shames thou 'st brought him to and will not be the last shall loath and hate thee For though youth fansie it have a mighty race to run of pleasing vice and vanity the course will end the goal will be arriv'd to at the last where they will sighing stand look back and view the length of pretious time they 've fool'd away when travers'd o'er with honour and discretion how glorious were the journey and with what joy the weâ—ried traveller lies down and basks beneath the shades that ends the happy course Forgive dear Child this advice and persue it 't is the effect of my pity not anger nor could the name of rival ever yet have power to banish that of sister from my soul farewell remember me pray Heaven thou hast not this night made a forfeit of thy honour and that this which comes from a tender bleeding heart may have the fortune to inspire thee with grace to avoid all temptations for the future since they must end in sorrow which is the eternal prayer of Dearest Child Your affectionate Sister To Philander ASk me not my dearest Brother the reason of this sudden change ask me no more from whence proceeds this strange coldness or why this alteration it is enough my destiny has not decreed me for Philander Alas I see my errour and looking round about me find nothing but approaching horrour and confusion in my pursuit of love Oh whither was I going to what dark paths what everlasting shades had smiling love betray'd me had I pursu'd him farther but I at last have subdu'd his force and the fond Charmer shall no more renew his arts and flatteries for I 'm resolv'd as Heaven as fixt as fate and death and I conjure you trouble my repose no more for if you do regardless of my honour which if you lov'd you wou'd preserve I 'll do a deed shall free me from your importunities that shall amaze and cool your vitious flame no more remember you have a noble wife companion of your vows and I have honour both which are worth preserving and for which though you want generous love you 'll find neither that nor courage wanting in Silvia To Silvia YES my adorable Silvia I will pursue you no farther only for all my pains for all my sufferings for my tormenting sleepless nights and thoughtfull anxious days for all my faithless hopes my fears my sighs my prayers and my tears for my unequall'd and unbound passion and my unwearied pursuits in love my never dying flame and lastly for my death I only beg in recompense for all this last favour from your pity That you will deign to view the bleeding wound that pierc'd the truest heart that ever fell a sacrifice to love you 'll find my body lying beneath that spreading Oak so sacred to Philander since 't was there he first took into his greedy ravish'd soul the dear the soft confession of thy passion though now forgotten and neglected all make what haste you can you 'll find there stretch'd out the mangled carcass of the lost Philander Ah! Silvia was it for this that I was sent in such haste away this morning to Cesario did I for this neglect the world our great affair and all that Prince's interest and fly back to Bellfont on the wings of Love were in lieu of receiving a dear blessing from thy hand do I find never see me more good Heaven but with my life all my complaints are ended only 't would be some ease even in death to know what happy Rival 't is has arm'd thy cruel hand against Philander's heart To Philander STay I conjure thee stay thy sacrilegious hand for the least wound it gives the Lord of all my wishes I 'll double on my breast a thousand fold stay then by all thy vows thy love and all the hopes I swear thou hast this night of a full recompence of all thy painâ— from yielding Silvia I do conjure thee stay for when the news arrives thou art no more this poor this lost abandon'd heart of mine shall fall a victim to thy cruelty no live my Philander I conjure thee and receive all thou canst ask and all that be given by Silvia To Philander OH my charming Philander how very ill have you recompenc'd my last soft commands which were that you should live and yet at the same moment while you were reading of the dear obligation and while my Page was waiting your kind return you desperately expos'd your life to the mercy of this innocent Rival betraying unadvisedly at the same time my honour and the secret of your love and where to kill or to be kill'd had been almost equally unhappy 't was well my â—age told me you disarm'd him in this rancounter yet you he says are wounded some sacred drops of blood are fallen to earth and lost the least of which are pretious enough to ransom captive Queens oh haste Philander to my arms for cure I dy with fear there may be danger haste and let me bath the dear the wounded part in floods of tears lay it to my warm lips and bind it with my torn hair oh Philander I rave with my concern for thee and am ready to break all laws of decency and duty and fly without considering to thy succour but that I fear to injure thee much more by the discovery which such an unadvis'd absence would make pray Heaven the unlucky adventure reach not Bellfont â—oscario has no reason to proclaim it and thou art too generous to boast the conquest and Silvio was the only