tyll I weut my selfe At last I determyned not to sende it for two consyderacyons and inconueniences The one was I feared to put our secretes in perell of discoueryng by reason of puttyng truste of any meane messenger The other was for feare lest the trouble that the letter shulde put hym vnto shulde cause hym to execute his purpose in hast before the tyme agreed betwene hym and me and therby all myghte haue ben lost So to tourne to my fyrst purpose The fyrst day I came to the courte I proued and tempted the wylles of suche as I thought wolde be of our opinion and I fouÌ„d none of the contrary desyre sauynge the frendes of Persio to whom me thoughte it but a foly to speake And then I went to the Cardynaâ—l and desyred hym y t it wolde please hym to make supplicacion to the king for the life of his doughter Laureola The which he grauntyd to do with no lesse loue and compassion then I desired it And so incontinent w t dyuers other prelates and greate Lordes together they wente to the kyng Then the cardynall in hys owne name and in all theyrs sayd to the kinge as folowith ¶ The cardynall to the kinge Syr it is not without reason that noble princes in tyme past ordyned theyr counsaillors to ordre by them what was to be done wherby they found great profytte And though couÌ„saill were stablished for many goode causes yet I fynde .vi. reasones that y e same law ought to be obserued The fyrst is bycause that men may moche better order other mens maters rather then theyr owne for the harte of hym that the mater tochyth can not be with oute some ire couetesnes affection or desire or some other lyke condicioÌ„ So that he shall not determyne the cause as he ought to do The .ii. is when maters be pleatyd and arguyd the traugth is the better knowen The .iii. yf the counsaylours ordeyne iustly and bryng the mater well to passe the glory and honour is to them that folowyth suche counsayll The .iiii. is yf by another mannes counsayll the besynes fayleth and takyth none effecte yet he that demaundeth the counsayll is oute of blame charge and they that gaue the counsayll muste bere the charge faulte The .v. ys bycause good couÌ„sayl often tymes assuryth thynges that be dobutious The .vi. is yf a man be faulen in euyl fortune yet in all aduersites good counsayll putteth the pertye in good hope Certaynely syr it is but a blynde counsayll a man to counsayll hym selfe knowynge hym selfe in any furour or passion Therfore syr blame vs not though in the fercenes of your ire we be come to trouble you for we hadde rather that ye shulde in your ire reprehende vs for our comynge to you Then that after ye shulde repent you and condempe vs bycause we gaue you no counsayll Syr thynges done by good delibercyoÌ„ and accord procurith profyt and prayse to them that so doth And thynges done in hast with fury repeÌ„tance must make amendes Suche wyse and noble men as ye be when they shulde do any warke fyrst they shulde determyne or they dyspose aswell in thynges present as in thynges to come and aswell in those thyuges that they hope to haue profyte by as in those thynges that they feare the contrary And if they fynde them selfe troublyde with any passion tyll they be cleryd therfro they shulde gyue no sentence And yf they debate and delaye ther deades then they do well for in all suche weighty maters hast is daungerouse and tariynge is suretie A wyse man that wyll do instly must thynke on all these thynges and or he do any thyng folow reasone and establish the execucion honestly It is the properte of them that be discrete to proue theyr counsailours and not to determyne vpon a lyght credence And there as a thyng femyth doâ—btefull holde then the sentence in balance for all thynges ys not of trouthe that semyth to be true The thought of the wyse man now agreeth now demaundeth and now ordeyn and all wayes cast in his minde what may fall and be ielous of his fame and kepe hym selfe fro erryng and for feare of fallynge therin wyll remember that is past and take the best therof and ordeyne for the tyme present with a temperance and to remember what is to come and in all these to take auysemente Syr all this that we haue sayd is that ye shulde remember your wysdome and ordeyne your deades not furyously but lyke a wyse man and torne the force of your natural wysdome against the accydent of your ire Syr we haue knowlege that ye wyll condemne your doughter Laureola to deth yf her bountie and goodnes haue not deseruyde to be iustyfyde Then of trouthe ye are not ryghtwyse iudge neuer trouble your gloryous fame w t suche a iudgement And we put case though she had deserued this punyshement yet in your so doyng ye shal be defamyde and reputyde rather for a cruell father then a ryghtwyse kynge ye gyue credence to .iii. euyll men of shamefull conuersacion certaynly as good reasone hadde it bene to haue shortyd theyr lyues as to haue gyuen credence to theyr wytnes They be men sore defamyd in your courte for they conferme them selfe to all iniquite They glorifye them selfe in theyr false reasones makynâ— in the begylynges that they make And syr why gyue you more fayth to theyr informacioâ— rather then to y â— iudgemente of god the which was clerely sene in the batayll bytwene Persio Lereano Be not the sheder of your owne blodde for then of all men ye shal be dyspraised and dispysed blame not the innocent for the couÌ„sayll of the enuyous And yf ye thynke that for all the reasons that we haue sayde that Laureola ought not to be sauyd yet for that ye ought to do for vertue bycause ye be bound of your royalnes for the seruice that we haue done you in our most