giuing intelligence before vnto the King Tiberio of his comming The King knowing the succours which came vnto him appointed a daye when all his Hoast should méete together and finding himselfe of so great power in the meane while vntil the prince came he resolued to make a roade into Greece sacking all the little townes he might before that the Emperour Trebatio should perceiue it Afterwardes if the Emperour Trebatio should come to succour his subiects then to ioyne battayle with him at such time as the Prince shuld approch which thing he put in practise diligentlye For with that power which he had he entered into Greece forraging the countrey taking little townes of no great force burning wasting so much as he might to the intent that the people of other fenced Cities stroken with feare might abandon thēselues to flight enféeble their forces Howbeit King Tiberio had not passed in Greece xxx miles when the Emperour Trebatio hauing knowledge of it came agaynst him with an hoast of knights so valiant that at the first alarme the Hungarian reculed by the chase of his enimies was forced to retire home into the citie of Belgrado which is in Hungary Ther he fortified himselfe manned the towne vnwilling as yet to goe into the field vntill the Prince of great Britaine should arriue by whose comming their powers being ioyned he thought he might giue the battayle vnto the Emperour Trebatio Albeit he caried about him a mayme incurable in his bodie not by anie stroke lent him by his enimie but by the onely conceipt of the Emperours vertue For he had séene the Emperour demeane himselfe more worthely then any of those that came with him namely in a kinsman of his a very strong Knight whom the Emperour at one blowe as it were deuided in two péeces This as it might be made him kéepe his chamber because he himselfe confessed the valor of the Emperor to be aboue the report of men notwithstanding he had heard sufficiently of the Emperours prowesse But because these things are not mentioned but to giue beginning to this historie we run them briefly ouer not rehearsing the great déeds of armes that the Emperor and his people did in besieging the Citie because we haue other matters more noble in hand in comparison whereof these things wer néedlesse The storie héereof begins in the chapter following ¶ The Emperour Trebatio by the hearesay of hir beautie was surprised with the loue of the Princesse Briana ca. 3. CErtaine daies the Emperour Trebatio lay at the siege of Belgrado hoping that the King Tiberio would come out to giue them battaile for that he had great desire to be aduenged of the great harmes which he hadde receyued in Greece but the King would in no wise leaue the towne still abiding the comming of Prince Edward his armie out of England The Emperor meruailing much at it commanded a prisoner to be brought before him whom he had taken in the former battaile of him he demaunded the cause why the King Tiberio held himselfe so close with so many good knights mewed vp in the citie why he came not out to giue the battaile with promise of life libertie if he told troth otherwise the certaintie of most cruell death The prisoner thus placed before the Emperor what with feare of death and hope of libertie durst not declare other then the truth and therefore thus made aunswere vnto him Prisoners oration Know you mightie Emperour that when the King of Hungary my master first tooke vppon him the entrie into Greece he wold not haue done it although he hath so mightie an hoast as is séene but in hope that before he shuld be espied met withall there should come to his help Prince Edward sonne to the king of great Britaine with 20000. knights This number was promised vpon condition that the Prince should haue the Kings daughter the Princesse Briana to wife which Princesse I beléeue is the fairest maid in all the world by such fame the prince is become enamored of hir so as we heare that he is already departed from great Britaine with the number appointed and shall take landing very soone in this country the King Tiberio abideth his comming and is determined to giue the onset as soone as their forces shall be vnited This sayd the prisoner but the Emperour minding to knowe more of the matter demaunded of him where the Princesse Briana remained and of what age she might be The prisoner aunswered him My Lord she is with the Quéene Augusta hir mother in the Monestarie of the Riuer which is néere Buda a pleasaunt and delectable house wherin none are lodged but Nunnes the Quéenes Gentlewomen The Princesse is of the age of 14. yeares be assured that so many as shall sée hir will iudge hir rather a goddes then a woman so much hir beautie doth excel all the gentlewomen of the world Now so soone as the Prince shall land he will straight waies take his iourny towards the Monestarie of the riuer because it is so appoynted by the King hir father The King himselfe will not be there because he will not be absent in such a busie time from the Citie When the prisoner had thus sayd the Emperour Trebatio commaunded him to be set frée without speaking other thing to his people but with a sorrowfull troubled countenaunce he withdrew himselfe into a secret chamber of his Imperiall tent Where tossing in his conceit diuers sundrie fancies he endured a wilfull imprisonment with out any baile or maynprise Thus that force which neither by till turney nor barriers neither by speare nor sworde neither by mallice of the enimie nor pride of the mightie might at anie time be subdued was now vanquished by the onely heare-say of a Gentlewomans commendation Nay the valiant heart which he held forcible inough against all the world failed in his owne defence against a delicate damzell whom he had neuer séene What force is it that may repulse this euill sith that with such flattering closes it ouerthroweth so many noble hearts and strong bodies But to returne the Emperour Trebatio so much burned in loue with the Princes Briana that alreadie he hath forgotten the damage receiued in his Countrey his trauaile out of his Countrey with a huge armie the consuming of his treasure for to wreake his anger on the King Tiberio onely he deuised vpon this how to giue remedie vnto to his amorous passion For as the fire was great which enflamed him so was the remedie by all semblaunce farre from him Because that on the one part he was hindred by the enmitie betwéene him and hir father so that he durst not require hir for wife and on the other side she was alredy promised to the Prince of great Britaine who had put himselfe on his iourney for the attaining of hir person so that likewise the King could not take hir from him to giue vnto his
commendable of it selfe to be a commender of vertue and neuer too much may I commend it The charge is that with mine owne handes I shoulde distribute these prises according as mine owne fancie leadeth mée to déeme of euerie mans trauaile and valiauncie The deliuerye of these Iewelles were nothing harde nor doubtfull but the disposing more then harde because it pertayneth to iudgement in déedes armes wherevnto my sexe is not sufficiently abled Neuerthelesse sir knight as your paines haue bene greatest thereto witnesseth this whole multitude so your prowesse in my iudgement so much assureth on your parte that without dooing wrong to anie of these Princes and knightes I maye with good reason conferre them vpon you For this if I know to doe right vnto whome I ought it is méete that you doe awaye your Helmet and sith your déedes discouer who you are it is no reason that you couer your selfe anie longer When the Princesse had thus sayde Rosicleer not hauing power to excuse himselfe vnlaced his Helmet which béeing put off his face séemed so beautifull by the heate and trauaile of the armour which raysed a fresh redde in his chéekes that it stroke them all in amaze and none of those which sawe him considering his fairenesse with his age but rather iudged him an Angell of heauen then a mortall knight When the Princesse Oliuia sawe him so fayre as already loue had made a wracke in the most secret parte of her heart by the viewe of his Knighthoode so nowe the same breach being made wider by the second assault in his beautifull lookes loue entered with banner displayed and finding no resistance tooke possession wholy of her heart and swore all that he found to be his true prisoners Thus lost she her libertie and yet with the best courage that a woman might she framed out a countenaunce of great fréedome in this manner You needed not by your fauour sir knight to haue ben ashamed shamed of your face and yet such as it is it is farre inferiour to your manhood but this is beyond the compasse of my commission nowe come you néere and receiue at my hands the glory of your worthinesse which your good fortune yéeldeth you Rosicleer approching very néere knéeled downe the Princesse put the choler about his necke and the crowne vpon his head When the Princesse had so done with a little stay betwéene Rosicleer tooke the crowne from his owne head and as he was on his knées sayde vnto the Princesse Most excellent Princesse for the souereigne grace you haue shewed me I will remaine yours hence foorth to serue you loyallye as a poore recompence for so rich a benefite And as I deo receiue this chollar as the price of Knighthood in your opinion so I beséech you to take of me this crowne as a testimonie of your surpassing beautie in my eye With this he set the rich crowne vppon the golden haires of the Princesse Oliuia she béeing glad of this gift although somwhat blushing at the words he spake The two Princes Bargandel and Liâ—iamandro standing by and knowing him to be Rosicleer whom they had lost in the maine sea when the ceremonies were finished went to him imbracing him as goodly as if he hadde bene their owne brother yet curteously challenging him for his vnkindnes in not making himself knowen vnto them The King Oliuerio abashed at so great bountie in a Knight of so young yeres began to thinke more aduisedly of that which the wise Artemidoro had sayde from that time he estéemed more highly of the newe Knight as you shall heare after this But now the noise was so great which the vyals made and other instruments that one might not heare an other speake at which time the faire Princesse Oliuia with the rich crowne vpon hir head and in hir company the Knight Rosicleer with the two Princes descended from the scaffold in great pompe went to the Kings Pallaice the Princesse leauing them ther to take hir owne lodging and they all entering the chamber of presence where the King stayed for them and after a generall welcome by name taking Rosicleer aside he said vnto him Sir Knight hether you are verie welcome for I haue had great desire to knowe you and I would to God by your stay I might as well be acquainted with you for by you the honour of my Courte hath bene well vpholden Mightie King answered Rosicleer I am rather to be borne withall if I desire to bée your seruant sith for the same cause and for to sée your court I am come hether The king kissed the knight vpon the chéeke as tenderly as if he had bene his owne sonne saieng Rosicleer I account more of these words then of the worth of my best Citie and aduise thée well of these speaches for I am to demaund them of thée if thou wilt not other-wise performe thy promise So Rosicleer was retayned for the Kings Knight and all the olde courtiers both Princes and Knights of great name ranne to imbrace Rosicleer with great plesure vnto them to haue his company except onely Don Siluerio Prince of Lusitania whom a ielous thought vexed as towards Rosicleer for that he had vnhorsed him in the presence of his Lady But after this order Rosicleer remained in the English Court where he rested himself till this sodaine aduenture called him foorth as shall be tolde you ¶ A Gentlewoman came to the Court from the Princesse Briana which made him followe Brandagedeon Cap. 35. THe storie recounteth that Rosicleer abode many daies in King Oliuerios Court well liked and loued of both King and nobles In which time Rosicleer gaue the King the rich Tent which the wise Artemidoro had wrought for him wherin the King tooke great delight For although he had many other both curious for making and costly for matter yet had he not seene in his life any either so rich or of so cunning work-manship so that the Kings good will towards Rosicleer encreased by Rosicleers presence and in that also for his company manie other great Princes and straunge Knights remained with the King so long time after that these iusts wer ended which beginning of friendshâ—p betw xt Rosicleer and some of these Knightes grewe in the ende to such perfection by his gracious and familiar behauiour that neither fauour of friendes nor dread of daunger might with their willes sunder them from this amitie And if Rosicleer had such power ouer Knightes straungers what had he ouer the Princesse Oliuia béeing surprised with his loue and hauing engrauen his Image so déepely in hir imagination that he neuer departed from hir thought but euermore there renewed in hir rememberaunce his Knightly déedes and great valour whereby she made an euident demonstration of his linage as if naught els had bene enemie to hir purpose But this faire Princesse now so languished with the torment of this amorous thought and pleasant liking of hir loue Rosicleer that now the conuersation of
his deathes wound then that letter Ere he opened it his coulour chaunged and all his bodie shooke for feare but after hée had read the superscription his eyes were filled with teares and neuer man was so woe begonne as he yet he read it out and as I remember with the last wordes he gaue a great groane and sanke to the earth Whether hée euer recouered or no I wot not for I durst not staye with him therein to fulfill your graces charge which was not to receiue aunswere from him This vnderstanding the Princesse and that Fidelia had obeyed euerie iot of her will so well although shée would that her seruaunt had fayled in some small point of diligence in this matter yet thinking to learne more at her hands shée demaunded what thing hée did when she parted from him and what words shée spake moreouer what she thought the euent would bée To all which questions Fidelia aunswered at once that shée lefte him for dead vpon the ground and to deuine was not in her skill With this the Princesse waxed angrie and blamed her verye sore in not abiding the time of his recouerie whervnto Fidelia excused her selfe by her commandement but yet because the Princesse would haue it so néeds must Fidelia be thought in a great fault or crime for not dooing so Now may you gesse that Fidelias trustinesse was lyke a cuppe of colde wate to her burning ague the more to enrage it or lyke drinke to a Dropsie man whereby his maladie the rather increaseth For in lyke manner as Rosicleers heauinesse came by reading the letter so hers grew by Fidelias report of his heauinesse And albeit that we heare seldome time of man or woman dead for loue yet is it naturall for ouermuch griefe to abbridge mans dayes as now it was not loue which so much afflicted the Princesse but the iniurie which she had offered Rosicleer and the griefe which she conceiued by the dispaire of euer séeing him and his griefe had almost wrought hir vtter bane ¶ Rosicleers departure is published in the Court of King Oliuerio Oliuia after knowledge whose sonne he was reuerseth iudgement passed by a countermaunde in another Letter whereof Fidelia lykewise is the bearer Cap. 41. THe Princes Bargandel and Liriamandro in the quest of Rosicleer rode far and néere could not vnderstand anie thing as touching him till that hauing trauailed ouer a great part of that Countrie they met with people strangers which certified that themselues had séene a Knight in that sure of armour imbarking himselfe with a Gentlewoman and after that a Squire sore wéeping entering into a ship to followe them for the which newes Bargandel and Liriamandro were verie sorrowfull and for nowe they were sure that he had forsaken the kingdome wherevpon they agréed to returne vnto the Court and one day as the King Oliuerio with the Prince Zoylo and other worthie Princes and knights were gone out of the Citie to solace themselues in the fields these two Princes came toward the place where the king abode which had behelde them before verie héedfully for they séemed vnto him to be two comely and noble knights and therefore he desired to haue a more perfect view But valyaunt Zoylo knew them by their deuices vppon theyr armour and sayde to the king and to the other then in presence that he greatly meruailed why Rosicleer came not with them for saith he when I parted from them they were all thrée together when the king knewe them to be the two Princes hée caused his traine to stay till the two Princes came against him those hée embraced with great loue and thankes for their returne demanding withal for Rosicleer They which I dare not say knew the ryght cause but coniectured some likely cause by the straungenesse it wrought in him with great griefe made a narration of each perticular as farre as they knew both what befell him within the Realme and in what manner he auoided the Realme as they had heard of others onely in the companie of a Gentlewoman and they added moreouer perhappes of their owne heads perhappes as I sayde before vppon some farther knowledge that it could not otherwise bée but that he had some great wrong offered vnto him by some person within the Realme The King excusing himselfe to the Princes for his owne dealing towardes Rosicleer became verye sad and heauie for him as also those which were néere with him not béeing able to gesse of his returne and indéede if they had béene certeine of his long absence it would much more haue béene gréeuous vnto them so rare was the loue they all bare to him But with some little hope of Rosicleers spéedie retourne the King with those Princes his friends tarried some dayes in the Pallaice till that because he was from them so long the thrée Princes Bargandel Liriamandro and the Lartarian Zoylo together tooke vpon them to séeke him in which time they aduentured many strange exploits as shall be specified héereafter in this Historie But in the ende as the greatest parte of these nobles and Princes stayed in England for the loue of Rosicleer so his presence wanting in that court diminished so fast that in short time there was not behinde remaining in the Court anie Knight of great account but the Prince Don Syluerio vnto whom the losse absence of Rosicleer bread no small contentation as it wrought in the king Oliuerio to the contrarie no lesser displeasure and disquiet as if the losse of Prince Edward had agayne renued For there was no one in his kingdome which could and would aduaunce his priuate credit and the honour of his Countrie by worthy prowesse and by valiant déeds of armes But when all the kingdome beganne to bewayle the losse of Rosicleer what did that fayre Oliuia which had abandoned him the Countrie and loued him more then anye one in the worlde might shée forget him one instant No but when she wayed well that for the accomplishing of her charge he had forsaken the lande her good will increased towardes him and in stéede of the daylye viewe of his personage in his absence shée gazed at will vppon the counterfayte and portraiture which she had imprinted in her fancie This did she the oftener because shée founde not in her solitarie contemplation anie other thing to present it selfe For amorous thoughtes are euer enimies to companie and béeing alone as commonly shée was by reason of sicknesse what was there to remooue this solitarie thought and conuersaunt companion from her This companion she still enterteined which by vse and continuance of time grew to a setteled sentence and her loue waxed greater then it was before and then increased the flame which burnt more earnestly then euer before it had bene But as it chaunced tossing of these things in her remembraunce withall shée remembred that Arinda had tolde her how that Rosicleer had written vnto the Princesse Briana and as the amorous are accustomed to builde
