was she busied in canuasing in her braines A Similie any serious matter of weighty importance As that great Sacrificer who thinking to sacrifice to Iuno the goddesse of Riches finding her Image either bloodie or sweating suddainely withdraweth himselfe from thence consulting with his fellow-Priest about the strange chance before he beginne his Ceremonies againe Euen so I seeing so rare a beautie stood as one amazed without speech and as if I had bene in a sound And now I began to consider within my selfe whether I were best to goe forwards on my iourney and offer my Present vnto this Nymphe or whether without speaking vnto her I should turne backe againe and goe from whence I came For although such onely finde Fortune to fauour them who are venturous and of bold spirits yet thought I it were farre better not to trye all especially when a mans life or credit lyeth therevpon then like bold Bayard to runne bluntly onwards and so to take repulse and be denyed of his sute For more sure and certaine is the meane life and estate then is the richest and highest in authority wherin there is nothing but trouble and danger This was the cause I stood so long debating of the matter within my selfe whether I were best to pursue my first enterprise or no A Sentence For hardly dare a man speak to such a one as we feare respect but in the end the same thing that made mee most to doubt did rid me out of the same stifling my feare driuing away all sorrow from me For my Mistris hauing espied mee who was neare readie to goe back againe called me vnto her O how sweete and comfortable was that sound vnto mee I thinking I had bene called by some God there-abouts Gratious and full of courtesie was her speech insomuch as I counted my name most blessed because it was pronounced by my louelie Goddesse No longer will I maruell now although the voyces of Saintes heeretofore haue bene of power to call vp dead Coarses from out the bottome of their graues where they lay buried restoring them vnto life againe since that of my faire Mistrisse was able to driue away all sadnesse and sorrow from mee and to reuiue fresh hope within me This made me draw neare vnto her when after many dutious Ceremonies done by me vnto her I
stand well pleas'd in it No pleasing obiect likes their eyes but what doth threat them ill What euill is that loue they best their ruine fostring still They blowe the glowing coales that burnes them with ore what desire As doth the foolish slie that spoyles himselfe within the fiâ—e Poore soules bewitcht a thousand times each man in carefull wise Doth seeke to shunne what may him hurt and from the same he flies Each one doth deadly poyson hate which doth abridge his life And being pained strait doth hunt with speede for succour rife * The true disposition of a right Louer Onely the peruerse Louer doth all hope of helpe refuse He likes his pining griefe and what doth hurt him still doth chuse He blest himselfe accounteth that not heald is his disease His sicknes he doth honour and to die it doth him please Hard fortune is this to him yet his haps farre harder more He waileth his mischance and yet his griefe he doth adore His woes nere die but still reuiue Then happier liue you faire You that be dead in better case then Louers plag'd you are LOVE then our Shepheards courage stout did weaken with his rage And reapt the sprouting fruit scarse ripe of his first happie age Rauisht his senses and to thousand dangerous harmes him drew And after these disasters all most cruellie him slew This Shepheard Plaindor called was no creature like to him For force of arm s for beautious shape or vertues halfe so trim But heare I pray how Cupid proud in most malitious wise Transformes himselfe to poyson strong for to deceiue our eyes Who though he seemeth vnto vs as courteous meeke and kinde Yet but a poysoned wine though sweete in tast you shall him finde Which we no sooner drinke but that it doth vs mickle harme Bereaues vs of our vitall spirits and doth our Reason charme This deadly draft who doth but tast to die is certaine sure And yet before his death longtime he must strange griefes endure Hara by this darkesome desart sad there was a place most daintie Where Autumne in his season brought forth fruits great store and plentiâ— Rich was it of all worldly things but yet amongst the rest For richest good a Damsell faire surpassing it possest Most famous for this beautious maid was registred this place Though at that time fewe men had had the hap to see her face Her stature tall made her in shewe like to a Princely Queene Rather then one that in the woods and groues brought vp had beene Her flaxen haire which calmiâ— windes did gently blow full soft A description of a beautifull maide Hung dangling downe more fine then golde in thousand curlings wrought Oft when she any leisure had she twisted in the shade Those haires as nets which mâ—ry soules to bow vnto her made Her forhead of faire Iuorie was euen pure and large No furrow there dâ—grace to forme the flesh dia frowning charge No bending wrinkle there was seene nor painting to deface The snowy whitenes which is vsde to make more faire the face Her eyebrowes purest Ebonie kept their proportion right No plâ—asing show so prettily the fancie did delight Sweete shadowes for her sphere-like eyes which with their twincklings calme From sunnâ—â— beames did them defend which burned ouerwarme Her diamond sparkling â—yâ—s were such and did so brightly shine As those two lamps â—hâ— Sunne and Moone most glorious and diuine Her piercing glaunces full of power like to swift lightning were When as the slash inslam'd from heauen it selfe on th' earth both beare So rolde they in her head as greatest hearts they forct decay And valiant spirits of men as slaues did bring vnto their bay Dan Cupids darts they were with which he vsed men to crosse Who being vassels made most bate did glorie in their losse Dire Comets were they like to such that danger do portend And such were hers for death they gaue to her and to her friend Yet they of shame fastnâ—s did show to be the bashfull Call Where chast delight did dâ—â—ly vse for his disport to dwell Her pure vermilion shâ—â—ts when she did smile had force and power To show more perfect faire by odds then daintiest gilliflower How sweet and cruell wast at once to touch so holy thing What mortall griefe was it that tooke but once asay to him Poore Plaindor can true witnes be one kisse vnto his cost Was cause that he his pretious life and all his good daies lost Her châ—rrie lipps did closely hidâ— right Grient Pearle of Inde No pretious â—â—â—lls hâ—lfe so rich you in that land can finde From which Pâ—rculâ—â—s vaiulâ—s a pleasing sent did come More sweet then Muske more daintie sarre then rightest Sinamum Her louely cheekes Suâ—nes blemish were as Alablaster faire Whose roseall colour mixt with creame did show beyond compare Her dimpled chinne was full and round her brest the milkie way Where Cupid when that he was hot a bathing often lay Two Apples faire thereby was seene as sprung from paradise The Graces in that garden vsde to sport in wanton-wise Her matchlesse hand was long and strait her fingers white and small The mountaine snow refin'd to them was nothing white at all Such was this peerlesse virgins faire and she FLORETTA hight Blest perfectly but onely that bad destnie ded her spight One day as in the warming sunne with mickle curious care She did diuide and tide in knots her shining bright gold haire The harts of worthiest Demigods here on the earth to trap As Plaindor came from woods to view her thus t' was his hard hap And being wearie thought a while to rest him by her side But this reposing afterward be dearely did abide For vading pleasure ouer small he too too deere did pay But t' was his fortune bad and downe along by her he lay Where he such poyson suckt as t' was within a while his bane And where he rest did thinke to find he found recurelesse paine Thrise happie he had he not laid himselfe vpon that greene Or if that forward he had gone or her he had not seene For though his wearie coarse did rest his mind did trauaile sore Whilst his bewitched eyes apace downe swallowed venim store His gazing eyes nâ—re from her face one iot at all did stir His eyes made onely to behold and gaze on none but her He markes with more then curious view her for head and her cheeke Her haire her brest and other parts which hee too well did leeke So rests atteniuely and still leaping as t' were for ioy The conqueror proud when he beholds his prey which him did noy So standeth still the greedie Iewe to marke with heedfull eye Such pretious lewells passing rare which he doth long to buy Then then the haplesse Shepheard first perceiu'd the flame begin To spred alongst his heart and to consume his soule within He then perceiu'd of libertie he was depriu'd and sence By those bright beames of that
't to passe This onely now remaines for me my life is in thy hand If I shall liue or die the power as now within thee stands By thee alone I hold this life for thee I die as now That hope I haue thou nourishest my feare engendrest thou Sweete then take pittie of this Loue like Caos so confuse And graunt my hearts request who there his aduocate doth chuse Mine i st not any more thine eyes from me the same did take Then being thine doe pittie it and much of it doe make Destroy not what is in thy power but rather it preserue In man great wisedome t is what is his owne for to conserue I craue not that thou me my captiue heart againe restore To liue with so braue conquerour as thou t is happier more My wils if any interest longes to me in the same As much I doubt since it I lost no more I may it claime It still within thy louely bands as prisoner true be bound Nor in my brest his wonted place no more henceforth be found Then since it is thine owne and that an amorous sweete desire To haue respect vnto his health and life doth thee require Vnlesse thou on his fortune hard dost take some kinde remorse In thy chast amities pure heate he needes must die of force Ah then relent be pittifull in fauourable wise And daine for to accept from him this dutious sacrifice For what can I offer more deare to thee then my deere heart Which nere would yeelde to Loue before he felt this bitter smart Which scornd his vtmost force and lawes did vtterly reiect And of his manly stomack stout did showe full many effect Then of so braue a vanquisht Foe ore-come by beautie thine Take pittie and him gently vse in this his captiue time Such gallant souldiers as be tooke in field by chaunce of warre A Similie Be much respected kindly vsde and honoured much they are And whilst as prisoners they remaine and till their ransome come All friendly courtesie to them in louing sort is done Then to my humble heart faire Dame who thee doth honour deere Not cruell be as if thy foe whome thou should'st hate he were Ah gently vse him or without thus suffering him to lie Still languishing giue verdit strait and he shall willing die For if thy grace he may not gaine he cannot liue on earth Whose wounds are deadly happie he if ease he finds by death A Sentence Speake then Floretta faire to me nor by thine answere sower Be thou the cruell cause to force me leaue my life this hower SWEET speake for by their Oracles contented are the Gods To answere men yet greater farre then men they are by ods So said the Shepheard who in feare the summons did attend Offortune good or bad if he should liue or life should end Like to the guiltie criminall who is of hope depriu'd A Comparision Whilst iudgement with great terror he expects to be disliu'd His heart did paint full sore and fast his face for feare did sweat Mistrust did show in his sad eyes feare in his soule was set Disgrace and shame to be denide his bodie gauld throughout Who doth attend for what he longes and languisheth in doubt Thus wandred too and fro his vitall spirits in this state Whilst that his life did seeme to him as ouer desperate Tide was his tongue and now it irke him that he ought had said Wishing that he his secret wound to her had not bewraide So doth a braue and gallant mind by famine forct to beg Repent him after that an almes demanded thus he had But at the last the Shepheardesse dissolu'd these doubts confuse Chearing somewhat the Shepheard by these words which she did vse The time hath bin that Venus though Loues mothers she hath lou'd Whilst selfe same plagues which she inflicts on others she hath prou'd Great Ioue the President and chiefe of all the Gods aboue Did thinke it no disparagement at all to be in loue Both Gods and Goddesse haue lou'd then why should I be blam'd Since but with selfesame spot I am as they haue all bin staind Ioue life hath giuen vnto vs that we should follow him To erre as Gods A Sentence is no offence so praise not blame we winne Then may I without scandall loue as they before haue done So as my loue in chastest path of loyaltie doe come With such loue Plaindor thee I like and hope this loue so strong Shall be of force thy constancie to make endure more long I loue thee yet no power thou hast ore body mine at all If once presume vnmodestly A Sentence ought to request thou shall For no loue is that loue indeed but rather furious rage That seekes our honour with disgrace or infamie t' engage Then I will loue thee yet of me thy selfe nought else assure But my chast faith which I le reserue to thee vnspotted pure Vntill that happie time shall chance to hap to vs at last When we by sacred marriage rights may coupled be more fast And with this Plaindor be content for what more canst require Then of my loue to be assur'd which is thy chiefe desire The loyall wish of Louers true is loue reciprocall For where good meaning is and plaine there none is mockt at all But for to 〈◊〉 for plâ—â—â—ure send alone in sensuall wise Is brutish 〈◊〉 to beâ—stâ—s who show all reason to despise Did I but thinks Shepheard thy Loue not sober were or chast Or that within thy brest blaâ—k thoughts staine to my state were plast That from thy heart all honour thou and credit didst reiect And more of 〈◊〉 mâ—â—t â—nlike then vertue didst respect Assure thy selfe I will â—râ—uâ—ng myself on thee so sore As for thy boldnes thou shouldst diâ— although I dide therefore And I soone pâ—â—ish would my 〈◊〉 for that I was so vaine To loue a friend so small of worth a my chast minde to staine My blood shed by my hands should wash my fault and error baed Since I to maker hoyce of my Loue no better foresight had Floretta nere shall liue to morne by taking such disgrace Floretta sooner flourish shall by death which I le imbrace Then Plaindor liue and thinke thy selfe thrise happie for to be Since of a vertuous Loue thy selfe assured thou dost see Mâ—aâ—â— time looke to thy selfe attending that same blessed day The haruâ—st of our â—hastest Loue when Hymen gather may To die or say ought that vnto discredit mine may turne For which death purging me too late thou then for me shalt mourne He that is wise seekes to be Lord ore his affections And he a conquerour is right that conquers his passions Be thou such one deare friend for who with prudencie doth cope Findes his desires soone riâ—in dare and nourished his hope Thus wisely spake Floretta faire whose golden speech so graue Made Plaindor in his entrailes hot a greater burning haue Her sage discretion
