shal be well to knowe how the poore and princely prisoners passed this tedious night There was neuer tyrante exercised his rage with more grieuous torments vpon any he most hated then afflicted Gynecia did crusifie her owne soule after the guiltines of her harte was surcharged with the sodainenes of her husbāds death for although that effect came not frō her minde yet her mind being euil the effect euill she thought the iustice of God had for the beginning of her paines copled thē together This incessantly boyled in her brest but most of al whē Philanax hauing cloasely imprisoned her she was lefte more freely to suffer the fierbrands of her owne thoughts especially when it grewe darke and had nothing left by her but a little lampe whose small light to a perplexed mind might rather yeld feareful shadowes then any assured sight Then beganne the heapes of her miseries to waye downe the platforme of her iudgement then beganne despaire to laye his ougly clawes vpon her shee beganne then to feare the heauenly powers shee was woont to reuerence not like a childe but like an enemie neither kept she herselfe from blasphemous repyning against her creation O Gods would she crye out why did you make me to destruction If you loue goodnes why did you not geue me a good minde Or if I cannot haue it without your gifte why doe you plague mee Is it in me to resist the mightines of your power Then would she imagine she sawe strange sights and that she heard the cries of hellish ghostes then would she skritch out for succour but no man comming vnto her shee woulde faine haue killed her helfe but knewe not how At sometimes againe the very heauines of her imaginations would cloase vp her senses to a little sleepe but then did her dreames become her tormentors One time it would seeme vnto her Philanax was haling her by the heare of the head and hauing put out her eyes was redy to throw her into a burning fornace Another time she would thinke she sawe her husband making the complainte of his death to Pluto and the magistrates of that infernall region contending in great debate to what eternal punishment they should allot her But long her dreaming would not hold but that it woulde fall vpon Zelmane to whom shee would think she was crying for mercy and that she did passe away by her in silence without any shew of pittying her mischief Then waking out of a broken sleep and yet wishing she might euer haue slept new formes but of the same miseries would seaze her minde shee feared death and yet desired death shee had passed the vttermost of shame and yet shame was one of her cruellest assaulters she hated Pyrocles as the originall of her mortall ouerthrowe and yet the loue shee had conceaued to him had still a hie authoritie of her passions O Zelmane would she say not knowing how neere he himselfe was to as great a daunger now shalt thou glut thy eyes with the dishonoured death of thy enemie Enemie alas enemie since so thou haste wel shewed thou wilt haue me accompt thee couldest thou not aswel haue giuē me a determinate deniall as to disguise thy first diguising with a doble dissembling Perchaunce if I had bene vtterly hopelesse the vertue was once in me might haue called together his forces and not haue beene led captiue to this monstrous thraldome of punished wickednes Then would her owne knowing of good enflame a new the rage of despaire which becomming an vnresisted Lorde in her brest shee had no other comforte but in death which yet she had in horror when she thought of But the wearisome detesting of her selfe made her long for the dayes approach at which time shee determined to continue her former course in acknowledginge any thing which might hasten her ende Wherein although shee did not hope for the end of her torments feeling alreadye the beginning of hell agonies yet according to the nature of paine the presente being most intollerable shee desired to change that and put to aduenture the ensuing And thus rested the restlesse Gynecia no lesse sorrowfull though lesse ragefull were the mindes of the Princesse Pamela and the Lady Philoclea whose only aduantages were that they had not consented to so much euill and so were at greater peace with themselues and that they were not lefte alone but might mutually beare parte of each others woes For when Philanax not regarding Pamelas princely protestations had by force left her vnder garde with her sister and that the two sisters were matched aswell in the disgraces of fortune as they had beene in the best beauties of nature those thinges that till then bashfullnes and mistrust had made them holde reserued one from the other now feare the vnderminer of all determinations and necessitie the victorious rebell of all lawes forced them enterchaungeably to lay open There passions then so swelling in them as they woulde haue made Auditors of stones rather then haue swallowed vp in silence the choking aduentures were falne vnto them Truely the hardest hartes which haue at any time thought womans teares to be a matter of sleight compassion imagining that faire weather will quickly after followe would now haue beene mollyfied and bene compelled to confesse that the fayrer a diamond is the more pittie it is it shoulde receaue a bleamish Although no doubte their faces did rather beautifie sorrow then sorrow coulde darken that which euen in darkenes did shine But after they had so long as their other afflictions would suffer them with doleful ceremonies bemoned their fathers death they sate downe together apparrelled as their misaduentures had founde them Pamela in her iournying weedes nowe conuerted to another vse Philoclea onely in her night gowne which she thought should bee the rayment of her funeralls But when the excellent creatures had after much panting with their inwarde trauell gotten so much breathing power as to make a pittifull discourse one to the other what had befallne them and that by the plaine comparing the case they were in they thorowlye founde that their greiues were not more like in regarde of themselues then like in respecte of the subiecte the two Princes as Pamela had learned of Musidorus being so minded as they woulde euer make both their fortunes one it did more vnite and so strengthen their lamentation seing the one coulde not bee miserable but that it must necessarilie make the other miserable also That therfore was the first matter their sweet mouths deliuered the declaring the passionate beginning troblesome proceeding and daungerous ending their neuer ending loues had passed And when at any time they entred into the prayses of the young Princes to long it woulde haue exercised their tonges but that their memory foorthwith warned them the more prayse worthy they were the more at that time they were worthy of lamentation Then againe to crying and wringing of handes and then a newe as vnquiet greefe sought