be in that estate as is due to the daughter of such parents when the Emperour had thus said Flamides forced himself so much as he might for to speake thus answered him Your reason satisfieth my vnderstanding I confesse it true that we ought not to wéepe when death assaileth vs neither ought we to make straunge of it for in the end we must leaue this world and then is there nothing more certeine but my conceit builded vpon outward sence béeing contrarie to reason troubleth againe that part where affections are and maketh it rebellious and howsoeuer men be prouided for death by continuall thought that they must dye ordinarily notwithstanding wee thinke our selues immortall till death attacheth vs. And what olde man onely for age is so feeble that he hopeth not for a daie to liue But as to Lindaraza my sister I beléeue that although you had staied here many dayes the secret of this aduenture hadde neuer bene disclosed vnto you neither doe you knowe the cause why you were brought and put heere But I will tell you plainely My sister Lyndaraza and I had both one Father named Palisteo being the second sonne to the king of Phrigia my Father not beeing borne to the kingdome fell rather to seeke his owne delight without enuie then to trouble himselfe with the care of gouerning Aboue all he studied the Arte Magicke where by his paines at length came to the most absolute perfection of all in Asia he was matched with a Ladie of high parentage by whom he had two children my sister Lindaraza and mee we were of young yeares when our mother died in labour of the thirde child so there remained none else but our Father aliue and louing to be solitarie came and dwelled in this Ilande bringing with him my sister and those waiting women which you haue séene by his great skill he buylded this Castle héere he lyued vntill my sister and I were of some discretion to guide our selues Héere he drew manie histories of things passed in the worlde and among other the pictures of many valiant Knights which were then on lyue with the rest you were so liuely drawen that it happening my sister to enter one daye where the Imagerye was by the sight of your picture she was surprised with your loue Our father Palisteo knowing hir disease deuised you should be brought by following your owne wife carried from you For this cause was this inchauntment made in that quarter of the Castle wherein you abode without making your selfe priuie to your owne estate that if your Knights came to séeke you they might not perswade you hence neither could euer perswasion haue serued only force which this man hath vsed When the wise man our father had done all this he declared vnto vs the secretes of these things and farther told vs by his Art that the timâ—â—hould come when you shuld be deliuered from the inchauntment although he knew not when nor in what manner He told vs that at such time as you should be at large my sister Lindaraza should die either for the griefe that she shoulde conceiue or for that the fates had so appoynted Moreouer that you should haue a daughter by hir which might not hence depart till there should come a Knight which shoulde winne the entries once againe and after marrie hir Of this Knight he said that ther shuld spring the race whence issueth the two noble families much spoken off throughout the world the one house to be called Mongrana the other Claramonte Me he charged not to leaue the Castle till my néece Lindaraza should be acquitted After this our father Palisteo béeing sore sicke died since his death hetherto euerie thing hath fallen out accordinglye And thus you haue heard the whole processe of my tale and the cause why your daughter Lindaraza cannot goe from hence at this time The Emperour and the knight of the Sunne had verie attentiuely lystened to all that which Flamides had spoken and albeit the Emperour was desirous to carrie his daughter Lyndaraza with him he could not yet refuse to leaue her when he coulde not otherwise choose and hée besought Flamides that at such time as they came both out that they should take the waie to Greece there to reioyce with him After they had thus argued a little Flamides brought them through the parte of the Castle which was not inchaunted shewing them many thinges as well of halls of cloysters as of pictures and painterie whereat the Emperour and the Knight of the Sunne were greatly amased And for that that daye the knight of the Sunne had not eaten Flamides made them sit in a faire parlour where they had plentie of delicate viandes when they had eaten the Emperour béeing desirous to depart desired Flamides to conueye him through the gates So by the â—â—aie this péece of the storie as I haue hearde was afterwarde penned and portrayed in the Court hall of the Emperours Pallaice at Constantinople But they went through all the gates of the Castle and of the bridge till they came where the pillours stoode There Flamides tooke his leaue of the Emperour and of the Knight of the Sunne When Flamides had departed from them and they had passed through the bridges presently the gates of the Towers clapt together with greate noise béeing as surely shut as euer they were The Emperour and the Knight of the Sunne were amased at the straunge thinges which had happened in that Castle and tooke the way towardes the Sea by the same path in which they had come reioysing at the swéete harmonie which the Birdes made in those pleasaunt trées so that although they went a foote yet it séemed no paine vnto them And the loue that they bare to each other was so great that it coulde not haue had bene more if they had knowen each other especially the Emperour whom so often as he sawe his face thought vppon the Princesse Briana whome hée much resembled In this manner the father and the sonne trauailed running ouer in their discourse straunge thinges of the inchaunted Castle till that they approched the maine sea whereas yet the little boat stoode in which the knight of the Sunne had come thether Now for that along the shoare there were no more boats the Emperour was somewhat sorrowfull séeming to him that he was ill furnished to goe whether he purposed and telling it to the knight of the Sunne The knight of the Sunne aunswered My Lord I pray you be not agréeued with this for the boate is guided by a wise man a friend of mine one as I beléeue so carefull to carry me hence as he hath friendly sent me to worke your deliuerance Besides this boat will holde vs both and if it bée so you will vouchsafe my ship you shall neuer saile more safe neither better prouided for victualls The Emperour was greatly amazed at it that all thinges were so plentifull with the knight of the Sunne But both verie merrie
they entred into the boat which being driuen frō shore so soone as it tooke the shore sailed amaine neither missed they ought which was then thought necessarie Quickly they hasted ouer the sea Euxinus where we wil leaue them vntil another time to write of other things which chaunced before this time ¶ The three Princes which went in the quest of Rosicleer were transported into the Empire of Trabisond where chaunced to them a faire aduenture Cap. 45. AS the valiaunt déedes of Rosicleer while he was there caused great ioy in the court of king Oliuerio so no lesse was the griefe there for his sodeine departure amongst his friendes yet all these sorrowes ioyned in one might not bée equall to that which the faire Oliuia felt for she séeing shée had bene the cause thereof tooke thereat such inwarde griefe that she became both weake and pale and her father with the whole court greatly lamented for her In this generall sorrowe for the losse of Rosicleer you must thinke that the Princesses Rodasilua and Siluerina were not frée for the losse of Rosicleer procured the absence of their loues So as the historie recounteth that they two together with the valiant Prince Zoylo tooke vpon them the search of him and therfore let vs leaue the court of king Oliuero to tell you of them Thus it is that after they were all embarked in the Hauen which was néerest to London they sailed forwards a monthes sayling not desiring to bend either this waye or that way At the end of the month rather vpon chaunce then their purpose they were driuen vpon the coast of Trabisond where yet glad they were when the Countrie was descried to sée it to abide there Comming to land armed with their rich armour and theyr Esquires accompanieng them they tooke theyr horse and riding through a beaten path at the side of a pleasaunt wóode they hearde a noyse whereat beeing moued they turned backe to sée what it be might be Out of the thickest of the woode they sawe a wilde Boare driuing so fast as possiblie it might and in the pursuite thereof a young Gentlewoman vppon a mightie courser and a Boare Speare in her right hande her hunters wéede was all of gréene Veluet her tresses hanging downe in coulour like the golde of Arabie in her left hand a wande of golde and two rich Pearles hanging at her eares Shée came spurring her horse in such wise and with such courage to ouertake the Boare that shée much delighted them and at such time as the Boare crossed the waie betwéene them and her she strake the Boare on the flanke that her Speare appeared at the other side of the Boare The game was got and the Ladie not taking héede of the other knightes perhappes shaddowed by the trées retourned with softe paces to her companie but the knights ouertooke her and as I maie saye abashed at that which they had séene at her graces and beautie they onelye gased one vppon the other not once making offer to salute her whereat the Ladie more bolde then the men as it were to awake them out of their dreames tooke and winded a fayre horne which hung at hir necke so lowde and shrill that all the forrest and valleyes rang thereof and when she had thus done she came to the thrée Princes in her séeming the proprest knightes that euer she set eye on whom shée friendly welcommed on this wise God saue you gentle knightes and send you the comfort of your loues for by your sad and demure lookes it séemes you are either strangers or others thrall The Knightes tourning towardes her made their curteous obeysaunce and for them the valyaunt Tartarian spake in this manner Madame we haue stoode astonished neither for straungenesse nor for ill successe in loue which some of vs haue not yet tryed but onely for the thought of your beautie béeing a Ladie huntresse as if you were Diana which in lyke attyre was wont to hunt the Forrestes but as you saye wée are straungers indéede and because wée woulde carrye somewhat worth the telling wée craue your name and the fashions of the Countrie The Ladie delighted in the good behauiour of the thrée knightes and tickeled with the wordes of the Tartarian in greate maiestie aunswered him Assuredly sir knight I knowe no cause you haue to meruayle at me but rather I at you For if I séeme to you lyke to Diana the Goddesse of the Gentiles you lykewise séeme to me the thrée sonnes of Priamus Hector Paris and Troylus not farre inferiour in renowne to the Gods themselues whereas you desire mée to make you knowe who I am I will doe it gladly but yet conditionally that afterwardes you tell mée your name and Countrie This shall bée one for one and by iust exchaunge wée shall héereafter finde peace Wit you now that I am called Claridiana the daughter to Theodoro Lorde of this Empire and to the Empresse Diana Quéene of the Amazons which two hauing béene mortall enimies as by long warres appeareth continued hotlye in euerie parte they were after greate frindes méeting in a pitched field either being then young and vnmarryed I am their onely childe which since my young yeares haue bene brought vp in hunting and I am promised to be made knight for my mother béeing but young atchieued such enterprises that in her time there was no knight more famous and I am desirous to bée somewhat like vnto her especially in that point And now sir knights tell me who you are for I would well accompanie such lustie knights The Tartarian who had first taken in hand to speake aunswered Noble Princesse we were sure inough that there wanted not in you the diuinitie we spake off but yet we fayled in the name for so many graces which accompanie you could not be in a Ladie of lesse estate as my Religion béeing Pagansine woulde rather haue induced mée to take you for the Daughter of Iupiter then of the Emperour Theodoro And nowe sith your excellencie hath shewed vs such vndeserued fauour as to tell vs who you are it is reason that wée obeye in telling who wée are and where wée were borne This Knight pointing to Bargandel sayth hée is the Prince Bargandel the Kinges sonne of Bohemia thi◠by Liriamandro sayth hée is the Prince of Hungarie called Liriamandro and I am called Zoylo sonne to the king of Tartarie wée haue ioyned for aduenture beginning in the great Britaine to finde a new Knight a friende of outs taken from vs wée wot not howe Him wée are determined to looke in the worlde and we haue alreadie sailed a moneth since we left England so this morning we landed héere verie gladde to haue founde your highnesse God be praised sayde the Princesse for the names of so high Princesse ought not to bée concealed especially héere where the Emperour my Father would bee glad of such knightes for the honour which his court should receiue thereby and I for my part would thinke
reuerenced How seldome was it euer steadfast and how many thousands hath it beguiled I meane not the base and common people but euen kings and Emperours O how many impediments be therein left to hinder vs from enioyeng it O what a common thing is it to die and how manie euer sawe happie end in it How ioyfull and pleasaunt was to Paris the desired match of Helena and how sorrowfull and lamentable was the ende not onely to him but to his parents and bretheren and the greatest parte of all Asia For not onely in Greece but in all the out Ilandes thereaboutes was bewept his bitter Bridall With how great care and dilligence doe men hasten on the causes of their care occasions of their heauinesse meanes of their paines and matter for theyr griefe and doe not content themselues with the continuall affliction wherein Fortune schooleth them But by new meanes they inuent new mathers of daunger which crosseth them at euery step they frame new causes as it wore forge vnto themselues sharpe spurs to pricke forward this wofull life where they thinke to finde pleasure rest there they finde for their losse trauaile trouble for the death which they wold flie from To escape either nipping colds or scalding heat this onely one remedy they haue to climb vp into the mountaines where yet the winde hath most force and the sun doth soonest parch aboue all this hath not the vnsatiable couetousnes of man broken through the sturdy waues of the sea cut out new passages in the mountaines But why do we complaine on fortune do we not bend her armes to fight with vs doe we not mainteine her weapons which peraduenture lighteth on our owne neckes As for example if Paris had not made a way through the déep waues of the sea Aegean which the Gods had placed as a peaceable bound between Europe Asia if he had not sought Greece sith Asia was large inough to haue found a faire wife in so it may be much more honest then Helene was then the Achians had not transported themselues into Asia to destroy Troie And turning againe to our matter Prince Edward might haue sought him a wife in his own country or more néere home of whose beautie his owne eies might haue ben witnesses not haue sought her in a straunge land by the onely brute of a cunning tale especially vppon so hard and sore conditions as to bring his owne person and people to the warre Whosoeuer comes to séeke pleasure and delight for his youth let him take that he findes and thinke it not straunge because that vnkinde Fortune hath vsed the like vnto at her The Prince now being on his way two of the kings knights were dispatched before by some secret by wayes very well knowen vnto them to aduertise the quéene princesse of the approching of the Prince These two held on their way not ascried by the ambush but so soone as the prince with his knights had entred in the thicket they wer presently discouered by the Emperour who was alreadie armed with his rich armour mounted vppon a strong light horse The Emperor taking a great speare in his hand verie sharpe well stéeled for the purpose went alone aside out of the woode with a softe pace to encounter with the Prince his knightes and being come right before them said vnto them Know you knights that this