witness and he 's as silent and as secret as the grave but why Philander was he sent me back without reply what meant that cruel silence say my Philander will you not obey me will you abandon me can that dear tongue be perjâ—â—â—'d and can you this night disappoint your Silvia what have I done oh obstinately cruel irreconcilable what for my first offence alittle poor resentment â—nd no more a little faint care of my gâ—sping honourâ—â—ou'd that displease so much besides I had â— cause which you shall see a Letter that wou'd cool loveâ— hoâ—â—â—st fires and turn it to devotion by Heaven 't was such a check such a surprise but you your self shall judge if after that I cou'd say lâ—ss than bid eternally farewell to love at least to thee but I recanted soon one sad dear word one soft resenting linâ— from thee gain'd love the day again and I despis'd the censures of the duller world yes yes and I confess'd you had o'recome and did this merit no reply I asked the Boy a thousand times what you said how and in what manner you received it chid him and laid your silent fault on him till he with tears convinc'd me and said he found you hastning to the Grove and when he gave you my commands you look'd upon him with such a stedfast wild and fixt regard surveying him all o're while you were opening it as
yet shoud'st thou tell me truth that thou art false by Heaven I do adore thee so I still shou'd love thee on shou'd I have seen thee clasp him in thy arms print kisses on his cheeks and lips and more so fondly and so doatingly I love I think I shou'd forgive thee for I swear by all the powers that pity frail mortality there is no joy no life no Heaven without thee Be false be cruel perjur'd infamous yet still I must adore thee my soul was form'd of nothing but of love and all that love and all that soul is Silvia's but yet since thou hast fram'd me an excuse be kind and carry it on to be deluded well as thou canst do 't will be the same to innocence as loving I shall not find the cheat I 'll come then and lay my self at thy feet and seek there that repose that dear content which is not to be found in this vast world besides though much of my heart's joy thou hast abated and fixt a sadness in my soul that will not easily vanish Oh Silvia take care of me for I am in thy power my life my fame my soul are in thy hands be tender of the victims and remember if any action of thy life shou'd shew a fading love that very moment I perceive the change you shall find dead at your feet the abandoned Philander Sad as death I am going towards the Meâ—dow in order to my approach to Silvia the World affording no â—â—poâ—e to â—e but when I am where the dear Charmâ—r is To Philander in the Meadow AND can you be jealous of me Philander I mean so poorly jealous as to believe me capable of falshood of vow-breach and what 's worse of loving any thing but the adorable Philander Oh I cou'd not once believe so cruel a thought cou'd have entred into the imaginations of a soul so intirely possest with Silvia and so great a judge of Love Abandon me reproach me hate me scorn me whenever I harbour any thing in mine so destructive to my repose and thine Can I Philander give you a greater proof of my passion of my faithful never-dying passion than being â—nd one for you have I any other prospect in all this soâ—t adventure but Thame dishonour reproach eternal infamy and everlasting destruction even of soul and body I tremble with fear of future punishment but oh Love will have no devotion mixt with his ceremonies to any other Deity and yet alas I might have lov'd another and have been sav'd or any Maid but Silvia might have possess'd without damnation But 't is a Brother I pursue it is a Sister gives her honour up and none but Cannace that ever I read in story was ever found so wretched as to love a Brother with so criminal a flame and possibly I may meet her fate I have a Father too as great as Aeolus as angry and revengefull where his honour is concern'd and you found my dearest Brother how near you were last night to a discovery in the Garden I have some reason too to fear this night's adventure for as ill fate would have it loaded with other thoughts I told not Melinda of your adventure last night with Monsieur the Count who meeting her early this morning had like to have made a discovery if he have not really so already she strove to shun him but he cried out Melinda you cannot fly me by light as you did last night in the dark she turn'd and beg'd his pardon for neither coming nor designing to come since she had resolv'd never to violate her vows to Alexis not coming cried he not returning again you meant Melinda secure of my heart and my purse you fled with both Melinda whose honour was now concern'd and not reminding your escape in her likeness blushing she sharply denied the fact and with a disdain that had laid aside all respect left him nor can iâ— be doubted but he fansied if she spoke truth there was some other intrigue of love carried on at Bellfont Judge my charming Philander if I have not reason to be fearfull of thy safety and my fame and to be jealous that so wise a Man as Monsieur did not take that parly to be held with a spirit