spread He had also had notice with what violence the Commons to shew themselves passionate for the Kings service pursued Poliarchus seeing that being perswaded He was in Timocleas house had runne thither and without any respect had violently entred in 't to take and make Him prisoner In which having had no successe because Poliarchus was in a place of safety They neverthelesse discharged their choller upon His Fellow the Prince of Mauritania who was at last constrained to suffer Himselfe to be led captive unto Meleander as if it had beene He whom they sought after Arsidas then who had seene all these violences came to give Argenis notice of the state of Her Poliarchus His affaires At these pleasing news She was as much troubled to keepe backe Her soule and to hinder it from leaving the body as She had beene in the excesse of Her griefe But Joy setled Her minde againe insomuch that the rayes of this Sunne of the Court began to appeare againe During which time newes were brought unto Her that Poliarchus was led as a prisoner unto the Court But the intelligence which She had received by Arsidas of Archombrotus accident hindred this ill rumor from making an impression upon Her spirit So that this cloud was soone over As the Commons which had taken him were arrived at Court one of the Captaines of the Guard seeing so faire a prisoner in the hands of rusticall men ask'd of him who conducted Him what that Cavalleere had done whom they us'd so rigorously This Head of the common people having replyed that it was Poliarchus whom the King had commanded should be taken that He might be punish'd according to justice He began to smile and said unto this people that to speake the truth they had shewed their fidelity for the Kings service but that they had not sped in this occasion seeing their prisoner was not Poliarchus which was sought for Neverthelesse He was led before Meleander who after He had praised His subjects zeale address'd Himselfe unto Arcombrotus and made Him a thousand excuses for this offence happened not by His command but by the ignorance of this people who had mistaken themselves in His person The Prince of Mauritania though full of rage to see Himselfe so unworthily abused neverthelesse dissembled His choler making His complement with a very comely behaviour most humbly desired Him to believe that in what manner soever He could bee brought before Him He held it alwaies for a singular glory that He had the meanes to offer Him His service In fine neverthelesse shewing Himselfe more sensible of the injury done to His friend then to Himselfe He could not hinder Himselfe from representing his complaint and said with a haughty courage unto Meleander But concerning Poliarchus His disgrace which hath beene the subject of my mis-fortune Your Majesty will give me leave to tell Him that if accusations make crimes there will bee no innocence assured in the world since that the most just will by this meanes be exposed unto the rage of slander which is perpetually about Princes eares to surprise and give them all manner of ill impressions against those which they would put out of favour Your Majesty may be pleased to remember Licogenes his brazen face and the insolency of all his confederates Doe not You imagine also that those who have made such an outrage against the Crowne will spare Your best Servants Those who conspire against Kings and that will have their Empires to grow desolate doe first endeavour to corrupt and seduce those whom they know to bee most passionate for their service and when they cannot doe it make use of other crafts to cause their Masters to suspect their fidelity to the end that daring not to trust them any more they should remaine wholly â—â—â—sefull unto them I have learn'd of a Lady of this Court who by chance was in company with that Cavalleer when I first saw Him the great assistance which He hath given You in the Warre that those seditions have most unhappily kindled in the middest of Your Kingdome and the hurt which He hath done to Your enemies The griefe which they have conceived thereat hath caused them to seeke out the meanes to make Him away by open violence that they might rob You of that powerfull prop of Your State But this designe having fayled by the great valour that was in Him whom these cowards assaulted They now have had recourse unto vayled artificiall deceits And to circumvent Your goodnesse doe father upon an innocent the odiousnesse of an action where there 's no crime but that which proceeds from their perfidiousnesse Your Majesty who hath purchas'd so much glory by the true execution of Justice not onely amongst His subjects but also amongst strangers will reserve if He pleases an eare for Poliarchus to learne by His owne mouth the particulars of this encounter which troubles all Your Court and may be pleased to remember