and crying vpon the name of Pyrocles nor seeing nor hearing cause of comfort what said he and shall Musidorus liue after Pyrocles destruction therewithall hee offered wilfully to cast himselfe againe into the sea a strange sight to the shepheards to whom it seemed that beefore being in apparance dead had yet saued his life and now comming to his life should be a cause to procure his death but they ranne vnto him and pulling him backe then to feeble for them by force stickled that vnnaturall fray I pray you said he honest men what such right haue you in me as not to suffer me to doe with my selfe what I list and what pollicie haue you to bestowe a benefite where it is counted an iniury They hearing him speake in Greeke which was their naturall language became the more tender hearted towards him and considering by his calling and looking that the losse of some deare friend was great cause of his sorrow tolde him they were poore men that were bound by course of humanitie to preuent so great a mischiefe and that they wisht him if opinion of some bodies perishing bred such desperate anguish in him that he should be coÌ„forted by his own proof who had lately escaped as apparant danger as any might be No no said he it is not for me to attend so high a blissefullnes but since you take care of me I pray you find meaÌ„s that some Bark may be prouided that will go out of the hauen that if it be possible wee maye find the bodie farre farre too precious a food for fishes and for the hire said he I haue within this casket of value sufficient to content them Claius presently went to a Fisherman and hauing agreeed with him and prouided some apparrell for the naked stranger he imbarked and the Shepheards with him and were no sooner gone beyond the mouth of the hauen but that some way into the sea they might discerne as it were a stayne of the waters colour and by times some sparkes and smoke mounting thereout But the young man no sooner saw it but that beating his brest he cried that there was the beginning of his ruine intreating them to bend their course as neere vnto it as they could telling how that smoake was but a small relique of a great fire which had driuen both him and his friend rather to committe themselues to the cold mercie of the sea than to abide the hote crueltie of the fire and that therefore though they both had abandoned the ship that he was if any where in that course to bee met withall They steared therefore as neere thether-ward as they cold but when they came so neere as their eies were ful masters of the obiect they saw a sight ful of piteous strangenes a ship or rather the carkas of the shippe or rather some few bones of the carkas hulling there part broken part burned part drowned death hauing vsed more than one dart to that destruction About it floted great store of very rich thinges and many chestes which might promise no lesse And amidst the precious thinges were a number of dead bodies which likewise did not only testifie both elements violence but that the chiefe violence was growen of humane inhumanitie for their bodies were full of grisly wounds and their bloud had as it were filled the wrinckles of the seas visage which it seemed the sea woulde not wash away that it might witnes it is not alwaies his fault when wee condemne his cruletie In summe a defeate where the conquered kept both field and spoile a shipwrack without storme or ill footing and a wast of fire in the midst of the water But a litle way off they saw the mast whoâ—e proude height now lay along like a widdow hauing lost her make of whom she held her honor but vpon the mast they saw a yong man at least if hee were a man bearing shew of about 18. yeares of age who sate as on horseback hauing nothing vpon him but his shirt which beeing wrought with blew silke and golde had a kinde of resemblance to the sea on which the sun then neare his Westerne home did shote some of his beames His haire which the young men of Greece vsed to weare very long was stirred vp and downe with the wind which seemed to haue a sporte to play with it as the sea had to kisse his feet himselfe full of admirable beautie set foorth by the strangenes both of his seate and gesture for holding his head vp full of vnmoued maiestie he held a sworde aloft with his faire arme which often he waued about his crowne as though he would threaten the world in that extremitie But the fishermen when they came so neere him that it was time to throwe out a rope by which hold they might draw him their simplicity bred such amasement and their amasement such superstition that assuredly thinking it was some God begotten betweene Neptune and Venus that had made all this terrible slaughter as they went vnder sayle by him held vp their hands and made their prayers Which when Musidorus saw though he were almost as much rauished with ioy as they with astonishment he lept to the Mariner and tooke the corde out of his hande and saying doest thou liue and arte well who answered thou canst tell best since most of my well beyng standes in thee threwe it out but alreadie the shippe was past beyond Pyrocles and therefore Musidorus could do no more but perswade the Mariners to cast about againe assuring them that hee was but a man although of most diuine excellencies and promising great rewardes for their paine And now they were alreadie come vpon the staies when one of the saylers discried a Galley which came with sayles and oares directlie in the chase of them and streight perceaued it was a wel knowne Pirate who hunted not only for goodes but for bodies of men which he imployed eyther to be his Galley slaues or to sell at the best market Which when the Maister vnderstoode he commaunded forthwith to set on al the canuasse they could and flie homeward leauing in that sort poore Pyrocles so neere to be reskewed But what did not Musidorus saye what did hee not offer to perswade them to venture the fight But feare staÌ„ding at the gates of their eares put backe all perswasions so that he had nothing wherewith to accompanie Pyrocles but his eyes nor to succour him but his wishes Therefore praying for him and casting a long looke that way he saw the Galley leaue the pursuite of them and turne to take vp the spoiles of the other wracke and lastly he might well see them lift vp the yong man and alas saide hee to himselfe deere Pyrocles shall that bodie of thine be enchained shal those victorious haÌ„ds of thine be coÌ„maunded to base offices shal vertue becoÌ„e a slaue to those that be slaues to viciousnes Alas better had it bene thou hadst ended nobly thy noble
fayre fielde to vse eloquence in if he did but onely repeate the lamentable truely affectionated speeches while he coniured her by remembrance of her affection true oathes of his owne affection not to make him so vnhappie as to thinke hee had not onely lost her face but her hart that her face when it was fayrest had beene but as a marshal to lodge the loue of her in his minde which now was so well placed as it needed no further help of any outward harbinger beseeching her euen with teares to knowe that his loue was not so superficial as to go no further then the skin which yet now to him was most faire since it was hers how could hee bee so vngratefull as to loue her the lesse for that which she had onely receiued for his sake that he neuer beheld it but therein he saw the louelines of her loue towarde him protesting vnto her that hee would neuer take ioy of his life if he might not enioy her for whom principally he was glad he had life But as I heard by one that ouerheard them shee wringing him by the hand made no other answere but this my Lord said she God knowes I loue you if I were Princesse of the whole world and had withal all the blessings that euer the world brought forth I should not make delay to lay my selfe and them vnder your feete or if I had continued but â—s I was though I must confesse far vnworthy of you yet would I with too great a ioy for my hart to think of haue accepted your vouchsafing me to be yours and with faith and obedience would haue supplied all other defects But first let me bee much more miserable then I am ere I match Argalus to such a Parthenia Liue happy deare Argalus I geue you ful libertie and I beseech you take it and I assure you I shall reioyce whatsoeuer become of me to see you so coupled as may be fitte both for your honor satisfaction With that she burst out in crying and weeping not able longer to conteine her selfe from blaming her fortune and wishing her owne death But Argalus with a most heauie heart still pursuing his desire she fixt of minde to auoid further intreatie and to flie all companie which euen of him grew vnpleasant vnto her one night she stole away but whether as yet is vnknowen or in deed what is become of her Argalus sought her long and in many places at length despairing to finde her and the more he despaired the more enraged weerie of his life but first determining to bee reuenged of Demagoras he went alone disguysed into the cheefe towne held by the Helots where comming into his presence garded about by many of his souldiers he could delay his fury no longer for a fitter time but setting vpon him in despight of a great