did wholly run on thee my bodie aye was thine Thy will as t' were a penalt Lawe to thee did me combine To please thee not my selfe I liu'd nor did I thinke at all That ere my credit had receiu'd a foyle much more a fall Nav more I could haue bene content that thou shouldst tasted haue That sweetest sweet that Louers seeke and still is that they craue But that mine Honor did ore me with greater puissance seaze Then my desire ore senses had as sensuall them to please This selfe-same honor now although some wrongfully haue toucht Because it too much honor'd thee and suffered thee too much Demaunds my bodie offered be to him my fault to purge And for to haue it sacrifiz'de most bloodie doth it vrge And so it shall Floretta then courage take heart at grace And this vile blot of hatefull shame let 's wipe from off our face For though I through this poyson strong of life depriued be Yet my good Fame taxt wrongfully it shall restore to me Adiew my dearest Plaindor but must I my selfe absent From thee and from thy presence needs must I alack be sent I I Ah hellish griefe yet me my heart againe restore That I may liue below this earth with quiet minde the more Ah render me my heart againe which I le in pieces teare Nor for to see the same to die be thou abasht with feare Sweete Plaindor if that ere thou lou'dst Floretta thou mayst vaunt Vouchsafe this one request to her now dying for to graunt Which is me to suruiue that thou as Testis witnesse may How wrongfully some thought too much my Glories pride to slay I call thee for to speake the truth of my chaste Innocence And to the Heauens I doe appeale who knows my true pretence Then Friend if euer in that sight of thine this body haue Bene gratious when it dead shall be prouide for it a graue Close these mine eyes cashirde from light shut fast this mouth so pale And this my Coarse below in ground to burie do not faile Deare this is all I craue of thee since now my course is runne That kindnes is but worth small praise that by the halues is done But how now Plaindor what do'st weepe thou sigh'st amaine me thinke Nay then thy grieuous Martyrdome I soone will ease and stint Le ts dye le ts dye more then high time t' is I were gone from hence And saying so she swalloweth downe that hatefull poysonous drench That done vppon the greeny grasse her selfe she softly throwes And holding of her armes acrosse her prettie mouth doth close When lifting vp her last seene eyes she Plaindor might behold How he his manly brest for griefe did beate with courage bold Whereat she weeps afresh so great a Corsie to her t' is And dying now she striues to giue to him her latest kisse That done she yeeldeth vp the Ghost Ah heauie spectakell But now the dire Catastrophe of this sad tale I le tell When Plaindor saw his Mistres dead with lookes most furious He draweth his sword which gainst himselfe he bends as barbarous And raging like a bedlem mad distraught of wit through wroth Minding himselfe to massacre these words he sigheth forth Floretta ah Floretta speake speake fairest of all Faire Where 's now thy faith that did protest of me to haue such care Where 's now thy oaths and promises They now haue me deceiu'd And my greene youth long fed with hope they haue of ioy bereau'd Cruell Floretta and yet cruell to none except vnto Thy selfe when for anothers fault thy selfe thou didst vndo To bring me to my dismall ende no way couldst thou deuise But for to slaughter thus thy selfe in such a monstrous guise O faire but chaster Coarse by farre what hast thou done or sed To be vntimely fore thy time consorted with the dead And thou pure soule within that Coarse what sinne didst thou commit That thou so soone from that faire Inne away shouldst passe and flit Thine Honor th' ast kept vndefil'd then if you this doe call A fault how then hast thou offended Else hast thou not at all Faire beauties spotlesse Temple thou doest dye for mine effence And I the essence of thy ill to liue seeke to dispence Ah wretched me and which is worse white liuered soppe I am Vnworthie of such calling as to beare thy Seruants name No no I needs must dye my blood pardon for fault shall win And I will satisfaction make for this my cruell sin Yet fore I die I humbly grace and pardon begge of thee Who hast the power that this my soule remaineth thus in me Ah pardon me what i st I say this pardon which I craue Argues my fault more monsterous that worse I sinned haue I see the Murtherer I haue bin of thy fresh flowring youth Thy healths chiefe Homicide and foe vnto thy faith some ruth For me not for thy selfe thou dyest and shall I then be cause To see those eyes mouth clos'd vp which Death vnto them drawes O of all vertue golden meane of loyaltie bright sonne Whome as my Saint I haue ador'd must thou for me be vndone O hell O black dispaire of Starres most spitefull in such wise To incense so many boysterous stormes gainst my small barke to rise Ay me why dy'de I not when first I saw this face of hern Then lyke an exile from all ioy to be exposde and driuen But soft my Toung runs too too fast and words be nought but winde I know not where I am nor am I now in my right minde Yet at the least let me once bid my deerest Dame adieu And let me of her take my leaue Ah speake what will not you No no I am vnworthy I vnworthy of her grace I not deserue that haue destroyd such fauour so suire face And hast thou then the heart to see that beautie be disliu'de The onely cause that thou long since of life wort not depriu'de And canst thou breathe without her sight thou canst not I doe know Vnto Th'Elizian golden fieldes thou needes with her must goe My selfe my young yeares cutting off will rid me of annoy Since such a blacke tempestious storme hath shipwrackt all my ioy I le die I le diâ— but yet what kind of death might I inuent Cruell enough for my vile fact me iustly to torment Since that the fait falst mâ—â—de aliue through me her death hath found To whome more then to all the world I was obligde and bound Diuinest beautie thou through me doest perish and doest die Whose chiefe delight was to restore my nie lost libertie Plaindor thy deaths wound hath thee giuen whilst he forgot himselfe To whome he owed his life and goods and more then all his wealth Ah haplesse man ah louely Nymphe great reason sure thou hast To giue mâ— ore since ouer thee so small care I haue plaâ—'te And misely didst thou gesse that I vnto thy glorious fame Should be small credit rather
and insupportable miseries are in the hearts of Louers Ariadne knoweth And how many false Treasons and blasphemous periuries Oenone feeleth Why then wilt thou iustifie him he hauing these foule faults Euerie bodie that lodgeth not reason within it selfe is blame-worthie And what reason I pray you is their found in Loue He is a traiterous Drogerar and a Physition of mens hearts for some he healeth and comforteth and other-some he vexeth killeth and tormenteth He is blind-folded which is enough and sufficient proofe to make thee know his imperfections Thinke not the worse of him for that said the old man for Iustice is vnited which brooketh no comparison in perfection and vertue Loue is blinded because he should haue no respect of persons to the ende greatest Kings may be no more exempted from his power then the poorest beggers He is blind to shew that he walketh without craft or dissimulation for that is no true and sincere amitie where falsenes of heart lodgeth and where treason and disloyaltie lurketh If Loue seeing clearely with his eyes should spare Princes and Potentates what profit then should the poorer sort receiue through this friendship For Loue compelleth the rich and haughtiest courages to affect and honour the poore basest creatures and to doe them all seruice possible they can And this is the reason that Loue is vailed and not meere folly For he shall neuer be counted vnwise who without any sudden alteration or passion whatsoeuer taketh his way and course directly and iustly without sparing great personages who are made for the support and helpe of the meanest and poorest sort of people Yet this vaile answered Arcas taketh away the light of knowledge hindring him from seeing what he ought to doe So that as a blinde man without a guide falleth into the ditch Euen so Cupid for want of sight committeth many thousands of grose enormities which being put in practise christen him with the name of a furie in steed of Loue. Is that right loue which altereth the minds of mē quite topsic turuie in all their proceedings in such wise as one shal be forced to loue her who hateth him and another shall be beloued of her whome he cannot in any wise abide Are not these effects meere enmities despights plaine rage and furie If so why then most vnworthie is Loue of this name attributed vnto him Thogh Iustice be vailed yet most loyall iust vnpartiall and sacred are her proceedings whereas those of Loue are quite contrarie Therefore you conclude ill to affirme that Loue is blinded like vnto Iustice which though it be all one thing yet is the cause different for the one carrieth her vaile to a good ende and the other to a bad purpose I report me vnto the vniust behauiour of this little blind Infant Alas poore soules replied the old man what more sheweth the admirable puissance of God then the diuersitie of effects proceeding from himselfe what giueth so much glorie vnto the Painter as the varietie of faire Pictures which he doth most cunningly portray forth and embollish Euen so why doth Loue bring forth so many and contrarie causes but onely to shew himselfe the more wonderfull to lay strong the diuine foundations of his mightie power He bringeth forth effects which althogh they are all differing yet be they alwaies such as are agreeable with the diuersitie of the natures of man gouerning euery thing with a kind of prudent policie vnknowne far aboue our reaches For else it might peraduenture so fall out that it might be more worse for him that loueth to be beloued againe then if he should be hated the wisedome of the Gods cannot be comprehended within our feeble spirits But this is the shallow conceit that mortall men haue rather then to thinke that to be firme holy iust and good which the Gods themselues goe about to enterprise For it is not to be thought otherwise but that they who are perfect as the Gods themselues and are no way spotted or polluted with vice can doe any thing that is vniust imperfect or foolish In respect of the Gods answered the Shepheard I auow what you affirme yet by your leaue I denie that loue may be admitted amongst this troope Those insolent Tyrants who vse their licentious will in steed of rightfull Loue whose constraining force maketh them to be feared although they be puissant mightie yet cannot they entitle themselues with the names of iust and prudent Princes And so I allow of the greatnes of the power of Loue but not of his Deitie God taketh no pleasure in the fal of man his creature but Loue seeketh the same God establisheth all things in good securitie by a certaine sacred order but Loue dismembreth scattereth separateth breaketh the peace and quietnes of man and therefore he is no God Most damnable persons are those who being troubled with some supernaturall and violent power attribute most wickedly vnto the Iust Sacred and diuine God the furious and raging fittes of braine-sicke Loue. Therefore let vs neuer pronounce this broad blasphemie for so farre off is Loue from being a God that mortall men are able to conquere and take him as it were prisoner If this be true replyed the olde Sire who then is it that maketh thee thus to stoope who hath yoked thee and made thee bowe thy necke vnto this God and wherefore doest not thou trample and treade vpon him he being but a man That Captaine that is conquered by a braue victorious enemy is worthie of blame but farre more is he to be condemned that suffereth himselfe to be ledde away Captiue by a weake feeble aduersarie If Loue be a thing of so small worth why then doest thou not chase him away from thee In vaine therfore be these teares which thou now sheddest in vaine thy complaints and in vaine these sorrowes which thou stil makest Fond is that sicke bodie that may helpe himselfe and who because as one selfe-wild will not suffereth himselfe to be infected with a disease too weake for him if he were willing to striue wrastle with the same Euen so art thou fond to languish as a vassaile vnto this God so long a time in this maner when if thou wilt thou canst vāquish him O foolish Slaue A Sentence that being able to free himselfe without danger from seruitude yet neuerthelesse continueth so all his life But the bragging Souldier may alwayes threaten his foe being absent against whom appearing once in sight he dareth not once so much as drawe his sword So thou seemest to contemne Loue yet in the meane time darest not for thy life to resist him and beeing valiant a farre off thou yeeldest at the first encountring together But this one thing I will tell thee that amongst all the deadly passions that doe ruinate and ouerthrow man there is none so strong nor violent as this of Loue death it selfe being farre more sweeter then that is How often doe we see
their ouerthrow This Princes being of an excellent beautie her bringing vp being according vnto her birth and instructed in all conuenient qualities fit for so noble a Virgin grew to be famous and admirable in euery strange countrie Such one diuine Cassandra was The Pearle of Phrigian land Her learning such as it did passe Whose Sire it could not vnderstand Diuers forraigne Princes amazed at the renowmed report of this faire Ladie found themselues taken with a certaine great desire to see her amongst others was the King of Danes sonne one who was young gallant and couragious whose chiefe delight was in the sweet exercises of loue He being driuen by the same of this peerelesse Paragon to passe the Seas and to come vnto the Court of her Father to see her was receiued and entertained according vnto the greatnes of his calling with large testimonies of contentment euery way on the old Kings side for that he tooke it most kindly that the young Prince vouchsafed in his owne person to come and honour him with the noblenes of his presence Hauing seene this Princesse he iudged Fame to be enuious in that she had not bruited abroad the halfe part of her perfections being of conceit that all such rare qualities as euer haue bin were all assembled and met together in this one bodie and that Nature hath made this as a superexcellent peece of worke to bring her selfe to be admired and wondered at in the eyes of all men For the effecting of the same Thus whilst the Louer burneth in this flame No beautie 's like to that of his faire dame This caused him to think that she was to be courted with some extraordinary meanes and not with any triuiall or vsuall discretion required in such affaires Because such Maydens as are beautious both in bodie and in minde are not so easily courted and obtained with such facilitie as others are by reason a man findeth nothing to proceed from them but what is found to be graue prudent and of great vnderstanding and iudgement In the meane time loue daily grew more and more in the young Prince which was the occasion he imagined the perfections of his Mistris to encrease likewise in her A Sentence Such is the strange force of Loue as it changeth the nature of mens eyes making them behold blacke for white forcing them oftentimes to adore such a one for celestiall and diuine which amongst others generally is of no account But what maruaile is it to see him maister the eyes of our bodie if he be able to controll our very soules as he himselfe best pleaseth And herein may Louers be compared vnto such as walke in the night who can discerne nothing but what pleaseth their torche to make them see Euen so they esteeme nothing to be faire but what their Loue alloweth them to thinke of So the flame of a fire the more it spreadeth ábroad the more it maketh the fuell to burne And so the Prince the more he found his soule to be powred out vpon the beautie of his Lady the more hee still viewed and beheld her alwayes courting and deuising with her thinking still that hee should finde one new perfection or another in her Resembling herein right students who the more they reade the more they are desirous because their reading bringeth them some new contentment or pleasure causing them more and more to be rauished with the admiration of wondring at the bottomles depth of diuine Learning But the young Damsel who through some secret and inward motion of her minde prophesied the end of this Loue to be miserable although the beginning seemed to be sweete and goodly carryed herselfe herein as the wise husbandman who commendeth not the day ouermuch A Similie vntill he see the euening to be come especially when he seeth the Sun rise too timely and to burne too hote at the beginning which made her hardly to be brought vnto any thing being the cause that mooued him to vse these speeches vnto her hauing found her one day at conuenienient leisure Most excellēt Princesse the greatest contentmēt that a man can wish for in this world is to see his opinion and conceit confirmed with experience and he that beleeueth and seeth the effect of his beliefe to take place esteemeth himselfe thrice Fortunate as well of the good conceit he hath of his owne sense as for the pleasure and contentment he findeth therein when hee beholdeth his soule to be fullie assured of that which hee so much and so long desired Amongst the number of which I may well place my selfe esteeming my fortune most happy in that I hauing seene you haue seene the effect of my beliefe the full assurance of mine owne infallible iudgemēt The renowme of your rare vertues hath driuen me hither desirous to vnderstand if it were true or no But I finde it not so because it hath forgotten to speake of you as you haue deserued which parts in you are farre more commendable then all the reports that haue as yet bene made of you And this is the cause you ought not to wonder if I seeing you farre more accomplished euery way then was bruited vnto mee doe loue honour and affect you as I doe Seeing that before euer I beheld you I honoured you deepely in my heart And if the Gods recompence the pains which mortal men take to visit them to receiue their Oracles and doe answere them according vnto their desires Then deare Soueraigne of my thoughts I shall desire you I may not be frustrate of the hope which brought me hither which was to be gratiously accounted of by a faire Princesse like your selfe who being perfect in all good gifts cannot I trust want neither mercie nor mildnes And if the iust prayers of men are heard vp to the heauens though they themselues are in condition base and vnworthy to offer the same yet mine being of an other nature in that I craue nothing but what is lawfull and honest should me thinks be accepted of you Such demands as proceede from a foolish and vndecent Amitie A Sentence are to bee reiected as dishonest and beastly but such as belong vnto a sacred and vnspotted Friendship ought to be accounted of because without CHASTE LOVE both Gods and men quickly perish The praier which I most humblie desire to offer vnto you is to beseech you to entertaine me as your faithfull seruant to the end that if my loyall constant and long seruices may deserue any merrit it might please your gratious and most sacred Loue to finde some place for me in the same who hath vowed to make you and onely you the Queene of mine owne person Royall Crowne Realme For this I will be bold to say that if you shall grace me so much as to bestowe the Title of seruant on me I will not doubt but to shew my selfe worthie of some reward in that I thinke An Example hauing once obtained this
