whether it do enuie his countreymen but if it be â—arried a little out of his countrey it yéeldeth a swéete and odoriferous sauour this is the Indian flower which is commonly called the blacke rose vppon this Elephants do féede in those countries as Oxen do of grasse amongst vs wherfore béeing fed with so swéet meat they cannot choose but sâ—nd forth a swéete breath After Charmides had ended his discourse not suffering vs to go farre for hee which is wounded with loue is burned with his heate and cannot find a remedie for his gréefe tooke Menelaus by the hand and said I do verily perceiue that thou art Clitiphon his good friend by those things which thou hast done for him wherfore thou shalt not find me worse I would therfore haue you giue him thanks as from me which you may easily do for in so doing you shall restore health againe to my soule for Leucippe hath wounded me preserue thou my life and for these thy good turnes héere I giue thée these fiftiâ— péeces of gold Leucippe shall haue as much as she will demaund Then said Menelaus I pray you take your money againe and giue it to them who sell their good turnes and will do nothing except they be hired I since that you haue accounted of me as your friend I will do my endeuor that you shall know you did not amisse when you receiued me into your friendship which when he had said he came to me and told me all that Charmides had saide wherefore we began now to thinke with our selues what were best to be done herein in the end we concluded to deceiue him for wee could not denie him for feare least hee should haue vsed violence vppon vs neyther could wee escape away because all places thereabouts were beset rounde with théeues and hee also had so many Souldiours about him Therefore a little while after Menelaus went vnto Charmides saying that hee had concluded the matter shewing how that at the first she was very obstinate but when I had mooued her with petitions telling her of your kindnesse shewed vnto her shee granted me my requestes but yet shee intreated this one thing which you must needes graunt that shee may haue leaue to go to Alexandria for that is the place where shee was borne and her friendes do dwell there Then said Charmides thou dost demaund of me this which can hardly be graunted for in war who would deferre to fulfill his desire is there any man which now is about to ioyne battell which is sure of the victorie when there are so many passages ready which leade to death request you this of fortune that I may returne safe from the warre and nowe at this time am I about to fight with these théeues but there is another battell sought in my heart the armed Souldiour doth assayle me with his Bowe and arrowes I am ouercome and heereby wounded with his darts wherefore send for a Phisition for me spéedily for the wound doth waxe gréene and when I am readye to sende fire amongst mine enemies loue hath sette my heart on fire with his torches First therefore Menelaus quench â—his fire and it is the signe of best lucke first to encounter amorously with his loue then to ioyne battell with the enemies let Venus sende mee vnto Mars Then sayde Menelaus you your selfe may sée what a hard matter it is to doo it that her louer which is nowe present should not know Then said Charmides this may quickly be doone for we may sende Clitiphon some other way But Menelaus séeing Charmides wonderfull learnest of his loue fearing least hee would doo mée some iniurie diuised a very good course saying will you knowe the cause indéede why you shoulde stay the Mayde beganne yesternight to bee in her flowers wherefore then shee must abstaine from a man wherefore sayde Charmides I will stay thrée or foure dayes vntill shee bée well againe I hope by that time her monethes will cease in the meane time shee shall doo that which she may shée shall sitte in my sight and kisse me and talke with mee for I do delight to heare her speake to take her by the hande and to touch her soft bodie for these are some easements to a wounded minde What may not a man kisse her nowe I know that cannot hurte her flowers which when Menelaus returning from him had tolde mee at his last wordes I could not choose but exclaime wishing rather to die then any one should enioy her kisses then which nothing is more swéete pleasant and delightfull For with venerean sports a man may be satisfied neither is it any thing worth if you take away kissing kisses haue no ende neither do bring satietie or make a man loath them but are alwaies fresh And there are moreouer thrée most excellent things which come from the mouth her breath voyce and kisses and the lippes which in kissing do touch one another do yéeld that pleasure which riseth form the fountaine of the mind Beléeue mee Menelaus for in necessitie I am not ashamed to reueale any secrets I my selfe haue neuer hadde any thing of Leucippe but kisses shee as yet is a Uirgin neither can bée made a Wife but by kissing which if any man striue to take away from mée hee first shall take away my Soule While I am aliue none shall robbe me of this felicitie wherefore sayd Menelaus wee haue néede of good and spéedie counsell for a louer so long as hee is in hope to obtaine hée beareth all things patiently for hee