many that helped him gaue him diuers mortall wounds and him selfe no question had been there presently murthered but that Demagoras himselfe desired he might bee kept aliue perchaunce with intention to feed his owne eyes with some cruell execution to bee layd vpon him but death came soner then he lookt for yet hauing had leisure to appoint his successor a yong man not long before deliuered out of the prison of the King of Lacedaemon where he should haue suffered death for hauing slaine the kings Nephew but him hee named who at that time was absent making roades vpon the Lacedaemonians but Being returned the rest of the Helots for the great liking they conceiued of that yongman especially because they had none among themselues to whom the others would yeeld were content to follow Demagoras apppointment And wel hath it succeded with theÌ„ he hauing since done things beyond the hope of the yongest heads of whom I speake the rather because he hath hetherto preâ—erued Argalus aliue vnder pretence to haue him publiquelie and with exquisite tormentes executed after the ende of these warres of which they hope for a soone and prosperous issue And he hath likewise hetherto kept my young Lord Clitophon aliue who to redeeme his friend went with certaine other noble-men of Laconia and forces gathered by them to besiege this young and new successor but hee issuing out to the wonder of all men defeated the Laconians slew many of the noble-men and tooke Clitophon prisoner whom with much a doo he keepeth aliue the Helots being villanously cruel but he tempereth them so sometimes by following their humor sometimes by striuing with it that hetherto hee hath saued both their liues but in different estates Argalus being kept in a close hard prison Clitophon at some libertie And now Sir though to say the truth we can promise our selues litle of their safeties while they are in the Helots handes I haue deliuered all I vnderstande touching the losse of my Lords sonne and the cause thereof which though it was not necessarie to Clitophons case to be so particularly told yet the strangenes of it made mee think it would not be vnplesant vnto you Palladius thanked him greatly for it being euen passionatly delighted with hearing so straunge an accident of a knight so famous ouer the world as Argalus with whome he had him selfe a long desire to meete so had fame poured a noble emulation in him towardes him But theÌ„ well bethinking himselfe he called for armour desiring them to prouide him of horse guide and armed all sauing the head he weÌ„t vp to KalaÌ„der whom he found lying vpoÌ„ the grouÌ„d hauing euersince banished both sleepe and foode as enemies to the mourning which passion perswaded him was reasonable But Palladius raysed him vp saying vnto him No more no more of this my Lord Kalander let vs labour to finde before wee lament the losse you knowe my selfe misse one who though he be not my sonne I would disdayne the fauour of life after him but while there is hope left let not the weaknes of sorrow make the strength of it languish take comfort and good successe wil follow And with those wordes comfort seemed to lighten in his eyes and that in his face and gesture was painted victorie Once Kallanders spirits were so reuiued withall that receiuing some sustenance and taking a little rest he armed himselfe those few of his seruantsâ— hee had left vnsent and so himselfe guided Palladius to the place vpon the frontiers where alredy there were assembled betwene three and four thousand men all wel disposed for Kalanders sake to abide any perill but like men disused with a long peace more determinate to doo then skilfull how to doo lusty bodies and braue armours with such courage as rather grew of despising their enimies whom they knew not then of any confidence for any thing which in them selues they knewe but neither cunning vse of their weapons nor arte shewed in their marching or in caÌ„ping Which Palladius soone perceiuing he desired to vnderstand as much as could bee deliuered vnto him the estate of
THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA WRITTEN BY SIR Philip Sidney Knight NOW SINCE THE FIRST EDItion augmented and ended LONDON Printed for William Ponsonbie Anno Domini 1593. TO MY DEARE LADY AND SISTER THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKE HEre now haue you most deare and most worthye to bee most deare Lady this idle worke of mine which I feare like the Spiders webbe will be thought fitter to be swept away then worne to any other purpose For my part in very trueth as the cruell fathers among the Greekes were woont to doe to the babes they would not foster I could well finde in my heart to cast out in some desert of forgetfulnesse this childe which I am loath to father But you desired me to doe it and your desire to my heart is an absolute commaundement Now it is done onely for you only to you if you keepe it to your selfe or to such friends who will weigh errors in the ballance of good will I hope for the fathers sake it will be pardoned perchaunce made much of though in it selfe it haue deformities For indeed for seuerer eies it is not being but a trifle and that triflingly handled Your deare selfe can best witnes the manner being done in loose sheetes of paper most of it in your presence the rest by sheetes sent vnto you as fast as they were done In summe a young head not so wel staied as I would it were and shall be when God will hauing many many fancies begotten in it if it had not beene in some way deliuered woulde haue growen a monster and more sorie might I be that they came in then that they gat out But his chiefe safety shall bee the not walking abroade and his chiefe protection the bearing the liuery of your name which if much much good will doe not deceiue me is worthie to be a sanctuarie for a greater offender This say I because I know the vertue so and this say I because it may be euer so or to say better because it will be euer so Reade it then at your idle times and the follies your good iudgement will finde in it blame not but laugh at And so looking for no better stuffe then as in a Haberdashers shoppe glasses or feathers you will continue to loue the writer who doth exceedingly loue you and moste moste heartilie praies you may long liue to be a principall ornament to the family of the Sidneis Your louing brother Philip Sidney To the Reader THE disfigured face gentle Reader wherewith this worke not long since appeared to the common view moued that noble Lady to whose Honour consecrated to whose protection it was committed to take in hand the wiping away those spottes wherewith the beauties therof were vnworthely blemished But as often in repairing a ruinous house the mending of some olde part occasioneth the making of some new so here her honourable labour begonne in correcting the faults ended in supplying the defectes by the view of what was ill done guided to the consideration of what was not done Which part with what aduise entred into with what successe it hath beene passed through most by her doing all by her directing if they may be entreated not to define which are vnfurnisht of meanes to discerne the rest it is hoped will fauourably censure But this they shall for theyr better satisfaction vnderstand that though they finde not here what might be expected they may finde neuerthelesse as much as was intended the conclusion not the perfection of Arcadia and that no further then the Authours own writings or knowen determinations could direct Whereof who sees not the reason must consider there may be reason which hee sees not Albeit I dare affirme hee either sees or from wiser iudgements then his owne may heare that Sir Philip Sidneies writings can no more be perfected without Sir Philip Sidney then Apelles pictures without Apelles There are that thinke the contrary and no wonder Neuer was Arcadia free from the comber of such Cattell To vs say they the pastures are not pleasaunt and as for the flowers such as we light on we take no delight in but the greater part growe