two Knights presented themselues before the Iudges who gaue them their oath vpon the holy Bible that they entered into this combat vpon a iust cause that done they vewed their armour and weapons and lastly conducted them vnto the listes making proclamation that vpon paine of life no person whatsoeuer should as much as once presume either by shew or signe looke or countenance word or deed to fauour either the the one or the other but to let their valour fortune trie who shall be conquerour A Comparison As two young Bucks burning in loue of a faire Doe take delight to trie their strength before her and being both furious pierce through their bodies and heads with their sharpe and rough hornes Euen so these two gallant Champions longing to encounter and either of them desirous to enioy that pretious prize which armeth the one against the other being in place where they may trie the vtmost of their force most furiously discharge one against the other and as two terrible Thunder-claps meeting together in a cloud breake at the cracke fall both downe vpon the earth So these two Knights at the first shecke and meeting tumble both downe vpon the ground but their launces being broken they draw forth their swords beginning to charge themselues a fresh As did Achilles once and Hector valiant stout When fore the walles of stately Troy they fought it out The Dane animated more with furie then with force laid on load without ceasing flinging forth his fire so furiously as if his strength had not failed more then his courage A Similie Alphonso had bene vanquisht but a great fire of strawe is quickly extinguished In like manner the blowes that despite and rage giueth are assoone ended Meane-while our Spaniard fought coldly but yet with great aduisement neuer striking but to the purpose so still kept himselfe in breath with great aduantage The Prince redoubling his strokes supposing his foe was growen feeble both in force courage laid on loade hurting him vpon the left arme This wound from which the blood issued apace the remembrance of her who was the cause of this warre the presence of the King and the flower of Chiualrie of all his countrie did stirre vp the Spaniard so much as now he would combat no more soberly and with discretion but as a desperate Souldiour against his deadly enemie letting driue at him so lustily with such quicknes and such dexteritie as the Dane found he was not a little deceiued in him But as he was chasing of him thus by chaunce Alphonsoes sword fell out of his hand he hauing nothing now but his dagger to defend himselfe withall which was the reason euery one thought as then that he was but a dead man his enemie promising vnto himselfe the victorie the desire of which made him pursue the Spaniard hotly who knew not which way to furnish himselfe of a Target nor how to warrantise his honour and his life but onely by running in vpon the Dane and so by maine force to get him downe which deuise of his the other fearing looked more warily vnto himselfe lest he should get within him whilst in the meane time he gaue him many a sore wound which he could not well escape because he wanted his weapon In the ende such was the good fortune of the Spaniard that the Dane thinking to runne full but at him with all his force which the other auoyded by mouing his body from that place lightly his sword also slipt out of his hand so as they were now weapond alike when comming to handie gripes and to grappell together Alphonso proued to be the stronger of the twaine flinging his enemie downe and giuing him so terrible a knocke withall as both speech and senses failed him That done he vnbuckled his head-peece and setting his poniard to his bare throat willeth him henceforward to renounce all such claime as he before had laid vnto his Ladie and wife and to acknowledge himselfe to be vanquisht or else he should die presently But the Prince choosing rather death than shame and vtter destruction then the depriuation of his Mistris disdained to answere him looking still when the other would stabbe him quite through which neuerthelesse as a right Noble minde he would not but leauing the Dane wallowing in his owne blood and sore bruised with his fall he commeth vnto the Iudges demaunding of them if he had done sufficient to be counted the vanguisher and to haue obtained the glory of the victorie or no. Who much commending him for his clemencie in that he had so cutreously pardoned his aduersarie told him he had performed his duetie euery way that done he was conducted vnto the place where the King sat who highly praised him for his valour and greatly honouring him for his vertue gaue him leaue to depart his Royall presence From thence he rode vnto the Court accōpanied with thousands of braue Knights where with great ioy the faire Ladies as the custome was disarmed him whilst the Chirurgians prouided for the dressing of his wounds that done he was had vnto his lodging keeping his bed vntill such time as he recouered whilst in the meane space he was euery day visited by all the Barrons and great Lords of the Realme who did congratulate with him for so famous a victorie Not long after the Danish Prince was carried out of the field sore wounded and wel nigh dead for griefe and shame cursing his bad fortune that he had not bene kild out right who although he was highly beholding vnto Alphonso for his life yet did he most tratierously conspire in his minde to murther him one way or other suffering himselfe rather to be transported with base reuenge then with sage reason or with honestie of the cause So Paris dastard-like surp isde with feruile feare Sware stout Achilles death to whom he hate did beare But the gallant Spaniard that ment nothing but well neuer suspected any such treacherie but rather that he had surely bound the Prince his enemie vnto him in good will seeing he had shewed him so great a kindnes as to gratifie him with his life A Sentence For so the right valiant man indeed iudgeth by his selfe that others are valiant like vnto him and he that is honest thinketh other men to beare as honest a minde as himselfe doth But all creatures are not framed of one kind of mettall or condition their passions and desires in louing being contrarie and diuers Nature greatly delighting and making proofe of her mightines and power by this diuersitie of humours Alphonso being recouered of his late wounds and very much longing to see his faire wife determined to take his iourney homewards of which his minde the malicious Dane hauing an inckling he taketh his leaue of the King in most dutifull manner making a shew as if he would take his iourney towards Denmarke riding a day or two onwards on his way and then turneth backe
him and so to make flower thereof which he had rather should be done then to be ouer long kept for many times it groweth mustie lying in garners This Riddle being thus expounded the harmlesse Shepheards retired themselues for that night as also did melancholie Arcas Where we will leaue them vntill the next morning The end of the first daies meeting of Iuliettaes Shepheards THE SECOND DAIES MEETING OF THE FIFT BOOKE OF IVLIETTAES SHEPHEARDS WHAT Frostie Night neuer so bitter were of power sufficient to coole the outragious and burning heate of the Shepheard Arcas What obscure horror could bring a sleepe the watchfull thoughts of his waking euills And what deepe slumber take from him the continuall remembrance of his diuine Diana his spirit being alwaies troubled as well in the night as in the day and therefore far more miserable then the bruite beastes For whereas they repose themselues sometimes from their trauell he alwaies laboured and was still in paine he plainely perceiued the day beginning to lighten the hollow giering vault of heauen he viewed the glorious Sunne to gild and adorne the Roseall skie and he beheld beautious Anrora to weepe drerie teares for the death of her deare swarthie child yet all these brought no comfort vnto his griefes For such mindes as are ouer-cruellie afflicted with cares A Sentence are neither suâ— iect to the coolie rest of the night nor take pleasure at the glistering lampe of All-seeing Phoebus because they receiue no contentment neither in the one nor in the other Scarse did the breake of day appeare when this Swaine ariseth from his bed running vp and downe the Desart and searching for some fit place where he might bewaile his sorrowes at the full At length he entreth into a huge deepe Caue enuironed round about with sharpe brambles and pricking bryars able to terrifie and affright any excepting onely such as seeke for death whom wretched and wofull Caitiues feare not at all because euery houre they feele farre worse plagues then death it selfe and for that it is rather a pleasure then a torment vnto them to exchange their euill for good and to leaue a sowre and seuere Maister to follow and serue one that is milde and debonaire Arcas then being gotten into the bottome of this darkesome Dungion after he had for a certaine time bene mute and as one falne into a sound in the end breaking as it were out of a dead sleepe he began thus to complaine Ay me Alas What might I thinke to be the reason or cause of the miserie and vnhappines of man Is it the heauens that iealous of their good fortune scourgeth them with so great cruelties Or is it their sinnes which prouoketh the anger of God forcing him to stretch out his threatning hand against them No doubt it is this last for sinne onely and wickednes first opened the gate to death that he might come in amongst vs and so ouerthrow vs. It is for the punishment of such offences as we commit against the holy One that we are persecuted with pestilence famine and with warre So was Dauid plagued for his fault and Sodome and Gomorrhâ— with fire ouerthrowen So were the Niniuites threatned so was Ezechias admonished to repent O thrise happie the Godly who prosper like the fruitfull Lawrell and possesse in peace that land which is taken away from the wicked with tempestious lightning and thunder For so was the good Abraham blessed and so after his imprisonment was the righteous Ioseph with many moe besides But coÌ„trariwise most vnfortunate are the wretched wicked ones because they grudge and repine in that they suffer for the faults they haue committed whilst they are stung with Serpents from the heauens as were the Hebrewes heretofore when they began to murmure in the wildernes Beware how thou repinest against the Almightie Ichoua And saith the wise man for no good nor profit can come thereof We cannot then tearme the heauens to be the authours of our euils but it is the onely transgressing of the diuine commandemeÌ„ts which we cannot truely say be hath giuen vnto vs to breake them or that he hath giuen vs so hard a law as that it is vnpossible for vs to sulfill the same For it should be a most rediculous and vaine part of a Prince to establish and appoynt such ordinances vnto his Subiects as they cannot any way performe as to defelid or foâ—â—id them to grow to wax taller or bigger or other such fond and vnreasonable impossibilities as these be And therefore O how gentle and easie are the commaundement of God be himselfe affirming the same when he tearmeth his yoke easie and â—ight his burthen little and gentle to beare For Is it not as easie a thing for a man to doe good as euill when as in doing good he enioyeth the happie and blessed content of the quietnes of his minde without being troubled either with the feare of the lawes or the doubt of reproach or slaunder Besides he doth not dread death for he withdraweth himselfe from other hazards whilst he meditateth vpon the same whereas Theeues and Murtherers in robbing and killing euery houre incounter therewith before they are aware But say it hapneth vnto them yet doe they receiue it most meekely for sweet and blessed is the death of the iust that die in the Lord where that of the wicked is hatefull and abhommable Curtious then and gentle are the commaundements of the highest which his Apostle Saint Iohn approueth in these words Keepe his commaundements and you shall find them to be neither troublesome hard nor difficult to obserue They chase away hot boyling Auarice which burneth men with her vncharitable coldnes they banish all mortall ambition which weareth away the yeares of man before his time is come they take from them all murther and robbing which stifleth the necke of the wicked with an infamous corde they smother and kill adulterie which laieth hold as well vpon the health of man as on his honour and to conclude they extirpe and roote out all those vices which are deadly enemies as well to the bodie as to the soule By which we see his lawes are easie and sweet yea and most profitable and necessarie for the health and contentment of mankind which was the cause the other Apostle Saint Paul calleth the commaundement of the Eternall Iehona a godly iust and sacred commaundement it being the preseruer of Iustice the puritie of our liues and the very essence as it were of all equitie peace and goodnes For what crosses ouerthwart the soules of the godly who delight in no other thing then in the law of the Lord And what great and grieuous courses doe trouble and disturbe the consciences of the wicked who take a pride as it were as did Remus sometime in leaping ouer the walles of Rome to exceed goe beyond the bounds of the diuine ordinances of God which because they are not hard to be accomplished are not