last night or that 't was an apparition he courted But if there be no boldness like that of love nor courage like that of a lover sure there never was so great a Heroine as Silvia Undaunted I resolve to stand the shock of all since 't is impossible for me to leave Philander any doubt or jealousie that I can dissipate and Heaven knows how far I was from any thought of seeing Foscatio when I â—â—rg'd Philander to depart I have to clear my innocence sent thee the Letter I received two hours after thy absence which falling into my Mothers hands whose favourite he is he had permission to make his visit which within an hour he did but how received by me be thou the judge whene're it is thy fate to be oblig'd to entertain some Woman to whom thy soul has an intire aversion I forc'd a complaisance against my nature endur'd his wrecking courtship with a fortitude that became the great heart that bears thy sacred image â—s Martyrs do I suffer'd without murmuring or the least sign of the pain I endur'd 't is below the dignity of my mighty passion to justifie it farther let it plead its own cause it has a thousand ways to do 't and those all such as cannot be resisted cannot be doubted especially this last proof of sacrifieing to your repose the never more to be doubted Silvia About an hour hence I shall expect you to advance To the Lady Madam 'T IS not always the divine graces wherewith Heaven has adorn'd your resplendent beauties that can maintain the innumerable conquests they gain without a noble goodness which may make you sensibly compassionate the poor and forlorn captives you have undoneâ— But most fair of your Sex 't is I alone that have a destiny more cruel and severe and find my self wounded from your very frowns and secur'd a slave as well as made one the very scorn from those triumphant stars your eyes have the same effects as if they shin'd with the continual splendour of ravishing smiles and I can no more shun their killing influence than their all-saving aspects and I shall expire contented since I fall by so glorious a Fate if you will vouchsafe to pronounce my doom from that store-house of perfection your mouth from lips that open like the blushing rose strow'd o're with morning dew and from a breath sweeter than holy incense in order to which I approach you most excellent beauty with this most humble petition that you will deign to permit me to throw my unworthy self before the Throne of your mercy there to receive the sentence of my life or death a happiness though incomparably too great for so mean a Vassal yet with that reverence and
or fall in its Defence and that he was resolved to be a King or Nothing and that he would put in Practice all the Arts and Stratagems of Cunning as well as Force to attain to this Glorious End however crooked and indirect they might appear to Fools However he conceived the first necessary Step to this was the getting his Pardon to gain a little time to manage things anew to the best Advantage That at present all things were at a stand without Life or Motion wanting the sight of himself who was the very Life and Soul of Motion the Axel-tree that could turn the Wheel of Fortune round again And now he had talk'd himself into Sense again he cry'd Oh my Tomaso I long to be in Action my Soul is on the Wing and ready to take its Flight through any Hazzard But sighing on a suddain again he cry'd But oh my Friend my Wings are impt by Love I cannot mount the Regions of the Air and thence survey the World but still as I would rise to mightier Glory they â—â—ag to humble Love and fix me there Here I am charm'd to lazy soft Repose here 't is I smile and play and love away my Hours But I will rouse I will my dear Tomaso nor shall the winged Boy hold me inslav'd Belive me Friend he shall not He sent me away pleased with this and I left him to his Repose Supper being ready to come upon the Table tho' Philander were impatient to hear the Story out yet he would not press Tomaso till after Supper in which time they discoursed of nothing but the Miracle of Cesario's Love to Hermionâ— He could not but wonder a Prince so young so amorous and so gay should return again after almost fifteen Years to an old Mistress and who had never been in her Youth a celebrated Beauty One whom it was imagined the King and several after him at Court had made a Gallantry with On this he paused for some time and reflected on his Passion for Silvia and this fantastick Intrigue of the Prince's inspired him with a kind of Curiosity to try whether fleeting Love would carry him back again to this abandoned Maid In these Thoughts and such Discourse they passed away the time during Supper which ended and a fresh Bottle brought to the Table with a new Command that none should interrupt 'em The impatient Philander obliged Tomaso to give him a farther Account of the Princes Proceedings which he did in this manner My Lord having left my Prince as I imagined very well resolved I spoke of it to as many of our Party as I could conveniently meet with to prepare 'em for the Discovery I believed the Prince would pretend to make that they should not by being alarm'd at the first News of it put themselves into Fears that