humble wyse we requyre you to haue mercy of her lyfe And bycause that fewer wordes then we haue spoken shuld suffice to your clemency to conuerte you to pytie Therfore we wyll saye no more but that ye wyll remember how moche better it is that your iâ—e shuld peryshe rather then your noble fame ¶ The kynges aunswere Syrs I repute me well counsaylyd by you if I were not more bound to punyshe then to perdoneâ— ye nede not shew me the reasone how that great prynces ought to receyue conusayll as in that and in other thynges that ye haue shewed I knew them ryght well but ye know well when the harte is chargyd with passione then is it locked fro herynge of any counsayle and in y t tyme the fruteful wordes to mytigate the passion of ire causeth it the sorer to encrease bringing to the memory the cause therof wherfore I say yf I were quyte for that impedyment I thynke then I shuld dispose and ordeyn sagely for
good hope of that thou desyrest and not to be condempnyd in thyne own thought for yf thou returne agayn to make new request thou wylt repent it I will aduyse the lette this be the last spekyng of that mater oreles y u mayste well know thou shall repent it for sekyng remedy for a nother shalt fayle remedy for thy selfe ¶ The Auctor THe wordes of Laureola dyd bryng me in to great cōfusyon for when I thought best to vnderstand her then I knew lest of her wyl whā I had most hope then I was farthest out of y e way And when I thought my selfe most sure then I was in most feare for y e dyuersyte of her Iesture behauour blyndyd myne vnderstandyng The receyuyng of the letter satisfyed me but the ende of her wordes put me in dyspayre so that I know not what way to folow nor how I shuld fynd any hope And thus as a man without counsayll I departyd fro her went to Lereano thynkyng to gyue hym some counsayll and to seke y e best meanes that I coulde deuyse to remedy parte of his euell and when I cam to hym I said as foloweth ¶ The Auctor to Lereano FOr the expediciō that I bryng ye may well knowe where woordes fayle dylygence can not preuayll Thou dyddyst recōmaūde thy remedy to me but fortune hath bene to me so cōtrary in that she wolde not be to me so fauourable as to satysfye me in any thyng that is passyd but fortune is rather myne enemy Though in this case I hadde good excuse to ayde the for tough I was the messenger thyne was the besynes The mater that I haue passyd with Laureola I cā not vnderstand it nor can not shew it bycause it is of so newe and dyuerce cōdycyons a thousand tymes I thought to haue bene at the poynte to haue gyuen the remedy And agayne as often to haue gyuen the thy sepulture al tokens of her wyl wonne vanquysshed I saw in her cōtenance and all the folysh frowardenes of women withoute loue I harde in her woordes Iudgyng vpon her demeanour I was ioyfull and heryng her wordes I was sorowfull Sometyme I thought she dyd prudently dyssimule and agayne I thought she wantyd loue but fynally when I saw her so moueable changable I beleuyd then veryly that ther was no loue in her for if a persone be taken with loue the hart shall be constante and where as loue lacketh ther is mutabylyte On the other parte I thought she dyd it for fare of the cruell harte of the king her father what shall I say she hath receyued thy letter manyshed me to the deth yf I speke any further in thy cause beholde now this greuous case Ther semyth in one poynt .ii. dyfferences yf I shuld shew the all that was passyd bytwene her me I shulde want tyme to speke yt I requyre the enforce thy wytte and aswage thy passion for in folowyng thy payne thou hast more nede of sepulture thenne of comforte for withoute thou take some repose thou shalt leue here thy boones in stede of thy true fayth the whych thou oughtest not to do for satysfying of thy selfe it were more conuenyent for the to lyue rather then to dye for to be out of payne This I say bycause I se the gloryfye in thy payne but in sufferyng payne thou mayst attaygne to the crowne of lawde prayse In that it may be sayd y t thou enforcest thy felfe to suffre payne for the ladyes sake Suche as be stronge vertuous in theyr grettyst mysfortune shew grettest harte Ther is no dyfference bytwene the good euyll w tout the bountye be tempt and prouyd Consider that w t longe lyfe a thyng maye be wonne haue good hope in thy fayth Thynke y t the purpose of Laureola may change and thy ferme stedfast loue neuer I wyll not say all that I thynke for thy consolacion for I perceyue by thy wepynges complaynt that ardent deth hath lyghtened his flames but what so euer thou thynkyst that I can do for the cōmaund it for I haue no lesse wyl to serue the then I haue to remedy thy helth ¶ Lereano to the auctor THe dysposycion that I ame in y e seyst The priuasyō of my vnderstandyng thou knowest y e turbasyon of my tong thou mayst well note merke therfore haue no meruaylle though myne aunswere be more with wepyng then with ornate wordes bycause y e Laureola putteth fro her harte the swete appetyght of my wylle the thynges that be past bytwen y t and her for all that thou arte at thy liberte yet thy iudgement can not vnderstande her meanyng how shuld I thē knowe them for I ame so passyonyd than I can not lyue but alonely to prayse her beautie to repute my last ende happy I wolde these shulde be y e last wordes of my lyfe bycause they be to prayse her◠what gretter welth can I haue then y t if I were so happy to be rewardyd therwith as I deserue by reason of the payne that I suffre who then shuld be lyke me better it were for me to dye syn I haue seruyd her thē to lyue causyng her to haue any trouble