discourse whiche setteth before your eyes what ende the fonde loue of them ordinarelie haue whiche without reason not measuryng their owne abilitie doe suffer themselfes to be guided and ledde into their sensuall lustes and appetites For ill successe faileth not in a beginnyng the grounde whereof abhorryng reason is planted and laied vpon the sandie foundacion of pleasure whiche is shaken and ouerthrowen by the least winde and tempest that Fortune can bluster against suche buildyng Didaco and Violenta Didaco a Spaniarde is in loue with a poore maiden of Valencia aud secretely marieth her afterwardes lothyng his firste mariage bicause she was of base parentage he marieth an other of noble birthe His first wife by secrete messenger praieth his companie whose request he accomplisheth Beeyng a bedde she and her maide killeth hym She throweth hym into the streate she in desperate wise cōfesseth the facte before the Magistrates and is put to death ¶ The .xlii. Nouell THere is no manne but doeth knowe that Valencia is at this daie the chief and onely Rampar of Spaine the true seate of Faithe Iustice and Humanitie And emōges all the rare and excellent-ornamentes that citie is wel furnished with so trimme Ladies and curteous gentlewomen as thei knowe how to baite and féede yonge men with foolishe daliaunce and idle passetyme So that if there be any beetle hedde or grosse persone the better to allure and prouoke him to those follies thei tell hym by a common Prouerbe that he must goe to Valencia In this citie there was in old tyme as it is at this daie a verie auncient stocke and familie called Ventimiglia out of whiche be descended a great nomber of riche and honorable knightes Emonges whom not longe tyme passe there was one named Didaco verie famous and renowmed to be the moste liberall and familer gentleman of the citie who for wante of better businesse walked vp and doune the citie and so consumed his youth in triūphes maskes and other expences common and apt for suche pilgrimes addressing his loue indifferently to all women without greater affection to one then to an other and continued that order till vpon an holy daie he espied a yong maide of smal yeres but of verie exquisite beautie whiche maiden sodainly castyng her eye vpon hym so pearced the knight Didaco with her looke that from that tyme forthe she entred more nere his harte then any other And after he had wel marked her dwellyng place he many tymes passed and repassed before the doore to espie if he might gette some looke or other fauour of her that began alredie to gouerne the bridle of his thoughtes and if it chaunced that the gentlemanne behelde her she shewed herself curteous and amiable indued with grace so good that he neuer departed ill contēted out of that streate The gentleman continuyng certaine tyme in those vanities was destrous to know a farre of what she was of what lineage and of what vocacion And after he had curiously serched out all her originall he vnderstoode by diuers reporte that she was a Goldsmithes doughter whose father was dedde certaine yeres before hauyng no more but her another aliue and twoo brethren bothe of their fathers occupacion Notwithstandyng of life she was chaste honeste defamed with none although she was pursued of many Her outwarde beautie did not so muche sette her forthe as her grace and order of talke who although brought vp in a citizens house yet no ladie or gentlewoman in the Citie was comparable to her in vertue and behauiour For from her tender yeres she was not onely giuen to her nedle a méete exercise for maides of her degrée but also was trained vp to write and reade wherin she tooke so great pleasure that ordinarilie she carried a boke in her hande whiche she neuer gaue ouer till she had gathered some fruicte thereof This knight hauing receiued that first impression of the valor and vertue of Violenta for that was her name was further in loue then before and that whiche added more oile to the matche was the continuall lookes wherwith she knewe how to delight him and with them she was so liberall that so oft as he passed through the streate she shotte them forthe so cruelly that his poore harte felyng it self so tormēted could not indure that newe onset By reason whereof thinkyng to quenche the fire that by litle and litle consumed hym he would attempt her chastite with giftes letters and messengers whiche he continued the space of halfe a yere or more Wherevnto Violenta giuyng no place in the ende he was constreined to assaile her with his own presence and one daie findying her alone at the doore after he had made a verie humble reuerence vnto her he saied Maistresse Violenta consideryng your order and the colde regarde that you haue to my letters and messages I doe remember the subtiltie that is attributed to the Serpente who with his taile stoppeth his eares bicause he will not heare the woordes whiche hath power to constraine hym to doe against his wil which hath made me to leaue to write vnto you to desire specially to speake vnto you that myne affectuous accentes my sorowfull wordes and