doth conceiue in his mind the very possession of that which he would But if all his hope be taken away then his desire changed he striued to take away the hinderance in the means season while we were thus consulting togither there came one running in to vs hastily who seemed by his countenance to bee somwhat frighted told vs y e Leucippe fell downe in a swound turning vp her eies as if she were dead but when we came to her and demanded of her what had hapned to her she rising vp came towards me looking vpon me with sower countenance strooke me vpoÌ„ the chéeke with her fist spurned Menelaus with her féete who went about to hold her wherefore we perceiuing she had fallen sicke the impatience of the gréefe forced her to a fit of madnesse we went about to hold her but she withstood vs and wrastled with vs a great while hauing no regard to couer her hiddeÌ„ parts wherfore a great tumult arose in our lodging so that Charmides hearing of it came running to vs to know what the matter was at first he looked vpon Menelaus very sternely thinking that wee had gone about some knauerie to beguile him but afterwardes when hee sawe the truth his minde was changed greatly lamenting this mishap But Leucippe the cords being brought was bound vpon her bed which when I sawe her tender handes were tyed with such hard ropes most of them being gone
citie Then hauing giuen certain instructions about her husbandrie for which cause chéefely shee came thither she returned in her coach home to the Citie when supper was brought in we sate downe but Satyrus séemed by his countenance to haue some weighty matter to speake vnto me priuily made a signe to me to rise wherefore I fained as though I went to exonerate my belly I came forth but Satyrus saying not a word gaue me a letter which being sealed before I could breake it open a chill colde did shiuer through my bones for the letter was written with Leucippes hande after this manner Leucippe to her maister Clitiphou sendeth salutations DO not maruel though I cal you maister for with what other name I should call you I know not since you are my mistresses Husbande although you doo not very well know the great troubles which I haue suffered for your sake yet I thought it necessarie to certifie you of a few things for your sake I left my mother and vndertooke with you a voiage for your cause I was a sacrifice and after fell into the hands of pyrates I suffered shipwracke and also I suffered another kinde of death for your sake also I was bound in iron chaines I caried a spade I digged the ground and was scourged that you might become another womans husband and I another mans wife but I pray the gods forbid it I haue indured these calamities with a valiant minde but you not hurt free from wounds go about to solace your selfe with new marriages But if you thinke I deserue any thanks at all for these mishaps which I haue suffered request your wife that I may be set free as shee hath promised and pay her the money which Sosthenes laide out for me and because I am not farre from Byzantium take care that I may be carried thither and if you do not beleeue me thinke that my troubles are satisfied with this one thing Fare well The gods send you ioy of your new marriage These do I write vnto you being yet a Virgin WHen I had read the letter my minde was distracted into a thousand parts I did burne in loue waxe pale and sometime maruailed otherwhiles I did beleeue the letters being perplexed betwéene feare and ioy Then said I to Satyrus what hast thou brought this letter to mée from hell or what do these meane What is Leucippe aliue Yea said Satyrus and that is she which you saw bound in the countrey but the cutting of her haire hath so disguised her that she can scant be knowne of any why dost thou saide I fill mine eares with such good newes and will not shew mee my chéefest felicitie Be silent said Satyrus and dissemble the matter cunningly least you cast vs all away before some more surer counsell be had in the matter you sée that this is the chéefest woman in the citie and almost madde for your loue and we are now betwéene the two nettes destitute of all hope I cannot saide I for a delight and pleasure is spread throughout al the vaines of my body the letter doth expostulate with me Wherefore I red ouer the letter againe and answered in particular euery thing as if she had bin present being now absent Thou speakest to me O most swéet Leucippe and where thou didst write this thou hast suffred all these misfortunes for my sake I must néedes confesse I was the author of all these thy miseries but when I came to these words which contained the reproches and hard measure offred to her of Softhenes I wept as bitterly as if I had stood by séene them For y e cogitations turning the very edge of y e mind to those things which are signified in the paper doth represent to y e mind those things which are written no otherwise theÌ„ if they wer opposite before the eyes But when shée obiected my mariage a blushing red did couer all my face as if I had béen taken in manifest adulterie the very letters had mooued me so farre Then turning to Satyrus I cryed Alas what shall I doo what excuse shall I vse now Satyrus We are now takeÌ„ manifestly Leucippe