or dyspleasour The thyng that most shall greue me is when I dye that the eyen shall peryshe that hath seen her and the harte that remembreth her The which consyderyng what she is al my wyttes are past the ordre of reason I say thus bycause thou seyst that in the warkes of my harte in steade of faynte loue my stedfast loue encreaseth if in my captyue harte they consolaciōs could take any frute This that thou hast done to me suffyseth to enforce me but as the heryng of them that be in heuynes and lockyd in passyō in to whose sowle can entre no wordes of comforte and where thou saest I shuld suffre none euyll Gyue me the strength therto and I shall put to my good wyll As for thynges of honor that thou shewest me I know them by reason and I deny them agayne by the same reasone I say I know them for a man fre in liberte shuld vse honor and agayn I denye it as consernyng to my selfe yet I seke in my greuous payne to chose an honorable death The trauayll that thou hast receyuyd for my sake and y e desyre that I se thou hast to delyuer me fro payne byndeth me to offre for the my lyfe as often as it were nedefull But syn ther is but smal lyfe left in me take for satysfaction my desyre and not my power yet I requyre the syn this shall be the fynall good dede that thou canst do for me the last that I shal receyue as to bere fro me a nother letter to Laureola with suche newes as she shall be gladde of and wherby she shall know how I dyspose me to passe out of this transytory lyfe and no more to trouble her to the
perdone the though it be agaynst the ryght waye of iustice for not alonely for thy fole hardynesse thou oughteste to dye but also for the offence that thou hast done agaynst my bountie and vertue y t which thou haste sette in the balance of doubt bycause this that thou haste sayde to me yf it came to knowledge of sundry persons some wolde beleue that thou foundeste me redy aparelled to accomplyshe thy desyre as in hauyng pytie of the payne of Lereano Thou oughtest to thynke that my dignyte shulde haue put the in feare rather then his fole hardines to haue made the so bolde yf thou entend any further to procure his liberte thou mayst well seke for his remedy and fall thy selfe in perell therfore I aduyse the seynge thou arte a straunger seke for thy naturall sepulture and not in Macedonia and to comon with the in such maters I offende my tonge therfore I wyll say no more but I wyl thou know that this that I haue sayde is suffycyent and yf any hope be in the to speake any further in this case thy lyfe shal be shorte or if thou thynke to come to me with any mo such ambassades ¶ The Auctor WHen Laureola had endyd her wordes I sawe well her reasons were short but longe was her trouble displeasour So I departed fro her thought vpoÌ„ many thynges the which greuously tormentyd me I remembred how farre I was out of Spayne of my longe taryeng thence Also I callyd to my mynd y â— great dolour of Lereano sore mistrutyng his helthe I perceyued well I could not accoÌ„plysh that I was purposyd to do as to bryng Lereano to lyberte w tout great perel yet I determyned to folow myne enterpryse duryng my lyfe orels to brynge Lereano some hope of relefe And w t this purpose the next day I went to y e palays to se what couÌ„tenance Laureola made and wheÌ„ she saw me she entreated me as she was accustomyd to do before without changynge of her porte or chere whose sure demeanour brought me in greate suspecte I thought she dyd it to proue yf I wolde returne agayne to entre in to my fyrste reasons I fearyd leste she hadde dissimuled to cause me to take corage to haue spoken agayne for Lereano and then to haue punysâ—hed me for my folyshe enterprice So I coulde not tell wherto to truste thus I passed that daye and dyuerce other and euer me thought by the apparence that I could se by her that I hadde more cause to be bolde then reason to feare And in that byleue I wayted a tyme conuenient spake with her agayne shewynge my selfe fearefull though I was not so indede For in such besynes and with suche persons it is behouable to fynde some doubtfull turbation for in suche cases to moche boldenes is reputyd folye for therby myghte be thought that the dignyte nor auctorite of the persone were not estemed Therfore to saue me fro that errour I spake to her with no great audacite but in a fearefull maner So I shewed her all that I thought coÌ„uenient for the remedy of Lereano but her aunswer was accordyng to the fyrst sauyng she was not so force nor in such displeasour with me as she was before How be it in her wordes she gaue me knowledge that I shulde be styll and holde my peace but yet me thought her continance gaue me lycence to speake And thus euer when I founde tyme place I requyred her to haue pitie vpoÌ„ Lereano And so diuers tymes I found her aunswers sharpe in wordes meke in countenance And when I had well aduysed al her demeanour I hoped vppon some profytte scynge in her dyuers thynges wherby an amorous harte myght be knowen for euer when I saw her alone she was pensyfe and full of study And when she was amonge compauy she wolde not be mery she abhorred company and to be alone was her pleasour often tymes she wolde fayne her selfe syke to eschewe other pleasurs and if she were espyed she wolde fayne some dolour or payne and often tymes she wolde gyue sore sighes And if Lereano hadde bene named in her presence she wolde sodeynly starte and leue her comynge and blushe redde as a rose agayne pale her voyce wolde change and her mouth waxe drye and though she coueryd her thoughtes as moch as was possyble yet her piteous passyon