not within our reach Poore soules what talke they of flowers They are Roses not flowers must doe them good which if they finde not here they shall doe well to go feed elswhere Any place will better like them For without Arcadia nothing growes in more plenty then Lettuce sutable to their Lippes If it be true that likenes is a great cause of liking and that contraries inferre contrary consequences then is it true that the wortheles Reader can neuer worthely esteeme of so worthye a writing and as true that the noble the wise the vertuous the curteous as many as haue had any acquaintaunce with true learning and knowledge will with all loue and dearenesse entertaine it as well for affinity with themselues as being child to such a father Whom albeit it do not exactly and in euery lineament represent yet considering the fathers vntimely death preuented the timely birth of the childe it may happily seeme a thanke-woorthy labour that the defects being so few so small and in no principall part yet the greatest vnlikenes is rather in defect then in deformity But howsoeuer it is it is now by more then one interest The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia done as it was for her as it is by her Neither shall these pains be the last if no vnexpected accident cut off her determination which the euerlasting loue of her excellent brother will make her consecrate to his memory H. S. THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA VVRITTEN BY SIR PHILIP SIDNEI THE FIRST BOOKE IT was in the time that the earth begins to put on her new aparrel against the approch of her louer and that the Sun running a most euen course becums an indifferent arbiter betweene the night and the day when the hopelesse shepheard Strephon was come to the sandes which lie against the Island of Cithera where viewing the place with a heauy kinde of delight and sometimes casting his eyes to the Ileward he called his friendly riuall the pastor Claius vnto him setting first down in his darkened countenance a dolefull copie of what he would speake O my Claius saide hee hether we are now come to pay the rent for which we are so called vnto by ouer-busie Remembrance Remembrance restlesse Remembrance which claymes not only this dutie of vs but for it will haue vs forget our selues I pray you when we were amid our flocke and that of other shepheardes some were running after their sheep strayed beyond their boundes some delighting their eyes with seeing them nibble vpon the short and sweete grasse some medicining their sicke ewes some setting a bell for an ensigne of a sheepish squadron some with more leasure inuenting new games of exercising their bodies and sporting their wits did Remembrance graunt vs any holiday eyther for pastime or deuotion nay either for necessary foode or
naturall rest but that still it forced our thoughts to worke vpon this place where wee last alas that the word last should so long last did graze our eyes vpon her euer florishing beautie did it not still crie within vs Ah you base minded wretches are your thoughts so deeply bemired in the trade of ordinary worldlings as for respect of gaine some paultry wool may yeeld you to let so much time passe without knowing perfectly her estate especially in so troublesome a season to leaue that shore vnsaluted from whence you may see to the Island where she dwelleth to leaue those steps vnkissed wherein Vrania printed the farewell of all beautie Well then Remembraunce commaunded we obeyed and here we find that as our remembrance came euer cloathed vnto vs in the forme of this place so this place giues newe heate to the feauer of our languishing remembrance Yonder my Claius Vrania lighted the verie horse me thought bewayled to be so disburdned and as for thee poore Claius when thou wentst to helpe her downe I saw reuerence and desire so deuide thee that thou didst at one instant both blushe and quake and in stead of bearing her warre readie to fal down thy selfe There she sate vouchsafing my cloake then most gorgeous vnder her at yonder rising of the ground shee turned her selfe looking backe toward her woonted abode and because of her parting bearing much sorrow in her eyes the lightsomnes wherof had yet so natural a cherefulnesse as it made euen sorrow seeme to smile at that turning shee spake to vs all opening the cherrie of her lips and Lord how greedily mine eares did feed vpon the sweete words she vttered And here she laide her hand ouer thine eyes when shee saw the teares springing in them as if she would conceale them from other and yet her selfe feele some of thy sorrow But woe is me yonder yonder did shee put her foote into the boate at that instant as it were diuiding her heauenly beautie betweene the Earth and the Sea But when she was imbarked did you not marke how the windes whistled and the seas daunst for ioy how the sailes did swell with pride and all because they had Vrania O Vrania blessed be thou Vrania the sweetest fairnesse and fairest sweetnesse with that word his voice brake so with sobbing that he could say no further and Claius thus answered Alas my Strephon said he what needes this skore to recken vp onely our losses What doubt is there but that the light of this place doth cal our thoughtes to appeare at the court of affection held by that racking steward Remembrance Aswell may sheepe forget to feare when they spie woolues as we can misse such fancies when we see any place made happie by her treading Who can choose that saw her but thinke where she stayed where she walkt where she turned where she spoke But what is all this truely no more but as this place serued vs to thinke of those thinges so those thinges serue as places to call to memorie more excellent matters No no let vs thinke with consideration and consider with acknowledging and acknowledge with admiration and admire with loue and loue with ioy in the midst of all woes let vs in such sorte thinke I say that our poore eyes were so inriched as to behold and our lowe hearts so exalted as to loue a maide who is such that as the greatest thing the world can shewe is her beautie so the least thing that may be praysed in her is her beautie Certainely as her eye-lids are more pleasant to behold then two white kiddes climing vp a faire tree and browsing on his tendrest braunches and yet are nothing compared to the day-shining starres contayned in them and as her breath is more sweete then a gentle South-west wind which coms creeping ouer flowrie fieldes and shaddowed waters in the extreeme heate of summer and yet is nothing compared to the hony flowing speach that breath doth carrie no more all that our eyes can see of her though when they haue seene her what else they shall euer see is but drie stuble after clouers grasse is to be matched with the flocke of vnspeakeable vertues laid vp delightfully in that best builded folde But in deede as we can better consider the sunnes beautie by marking how he guildes these waters and mountaines then by looking vpon his owne face too glorious for our weake eyes so it may be our conceits not able to beare her sun-stayning excellencie will better way it by her workes vpon some meaner subiect employed And alas who can better witnesse that then we whose experience is grounded vpon feeling hath not the onely loue of her made vs beeing silly ignorant shepheards raise vp our thoughts aboue the ordinary leuell of the worlde so as great clearkes doe not disdaine our conference hath not the desire to seeme worthie in her eyes made vs when others were sleeping to sit vewing the course of heauens when others were running at base to runne ouer learned writings when other marke their sheepe we two marke our selues hath not shee throwne reason vpon our desires and as it were giuen eyes vnto Cupid hath in any but in her loue-fellowship maintained frindship between riuals and beautie taught the beholders chastitie He was going on with his praises but Strephon bad him stay and looke and so they both perceaued a thinge which floted drawing nearer and nearer to