And therefore desirous to be in his former estate he rendred them all to him by whâ—me they were gyuen Pouertie is the refused rich sa goodnesse vnknowen a flier of prouocations Pouertie highly estemed in times past the whiche was of Diogenes fully vnderstoode As much suffiseth pouertie as Nature requireth He liueth safe from euery disceite that pacieÌ„tly approcheth therewith neither is he disabled to attaine to greate honours that as wée haue sayde vertuously liueth therewith and therefore as Thebane reiected this allurement he was not liberall but wise So gracious he was to Tarolfo in that it pleased him to giue the same rather to hym than to an other where as hée might haue bestowed the same vppon many others Then to conclude the Knight was more liberal that graunted his honour than any of the others And thinke this one thing that the honour he gaue was not to be againe recouered the which happeneth not in many other things as of battailes prowesse and others like For if they are at one tyme lost they are recouered at an other and the same is possible â–ª Therefore this maye suffise for answere vnto youre demaunde ¶ The fift Question proposed by CLONICO AFter the Queene became silent Menedon satisfyed a worthy yong gentleman called Clonico that fat next to Menedon thus began to saye Most mighty Quéene this gentlewomans tale hath bene so excellent and therwithall so long as I in what I may shall briefly shewe vnto you this my â—onceipt to the ende the rest may the better at their more leasure say theirs Then for as much as I although very yong knew the life of the subiects of our Lorde Loue to be replete with many cares and sundry pyning prouocations yet with small delight I haue long tyme as I was able fled the like rather eschewing than commending them which follow him And although I was sundry times tempted yet with a valiant minde leauing the pitched snares I alwayes resisted But bicause I being not strong enough coulde no wayes resist that force wherevnto Phoebus was vnable to gainstand Cupide hauing taken heart to bring mée into the number of his thralles was taken before I knewe howe For one day being allured abrode thorow the fresh renued time walking all merry for my delight gathering of shell fysh vpon the salte Sea bankes it happened as I tourned mine eyes towardes Foure yong damsels in a Barke vpon the Sea the glittering waues I soddaynely sawe a little Barke comming towardes me wherin with one only marined were foure yong Gentlewomen so faire as iâ— was a maruellous thing to behold yâ— beauty thei séemed to haue They nowe being approched somewhat néere vnto me and I not hauing as yet turned mine eye from them sawe in the middest of them an excéeding great light wherin as my estimation gaue me me thought I sawe the fygure of an Angell very yong and so faire as I neuer behelde thing more fairer whome as I thus eyed me thought he said vnto Clonico attanited of Loue. me with a voice farre discrepant from ours O yong foole persecuter of our power and being therwith arriued I am come hither with foure yong damsels let thy eye make â–ª choise of hir for thy maistresse that best liketh thée I when I heard this voice abode all appalled and deuised both with eye and heart to auoyde that which heretofore I had many times fled but all was bootelesse for the strength of my legs sayled me byside he had bowe wyngs to ouertake me quickly wherevpon I in gazing among them espied one so faire so benigne of cheare and so piteous of semblaunce as I imagined to make choise of hir as of a singuler maystresse saying to my selfe This damsel presenteth hirselfe so humble to my eyes as assuredly she will neuer become enimie to my desires as many others haue bene to theÌ„ whome I haue in beholding full of troubles alwayes scorned but she shall rather bée a chaser awaye of my annoyes and hauing thus thought I forthwith answered The gracious beautie of that yong damsell that O my Lord sitteth on your right hand makes me desire to be both to you and hir a most faithfull seruant I am therefore ready to obey your will do with me as shall best like you I had not ended my tale but yâ— I felt my left side wounded The. ij shaftes of Loue are different with a shining shaft shot from the bow which he bare as me thought yâ— same was of gold And assuredly I saw him as he turned towardes hir to strike hir with an other of leade And thus I being in this sort taken abode in yâ— snares I had of long time fled This yong damsel hath and doth so much content mine eye as all other pleasure is very scarce in comparison of this The which she espying of long time shewed hir selfe content but after that she knew me to be so taken with this delight as noâ— to loue hir was a thing impossible incontinent shée discouered hir guile towards me â–ª with an vndeserued disdaine showing hir selfe in apparance a most cruell enimie alwayes turning hiâ— eye the contrary way as she happened to espie me â–ª