knoweth all and I pray god her loue do not begin to be turned into hatred But I would willingly know how she escaped safe the pyrates hands whose carcase y t was which wée buried TheÌ„ sayd Satyrus she will tell you all at more leysure but necessity biddeth you to write back pacifie her for I did sweare y t willingly you would not marry Melite what hast thou tolde that I am maried now thou hast vndoone me for as yet all the whole cittie is ignorant of my mariage Moreouer I do sweare by Hercules and my good fortune that I am not maried to her Then said Satyrus I hope sir you doo but iest as though it is not manifestly knowne that you haue bin in bed togither But I know said I that I speak of greater knowledge for Melite hath not enioyed mee according to her will But first tell mée what I shuld write for this change hath wonderfully mooued me so much as y t I know not what I may do Then said Satyrus I am not wiser then you therefore beginne to write loue will indite the rest but dispatch as soone as you can and haue very great care what you set down wherefore I wrote a letter after this forme Clitiphon to Leucippe sendeth salutations AL health to my deare mistresse Leucippe For I present do behold you present but by your letters as though you were absent The selfe-same thing doth make me happy and wretched But if omitting all other things thou wiâ—t looke into the truth of the matter making no preiudice of me you shaâ—l find that my virginitie if there be any virginitie of men hath followed your example but if for a wroÌ„g cause you begin to hate me I earnestly beseech you that you would change your opinion For I do promise as the gods be my helpers that it will come to passe that you shall verily knowe that I am in no fault Farwell And let me vnderstand from you that you be fauourable to me THe letters being writteÌ„ and sealed vp I gaue theÌ„ to Satirus to conuey requesting him to speake no more of me theÌ„ becommed him being thus full of pleasure sorrow I returned to supper but it came into my minde how that Melite would not let me depart that night because the marriage was not full finished betwéene vs neither could it be that Leucippe being found I should once looke vpon another Wherefore I determined to set my couÌ„tenance so as y t she might knew my mind to be changed and least she should enforce my promise for I fained that I had caught a shaking with a cold Melite although she perceiued that I went about to séeke an occasion because I would not kéepe my promise yet she could not openly conuince me Wherefore not hauing supped I rose vp â—o go
hast deliuered the adulterer thou hast set him frée from his bondes thou hast sent him out of the house why doest not thou follow him why doest thou stay heere rather follow thy louer that thou maist beholde him bounde in more stronger chaines Then said Melite what adulterer do you meane are you well in your wits which talke thus vainly If you wil lay aside your choler heare what I shal say you may easily know the truth This one thing I request you that you would shew your self an equal iudge and casting slaunder out of your eares placing reason in stéed of anger I pray you listen to my tale This man is neither an adulterer nor my husbaÌ„d he is a Phaenician born in Tyrus inferior to none of y e country As he sailed fortune séemed to frown vpoÌ„ him for his ship was split his merchandice all lost in shipwrack which wheÌ„ I heard being moued with the misfortune of the man being also mindful of you I entertained him thinking with my self that it might so fal out that you also might wander abroad and some woman would take pittie vpon your aduersitie and if indéed you hadde perished in the waters as it was reported abroad doo not thinke then that I did amisse if I succoured all such as suffered shipwracke How many doo you thinke I haue relieued which haue endured the violence of the Sea what number do you belieue I haue buried which haue perished in the water and if I could get but a boord of some broken ship which came to land I would take it vp saying Perhaps my Thersander was carried in this shippe Of those which haue escaped the daunger of the sea he is one and the last whom when I offred what other thing did I doo then be obedient vnto you he sayled as you did and therefore deare husband I pittied his mishappe as a picture of yours Now doo you knowe after what order I brought him hither Moreouer he did bewaile the death of his wife whome hée thought to haue perished although she did not whom I know not who it was which did certifie me that she was aliue and did lodge at our Steward Sosthenes his house And the matter was found out thus for going into the Countrey we found a woman which bewayling and making great mone followed me you know where Sosthenes dwelleth she is with him in the Countrey you may demaund of him of all things concerning her at your pleasure if you can finde I haue not spoken the truth in any thing then shall you accuse me of adultery lawfully Thus spake Melite faining as though she had not heard of the rape of Leucippe determining also in her minde that if Thersander had gone about to haue knowne the truth of the matter she would haue brought the seruants to witnesse with whom she