passage is forbidden except you leaue your shéelds your names in them For that a Lady whom I honour serue hath commaunded me to do it whose loue I could not otherwise obteine The Prince Edward was by nature verie stout by inclination giuen to somewhat lesse modestie in his talke then behoued such a Prince howbeit for this and other faults he was a verie valiant strong knight such a one as neither in great Britaine neither in the kingdome of Hungarie was thought to haue his péere But as he vnderstood the demaund of the knight very wroth he answered him By God knight if the king Tiberio were as certeine of the victorie against the Emperour Trebatio as I hope to chastice thy folly then the Prince of England should not néede to come from so farre a countrie to giue him helpe Take thou quickly that part of the fielde as shall séeme good vnto thée and with one onely choise thou shalt sée how déere and bitter thy loue hath bene vnto thée As the Prince had said this and had pronounced with his owne mouth that cruell dome not well foreséeing his owne fall hee tooke a great speare from one of his knights and broched his horse with the spurres to méets the Emperour This he did not for that his knightes woulde not haue put themselues in the aduenture before him euerie man claiming to be first but for that no reason sufficed him For his stoutnesse and his vnmeasurable pride made him to forget the force of his enimie and yet his enimye stoode before him so great and so bigge made that hée séemed to be a Gyant But this Princes aduerse fortune and vnhappie destinies woulde him to be the formost so that the mightie Trebatio knewe it as well by the rithes of his armour as by the talke which had passed betwéene him and his knights and béeing verie glad to see him the first which he met he sayd vnto himselfe O that my Speare were now greater and stronger the bead forged by Vulcan that it might not staye in the armour of this Knight for that according as I see him great and strong so I feare hée will escape my handes and then my trauaile shall bée all in vaine Thus as he sayde they by and by did put both their Speares in their restes and giuing either horse his bridle they ranne together with such furie that they made the earth to tremble and yet the lightnesse of theyr horses was such that it séemed the grasse yéelded not vnder theyr féete The Prince hit the Emperour in the middest of the shéelde and pearcing farther left the head remaining in the fine and well stéeled armour whereby the staffe broken in many shéeuers made a great whisteling in the ayre But the Emperours stroke was much more fell for hée leuelled it with such force that it entered not onely into the shéeld and strong armour of the Prince but passed through vnto his amorous heart all bedewed with bloud a whole armes length Then the Prince fell dead executing the sentence which hée had giuen in these woordes that that loue shoulde bee very déere and bitter When his people sawe him stretched vppon the ground there might no sorrowe bée compared vnto theirs and as raging madde they ranne all together vpon the Emperour thinking to put in practise theyr deadly anger vpon his carcasse Some with Speares and other with Swoordes strake him on all partes with great rage and hast so that if his armour had not béene verie good in short space they had
and hir Gentlewomen As he saw so good and prosperous a time the most ioyfull man that euer was he went towards the pleaseunt gardeine and finding no entrie but by the chamber of the Princesse the doore whereof was shut he tooke two of those speares which his knights had brought and rearing them vp against the wall with the blunt end vpwardes as he was verie nimble he lifted himselfe vpon them lightly and easely slidde downe betwixte them into the gardeine without béeing séene of anie especially not of the Princesse who was vnwitting of such a leape The Princesse was nigh a Fountane well set about with Roles and Iessamines kembing and dressing of hir yeolow haire Now when she sawe hir selfe thus sodeinly taken by the Emperour with a fearefull starte shée rose from whence she was and gently smiling as somwhat ouertaken with shamefastnesse she beshrowed him in this sort Assuredly my Lord néedes must the hurt be great which you haue sustained by your leape and great is the iniurie which the gardeine hath receiued by your enterie because that in it none haue come but either my selfe or my Gentlewomen for whose solace it was first plotted out For this cause God hath shewed me such fauour answered the Emperour because I haue lodged my heart in your excellent beautie and well may the bodie lawfullye enter where the heart is harboured Let not therefore my entrie good madame séeme straunge vnto you sith that neither houre nor moment I maie depart from you And if this my rudenes hath procured you any paine by the fréedome which you haue giuen me my heart shall make excuse vnto your beautie vnder whose safe conduct without demaund of leaue my bodie hath entred The good Emperour hauing thus sayd imbraced and kissed hir and not leauing any leasure of reply made hir to sit down by him neere vnto the well This place was so hedged and compassed about with odoriferous Roses and swéete smelling Iessamine that they might not be perceiued by anie And the gentle mourmure that the running water made vpon the pebble stones agréeing with the delicate layes which diuers birdes made vpon the gréene boughes encreased so much the longing desire of the Emperour that casting howe to winne the fauour of his Lady already his tounge failed to speake and his hearing to receiue that which shée spake She then all trembled as knowing his purpose and through feare greatly desired to haue shunned that place but the Emperour caught hir betwéene his armes and with such hast to ende his sute lefte hir vnfurnished of hir aunswere At that time as the burning beames of the Sunne began with his golden rayes to looke through the thicke Iessamines all the fortunate aspects intermedling their forces at that time by the grace of the Almightie were begotten these two noble children the Knight of the Sunne Rosicleer the beames of whose knightly deeds so shined through the world as that the worthy prowes of their predecessors were thereby eclipsed This was the Plaudite of his passion and the beautifull Princesse now became a wife somewhat against hir will but when she saw no remedie to that which was past she comforted hir selfe in that he was hir lawful husband and therefore she pardoned him his boldnesse in trobling hir These two louers shortened the time with good agréement vntill the Emperour at his departure tooke his leaue of hir to mounte vp the waye he came and to retourne into his lodging The Princesse remained alone in the gardeine vntill hir Gentlewomen came for hir to dinner After this yet the Emperor soiourned there thrée daies at the ende whereof fearing the kings iealousie ouer his tarieng and the euent of his sending for he tooke his leaue of the Quéene and the Princesse not without the curtesie of many teares on each part and especially of the Princesse whom he lefte verie dolefull albeit sadder would she haue ben if she had foreséene the long time of his absence C. iiij The Emperour Trebatio pursuing those which had stolne his Lady left all his knights tooke another waie ca. 8. THe Empereur Trebatio thus hauing departed from the monestarie of the riuer became very sorowfull in his heart with the leauing of the Princesse Briana for that the fire which inflamed him after he had knowen hir was greter then the affection which he bare to hir before by the hearing of hir beautie that which caused his most gréefe was that he knew not how either to returne spéedely vnto hir or to salue that sore which he had alreadie chafed He thought in himselfe that if he made peace with the King Tiberio letting him vnderstand of the matter the king wold not accept of it either for the great enmitie which was betwixt them or for the bond wherein he was bound to the Prince of great Britaine And therfore it would be a thing neither reasonable nor agréeble with his honour in lieu of the Princes paines which he had taken to come from his countrie accompanied with so great a nūber of knights to serue him and in regard of the death which he ther receiued in his seruice now to become a friend to his foe to giue his daughter before espoused to the Prince vnto the deadliest foe which the Prince had debating these and other things in his minde about the time that they hadde got ouer their heads the thicke woode wherein they hadde bene before nowe to the ende not to tyre their horses they lyghted downe vnbrideled their horses and tourned them to grasse They themselues féeding on such victuals as they had brought with them although the meate whereon the Emperours stomacke tired was most of all sobs sighes as receiuing no plesure in the absence of the princes Now the night assailed them and hauing not in them to make resistaunce they yelded their forces euerie one taking his rest where it liked them best But the Emperor somwhat a part from the rest casting himselfe vpon the gréene grasse staieng his backe against a trée he there remained more then two houres broad awake staring at the cléerenesse of the aire the brightnesse of the stars when his thoughtes renued and the amorous passion if before not cleane buried now reuiued a fresh by the solitarinesse of his conceit at length his cares the wearinesse of his way the swéet noise of the pleasant leaues through the hissing of the wind brought him to a gentle slumber wherein he had scarcely bene halfe an houre but that his fancie presented to him againe his Lady Briana He dreamed that she was taken by force of two giants the most fierce and strong that euer he had séene in all his lyfe and that shée séeing him cryed for help Through the griefe wherof he awaked very much afrighted and indéede this dreame prooued no game vnto him for by by he heard a great noise néere vnto him and listning where it might be he beheld a faire chariot
great paines For this cause I say although the Knightes rode so fast as they might yet they could not come within the sight of him nor find which way he was gone yet with sorrow griefe especiallye through the feare which they conceiued by his meddeling with the Giants they parted companies euery man taking a seuerall way to séeke the Emperour they agréed at the moneths end to méete at one place The month came when as yet none of them heard any newes of him although they sought him in diuers parts They all meruailed but not knowing what to say in the ende they determined at some other time to méete to enter into this quest againe For this time they altogether tooke towards the campe which they left before the citie of Belgrado where they abode not long but remembring thēselues of their promise they met at the place appointed deuided themselues accordingly The foure Hungarian knights fearing to be descryed by those which went to séeke Prince Edward the couertlyest which they might they went toward the campe of the Emperour and there remained some time after they followed into Greece where they tarried till the returne of the Emperour according as shall be mentioned héereafter Now by this time with no lesse care and diligence Prince Edward was sought by manie Knights in all the kingdome for that the King had giuen him no longer time to remayne in the Monestary of the riuer then thrée daies There was already told xx daies when he came not First then he sent many of his knights to knowe the cause of his tarrieng these returned vnto the king with an aunswere that they neither found him in the Minster nor could beare tidings of him by the waye Then the King dispatched other messengers to enquire after him his knights in all the land but they brought the like answere yet againe he sent more then 1000. well prepared for warre with authoritie of search through all his kingdome that they might bring newes of life or death but all was one Last of all fearing least peraduenture he had bene taken prisoner by his enimies he wrote vnto the Emperours campe to knowe the truth to the end he might raunsome him if so it were but not hearing anie newes he then bewailed the losse of the prince became very sorrowfull like as contrary wise the Emperials bemoned their Emperour These things happened so in the necke one of another that Tiberios iudgment failed to decide the truth and he pittied him with no lesse griefe then if he had bene his owne sonne partly for his daughters sake who must néeds be partner of hir husbands misaduenture partly for the Princes parents who could not without some sorow conceiue of his missing albeit all this happened more by the misgiuing of his owne minde then by anie certaintie he found You haue heard particularly the care of the king Tiberio now you must consider of the diligence of the king of Boheme by the semblable Another month had end and the knights botaries sped them homewards to the campe of the Emperour without anye newes of their Lord which no doubt much molested the whole hoast but in especiall it afflicted the king of Boheme to sée them come without him As they made declaration of the whole months trauaile it little pleased the king only for the loue he bare to the Emperour and the want of his presence in a time so daungerous he wept as sore for him as if he had séene his little childe giue vp the ghost The losse of the Emperour thus published through the armie there was no one which sorrowed not inwardlye for he had the loue of all his subiects Albeit this was bootlesse yet his loue beguiled him for the king yet charged more then 2000. knights with the search of the Emperor in all places as well by sea as by land but it naught auailed for the Ilande of Lindaraza helde him so sure that hée could not be found and if he had bene found yet he was so well garded that the whole hoast had not ben able to haue deliuered him from the inchanted castle While these things were in dooing the king of Boheme himselfe set the remainder on work to assault the Citie with full purpose not to leaue the siege till either he knewe where the Emperour was or had lien a halfe yeare longer at the end whereof he wold raise the siege so depart into Greece againe In this time the Hungarians issued out of their Citie against the Grecians there was betwéen them many cruell bloudie skirmishes the Greeks did nobly as you may read in their seuerall histories At this time because they are not of the substance of my matter I wil not name them only I wil recount vnto you the perticular truth of that which followeth ¶ The Princesse Briana taketh great sorrowe at the losse of Prince Edward Cap. 11. GReat was the diligence which the King of Hungarie commaunded his Knightes to make in séeking the Prince Edward and as great was his griefe in not finding him by the consideration of the towardnesse of the noble Knight and the dole of his Parents béeing their deere and onely sonne But greater must néedes be and inexpressible the mortall dalour which the Princesse Briana conceiued when she once heard of the misse of Prince Edward And as I read at the thrée moneths ende when nothing was reported for very anguish of heart besides hir often sowndings after when the recouered out of that traunce she seemed to them néerer the death then the Prince hir husband was as they thought for beléeuing that he was dead she woulde neither eate drinke nor sléepe but became weake and feeble and wasted hir dayes with sorrowe She layd a part all hir Princely roabes and precious Iewells and tired hir selfe in course mourning wéedes of a widdowe She kept hir selfe in a secret chamber onely with the comfort of hir Gentlewomen and comming not foorth one steppe demeaned rather the life of an Anchresse or religious woman then of a Princesse The Queene mother then abiding at Buda came oftentimes to visite hir and in hir companye other great Ladyes but they coulde not remooue the dulnesse of hir melancholy Ere the Princesse had long led this solitary life she felt hir selfe quicke with childe whence she tooke some ioy but yet fearing the disclosing of it vnto hir friends whom she wold not haue pertakers of it for all Hungarie before the solempnization of the mariage was openly performed and being notwithstanding desirous in time to séeke remedye therevnto she concionated hir secrete onely with one of hir Gentlewomen named Clandestria whom she best loued and with whome she was best acquainted for the good counsayle she often gaue hir She which was wise and discreete kissed hir Ladyes handes for the honour she did vnto hir in reuealing such a secrette onely a lyttle withstanding hir intent of concealement at the first and