surmounted her discrete dissimulation I say pitefulnes for without doubte accordyng as she shewed after she receyued these alterations more of pytie theÌ„ of loue Howbeit I thought otherwyse in her seynge the tokens that I sawe in her I thoughte my selfe halfe spedde of some good hope and therwith I spedde me to Lereano and after that I hadde shewed hym all y t was passyd bytwene me and Laureola Then I counsayled hym to wryte to her offerynge my selfe to bere the lettre and though he was as then more redyer to remeÌ„bre what was best for hym to do to write or not At last he toke ynke and paper and wrote suche reasons as foloweth ¶ The lettre fro Lereano to Laureola IF I hadde as good reason to write to you as I haue to loue Then w tout feare I durste be bolde to do it but to thynke to wryte to you troubleth my wytte so that I lese myne vnderstaÌ„dynge Therfore or I begynne I fynde my selfe at a greate confusyon My beleue sayth I may do it boldly and your hyghnes putteth me in feare doubte In the one I fynde hope in the other dispayre at the ende I agreed to wryte but myne vnhap is to begyn in y e houre of sorow for ouerlate it is now to complayne meâ— for I am now in y t case if I haue deseruyd any grace or merite ther is nygh no thynge lefte lyuynge in me to fele it sauyng alonely my true fayth whiche can not dye as for my harte is without strength and my soule without power and my wytte without memory How be it yf it wold please you to shewe me so moche mercy as to these my presente reasons to make some aunswer the true fayth that I bere you shulde then suffice to restore agayne in me all the partes that are destroyed I repute my selfe culpable to demaunde of you any reward and neuer dyd you seruyce and though ye take my seruyce payne in good gree yet ye paye me alwayes with doubtfull thoughtes ye may say how ame I so bolde to write to you yet haue no meruayl therof for your beautie causeth myne affection and the affection myne desyre and desyre y e payne and the payne causeth the boldnes And for this that I haue done yf ye thynke I haue deserued deth coÌ„maund to gyue it me For it were better for me to dye for your cause then to lyue without the hope of your good wyll And to say the trouth without ye gyue me the deth I shall gyue it my selfe to fynd therby the lybertie the
meruayll why the kyng delte so with hym Then they were conueyede oute of the feld with lyke seremonyes how be it they were not lyke in fame honour So they were brought to theyr lodgynges and there taryed all nyght The next day in the mornyng Lereano determynyd to go to y e palace to desyre the kyng in presence of all his courte to restore his honour to do vpon Persio ryghtwyse iustyce But Persyo who was malycyous of his condycion and sharpe wyttyd to th entent y t he myght by some meanes attayn to his purpose whyls y t Lereano spake w t the kyng he callyd to hym .iii. false men lyke to his own condycions toke theyr othe that they shuld shew them To y â— which they agreyd Then he gaue to them moche money so that they shuld say and swere to the kyng that they had sene Lereano spekyng w t Laureola in places suspect and in tyme dyshonest which they proferyd to afferme and to swere it to the lefyng of theyr lyues I leue to speke of the doloure that Laureola sufferyd by cause the passyon shuld not trouble so my wytte but that I myght make an ende of y t I haue begonne for I haue no lesse payne to remembre her sorowe beyng absent then as thought I were present and saw it with myne eyen but I wyll torne to Lereano who had more sorow for her prysonement then glory of his victory When he knew that the kyng was ryson he went to the palayce in the presence of the knyghtes of the courte he sayd to the kyng as folowith ¶ Lereano to the kyng SIr of suertie with better wyllâ— I wold haue sufferyd the chastisement of your iustice then y â— shame to haue come to your presence if I had not atteygned yesterday the better of the batayll The which yf ye had taken well I shulde haue bene clene quyte delyueryde fro the false accusacion of Persyo for in the syght of euery man I shuld haue gyuen hym the rewarde that he deseruyd It is great dyfference to haue power to do a thynge and to do it in deade Great auauntage ye shewyd hym y â— reason why I can nother thynke nor imagineâ— ye coÌ„mauÌ„dyde to deperte vs and specially syn our debate tochyd your selfe so nere as he that shuld desyre to be reuengyd for the loue of Laureola lyke a pytefull father and I beleue well that as now ye be well satysfied of her dycharge and ignorance And syr yf ye dyd it for compassion ye hadde of Persyo ye ought as iustely to haue regardyd myne honour aswell as his lyfe seyng I ame your naturall subget And yf ye dyd is by reasone of the inportunateâ— suet of some of his frendes ye ought aswell to haue remembryde the seruyce that I myne haue done you syn ye know w t what constauÌ„ce of hart many of them in dyuerce bateyls haue loste in your seruyce theyr lyues which none of them haue done the .iii. parte Therfore syr I requyre you that by uistice ye wyll satysfye the honour that I haue wonne w t my handes Syr kepe your lawes if ye thynke to conserue your naturall subiectes nor syr consent not that so false a man shuld lyue that kepith so euyll preemynence of his predecessours to the entent that his venyme do not corrupte them that be his parte takers Certaynly I ame culpable in no thyng but in that I haue bene so good a frende to my wrongfull accuser and if for this I haue deserued payne lette me haue it yet my clere innocency shall assoyll me I haue conseruyde his amyte beleuyng