the banke but rather by the fauourable working of the Sea then by any selfe industrie They doubted a while what it should bee till it was cast vp euen hard before them at which time they fully saw that it was a man Wherupon running for pitie sake vnto him they found his hands as it should appeare constanter frendes to his life then his memorie fast griping vpon the edge of a square small coffer which lay all vnder his breast els in him selfe no shew of life so as the boord seemed to be but a beere to carrie him a land to his Sepulchre So drew they vp a young man of so goodly shape and well pleasing fauour that one would thinke death had in him a louely countenance and that though he were naked nakednes was to him an apparrell That sight increased their compassion and their compassion called vp their care so that lifting his feete aboue his head making a great deale of salt water come out of his mouth they layd him vpon some of their garments and fell to rub and chafe him till they brought him to recouer both breath the seruant and warmth the companion of liuing At length opening his eyes he gaue a great groane a dolefull note but a pleasaunt dittie for by that they founde not onely life but strength of life in him They therefore continued on their charitable office vntill his spirits being well returned he without so much as thanking them for their paines gate vp and looking round about to the vttermost lymittes of his sight
the Helots And he was answered by a man well acquainted with the affaires of Laconia that they were a kinde of people who hauing beene of olde freemen and possessioners the Lacedaemonians had conquered them and layd not onely tribute but bondage vpon them which they had long borne till of late the Lacedaemonians through greedinesse growing more heauie then they could beare and through contempt lesse carefull howe to make them beare they had with a generall consent rather springing by the generalnes of the cause then of any artificiall practise set themselues in armes and whetting their courage with reuenge and grounding their resolution vpon despaire they had proceeded with vnlooked-for succes hauing alredy taken diuers Towns Castels with the slaughter of many of the gētrie for whom no sex nor age could be accepted for an excuse And that although at the first they had fought rather with beastly furie then any souldierly discipline practise had now made them comparable to the best of the Lacedaemonians and more of late then euer by reason first of Demagoras a great Lorde who had made him selfe of their partie and since his death of an other Captaine they had gotten who had brought vp their ignorance and brought downe their furie to such a meane of good gouernment and withall led them so valourouslie that besides the time wherein Clitophon was taken they had the better in some other great conflicts in such wise that the estate of Lacedaemon had sent vnto them offering peace with most reasonable and honorable conditions Palladius hauing gotten this generall knowledge of the partie against whom as he had already of the partie for whom hee was to fight he went to Kalander and tolde him plainlie that by playne force there was small apparaunce of helping Clitophon but some deuice was to bee taken in hande wherein no lesse discretion then valour was to bee vsed Whereupon the counsel of the cheefe men was called and at last this way Palladius who by some experience but especiallie by reading Histories was acquainted with stratagemes inuented and was by all the rest approoued that all the men there shoulde dresse themselues like the poorest sorte of the people in Arcadia hauing no banners but bloudie shirtes hanged vpon long staues with some bad bagge pipes in stead of drumme and fife their armour they shoulde aswell as might bee couer or at least make them looke so rustilie and ill-fauouredly as might wel become such wearers and this the whole number shoulde doo sauing two hundred of the best chosen Gentlemen for courage and strength whereof Palladius him selfe would be one who should haue their armes chayned and be put in cartes like prisoners This being performed according to the agreement they marched on towardes the towne of Cardamila where Clitophon was captiue and beeing come two houres beefore Sunne-set within viewe of the walles the Helots alreadie descrying their number and beginning to sound the Allarum they sent a cunning fellow so much the cunninger as that hee could maske it vnder rudenes who with such a kinde of Rhetorike as weeded out all flowers of Rhetorike deliuered vnto the Helots assembled together that they were countrie people of Arcadia no lesse oppressed by their Lords and no lesse desirous of liberty then they and therfore had put themselues in the field had alreadie besides a great number slain taken nine or ten skore Gentlemē prisoners whō they had there well and fast chained Now because they had no strong retiring place in Arcadia were not yet of number enough to keepe the fielde against their Princes forces they were come to them for succour knowing that daily more more of their qualitie would flock vnto them but that in the mean time lest their Prince should pursue them or the Lacedaemonian King and Nobilitie for the likenes of the cause fall vpon them they desired that if there were not roome enough for them in the town that yet they might encampe vnder the walles and for surety haue their prisoners who were such men as were euer able to make their peace kept within the towne The Helots made but a short cōsultatiō being glad that their contagiō had spread it selfe into Arcadia and making account that if the peace did not fall out betweene them and their King that it was the best way to set fire in all the partes of Greece besides their greedinesse to haue so many Gentlemen in their handes in whose raunsomes they alreadie meant to haue a share to which hast of concluding two thinges well helped the one that their Captaine with the wisest of them was at that time absent about confirming or breaking the peace with the state of Lacedaemon the second that ouer-many good fortunes began to breede a proude recklesnesse in them therefore sending to view the campe and finding that by their speach they were Arcadians with whom they had had no warre neuer suspecting a priuate mans credite could haue gathered such a force and that all other tokens witnessed them to bee of the lowest calling besides the chaines vpon the Gentlemen they graunted not onely leaue for the prisoners but for some others of the companie and to all that they might harbour vnder the walles So opened they the gates and receiued in the carts which being done and Palladius seeing fit time hee gaue the signe and shaking of their chaynes which were made with such arte that though they seemed most stronge and fast hee that ware them might easily loose them drew their swordes hidden in the cartes and so setting vpon the warde made them to flie eyther from the place or from their bodies and so gaue entrie to all the force of the Arcadians before the Helots could make any head to resist them But the Helots being men hardened against daungers gathered as well as they coulde together in the market place and thence woulde haue giuen a shrewd welcome to the Arcadians but that Palladius blaming those that were slowe hartning them that were forward but especially with his owne ensample leading them made such an impression into the squadron of the Helots that at first the great bodie of them beginning to shake and stagger at length euerie particular bodie recommended the protection of his life to his feete Then Kalander cried to goe to the prison where he thought his sonne was but Palladius wisht him first scouring the streates to house all the Helots and make themselues maisters of the gates But ere that could bee accomplished the Helots had gotten new heart and with diuers sortes of shot from corners of streates and house windowes galled them which courage was come vnto them by the returne of their Captaine who though he brought not many with him hauing disperst most of his companies to other of his holds yet meeting a great number running out of the gate not yet possest by the Arcadians he made them turne face and with banners displayed his Trumpet gaue the lowdest testimonie