that though He were guilty it would alwaies bee a kinde of injustice to condemne Him and not heare His reasons And if Your Majesty will grant that I may finde out the truth of this businesse by those meanes which are used amongst Cavalleers I offer my selfe to enter in combate against the authors of this slaunder I am sure that having the Gods whom they have offended for their enemies and that having a continuall remorse in their consciences their armes will fall from their hands and that their cowardise will bee a visible proofe of the infamous treason whereof they have beene the inventors The King who was a generous Prince was not offended at Archombrotus His freedome but by the mildnesse of His face and speeches testified altogether the beliefe He had of Poliarchus His innocence and the esteeme He made of His friends great courage who offered Himselfe so freely to fight in the behalf of His cause All the Court made acclamations of joy at this lofty testimony which the Prince of Mauritania rendred unto Poliarchus Argenis who tooke the best part therein thank'd him with much curtesie and by this civility did put Herselfe in danger to spoile all seeing that Archombrotus who had nothing of the Moore but the name being kept backe in Her Fathers service and having gotten the reputation of the most valiant Cavalleere in the world after Poliarchus was surprised with vanity which made Him so farre to forget all His promises that He became His friends Rivall and endeavoured to rob Him of the Princesse In the meane time Argenis sends a dispatch by Arsidas to Poliarchus conjures Him by Her letters to believe that all these crosses of fortune were usefull onely to encrease Her love rather then to diminish it that Argenis will never be to any but to Poliarchus that She passionatly desired She might assure Him thereof with Her owne mouth but that She feares least comming to Court He should be knowen therefore let him take the surest party and if He thinkes
tokens which He gave of His contentment the teares were seene to trickle downe His cheekes in such abundance that all the company was astonied thereat At the instant forgetting Himselfe a little in point of ciuility He left the Prince of France alone and drew the Moore aside as to entertaine Him more privatly and with more liberty this negligence was nothing to what followed holding of Him aside takes Him about the necke imbraces and kisses Him and gives Him the most sensible testimonies which He could wish of His affection Not contented with that He sent in all hast for His Daughter to whom as She arrived He said softly some few words accompanied with an action which seemed to be an image of joy in His heart The Princesse taking no heed to what was so neere unto Her advances to salute the Moore with visible signes of Love Poliarchus remaines astonied at this spectacle and knowes not how to behave Himselfe but judging by the good entertainment which Argenis gave unto Archombrotus that all his hopes were ruinated and that His rivall was going to triumph with His pursuits yielded unto despaire and in the bitternes of His thoughts began to say within His soule Is this then the fruit of so many paines which I have taken and so many hazards which I have runn'd to assure My selfe of the love of this prodigious inconstancy She to whom the most violent rigors of a Father with a thousand Martyrdomes ought not to have chang'd nor altered suffers Herselfe to be surpris'd by some flatteries which this Old man rounds Her in the eare What mountaines of gold What perpetuall springs of felicity have beene promissed Her thus to change Her affection and alter Her minde unfortunate Queene of Mauritania a scion of the old stock what characters and inchantments host thou made upon those letters to print upon them that force and give them that power to cause so monstruous a change and to ruinate in so small a time that which I had built with so long a patience How am I punished of the folly which I have committed trusting in the words of a Woman and unto the promisses of a Damzell whereof the cunning and lightnesse qualities unseparable to that sexe ought to have made me to suspect them more then the Winds which have brought and driven me on this infamous Shore But however If Poliarchus hath beene deceaved He can take such a cruel vengeance that neither the Authors nor confederates of this perfidiousnesse shall have no great cause to build triumphs nor erect trophies to their vanity This wretched Old man who by the artificiall deceits whereof He is full hath alwayes opposed my contentments and these two insolent Lovers who sport at the ship-wracke of my fortune shall be the sacrifices of My fury But it is not all I will also dye to the end my Ghost may pursue and persecute that ungratefull Argenis unto the Throne of the immortall Gods Before whom