vnto him narrowlie and sharpely keepeth him in For nothing increaseth vice and leaudenesse so much as doeth wanton libertie The vnbrideled Colte runneth galloping heere and there committing manie foule disorders The priuiledge of Euill taketh away all Vertue be cause it stifleth the recompence of good deedes and hindreth the punishment due vnto offences The auncient Princes who would haue their Children learne how to obey well before they should commaund sent them to studie amongst the Lacedcmonians to the intent they might be restrained and depriued of this enchaunting libertie through which men draw forth vice as if it were at a full vessell LOVE therefore must be gouernour and protector ouer youthfulnesse which he will purge from badde qualities as the Physition doth the sicke man from corrupt humours replenishing him againe with manie excellent and commendable Vertues Is not then Loue very necessarie The winde carryeth the chaffe from the Corne leauing onely that that is good and fanned cleerly So doth Loue A Similie croppe off vice cutting it away as the husbandman doeth the superfluous braunches of his vine leauing the inward minde neat and quite clensed from all filthinesse of vice Loue can doe more then all knowledge yea then the Muses themselues can doe For he teacheth learned men who hauing a confused masse and heape of thousand Sciences in their braines not knowing in what good manner to deliuer their mindes ar full as concerning these matters how to set downe their meaning orderly and to discourse of euery thing with good method and iudgement imitating the cunning Gold-smith who of a great wedge of Gold forgeth and frameth a great sort of good peeces of plate right profitable for men Or resembling the Sun which breaketh and diuideth in sunder the gloomy clouds which darkē the brightnes of heauē He is the luke-warme blood of the Goate mollifying and sotfning these rocks of Diamonds turning them to the vse of all sorts of people The greatest Doctors are but Dunces vntill Loue hath refined them and that they haue felt what his power is they after that becomming wittie and Courtly enditers through the sweete vaine of Loue. For necessitie findeth out the Art and the perill sought forth by the Soldior vrgeth him to finde the means to saue himselfe And so is the Louer compelled to please his Mistris which he doeth either discoursing vnto her his true and loyall affection in smoothe and pleasing tearms or else couching them sweetly and daintily in writing curiously and with a Courtlike phrase And of this perfection is Loue also the author shall he then be called a Paine and not rather the father of all science and vertue It is reported that the Muses lighted one day vpon Cupid keeping him within a border of flowers but what could that border bring but pleasure and contentment vnto them who had enclosed him within the same The Muses then honored Loue as Conquerors are wont to be vsed placing vpon his head a Crowne of greene flowers as also the most wisest in the world haue offered scrifices vnto him and to his celestiall Godhead he being the greatest power amongst the Gods that are in Heauen Therefore as I will not dispute against him so dare I not maintaine the cause of anie that should not pleade in his behalfe Herewithall the noble Knight held his peace daunting very much the other Nymph that had written against LOVE with these his liuely and excellent reasons which she thought were of such efficacie and force that they could hardly be refelled by anie other But the olde man who found himselfe to be ouercome in the argument hee had with Philistell as concerning Inchauntment and Sorcerie willing to recouer his lost honor and to winne the spurres againe in this second disputation replied against Loue in this wise I cannot denie but must needs confesse that neither the ordinary trauailes that men vse nor the day lie labours which they vsually take ought to be called Paine for they are not alwayes of one force and nature they passing away quiet rest comming in their place as the Bowe that cannot alwaies remaine stiffe and bent wheras Loue onely and that most iustly deserueth well this name of Paine An example The Laborer being payed for his worke is contented and taketh his rest the Husbandman reaping his corne taketh his ease and liueth merilie after but in Loue what quietnes can be found The poore drudge being wearie reposeth himselfe in the night so doth the tyred Traueller and euery beast whatsoeuer but the Louer what rest receiueth he either in the night or day As the day is tedious vnto him so is the night irksome and sadde are they then freed of paine The hungrie desire neuer taketh quiet ease but is in continuall paine the greedie couetous wretch crauing still golde can neuer so much as slumber one winke but the tormented Louers leadeth a wotse life farre then both these twaine because that good which he so much wisheth for and yet cannot obtaine it seemeth more pretious vnto him then all the Treasures in the world This doctrine to KNOW HIMSELFE doeth him no good at all for it cannot bridle his passions keep in his hed strong will nor curb or constraine his ardent affections and hee that cannot so doe can neuer be quiet in his minde Now the Louer coueteth alwayes and couetousnes is the child of paine Is not then Loue the author of paine and is it any thing else then meere griefe Nay although the Louer obtaineth that which he desireth yet for all that his torments cease not because he wisheth still to cōtinue the same for that the sore doubt he hath to lose that which he hath obtained with so much trauell increaseth the paine still in him The more golde the couetous myzer possesseth the more continually he wisheth A Sentence by reason the contentmēt of man is without any limit for being glutted with one kind of meat he is greedy and hungry after an other Diogines gaue out that he was contented in his pouertie but yet he was not for he did hunt after vaine-glory What shall wee then say of Louers who not onely desire to enioy their Loues but also a continuation still to gather them And when that length of much time hath quenched this fire of loue yet is there still remaining some hote cinders which presently is set on fire with the wind of desire as a flame when it is out is reuiued againe with the breath of the Ayre the selfe-same Loue beeing of this propertie that after it hath a long space troubled and tormented ouerthrowne and ruinated a man with continuall paine and anguish of minde in the ende it taketh away his life whether he will or no. Achilles knoweth this to be true who died for louing Polixena being slaine most miserablie amongst his enemies So doth Priam An Example the foolish loue of incestuous Paris being the cause he lost his life And so
condemned for the same Had Iupiter neuer loued the earth had neaer bene clensed nor purged of such monsters as much did trouble it for then the mightie Hercules had neuer bene borne Marke I beseech you how much wee all are beholding vnto Loue. Many times when men fall a discoursing and from words to quarrels so farre is Loue off from being the author thereof as quite contrarie were it not for his presence contentious Discord would animate one against another euerie one to murther his companion acquaintance for where Loue is there neuer is seene any disagreement at all And therefor is Loue the father of concord and peace and not of brawling and strife A Historiz yea and so puissant and forcible is hee as his power also extendeth to force wilde beasts to be milde as was that Lyon which was brought before Titus the Emperor which in steed of deuouring the poore slane who was flung vnto her to staunch her exceeding great hunger gently fell downe at his feete stroking him doing him all the reuerence that might be and louing him most deerely by reason that this slaue flying away from the seuere crueltie of his maister and lighting into a wood where this beast was had pulled out a great thorne out of his foote which most pitiouslie did grieue him Now if brute beasts are taught to loue out of doubt then such men shall be much condemned as will not follow the like example The graue Spartans put in practise this counsell to the intent to haue children in as much as they imagined that such as were begotten through a firme and passing kinde of good liking would prooue farre more valiant and couragious then such as were borne of the husband and wife without louing one an other And surely we see by experience that such children are more gallant and of a brauer spirit then those that are brought forth into the world lawfully whether it is either because the loue of such persons is more affectionate and passionate that are the cause of their byrths or whether it be for that they see by reason that they are Bastards they are depriued of their Parents inheritance and therefore the more willingly thrust forth themselues to seeke their owne aduancement Iefpha the Iudge of Israel and William surnamed the Conqueror that got the Crowne of England were of this number with infinite other braue personages So that by this we may gather that Loue not onely bringeth forth honor and profite vnto men but also an vnspeakable kinde of comfort withall They that haue tryed the pleasure thereof can better iudge then I For the delight that Loue affordeth is so sweete so gentle and so delightfull as it is not possible to set downe no nor scarce to conceiue the same in anie thoughts So that in comparison of that all other mortall ioyes are but A Bomparison as it were small sparkles and like vnto litle stars in respect of this which for the glorie thereof may be compared vnto the splendent Sunne Heerewithall Coribant kept silence leauing Arcas to follow this discourse and to make an end of this disputation which he did in these termes following If it be lawfull for one to say something and to argue of that which wee cannot see as of a Deitie or Godhead then must we reason by the effects of the same But these which exceede our humane capacitie and conceit giue vs a most certaine and sufficient testimonie that we ought to belieue that there is a certaine puissance and power farre greater then is our owne which we cannot attribute vnto anie other then vnto GOD. As in a wildernes the houses there built testifie that men be dwelling therein because they are the worke of mens hands So may we say of Loue and so it is with him for neuer hath any person seene him nor viewed him at any time yet notwithstanding A Similie euery one is able to talke and to discourse of him by reason of the wonderfull effects which proceed from his diuine power and might Where you say that Children borne out of marriage are valiant and couragious At that I maruell nothing at all for Loue being a Bastard as the sonne of Mars and Venus cannot doe lesse then like support and affect his brethren they hauing the same beginning that he hath Neuerthelesse for all they haue some particular gift incident vnto them yet are they as illegitimate depriued both by Nature and by the Ciuill Law from bearing any charge or office in the common-wealth as their birth is contrarie vnto the custome as well of honestie as of all ciuill order and Lawe Therefore Loue is not praise-worthie in this point for manie times hee confoundeth Right and maketh a gallimalfrie or a mingle-mangle of Iustice bringing such vnlawfull Brattes as these to inherit with those that are lawfullie begotten either for default that they are not knowne or taken to be such or else because their presupposed father will not publish them for Bastards for that he will not offend the honor of his wife But say the world were freed from such kinde of men and that there were no more such to be found yet for all that it should be neuer a whit the lesse honored nor lesse defended I confesse and yeelde that Loue is mightie and of great power in the procreation of such children But as all Countreyes and Realmes without the execution of Iustice are but plaine open theeueries and robberies liuing as licentious Outlawes So Loue without reason and Iustice is but a disordinate appetite trampling vnder his feete all respect all Iustice and all Law to satisfie and asswage his hote and burning passions And how much Sumiramis the nieces of Augustus the Emperour Poppea Agrippina Faustina and diuers others haue bene condemned for following such kinde of Loue and giuing ouer themselues most voluptuously vnto all sorts of people you knowe as well as I am able to report Where you say that Loue is not the author of vice but rather men who applie the same ill and abase it through the badnesse of their owne nature I answer that it is nothing so For as the prisoner cannot dispose of him who is his keeper and holdeth him captiue Euen so men are so farre off from ruling Loue according as they would that hee vseth them as he list holding them so fast in such sure bands as they can doe nothing but what shall please him There is difference betweene him and wine for a man may take heede if he will that he drinke not so much vntill he be drunke but he cannot so easilie resist Loue in as much as that reason being supprest which is in man vpon which presently Loue as a tyrant ceazeth he can then doe no more of himselfe he being constrained and compelled to follow the will and commaund of him that doth signorize ouer him For if Loue were in the free libertie at the deuotion and disposition of
the Flower which trodden downe within the Medowe greene By bastie foote of trampling steed or plodding Oxe is seene Such one this dying Shephardesse did seeme quite changde and faint Her quondam louely face the teares with blubbring foule did taint Her faire eyes darke and heauie shewd as when the skies we see With thickned storme of winde and raine ore shadowed for to bee Those shooting Glaunces which of late were in her rolling Spheares Controllers in Dan Cupids Court no more as now appeares No more as Diamonds glister they nor Sun-like doe they shine But looke like Phoebus when his place to night he doth resigne And now death which did heretofore long linger comes apace And gently seemes by many signes her offer to embrace Her for head faire whose verie frowne of all did fauour winne Was now become deepe furrowed with sharpe and wrinkled skinne Her sallow visage pale and thin and hunger-staru'd did seeme One of th'in fernall hellish hagges for shape you would her deeme Her brests too pretious Iuerie mounts were fallen lanke and bare Her body that rich shop had lost her wonted pretious ware Her feeble armes and shoulders weake supporters of her coarse Were nought but ioynts of skin and bone withouten strength and force So short and thicke she drew her breath sighing so deepe and sore As one might easilie gesse she was not far off from deaths dore And had not bene but for her teares which on her cheekes she shed You would haue iudgd she had not bene aliue but stonie dead Had she not throbs and sighes sent forth from fainting brest like storme That all her sences had bene past you would haue vowd and sworne Ah too too haplesse Louers chaunce like her no wretches such So Dido dide the Troyan Duke for louing ouer much Enon so for Paris died so Hero for her friend When him she could not saue from death her life did willing end Meane while Zerphir most haplesse wight on whom fortune did frowne This dying Shepheardesse echewhere doth search for vp and downe And as we oftentimes the Hart with furious raging moode Doe see to seeke his mate the Hinde with eger pace in wood Who is retir'd alone for nonce into some priuate way Or running through the forrests wilde wandring perchance a stray He scales the matchlesse mountaine tops the hugie hilles most bold And then he rangeth longst the bankes of streaming waters cold Now through the thickest quickesedge thicke he venters far to gee And now the Caues he visiteth in hollow dales below So Zerphir franticke like doth runne to seeke that beautie which Did long before vnto his paine forespeake him and bewitch One while he wandereth by the Sea the sandie shore along An other while he skales high hills through Loue enforst so strong And then againe most desperately with courage he doth creepe And diueth into'the bottomes lowe of rockie Caues most deepe He scoures the vallies and the plaine through medowes he doth runne Gainst Gods and man he murmureth as one that 's quite vndonne He calls Sycambra still the same Sycambra he doth sound Whilst Ecco pittying him againe Sycambra backe doth bound In th' end so long he searcheth that at last he findes her out When now his voyce was almost lost with hollowing all about A Ghost he findes no lining coarse her haire about her eare Which blustring blasts of froward windes abroad dispearst did beare Her brow did pale and earthly show whose colour naturall Death chased had away as now and ceazed ouer all Her obbone eyes were dull and dimme suncke deepely in her head Ore whom the Fatall sisters three too much tyrannized Her bloodlesse lippes like ashes showde her sweet alluring lip From which a iuyce did come which Loue being ill at ease did sip Those Cherries Roses Rubies which you once might there haue spide Were vanished and in their steed worse colours were descride No fauour was within her face no cheerfulnes of looke For some dead coarse not liuing wight you might her then haue tooke This heauie sight and spectacle did stop his fainting breath And forct his inward powers to be as cold as any earth Withouten mouing he did stand and seemd to be one Of those which fierce Medusa chaung'd into aworthlesse stone But lucklesse she the Touchstone true of Loue to trie all wrongs Who onely to bewaile her griefes exceedingly still longs Perceiu'd him not when first he came appearing to her nigh Whilst with her passions she partakes which makes her peece-meale die Which when the Shepheard throughly vewed awakt from out his sound He wondred that for very woe he died not on that ground He draweth neerer vnto her yet loth to offend the faire And though her fault he blames yet he not to reproach her dare Vpon the sudden backe he startes and from her doth recoyle And then with stealing pace returnes to her another while Nor for his life dares he to speake For where Loue loyall is There no respect nor due regard at any time doth misse He seeth how she doth sigh and sob and how she teares doth shed Apparant signes and witnesses that yet she is not dead This makes him sigh and sob as she and weepe with pittious dirme Yet all this pittious stir could not once moue her looke on him So much the wretch was rauished and earnest in conceit About resignement of her life which sorrow did her threat Whilst she doth leane her aking-head vpon her hand belowe Giuing scalding teares passage into her panting brest to flowe Teares that not quencht but did encrease the flames that burnt her heart Teares that euen to her inward soule did pearce like glauncing dart In th' end the Shepheard cloyd with noy with griefe hardued and bolde In pittious voyce and low to her his mind did thus vnfolde Woe is me Sycambra is it thou I see so miserable And haue I liude so long to view a sight so lamentable I st thou whem death by vncoth Fate and Fortune ouer strange Doth force vntimelesse thus into thy darkesome Tombe torange I st thou which nothing hast but teares and cries to entertaine The sharpe assault of death the which thou couetest ore faine I st thou I see to runne vnto thy end ore desperate By cruell Planets hatefull doome to ill predestinate I st thou Sycambra whom thy Fates and fatall Destinie As iealous of thy praise thy daies to shorten doe agree I st thou that hast that colour faire no more vpon thy face Which as the colour of my griefes in heart I did embrace I st thou that hast no more those flames within thine eyes now dead Through which before with brightest fire my soule was daily fed I st thou that hast no more that shew of more then beantie rare The prison of my libertie the cause of all my care I st thou i st thou whom partiall Gods inforce vnwilling me Of thy departure from this life a witnesse for to be This thou I