much pleasure them as by leauing the two friends alone who being shruncke aside to the banqueting house where the pictures were there Palladius recounted vnto him that after they had btahbādōed the burnīg ship either of them taken some thing vnder him the better to support him to the shore he knew not how but either with ouer-labouring in the fight and soddaine colde or the to much receiuing of salt water he was past him selfe but yet holding fast as the nature of dying men is to do the chest that was vnder him he was cast on the sandes where he was taken vp by a couple of shepeheards and by them brought to life againe and kept from drowning himselfe when he despaired of his safetie How after hauing failed to take him into the fisher boate he had by the shepherds perswasion come to this Gentlemans house where being daungerouslie sicke he had yeelded to seeke the recouerie of health onely for that he might the sooner goe seeke the deliuerie of Pyrocles to which purpose Kalander by some friends of his in Messena had alreadie set a ship or two abroad when this accident of Clitophons taking had so blessedly procured their meeting Then did he setfoorth vnto him the noble intertainment and carefull cherishing of Kalander towards him so vpon occasion of the pictures present deliuered with the franknes of a friendes tongue as neere as he could word by word what Kalander had told him touching the strange storie with all the particularities belonging of Arcadia which did in many sortes so delight Pyrocles to heare that he would needes haue much of it againe repeated and was not contented till Kalander himselfe had answered him diuers questions But first at Musidorus request though in briefe manner his mind much running vpon the strange storie of Arcadia he did declare by what course of aduentures he was com to make vp their mutuall happines in meeting When cosin said he we had stript our selues and were both leapt into the Sea and swom a litle toward the shoare I found by reason of some wounds I had that I should not be able to get the lande and therefore turned backe againe to the most of the shippe where you found me assuring my selfe that if you came aliue to shore you woulde seeke me if you were lost as I thought it as good to perishe as to liue so that place as good to perish in as an other There I found my sworde among some of the shrowds wishing I must confesse if I died to bee found with that in my hande and withall wauing it about my head that saylers by might haue the better glimpse of me There you missing mee I was taken vp by Pyrates who putting me vnder boorde prisoner presentlie sett vppon another shippe and mainteyning a long fight in the ende put them all to the sworde Amongst whom I might heare them greatlie prayse one younge man who fought most valiantlie whom as loue is carefull and misfortune subiect to doubtfulnes I thought certainely to bee you And so holding you as dead from that time till the time I sawe you it trueth I sought nothing more then a noble ende which perchaunce made me more hardie then otherwise I would haue beene Tryall whereof came within two dayes after for the Kinges of Lacedaemon hauing sett out some Galleys vnder the charge of one of their Nephewes to skowre the Sea of the Pyrates they met with vs where our Captaine wanting men was driuen to arme some of his prisoners with promise of libertie for well fighting among whom I was one and beeing boorded by the Admirall it was my fortune to kill Euryleon the Kinges nephew but in the end they preuailed we were all taken prisoners I not caring much what became of me onely keeping the name of Daiphantus according to the resolution you know is betweene vs but beyng laide in the iayle of Tenarïa with speciall hate to me for the death of Euryleon the popular sorte of that towne conspired with the Helots and so by night opened them the gates where entring and killing all of the gentle and riche faction for honestie sake brake open all prisons and so deliuered me and I mooued with gratefulnesse and encouraged with carelesnesse of life so behaued my selfe in some conflictes they had with in few dayes that they barbarouslie thinking vnsensible wonders of mee and with all so much the better trusting mee as they heard I was hated of the Kinge of Lacedaemon their chiefe Captayne beyng slaine as you knowe by the noble Argalus who helped thereunto by his perswasion hauing borne a great affection vnto mee and to auoyde the daungerous emulation whiche grewe among the chiefe who shoulde haue the place and also affected as rather to haue a straunger then a competitour they elected mee God worte little prowde of that dignitie restoring vnto mee such thinges of mine as beeing taken first by the Pyrates and they by the Lacedaemonians they had gotten in the sacke of the towne Now being in it so good was my successe with manie victories that I made a peace for them to their owne liking the verie daye that you deliuered Clitophon whom I with much a doo had preserued And in my peace the Kinge Amiclas of Lacedaemon would needes haue mee bannished and depriued of the dignitie whereunto I was exalted which and you may see howe much you are bounde to mee for your sake I was content to suffer a newe hope rising in mee that you were not dead and so meaning to trauaile ouer the worlde to seeke you and now heere my deere Musidorus you haue mee And with that embracing and kissinge eche other they called Kalander of whom Daiphantus desired to heare the ful storie which before he had recounted to Palladius and to see the letter of Philanax which hee read and well marked But within some daies after the marriage betweene Argalus and the faire Parthenia beyng to bee celebrated Daiphantus and Palladius selling some of their Iewels furnished themselues of very faire apparell meaning to doo honour to their louing hoste who as much for their sakes as for the marriage set foorth each thing in most gorgeous manner But all the cost bestowed did not so much enrich nor all the fine deckinges so much beautyfie nor all the daintye deuises so much delight as the fairenesse of Parthenia the pearle of all the maydes of Mantinaea who as shee went to the Temple to bee maried her eyes themselues seemed a temple wherein loue and beautie were married her lippes though they were kepte close with modest silence yet with a pretie kinde of naturall swelling they seemed to inuite the guestes that lookt on them her cheekes blushing and withall when shee was spoken vnto a little smilyng were like roses◠when their leaues are with a little breath stirred her hayre beeyng layed at the full length down her backe bare shew as if the voward fayled yet that woulde cōnquer Daiphantus marking her to