might indeed discover 'em Nor would I suffer Cesario to rest but daily saw him or rather nightly stole to him to keep up his Resolution And indeed in spight of Love to which he had made himself so intire a Slave I brought him to his own House to visit Madam his Wife who was very well at Court maugre her Husbands ill Conduct as they call'd it The King being as you know my Lord extreamly kind to that deserving Lady often made her Visits and would without very great Impatiency hear her plead for her Husband the Prince and possibly it was not ungrateful to him All this we daily learn'd from a Page who secretly brought Intelligence from Madam the Princess So that we conceived it wholly necessary for the Interest of the Prince that he should live in a good Understanding with this prudent Lady To this end he feigned more Respect than usual to her and as soon as it was dark every Evening made her his Visits One Evening among the rest he happened to be there just as the Proclamation came forth of four thousand Crowns to any that could discover him and within half an Hour after came the King to visit the Princess as every Night he did her Lodging being in the Court The King came without giving any Notice and with a very slender Train that Night so that he was almost in the Princess's Bed-chamber before any body inform'd â—her he was there so that the Prince had no time to retire but into Madam the Princess's Cabaret the Door of which she immediately locking made such a Noise and Bustle that it was heard by his Majesty who nevertheless had passed it by if her Confusion and Blushes had not farther betray'd her with the unusual Address she made to the King Who therefore asked her who she had conceal'd in her Closet She endeavoured to put him off with some feign'd Replies but 't would not do the more her Confusion the more the King was inquisitive and urged her to give him the Key of her Cabaret But she who knew the Life of the Prince would be in very great Danger should he be taken so and knew on the other side â—hat to deny it would betray the Truth as much as his Discovery would and cause him either to force the Key or the Door fell down at his Feet and wetting his Shooes with her Tears and grasping his Knees in her trembling Arms implor'd that Mercy and Pity for the Prince her Husband whom her Vertue had rendered dear to her however Criminal he appear'd to his Majesty She told him his Majesty had more peculiarly the Attributes of a God than any other Monarch upon Earth and never heard the Wretched or the Innocent plead in vain She told him that herself and her Children who were dearer to her than Life should all be as Hostages for the good Conduct and Duty of the Prince's future Life and Actions And they would all be obliged to suffer any Death tho' never so ignominious upon the least breaking out of her Lord That he should utterly abandon those of the reformed Religion and yield to what Articles his Majesty would graciously be pleased to impose quitting all his false and unreasonable Pretensions to the Crown which was only the Effects of the Flattery of the Hugonot Party and the Male-Contents Thus with the Vertue and Goodness of an Angel she pleaded with such moving Eloquence mix'd with Tears from beautiful Eyes that she fail'd not to soften the royal Heart who knew not how to be deaf when Beauty pleaded Yet he would not seem to yield so suddenly least it should be imagined he had too light a Sense of his Treasons which in any other great Man would have been punished with no less than Death Yet as she pleaded he grew calmer and suffered it without Interruption till she waited for his Reply and obliged him by her Silence to speak He numbers up the Obligations he had heaped on her Husband how he had by putting all Places of great Command and Interest into his Hands made him the greatest Prince and Favourite of a Subject in the World and infinitely happier
of Octavio for which he was forced to fly the States released him when he came to his Lord How â—ry'd Philander and is the Traytor Octavio fled from Holland and from the reach of my Chastisement Yes reply'd Brilljard and not to hold you longer from the Truth has forced Silvia away with him At this Philander grew into a violent Rage sometimes against Octavio for his Treasons against Friendship sometimes he felt the old Flame revive rais'd and blown by Jealousy and was raving to imagine any other should posses the lovely Silvia He now beholds her with all those Charms that first fired him and thinks if she be Criminal 't was only the Effects of the greatest Love which always hurries Women on to the highest Revenges In vain he seeks to extinguish this returning Flame by the Thought of â—alista yet at that Thought he starts like one awakened from a Dream of Honour to fall asleep again and dream of Love Before 't was Rage and Pride but now it was Tenderness and Grief softer Passions and more insupportable New Wounds smart most but old ones are most dangerous While he was thus rageing walking pausing and loving one knock'd at his Chamber-Door It was Silvia's Page who had waited all the Evening to speak to him and could not till now be admitted Brilljard was just