he had bene good and not iudgyng his euyll nor falsenes If ye suffre hym to serue you I say he shal be the beste seruaunt to make dyscorde and lyes that shal be in all your courte Syr remember in your selfe how ye be bounde to do ryght to eury man Wherfore determyne this cause with prudence and gyue sentence with your acustomed iustice Syr the thynges of honour ought to be clere and if ye perdone hym for any request though yt be by the pryncipall of your realme or for any other thyng at your pleasur I wyll not then abyde y e iudgement of dyuerce of your meÌ„ to be taken as clene dyscharged For thought some beleue the trouth by reasone yet some wylbe troubelyd and say the worste And though in all your realme the trouth be not knowen yet comenly the fame of the trouth by reasone of fouour of the partye wyll not be borne farre of so y t I can not be clene dyscharged out of all mennys fantasyes yf this man scape withoute open punyshemeÌ„t Syr for goddessake sette myne honour with oute any dysputacion as for my lyfe ordeyne at your pleysour ¶ The auctor TO the sayng of Lereano the kyng gaue good entent and aunswered that he wold take counsayll what was best to do and sayde that in suche a case delybercion wold be taken or any sentence shuld be gyuyn Of trouth the kynges aunswere was not so swete as it ought to haue ben for by that I saw yf the kyng hadde put Laureola at her lybertie Lereano hadde enduryde no trouble For he thought to serue her for all y t he was reputyd culpable though his entent were clere withoute faulte Thus the kyng to eschewe the rumour and besynes that was lykely to fall bytwene Lereanos frendes Persius coÌ„maundyd Lereano to go to a towne of his owne a .ii. leages fro y â— court callyâ— Susa and there to tary tyll he had set a dyrection in y e mater The which Lereano dyde with a ioyful hart thynkyng that â—aureola was clerely dyâ—chargyd whiche was y e thyng he mooste desirydâ— But then Persyo who alwayes trauelyde to offend and to shame his honour and to defende it by malyce he sente for ii of his complyses or Laureola was delyuerede and sayde to them That eche of them a parte shulde go to the kyng and of them selfe to shew hym how that the accusacion of Persio was trew and to bere wytnes that they had â—een Lereano dyuerce tymes speke with Laureola aloone suspyciously The which wytnes and affyrmacion wheâ— the kyng hard it he was sore trowbelyd therwith and examynyd eche of them a parte by subtyle sharpe perswasions to se yf they any thyng swaruyd in ther sayenges But they were such persons that if a man shulde haue wastyde all his lyfe in falsenes coulde not be lyke them They were so sure of theyr wordes the more they were examynyde the surelyer they fortefyed theyr false lyes So that therby the kyng gaue to theyr false sayenges fayth and beleue And by reasone of theyr informacioÌ„ y e kyng reputyd Persyo for trew seruant and beleuyd that it was more by reasone of his fortune rather then by his vntrw quarell that he lost the batayll O Persyo better it hadde ben for the to haue sufferyd the deth
the deth of Laureola the whiche I will shewe she hathe deseâ—uyd by iust causes determyned acordyng to honour and iustice and yf her errour shulde be lefte vnpunnisshed I shulde then be no lesse culpable then Lereano As tochyng my dishonour and shame yf it were publisshed that I shulde perdone such a case of my neigbours I shuld be dispraised and of myne owne subgettes disobeyed and of euery man smally eâ—â—â—ed And also I might well be accused y t I haue euil conserued the generosite of my predecessours And this faulte myght be so far exstemed that it might spotte defowle the fame of myne auncettours passed blemysh y e honour of them that be present and steyne y e blud of them that be to come for one spotte in our lignage myght confounde all our generacion The perdonynge of Laureola shuld be cause of other great euils the whiche shulde folow by reasoÌ„ of my perdonyng wherfore I hadde rather to cause feare by reasone of my crueltie then to cause boldnes to do euil by reasone of my pitie And in my so doing I shal be estemed as a kinge ought to be by reason of doing iustice Be holde how many reasons there be that shlude lede y t she ought to haue sentence ye knowe well our lawes hath stablisshed that a woman accused in such causes shuld suffre deth and ye se well how it were better for me to be called a kyng in mynystrynge iustice then to perdone the culpable And it ought well to be noted y t in stede of consernyng the lawe if I do breke it my selfe y e whiche I ought not to do then I coÌ„demne my self The righte waye oughte equally to be kept obserued for the hart of a iuge ought not to be mouede for fauoure for loue nor couetyse nor for none other accideÌ„t folowing the right iustyce is laudable And yf it be fauourable then it is abhorred Iustice ought neuer to go oute of the ryght way syne it is cause of so moche goodnes It cansith feare to them that be euyll and it susteynyth them that be goode It pacefyeth all differences it determynyth al questions it expelith all stryues and contensions it agreith all debates it assurith the wayes it honourith the people it fauourith the small people and of base condicion it bridilith the myghty men and to the comon weale it is ryght profytable Then to conserue such a welthe and that the lawes susteynyth it It is ryght that I shuld vse iustice yf ye desire so moch the helth of Laureola and prayse so moche her goodnesse brynge forth one witnes of her innocensy as I haue .iii. to charge her then she shall be perdonyd with reasone and praysed with