feruente sighes might certefie you better then Paper the rest of my passion beleuyng verely that if the heauie sounde of my greuous complaintes maie come to your eares thei will make you to vnderstande a parte of that good and euill whiche I feele continually in my harte although the loue whiche I beare you be suche that I can not giue suche liuelie experience outwardly beyng but litle in comparison of them whiche maie be séen within And pronouncyng those wordes there followed so many teares sobbes and sighes that thei gaue sufficiēt testimonie that his tongue was the true and faithfull messenger of his harte Whereof Violenta somewhat ashamed with a constaunte grace said vnto hym Senior Didaco if you dooe yet remember your life past and mine honestie whiche peraduenture you haue thought either rude or cruell I doubte not that you haue any cause to maruaile of my presumpcion and to attribute that to vice whiche is familier with vertue For although that you haue sollicited me to loue you by an infinite nomber of letters and messages yet it is so that followyng the nature of maides of my degrée I haue neither allowed them nor yet cōdempned thē as where vnto accordinglie I haue made none answere not for despite or contempte but to lette you knowe more certainlie that by fauoryng your enterprises I should increase your grief whiche can receiue none ende by the waie you pretēde For although that I haue made the first proofe vpon my self and therfore of reason I ought to lamente them whiche bee in semblable paine yet I will not let slippe the bridle in suche wise to my passion that myne honestie shall remaine in an other mannes power and so it maie bée at the mercie and curtesie of them who not knowyng how dere
gentlewomans bedde and began to imbrace kisse her The mayden when she felte him sodaynelie dipped her finger in the colour stayned his face not perceyued of him when he had accomplished the thing he came for he retourned to his bedde And then began to imagine vpon the Dukes wordes and for what policie he spake them And lying a litle while stil musing vpon the same he went againe to the gētlewomans bed hauing disposed himselfe in the pleasures of this paradise lambe He perceyued her when she dipped her finger in the sawcer rubbed his face Ricciardo marking the fame toke away the sawcer from the beddes head and rounde about bestowed the colour vpon the faces of euery of his felowes who were to fast a slepe that they did not fele him Some he marked with two spottes some with six and some with .x. himself he painted but with foure besides those wherwith already he was berayed by the Gentlewoman Which done he set the saucer agayne vpon the beds head when he had bidden her farewel fayre softly he returned againe to his bed In the morning betimes the Damosels of the chāber came in to helpe the Lady to make her ready which done they waited vpō her to the Duke who asked her howe the matter stode She aunswered well for she had done his cōmaundement And tolde him how one came vnto her three times euery time she gaue him a taint in his face The Duke by and by sent for them that were of his counsell To whome he sayde Sirs I haue founde out this good fellowe and therefore I haue sent for you that we al together may goe to sée him They went all into the chāber and viewing them round about they perceyued all their faces coloured whereat they fell into a great laughter Then one of them sayde to a nother Suerlie this fellowe hath the subtilest head that euer was knowen and concluded the one of the company had set the colour in their faces The yong men beholding one another paynted in that sorte brake into a great sport and pastime Afterwardes the Duke examined euery of them séeing that he was not able by any meanes to vnderstande by whom it was done he determined to knowe the man before he departed and promised to him that shoulde confesse the truth to giue his daughter to him in mariage and with her a very great dowrie and a generall pardon Wherefore Ricciardo vnderstanding the Dukes minde toke hym asyde and tolde him the whole matter particularly from the beginning to the ende The Duke imbraced him and gaue him his pardon and with great ioy and triumph he solemnized the mariage betwene him his daughter Wherewithal Ricciardo encoraged proued a very stoute and valiaunt man in suche wise almost as the affaires of the whole state passed through his handes And liued a long time after with the loue good will of the whole cominaltie of Venice Philenio Sisterno Philenio Sisterno a Scholler of Bologna being mocked of three fayre Gentlewomen at a banket made of set purpose he was reuenged vpon them all ¶ The .xlix. Nouell AT Bologna which is the noblest citie of Lombardie the mother of studies and accomplished with all things requisite for such a florishing citie there was a yong scholler a gentleman of the cuntrie of Crete named Philenio Sisterno of very good grace and behauior It chaunced that in his tyme there was a great feast made in the citie wherevnto were bidden the fairest dames and best of reputation there There