deale contrary to your selfe for if I be so weak then can you not with reason stir me vp as ye did by remembrance of my owne vertue or if indeed I be vertuous then must ye confesse that loue hath his working in a vertuous hart and so no dout hath it whatsoeuer I be for if we loue vertue in whom shall wee loue it but in a vertuous creature without your meaning bee I should loue this word vertue where I see it written in a booke Those troblesome effectes you say it breedes be not the faults of loue but of him that loues as an vnable vessell to beare such a licour like euill eyes not able to looke on the Sun or like a weake braine soonest ouerthrowen with the best wine Euen that heauenly loue you speake of is accompanied in some harts with hopes griefes longinges and dispaires And in that heauenly loue since there are two parts the one the loue itselfe th' other the excellencie of the thing loued I not able at the first leap to frame both in me do now like a diligent workman make ready the chiefe instrument and first part of that great worke which is loue it selfe which when I haue a while practised in this sorte then you shall see me turne it to greater matters And thus gentlie you may if it please you thinke of me Neither doubt ye because I weare a womans apparell I will be the more womannish since I assure you for all my apparrel there is nothing I desire more then fully to proue my selfe a man in this enterprise Much might be saide in my defence much more for loue and most of all for that diuine creature which hath ioyned me and loue together But these disputations are fitter for quiet schooles then my troubled braines which art bent rather in deeds to performe then in wordes to defende the noble desire that possesseth me O Lord saide Musidorus how sharp-witted you are to hurt your selfe No answered he but it is the hurt you speake of which makes me so sharp-witted Euen so saide Musidorus as euery base occupation makes one sharp in that practise and foolish in all the rest Nay rather answered Pyrocles as each excellent thing once well learned serues for a measure of all other knowledges And is that become saide Musidorus a measure for other things which neuer receiued measure in it selfe It is counted without measure answered Pyrocles because the workings of it are without measure but otherwise in nature it hath measure since it hath an end allotted vnto it The beginning being so excellent I would gladly know the ende Enioying answered Pyrocles with a deepe sigh O saide Musidorus now set ye foorth the basenes of it since if it ende in enioying it shewes all the rest was nothing Ye mistake me aunswered Pyrocles I spake of the ende to which it is directed which end ends not no sooner then the life Alas let your owne braine disenchaunt you saide Musidorus My hart is too farre possessed saide Pyrocles But the head giues you direction And the hart giues me life aunswered Pyrocles But Musidorus was so greeued to see his welbeloued friend obstinat as he thought to his owne destruction that it forced him with more then accustomed vehemency to speake these words Well well saide he you lift to abuse your selfe it was a very white and red vertue which you could pick out of a painterly glosse of a visage Confesse the truth and ye shall finde the vtmost was but beautie a thing which though it be in as great excellencye in your selfe as may be in any yet I am sure you make no further reckning of it then of an outward fading benefite Nature bestowed vpon you And yet such is your want of a true grounded vertue which must be like it selfe in all points that what you wisely account a trifle in your selfe you fondly become a slaue vnto in another For my part I now protest I haue left nothing vnsaid which my wit could make me know or my most entier friendship to you requires of me I doo now beseech you euen for the loue betwixt vs if this other loue haue left any in you tovvards me and for the remembrance of your olde careful father if you can remēber him that forget your selfe lastly for Pyrocles ovvn sake who is novv vpon the point of falling or rising to purge your selfe of this vile infection other vvise giue me leaue to leaue of this name of freindship as an idle title of a thing vvhich cannot be vvhere vertue is abolished The length of these speaches before had not so much cloied Pyrocles though he vvere very impatient of long deliberations as this last farevvell of him he loued as his ovvne life did vvound his soule for thinking him selfe afflicted he vvas the apter to conceiue vnkindnesse deepely insomuch that shaking his head and deliuering some shevve of teares he thus vttered his greifes Alas said he prince Musidorus hovv cruelly you deale with me if you seeke the victorie take it and if ye list the triumph haue you all the reason of the world and with me remaine all the imperfections yet such as I can no more lay from me then the Crow can be perswaded by the Swanne to cast of all his blacke fethers But truely you deale with me like a Phisition that seeing his patient in a pestilēt feuer should chide him in steed of ministring helpe and bid him be sick no more or rather like such a friēd that visiting his friend condemned to perpetuall prison and loaden with greeuous fetters should will him to shake of his fetters or he would leaue him I am sick and sick to the death I am prisoner neither is there any redresse but by her to whom I am slaue Now if you list leaue him that loues you in the hiest degree But remember euer to cary this with you that you abandon your friend in his greatest extremitie And herewith the deepe wound of his loue being rubbed a fresh with this new vnkindnes began as it were to bleed againe in such sort that he was vnable to beare it any longer but gushing out aboundance of teares and crossing his armes ouer his woefull hart he suncke downe◠to the ground which sodaine trance went so to the hart of Musidorus that falling downe by him and kissing the weping eyes of his friend he besought him not to make account of his speach which if it had beene ouer vehement yet was it to be borne withall because it came out of a loue much more vehement that he had not thought fancie could haue receiued so deep a wound but now finding in him the force of it hee woulde no further contrary it but imploy all his seruice to medicine it in such sorte as the nature of it required But euen this kindnes made Pyrocles the more melte in the former vnkindenes which his manlike teares well shewed with a silent look vpon Musidorus as who should say
mother she did in this maÌ„ner As soone said she as ye were all runne away and that I hoped to bee in safetie there came out of the same woods a foule horrible Beare which fearing belike to deale while the Lion was present as soone as he was gone came furiously towardes the place where I was and this young shepheard left alone by me I truly not guilty of any wisedom which since they lay to my charge because they say it is the best refuge against that beast but euen pure feare bringing forth that effect of wisedome fell downe flat of my face needing not counterfait being dead for indeed I was litle better But this yong shepheard with a wonderfull courage hauing no other weapon but that knife you see standing before the place where I lay so behaued himselfe that the first sight I had when I thought my selfe already neare Charons ferry was the shepheard shewing me his bloudy knife in token of victory I pray you said Zelmane speaking to Dorus whose valour she was carefull to haue manifested in what sorte so ill weaponed could you atchiue this enterprise Noble Ladie saide Dorus the manner of these beastes fighting with any man is to stande vp vpon their hinder feete and so this did and being ready to giue me a shrewd imbracement I thinke the God Pan euer carefull of the chiefe blessings of Arcadia guided my hand so iust to the hart of the beast that neither she could once touch me nor which is the only matter in this worthy remembrance breed any danger to the Princesse For my part I am rather withall subiected humblenes to thanke her excellencies since the duety thereunto gaue me harte to saue my selfe then to receiue thankes for a deede which was her onely inspiring And this Dorus spake keeping affection as much as he could backe from comming into his eyes and gestures But Zelmane that had the same Character in her heart could easily discipher it and therefore to keepe him the longer in speach desired to vnderstand the conclusion of the matter and how the honest Dametas was escaped Nay sayd Pamela none shall take that office from my selfe being so much bound to him as I am for my education And with that word scorne borrowing the countenance of myrth somewhat shee smiled and thus spake on When said she Dorus made me assuredly perceiue that all cause of feare was passed the truth is I was ashamed to finde my selfe alone with this shepheard and therefore looking about me if I could see any bodie at length wee both perceiued the gentle Dametas lying with his head and breast as farre as hee could thrust himselfe