now led hast thou me the way High time now t is for me the lawes of Nature to obey Reason it is I follow thee for is it possible Thou being gone I longer here vpon this earth can dwell My wretched daies in this vile world haue bene vnfortunate Yet dying thus in chastest Loue most happie is my state The Stars haue fullie recompenst my hatefull fortunes here In graunting me the libertie to die by thee my deare And that I touch that coarse by death exempt from vitall sence Which when it liu'd full hardly did my seruice recompence Ah beautious shade of late the lodge of honour and fresh Bower Whose praise deaths selfe though he thee slew to kill hath not the power Faire coarse receiue these tribute teares and let me pardon winne If thee embracing after death I ouerbold haue beene Daine to accept my scalding sighes and doe not him despise Who whilst he liu'd honoured thee and dying thee doth prise Rich coarse thou art to make amends to me poore soule in this That for so many woes I felt thou yeeld to me one kisse For what haue I for all my paines and trauaile I endurde Which thy hard heart continually too willing me procurde What recompence or pardon due did euer I receiue But what through sorrow my best rest from me did take and reaue To cancell all which former counts be pleasde faire Loue I pray That Zerphir dying thou being dead kisse thee now chastly may And yet alas I dare not lest that thou shouldst take it ill Gainst me as if I sought the same withouten thy good will Faire shadow now with glorie dect take for my offerings These teares these sighes these passions sad which sorrow to thee brings Receiue this blood I sprinkle here vpon thy sacred shrine To th' end my soule in dutious sort may follow after thine My heart was thine whilst I did liue and fortune wills it so That it be thine when Zerphirs dead and lieth in th' earth full low Daine therefore sacred soule and thinke not little proud am I That t is my chaunce I may haue leaue by thy sweet side to lie Willing thou wert not whilst thou liu'dst that I should be thine owne But being dead I for thy slaue most loyall shall be knowne By reason I haue well deseru'd through griefes long by me borne And by my chastest countenance that neuer woes did scorne The memorie whereof me thinkes should make thee sometimes call To minde thy Zerphir and not quite forget him once for all But Zerphir now le ts die too long we staied haue t is enough Sufficient teares on this dead coarse we now haue powred forth The heauens are wearied with my cries and neuer ceaselesse plaint And my broke heart through trembling feare doth beate in bulcke and faint Le ts die by this one word and as he spoken had that word Most cruell gainst himselfe his side he pierceth with his sword Wherewith he tumbleth dead vpon his Mistris breathlesse corse Whilst that his wound both soule and blood to issue forth doth force Thus died Sycambra meriting for constancie great fame Thus Zerphir died deseruing well to haue a liuing name Death ioynd them both together neere their bodies in one Tombe Were laid which liuing were disioynd by ouer partiall Dome And not long after that proud youth Armanda for his pride As well he aid deserue the same full dearely did abide For presently vpon their death like to Narcissus fond He died in loue being with himselfe whose losse not any monde Thus Cupid's in his Lawes vniust as by this Tale you see Yet Ladies learne to loue if lou'd againe you meane to bee The Shepheard hauing made an ende of his Tragedie helde his peace bringing vnto the whole companie a kinde of mournfull and solemne silence vpon the ricitall of the same with a secret still and inward sorrow for the lamentable end of Zirphir and Sycambra O how miserable are those who seeme as it were to feele their owne losses through the recitall and reporting of other mens mishaps being as bad almost as to awake the happie patient sleeping by reason of his soporiferous potion iust at that time when the Chyrurgian beginneth to cut off his legge Too too much doe I prooue it find it and trie it to touch me to the verie quicke cried out the sighing Arcas The misfortunes of euerie man reuiueth mine owne which before lay closely couered vnder the cinders of my former Distasters The remembrance of things prosperous is nothing so pleasant as the recalling to minde of what is vnhappie is bitter and sower For the pleasure thereof hindereth the true knowledge of pleasure aright and so by the contrarie the contrarie is the more to be commended But O how cruell then is the conceit and apprehension of a mans euils For the felicitie of the other doth not oppose himselfe against the crueltie of this thought those which are fortunate being exempted through the ioy they conceiue of their ill chances which are past and gone Old Hecuba when shee was captiue rendred the memorie of her miseries more cruell by reason shee alwayes thought vpon her happie time that was already gone For one is not so much grieued to be wretched by Nature as when he is brought downe so lowe by Fortune and the cause is for that wee are naturally borne to suffer and that he accounteth not his ill hap to be vnsupportable which he receiueth of Nature in that he is accustomed to endure and beare the same alwayes But euen as where both Fortune and Nature abound in anie notable spirit it is the more excellent and accomplished for the same So twise miserable is hee who as my selfe feeleth him selfe to be iniuried both by Fortune and Nature By Fortune she hauing made shipwrack of my libertie of my Goddesse and faire Mistrisse A Sentence and of the sweete aire of my Countrey By Nature I hauing nothing in me that can draw any commendations for me amongst the learned or win vnto me any credit amongst such as are accounted rare and admirable persons in the world Then why loue I or why should I desire to breathe any longer Vnfortunate that Marriner who arriuing safely into the Hauen will needs venture againe to thrust himselfe into the tempests of the Sea to drown himselfe most wilfully in the bottom of the waues So fareth it with me for after I had bene cruelly plagued with the chast loue of the learned and famous Iulietta I fell to loue the renowmed Diana The fire of this affection being far more hotter then the other but although this my first fault may be well pardoned yet the second falling againe into this error is to be greatly doubted feared Ah Arcas thou shouldst haue contented thy selfe with thy first imprisonment without seeking to commit thy selfe afresh into a new captiuitie But Souldiers in warre may be taken three or 4. times in that they be not of power
death sweet death why vnto me doest not such fauour shew As for to end my course my soule and time all with one blow Alas why so long doest permit her for to breath and line Who liueth not whilst languishing she more and more doth grieue O death why thus to nourish life in me doest me despite Who am of all that line on earth the most accursedst wight This bodie which polluted is with worse then worse may be This bodie which vnworthie is the heauens or man to see This bodie spoild of honour rich and cloathed now with shame Although my minde did neuer yet consent vnto the same This bodie which deserues from graue and buriall to be â—ard The mocke of Fortune and the tipe of punishment most hard This bodie which with mine owne hand in peeces I should â—â—â—e This bodie which for to be burnt to ashes 〈◊〉 orthie were Ah cursed bodie hast thou staind thy soule without reâ—ure And guiltlesse of this ill must thou eternall paines 〈◊〉 Hast thou thy credit lost thy honour hast thou blemished Defamde thy Spouse and Traitor bene vnto thy Lord and head Thou shalt be plagued for the same of death thou shalt not misse Yet death 's too good for such a sinne too milde a paine it is Ah then sweet friend why doest it touch why to it comes thou night Alacke forbeare infectious t is it is thine enemie Vnworthie of thine eies it is vnworthie of thy face Nor doth it merit for to haue the least drop of thy grace Vouchsafe not for to touch the same but rather let it perish T is it hath sind and murthered thee the same then doe not cherish But yet before into the hands of wishâ— for death I fall The Gods to witnesse of my truth as records I do call I call the heauens aboue the earth the Seas that stowing shew The spirits of the firmament and them of hell below The Tritons Siluans Satire swift the Nymphs in Groues that walke And damned hags whose gastly shapes strike terror as they talke In briefe whatso hath life or mines all Trees all Rocks and Caues All Fountaines Groues and shadowing Vales from parching heat that same All these as witnesses I call that I am culpable But yet deceiu'd most traiterously and so made miserable All these I call and doe coniure that know the innocent Vnwittingly I faulted haue yet neuer did consent My faith I neuer brake to thee my Spouse I here a vow This heauens yee know for truth for I did thinke that it was thou I thought t was thou as thou wert wont that thou hast hid my face My face that is the cause that thou art in this wofull case Vnwilling though my bodie is tainted yet pure's my minde My bodie which against his will thy shadow false did finde But yet t is faultie and deserues and righly too reward Since it thine ouerthrow hath wrought through Fortune ouer hard Twise then it thee offended hath and double wrought thy wee Alas that double for to die I cannot force it the. The greatest sorrow I sustaine of these my sorrowes all Is that I double cannot die nor twise by dying fall Then why shouldst thou desire sweet hart new friendship to begin With such a bodie as but late doth come from doing sinne Vnworthie t is for thee the earth grosse earth let that it couer A fitting spoyle t is for the same and not for any other Or rather let this carkasse vile be purged pure with fire And th'a shes be disperst abroad through windes as I desire Woe is me borne was I to be thy death and through hard hap By my bad meanes the Parce three haue caught thee in their 〈◊〉 T is I and none but I that kild thee haue my dearest Spouse T is I that death haue brought to thee and that most dangerous Thou diest for my fault O cruell Lawe and most vnciuill He that is guiltlesse bides the paines of her that hath done euill T is I that blood haue drawne from thee t is I thy hart haue split T is I that haue thy louing name amongst the dead soules writ It is not death as thou dost thinke thy life that shortned hath But t is thy Stella haplesse borne to doe thee ill and skath Then to thy selfe I doe appâ—dle if death I not deserue And how much fortune mine accurst from other Fortunes swernt When as in steed of honouring thee dishonoured thee I haue And when I life to thee should giue I bring thee to thy graue When as our sacred Hymen I should reuerence and adore I haue abusde disparaged and scandalisde it fore And lastly when with ioy thou shouldest thy youth with pleasure passe I doe vntimely our thee off and make thee vade like grasse I being then the cause of all this mischiefe and this ill Doest seeme to wonder though I weepe and beauens with sorrow for Haue I not reason to lament to sigh to waile and grone Like vnto Niobe till like to her I turne to stone Since first the skies were fram'd and Sunne to shine at first was seene More wretched woman than my selfe nere was nor ere hath beene O wofull Stella Cloridan O Cloridan my life My life shall expiat my fault to end these sorrowes rife That selfe same sword that wounded thee shall through my bodie ranse Whilst dying both together we will laid be in one Tombe Then pardon me sweet Cloridan for pittie pardon mee Since that through others treacherie I haue offended thee Adien my Lord I loath to liue and not thy selfe enioy And saying so her selfe she strait doth with his sword destroy O brane Virago glorie and renowme of women kinde Fewe like thy selfe thy selfe like fewe didst shew a worthie minde O vertuous Ladie O faire spirit of thy selfe conquerour Ore whose rare constancie nor sword nor death it selfe had power So Lucres dide the Romanes Pearle when by base treacheris She vndefilde defiled was through Tarquin forceablie So Hero dide so Thisbe with the selfesame sword did slay Her selfe when Piramus to seeke she went the haplesse way And now her breathlesse coarse did fall vpon the pouer Swaine Who with that burthen gâ—â— to breath and seeke some life againe As when the night approacheth we behold and view the Suâ—â—â—â— By little and by little steale from hence his race being done His colour lesneth and lookes pale disdaining that still tide Whilst in some corner of the skie his faire face he doth hide So that vermillion colour sweet of Stella but of yore That beautie boue suparlatine as sacred to adore That passing snow white Iuorie that did all thoughts controule By little and by little forth from out her bodie stole Ore that 〈◊〉 louely coarse of hers death sits predominaâ—â— Who for that he came there for Rose and Lillie fresh did wâ—â—t Pale looked now those cherrie lips like ashes they appeare Whilst with aniron sleepe shut vp her eies fast closed were Her