I will reproach Her prodigious infidelity that a thousand oathes taken in their name ought to have stayed if She had had the feeling and beliefe which She should have had of their power and justice It is apparent that it was Poliarchus His good Genius or the Tutelary Angell of Sicily which busied His Spirit in these Tragick thoughts to stay His designe and to divert Him during as much space as needed to give Meleander and Argenis time to remember themselves and to come and make their excuses As He was then upon the point to goe and execute so furious a designe and to put Meleander Argenis and His Rivall out of the world and after this bloody execution to run His sword through His body and by that meanes to leave Tragick tokens of His jealousie and despite Those who seemed to have too much neglected Him came to themselves againe and perceaving their fault went towards Him to make their excuses and discover the cause of this joy which having ravish't them out of themselves had made them to forget all civility Poliarchus finds the charmes of His fury and frensie in their discourses and reasons The Moore is acknowledged to be Argenis's Brother the Queene of Mauritania had discovered the History by Her letters and had given such good tokens unto Meleander that He could not doubt but that He was His Sonne and the true Heire of the two Crowns insomuch that Archombrotus receiving the succession of His Estates left freely the possession of the Princesse His sister unto Poliarchus who would not have changed it with a thousand Scepters Meleander seing that the most part of the assistants vnderstood nothing in these wonders and that every one desired a more particular enlightning tooke the word and making a short discourse of the voyage which He had made in Affricke during the heat of His youth avowed that He had beene enamoured of a Beauty whose favour having purchas't He had at last married Her secretly and that His affaires having called Him backe into Sicily He had left Her with child of a Sonne which was Archombrotus whom since Hyanisbe seeing Herselfe without children by the King Her husband had supposed fayning to have beene brought a bed of Him that She had beene induc't thereunto because Her Sister which was She whom He had loved seing Herselfe ready to dye in childe-bed had discovered the Secret unto Her Therefore it was not to be doubted but that Archombrotus was Argenis's Brother to whose marriage for that cause He could not aspire but left the free possession of her unto Poliarchus an Incomparable Prince and worthy the Alliance of the greatest Princesse of the earth and accordingly if ever Sicily had seene Her selfe at the height of good Fortune it was now where the destinies had brought it unto by unknowne meanes unto men that therefore all the World should give signes of a publike gladnesse and that every one should runne unto the Temples of their Gods to give them a thousand thankes for so many blessings showred downe upon His Crowne At these words the people was seene transported with a secret ravishment by giving such testimonies of joy amongst their Feasts and Sacrifices Meleander with Archombrotus consent offers the Kingdome of Sardany unto Poliarchus for Argenis's Marriage Poliarchus being marvellous well contented makes ouverture of an Alliance for Archombrotus with a Sister of His Daughter of France which doth accept this glorious party with a thousand thankes so that the two Crownes of France and Sicily remained united with such strong Bonds that it seemed the destinies would make this Alliance perpetuall On the other side Poliarchus sees Himselfe at the height of His desires seeing that He was in possession of Her whom He loved more dearely then His owne life Truely even as the rigours of a long Winter causes the Spring to be found more pleasing so all the crosses which He had suffered in this pursuit caused Him to finde the enjoying of it so much the sweeter FINIS
foot all this pride of the earth to the end She might render Her victories so much the more glorious by such magnificent ruines and Her Trophies the more illustrious by such noble spoiles But if amongst those Tragick accidents She doth afford some cause of contentment She doth temper it with so much bitternesse that ordinarily there is more prickles then Roses found in Royalty This History is a lively portraiture therof and causes us to see remarkable examples in it Meleander King of Sicily possessing a rich State and seeing himselfe adored by His subjects who tasted with an extraordinary delight the mildnesse of His government thought to be arrived at the height of His glory And that He might say he was happy on all sides He was Father of a Daughter so accomplished in all kinds of perfections that those who saw Her imagined that Heaven had assembled all the treasures of beauty and gathered