going to tell him he was there before when he arrived now again Philander was all unbutton'd his Stockings down and his Hair under his Cap when the â—age being let in by Brilljard ran to his Lord who knew him and imbraced him And 't was a pretty while they thus caressed each other without the Power of speaking he of asking a Question and the Boy of delivering his Message at last he gave him Silvia's Billet which was thus To Philander FAlse and perjured as you are I languish for a Sight of you and conjure you to give it me as soon as this comes to your Hands Imagine not that I have prepared those Instruments of Revenge that are so justly due to your Perfidy but rather that I have yet too tender Sentiments for you in spight of the Outrages you have done my Heart and that for all the Ruine you have made I still adore you And tho' I know you now anothers Slave yet I beg you would vouchsafe to behold the Spoils you have made and allow me this Recompence for all to say Here was the Beauty I once esteem'd tho' now she is no more Philander's Silvia How cry'd he out No more Philander ' s Silvia By Heaven I had rather be no more Philander And at that word without considering whether he were in order for a Visit or not he advancing his joyful Voice cry'd out to the Page Lead on my faithful Boy lead on to Silvia In vain Brilljard beseeches him to put himself into a better Equipage in vain he urges to him the indecency of making a Visit in that Posture he thought of nothing but Silvia however he ran after him with his Hat Cloak and Comb and as he was in the Chair dress'd his Hair and suffered the Page to conduct him where he pleas'd Which being to Silvia's Lodgings he ran up Stairs and into her Chamber as by Instinct of Love and found her laid on her Bed to which he made but one step from the Door and catching her in his Arms as he kneeled upon the Carpet they both remain'd unable to utter any thing but Sighs And surely Silvia never appear'd more charming she had for a Month or two liv'd at her Ease and had besides all the Advantage of fine Dressing which she had purposly put on in the most tempting Fashion on purpose to ingage him or rather to make him see how fine a Creature his Perfidy had lost him She first broke Silence and with a thousand violent Reproaches seem'd as if she would fain break from those Arms which she wish'd might be too strong for her Force while he endeavours to appease her by swearing and lying as Lovers do protesting a thousand times that there was nothing in that History of his Amour with Calista but Revenge on Octavio who he knew was making an Interest in her Heart contrary to all the Laws of Honour and Friendship for he had learn'd by the Reproaches of the Lady Abbess that Calista was Sister to Octavio he has had the daring to confess to me his Passion said he for you and could I do less in Revenge than tell him I had one for his Sister I knew by the violent Reproaches I ever met with in your Letters tho' they were not plainly confess'd that he had play'd me foul and discover'd my â—eign'd Intrigue to you and even this I suffered to see how far you could be prevail'd with against me I knew Octavio had Charms of Youth and Wit and that you had too much the Ascendant over him to be deny'd any Secret you had a mind to draw from him I knew your Nature too curious and your Love too inquisitive not to press him to a sight of my Letters which seen must incense you and this Tryal I designedly made oâ— your Faith and as a Return to Octavio Thus he flatters and she believes because she has a mind to believe and thus by degrees he softens the listening Silvia Swears his Faith with Sighs and confirms 〈◊〉 with his Tears which bedew'd her fair Bosom as they fell from his bright dissembling Eyes and yet so well he dissembled that he scarce knew himself that he did so And such Effects it wrought on Silvia that in spight of all her Honour and Vows engaged to Octavio and horrid Protestations never to receive again the Fugitive to her Arms she suffers all he ask's gives herself up again to Love and is a second time undone She regards him as one to whom she had a peculiar Right as the first Lover She was married to his Love to his Heart and Octavio appeared the intruding Gallant that would and ought to be content with the Gleanings of the Harvest Philander should give him the opportunity to take up And tho' if she had at this very time been put to her sober Choice which she would have abandoned it would have been Philander as not in so good Circumstances at that time to gratify all her Extravagancies of Expence but she could not indure to think of loosing either She was for two Reasons covetous of both and swore Fidelity to both protesting each the only Man and she was now contriving in her Thoughts how to play the Jilt most Artificially a Help meet tho' natural enough to her Sex she had not yet much essay'd and never to this purpose She knew well she should have need of all her Cunning in this Affair for she had to do with Men of Quality and Honour and too much Wit to be grosly imposed upon She knew Octavio lov'd so well it would either make her loâ—e him by Death or resenting Pride if she should ever be