I was matched with the daughter of the Souldan being mine vnckle Thether came Ambassadors from my subiects certifieng me that the king of Media the stoutest Pagan in all the heathen countrey with maine force had intruded vpon my kingdome I for to remedy it gathered a great hoast in the Souldans land and transporting into Persia at the first battell that I had with the king of Media the greater part of my people béeing slaine my selfe was ouerthrowen with great griefe by secret by-wayes recouered Babylon where I could willingly haue dyed for paine and anguish◠But one min◠vnckle a verie wise and learned man in Art Magicke recomforted me saieng that the time shuld come in which I should be restored to my kingdome with great honour that for this it behooued me to awaite on the sea til I met with two little boyes of excellent beautie with whome I should returne to Babylon for that they should be the principal cause of my redresse so giuing credit to his word I thus put my selfe in aray for this aduenture wher thanks be to the Gods all hath succéeded as the wise man fore-spoke it for within this thrée dayes I lighted vpon one being alone in a little boate hauing in him according to my fancie the very pride of all beautie the other must néeds bée this young Gentleman Clauerindo the fairest beside him that euer I knew so as I haue good hope héerby to reenter into my kingdome For this cause I haue in charge to bring these two to Babilon now sir knight I beseech you to take it in good part for he shall be as wel entertained in the court of the Souldan as in the court of the king his father when my good fortune will that my seat shal be established he you shall returne into Fraunce with my ships my people my self also if it be so conuenient When the prince had there staied Armineo was well contented with his talke taking him for a knight of great prowesse although the long stay that the prince Clauerindo shuld make in this country grieued him yet with hope to return in the end séeing it was not in his power to do otherwise he subiected his will to the princes commaund with courteous words rendred him thanks for the storie of his aduentures for the offer he had made them the pith of his aunswere being in few words this Be it as you haue sayd sir for I denie not but the Gentleman Clauerindo shall gain verie much by his bringing vp in yours and your vnckles so noble a court With these profers too fro Florion tooke Clauerindo in his armes entred in his own ship Armineo following him When Armineo had behelde within Florions shippe the young Donzel del Febo you must not meruaile though he blessed himselfe for there was none which had had but a blush of him within his tender yeares but tooke him rather to be a celestiall Seraphin shen an humane creature and beléeued that this might not bée done without some great misterie as if the young Gentleman shewing in his infancie the comelinesse of stature other excellent qualities wherwith he was endued besides the straunge finding him alone in the rage of the tempest did well foreshew his nobilitie in time to come But when they sawe him naked and the portraiture of the Sunne with the brightnesse that it gaue to the beholders it was so straunge that they called to minde Phaetons fall out of heauen comparing this young Gentleman with Phaeton as if he had bene Phoebus sonne like as Phaeton was although somewhat diuers againe in this for that Phaeton taking his fathers chariot for his presumption was drenched in the Sea this young Gentleman was preserued in the Sea as betokening some greater secrecie in Nature Armineo was best apayed to haue the companie of so excellent a Gentle man for the Prince Claueryndo Now by the way this may you learne that although they could not tell Donzels name yet by the tokens he had vppon him they named him the Gentleman of the Sunne somewhat in other tearmes in the Persian tongue but in signification all one with the name that his mothers Gentlewoman gaue him in Hungarie being worth the marking that both Persians and Hungarians should so iumpe in naming him But to make hast homewards they tooke the waye to Phrigia and with a good winde ere fitéene dayes they landed there and comming a shore they sent harbengers afore hande as well to aduertise the Souldan and Lyrgandeo of the Princes comming as to puruaye by the waye of lodging for the estates The two young Gentlemen being not a litle welcome vnto Florions two vnckles as you maye read in the next chapter ¶ Prince Florion with the two young Gentlemen entered into Babylon and were there honourably receiued by the Souldan Cap. 18. THe Prince Florion néeded not to haue giuen intellygence to the Souldan of his comming for the wise Lyrgandeo opened all which had chaunced as well as if he had bene a partie in the dooing of it So when the prince was in lesse then an halfe dayes iourney from the Citie the Souldan and his wise brother Lyrgandeo issued out with a great traine to receiue him and comming néere the wise Lyrgandeo espieng Florion with the Gentleman of the Sunne on his horse before him in great ioye rode a pace taking him in his armes spake these words O ye soueraigne Gods immortall thankes be giuen vnto you for the high fauour you haue shewed vnto vs in bringing into our power this rare Gentleman with whom you haue imparted of your most secret graces O that mine armes coulde once merite such an heauenly burthen O how well maye Babylon reioyce sith he is thether brought whose glorye shall no lesse glister through the earth then the bright Sun shineth in the world Who deserueth to haue his biding among the Demigods for his valour and mightinesse O how he shall race out the memorie of Ninus and Xerxes all the pride of the Assyrian Monarches From hencefoorth Assiria for béeing onely the cradell of this Gentlemans nourserie shall be famous throughout the whole world from hence-foorth men shall haue so much to doo to put in writing the worthinesse of this Gentleman that all the monuments of our auncestors shall quite dye and this man onely shall be our table-talke The wise man thus as it were rauisht and vttering his conceiptes in great gladnesse by inter-breathings the beautie of the childe sometimes amazing him and his diuinitie astonishing the hearers he kissed the young Gentleman held him in his handes till the Souldan drew néere as the Souldan approched he deliuered Donzel del Febo vnto him and tourned himselfe towards Clauerindo embracing him goodly but in more modestie of speach or lesse delight he said vnto him You are welcome noble and souereigne Prince I knowing how well knowen your name should be in the world
so well as I haue knowne no knight in his perfection matchable And truely this is the accomplishment of your first aduenture as my brother foreséeing it told me that you should rescew mée my daughters from death or imprisonment and I hope as well in the immortall Gods that the second shall be likewise finished that is the kingdome of Persia se long withheld by a false vsurper may by you be redeliuered to the Prince Florion My Lord aunswered Donzel del Febo I haue not as yet done the thing in your seruice neither in my life may hope to compassie which may counterpaise with my good will in this behalfe and truely the dutie which I owe to your good grace my Lord to the Prince Florion to my Lady the Princesse your daughter daily so augmenteth as more then that duetie I cannot owe vnto my father to the discharge wherof notwithstanding I stand bounden to your goodnesse not onely of curtesie but in conscience so humbled himselfe before the Souldan but the Souldan againe embraced him they two helped the Ladies out of the chariot The Ladies were desirous to knowe who the gyant was and what shuld be the cause why he so assailed them Therfore the Souldan the Gentleman of the Sun made toward the knight of the Gyants which was falne to the grounde and as they tooke of his helmet to giue him ayre they fetcht him out of his sounde and setting him on his féete they demaunded of him who the Gyaunt was and why he came to take them prisoners The knight séeing it behoued him to say the troth made answere shortly thus You shall vnderstand my Lordes that this Gyant was called Brandafileo Lorde of the towred Ilande which is in the great Ocean at the mouth of the redde Sea This Ilande is so strong and inuinsible that béeing within hée néede not feare all the worlde if they had bent their force against him and béeing proude vpon the safetie of this Ilande he did much wrong to the nations rounde about him spoiling and robbing all Arabians Aethiopians Aegyptians and the Garamantes of Inde and finally so many as he might come by in the great West seas and so the Ilande of Traprobane and by long continaunce in this trade of rouing hée is become so rich of captiues and treasure that no Iland is comperable with his Nowe the cause wherefore he came into this your land was for that in the time that the mightie Orixerges your father reigned in Persia the father of the Gyant called Briontes then béeing Lorde of the towred Ilande by occasion of Briontes euill lyfe your Father and he fell at variaunce wherefore the king your Father sent out his whole nauie to subdue this Iland but being not able to conquere it he gaue them notwithstanding in charge to lye in the out créekes awaiting when he came forth from the Iland so to set vpon them One time the Gyant making a road out for a lyke cheuisance a farre off from his owne Iland the king your Father dogged him with his shippes and as he returned met him in the halfe turne and for all the hauocke he and his made of your fathers souldiers in the ende killed him This Brandafileo his sonne then being a childe of tender age yet so soone as he was of yeares to be made knight he greatly longed after the reuenge of his fathers death because he could not worke his mischiefe on the king Orixerges béeing then dead at the least it would ease his stomacke if he might wreake himselfe on you his sonne and for this cause many times hée hath sent spyes into your land to be aduised by them when he might haue opportunitie of vengeance learning of your comming to this forrest for your disport he hath now laine more then a month in secret expectation of so good lucke as to take your person This time he had founde to his contentation had not this Gentleman ben who now hath made sufficient paye to Brandafileo for his months hire This is all my Lorde which I can tell you as to your demaund and it is truth which I haue tolde you as I certeinly beléeue that if euer he had cleane carried you from hence you should not haue escaped from death or bondage for so hée had determined The Souldan mused at that which the knight had told him waieng the great danger wherein he was like to haue falne he ceased not to giue thanks to his Gods to the gentleman of the Sun for his safety At this time Prince Floriō came with more then 30. knights running theyr horses so fast as they might because alreadie they had hearde the newes comming wher the Gyant lay dead viewing well the wide mortall wound they highly commended of it and ceuld not iudge by whom he had receiued it but very ioyfull to sée the Souldan his Princesse out of daunger leaping from their horses they came towards them Then Florion excusing his long absence by the ignoraunce of the fact desired to know who he was which had so gently bailed them from the Gyaunt The Souldan aunswered on this sort Ah Florion Florion now we knowe your vnckle Lyrgandeos diuinations as touching this Gentleman of the Sunne to be sooth and stedfast for we haue well approued his valour and knowe that he alone béeing the onely man which came to succour vs brought to ground the giant Brandafileo by one onely blow with his bore speare riuetting as you see his coat armour and ridding vs from so daungerous a foe making his enteraunce to knighthoode the straungest that euer was heard Florion giuing backe either as wondering or not crediting his vnckles speach was still vrged by the Souldan who tolde on forward as Brandafileos knight had confessed Florion yet as it were halfe in a mammering which part to take betwéene the Gentlemans youth and his courage disputed rather the impossibilitie by meanes of the hugenesse of the Gyant his strong armour and the number of his knights in the end he ouercame himselfe by remembrance of Lyrgandeos reporte and thanked the Gentleman on this wise O my right noble and beloued sonne I graunt that that not my force but the mightie windes and swelling waues by the ordinaunce of my Gods haue giuen mée power ouer you for that by your souereigne bountye the wrong which is done to me by the tyraunt shall be reuenged and I shall recouer mine owne kingdome O how happie was the daye and the houre fortunate in which I found you sith my Gods haue reserued you for so great benefiter towardes me and the release of mine vnckle with these and many other words Florion wept for great pleasure to thinke of Donzels magnanimitie And in this time the other young Gentlemen his companions came riding from hunting and sawe the fierce Gyaunt lye dead by the waye they enquired after the manner of his death and hearing it to be as you haue
heard the one tooke great pleasure in it and the other with an honest emulation of the fact wishing it to himselfe according to the diuersitie of the good will they bare vnto the Gentleman of the Sunne Then they came altogether to theyr tentes where they made but a hunters breakfast for ere dinner was halfe done the Souldan commaunded the horse to retourne to Babylon and so they all on horsebacke the Princesse and her Gentlewomen on their palfraies and the lusty knights on their sturdie Rounceualls tooke the way towardes the citie laieng the mightie Gyant vpon a horse his head and féete trailing on the ground When they were within the gates of the Citie all that which had happened beeing published all the Citizens and other of the court were in contrarie arguments about the hugenesse of the Gyant and the courage of the Gentleman of the Sunne thinking it an vnpossible matter to be brought about by one of so fewe yeares But from that time forth although before likewise they loued him yet now they made much more of him and the Souldan with the Princesse and all the Courtiers held him in great account alwaye Notwithstanding the report of men and the high extolling of his actes to his owne face the Gentleman of the Sunne kept the same tenour of life not bearing himselfe anie thing vpon his good fortune but rather as the windes increased which promised him safetie and honour and as his fame was more blazed so he stroke his sayles and became more lowlyer This his humilitie made him much more to be loued as the sprinkelyng of water augmenteth the flame in a Smithes forge Claueryndo at this time egged on by Donzels good happe and béeing of riper yeares sued to be made Knight But the wise Lyrgandeo fore-séeing some-what and to haue him keepe company with Donzel del Febo and Brandizel with-stoode his purpose for that time Claueryndo was but about fourtéene or fifteene yeares of age but he was so comelye and nimble in all feates of armes that there was not a knight in all the court which out-passed him In this maner were these two Gentlemen brought vp in the Souldans Court with great magnificeÌ„ce as if they had ben in their fathers courts aboue all they wer so throughly instructed in lerning that ther wer none able to come in controuersie with them all this equall to both notwithstanding the difference of beléefes which shall be a lyke ere it be long Claueryndo which was guyded by Armineo his vnckle was a Christian and the Gentleman of the Sunne beléeued in the lawe of the Gentiles as the wise Lyrgandeo hadde taught him Lyrgandeo himselfe being bred and brought vp in the same errour by his father for all his great cunning was not able to finde out the vanitie of his false Gods O the prouidence of God how much be we bounde to thée and how ill doo we acknowledge thy great goodnesse in suffering vs to be become Christians when thousandes wise men and mightie Monarchs dye in the lawe of the Gentiles not all their power auailable to saue their soules their learning not worth a rush for the displaieng of the falshood of that lawe wherein their fathers haue nouseled them And shall we Christians think that our knowledge can pull vs out of hell if not the wisest of the earth I meane the learned Gentiles could once reproue their owne law and knowe the onely and true God As for example this Lyrgandeo was so wise and well learned that not Artimedoro nor Rogel nor Turke nor Sarasin nor Iew nor Christian came euer néere him and yet because he had lerned that lawe from his cradle and wanted the gifte of God for the true vnderstanding of his will he wallowed still in his errour as the Sowe doth in the myre till God hauing a regard of the Gentleman of the Sunne and minding to make him a true Christian did by his meanes conuert the wise Lyrgandeo to the knowledge of his will and poure out his grace abundantly vpon the whole kingdome of Persia according as more largely shall be recited But to returne the two young Gentlemen albeit contrary in professions yet in friendship and good will were conformable as shall be declared in this storie ¶ An aduenture in the Court of the Souldan which befell to the young Gentleman of the Sunne Cap. 20. THe Souldan the Prince Florion with all the knights of his court greatly praied their Gods that the Gentleman of the Sunne might come to his full age to be made knight for that onely they stayed their voyage into the kingdome of Persia for his cause as willing to haue him with â—hem for the great prowesse which rested in him and 〈◊〉 â—hought their staye not ouer-long séeing it was 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—â—ely that which the wise Lyrgandeo prophecied of him that he should be a valiant knight and that without him their entraunce into Persia were to small effect For this cause they employed their care in the aduauncing forâ—â—â—â— of the Gentleman of the Sunne This gentleman 〈◊〉 being of the age of sixtéene yeares was so high wel 〈◊〉 â—â—oued that he wanted little in stature of any man One 〈◊〉 â—â—ince Florion with manye other knights being aâ—â—â—â— at the riuer to flye at a fowle the young Gentleman staieng in the Pallaice The Souldan with many of his knights and Gentlewomen tooke their pastime in one part of his great Pallaice where entred in at the gates six ancient knights with white beards hanging downe to the girdle-stéedes and all armed saue the head-péeces compassing on each side a Gentlewoman faire and young clothed all in mourning apparell and hauing a crowne of gold vppon hir head This Lady was led by a knight great of body well and strongly proportioned armed at all points with a rich and strong armour This knight lifting vp the visor of his helmet shewed himselfe to the Souldan where they perceiued his face to be very foule and fearfull of colour more tawnie and Sun-burnt then cole-blacke his eyes flaming in his head his nostrells wide and large broad lipped and his sharp fangs issuing out of his mouth like Boares tuskes and reaching to his chin so that there was no man liuing but might haue bene afrayed of his fierce semblance But besides this he was so high that there was not any in that place whom this knight exceeded not two spanfulls at the least and in making of his bodye hée was so large and well quartered more then the compasse of two knights Hauing thus entered and set himselfe to view those which wer present had inough to occupie their eyes either on the vglinesse of the Gyant or the beautie of the Gentlewoman But the Gentlewoman knéeled before the Souldan to haue kissed his handes But the Souldan taking hir by the hand raised hir vppe dooing hir the honour hée thought it conuenient in that she appeared to be a Lady of great birth Shée with teares distilling