was likewise many gentlemen and schollers of Bologna amongs whome was this Philenio Who following the manner of yong men dallying sometime with one sometime with another and perceyuing them for his purpose determined to daūce with one of them And comming to one which was called Emerentiana the wyfe of sir Lamberto Bentiuoglia he prayed her to daunce Who being very gentle and of no lesse audacitie than beautifull refused not Then Philenio leading forth the daunce very softly sometimes wringing her by the hand spake somewhat secretely vnto her these words Madame your beautie is so great that without doubt it surmounteth all that euer I sawe and there is no woman in the worlde to whome I beare so great affection as to your person which if it were correspondent to me in loue I would think my self the best contented man in the worlde otherwise I shall in shorte time be depriued of lyfe and then you shall be the cause of my death And louing you Madame as I doe and as my duety requireth you ought to take me for your seruaunt vsing me and those litle goodes which I haue as your owne And I doe assure you that it is impossible for me to receyue greater fauour from heauen than to sée my self subiect to such a gentlewoman as you be which hath taken me in a net lyke a birde Nowe Emerentiana which earnestly had marked the swéete and pleasaunt wordes lyke a wise gentlewoman semed to giue no eare thervnto and made him no aunswere at all The daunce ended and Emerentiana being set downe in her place this yong scholler went to take another Gentlewoman by the hand and began to daunce with her which was not so sone begon but thus he sayde vnto her It néedeth not Madame that by wordes I doe expresse the feruent loue which I beare you and wil so doe so long as my poore spirite shall gouerne and rule my members and if I could obtaine you for my maistresse and singuler Lady I would thinke my selfe the happiest man on liue Then louing you as I doe and being wholly yours as you may easily vnderstand refuse me not I besech you for your humble seruaunt sith that my lyfe and al that I haue dependeth vpon you alone The yong gentlewoman whose name was Panthemia perceyuing his meaning did not aunswere him any thing at that tyme but honestlie procéeded in her daunce and the daunce ended smyling a little she sat downe with the other dames This done amorous Philenio rested not vntill he had taken the third by the hand who was the gentlest fayrest and trimmest dame in al Bologna and began to daunce with her roming abrode to shew his cunning before them that came to behold him And before the daunce was finished he sayd thus vnto her Madame it may so be as I shall séeme vnto you very malapert to manifest the secrete loue that I haue and doe beare you at this instant for which you ought not to blame me but your beautie which rendreth you excellent aboue al the rest and maketh me your slaue prisoner I speake not of your cōmendable behauior of your excellent maruellous vertues which be such of so great effect that it would make the Gods descend downe to contēplate the same If then your excellent beauty and shape so wel fauoured by nature and not by arte may séeme to contente the immortall Gods you ought not to be offēded
ouer the riuer of Tybre arriued at Rome in sauftie whiche beyng redemaūded by Porsenna wer sent backe againe The kyng driuen into a wōderfull admiracion for the desperate and manly enterprises doen by the Romane nacion retourned the maiden home againe to Rome In whose honour the Romanes erected an Image on horsebacke placed at the vpper ende of the strete called Sacra via And so peace was concluded betwene Porsenna and the Romanes Martius Coriolanus goyng about to represse the common people of Rome with dearth of Corne was banished For reuengemeut whereof he perswaded Accius Tullius Kyng of the Volscians to make warres vpon the Romanes and he hymself in their aide came in his own persone The citie brought to greate miserie the fathers deuised meanes to deliuer the same and sent into the Volscian campe the mother the wife and children of Coriolanus Upon whose cōplaintes Coriolanus withdrewe the Volscians And the Citie was reduced to qiuetnesse ¶ The .iiij. Nouell IN the yere that Titus Geganius Publius Minutius were Consuls when all thinges were quiet abrods and dissensiō at home appeased an other greate mischief inuaded the citie Firste a dearth of victuals by reason the lande was vntilled by the peoples departure then a famine suche as chaunceth to the besieged whiche had brought a greate destruccion of people had not the Consuls forséen the same by prouision in forren places Thei sent purueiors into Scicilia but the malice of the cities adioynyng staied the prouision that was made a farre of The Corne prouided at Cumas was staied for the goodes of Tarquinius by Aristodemus the tirant whiche was his heire The next yere folowyng a great masse of corne was transported out of Scicile in the tyme of the Consuls M. Minutius and A. Sempronius Then the Senate consulted vpon the distribucion of the same vnto the people Diuers