strange Shepheard who left him when he and the rest of his company retired as fast as they could vnto their owne Lodging where we will as now leaue them The end of the third daies meeting of Iuliettaes Shepheards THE FOVRTH DAYES MEETING OF IVLIETTAES SHEPHEARDS LOVE pierceth not so farre the tender brest of a young Hart in the loue of a fresh and iollie Doe or that of the sturdie Bull towardes his fatte and faire Heifer as was Coribants pricked through the remembrance of Deliaes beautie What rest tooke hee in the night what sleepe went downe with him what pleasure felt hee or what contentment did he perceiue or finde Night which otherwise is the mother and refresher of all trauell is the Nourse of Louers labours For in that they are then solitarie and alone nothing crosseth the meditation of their Loues Their torments present themselues daylie before their eyes and they bethinke themselues euery houre how with a thousand troubles and crosses they may but speak vnto their Mistresses Solitude doth more hurt then good to him whome griefe tormenteth and that coueteth to find out a place to his desire wherein to complaine himselfe Euen so the young Bull depriued of the loue of his iollie Heifer goeth away roaring to hide himselfe in some coole caue or denne and there he beateth and tormenteth himselfe roaring and crying out with maine force No otherwise braue Orlando depriued of his Angelica sought out the most remote and secrete places therein to complaine his disastrous mishappes Solitarie and sadde night therefore in stead of bringing anie relaxation or ease vnto the torments of this Shepheard more renewed them euen as the Smyth maketh the heate of his Forge more ardent when he throweth water vpon the same Onely God Morpheus beguiling him might haue giuen him some asswagement of his griefe but yet such as would not long haue continued For Truth chased away imaginations and dreames and discouered her face These torments these dreames these labours and these flames are stirring verie earlie And as the Hare goeth out of her Forme betimes in the morning to feede in the corne fieldes being afraide lest in the day shee should light vpon some vnhappie encounter In like manner the Shepheard can no longer remaine in his Cottage when hee seeth the day dawne on that side of the heauens where the Sunne riseth hee will by no meanes that his bright beames should reflect vpon his drousie head This would turne him as he thinketh to great shame to be discouered by the Sunne And he feared the like reproach as Mars and Venus receiued being found together and taken within the industrious Net of Vulcan A sluggard neuer acteth any thing of importance Glorie is not obtained by being idle but by plying out fingers busying our selues in manie matters and styrring earlie about our affaires The Sunne yet wet in rising from his moyst bed let fall certaine droppes vpon the earth it seemed by his appearāce that some flagitious fact by him seene had made him looke all pale sad heauie notwithstanding by degrees he euer drew nearer nearer Oh what a power hath this goodly Lamp which giueth life vnto all creatures keeping and preseruing the same in them as also by the same hand he taketh away perisheth and confoundeth the same notwithstanding there is no good how little so euer it be which is not farre better then the best griefes of the world In like manner thogh the Sun shewed himselfe pale morphewed ghastly yet was hee by all creatures a 1000. times more desired then night how cleare soeuer The clifts euen smoaked with a desire to see and feele his beams vpon their toppes euen as the furious Bull casteth fume out of his nosthrills when he seeketh after fight desireth to meete with the Lydian Lyon to set vpon him There was not so much as the flowers which smiled not at his cōming they being his beautifull kinsmen to the end to please ioyfully receiue him The Birds called vpon him in their notes the beasts by their sounds voyces men by many signes and demonstrations Desired therefore of all liuing creatures he commeth spreadeth on all sides his flaming eyes causing all the world to behold his faire bright countenāce Euery one beholding the same blusheth thereat is ashamed heauen it selfe appeareth more neare and cleare and the Shepheard conducted by this immortall light with slow pace arriueth within the Desarts He neither draue lambs nor sheepe before him for the iniquitie of the time had dispoyled him of them robbing him of his bleating troupes and of whatsoeuer else he had receiued by the benefite of Fortune Hee went out therefore all alone walking along with an awaked spirit mind disburdened of all drowsines all quick and liuing whilst he thus said to himselfe It is with speciall reason that men tearme heauen their Father for in truth without him what could they performe Doth not he bestow on them their being life vigour contentmēt pleasure Whatsoeuer fauour or bountie men feele it descendeth from aboue For the earth of it selfe produceth vnto them nothing good or excellēt but on the contrary bringeth thē forth a thousand maladies cares torments labors And though there tumble down from heauen sometimes miseries scourges which torment whip men yet neuertheles their own sinne is the cause thereof For this is the liuely fountain of malediction not heauens euen as the fountain is no occasion of the water that harboreth within the same but the spring from whence it floweth so cold Is not heauen the nourice of this faire Sun which ripeneth all things heateth as well those bodies sensible as other immoueable that giueth vertue power vnto the earth On the other side within heauen dwelleth the Eternall Deitie in the same is his seate there within is his Empire there his diuine Tabernacle In heauen dwelleth this great and mercifull GOD who doth not only pardon men during their liues but euen whē they are dead also His mercie walketh ouer the Tombs and Sepulchers of the dead and goeth seeking them out euen vnder the earth to relieue them by his charitable office giuing vs triall not onely of admirable Clemencie but also of diuine Iustice That which maketh him to be knowne for true God is only his Iustice and his Mercie For hee could not be God except he were both iust and mercifull Besides hee most liberallie giueth vnto vs wherewith to maintaine our life hauing a care of the least haires that fall from off our heads and of the least byrd that liueth Hee giueth nourishment vnto euery one yea vnto the Crowes little ones themselues that call vpon him when their olde ones denie to giue them foode at all O an hundred times worthie of infernall punishment is hee who loftie and proud will not giue thanks vnto God for so manie of his benefites I seeing besides a thousand others he might haue iust occasion
thinke my victorie vpon The wise of dangers past will were so much as once thinke on Then leaue off for to sorrow thus and seeme not to disdaine Through too much passion honour this which I through thee doe gaine So said he gently helpes her vp and sets her on her feete Whilst with a thousand hunnie words he sweetly her doth greete The Nymph now come vnto herselfe begins to gather hart To chase away all feare from her which fore did breed her smart Her former colour now doth come into her cheekes afresh Whilst she in humble sort with thankes vnto him doth expresse Her gratefull minde acknowledging in courteous manner trim How that her honour and her life preserued were by him With blushing looke and smiling cheare she crownes with flowers his head And vowes in modest wise to be at his deuotion led But weladay who ere would thinke that thanks for his reward Should be the cause a recompence he should receiue so hard This kindnesse which the Nymph on him bestowd deseruing worth Th' vntimely end of him and of his FLORA deare brought forth For doing good the fillie Swaine his harmelesse life must lose A slender hire for praise when at so high a rate it growes Things taken well are still done well a sinne t is to mistruct Vpon surmises false and vaine and proofes not to haue iust Ah had the Shepheards Mistris bene as wise as she was faire She had not heapt vpon her selfe nor him such dismall care Meane-time braue Numidor through his exploit most famous grew And through the Nymphs gratefull report each one this matter knew Which FLORA made for to misdoubt for long time she before Had markt the Virgin to be faire the cause she feard the more She sawe as she did thinke that or'e familiar he was With her and how oft them betwixt great kindnesses did passe She well remembred how they daunct together and which most Did gaul her how in hast away he after her did post When as the Satire snatch her vp her to haue ramshed And how to saue her he againe his life had ventured All these compar'd together made her gesse all was not well So that her bodie quite throughout an vncoth cold sweat fell And now she gan to loue so much as iealous she did grow Of him that nere the same deseru'd nor had off ended so She sighes and sobs and frantick like now here now there doth runne Thinking her dearest Loue of friend an exemie was become Nor dares she in her soule him call her faithfull seruant true Nor worthie of a Mistris kind since he hath got anew Against him say she doth exclaime and still gainst him doth crie Cals him vniust deceitfull false of right an enemie And as if he committed had some monstrous sinne on earth She counts him worthie for to die vnsit to draw his breath And now she throughly is assur'd that he is giuen to range And that of his first plighted Loue he hath made an exchange This forceth her with face one while as pale and wan to looke Another while to be as red as fire from furnace tooke Now doth she burne and then againe she suddenly doth freese Whilst through these passions contrarie her sences she doth leese And now to kill her NVMIDOR she vowes most resolute Since him a periur'd wretch and not better she doth repute That done she meanes to end her daies and slay her selfe him by The more her constant Loue vnto the world to testifie But now Loue makes her change her thought although against her will And forceth her although despite of her to loue him still She weepes and wailes and pearly drops fall from her like small teares Whilst as a bedlem she doth rent her face and golden heares She flings her self vpon the ground her head thereon she knocks Whilst griefe so much in her beares sway as it tongues passage locks With armes a crosse vnto the heauens she lifteth vp her hands Whilst she of Venus and her Sonne reuenge of him demaunds Yet after of the matter she better bethinkes her selfe And then vnto him she doth wish all happines and health Grieuing that she so much hath spoke gainst him she doth repent And from her former cruell minde most willing doth relent But nerethelesse she is resolu'd her selfe to end her life Thereby to ease her of her pangs and rid her from this strife So much she doth disdaine to liue as death she meanes to chuse Since Numidor a Mistris new hath tooke her to refuse Ah cruell Shepheard doth she say lamenting pittiously Hast thou the hart who thee so deare hath lou'd to force to die Well well most vnkind man I for thy sake my selfe will slay And goe into my graue I will vntimely fore my day To please thee not my selfe I sought whilst I on th' earth did liue Nor to prolong my daies tle seeke since thee I see I grieue But at this fault of thine so foule vngratefull dost thou thinke The Gods aboue true Iusticers will seeme at all to winke Thinkst thou vnkind the heauens will ere vnto thee be kinde When how thou fowly hast profan'd their Altars they shall finde No no th' immortall powers sharpe foes vnto thy periurie Shall doe me right and wreake my wrong for this my iniurie Such punishment with tortors huge they shall on thee bestow As they doe on Danaides in Limbo lake below And as they Theseus plagu'd because he wreched was forsworne Or Iason who Medea left all comfortlesse forlorne With many other Louers false which like are vnto thee There as thou rightly dost deserue afflicted thou shalt bee For Iupiter though for a while he men permits to rome And fickle changings proue yet in the end he paieth them home So Paris died and well deseru'd Enone that abusde Who in her life time better him than he deseru'd had vsde Then dost thou thinke fond-man that thou shalt scape this scourage alone Who art the sowrse of all my griefe and motiue of my mone Perhaps thou dreamest because that they awhile their plagues doe spare They slowe are vnto punishment nor of the same haue care What is deferd is not vnpaid the time shall come ere long That thou shalt make amends for misse acknowledging this wrong The more to chastise any fault the Gods gently forbeare The more at last they are rigorous more cruell and seuere Then thinke not wrech most treacherous but that the day shall come That thou shalt smart for what thou hast to wofull Flora done My cause to the heauens I doe commit to them I doe appeale They know the secrets of all hearts nor ought will they conceale And yet sweet Numidor forgiue and pardon what I say Since t is my griefe not I that thus against thee doth enuay For should'st thou neuer so much wrong doe vnto me each houre Yet angrie for to be with thee nere shall I haue the power Loue which is of more force in
so before although God he knoweth not anie in all the whole world was more ioyfull then shee to heare of so comfortable tidings and newes Wherevpon shee called for her Coach and went vnto the Knight to visite him where when she was come she found a number of Ladies and Gentlewomen in the chamber who were comforting of him and reioycing with him for his happie victorie No sooner was shee entred into the Chamber where he lay but all the other giuing place she drew towards his beddes side when he poore soule no sooner had spied her but that he forthwith sounded the companie imagining that it was his wounds and not her sight that was the cause thereof whilst she in the mean space was not a little amazed to see him so mightily chaunged and to looke so meger pale and hollow whome not long before she had knowne to be the goodliest and properest man liuing But this misfortune and sicknes hapned vnto him shee laide no bodie in fault of but her owneselfe confessing in her conscience that she was the onely cause thereof and therefore resolued within her selfe to make him amends with the losse of her owne life if he should hap to miscarrie or doe otherwise then well And now my sadde Maister being come vnto himselfe againe and seeing his Mistris to looke so heauily vpon him and sighing he held downe his countenance not daring to behold her whilst the Chyrurgians that had him in Cure and others thought that it was the paine of his woundes that made him so ill And therefore desired euerie one to withdrawe themselues from thence for a while that he might the better take his rest Wherevpon faire Maria was forced though sore against her will to leaue him vowing vnto her selfe if it should please God that her Knight might recouer his former health to marrie with none but him Thinking shee could not be anie mans so rightly as his seeing he had so brauely reuenged her quarrell vpon her hatefull enemie and had engaged his life for her deare seruice Alas how shall I be able to make an ende of this pittious historie I knowe not I and therefore good Arcas let this suffice which I haue alreadie reported vnto thee Heere the wretched Fortunio powred forth whole fountaines of teares it being a long time before hee could speake as much as one word more but I pressed him so much and vrged him so often that in the ende hee went forward with his former discourse in this manner Don Ihon my Maister had all the cunning Physitions and Chyrurgions that could be gotten to looke vnto him whereby hee might recouer his former health and haue his wounds healed But all was in vaine for there was no Medicine or Balme that could doe him any good by reason of the great sorrow which hee had before conceiued in his minde And because the small vertue and strength of his radicall humour within him which griefe had ouermuch weakened was not of power sufficient to nourish his grieuous wounds and therefore they became both weaker and worser euerie day then other They were not ouer mortall or deadlie and yet because of diuers accidents and what through the badde disposition of his bodie they became incurable which they that looked vnto him perceiuing and finding that there was no way but one with him certified his friendes thereof who tooke on most pittrouslie when they heard such heauie newes And now the last day was come in which most happily hee must leaue this world at what time although as then too late his Mistrisse shewed her selfe most kinde vnto him For shee hauing vnderstood by her trustie Page of whome I talked of before that he was drawing towards his latest ende determined with her selfe not long to liue after him wherevpon she tooke a fitte time to steale secretly vnto his Chamber where being alone with him and causing the doore to be boulted she came vnto his beddes head But alas Father I am not able to proceed any further for verie anguish of minde my hart will burst if without weeping I goe onward with my Tale. But yet I will doe what I can to make an ende thereof although for euerie word I speake I shall be forced to shead a teare The kinde Knight perceiuing the young Princesse to stand by him whose eyes were turned into springs of teares whose heart was turned into another Montgibell with scalding sighes and whose amorous locks lay all rent and torne about her shoulders with a hollow voyce and throatling in his throate spake thus vnto her If it be sweete Mistrisse for mee your faithfull and wretched seruant that you lament so much then I beseech you giue ouer the same and reserue it for a better purpose and lessen not the glorie which hee feeleth for dying in your Royall seruice But alas what is this I say Is it likely that you can bewaile the losse of him who when hee was liuing you depriued of life through your too extreame rigour No no I know it is not for mee that you thus take on for I confesse I am not worthie thereof but it is for the Prince of Lyons who is slaine that you torment your selfe whome perhaps you made account of to haue had for your husband If so then cruell Lady know this that it was thy onely commaundement caused me to kill him and had it not bene thy will he had bene yet aliue Neuerthelesse if in this I haue done amisse I craue pardon of thee before I die as well for that as for anie errour else that I haue most vnwillingly done against thee I die beautious virgin yea I must die onely because I loue thee accounting my selfe most vnfortunate in that I haue not receiued one small fauour at thy hands before my death Neither am I willing to liue seeing it is contrarie vnto thy will and pleasure My dying lippes had neuer that blessed happe to touch those thy vermillion checkes No not so much as to kisse those thy Princely handes and all because I was thereof vnworthie Notwithstanding if thou most gratious Mistris doest thinke that this my death for louing thee deserueth anie recompence then I most humblie beseech you that you pardon all that is past graunting me to kisse not your louely lips but onely that your most victorious hand O my soule my soule how insupportable is your anguish not to loue this my bodie but to abandon the companie of my sweet Princes I die happily being rid from all my griefe and yet most miserably in that I lose thee whom I loue farre more then my owne selfe O fairest creature of all that euer were faire remember remember thy deare Don Iohn after he is dead and gone who now taketh his last farewell of thee Hauing so said he sinketh downe into his bed his faire Mistris falling hard by his side in a sound but in the end comming vnto her selfe againe she shed so many teares vpon the bloodlesse visage of