downe from hir beautifull eyes and watering hir crimson chéekes spake vnto the Souldan on this wise The heauenly and immortall Gods maintaine and encrease thy high estate most puissaunt and mightie Souldan of Babylon Know for certaintie that vncertaine fortune neuer constant to any hath in such maner shewed hir selfe cruell and aduerse to me that she onely not sufficed with the death which my father and mother and many of their subiectes haue receiued for my sake she ceaseth not daily to afflict me and to bring me to so low an ebbe that being defeated of mine owne inheritaunce I am yet faine to wander through the Courts of mightie Princes to find some good and pitifull knight which bewayling my mishap will ease me of the great trauaile I daily take to saue my honour For if you wil suffer me to lay open my case the whole storie is thus I am right enheretrix of the Iland of Cypres where my predecessors reigned long time with much ioy vntill that their good hap was hindred by my beautie For hauing brought me into this world with that beautie wherein you sée me which I woulde to our that beautie wherein you sée me which I woulde to our Gods had either perished when I first was swaddeled or els had neuer bene knowen that none might haue taken delight in it So soone as my beautie was sounded abroad this Knight héere present King of the Zardians Lorde of the Iland of Zardia called Raiartes hearing of it came to see me so soone as he came he was taken with my loue and demaunding me for wife was denied it of my father Wherefore very angrie returning to his Iland of Zardia with a great armie of knights he came against my father and at the first field killed him and murthered all his people and in short time became Lord of Cypres My mother séeing my Father dead and hir lande wasted dyed for griefe I remained alone without companye till such time as Raiartes came to the Pallaice where I was I knew to whose power I was become seruaunt fearing that he woulde haue forced me determined by ending my lyfe to make my selfe free from his subiection estéeming it farre better to dye with my Parentes then alyue to bewayle their deathes And hauing no better leasure nor meanes to achieue my purpose I leaped vp to a window the highest in all the Pallaice thence to haue throwen my selfe downe if Raiartes séeing me in his plight had not prayed me not to doo it promising if I forbeare that that to doo the thing that I cmmaunded him I resoluing vpon death told him that vnles he granted me one gift I wold be mine owne executioner he to saue my life promised it whereby I lefte off from putting that in practise which I had contriued in my thought By this meanes Raiartes had me in his power and hauing the whole Iland at his commaundement he carried me contrary to my will into his owne country with these aged Knights my néere kinsmen there he requested me of loue and prayed me to accept of him for husband What should I doo he was importunate in his demanund and I remayned in his daunger so that to put by the execution of his desire I had none other remedy but to aunswere him that so soone as he had perfourmed the promise which he made mee I woulde satisfie his whole intent This hearing he was well content and so I tolde him that he shoulde carrie me for the space of a twelue month into all places whether I would and if in the meane time I found a knight to defende my right by fighting against him he should graunt the Battayle with condition that if my knight vanquished him I should be fré from his demaund and my lande at quiet otherwise if he had the vpper hand I from thence-foorthe to be at his commaundement and he doo what euer lyked him This knight most noble Souldan counfailing with his strength and thinking all mens vertues infertor to his tooke vpon him the Quest glad by such meanes to manifest his power and so he carried me from the Iland Zardia more then halfe a yere past in which time yet I haue not found a Knight to vndertake my quarrell and yet I haue bene in the courts of mightie Kings and other great Lords Now séeing the tearme set betweene vs is more then halfe expired for my last refuge hether am I come to thy court to proue if heere my good fortune should be such that I should finde in it that which I haue so long sued for in other Courts Héere she ended with sighes and sobs out of measure therby vttering the sorrow she had in hir heart and the griefe for to loue such a knight which mooued great compassion in both Souldan and others of his company But there was no knight which would aunswere for the Princesse Radamira that was hir name and yet there were many in the Souldans presence Then in great pride and with a fierce looke this terrible Raiartes spake vnto hir What knight is there in the world so foole-hardie and presumptious Radamira which for thy cause durst enter into lystes with me yea be it that both right and iustice were right and cléere on his side And art not thou quite deuoyd of reson to liue vndone that which I beséech thée Besides valewing thy beautie with my brauerie and thy pride with my puissaunce I shall séeme to set too lowe a price on my selfe if I enioy thée and if there be any knight héere which will saye the contrarye I will soone make him recant his folly Raiartes hauing sayd thus knit his browes made such a grim countenance that all they feared him which beheld him and there was not a knight so hardie as to answere any thing in the Princesse Radamiras behalfe as if it had bene méere sinne in a Gentlewoman straungers right to hazard their person vpon a diuell rather then vppon a humane creature Euery man was still to the no little griefe of the Souldan in that his court â—rceiued such disgrace but the Gentleman of the Sunne sitting by and mooued with compassion towards the Gentlewoman arose on his féete and made aunswere to Raiartes saieng Sir knight it is a great blasphemie to knighthood to say that in the whole world there is not a knight which dare fight with thée Thy lye is loud and thou dost against all reason enforce this Princesse to marrie thée Be thou sure that if I were a knight I would suffer a thousand deaths rather then such reproach should be offered to a Gentlewoman For thy browne beautie is not fit to be hir play-fellowe and saieng thus he set himselfe downe againe Raiartes madde angry for these words fourning towardes him and rolling his eyes with great rage aunswered If thou wert as strong as thou art foolish thou weake youngling I would make thy life and thy words ende at one time But they say commonly
Raiartes is one of the strongest and worthiest knights that is among the Pagans and his pride is so great that he alone would not refuse to ioyne with an C. knights and would well thinke to haue the masterie of them all before he would be taken Thus the bench was not idle and the Princesse Radamira very busely attended vpon hir knight and watched euery turne more then halfe ioyfully speaking thus vnto the Princesse Balisea standing by I beléeue for a certaintie Princes Balisea that our high Gods now at length cloyed with my mishaps haue prouided this knight for me for in respect of his beautie great bountie he séemeth rather heauenly then terrestriall Yea so I thinke then aunswered the Princesse Balisea and that not onely for your succour but to ayde me and my cause the Gods haue sent him hether for by him I looke to bée quéene of Persia Do you so madame sayd Radamira now I pray our Gods that he well escape this battaile to fulfill your heartes desire and truely if he become victour not only I shall be auenged on him for my fathers death but I will make account that I am now risen from death to life for sooner had I purposed to kill my selfe then to lie in Raiartes armes But all this while the good knightes plied the combat fighting couragiously till they were fore wearied euerie one misconstruing the euent For Raiartes seeing that the longer the battaile lasted the farther he was from the victory with all the force he might he stroke the knight of the Sunne such a blow on the helmet that his sences wer bereft him had he not taken hold of the saddle bow he had kissed the ground So the fray was renued but the knight of the Sunne gaue Raiartes another blow as strong which bewitched his vnderstanding for his horse carried him about the field tossing him on the pomell of his saddle as if he had bene dead The knight of the Sunne thinking it no glory to smite a man halfe dead pursued him not but Raiartes reuiuing his face all bloudy with both his hands hit the knight of the Sunne vppon the head péece that if the helme had not bene the surer it had riuen him to the belly but the stroke amased him and the goare bloud ran out of his month and nostrells and his horse féeling part of the great blow carried his master from thence the good knight lieng vpon the crouper of his horse in an extasie as if hée had bene quite dead Raiartes hasted to haue giuen him another blow those which saw it were verie sad but none were euer so wofully begon as was the Princesse Radamira who with great griefe tourning hir selfe from that sight and fell on wéeping bitterly But Raiartes had not followed him foure paces with his horse when the good knight start vp and féeling his face wet with bloud in great fury spurred his horse and met Raiartes with such a blow that the fine helmet could not denie him passage but that he cloue Raiartes head in sunder Heere the shoote of the people and the Princesse Baliseas calling hir awaked the Princesse Radamira as it had bene out of a sound fléep and little looking for so good newes and the good Knight Raiartes béeing dead put vp his sword into the sheath demaunded of the Iudges if there were ought els to doo to make the Princesse frée The Princesse heard this gladly and the Iudges aunswered him no for that had sufficed which he had done Then with the noyse of instruments and much honour the Iudges led the knight of the Sunne from that place to the Pallaice where with great ioy and pleasure of the Souldan and Florion he was well receiued they shewing as much good will to him as if they had neuer inough in making of him The Gentleman Claueryndo and Brandizel glad of their friends conquest holp to vnarme him Then the Princesse Balisea came the Princesse Radamira dooing hir dutie to the knight of the Sun and as not able els to requite the courtesie he had showen hir she offered to him both hir lands and hir person the better to serue him Thus they tooke their rest many dayes the good knight was much honoured of them all And ther was a great feast made and diuers Iustes and Turnayes there proclaimed for the dubbing of Clauerindo and other Gentlemen Knights At this feast the Prince Claueryndo behaued him best so that all men iudged him to be a valiant knight And after this the Princesse Radamira minding to returne desired a safe-conduct of the Souldan who sent with hir an hundred knights and other men of war which sawe hir safely landed in hir countrey and in full possession of the crowne For after they knew that Raiartes was dead willingly they gaue hir place and the Princesse remained Ladie of it although not verye frée o◠hir thought from the knight of the Sunne whom she loued so well that in long time she forgate him not and it fell out so that in the ende she pleasured him wherefore he gaue vnto hir a mightie Prince for husband as shall be declared héereafter ¶ Africano king of Media and Persia inferred warre vpon the Souldan of Babylon Cap. 22. THe historie hath told you before that the strong mightie Africano transporting frō Africk into Asia by his force and valiante made himselfe Lord king of Media and after entered into the kingdome of Persia conquered it and ouerthrew Florion comming to succour his owne people after which time the Prince Florion recoiling backe to Babylon there remained very sorrowfull without hope to recouer his kingdome Now the storie retourneth to the same Africano and sayth that when he had appeased the people and brought these two kingdomes in quiet subiection as this is an imbecilitie of mans nature euer coueting to amplifie and inlarge our possessions so this stout and proud Pagan not content with that which he had alreadie got by disorder and rapine he aduentured yet farther to winne Babylon with all the kingdomes of the Assirians bordering in those parts reckoning himselfe alreadie in possession of them for the power of the Souldan was insufficient to repulse his forces hoping moreouer to adde to his dominions all those countries lieng in the coast of the middle earth-Sea For this cause he assembled his power as well Medians as other his subiects Hauing this greate armie in a readinesse yet trusting more in his owne person then in all his people he tooke the waye toward Babylon minding not to staie till hée came néere to Babylon This was some daies after the combat which the Knight had with Raiartes And as it fell out it was at the same time as the Souldan and the Prince Florion were deuising of the order which they should take for to recouer the kingdome of Persia that the newes came how the puissaunt Africano was on his way with a huge armie toward Babylon for which cause
pleasure and highlye magnifieng the noble Knight of the Sunne so as this discourse as an argument of greate good will canuased betwéene these knights and Princes brought them ere they were well aware before the Pallaice gate where the Princesse Balisea welcommed them with torch light the first whom she embraced was the Knight of the Sunne to whome shee said on this wise Sir knight we 〈◊〉 great cause to giue thanks to our Gods for your hether ariuall First you deliuered my Lord the Souldan and me from death now you haue set all vs frée from sorrowfull captiuitie But madame answered the knight of the Sunne to my Lord the Prince Florion and to these other knightes you ought to attribute this for they are those which haue destroyed Africanos hoast Then the Princesse tourned vnto Clauerindo and thanked him likewise for his paines in the defence of her fathers Citie and so to the rest in that order which best liked her After this they supped in the greate hall continuing there their sports till bed time as likewise the citizens well shewed their good liking of the victory by bonfires and other reuelling sport The next day they ordeined that which followeth ¶ The knight of the Sunne the two Princes Florion and Clauerindo with a great hoast enter into Persia and there put Florion in possession of the Crowne Cap. 25. THE next day after dinner the Souldan himselfe entered into the counsaile chamber and other affaires being laid a part the wise Lyrgandeo made this Oration It is apparantly knowne vnto vs all how bountifully our high Gods haue dealt with vs as well touching my Lord the Souldan as the Prince Florion and the whole nation of the Assyrians in bringing to this Court the knight of the Sunne and the Prince Clauerindo who by theyr notable vertues not onely haue kept this citie from sacking but also as we make account haue left the realme of Persia naked for resistaunce not one speare remaining to bée tossed against vs. For the attayning of either of these things we are not ignoraunt how weake and vnable we were that were it not for these two young Gentlemen not onely our home bred power but also thrice as many of forreine succours coulde not haue hindered Africano from his purpose Wherefore I thinke it conuenient that sith the Gods haue graunted vs this victorie and that we haue the winde at our backes that we followe our good Fortune while we haue her least by ouerslipping the opportunitie we to late repent our too much daintinesse My meaning is that with such spéed as may be the Prince Florion and these Lordes depart the realme into Persia there to make claime of his right by armes whilest euery man is occupied in complaining on his owne harmes For although as yet there dare no man stand against vs yet for a certeintie there is a king of Media Africanos sonne which ere it be long will bée our heauie neighbour he is not yet made Knight but his destinie foresheweth vs that if hée once come to boorde in Persia we shall bée no lesse disquieted with his companie then we were with Africano his Father The wise Lyrgandeo made an end of his Oration knitting vp his matter with this clause that it were not out of the way to aduise themselues notwithstanding for good resons this was his iudgement They which would neuer contrarie him in any point tooke no further respite but consenting to the effect of Lyrgandeos Oration concerning the conquest of Persia tooke this order The Prince Florion the Knight of the Sunne Clauerindo and Armineo his vnckle with fiftéene thousand Knightes and fiftie thousand footemen within ten dayes shoulde prepare themselues for this aduenture the Princesse Balisea abiding with the Souldan her Father till the kingdome were well setteled from tumult and the Prince in peaceable fruition of the crowne This they dealt in effectually for within the compasse of the dayes limitted they left Babylon the Souldan and the Princesse onely comforted with the hope which Lyrgandeo made promise of The fiftéene thousand Knightes with the foote men by long iourneyes entering into Persia and comming néere vnto one of the chiefest Cities of the Kingdome there in the plaine vnloaded their carriage to erect theyr tentes there But the Citizens hauing vnderstanding of Africanos death by the fugitiues in the last discomfiture of Africanos hoast and thinking it not safetie for themselues to rebell against their liege naturall Lord Florion especially he hauing the aide of the whole floure of Babylon set their gates wide open for his armie and sent of theyr worthiest knightes to Florions tent to inuite him to his owne Citie and to craue pardon for their former reâ—â—ulting in that time when they were lefte destitute of mans succour not béeing able of themselues to withstande the force of Africano And also excusing themselues that they had neuer a guide to conduct them into the fielde against so strong an enimie hauing in his power the greatest part of all Asia The Prince lightly excusing their fault easily condescended vnto theyr requests and béeing gladde of so good enterteinement of the first the next daye rode into the Citie with the ioyfull acclamations of the whole multitude There he resumed the Crowne and Scepter and béeing in quiet seyzure the subiectes of the Realme by the fame of his thether arriuall came from all partes to doe him homage so that in halfe a yeares space all the principall Cities of the kingdome submitted themselues and there was lefte no more memorie of the vsurpers name The King Florion seyzed of his lande in such a friendly manner nowe tooke counsayle how to haue the Quéene his wife conuayed thether and for that it was requisite that the king himselfe should tarrie behinde for the appeasing of all tumults if anie should arise in so rawe a possession hée gaue the charge of fetching the Quéene with all reasonable pompe vnto the knight of the Sunne and the Prince Clauerindo they to take with them 200. knightes for their safetie They tooke it gladly and frayted their shippes with necessarie prouision and other furniture for warre determining to trauaile by sea the sooner to come vnto their iourneies end When euerie thing was in a readinesse the knights tooke theyr leaue of the king Florion and the wise Lyrgandeo But the wise man not refraining from teares and louingly embracing the Knight of the Sunne burst out into these speaches in such sorte as the Sibilles in ancient time were wont to read mens destinies Noble and worthie Knight you are determined to see Babylon but you are vncerteyne whether euer to see it or to retourne to Persia and as little knowe I what shall befall For truth it is that all the heauenly sphéeres warrant more vnto you then to to any knight what that is it is kept from me I cannot finde the entrie therevnto wherefore I am in doubt of your hether retourne But if the fates or