all the riches of comlinesse to forme this lofty Master-peece of nature He imagined that this yong Sunne should be the ornament of his Crowne the prop of his State the delight of his Life and the consolation of his Old age But men are ignorant of their destinies and know not what may befall them The event then made Him know that as the greatest lights are subject unto the greatest shadows so the greatest prosperities are exposed unto the greatest accidents therefore one must not so much trust unto the favours of Fortune but that one must dread Her inconstancy Argenis then was the name of the Heire of Sicily which ought to be as a living spring of all goodnesse to Her Father and Her State sees Her selfe to be the subject of a furious and bloody warre raised by a Prince one of Meleander's subjects who having had the temerity to aske Her in marriage received the refusall which his presumption merited The image of this contempt made such a furious impression upon this wilde and ambitious spirit that to take revenge hee resolved to put the Father out of the world and to steale away the Daughter to crowne his parricide This execrable designe had come to passe if the Divinity which hath a speciall care of Crownes and which loves Kings had not miraculously put by the misfortune whereof the Sicilian Scepter was threatned All Europe and Affrick also were filled with the rumor of Argenis's beauty which was placed amongst the wonders of the world and nature A thousand yong couragious spirits taken with Her love had resolved to serve Her and to imploy all their industry and valour to insinuate themselves in Her favour Amongst the rest Poliarchus Prince of France and Heire of one of the fairest Crownes in the world suffering Himselfe to bee transported with this passion sought out for this glory with more successe then wisedome But ought one to looke for any in love Imagining in Himselfe that an extraordinary beauty merited no common pursuits Hee left his Kingdome and taking a Gentlewomans habit crossed the sea and went to Sicily where He informed Himselfe diligently of the place where the Princesse was to whom He desired with so much passion to offer His service Meleander fearing least despaire should cause Lycogenes to procure some shame unto Her had placed Her in a strong Hold where She passed the time with Her maids being visited of none but Her Father who sometime going from Syracuse which was not farre from thence came to see Her and stayed with Her to divert Himselfe in Her company Poliarchus following His designe goes that way and spying the meanes to enter in this agreeable solitarinesse takes His journey towards Syracuse where being arrived He finds by good fortune Solenissa Argenis'ses Governesse within the Temple of Iuno where She was at Her devotions He had learn'd in what ranke she was with the Princesse He cals her aside and having cast Himselfe at her feet beseeches her to take pitty on the most unfortunate Lady which the Sunne shined on on earth and to give Her the meanes to tell Her some thing which could not be knowne to any but she unto whom She brought letters from a great Princesse The Strangers comely behaviour the novelty of Her habit and Her language which shewed She was not of the Court of Sicily caused in Selenissa a desire to learne what She would say Then going out of the throng She leads Her to her sisters house and entred alone in a Closet fit to receive Her most secret thoughts Then Poliarchus kissing the letters gives them unto Her and at last leads so happily this enterprize that He causes himselfe to be taken for a French Princesse which the rage of Her Vncle had driven into Sicily to looke out for the refuge and surety which She could not finde in Her Realme amongst Her friends My name said he is Theocrine the Kings daughter and Sister unto the Heire of the Crowne of France whom this parricide who hath procured all my mis-fortunes hath caused to be poisoned that hee might usurpe his Diadem That which made her to give more faith unto his words was that calling a Freed slave who gave Her a Cabinet which She had committed to his charge She drew forth the most exquisite riches and the fairest precious stones that were ever seene in Europe then with a magnificence which truely resembled a great Princesse gave such a great number unto Selenissa that at the instant suffering her selfe to bee dazled with their sparkling and radiation She bound her selfe with a strong tye of affection unto Poliarchus which she took for Theocrine Whereupon Theocrine conjured her to embrace Her affaires and to procure that favour towards Argenis that She might receive Her into Her company where She pretended not to hold the ranke of a Princesse but would esteeme her selfe happy to hold the quality of a Waiting-woman Selenissa being touch'd with Her complaints offers Her all