trouth Also where as ye say that I shulde gyue faith to the iudgemente of god aswell as to the wytnes of other men it is no meruayll thought I do not so for I se the wytnes certayne at myne eye and as for the iudgment is not yet endyd For thoughe Lereano hadde the better of the batayll we may iudge the myâ—â—es but we know not the ende I will not aunswere to al your alegasyons and sayenges bycause I wyll make no longe proces and at the ende sende you away without hope I desire moche to accept your requestes bycause of your well deseruyng therof and if I do not yet I requyre yon take it for none euyll for ye ought no lesse to desyre the honour of the father then the saluacion of his doughter ¶ The Auctor THe desperate aunswere of y e kyng was to the herers great heuynes And when I saw that this remedy was to me contâ—ary then I sought for a nother way trustyng that shulde be more profitable And y t was I thought to go to the quene that she shuld desyre the kyng for the saluacyoÌ„ of her doughter Laureola So I wente to her who was partaker of her doughters sorow And I founde her in an hall acoÌ„panyd with many noble ladyes and other who were suffycyente to haue atteygnyde theyr desyres other iuste or vniuste though the mttaer hadde ben neuer so greate yet theyr desyres ought not to haue ben refused bycause of y e auctorite of the quene who knelyd downe and spake wordes to the kyng aswel leyeng charge to hym for his ire as also wordes of pitie to apeace hym And she shewed hym the moderacyon that a kyng ought to haue and reprehendyd the perceueraÌ„ce of his ire and shewyng hym how he was a father and allegyd reasones ryght dyscrete to note and full of sorow sayng that if he wolde nedes execute his cruell iudgemente to do it rather vpoÌ„ her selfe seyeng great parte of her yeres were passyd then vppon Laureola in her yonge age aprouyng that by her owne deth the fame of the iudge shulde be sauyde and the lyfe of her that is iudgyd and the mynd of the desyrer fulfylled But the kynge styll was indurate in his fyrst purpose All the quenes rasones could not serue nor yet her bytter wepynges And therwith the quene went in to her chamber with small strength sore wepyng and as redy to dye And when I sawe that the quene could gette no grace of the kyng I went to the kyng withoute any feare of his fersâ—es and sayd how he ought to gyue his senteÌ„ce with clere iustice for Lereano shulde fynde a man to fyght agaynst all those .iii. false wytnesses orelles to do it his owne proper person and to pay them accordynge to theyr desertes and then god shall shew where the ryght is Then the kyng aunswered me that I shuld leue myne ambassade for Lereano sayeng how the heryng of his name encresyd his passyon and ire And when the quene knewe there was no remedy to saue the lyfe of Laureola She went to the prisone and kyssed her dyuerce tymes and sayde as folowith ¶ The quene to laureola O Bountie by malice accusyd O vertue by ire coÌ„demnyd O doughter borne of thy mother to sorow thou shalte dye withoute iustice and I must wepe by reason Thyne vnhappe hath more pusance to condempne the then thyn innoceÌ„cy to saue the without the I shall lyue accompanyed with doloures the whiche in thy stede thou shalt leue me Thy deth shal ende .ii. lyues the one is thyne without cause and myne by good reasone and ryght To lyue after y â— shuld be to me a sorer deth then that thou shalte receue for it is farre greatter tormente to desyre the deth then to suffre it Wolde to god thou myghtest be called the doughter of the mother y t shuld dye rather then to be she y t I shuld se dye Of euery maÌ„ thou shalte be bewailedâ— as long as the worlde endureth all that of the haue any knowledge wyll sette litle by this realme y â— whiche thou shuldest enheryte accordyng to thy desertes for all that y u art fallen in to thy fathers displeasour yet all suche as knowith the affyrmyth that
there is none in all this land that deserue thy merytes suche as be blynde desyre to se y â— the dome desyreth to speke with the the powre and y e ryche to serue y â— all the world is wel content with the y u arte be hatyd w t no creature but alonely with Persio yf I may lyue a seasone he shall receue for his demerites iuste rewarde And thouhe I haue noone other strength but to desyre his dethâ— and to be reuengyd of hym yf I coulde the euill will I bere hym shuld then soone be vtteryd yet this can not satysfye me for I can not heale the dolour of the spotte of the execucion of the vengeans O my dere doughter thy honesty hath prouyd thy vertue why doth not the king gyue more credence to thy presence then to the wytnes of thy false enemyes In thy wordes deades and thoughtes all wayes thou hast shewyd a vertuous harte Why then shulde god suffre the to dye I can fynde none other cause but by reason of my synnes that I haue coÌ„myttyd rather then for any meryt of thy ryghtwisnes I wold my deades myght be coÌ„paryd to thyne innocency Dere doughter lyfte vp thyne harte to heuyn take no sorow to leue that must nedes ende for that thyng that is permanent I assure the our lord god wyll that thou shalt suffre as a marter to thentente y t thou shalte ioye in his beatitude In me haue none other hope but that and I were worthy to go thyther as thou arte suer to go I wolde shortely bere the company Thynkyst thou not that it is a harde trouble to me to remember how many supplicacions hathe ben made to the kynge for thy lyfe and yet they can not obteyne And at this houre a sharpe knyfe may rydde and make an ende of thy lyfe and therby leue the father in faulte and the mother in sorow and