beholders Now for that which followeth you must intend that the wise man vttered his speaches to the king in the audience of the whole multitude many knightes and other compassing him about to heare his arraunt so that few or none but were partakers of it Amongest them was Brandagedeon bearing himselfe within the lists as proudly as the Cocke of the game doth in the Cocke pit when the crauen is chased Then hearing that the tent was put for a rewarde to him which could vnhorse the young knight when he sawe time he cried aloud to Rosicleer saieng In good sooth new knight thou bewraiest thy folly and lacke of experience when thou sawest me stand in this place with my speare in my hand to make that challenge which shall not be in thy power to maintaine so surely but that I will be the master of thy pauillion yet Gods blessing on thy heart for bringing so faire a Iewell béeing indéede fitter for me then for thée Rosicleer whose courage neuer tainted aunswered as shortly It shal bée thine Gyant if thou winnest it and there shall no man forbidde thée the possession of it if thou ouerthrowe mée And without more words he tooke a great Speare from the ratter and tourning his horse head he rode softly to the place where the iustes were kept In his way thether Rosicleer lyfting vp his eyes to the Scaffold of the Gentlewomen he saws the beautifull Oliuia standing directlye against his face excéeding no lesse the other Gentlewomen in brightnesse then the Moone excelleth the starres in a frostie night O poore Rosicleer what a looke was that which locked thée from thy rest for with her beautie thou wast wounded at the heart that albeit in time the skinne ouergrew it and the flesh healed yet the skarre remained and neuer knight in the worlde loued more loyally then thou diddest For though the sight was short and the blowe quicke yet the wounde was déepe and the smart curelesse O full many a bolde enterprise diddest thou achieue ere thou gainedst a reasonable guerdon for thy greate good will And thou faire Princesse being within the hearing of the wise mans speach diddest not spare to lend thine eares to another mans tale and shine eyes to another mannes brauerie that thy succours béeing farre from thée thy heart had not the power to repulse thy aduersarie loue béeing the onely occasion of thy vnrest But Lord what alteration both of you felt by the enterchaunge of your lookes which serued likewise for messengers to tell your tales betwixt you And yet I cannot déeme but that this loue so enraged his courage against Brandagedeon as otherwise I maye thinke hée had not done so well But comming into the place hée addressed himselfe towardes Brandagedeon both of them now béeing in a readinesse The King at this time verie sorrowfull to see the newe Knight in his first batâ—aile to endaunger himselfe vpon a Gyaunt and woulde haue talked with Artemidoro about this matter but the wise man gaue no answere and to the end not to discouer more then was behouefull he conueyed himselfe out of the kings sight So the king held still his opinion of the young knights weaknesse till the issue disproued his thought For in the carryer when the two knightes met in the middest of the Tilt-yarde the Gyants Speare burst vpon Rosicleers head peace no more moouing him with the blowe then if hée had stroke agaynst a wall But Rosicleer hurling at the breast of Brandagedeon ouerthrewe him and his horse to the grounde the horse in the fall brusing the Gyauntes shoulder that his Knightes were faine to carrie him out of the preale whereat all the standers by with great admiration behelde Rosicleer euerye man being a Prophet as his heart gaue him that Rosicleer would proue the best knight in the world séeing that at his first encounter in tilt hauing neuer had to doe with anie knight before be had ouerthrowen so mightie a Gyant The King nowe thought that Rosicleer had well amended the greate corsie which hée had taken at his Knightes disgrace and the other Knightes were gladde to haue that huge monster ridde away bolder and willinger valyauntly to aduenture themselues agaynst Rosicleer then against a Gyaunt and their courage was the more for the richnesse of the tent which had inuegled theyr conetous mindes to venture the purchase But as the knightes entered to iust with him he ouerthrew them all béeing more then an 100. knightes without that anie man was able to sit the second iourney Then the kings knightes entered by name Brandaristes Brandidarte Allamedes the Princes Argiles and Orgiles Don Brunio Prince of Numidia other all which he threw downe so lightly as that they might not turne one course more that daie Some held more tacke with him as you shall heare héereafter but by the way the king turning to his Lords spake on this wise Truely my Lordes if I had not my selfe séene the valourous déedes of this Knight I should hardly haue credited another so incredible the truth is that one shoulde worke such masteries I would the iusts were ended that I might sée this knight vnarmed to knowe him and honour him as is reason True it is aunswered his nobles and for his valour there is not so puissaunt a Prince in the world but that he shall haue cause to be gladde of his seruice This was a breathing time for Rosicleer but yet I am perswaded that it was no plaieng time although no enimie appeared for he had a greater conflict within his bones then he professed outwardly and therefore his heart neither fully assured nor yet in daunger gased vpon the beautie of Oliuia Whereby the fire entering closely by the vaynes wasted and consumed his flesh sooner then hée felt the flame or coulde thinke of remedie but better considering that hée was within the compasse of loues segniorie and that his matter was to bee tryed at the great assise in loues dominion he tooke better aduisement to alter it to an action vpon the case of couenaunt against his mistresse the matter arising vppon exchaunge of lookes as you haue heard And for this cause he enterteyned Sergaunt hope to bée his Lawyer and féeyd diuers others to assist him but master Despaire an old stager had wonne the day of him had not the whole Bench and especially the chiefe Iustice Desert staied vppon a demurre which reléeued much Rosicleers courage and made him looke more freshly vpon hope to finde out better euidence for recouery of his sute But as Rosicleer thus plyed his cause at the Barre so gentle Cupide attended vpon his Mistresse faithfully seruing him and beating into hir head the remembraunce of his actes and the beautie of his personage that the windowes of hir desire being set wide open she viewed hir fill wishing yet to sée his face thereby to comfort hir selfe if his visage were aunswerable to his vertue Now Don Siluerio with an enuious eye minding to interrupte
he sawe a huge Gyaunt in white armour vpon a great Courser with a hoarce and disdainfull voyce commaunding the people to make him roome and not farre from this Giant a gentlewoman vpon a palfray in straunge attire much different from ours hir face was all bedewed with teares as if the Giant had vsed violence towards hir The Gyant approching to the place where the King stoode made no reuerence but the Gentlewoman knéeled downe saieng Know most excellent Prince that the renowne of this Court hath brought me from far Countries hether chiefly for one cause which the wickednesse of this Gyaunt hath now made two the originall of them both you shall heare nowe vnder one In the farther parte of the East néere vnto the great Cataya there gouerneth a Princesse named Iulia as yet but young of peares but not young for handsomnesse héeing nowe as it were in the pride of all her beautie Hir Father was a right cunning Magitian instructing hir so perfectlye in his skill as now therein there are fewe comparable For since his death she hir selfe diuined by hir knowledge that she shoulde be prisoner to two Giauntes and should be inlarged by one Knight which should fight with them both For the case should stand thus that if hir Knight were vanquished she should as perpetually captiuate be at theyr commaunde otherwise to be at lybertie if they were yelden Hir selfe foreséeing this and not finding who hée might be hath prouided by hir knowledge not to bée beguyled for by hir Arte she made this sworde which no Knighte maye euer vnsheath but onely he which must fight with the two Gyants for hir lyhertie and besides the sworde is such as without it it were an harde aduenture but with it the Knight maye boldelye venture on his foes The sworde shée made and kept close till time these two Giannts by night assailing hir got the Lordship of hir person after which time by a trustie seruaunt she caused this sword to be conuayed vnto me with this commaund to trauaile for hir sake in all Princes Courtes and to séeke out the Knight which could shuld maintain hir quarrell Three yeares are passed since I vnder tooke this enterprise and within this thrée moneths landing in an Iland towardes the West after a long iourney to no purpose it was my fortune to méete this Giant Candramarte there making him pertaker of my sute he requested to prooue the aduenture which I graunted but when he coulde not drawe it out beeing couetous of the sworde he denied it me againe saieng For so much as you go to the King of Englands Court there to séeke some Knight which will doo his deuoure in your mistresse behalfe No man shall attempt the aduenture of the sworde but he shall first trie his forces vpon me and if by him I be vanquisht or slaine let him take the sword other wise I will with holde it from all men with this he promised to beare me companie and I of two-euills determined to choose the lesse Albeit at this instaunt I am in greater extremitie by reason of this Gyaunts wrong done to me and my mistresse thraldome This is the necessitie which draue me hether and I am humbly to beséech your Maiestie discréetly to weight my cause and to giue remedie by your subiects as you best may Candramarte all this time standing by in the ende auerred hir tale to be true and farther intimated to the Knights and Princes that seeing he coulde not drawe out the sword there should no man be master of it but by the mastrie of him but saith he I will defend it against any Knight which shall demaund it All the Knightes behelde the sword with the rich hangers as the fairest which they had séene but the King somewhat angrie at the Gyauntes rudenesse towards the Gentlewoman said to him in this manner Candramarte thou hast done ill to take this sworde from the Gentlewoman for as it séemes Iulia made it not for thée and thy pride is ouer great to suppose that none in the world will demaund it of thée The Gyaunt angerlye looking vpon the King as though his eyes would haue flien out of his visage said to the King Demaund it then thy selfe sir King or set anie of thy knights to aske it and I will then make aunswere vnto thée howe rashlie thou hast taken vpon thée to correct me These speaches were delyuered with so high a voyce by the Giant that all the knights which were in the compasse heard it but no man spake a word so that the Kings choller encreased both against the Giant and his own subiects And I must beare with them for the Giant was great and tall and as hardie as a Lyon and no man liuing verye néere matchable for so good Fortune but yet there way within the lystes both a hardier and more fortunate Knight euen the good Rosicleer which ouer-hearing his vndiscréete talke vnto the King comming neere vnto the Giaunt tooke him vp in this sort Candramarte content thy selfe and learne to know vnto whome thou speakest for I tell thée that King Oliuerio hath such Knights in his Court as can make thée amende thy rusticitie though thou wert more vntaught then thou art and for that thou shalt not mistrust me beholde I am the last and the least of them yet as one which desires to serue him with the most In his name and in behalfe of the Gentlewoman I charge thée surrender the sworde vnto the Gentlewoman or if thou wilt not that do thou take that part of the field which shall best lyke thée for in this quarrell I will either kill or be killed With a terrible countenaunce Candramarte stared vpon Rosicleer as who shuld say darest thou speake so boldly and perceiuing him to be but a young Knight which he noted by his white armor in great scorn he aunswered thus I sée well foolish Knight thou hast not bene long acquainted with the burthen of armour for if thou wert in thy kinde and hadde well wayed the successe of Combatons thou wouldest shake euerie ioynt of thée to beholde mée But thy ignoraunce makes thée leape beyonde thy lash and thrusteth thée forwarde to thine owne decaye But séeing thou hast made choyce thy selfe of thy deaths-man let vs goe to the battaile for I would not but that thou shouldest repent thée of thy foolishnesse So Candramarte broched his horse with the spurres and Rosicleer did the like which appeased the Kings displeasure that he knewe not howe to recompence his for wardnesse in dooing him plesure albeit it may be if he loued Rosicleer that he somewhat mistrusted the euent because the Gyaunt was bigge and Rosicleer vnexercised in armes and that which was chiefest without a sword but for remedie thereto he caused a sworde of his owne to be fetched wherewith he charged a Knight to deliuer it to Rosicleer with this commaundement That séeing in his name he hath so well fitted Candramarte for his auns
your will One of them in great scorne said If you will néeds be of counsaile with vs I will prick you the cause vpon my speares point But Fidelia cried Ah my Lord deliuer me from these false théeues which will lead me away prisoner I know not wherefore Rosicleer hearing them both without more to do gaue one of them such a blow vpon the breast with his launce that it pearced him through he fell dead to the ground the two valiant Princes ran against two within short time flew them the thrée which remained set vpon Rosicleer but he cleft one with his swoord made the other two to gallop away The two Princes loth to let any of them escape followed them in such sort that they foure were now entred into the thickest of the woode Rosicleer being alone with the Gentlewoman Fidelia now at libertie and onely the companie of Rosicleer stoode in a doubt whether after so great curtesie shée might in her mistresse name declare so vncurteous a message but remembring her selfe to bée at anothers commaunde vnto whome shée had promised her faith in this matter the time also so fit for the accomplishment of her Ladyes charge she discouered her selte to Rosicleer who presently knewe her and much abashed to sée her in that plyght alighted from his horse to embrace her and as it hath béene recounted his speach was on this manner What misfortune faire Gentlewoman hath brought you from that heauenly court wherein you were once acquainted to séeke harborowe among such vnciuill hostes as these knights are Fidelias aunswere was short in these tearms O noble Rosicleer the anguish which Fidelia féeles is indeed great but yet it onely ariseth through the remembrance of that message which she hath in charge vnto Rosicleer with that she wept bitterly Then somwhat amazed he sayd vnto her Tell on faire Gentlewoman and if your sorrow be for my sake let me beare part with you thanked be God I am not altogether a straunger to mishaps yet wist he not whereabout her message was but he being very earnest to haue the message tolde him she drew out the letter out of a little bore and put it into his hand with so much paine that she could not speake a word withall Rosicleer hauing the letter desirous to knowe what was in it opened it presently wherein he soone espyed the set determination of the Princesse as touching his exile but before he had well weied of the contents espieng onely Oliuias name in the inscription as we saie that mennes mindes misgiues them against a mischiefe so his heart throbbed all his bodie tremble and he had much adoe to force himselfe to indure the vttermost The Letter sayd as followeth ¶ The high and mightie Princesse the Princesse Oliuia Princesse of great Britaine vnto the most arrogant Rosicleer sendeth perpetuall disgrace for thy lewde attempt BEeing no lesse iniured by thy presumption then minding the punishment of thy folly I haue written vnto thée And know thou that thy letter hath come not to me in daye light nor deliuered in thy name least I might iustly haue refused it but in the night time and that closely and by strealth conuayed in my cofer that I might first be beguiled ere I might forethinke mée of the deceit The receiuing wherof albeit so at vnawares hath somewhat blemished my honour and the shame thereof if I thought possible to bée rubde out I would not spare for Tems water being so néere my fathers pallaice But to make amendes for my fault and least thou take some pride in thine impudencie I am driuen nowe to an other