went that morning into the Country that now she can be found in no place neither did she moue this enquiry of Leucippe to him for any other intent then y t she would haue him belieue y e rest to be true which she had spoken and althogh she séemed to answer euery thing oppositly inough yet she wold infer this also and y â— swéet husband I wold not haue you thinke that these are fables remeÌ„ber how I led my life while we liued togither wherfore you do wrong me to think amisse of me now This report of the yong man procéeded to his honour because the cause was not knowne to many why I did receiue him into familiaritie and if a man must beléeue fame were not you thought to be drowned in the sea for flaunder and fame are two mischiefes propinquall to wit because this her daughter is more sharpe thâ—n a sword more hoter then fire and more apter then the Maremayde to perswade shee is more voluble then water more swifter then the wind more quicker then the lightening wherefore the spéech which is vttered with slaunder flyeth in manner of an arrow which woundeth him being absent against whom it is sent for hee which heareth and easilie beleeueth beeing incensed with anger doth rage against him which is wounded but fame procéeding from such a wound is manifold and dispersed into diuers places and being driuen with the winde of the spéech and being kept vp with the feathers of the tongue is carried round about euery where and falleth into their eares which she méeteth These two plagues haue coÌ„spired against me the same do now possesse your mind and driue my spéeches from your eares which when Melite had said tooke Thersander by the hand and would haue kissed it but hee mooued with the likelyhood of her words remitted his anger conceiued for that which she had reported of Leucippe agréeing with Sosthenes wordes which he had signified to him before did take away all suspition from him yet he would not beléeue all for a slaunder being once crept into ones mind will very hardly be rooted out But Thersander hearing that the maid which he loued was my wife was wonderfully troubled in minde and conceiued more hatred against me saying that he would enquire if the matter were so as he hadde heard Being thus disquieted he went to bed alone Melite â—ow being sore gréeued because she could not performe that which she had promised to mee but Sosthenes hauing dismissed Thersander requesting him to be absent a while hee came againe to Leucippe promising her many things and pretending some happinesse to her by his countenance hee hadde her be of good courage saying All things Lacaena will fall out prosporously Thersander is so farre in loue with you that he is readie to goe madde perhappes hée will marry you and I woulde you should knowe it is by my helpe alone which did commende the rarenesse of your excellent bewtie vnto him aboue all measure I fastened this conceyt in his verie marrowe wherefore leaue off this wéeping and be of good cheare and sacrifice to Venus for this felicitie besides haue care you remember mée then sayd Leucippe God graunt that such happinesse euer come to thée as thou hast reported vnto mée But Sosthenes little suspecting that shée mocked him thinking shée spake from her heart sayd I will recount to thée the estate and wealth of Thersander that thou maist knowe thou hast greater cause to reioyce Therefore know this for certaintie that hée is Melites husband which you sawe héere in the Countrey and the chéefest in birth amongest the Ionians whose stocke surpasseth his wealth but his gentlenesse excelleth all his riches Moreouer what should I talke of his age Thou seest that hée is a young man and bewtifull which two things women chiefely desire Héere Leucippe could not endure Sosthenes to prate any longer saying How long thou most infamous tempter wilt thou procéede to defile my eares with this thy vncleane talke What care I for Thersander let him bee fayre for Melite rich for his Countrey curteous and couragious to them which haue néede of his
Diana Sostratus comming to sacrifice to Diana findeth his Nephew Clitiphon and his daughter Leucippe THersander when as hée perceiued how obstinately Leucippe persisted in her opinion began to be distraught in mind for he did grieue to sée how he was deceiued of his hope and angry to thinke how he was neglected being wounded with loue he deuised with himselfe what he shuld do amongst these wauering motions of y e mind speaking no word to Leucippe he went forth being prouoked with anger to run then gathering his mind togither to discusse the ambignities thereof taking counsell first of Sosthenes he went vnto the Iayler and purposed in his mind to poyson me requesting him to consent thereto to which villanie when he could not induce him for he feared the crueltie of the people which punished another in the same office before him because he offered the attempt in such a matter yet he obteined this of him to kéep in ward a certain maÌ„ which he brought as though he were an offender in the same place where I was bound of whom he fained that he would knowe all my estate the man being brought was bound not farre from me who before was diligently instructed of Thersander that he should raise some talke of Leucippe