manner of assistance neverthelesse said she unto Her to give you accesse in the Princesses house is a thing which is not in my power by reason of the strict defence which the King hath made not to suffer any strangers of either sexe to see Her But Theocrine who desired noting more then to enjoy this glory conjures her to breake this obstacle and to mediate this favour towards the King with whom She doubted not but shee was powerfull since He had committed to her trust that which He held most deare in the world the Princesse his daughter Being overcome by such charming intreaties shee undertakes to enforme Meleander of this whom She soone after caused to yeeld telling Him al the good which shee could invent of this faire Stranger At her returne she declares unto Argenis the occasion of her journey makes Her so favorable a report of the beauty comlinesse and magnificence of Theocrine that She offers not onely to receive Her as a great Princesse but also to love Her as Her Sister Being then inflamed with a desire to see Her
sacrifice unto the Kings enemyes fury who in defending of Him might have caused a suspition amongst those diffident spirits that He had done nothing but by His authority Order is then given every where to take Him and also the Commons are armed to the end that all meanes of escaping might bee taken away In the meane time it hapned during the fight that Archombrotus Prince of Mauritania who was also searching out adventures under a disguised habit was by chance neere the place where the combat was given He was newly landed having beene beaten with sundry tempests at sea neere unto that great and thicke Forest where He was gone thinking to take some rest under the shade of some trees being wearied of the sea But the vertuons Timoclea who had seen the furious outrage done to the Prince of France came unto Him weeping and waking Him conjured Him that if He would doe an action worthy the generosity which appeared in His visage that without any further delay He should goe and succour the most valiant man in the world that Robbers endeavoured to murther Opening His eyes He searches for His Armour confusedly and preparing Himselfe at all adventures endeavours to put Himselfe in case to fight Timoclea fearing least the number might oppresse valour urges Him to advance and represents unto Him the necessity and danger wherein Poliarchus finds Himselfe He who was enflamed with desire to have His courage to appeare in so faire an occasion without further delay spurres His Horse towards the place of the combat But He sees with some kind of sorrow that He arrives too late and that He whom He is desirous to succour hath needed no other assistance then that of His sword Ravish'd with this wonder He doth accost Him and having courteously saluted Him informes Himselfe of the particulars of this encounter offers to assist Him in case there remaines any enemy to fight with and conjures Him to honour Him so much as to imploy Him in this quarrell Poliarchus resting extreamely satisfied of the Prince of Mauritania's good behaviour and courtesy thanks Him for this freedome and assures Him of the esteeme Hee makes of His courage not refusing to make use of it in case His affaires oblige Him thereunto But Gentle Cavaleere said He I know neither those who have so cowardly assaulted me nor the reason of the furious hatred which they beare me Timoclea arriving thereupon with some of Poliarchus His servants breakes off the two Princes discourse and taking the word conjures them to goe out of this Forest and follow her to a house which shee hath neere unto that place where they might learne the true causes of this encounter They went then altogether with Timoclea where they are hardly arrived when the Shepheards of the Country come to give them notice that all the champion is full of kindled fires every where and that doubtlesse there is some accident fallen out at Court seeing that was never done but upon great and important occasions And that He might take no rest news were brought that Poliarchus was the subject of all this emotion to which they adde that upon the Ambassadours complaint He hath beene condemned in Court Poliarchus seeing that 't is He whom this tempest threatens breathes forth all manner of outrages against Meleander doth reproach His services complaines of His ungratitude accuses also the innocent Starres as if they were the cause of His mis-fortune Timoclea fearing least He unto whom all Sicily owed their safety should fall in the hands of those Traitors that they should advance His ruine by their artificiall deceits opens Him the way how to shade Himselfe against this tempest shewes Him at the going out of a closet of Her house a long Vault which went under ground whereof the avenewes were knowne to few and conjures Him to make use of this opportunity not