inconueniencie that is to aunswere thée whome otherwise I woulde not haue vouchsafed in this respect the courtesie of a good looke In thy letter the first point of thy pride I finde to bée in bending thy lyking towardes mée The second and greater in daring to manifest it vnto mée The third and especiall in forcing mée by coppie of wordes and an olde tale of loues power to giue some reliefe to thy heauinesse Which thy intollerable pride as it séemed rare and straunge vnto me so it made me more narrowly to fist and examining my selfe throughly and in euerie pointe if eyther the lyghtnesse of my lookes or my vnchast demeanour or the lacke of foresight in my speach or the familiaritie of acquaintance might giue occasion to so base a Knight as to attempt a Princesse Wherein if I coulde haue called to minde anie little ouersight whereby thou mightest haue courage of impeaching my honour I woulde first haue punished it in my selfe as I am now purposed to amende it in thée Onely I remember I bestowed vppon thée largely and what then Thou therefore as Lucifer hauing more graces then thy fellowe Angells wilt pull GOD out of his throne Note that the staye of true vertue is humilitye and there is no glorie so cléere but pride may darken it Because I humbled my selfe so much as to thinke of thy meane vertues wouldest thou venture this Did my beutie cause thée to loue me and could not my estate with-hold thy penne but thou must challenge mée for it I was aboue thy reach and why diddest thou not feare thy ouer-strayning if thou meantest to compasse me God neuer punisheth the desire of things allowed by nature but thou shalt finde occasion of smart by thy disordered affection What if loue be so great as thou painest thy selfe to proue vnto me Did not other Princes sée mée from whome yet the honest regard of my greatnesse shéeleded me which thought neuer entered into so abiect an heart as thine is Yet Caesar forsooth and Hannibal and Mars and Iupiter were ouercome with lyke passions What euer good lyking I might haue had to them I tell thée I lyst not to heare poore Rosicleers tale Thou wilt haue mee so to vse clemencie towardes thée as I shall thereby to be cruell to my selfe otherwise thou diddest my losse Then must I haue regarde and for euer cease thou to trouble me in lyke manner Or if because thou louest mée I must deale with thée accordingly I am content but to thy greater griefe For marke the greater loue deserueth the greater chastisement and greater is the fault done vppon presumption then by ignoraunce or infirmitye as much lesse sufferable is the disgrace wrought by a friend then by a foe and the louers vnkindnesse is lesse excusable then the straungers Thou professest thy selfe my friend louer and I protest and proclaime my selfe nowe to bée wronged at thy hand Iudge thy selfe how I can beare it For this iniurie which thus spiteth me I charge thee auoyd this Court forsake the land and if thou meanest good to me get thée thether from whence neuer newes of thy name maye be brought to England This way shalt thou prooue thy loue and els not and so she leaueth thée till doomes daye Thy mortall enimie Oliuia When Rosicleer had read the words of the letter the
themselues Castles of Hope albeit sometime without foundation or sure grounde whereon they may surely stand so her loue waxed ielous ouer him and shee beganne to cast with her selfe why Rosicleer should write to the Princesse Briana being to her no kiffe nor kinne to her and so meane borne out of which in the ende she picked out this hope that out of doubt his birth was as good as his bringing vp In this matter therefore she laboured Fidelia secretly to steale that Letter from the Gentlewoman Arinda her bedfellowe and talking about this matter one certayne time with Fidelia among other thinges shée sayde Oh my Fidelia as I had the power to banish Rosicleer the lande so woulde I that I coulde banish him from my memory how profitable had thy counsaile bene then vnto mée but what shall I doe for that remedie is no more auayleable since his absence woundes me more then his presence I graunt thée the fight of the beloued to some increaseth loue still offering it selfe to be seene and yet to other some againe the thing dayly séene bringeth little delight but rather lothsomenesse as contrarywise sometimes loue is mooued by discontinuance and sometimes mens desire increaseth the flame albeit the beloued appeare not in presence But this thou takest to bée impossible for thou art not touched with the like passions and none knowes the bitternesse thereof but the experienced as appeareth by thée which hast ministred a medicine not of force against my disease But make me amends and once againe venture for my sake I remember that Arinda hath a Letter of Rosicleers to the Princesse Briana to what purpose I knowe not but I would gladly sée it this steale from her and bring it mée that I maye read it I cannot say what good newes my minde foretells me by it but sure I long to reade it as if there were some great secrete conteyned therein and quiet shall I not be till I haue had it Héereto Fidelia replied briefly that this matter shoulde bée lefte vnto her to watch her epportunitie and indéede when Fidelia and Arinda slept together one night Fidelia espieng Arinda fast on sléepe rose as softlye as shée might and taking one of the keyes which Arinda had tyed to her girdle therewith shée opened the cal ket and pulled out Rosicleers Letter which she brought to her mistresse lodging whom she found waiting for some gladde newes The Princesse her selfe would not open the Letter but gaue it to Fidelia which vnsealed it and read as followeth ¶ To his good Mother the high and mightie Princesse Briana IF my departure from your presence procureth your iust displeasure beléeue mée madame and my good mother your sonne Rosicleer cannot bée well pleased therwith fore-séeing the great solytarinesse wherein you remained and yet because this my iourney hath so prospered with mée I am the better contented and I beséech your grace to quyet your selfe vppon Gods ordinaunce from whom I am perswaded this motion in mée procéeded Besides the Storie of mine owne good Fortime which Arinda may safelye reporte I haue hearde newes as touching your selfe the redeliuerie of my Father and the safetie of my Brother For since my departure I haue gotte acquaintaunce with Artemidoro a great wise of man of Greece perhappes he is not vnknowen vnto you of whome I haue learned that your husband my Father shall ere long retourne vnto you That the Gentleman of the Sunne my brother is aliue and alreadie Knighted and for prowesse so greatlye approued as not the Knightes of elder time are thought matchable that hée and I shall knowe our Father to be the most valiaunt and worthyest Prince on the earth that wée shall haue a pleasaunt ende of our sorrowfull beginninges which God graunt As touching mine owne estate I haue béene brought by this Artemidoro to the Court of king Oliuerio where by his owne handes I haue béene dubbed Knight and haue receiued such honour as if I had béene his knowen Nephew and had it not béene that your grace had commaunded the contrarie not suffering our progenie to be knowen I should for this fauour haue bewrayed the truth at least to haue giuen him some comfort for the supposed losse of Prince Edward but I will obey your commaund And these newes I thought to make you priuie vnto as not béeing ignoraunt of your heauinesse which I praye God lessen to your comfort Farther as touching these matters Arinda maye tell you of the specialties The Almightie sende you speedely your desired husband I take my leaue kissing your royall handes ¶ Your obedient sonne Rosicleer When Fidelia had ended the letter and the Princesse had well vnderstood the secretes thereof what tongue may expresse the great ioye that entered into hir sorrowfull minde as if shée had but nowe recouered hir lost hope and hadde she not nowe counterpaized hir auncient sorrowe with this late sprong ioye hir life had bene in daunger for in no other thing excessiue ioy may doo so much harme as in the heartes of true louers Amongst whome I can compare these two Princes Rosicleer and the beautifull Oliuia as the chiefest This Princesse nowe ridde of some parte of hir feare and as it were brought into a newe world thought to make amends by punishing hir selfe for hir cruell letter thus saith she Oh how well am I worthy of the paynes which I now sustaine in the repentaunce of my former fact not onely for that which against Rosicleer I haue committed but also for the little credite I haue had of his valourous personage Where were mine eyes and iudgment when I did not prooue his nobilitie by his vertue howe great was my pride in that I woulde in such sorte despise so worthye a Knight and bannish him not onelye my presence but this Kingdome also O inconstant and fraile woman-kinde for iust cause lyghtly regarded among wise men sith we are lyght in beléefe lyght in iudgement and ouer-hastye in shewing the effect of our conceite What occasion had Rosicleer giuen me that I shoulde make exchaunge for the great good will which I bare vnto him with so cruell a sentence as to dispatch him from my presence What had he in his letter any dishonest word any vnlawfull demaunde or did he mooue me to the thing preiudiciall to my great Estate This he desired that I shoulde knowe he loued me why shoulde I be ashamed that my inferiours loue me and that he shoulde lyke of me was the thing I desired Tell me Fidelia what is thy counsaile for to amende this faulte me thinkes we are in worse case then before Rosicleer is alreadie departed the Countrey and if I sende to call him backe he will not regarde mée or will it not be thought lyghtnesse after that I had in such earnestnesse refused him as it were yesterday this day sodainelye to alter my purpose Besides that when hée retourneth into this Court his glorye maye encrease to my dis worshippe and againe if to
aduenture which brought mée hether hath béene by occasion of a storme which draue me on this shoare and this is the first lande whereon I set foote since this tempest tooke my shippe and courtesie commaunded mée to lend mine aide when I sawe you ouermatched with number And thus much for aunswere to your demaund but now agayne that I haue tolde you that which you required so I praie you tell me your name and for what cause this cruell battaile hath béene fought betwéene these Gyaunts and you While the Knight of the Sunne spake thus Rosicleer beheld him verie sadly and hearing him say that he was the Knight of the Sunne and that he knew no more of his estate hée thought that peraduenture this same might bée his brother of whome Artemidoro had tolde him such meruailes but leauing this suspition till he might question of it more at large he satisfied the knight of the Sunne as to his question in short speach after this manner Your friendshippe was great and so I make reckoning of it otherwise I should not haue happened on so good a time to tell you my name in which because you would learne of mée you shall vnderstand that my name is Rosicleer and that I was of good report in the Court of king Oliuerio the king of great Britaine although my mishappe causing it I doubt me so much that my name is once mentioned amongest them but that matter I will leaue off as not pertinent this which you require about our fight sprong vpon this occasion and so he shewed the whole order both of the receiuing of his Auant Cheualier at the kings hands the first dayes iusting the seconds dayes combat with Candramarte the honour of the iusts the enuie of Candramarte point by point the whole storie as you heard before Which tale Rosicleer had searcely finished when the Gentlewoman which all this while remained in the ship cryed out whereat they turning their heads sawe in what manner shée outraged saieng O spightfull Fortune doe what thou canst for the succour which I haue wanted on lande I hope to finde in the bottome of the Seas and the God Neptune which hath power ouer the swelling waues shall kéepe me from farther vengeaunce wherewith she leaped into the Sea but being clad in large garmentes shée could not drowne presently The knight of the Sunne and Rosicleer séeing her in that estate pittyed her greatly but she was too farre off for them to wade néere so the knight of the Sunne tooke his boat hastely to helpe the Gentlwoman where otherwise then he looked for the boate was carried by violence another way and albeit hée stroue to bring it towardes her yet preuailed he nothing for it sayled in the Sea as swiftlye as sometimes the cloudes racke in the aire béeing driuen by the windes presently Rosicleer with greate griefe lost the sight of the boate werefore fetching a déepe sigh as for that his former hope was cleane dashed to haue found his brother he said as followeth Fortune the thing which I most detest therein thou shewest thy selfe most fauourable vnto me This is my life which now twice thou hast restored me without my wish but that which my heart most desired and with which my lyfe should finde most ease therein thou shewest thy selfe an aduersarie to me so that whatsoeuer good happeneth vnto me thou makest me thinke that it happeneth for the worst for the longer I liue the more are my paines increased Now by that time that he had lamented a while for this sodeine losse of the straunge knight he sawe the gentlewoman cast vppon the sandes not yet dead whome he caused those Knightes which were escaped in the battayle to carrye vnto the Castle and there to finde some remedie for her Thus the knights did with whom he went to one of the Castles where for this time we will leaue him to follow the knight of the Sunne on his iourney by Sea ¶ The Knight of the Sunne was carryed to the Ilande of Lindaraza where hee atchieued manie straunge and fearefull aduentures Cap. 44. WIth great swiftnesse and incredible hast the Boate whereas the Knight sayled was carryed passing in short time the déepe Atlantike and West Occean néere the vttermost Cape of the Ponent till from thence it droue vppon the Pillours of Hercules where his mightie arme and stéeled forke made place for the Occean to enter and water the earth This Sea is called Mediterraneum Sea and into this Sea the Knight of the Sunne shooued his Boat where he found well peopled Townes and greater delight then appeared in the winde and West Occean and he beganne to receiue some ioye of his hether arriuall as if not without cause he were carried in such hast and that some great thing was thereby hoped for but as sorie for his sodaine acquaintaunce with Rosicleer he beséeched his Gods with all his heart that they might once méete againe and at more leasure recount each to other of theyr aduentures Well on all griefes whether for his fréendes Brandyzel and Claueryndo or this vnacquaynted Rosicleer or the vnskilfulnesse of his waye were extinguished by that his learned Gouernour guyded theyr Barke whether it was conuenient So still hoping for the Porte and Hauen wherein his little boate shoulde ride he sayled as I sayde in the middle earth Sea where on the lefte hande he sawe Spaine Portugall and those Countreyes where he coulde gladly haue bestowed himselfe but that he was not to commaund the stéeres-man but in good time came he thether as shall be recited in the Historie heereafter Although by shoare on the right hande he lefte Affricke Carthage and Tures and forwarde as he sayled he discouered the Ilandes Baleares and Sardinia with the warlyke Italy and the fertill Sicily where the flames of Aetna hill a while stayed him There might hée sée the ruinous Relyques of olde Syracusia and many perilious Mermaydes haunting those shoares much feared by all the Marriners Then sawe he the fresh water of the riuer Nylus which entereth the Sea by seauen mouthes From thence on the other hande might hée sée Greece where-with hée woulde more willynglye haue fed his eyes if he had then knowen the right which he hadde theretoo But from thence he lawnched into the broade Euxino where the wide Sea conuayed all thinges out of sight that nought appeared but clowdes aboue and waues beneath Long thus he sayled meruayling when his Nauigation shoulde take ende After this as it were a faire calme following a stormy tempest there appeared aboue the water a faire Iland vnto the which his boote draue whereat he was merry and pleasaunt thinking that there abode him some aduenture wherein he might trye his manly prowesse and full fayne he was to leaue the Sea héere I saye at this Ilande his Barke stayed whereby he knewe that his iourney was thetherward Then the Knight leaped to lande vppon the enterie whereof there was a banke cast of harde stone