and with wordes on my part vndeserued alwayes dispraising me by ocâ—asion wherof I haue in sinâ—â—ry sortes endeuoured my selfe both with prayers and humilitie to appease hir crueltie â–ª but beyng vnable I oftentimes bewéepe and lament this my hard fortune neither can I any wayes withdraw me from Clonico an vnbeloued Louer louing hir but rather how much the more I finde hir cruell so much the more me thinketh the flame of hir pleasure doth set my sorowful heart on fire â–ª As I thorowe thâ—se occasions one day being all solitarie in a garden bewailed my happe with infinite sighes accompanied with many teares there came vpon me a singuler friend of myne to whâ—m part of my griefs were discouered who with pitifull wordes began to comfort me yâ— best he could but I giuing thervnto no eare at all answered him that my miserie exceded all others Whervnto he made me this answer A maÌ„ is so much yâ— more miserable sayde he as he either malieth or reputeth himself a miser but assuredly I haue greater cause to lament than hast thou I then al angry turned towards him with a disdainfull loke saying And how Who can haue greter cause thaÌ„ I Do not I for good seruice receiue euil recompence Is not my faithful loue rewarded with hatred So that any may be as sorrowfull as I but more he can not bée Truly sayd my friend I haue greater cause of grief A Louer infected with ielousie reciteth to Clonico the good entertainement of his Lady than hast thou and heare how It is not vnknoweÌ„ to thée but yâ— I haue of long time yet doe loue a Gentlewoman as thou knowest neither was there euer any thyng that I thought might pleasure hir which I gaâ—e not my selfe with all my
Cinyphis the skin of a Chilinder And lastly a Lyuer with the whole lunges of an exceding olde Harte and herewithal a thousande other things both without name and so straunge as my memorie can not againe tell them After he toke a drie bough of an Oliue trée and therwith began to mingle all these thinges together In doing whereof the dry bough began to waxe gréene and within a while after to beare leaues not long after the new apparelling therof it was laden with blacke Oliues As Thebane sawe this he tooke the boyling licours and began therewithal to sprinkle water in euery place the chosen soyle wherin he had sette slippes of so many woddes as he woulde haue trées and of as many sortes as could be founde The which licour the earth had no sooner tasted but that it began to spring yelding floures and new herbes and the dry settes began to become all gréene fruitfull plants All this being done Theban entring the Citie returned to Tarolfo whome he found all in a muse fearing to be scorned thorowe hys long abode to whom he said Tarolfo the thing thou requiredst Tarolfo offereth his Lady the gardeÌ„ which she demaunded is done to thy liking These newes pleased Tarolfo not a little and happening the day folowing to be a great solemnitie in the Citie he wente into the presence of his loued Lady that had not now séene him of a long time past and thus he sayde vnto hir Madame after a long and tedious trauaile I haue performed that which you haue commaunded and when as it shal please you to sée it or to take it it is redy at your pleasure She in séeing him maruelled much and the more hearing what he said not beleuing the same to be true made him this answere It pleaseth me right well ye shall let me sée it to morrowe The second day was come and Tarolfo went again â–ª to his lady and sayde Madame maye it please you to walke to the Garden the which you required to haue this colde moneth She then being accompanied The Lady goeth to see the garden with many others was moued to sée the same And they al being come to the garden entred therin by a faire portall wheras they felt not the like cold as abrode but yâ— same to haue a swéete teÌ„perats aire The lady weÌ„t about yâ— same into euery corner therof gathering both hearbes and floures whereof shée sawe it very plentifull And thus muche more also had the vertue of the spersed licours wroughte that the fruites which August was accustomed to bring forth the trées there in this sauage tyme did yelde them very faire wherof sundry did eate that accompanied the lady thither This Garden séemed to the Lady exceding faire and admirable neither did she thinke to haue euer séene the like and since she sundry ways knew it to be a true Garden the knight to haue perfourmed hir request she turned towards The Lady graunteth the amorous demaund of Tarolfo him and sayde Without doubt sir Knight ye haue deserued my loue and I am ready to stand to my promise But I woulde pray you of this fauour that it would please you to tary the tune or euer ye require me to your desire that my Knight be gone a hunting or into some other place out of the Citie to the ende ye may the more safely and without any suspition take your delight This contented Tarolfo who left hir the Garden and so departed This Garden