onely to steale away from the eyes of those who sought Him but also to goe out of Sicily under the favour of a borrowed visage wherewith she could so artificially disguise Him that His most intimate friends would hardly take Him to bee Poliarchus At last He is overcome with her perswasions makes use of the opportunity which she presents unto Him and though unwilling confines Himselfe within this Vault untill he can give some order for His retreate where Timoclea and the Prince of Mauritania would needs conduct Him daring not to trust those of the houshold whose faith they suspected having left Him in this cave and being come backe to the house Timoclea began to entertaine her guesse with the best and most civill discourses which she could invent In the meane time Timoclea and Archombrotus thinking to assure Poliarchus His life did almost ruinate His affaires To take away all suspition they bethought thēselves to cause a rumor of His death to be spread abroad and that none might doubt of it caused His servants to be seene weeping the losse of their Master they also shewed sad testimonies of their sorrow This rumor did fly as farre as Argenis's eares who would not survive Him having as She thought lost Him who made Her take all the delight She had in the world Selenissa brake this designe by her wisedome shewing unto Her that She ought not so slightly to give faith to a rumor who had no assured Authour That asswaged something Her griefe but did not altogether heale the sore Her thoughts were then tossed with irksome cares which altred by little and little the beauty of Her face Also Meleander being come to entertaine Her with His affaires though She had resolved to oppose Her constancy to Her mis-fortunes and to suppresse Her sorrowes for feare that Her Love should be knowne neverthelesse when He began the discourse of Poliarchus His accident and to tell Her how He had bin constrained to abandon Him to His enemies rage She could be no longer mistris of Her senses but fell downe in a trance at the recitall of this adventure Selenissa smothered this accident in the best wise she could and assured the King that She had had sundry such fits lately but that she believed there was nothing to be feared and that they were but little faintings caused with the displeasure which She had suffered during Licogenes his warre Her Father left Her amongst Her Women who with the severall remedies they gave Her made Her come to Her selfe againe But She received a full cure by the newes which were brought unto Her few daies after of Her Poliarchus by an intimate friend of His named Arsidas This trusty confident had learn'd by Gelanore a domesticke servant unto Poliarchus the truth of His History thereupon he came to finde Him out in Timocleas house where having had conference of all His affaires with Him Poliarchus conjured him to see His Faire Argenis in His name and to know of Her as of His Oracle what He should doe in this extremity He knew to what end the rumor of His death had beene
might end the Combat and end their differences by the death of the one or the other After a great conflict they were separated twice But both aspiring to the victory and being impatient at this succour out of rage and despite threatned their souldiers to fall on them if they had the audacity to hinder them any more They beginne their conflict the third time but they appeared so wearied and weakned by reason of the losse of their blood that it was thought the Conquerour should have no great cause to glorifie himselfe of his victory at the end of the Combat In the end neverthelesse Poliarchus who had some advantage upon the Sardiot for the last blow finding out a place through the defect of His Armour thrusts His sword through His throat and sacrifices Him to the Princesse of Sicily's wrath Radirobranes whose soule was already upon His lips thrust Himselfe on Poliarchus and fell downe upon Him but being bereaved of life Poliarchus disingag'd Himselfe by little and little from under this body and appeared victorious in the Head of His Troopes The Moores know not what Trophies to erect to the French Princes vertue their Queene avouches that Her Sonne and She owe unto His courage all the remainder of the good fortune which they have in the world Going to visit Him when He was sicke of the wounds which He had received in the Combat after many praises said to the Conquerours glory She speaks unto Him of the happy purchase which Her Sonne had made in Sicily and in few words gives Him to understand that Meleander holding Himselfe extreamely obliged unto His valour had offered Him His Daughter in marriage At this word all Poliarchus His wounds did bleed afresh and seemes by the palenesse of His face that His soule is going to abandon His body as being weary to dwell in it But this is not all here 's a mightier wave