the doughter withoute helthe the realme withoute an herytour O the lanterne of myne eyen I say to the these feareful wordes to the entent they shuld breke thyne harte a sonder for I hadde rather thou shuldeste dye in my power by sorow then to se the dye by iustice for though I shuld shede thy bludde yet my handes shulde not be so cruell as is the condicion of thy father O virgyne immaculate syn I can not accomplysh my desyre and that I muste deperte fro the yet receyue the dolorous laste kyssynge and blyssyng of thy sorowfull mother And thus I wyll go fro thy syght and fro thy lyfe most desyring to go fro myne owne lyfe ¶ The Auctor WHen the quene hadde endyde her wordes she wolde not abyde the aunswere of y e innocent her doughter Laureola bycause she wolde not receyue doble sorow Thus the quene and suche lordes as were in her coÌ„pany departed with the grettest lameÌ„tacions that euer was made And when she came in to her chamber she sent to Laureola a messenger aduysing her to wryte to y e kyng her father Thynkyng that he wolde take more compassion by reasone of her piteous wordes rather then by the peticious of any other that trauellyde for her liberte Who at the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of her dolorous mother â—oke penne and inke and wrote with greater turbacioÌ„ then hope of remedy Her letter specyfyed as folowith ¶ The letter of Laureola to the kynge DEre father I vnderstande that ye haue gyuen sentence vpon me to dye and that the terme of my lyfe shal be accomplyshede within these .iii. dayes I knowe well the innocentes ought no lesse to feare theyr fortune then suche as be culpable to feare the lawe And syn it is so that my mysfortune hath brought me in to this parell that I ame in and not for any defaute that I haue done the which lyghtly ye moght know if the furour of your ire wolde suffer you to se the trouth ye are not ignorante of the vertue that the auncyante cronicles historyes manyfestith of the kynges and quenes fro whome I do procede Then why was I borne of suche a blodde that wyll byleue rather the false informasion then the bounte naturall yf it pleace you to slee me for your pleasur ye may well do it But as toching iustice ye haue no cause therto The deth that ye will gyue me though I refuce it for feare yet by reasone of obedience I do coÌ„sent therto as she that louyth better to dye vnder your obedyence rather then to lyue in your dyspleasure Howbeit I requyre you or ye determyne take good aduyse for as sure as god is true I neuer dyd thyng to deserue to suffre any payne But syr I say to you it is as coÌ„uenient the pitie of the father as the rygoure of iustice Withoute dought I desyre aswell my lyfe because it tocheth your honour so nere as I do bycause it perteyneth to my selfe for at the ende I ame your doughter Coâ—sidre syr who soeuer vsith crueltie serchith for his owne perell more surer it is to be belouyd for vsynge of pitie and clemence rather then to be fearyd by crueltie He that wyll be fearyd muste feare Cruell kynges are of euery man behatyd and suche some tyme in serchynge to be avenged losyth them felfe for theyr subgettes rather desyre trouble change of the tyme then the conseruacion of theyr astates For good people feare suche condicions in a prince and suche as be euell feare theyr cruell iustice so that therby often tymes theyr owne seruantes study to put them downeâ— and to slee them vsynge with them the same condicion of cruelte suche as they vsyd them selfe before and gaue them ensample Syr I say this bicause I desyre to susteyne your honour and your lyfe Small hope your subgettes shall haue in you so cruell against me They shall feare the same and ther by haue you in a meruelous suspecte and he that is not sure can make no suretie O how frely delyueryd fro suche occasions are those pryncesâ— whose hartes are endeued with clemencye and pitie Theyr naturall subgettes careth not to dye in theyr quarels to saue them fro perell They will wake all nyght and defendâ— them on y e day More hope and strength these benynge and pitefull kynges hâ—ue by reasone that they be belouyd oâ—f theyr people then in the strenght of the walles of theyr stronge forteresses And other wyse if the kynge be behatyd of his subgiettesâ— if he hadde nede they that come most slackest to saue hym shall haue moste thanke of the people Therfore syr regarde well what hurte and dauÌ„ger crueltie causeth and what profyt gentlenes and pitie procureth Howbeit if ye thynke the opinyon of your furour better than good counsaill and naturall prudence then vnhappy is that doughter to be borne to bryng her fathers lyfe in to coÌ„dicioÌ„ of sclaunder prouyd with suche cruell deades Thus no man shall trust in you nor ye shall trust no man for if men procure your deth ye