was manifest to the whole countrey although neuer a one knew of a long time how it came to passe And the Lady that had now receiued it al sorowful departed from the same returning to hir chamber full of noysome care and griefe bethinking hir in what sort she might returne backe according to hir promise as not finding any léeful excuse so much the more increased hir care The which thing hir husband espying he began many times often to maruell thereat to aske the cause of yâ— hir grief to whome she answered yâ— she ailed nothing being bashful to discouer to him hir giueÌ„ promisse for hir craued gifte doubting lest in so doing he shuld accompt hir for leude Lastly she being vnable to withstand the continual instigatioÌ„s of hir husbaÌ„d yâ— now stil importunatly desired to know yâ— cause of hir annoy discoursed the same vnto him froÌ„ the beginning to the ende that therfore she abode thus pensiue The husband hearing this of long time suspected no lesse therby knowing in his conceipt yâ— puritie of the lady thus said vnto hir Goe couertly kéepe thine othe liberally performe to Tarolfo what thou hast promised For he hath with his great toile of right deserued the same And hauing thus sayde the lady began to wéepe and to say vnto him The Gods seuer me farre from such a â—ault In no wise will I so doe I will rather ridde my selfe of life than do any thing displeasant to you or dishonour to your person To whome the knight replied saying Wife for this matter I will that ye do no iniurie to your selfe neither yet conceiue any griefe therfore for in no wise shall it displease me go therfore and performe what ye haue promised for ye shall be neuer a whit the lesse deare to me But as ye haue performed this your promise so take ye better hede hereafter of such like although yâ— demanded gift may seme vnto you impossible to be had As the lady perceiued the will of hir husbande she decked trimmed hir made hir self very faire toke company The Lady presenteth â—ir selfe to Tarolfo with hir and so went to Tarolfos lodging and all bepainted with bashefulnesse presented hir selfe vnto him Tarolfo as soone as he saw hir all meruaâ—ling rose from Thebane and encountred hir with great gladnesse and very honourably receiued hir demandyng the cause of hir comming To whome she aunswered I am come to be wholly at your will do with me as it pleaseth you Then sayde Tarolfo ye make me to muse aboue measure considering the time and the company wherwith ye are come This can not be without some great alteration betwéene you and your husbande tell me therfore I pray you how the matter goth The lady then shewed Tarolfo fully in order the whole matter and how it went the which Tarolfo hearing he began then to enter into a farre greater admiration than he had euer done before and greatly to bethinke him hereof and so in the ende to The liberalitie of Tarolfo towardes the Lady in releasing hir of hir promis â–ª conceiue the great liberalitie of the husband that had sent his wife vnto him wherupon he said to himself Whatsoeuer he be â–ª that should so much as but thinke villanie towardes such a knight were surely worthy of great blame and so taking and talking with the Lady he thus sayde vnto hir Madame like a worthy Lady ye haue performed
might glorie themselues more therein than in all the remnant they had and perceiuing the same aboute them therewith to glad their mindes as ye Paris haue hearâ— Parys seldome times or neuer entred into the bloudâ—e battailes against the Gréekes without bearing some token vpon him that had ben gyuen hâ—â— by his Helene beleuing better to preuaile Helen therwith than if he had gone without the same And truely in my opinion his thoughte was not vaine therfore I shoulde thus say that as you sayde the yong woman did very wysely not defining it for all that as you haue done but in this maner She knowing â—haâ— she was very wel loued of two yongmen and that she coulde not loue moe than one for that Loue is an indeu 〈…〉 e thing she would rewarde the one for â—he loue he bare hir to the end that such good will should not be vnrewarded and so gaue him hir Garland in requitall therof To the other whom she loued she thought she would giue courage and assured hope of hir loue taking his Garlande and decking hir selfe therwith in token wherof she plainly shewed to be beholding vnto him for the same â–ª And therfore in my Iudgement she loued better him from The Quenes solution of this first question whom she toke than him to whom she gaue â–ª to whom the 〈…〉 us made aunswere Youre argument should haue pleased vs right wel if your self in your tale had noâ— condemned the same Sée howe pillage and perfect loue can agrée together How can ye shew me that we loue him whome we spoile better than him to whome we giue According to the Question propouÌ„ded to the one she gaue a Garland and from the other she tooke a Garland neyther had she from whom she gaue ought giuen hir and