which comes to encounter Him to banish out all patience from His soule The Queene had conjurd Her Sonne by Her letters that He should make a journey into His Kingdome before He married the Princesse of Sicily and to induce Him to make this voyage had represented unto Him the mis-fortunes whereof His State was threatned by the K. of Sardany's Army There He is come and led to Poliarchus His chamber whōHe had cruelly offended Poliarchus feared not this encounter at all because the Moore bore another name in Sicily then in His Kingdome but knowing His Rival remēbers what the Queene had told Him touching Her Sons marriage with Argenis Griefe so over-mastered His senses that at this sight all full of rage he turn'd His head on the other side shews tokens of His spight and receaves no better countenance of the Moore who resolves to avenge Himselfe of the obstacle which He gives to His Nuptials imagining that the delay wch Argenis had ask't was for His sake They come to words which testifie the great adversion which they have against each other The Queene much astonied brings forth Her Son out of the sick mans chamber chides Him for His incivility represents unto Him the obligation wch He hath to the French Prince and by way of reproach gives Him to understand that He shall be for ever blamed to have so unworthily used an outlandish Prince unto whōHis Crown is so strictly oblig'd In the meane time examining exactly the cause of so cruell a hatred who had made Poliarchus to resolve to take Sea thus sicke and ill as He was She finds out that it was Iealousie which they had each of the other concerning Argenis which had stirred up this storme That comforts Her beleeving She had found the meanes to agree them without much trouble She speakes to both the Princes Imperiously to Her Sonne Courteously unto that of France She conjure Them to referre the decision of their differences unto Meleander And I will cause said She unto Poliarchus that you shall have the Faire Argenis and that my Son shall not loose Her This promise as an Oracle with two faces doth astonish the Princes but the respect which they bare to the Queene obliges them to beleeve Her and to give a true Faith unto Her words and stay with patience what the event will be whereof both the one and the other seemed to hope well Thus Poliarchus is conjured to remaine in the Court of Mauritania to cause His wounds to be healed and in the meane time the Moore lands His Navy in Sardany full of factions by the death of their King He conquers it with little trouble He comes backe Victorious to meet the Queene his Mother which at Poliarchus His intreaty dispatches them both with Her letters to goe and decide their difference before Meleander unto whom they had referred it by Her Counsell She gives a Cabinet unto Her sonne to carry unto Meleander the pretious stones which were in it were of an inestimable value but that was not the secret Having taken leave of the Queene the two Rivall Princes hoise up saile shewing no signe of anger against each other They arrived much about one time in Meleanders Court Argenis hath notice that Poliarchus is so neere unto her This joy had transported Her if rage had not cross't it when She heard that He had made Her Father Umpire of Her marriage Is it then said She all the esteeme He makes of me to put Himselfe thus in hazard to lose Me And if my Father who hath an inclination for the Moore gives Me unto Him doth he thinke that I will ever consent thereunto Before that shall happen steele or poison shall put Me out of the world I shall have more courage then He my death shall blot out all the Trophies that this Moore goes fancying in his minde and Poliarchus shall know that I can love more constantly and truly then He At least if My sexe takes away the meanes to dispute against Him the glory of Armes nothing shall hinder Me to take from Him that of Constancy This list is open to all the couragious spirits without distinction of sexe and I shall not be the first Virgin who hath surpassed men in fidelity In the meane time the two Lovers are favourably receaved at Court where Poliarchus began to reassume His luster and as it were to darken a little the Prince of Mauritanias glory they go to salute the King who at first sight makes them the best welcome which they can desire Poliarchus was the first which made His complement in few words But the Moore having presented those letters with the Cabinet whereof His Mother had charged Him to give unto Meleander saw Himselfe ingaged in a longer discourse At the opening of the letters the King changed colour having read them very exactly and with an extraordinary attention He tooke a little Golden Key which the Queene of Mauritania had inclosed in them and opened the Cabinet where He found things which did ballance His Spirits in such sort that among'st the