hade loste neuer a maÌ„ This assaut endured fro y â— myddes of the day tyll it was nyght the which depertyd them there were slayne hurt of them withoute a .iii. M. and asmany of them within so that Lereano hadde lefet no mo with hym but. C.l. persones and yet by his contenance he semyd as though he had loste neuer a man how be it he was inwardly sory for them that he had loste All that nyght he buryed the dede bodyes and praysed and lawdyde the valiantnes of them that were lefte alyue and gyuing no lesse glory to them that were dede then to them that werâ— a lyue The next day at the relyefe in the morenynge Lereano determynyd that .l. of his menne with hym shulde issue oute and syt vpon a lodgyng that ioynede to the walles perteynynge to a kynnesmans of Persyos Lereano dyde this bicause the kynge shuld not thyâ—ke that he lacked men And this he dyde with ferme boldnes and so brente the sayde lodgynge and sleu many such as made defence And as god wolde in the same busynes there was taken one of them that hadde accusyde Laureola he was brought to Lereano and was put to payne till he was causyd to shewe all the trouth of the hole mater and so he confessed the hole circuÌ„stance of the mater And when Lereano was enfourmed of the trouth he sent hym to the kynge besechynge hym to dyscharge Laureola fro all blame and to do iustice vpon them for the payne that they haue caused Laureola to endure And when the â—yng knew the certaynte he was ryght gladde and thought it was reason that he requiryd and to make shorte proces The kinge dyd iustice vpon y â— .iii. falcâ— wytnesses accodynge to theyr desertes then incontynent he reised vp the siege and reputyd his doughter Laureola discharged Lereano withoute fawte and so went to his citie of Suria then sente for Laureola by y e grettest lordes of his court and she was brought with equall houour acordynge to her deseruynge and was ioyfully receuyd of the kyng of the quene who wepte for ioy and there the kinge discharged her fro blame and the quene kyst her and all other seruyd her Thus the payne passed was turned to great ioy present Then the kyng sent to Lereano coÌ„maundyng hym not to come to his court till he had apeased y e kynnesmen frendes of Persio the whiche coÌ„maundement he receyued w t greate sorow bycause he mighte not se Laureola And when he saw none other remedye he felte hym selfe in a strange maner and seynge hym selfe depertyd fro her He lefte the workes of chyualry and retourned agayne to his olde amorouse thoughtes and trowbles desyryng to know what case Laureola was in He desyrede me to fynde some honest maner how he myght se speke w t her and yet his desyre was so honest that he desyryd not to speke with her in suche wyse that any suspecte shulde be layde to her of the whiche he deseruyde to haue had great thanke And I who was glade to folowe his desire deperted fro hym and went to Suria and when I came there and had kyste Laureolas hande then I shewyd her Lereanos desyre And she aunswered me and sayde that in no wyse she wolde speke with hym for dyuerce causes that she alledgyde And though she was not content to grauÌ„t me at that tyme yet euer after as often as I myght speke with her I made styll my supplycacion and fynaly at laste she aunswerede me sayde ons for all that if I spake any more to her in that mater she wolde be vtterly displeasyd with me And when I harde her aunswere and saw her displeasure then I went to Lereano with greate heuynes and dolour and when I had shewyd hym how it was then he began newly to complayne and sorowe for hys mysaduenture so that with oute doubt he was in the condicion to haue dispayred And when I saw that yet to entertayne hym I sayde counsaylyd hym to write agayne to Laureola recordynge therin what he hadde done for her and maruaylynge of her change seynge she had rewardyd hym before with her writynge Then he aunswered and sayde how he was well content to write but not to recite therin any thyng that he had done for her the which he sayd was nothynge accordynge to her deseruynge Nor also he sayd he wolde make no remembrance in his letter of any rewarde y t he had receyuyd of her For he sayd the lawe of loue defendeth any suche thynge to be wryten What satisfacion shulde I receue therby for the greate perell that myght fall yf the letter were sene Thus not tochynge those maters I wyll wryte to Laureola The tenour of his letter folowith ¶ The letter fro Lereano to Laureola FAyre lady Laureola accordyng to your vertuous pytie synne ye know my passion I can not beleue but y t ye wyll coÌ„sente to my demaunde syn I desyre nothynge that shall be to your dishonour seinge ye knowe myne euill why do you dought withoute reason I dye ye know that great payne occupyeth so myne harte that I feale the euill and can not shewe it yf ye take it for good that I shuld dye thynking to satisfye me with the passion y t ye gyue me syn it procedeth fro you hit is the grettest welth that I can hope for and iustely I shall take it for the ende of my reward yf ye iudge me vncourteise in y t I shulde not be content with that ye do to me gyuinge me cause of so gloriouse thoughtsâ— yet blame me not for though the wyll be satisfyed The vnderstanding maketh quarell and yf my dolour do pleace you bycause I neuer dyd you seruice that might atteyne to the heighnes of your deseruyng wheÌ„ I remeÌ„bre these thynges many mo I thynke y t bycause that ye wyll not grauÌ„te my supplycacion bycause I can do nothynge that shuld deserue it yet hardynes hath causyd me to hope vpon mercy not according to my deseruing but according to your bountie that may gyue it And I thynk that your vertue coÌ„passyon pitie shulde ayde me bycause they be agreable to your condycion When a man hathe any busynes with a greate personage thynkyng to attayn to haue grace fyrste he must wynne the good wylles of the seruauntes wherby a man lightely shall come to his entent But as for me I can fynde no remedye I haue done my deuour to serche for ayde whome I haue found alwayes ferme stable for all they haue requyred you to haue mercy vpon me y e sowle bycause he sufferet hand the lyfe bycause it suâ—teyneth the harte bycause it endureth the vnderstandynge bycause it feleth And syn ye wyll gyue no reward for all these in that they desyre and by reasone haue deseruyd I ame the moste vnfortunat of all other vnhappy The water refressheth the yerth but my wepynges can not molefye your