that which we sée euery day for example may here suffise as is commonly sayde They are of Gentlemen farre better loued on whome they bestowe fauor and giftes than those that are by them depriued of them And for that cause we lastely holde opinion concluding that he is better loued to whome is giuen than hée from whome is taken We know very well that in these our reasonings much might be obiected against this oure definition and much also aunswered to the contrary reasons But lastly such determination shall remaine true And bicause time now serueth not to stay with this our talke vpon one matter only without moe we will giue eare to the rest if it please you To whome Philocopo sayde That it pleased him right wel that very well suffised such a resolution to his demaunded question so helde his peace ¶ The second Question proposed by LONGANO NExt to Philocopo was placed a curteous yong man and gracious to behold whose Name was Longano who no sooner than Philocopo had left thus began Most excellent Quéene so trim hath bene the firste question that in my conceipt myne shall bring no delight at all Yet to the ende not to be seuered from so noble a company forth it shal thus he folowed saying It is not many dayes past that I abyding all solitarie in my chaumber wrapte in a heape of troublesome thoughtes sprong from an amorous desire the which with a fierce battaile had assaulted my heart by happe heard a pitious plaint Two sisters complaine them of being in loue wherevnto bycause I iudged it by estimation néere vnto me intentiuely I layde myne eare and therby knew that they were women by occasion wherof I sodainly rose to sée who and where they were and loking forth at my chaumber window I heard oâ—eragainst the same in one other chaumber two yong women the same being sisters adorned with an inestimable beautie there abiding without any other companie whome as I sawe making this sorowfull plaint I withdrew my selfe into a secret place without being of them espied and so beheld them a long while neither was I able for all that to vnderstand all the wordes that they thorowe griefe vttered in teares but that the effect of such plaint according to that I coulde comprehende séemed to mée to be for Loue wherefore I thorowe pitie and so swéete an occasion offred beyng thus close as I was began to â—heade my trickeling teares And after that I had in their griefe perseuered in the same a good space for somuch as I was their very familiar and also their néere kinsman I purposed to vnderstande more certaine the occasion of their sorrowe and so went vnto theÌ„ who had no sooner espied me but al basheful they withheld them from teares endeuoring theÌ„selues to do me reuerence To whom I sayd Gentlewomen trouble not your selues neyther let this my coÌ„ming moue you to restraine your inward griefe for your teares haue ben now a good space apparant vnto me It shall bée therfore néedelesse to hide you either yet thorowe bashefulnesse to hide from me the cause of this your plaint For I am come hither to vnderstaÌ„d the same And be you assured that ye shal not receiue by me either in word or déede any euil requital But rather helpe and comfort in what I maye The women greately excused them selues saying that they sorrowed for nothing but yet after I had coniured them and they seyng me desirous to vnderstande the same the elder thus began to say It is the pleasure of the Gods that to thée our secretes be discouered thou therfore shalt vnderstande that wée aboue all other women haue alwayes resisted the sharp dartes of Cupide who of a long season in casting yâ— same was neuer yet able to fasteÌ„ any one of theÌ„ in â—nrhertes But now lastly being further inflamed hauing determined to ouercome that his childish enterprise tooke of new with his yong arme of his best dearest shafts with so great force wouÌ„ded yâ— hearts so sore inféebled through the sundry blowes before receiued as the heades therof pierced déepe so as they made a farre greatter wounde than if resistance had not ben made to the other former had lyke to haue bene And thus for the pleasure of two most noble yong GentlemeÌ„ we are become subiects to his deitie folowing his pleasure with more perfect faith and ferueÌ„t will than euer any other women haue done Now hath Fortune the loue of them as I shall declare vnto you lefte vs both comfortlesse First I before The first lamenteth the losse of hir enioied louer my sister here was in loue and through myne endeuor beleuing wisely to end my desire so wrought as I got the loued yong GentlemaÌ„ at my pleasure whoÌ„ I found as greatly enamoured of me as I of hym But truly now hath not the amorous flame through such effect cessed neither hath the desire lessned but eache one more vehemeÌ„tly increaseth and more thaÌ„ euer I do now burne in his fire And what tyme seing how I might best mitigate the flame therof holding it inwardly secrete it after happened that the horned Moone was no