and that he should tell me that by Melites commandement she was put to death which was therfore deuised by Thersander because that although I could cleare my selfe of the crime yet I should not go about to enquire for her whome I thought was alreadie dead But Melite thereforâ— was chiefly appoynted the Author thereof because that Leucippe being slaine I should haue espoused which before was beloued of mée by shaking this feare frem Thersander in putting him in hope safely to enioy Leucippe or else because I should hate her who caused her to be taken away whe was more deare to me then my owne life and so for verie anguish of minde and discontent I should depart out of the citie This fellow assoone as he was come in to me began to tell me a tale and of purpose he sighed and groned what life said he shall we lead in the world to come what way to saluation may we looks for if to liue vprightly be not sufficient Imminent dangers do hang ouer our head it did behoue me to haue coniectured with my self what he was and what he had committed before I had taken my iourny with him These such like did he talke to him selfe of set purpose assaying to make the beginning of his talke by me that I might aske him the cause of this his lamenting but my owne cares troubled me more wherfore when he had shed a shower of teares one of them which was bold with vs for vnhappie men desire to heare of other mens misfortunes because that the communication of grief is as it were an easement of a sorrowfull heart said what misfortune is this which hath hapned to thée what is it credible y t thou hast falne guiltlesse into these mishaps then he rehearsed the cause why hée himself was cast into bands but I listened not to his tale when he had made an end of his spéech now also said he I pray thée let vs heare y e cause of thy misfortune Then said he yesterday as I tooke my iourney out of the citie towardes Smyrna there came a certain man to me and enquired of me whither I wit to whom I answered that I was going to Smyrna and I also said he Godwilling do determine to go thither we went on our iourny togither and as the maner of trauellers is we eased our iourny with some talke about dinner time we weÌ„t to an Inne by the way to bayt being set downe there came in some men which also sat by vs seeming as though they would dine with vs. The one did looke vpon vs beckning winking vpon one another wherfore we began to thinke with our selues y t they had some suspitioÌ„ of vs although we could not perceiue what their beckningsment He which was with me began to waxe palâ— and to tremble and in the end he quaked for feare which they marking presently laid hold vpoÌ„ vs bound vs but one of them strooke y t man vpon the chéek he as it were tormented with innumerable punishments none asking him any question cryed out I haue slain a mayd being hired by Melite Thersanders wife for a hundred péeces of gold she prouoked me to doo this vilany behold the mony which I wil distribute betwéen you I pray you do not go about to cast me away nor deceiue your selues of this bootie Then I hearing Melite and Thersander named was sodainly stroken with his words as if I had bene wounded with a sword and turning my selfe to him What Melite is y e said I Then answered he the chéefest woman of this citie which as it is reported is in loue with a Tyrian yong man which hauing lost a maid whom he loued and vnderstood that she was sold into Melites house did make enquiry for her who fearing lest by her meanes this mayd would be alienated from her priuily caused her to be slaine by this murderer into whose company it was my ill fortune to hap he committed the fact but I poore wretch neither seeing it nor guiltie of word or déed was taken togither with him as accessary to this detestable murder But this is the least a more gréeuous thing fel out for we had not gone a furlong from the Inne but they tooke his mony and let him go and brought me in examinatioÌ„ before the officers After I had heard this tragicke discourse I could neither speak a word nor shead a teare for my voyce fayled me in my mouth and the moysture was fledde from my eyes all my members quaked for feare and my very heart was broken neyther had I any life left in my bodie A little after when I had driuen away this concept I beganne to bee of good courage Howe sayde I did this Uarlet wickedly slay her or into what place did they fling the carkasse But assoone as he had giuen me this bone to gnawe on and had brought that to passe for which he came began to be so mute that I could not writhe one word out of him except that which I had demanded of him before you séeme to me said he to be partaker also of her death for this one thing did I heare certainly of the murtherer that â—he was slaine but when where and howe it is to me vnknowne then did the teares fall from my eyes which made an apparant signe of my inward griefe For as in a bodie which is beaten with whippes the printes of the stroakes doo not appeare immediately but after a little space or else as the wounde dooth not presently shewe it selfe in him which is strooken with the tuske of a Boore because it will penetrate the déeper and not long after there will bee séene a white line which is the