thought that the tyme was then come to bridle and oppresse the people whereby thei might recouer those priuileges that were extorted from the fathers Emonges whiche Martius Coriolanus a yong gentleman was the chiefest who beyng an enemie to the Tribune aucthoritie said these wordes If the people will haue victualles and corne at that price whereat it was assised and rated in time past then it is mete and necessarie that thei rēder to the fathers their aunciente aucthoritie and priuilege For to what purpose be the plebeian Magistrates ordeined For what consideracion shall I suffer my self to bee subiugated vnder the aucthoritie of Sicinius as though I were conuersant emonges theues Shall I abide these iniuries any longer to continue then is necessarie I that could not suffer Tarquinius the kyng shall I be pacient with Sicinius Let Sicinius departe if he will let him drawe the people after hym the waie yet is open to the sacred hill and to the other mountaignes Let them robbe vs of our Corne whiche thei tooke awaie from our owne lande as thei did thrée yeres passe let them inioye the victualles whiche in their furie thei did gather I dare bée bolde to saie thus muche that béeyng warned and tamed by this present penurie thei had rather plowe and till the lande then thei would suffre the same to be vncultured by withdrawyng thē selues into Armure It is not so easie to bée spokē as I thanke it maie with facilitie bée brought to passe that vpon condicions the prices of victualles should be abated the fathers might remoue the aucthoritie of the Tribunes and disanull all those lawes whiche against their willes were ratefied and confirmed This sentence seemed cruell to the fathers and almoste had set the people together by the eares who would haue torne hym in péeces had not the Tribunes appoincted a daie for his apparance Wherevpon their furie for that tyme was appeased Coriolanus seyng the peoples rage to encrease and consideryng that thei should bée his Iudge when the daie of his apparance was come he absented hymself and for lacke thereof was condempned Then he fledde to the Volscians of whom he was gently interteigned and lodged in the house of Accius Tullius the chief of that citie and a deadly enemie to the Romanes Upon daily conference and consultacion had betwene theim thei consulted by what sleight or pollicie thei might comence a quarrell againste the Romanes And bicause thei doubted that the Volscians would not easely bee perswaded therevnto beyng so oft vanquished and ill intreated thei excogitated some other new occasion In the meane time T. Latinius one of the plebeian sorte perceiuyng that the Romanes went about to institute great pastimes conceiued a dreame wherin he sawe Iuppiter to speake vnto hym and saied that he liked not the towardnesse of those games and in case the same were not celebrated with greate roialtie and magnificence thei would ingender perill to the citie whiche dreame he declared to the Consuls Then the Senate gaue order that the same should bée addressed with great pompe triumphe wherevnto through thinstigacion of Accius a great nomber of the Volscians resorted But before the plates begonne Tullius accordyng to the compacte agréed vpon betwene hym and Coriolanus secretly repaired to the Consuls and takyng theim a side declared that he had to saie vnto them a matter iouchyng the publike wealthe of their citie vtteryng these woordes I am forced against my will to signifie vnto you a matter concernyng myne owne subiectes and countrie men I come not to accuse them for that thei haue alreadie admitted any thyng but I come to giue you a premonicion left thei should perpetrate some occasion contrary to the order of your citie The disposition of my countrie men is more inconstant then I would wishe whiche we haue felte to our greate losse and decaie The cause of our securitie at this presente is rather suffered by your patience then by our desert Here bée at this instaunte a greate multitude of Volscians Here be games prepared and the citie throughly bent to beholde the same I dooe remember what was doen vpon like occasion in this citie by the Romane youthe I tremble to thinke what maie be rashely attempted wherefore I thought good bothe for your own sakes and for auoidyng of displeasure to foretell you of these thinges And for mine own parte I purpose immediatly to returne home bicause I will auoide the daunger perill that maie chaunce by my presence When he had spoken those wordes he departed The Consuls immediatly recompted the request of Accius to the Senate who more estemyng the personage from whēce the same did procede then the matter that was spoken determined to prouide a remedy for the same and immediatly caused the Volscians to auoide the citie sendyng officers about to commaunde theim to departe that night vpon whiche sodein commaundemente at the first thei began to meruaile what should be the cause And afterwardes thei conceiued a greate grief and offence for that vnneighbourly enterteignement And as thei wer passyng out of the citie in a long traine Tullius beyng vpō