strong for him who although he had so often giuen the foile vnto the Romans yet when he lost his pretious libertie through lying in Capua and making Loue vnto a woman there was ouercome by that temperate Romane Scipio Demetrius likewise was so bewitched with the faire Curtezan of Athens as he stood in awe of her as if he had bene her bond-slaue And if we should leaue the earth and flie vp into the heauens wee shall finde the Gods themselues haue bene schollers in Cupids schoole For did not Ioue loue Europa Lida Alcumena and diuers others Phoebus Cassandra Daphne and many moe Mars Venus Venus Adonis Diana Endimion and I know not whome besides Why then if it be so I must needs say that thy power extendeth farre and neere thou being as mightie in the heauens as thou art here vpon the earth Fortunio seeing mee in this humour beganne thus How now man but euen now thou shewedst thy selfe to be conquerour ouer thy passions setting a good face on the matter whilest thou didst bare out the brunt thereof And now againe thou seemest as a recreant to yeeld vnto thy anguish and sorrow crying out and vexing thy selfe as if thou wouldest die vpon the suddaine what is the reason of this alteration and change It is a credit for a man to change from vice to vertue and of bad to become good but not to goe on still growing worse and worse Dauid is praised for amending his wicked life and for becomming a new man where his Sonne Salomon is condemned in that he forgot himselfe in his latter daies becomming an Idolater and a whoremonger amongst his concubines Thinkest thou that it is enough for thee to say thou art not able to resist the force of Loue and that other mens faults are sufficient to excuse and defend thine That thiefe is not exempted from punishment who excuseth himselfe hauing robbed from others that he hath but done as an other hath done before him for though it be lawfull to imitate such actions as are commendable and vertuous yet is it not tollerable to doe what is wicked and villainous This colour then will not serue thee and therefore if as thou not long since diddest affirme thou louest the inward qualities of the minde without coueting that fleshly pleasure which Louers so much studie to obtaine although with great labour and losse but what is the reason thou takest on thus And why shouldest thou seeme to dispaire being readie euery houre almost to goe about to giue ouer the world For louing the soule onely the bodie which is but a closet for the same cannot hinder thy affection neither canst thou hope to receiue any other contentment or pleasure of thy loue then in conceit whereas thou doing thus as thou doest thou wilt make the world belieue that thy loue is of another manner of nature then thou wouldest perswade vs it being the common fashion of sottish Louers and such as desire sensuall delights to crie out and lament as if they were readie to die when they cannot taste the sweetnes of the same as the sicke Patient dieth for want of physicke that should expell such superfluous humours as hurt him Now if thy Loue be such as thou saiest that it neither demandeth nor expecteth in any sort this pleasure what maketh thee for want of enioying the same to run still vnto death wringing thy hands and making such pittious moane as is strange to behold Therefore are such men farre more furious and mad then those senselesse Bedlems are who without cause seeke to offer violence vnto themselues imitating the heathen people of Aegypt who vsed to burne themselues without any cause at all but onely when the toy tooke them in the head for most deare ought we to hold our life because it is vnrecouerable neither must we forgoe it vnlesse for some great occasion as either for the benefit of our common-wealth or for speciall good and aduancement of all our friends I seeing Fortunto to be so earnest replied thus O Fortunio I cannot see how a man can lose a lesser losse then the shortning of his daies for loosing them he lighteth vpon a path that leadeth him into eternall rest and therefore he is not hindered at all resembling that marchant who exchangeth bad marchandise for such as are most pretious and rich For a smaller matter then mine thousands of wise men haue shortned their liues A witnes whereof is that wise man who following Alexander the great and much fauoured of him gaue not ouer for all that to erect a great pile of wood which he setting a fire most cheerfully leapt therein without sturring once and so was there buried But perhaps you will aske me what was the cause that vrged him thereunto truely none but onely because he would leaue this mortall life to inherit a life euerlasting But say that no liuely apprehention of intollerable griefe did force a man to this desire yet are the very defects of Nature and the desire to become immortall sufficient enough to imprint most deeply this conceit in his soule especially if after death we shall be free from feeling of any paine according vnto the grosse errour of the voluptuous Epicure For is it not farre better neuer to be borne then to liue and endure miserie But we flie higher in our thoughts thē those Phylosophers for we by this meanes set not onely an end vnto our wretchednes but we change them into glorie contentment and our fraile and fleshly bodie into an immortall state free from all corruption Therefore my conclusion is that seesing the onely maimes of Nature without any other accident of euill are of force enough to imprint within vs this desire of death we are not to be reprehēded if we die in as much as we are stirred vp vnto death as well because of these imperfections as also by reason of such a subiect of deadly griefe as can no way be remedied nor holpen but by the fatall Destinies and those that doe contrariwise cannot be compared for constancie and vertue vnto those women who one striuing with another leaped into the flaming fire wherein their dead spouses were burned a deepe passion of true sorrow and a vehement desire to follow their husband being that which did animate them vnto this death Besides such as are in dispaire for euer seeing ioyfull daies in this world haue not they the greatest reason of all to die which if any such shall refuse they are of a more base and timerous disposition then those women afore said seeing that in death onely a man incountreth with quiet rest as whilest we liue we are yoaked and tyed vnto troubles The sage Hebrew King praiseth in his prouerbes the dead more then he doth the liuing death being the securest harbor of all other where when we are arriued we are exempted from rowing any more in the dangerous barge of this turbulent world Fond is that Pilot who through the fauour of the
offer violence vnto her honour For as that woman is not to be excused who at the earnest praiers of her Louer suffereth that goodly Flower to be slipt wherein consists her reputation and credit so cannot shee chuse but be blamed who seeketh the vtter ruine and ouerthrowe of such as chastly honour her without impeach of honour So doeth Arcas loue thee and why then doest thou force him to make away himselfe Cruell is the wrong that one receiueth of his friend but farre more piercing is that which commeth from a mans owne selfe seeing none can be greater friendes vnto vs then our owne selues Be not then the cause that this poore wretch should massacre himselfe least it be hereafter cast in thy teeth that thou hast slaine him which if thou doest it may fall out with thee as it did with proud Narassus who dyed falling in loue with his owne selfe after he had disdained the friendship of diuers faire and curteous Nymphs But I will say no more for thou art wise and to such fewe words are sufficient thou art faire and therefore I hope wilt not be oner froward and thou art religious which maketh mee perswade my selfe that thou wilt haue a conscience especially in a matter of so great importance as this is Thus did the pittifull Orythâ—a pleade for me against her owne selfe willing is she to die so shee may saue my life not caring what sorrowes she endured so shee could rid me from out my troubles Diana hauing heard her was readie to make answere for they that are faire spoken and can speake with discretion haue alwayes the best and readiest wittes and so had shee Mercury lodging in her tongue and purest houie dropping from out her mouth Harke then how wisely she replyed If any man vexed with a furious spirit shall without beeing proucked or vrged by any other then by their owneseluâ—s ruâ—ne wilfully vnto death can any be blamed for the same but onely their owne selues Or is it reasonable that such as be guiltlesse shall be punished and answere for the faults that others commit Iuno is the occasion of the plagues that that luxurious Ixion endureth and yet it was his owne offence that was the cause thereof and not she her selfe If these vaine and fantastike Louers who are weakened in their right wittes through Cupid shall murther and make away themselues are therefore those Ladies vnto whome they offer their seruice the cause of their ruine and ouerthrow Hee onely rightly may be called the author of mischiefe who either hath done it or hath caused it to be done But women doe they force men to loue them and doe they compell them in despite of themselues to deuote themselues vnto them What they doe they doe of themselues and through their owne follies doeth this madnes proceed and therefore who is the cause of their vndoing but their owne selues If the enuious person dieth for very griefe and rage of minde because he seeth his neighbour prosper and doe well who but himselfe is the occasion thereof None forceth any man to loue And so no woman ought to be vrged to loose that which is as pretious vnto her as her owne life which is her honour to satisfie and please such who through their owne vainnesse and mecâ—e fondnesse shall worke their owne hurt and decay That desperate wretch that drowneth himselfe is hee to thanke any other then his owneselfe for his drowning And say that Shepheard of whom thou talkest should die through his owne peeuish sollie think you that â— feare least the world would count me to be the cause thereof or that I shall be blamed in that he hath done amisse I warrant you no For I neuer brought him into this narrow straight which if hee follow it is his owne fault and not mine Besides to say I seeke to couet or to be the cause of his death you doe me wrong for I delight not in crueltie the contentment and well fare of another being as deare vnto mee as mine owne health Yet neuerthelesse this I must tell you that I would be verie loth hee should liue to be so hurtfull vnto mee as to destroy the goodly building of mine honor which being once ouerthrowne can neuer be repaired or built new againe That hee liue I most heartilie wish but yet with the conseruation of my good name fame For otherwise I desire vengeance to light vpon him as on my most mortall foe although I will neuer be but a friend vnto his chaste Amitie prouided alwaies that he giue sufficient testimonies it be such by his good carriage modest behauiour For I am not so ignorant but that I knowe pure and chaste Loue to be a most diuine and beautifull Vertue and the honest affection of right generous and Gentlemanlike spirites to be commendable and prasse-worthie seeing they are of power to make famous our memories for euer All Portraitures Tables Counterfaites and Pictures soone loose their colours and decay be they neuer so excellently well drawne quickly are they spoiled and soone doth Time deuour them No Picture of Achilles now remaineth yet his praise doth through Homers Muse None of Alexander the great although both Apelles and Lysippus two exquisite Painters had often drew him And yet although their famous works be consumed and gone the braue writings of Quintus Curtius blazoning forth the life of this mighty Monark liue and flourish Neither is the verse of Virgil dead ringing out the vertues of AEneas although the counterfaites of that Troyan Prince be all turned vnto dust And so if that Arcas be yet aliue I wish he so may still continue thy onely intreaty and request being of force to command more of mee then this seeing it is thy pleasure he should be entertained But if he will so vnaduisedly rashly and so foolishly offend his owne selfe I heere wash my handes as cleare from this matter protesting heere before all that I am innocent of his death because I neuer gaue him any such occasion of discontentment If perchaunce he haue found me that I haue not bene so curteous nor so affable vnto him at one time as I haue bin at an other Or if that I haue looked more heauy sad now and then then I haue vsed to doe heretofore Thinketh he therefore that he hath iust reason to lay all the blame vpon me as if I had bene she that was the Author of his ouerthrow If so he is deceiued For our bodies which are subiect vnto the influences of the celestiall Signes are either ioyfull or sadde according vnto their motions This being the cause that when we meet by fortune with one of our acquaintance and hee is as then troubled with many thoughts in his mind or some bad celestiall Planet is predominate ouer him wee then by his sower countenance would take him for our enemie but no sooner is his humour past and gone from him but hee is our good friend againe
presented her with my Paper which the opening with a cheerfull countenance read this Sonnet following Faire thou the heauenâ— like to thy selfe mak'st faire So thou my Fortune blessest thee to loue He vanquisht is not though of Armour bare When with the Sunne his strength Mars dares not prâ—â—ut If I thy Beauties stine my selfe right call Who thee t' adore can blame my loyaltse The selfe same God that Louers worship all Is that sweete God which breeds their miseris Faire then I loue thee ah what i st I say Nay more I worship thee and thee admire Mâ—verse and voyce shall honour thee for aye Sing still thy praise thy glorse still desire Faire it is much the Gods for to resemble But more to be like Vertue yet without Sage Pallas helpe Ioue nere had made to tremble Offurious Tytans that rebellious Rout. To thee then like to Gods to Vertue like All praises wee 'le ascribe as guerdon right As she read these Verses shee seemed to smile A Similie giuing mee a verie kinde looke and many thankes for the same As the Vine-worker reioyceth when comming into the field betimes in the morning hee findeth his Vine sprung forth and readie to budde all ouer which promiseth him a bountifull Largesse to come from Bacchus Euen so began I to be light for ioy to see so cheerfull a countenance to come from her hoping to haue some good fortune afterward O how sundrie and suddaine are the alterations in loue One while a Louer is dead and then againe he is aliue now hee is merrie and then by and by he is sadde a small matter being able to make him hope or dispaire as a litle Leuen maketh a great deale of Paste sower But as I was most vnfortunate before so beganne I now to be most happie of all For no sooner had my Mistris read what was written but shee began thus It is great griefe and hart vnto a gallant Courtier who can and faine would make some excellent proofe of his valour when hee cannot meete with a fitte place or fielde wherein he might exercise and put in practise his Chiualrie Euen so it is great pittie Shepheard that thou canst not encounter a subiect worthy of thy penne which might be able and of sufficiencie enough to make thy Muse shewe her selfe abroad in her right colours For this Poeticall veine of thine without hauing some rare or diuine matter to animate it and to set it forward is like vnto a goodlie body that hath no soule which although it shewe faire and beautifull yet can it doe little good A comparison because it wanteth life Or it may be compared vnto a large and fatte fielde bringing forth much grasse which is a testimonie of his fertile richnesse But yet for want of labour and sowing yeeldeth not anie Corne at all I assure thee I am right heartilie sorrie that thou wantest an excellent subiect whereon to worke For then I verily perswade my selfe we should see most admirable conceits