touching whom the history saith that after these two Princes were in Persia some dayes hauing great desire to find out the Knight of the Sunne seeke strange aduentures one day as they were with Armineo vnckle to Clauerindo they determined betwéene themselues for to depart closely from them to goe by sea whether soeuer fortune would transport them whereto although Clauerindo and Armineo would haue made the king Florion priuie yet the Prince Brandizel would in no case consent beléeuing that if his parents knew of it they would not giue him leaue to goe from them so to pleasure him they kepte that counsel as priuie as they could And when all things were in readinesse one night secretly they conuaied themselues out of the citie and so straight to the sea side where they entered into a ship prouided for that purpose and hoising vp sailes they were carried they neither knew nor cared whether for the courages of these two Princes resolued to the search of worthie aduentures wold not let them be quiet so that any thing might better content their ease at home But as soone as they were gone the wise Lirgandeo knew of it and waieng the great commoditie which might ensue thereof to themselues and others he woulde not hinder it not yet make as if he knew it yet had hée great care to guide their ship wherein they sailed and they reached thether in fiftéene dayes which to other is an ordinarie moneths sailing that the marriners were abashed to sée the swiftnesse of the shippe beeing more then vsuall which when they had discouered to their Lords the Princes knew presently by whose meanes it so happened wherfore yet they were the better apayed for nowe they were sure thether to be carried which fitted best for their purpose Well shortly after these Princes departure and before it was eyther so noised or suspected Lyrgandeo declard the truth to the king Floron and the quéene Balisea willing them withall not to afflict them for that they thereby should gaine much honour and should retourne safely with the knight of the Sunne in their companie With this the king and quéene were indifferently appeased Nowe all matters quieted in Persia for the Princesse absence we may the fréelier beare the knightes companie which are yet sailing on the Sea so that the. 15. daie after they were departed from Persia they landed in a hauen of Polonia where their shippe stood still and taking land to learne some newes and know the countrie ere they had long trauailed they sawe before them a little towne to their iudgement pleasant and round about great flockes of men and women scattered and making great cries as if some great mischaunce had happened to them Armineo demaunded of them the cause of their sorrowe wherevnto an auncient man amongest them aunswered that a fierce Giant with more then fiftie knights had come in this morning vpon thē to steale awaie the Princesse Clarinea daughter to the king of Polonia theyr liege Lord that he had killed the greater number and spoiled the residue And as he thought was ere this time on his waie with the Princesse in his carriage from whome if it so be not all the world may recouer her why so sayde Armineo and where is the king or where are his knights that they doe not defend their Ladie The olde man aunswered they are in a towne foure mile off not mindfull of anie such matter and it hath not bene past eight dayes since the Princesse came to this towne and now this which you haue heard hath happened to her when the thrée knights heard this of the olde mans relation without staieng longer they gallopped with their horses so fast as they might comming néere to the towne they sawe issuing out of the gates a great troupe of knights the one parte driuing the other before it For so it was that the Gyaunt hauing the Princesse in his power was carrieng her awaye and the townsmen fought with him but their power little preuayled the Gyant was strong his knightes many and so they murthered all that came in such sort that all the Towne dwellers flod then came the other knightes which slewe many of them Twentie of the Gyants knights at once fell upon them laieng at them with all theyr forces the meane while that the Gyaunt helde in his armes the Princesse Clarinea and thinking that his knightes would make riddaunce of these thrée he tooke no more kéepe but rode away softly with the Princesse The Princesse cried out so loud that it was great pitie to heare hir and those which heard hir of hir owne knights came pitifully crieng to the knights straungers that for the honour of God they shuld goe helpe hir When this was spoken Brandizel besought his companions to stay there in the battaile to giue him leaue to follow the Giant which when they granted him he putting the spurres to his horse followed the trace the whiles the knights of Fraunce throughly galled their enimies For the one of them matchable I dare auouch with the auncient Franconio the Troyans sonne of whome hée descended for he putting himselfe in prease among them to some he claue their heads to other some their sheeldes murdering many and felling manye that at length there was none so hardie which durst stand him a blow but euerie of them did his best to saue one His vnkle Armineo in the broyle helped not a litle for he was a valiant knight and much estéemed of in Fraunce But let vs leaue them speak of the Prince Brandizel who pursued the Gyant He rode so fast that ere the Giant came within a flight shot of the sea he ouertooke in a large plaine and crieng alowde bad him redeliuer the Princesse false traitour as he was The Giant looked backe to sée what it was and séeing but one though riding in hast he cared not for him saue that not to be found vnprouided he loosed the Princesse from betwéens his armes and set hir on ground the Prince comming to him spake neuer a word but drawing his sword hit him so great a blowe vpon the helmet that he made him boow his head to his breast wherewith the Giant increased in cholar and gaue him the like this began the skirmish betweene them wherein the noyse was so great that the Princesse Clarinea before in a sound retourned to hir selfe and séeing the battaile with so little hope as that one onely knight should aduenture hir deliuerance fell into a sound again wherein she had died for sorrow had not God 〈…〉 When they had thus fought an houre it was a wonder to sée their brused armour with their backed shields but euer the stéele coate defended the biting of their swords especially Brandizels which made by Art Pagicke had this vertue that no mettall might pearce it The Gyaunt was hurt in manye places whereat as at the force of his adnersarie he was greatly estonished blasphemed his Gods in desperate
best knights of all those whom the Gyant had left giuing them liuerie and season in that lande and making others to sweare obedience Short time after hée would néeds depart with full purpose to kéepe in the Sea and not to depart till that he should haue sailed so farre that no words might be heard of him in those quarters Therefore he tooke his armour wherein was drawen the God of lous in such sort as our auncestours were wont to paint him with his eyes out his bowe and arrowes in his hand The picture béeing so liuely drawen that Rosicleer kuewe it was done by the wise Artemidoro and therevppon he sooke his name of that deuice from which time hée neuer called himselfe other then the Knight of Cupide vnder which name he atchieued many enterprises and Rosicleers name came neuer more to the eares of Oliuia Hauing put on his armour he tooke his leaue of Candriana for so was called the Daughter of Candramarte and for remembraunce onely the shippe wherein hée first sayled when hée lest great Britaine with two marriners to conduct it whome he charged not to call by other name then the Knight of Cupide and to guide the shippe Eastwarde When hée had so sailed fistéene daies without chancing to him anie thing worthie of recitall It was so that one morning by Sunne rising he sawe a little boate passe by him out of which he heard many cries as if it had bene the labour of some woman and thinking that there might be néede of some helpe he was desiraus to know what was in the shippe and therevpon he commaunded to ioyne with them Presently there ftept vppon the hatches a sadde auncient man with a white beard all armed saue the head which demaunded what hée woulde Rosicleer sayde I woulde knowe who is in your Shippe for me thinkes I haue heard some woman complaine and if it bée so I will venture my person to doe her good The auncient Knight behelde Rosicleer taking him to be some knight of great bountis especially in that he had offered himselfe so fréely When hée had throughly behelde he opened the matter on this sorte Assuredly good Knight I thanke you for your great good will and as it is not mis beséeming your outward beautie to haue some inwarde vertue lyke thereto But know you that in this shippe there abideth a Gentlewoman making towards the great Britaine there to complaine her to the King Oliuerio and his knightes of the outrage which is done vnto her Nowe because our staie is daungerous I may not tell you farther of this matter our enimies followe vs and so rest you with GOD. When the olde man had saide this Rosicleer hauing desire to know more staied him and besought him to discourse more at large for himselfe was a Knight of that Court and could tell him what remedie was to bée hoped for there The olde man was loth to staie longer yet hearing him say that he was of the same Court hée tolde him in fewe wordes that this Gentlewoman was the Princesse Arguirosa one of the fairest Ladies in the worlde and a Princesse of Thessalie onely heire to that kingdome That her mother béeing dead the King Arguidoro her father fell in loue with a Gentlewoman of Thessalie not so honest nor of so high estate as wanton and of base birth and louing her affectionately after marryed her to the dispossessing of his owne childe Then in the time of her Fathers life there was in the court a knight called Rolando besides his great liuing one of the strongest knightes in all those partes but proude and little respecting the whole worlde That this Knight during the lyfe of the King was lyked of Ipesca and so soone as the King Arguidoro dyed of a sodeyne disease was promoted to the Kinges bedde by matching with the Quéene and béeing of great reuenewes that he nowe inioyed the kingdome by force and excluding the right heyre none of the kingdome daring to gaine-saie him for the most able are his night kinsmen the other learne patience perforce But that which worst of all was that to vndoe her rightfull claime hée mindeth to marrie her with a kinsman of his and to giue onely some little Towne to dwell in reseruing the title of the Kingdome after his owne dayes to a sonne the which hée hath begotten on his Quéene Ipesca I am kinsman sayth he to the Princesse béeing her mothers brother and therefore I haue aduentured to rescewe my néece but not knowing any remedie at home because my power is not equall with Rolandos I haue brought her out from thence and I determine to goe to the great Britaine where as I haue heard there are many valyaunt knightes especially a new Knight of whom I haue heard especially since the great feasts there holden If this Knight helpe me not I know not who may with-stand Rolando Thrée nightes and dayes haue we bene vppon the Sea onely I the Lady two Gentlewomen and our Marriners and I beléeue that there come after vs Rolandos knightes Nowe haue I tolde you the whole of your desire and I beséech you tell vs what newes you knowe of that good knight Rosicleer nowe hauing heard the whole state of the Princesse Arguirosas matter was much treubled and desirous to helpe her hée aunswered the auncient man that for his staie he thanked him and as touching your demaund saith he of the new knight Truth it is that in Britaine none can tell you newes of him wherfore your labour should be lost if you sought him there But the Princesses affliction so much moueth me that albeit I was purposed other where yet would I gladly fight with Rolando in the Princesse behalfe The auncient knight was verie sad to heare that the newe Knight was not in Britaine but well eyeng this knight which had so tolde him and made profer of helpe he stoode in doubt whether to take or refuse by and by he discouered two shippes vnder sayle and by theyr toppes to be of Thessalie whereat striking himselfe on the breast hée cryed out O most vnhappie that wée are héere commeth Rolandos Knightes which will take vs and béeing brought againe to Thessalie we shal there receiue most cruel death and he wept cursing the houre of his departure the Princesse Arguirosa hearing the complaintes which her vnckle made his greate sorrowe which he susteyned the extreame daunger they were in and the cause why hée did it tooke it as heauie and wofully bewailed their miserie When Rosicleer sawe them in this plight hée much pittyed them especially Arguirosa which the Princesse Oliuia not remembred might haue well contented him Therefore he willed them to get vnder the hatches againe and to let him shifte for theyr safetie the olde man thinking that Rosicleer woulde defend them by saieng that they were his people did so not ceasing yet to feare the worst and to pray earnestly for their escape Rosicleer leapt into the Princesse shippe and sate vpon the
there to aunswere for the Dutchesse if she be so content The gentle women willingly accepted of the knight and not staying longer but to thanke him they pulled downe their tent and to horse backe they go By the way he had much talke with Elisea for so was the Dutchesse sister named he comforting her and she requesting him to make spéede for we lacke not many daies of our appointed time when if wée faile we shall loose a good cause for lacke of pittie in knights aduenterous But let vs leaue this and turne we to the Emperour in the companie of Brianas Gentlewomen ¶ The Emperour Trebatio came to the monestarie of the riuer there was made knowen to his wife the Princesse Cap. 51. THE Emperour hauing good hope to méete with the Princesse whom he loued no lesse then before he had when hée hazarded his person for her sake vppon Prince Edward made great bast and he trauayled with the Gentlewomen thrée dayes and thrée nightes Nowe wée haue tolde you often that the Princesse lodging was in one quarter of the monestarie separate from the other whereto she had a posterne gate towards the wood by which Clandestria had carried Donzel del Febo and Rosicleer to nursing by this gats no man either entered or went out but by Clandestrias leaue thée was groome porter and kept the keie her selfe And for to recouer this matter which the Emperour would in no wise haue knowen it was very fit that Clandestria was there in company For when they approched the monestarie saith Clandestria my Lord if you wil not be knowne to the Gentlewomen héere belonging to our Ladie best it were that I should first enter sée what they do that I should cause the Princesse to take her most secret chamber where as I shall finde her so will I declare of your comming otherwise it may hée that your so sedeine approch might worke some alteration in her body to the daunger of her health shée béeing so sore weakened by continuall mourning but this night shall passe the morrowe you shall come vnto her The Emperour liked well of Clandestrias spéech and so he stayed in a place which she prouided for him the whilest that the Gentlewomen went to the Princesse Some will thinke that the Emperour should be much chaunged this béeing the 20. yéere of his absence but it was not so for when he first entered the Castle of Lyndaraza he was but. 35. yeares in age and no more was he when he came from the inchantment neither his age increasing nor his beautie decreasing When the Emperour left the Princesse Briana she was but 14. yeares olde and counting the time that she had liued afterward she was iust one yeare vnder him wherin her beautie best appered and the great sorrow which she before had taken did not so abate her coulour but that the ioy of his returne fetched it againe more fresh and liuely then it was before But the storie saith that the Gentlewomen found their mistresse alone praieng deuoutly vpon her knées and more merrie then she was before whether by inspiration or by immagination conceiuing hope in the dreame I tolde you off but her Gentlewomen were verie glad to be witnesses of her mirth The Princesse louingly welcommed the Gentlewomen especially Clandestria which was her sure friend demannding of them how they had spead in theyr iourney Clandestria aunswered Madame wée were once in daunger to loose both our honours and our liues after that wée had done as you commaunded vs. Ah blessed virginne sayde the Princesse and is it possible that euer you shoulde bée in so greate daunger for my cause Yea it is most certaine madame aunswered Clandestria but as after a fowle euening comes a sayre morning so after this trouble wée had some quietnesse by the means of our flight for we met with a good knight which not onely saued vs from greate shame by killing these wicked knights which would haue spoiled vs but after tolde vs such newes as you haue cause to bée the gladdest woman in the world He sayd that not many daies before hée departed from your husbande which was in good health and of the same age as he was when you first knew him for since he was with you he hath bene inchaunted being now set at libertie comming to you O my good Lorde and is it possible sayde the Princesse that thou art so fauourable vnto mée as to sende mée my husbande aliue or is this some dreame the farther to increase my dolour Tell mée Clandestria in good fayth is it true which thou saist for I canne hardly beléeue thée Yea assuredly said Clandestria for the Knight which reported it is so credible that he will not tell other then trouth Ah Clandestria sayde the Princesse thou hast bene alwayes diligent discréete and lyberall in those thinges which hath touched my seruice hetherto but in this nowe concerning my lyfe especially thou hast bene neglygent or hast wanted discreation For why didst thou not bring him before me that my selfe might haue heard it of his owne mouth would it not then haue bene pleasaunt vnto mée to haue séene that knight which so lately sawe my louing husband and to haue knowen of him in what manner hée met with him and for what cause he commeth not so soone as the other Madame bée not agréeued with this sayde Clandestria for the knight which tolde it me is not so farre hence but that within a quarter of an houre you may sée him if you haue desire thereto Desire sayde the Princesse I desire nothing so much in the worlde therefore goe and fetch him before mée that I may knowe whether that be true which my heart thinketh so incredible I will goe my wayes sayde Clandestria and so she went out of the Princesse lodging and strayght to the Emperour to whome she tolde all that talke which she had had with hir Ladie whereat the Emperour was so gladde that vp the stayers full faine he goeth and by such priuie wayes as none but Clandestria knewe he is brought before Briana Clandestria first entering then the Emperour cloathed in rich armour and his visour pulled downe The Princesse was somewhat afrayde to sée so bigge a man all armed but the Emperour pulling off his helmet quickly shewed his louely face the which she had imprinted in hir remembraunce and with hastie paces he made towards the princesse whome he kissed on the mouth so sweetely that their tongues this while were slent not to interrupt the ioye of theyr first méeting Anone after the Princesse which indeede hadde the chiefest wrong spake to the Emperour thus My Lord and onely life what cruell Fortune hath detained you from this land and bannished you so long from my presence In what straunge and hidden countries haue you bene that we could neuer beare word of you Madanie aunswered the Emperour you may call that Fortune cruell for it hath offered you a great wrong by forcing