to come from thy Muse As for my selfe I neither will nor dare refuse these Verses which thou hast bestowed vpon mee they sanouring of the same sweetnesse for then worthilie mightest thou iudge mee to be more prouder then the Gods who thankfullie accept of the smallest gifts that mortall men doe offer them But yet I could wish with all my hart that they had bene meant vnto some other more vertuous Saint For worthie things belong vnto such as are worthie personages great matters vnto great mightie Potentates what is honorable is due vnto the vertuous no otherwise then shame reproach do belong vnto the infamous such as be wicked Notwithstanding all this I will not giue ouer to account of thy Muse seeing that for all shee hath taken so leane and barren a subiect as my selfe she doth so well by reason whereof she sheweth herselfe to be the more worthie of commendation and praise But farre better and more perfect by great oddes would she appeare if the foundation wherevpon she had built had bene but as goodly as shee her selfe is faire For then no doubt but she would bring forth most straunge and matchlesse workes as of beautifull parents sweete and well-fauoured children are borne Ah say not so most sacred Nymph replyed I although these your speeches are like vnto a lowlie vertue wherein the more you humble your selfe the more you are exalted For what Goddesse is there raigning in the Skies aboue that meriteth more praise then thou doest And what mortall woman is there liuing that carrieth a minde more chaste a heart more vertuous a beautie more excellent or a iudgement more perfect then thou thy selfe doest Although great persons are by the benefite of Fortune raised and aduaunced vnto many Titles of honour and are enriched with Treasures mightilie we cannot therefore say that for that onely cause they are more worthie of praise then such meaner creatures as are barred from such great wealth and authoritie so long as they be as curteous as the others For true glory is not giuen to blinde and cheating Fortune but vnto diuine and heauenly Vertue He is worthy of little praise who hath nothing of his owne but is faine to borrow of others such are rich men who throgh the aduancement of nature A Sentence not of their own industrie enioy that which they haue wheras such as are wise who of their own selues without the help of others shew many proofs of vertue deserue to be comended indeed Poore Homer is more accounted of then rich Agamemnon laudlesse Maro then couetous Crassus poore Solon more then golden Croesus And so faire Nymph although thou hast not the name of a Goddesse seeing in desert thou doest merite the same why shouldest thou refuse that praise that is rightly due and belonging vnto the soueraigne powers aboue But I know thy minde and by thy speech doe gather what thou meanest Thou seemest to refuse the fruits of my Muse and not without great reason because they are too weake and vnable to display and set abroach thy vertues For as those that are excellent Poets greatly honor wise and worthy spirits so such as be grosse and vnlearned rather bring discredite then credite vnto them by their harsh and foolish vorses It being far better for a braue Heroicall minde not to be praised at all then to heare himselfe commended by the mouth of an illiterated and simple Poetizer This is the cause thou refusest my verse but it is certaine that the more Vertue flieth from glorie the more doeth glorie follow her The Sages in times past did well An Example to reiect the praises which were attributed vnto them and because they would not be seene when they put in practise many rare and admirable exploites they hidde themselues close within some vnfrequented Desart or other And yet neuerthelesse they had their due in the ende and when they least dreamed of any such matter Glorie
passeth through the pikes of all difficulties A Sentence yet it descendeth downe into the Tombs of the dead sounding like a Trumpet the due praises of manie when they are buryed who whilst they liued would not accept of any such matter For as the Cloudes although they shew thicke darke and gloomie cannot for all that hinder the brightnes of the Sunne but for all their foggie vapours hee will breake out and appeare in his splendent Maiestie Euen so maugre the cruell times yea and in despite of their owne selues the vertuous are euer honoured whom glorie it selfe doeth neuer abandon or forsake And therefore gratious Nymph reiect not what my Muse in most humble manner bestoweth vpon thee seeing she doth the best she can For the good will of the giuer not the richnes of the gift doth perfect make better the present Poore folke giue as much althogh it be of little value considering their abilitie as the mightier sort doe A Sentence although they bestow neuer so much and the sillie widowes Mite was as well accepted as the richest mens golde which in the Temple was offered Dainethen to make me so fortunate as to vouchsafe to accept of me to chaunt forth thy praises And doubt not but so earnest a desire shall so much animate and incourage my Muse as she will think nothing can see me to be too hard for her For this cause onely do I liue nothing so much keeping life within my bodie as a zealous desire Herald-like to blazon forth thy vertues which If I thought I might not obtaine I would chuse rather to die then liue My gifts are but small and yet more commendable shalt thou be for accepting of them then if they had bene richer because the world shall see that not anie couetous humor of gaine nor any worth of the present moued mee to make a tender of the same but only an humble mind the right noblenes of thy more then curteous own nature Thus did I argue for my selfe when my faire Saint who tooke some pleasure in my speech beganne to answer me in this manner Neuer ought any honest praise to be reiected because it proceedeth from good will The Gods themselues taking in good part the praises of the simple as well as of those that are more mightie I therefore accept of thine if thou thinkest there be any thing in mee as I doubt me there is not worthy of thy studie but yet with this condition that like a faithfull Hystoriographer and not as a fawning Poet thou set downe the truth For as that Crowe An Example when she was despoyled of her feathers which shee had borrowed of the other Byrds became naked and bare as that face is found to be more fowle and fuller of wrinkles which is vsed to be dawbed with paintings then that which neuer hath any other then her naturall beautie So when one is praised afterwards his defects and vitious life commeth to be knowne abroad he is more disgraced with infaâ—â—ie discredit then if he had not bene spoken of before only because of his owne imperfections Be then iust and true in thy writings and then no doubt but the labour which thou shalt take shal be much lessened abated and small shal be the paine thou puttest thy pen too because thou shalt finde little or nothing in mee worthy to be commended But aboue all I would wish thee to haue speciall regard vnto this that thy works if by chaunce thou shalt find I be worthy of thy Inuention breed neither iealousie of me nor malicious enuie against me the two common plagues amongst all men For it were farre better to liue bare and poorely and without beeing made famous abroad then to be rich and be enuied of all and so to purchase the ill will of euery one This onely desire was Casars death his enemies bearing malice at his vertues and this was the losse of the life of Alexander the great who was hated for his exceeding great victories So said the beautious Nymph and that with so good a grace as although shee seemed to make a shewe that shee was vnwilling to accept of the praises of my Muse yet did she so wittilie order the matter as I found by the circumstance of her discourse she did not altogether reiect mine offer A Sentence Quickly did I find her meaning for who marketh so narrowly the manner fashion the gesture and the countenance of his Mistris as doeth the Louer seeing he findeth either good or hurt in the least glaunce of her eyes Soone did I conceiue that she did not differ much from my minde and I made my selfe ready to answer her when behold we might suddenly heare a great noise a far off as if it had bene of fome wilde Beast that brake through bushes past through hedges and forced the very trees to stoope and shake with his furious running against them This noise made my Ladie and all her company maruellously afraid for it was most terrible in their cares wherevpon they began to take their flight and that they might runne the swifter the feare of this straunge accident lent them wings I seeing this tooke my worthie Diana vnder the arme the greatest fauour that euer I had before receiued of her and yet was it not willingly graunted by her For neuer would shee haue suffered me to haue done so much but that the danger and her present necessitie was such I helping her the better to get vp vnto the toppe of the foresaid high Rocke at the foote of which was as I tolde you before a most faire and cleare Christiall Fountaine When beeing there wee thought our selues to be quite out of all perill and danger and that if it were a Beare or a Lyon or any Tyger it could not ouer easily get vp to the top of the same or at least that we could not be discouered in so high a place but yet neuerthelesse my Ladie still quaking trembling as one that could not abandon her pensiuenes vpon the suddaine She endured that I should holde her vnder the arme whilest in the meane time I ventured to touch her white and daintie hand which was to me as if I had bene in Paradise for so much did feare possesse her as she neuer thought of any such matter O what a happie time had I as then and how much was I beholding vnto that wilde beast although the terror thereof did make me to shake A right holy day was that day vnto me and the happiest that euer I had in all my life Great was the pleasure my poore heart felt as then when I had that libertie to touch those rare and victorious hands as long since these desperate Pirates had An Example who came from farre onely to kisse the fist of Scipio surnamed Affrican after he had taken his farewell of vngratefull Rome Neuer was there so lillie a white hand neuer one
to what end is it to winne time for that which cannot be auoided Free and discharge my doubtfull soule from farther care and seeme not to enuie at the good fortune which I am like to haue by laying violent hands vpon my selfe Diana seeing me looke so pale and gastly began to be a little moued with compassion towards me whereupon she thus answered Ah Shepheard why dealest thou so hardly with me and why doest thou constraine me to doe that which is against my will and why to saue thy selfe doest thou seeke that I may perish Hard hap had I to be borne vnder so vnluckie a Plannet sithence inaccording vnto thy request I shall leaue vnto the world a bad opinion of my chaste minde and in resusing to yeeld vnto thee I shall be counted the murtherer of thy life Ah would to God that that day wherein I first sawe thee had bene the last houre that euer mine eyes had seene thee any more But seeing there is no remedie in extremities come what will I will rather ingage mine owne life then venture thine and if it be my fortune to die for this fault yet will I thinke to finde my death more sweet vnto me then if I had put thee to suffer the same seeing thou hast endured so much for my sake onely Take then this accursed hand accursed because of mine honour and doe with it as thou shalt please yet with this solemne protestation that if this my curtesie shall bring the least suspition or scandall of my good name and fame vnto me the selfe same hand that hath bene the cause thereof shall make amends by shedding the purest blood which is within this bodie Whereupon she presented me her faire hand to kisse But in this exploit I behaued my selfe as that braue Cauailier who doth sweare to be the death of his enemie whilest he keepeth him close and standeth out against him but no sooner doth he submit himselfe vnto him but that he receiueth him most curteously forgiuing all displeasures that is past Euen so plaid I for holding this pretions pawne within my power and perceiuing that it grieued my Mistris to giue the same as she did I vtterly refused her kinde offer resoluing with my selfe rather to languish still like a miserable creature then to giue her the least displeasure that might be and yet neuerthelesse I disputed of this question a good while before I let her hand goe from me One while the great delight which it presented vnto mine eyes longing sore as a starued man for foode to possesse this rich Iewell pressed me very much to take that happie occasion not vnlike vnto that man who hauing not of long time eate any thing finding a Table furnished with great store of meate falleth vnto his Victualls and cannot for his life forbeare from eating that though he would neuer so faine An other while the extreame Loue which I bare vnto my Ladie compelling me to seeke and preferre the contentment of her aboue mine owne quiet opposed it selfe against me counterchecking my desire And therefore well might she perceiue how farre I was from seeking the purchase of her dishonour when I resolued to endure millions of torments before I would be an occasion that she should grieue or be discontented any way at all Hauing long time debated within my selfe about this matter in the end I did as that prudent King of the Spartans who being almost dead for thirst caused all his followers to drinke their fills he himselfe refusing to tast as much as one drop of the water although he sat vpon the Fountaines side to the end he might saue his people from seruile bondage and so did I refuse this worthy gift seeing I sawe how dearely my Mistris accounted of the same and therefore taking her by that faire hand I said thus vnto her No no my sacred Goddesse neuer shall it be obiected as a foule reproach vnto wretched Arcas that he went about to force the vertuous Diana Death shall be more agreeable vnto me then life before I will constraine or compell thee to any thing that is against thine owne will Suffer me I pray thee to continue the same as I am and let neither the one nor the other of my requests be graunted I will not offer to touch thy beautious hand with my polluted lips seeing I perceiue thou thinkest that it will be some disparagement vnto thee neither will I die at all seeing my death is not agreeable vnto thee but rather liuing as I doe a most languishing life I will still attend thy last will pleasure First shall my soule flie forth from out this bodie rather shall my heart burst in sunder within my brest and sooner shall this vitall breath of mine be stopped on the suddaine before I will doe any thing that shall any way mislike thy minde If I demaund ought that is vnlawfull pardon me I beseech you seeing Loue is the cause thereof As for my selfe I will meekely beare and patiently endure my tedious troubles and still vexing corsies without lodging any more such two vnwelcome guests within me as you shall dislike of Then O yee miserable wretches all you that sometimes haue liued here vpon the earth come come and rid your selues of all your cares and lay them all vpon me who am ble and of force to beare them And now you my drearie eyes euerlasting let your teares be my scalding sighes neuer giue ouer to smoake from out my brest whilest thou my tongue shalt doe nothing else but pitteously report thy heauie Martyrdomes Alas when will that houre come wherein after I haue sufficiently wept and wailed sighed and sobbed may depart this vaile of miserie Ah Ladie must mine eyes endure to behold thine absence and shall my tongue be able to bid thee farewell No no rather let mine eyes be blind for euer and let my tongue neuer pronounce word more Ah kinde death gentle death curteous death if euer thou hast brought succour vnto any sorrowfull wight then come and helpe me Behold I call thee heare how I cry vnto thee nay more I summon thee in Iustice to appeare But is it possible that a solitarie place shall seclude so sweet a Saint from my companie and must I be faine loosing the substance to feed vpon the shadow No it cannot be I first must die not being able to endure her absence Madam your most wretched and yet more loyall Seruant Arcas cannot leaue your presence but he must withall leaue his owne life he must die before your eyes before he depart from you and faine would he sacrifice his heart vpon the Altar of your beautie if he might haue but your good will and leaue But I see it will not be for I am yours and not mine owne you may not be without me and therefore I will follow you wheresoeuer you goe and when I can goe no farther then will I shorten my daies to end mine endlesse sorrowes For