into a bush drawing vp his legges as close vnto him as hee coulde for like a man of a very kinde nature soone to take pittie of himselfe hee was full resolued not to see his owne death And when this sheephearde pushed him bidding him to be of good cheere it was a great while ere we coulde perswade him that Dorus was not the beare so that he was faine to pull him out by the heeles and shew him the beast as deade as he could wish it which you may beleeue me was a very ioyfull sight vnto him But then he forgate all courtesie for he fell vpon the beast giuing it many a manfull wound swearing by much it was not well such beasts should be suffered in a common welth And then my gouernour as full of ioy as before of feare came dauncing and singing before as euen now you saw him Well wel said Basilius I haue not chosen Dametas for his fighting nor for his discoursing but for his plainnesse honestie therin I know he wil not deceaue me But then he told Pamela not so much because she should know it as because he would tell it the wonderfull act Zelmane had perfourmed which Gynecia likewise spake off both in such extremitie of praising as was easie to be seâ—ne the construction of their speach might best be made by the Grammer rules of affectioÌ„ Basilius told with what a gallant grace shee ranne with the Lyons head in her hand like another Pallas with the spoiles of Gorgon Gynecia sware shee sawe the very face of the young Hercules killing the Nemean LioÌ„ al with a grateful assent coÌ„firmed the same praises only poore Dorus though of equal desert yet not proceeding of equal estate should haue bene left forgotteÌ„ had not Zelmane again with great admiratioÌ„ begun to speake of him asking whether it were the faâ—hion or no in Arcadia that shepherds shoulde performe such valorous enterprises This Basilius hauing the quicke sence of a louer tooke as though his Mistres had giuen him a secret reprehension that he had not shewed more gratefulnesse to Dorus and therefore as nymblie as he could enquired of his estate adding promise of great rewards among the rest offering to him if hee would exercise his courage in souldierie he would commit some charge vnto him vnder his Lieutenant Philanax But Dorus whose ambition clymed by another stayre hauing first answered touching his estate that he was brother to the shepheard Menalcas who among other was wont to resort to the Princes presence and excused his going to souldierie by the vnaptnesse he found in himselfe that way he tolde Basilius that his brother in his last testament had willed him to serue Dametas and therefore for due obedience thereunto he would thinke his seruice greatly rewarded if hee might obtaine by that meane to liue in the sight of his Prince and yet practise his owne chosen vocation Basilius liking well his goodly shape and handsome manner charged Dametas to receiue him like a sonne into his house saying that his valour and Dametas truth would be good bulwarkes against such mischiefes as hee sticked not to say were threatned to his daughter Pamela Dametas no whit out of countenance with all that had bene said because he had no worse to fall into then his owne accepted Dorus and withall telling Basilius that some of the shepheards were come demaunded in what place hee would see their sports who first curious to know whether it were not more requisite for Zelmanes hurte to rest then sit vp at those pastimes and she that felt no wound but one earnestly desiring to haue the Pastorals Basilius commanded it should bee at the gate of the lodge where the throne of the Prince being according to the auncient manner he made Zelmane sit betweene him and his wife therein who thought her selfe betweene drowning and burning the two young Ladies of either side the throne and so prepared their eyes and eares to be delighted by the shepheards But before all of them were assembled to begin their sports there came a fellow who being out of breath or seeming so to be for haste with humble hastines tolde Basilius that his Mistres the Lady Cecropia had sent him to excuse the mischance of her beastes ranging in that dangerous sort being happened by the
in nature vnhappy by fortune But most wretched I am now loue awakes my desire Dorus when he had soong this hauing had all the while a free beholding of the faire Pamela who could well haue spared such honor and defended the assault he gaue vnto hir face with bringing a faire staine of shamefastnes vnto it let fall his armes and remained so fastened in his thoughts as if Pamela had graffed him there to growe in continuall imagination But Zelmane espying it and fearing he should too much forget himselfe she came to him and tooke out of his hand the Lute and laying fast hold of Philocleas face with her eyes she soong these Sapphikes speaking as it were to hir owne hope If mine eyes can speake to doo harty errande Or mine eyes language she doo hap to iudge of So that eyes message be of her receaued Hope we do liue yet But if eyes faile then when I most doo need them Or if eyes language be not vnto her knowne So that eyes message doo returne reiected Hâ—pe we doo both dye Yet dying and dead doo we sing her honour So become our tombes monuments of her praise So becomes our losse the triumph of her gaine Hers be the glory If the spheares senselesse doo yet hold a musique If the Swannes sweet voice be not heard but at death If the mute timber when it hath the life lost Yeldeth a Lutes tune Are then humane mindes priuiledg'd so meanly As that hatefull death can abridge them of powre With the vowe of truth to record to all worlds That we be her spoiles Thus not ending ends the due praise of her praise Fleshly vaile consumes but a soule hath his life Which is held in loue loue it is that hath ioynd Life to this our soule But if eyes can speake to doo harty errand Or mine eyes language she doo hap to iudge of So that eyes message be of her receaued Hope we do liue yet Great was the pleasure of Basilius and greater would haue bene Gynaecias but that she found too well it was intended to her daughter As for Philoclea she was swetely rauished withall When Dorus desiring in a secret maner to speake of their cases as perchance the parties intended might take some light of it making lowe reuerence to Zelmane began this prouoking song in hexameter verse vnto her Wherevnto she soone finding whither his words were directed in like tune and verse answered as foloweth Dorus. Zelmane Dorus. Lady reserud by the heau'ns to do pastors company honnor Ioyning your sweete voice to the rurall muse of a deserte Here you fully do finde this strange operation of loue How to the woods loue runnes as well as rydes to the Pallace Neither he beares reuerence to a Prince nor pittie to begger But like a point in midst of a circle is still of a neernesse All to a lesson he draw's nether hills nor caues can auoide him Zelmane Worthy shepeheard by my song to my selfe all fauor is happned That to the sacred Muse my anoyes somewhat be reuealed Sacred Muse who in one contaynes what nine do in all them But ô happy be you which safe from fyry reflection Of Phoebus violence in shade of sweet Cyparissus Or pleasant mirtell may teach th' vnfortunate Echo In these woods to resounde the renowmed name of a goddesse Happy be you that may to the saint your onely Idea Although simply atyrde your manly affection vtter Happy be those mishapps which iustly proportion holding Giue right sound to the eares and enter aright to the iudgement But wretched be the soules which vaild in a contrary subiect How much more we do loue so the lesse our loues be beleeued What skill salueth a soare of a wrong infirmity iudged What can iustice auaile to a man that tells not his owne case You though feares do abash in you still possible hopes be Nature against we do seeme to rebell seeme fooles in a vaine sute But so vnheard condemn'd kept thence we do seeke to abide in Selfe-lost in wandring banished that place we doe come from What meane is there alas we can hope our losse to recouer What place is there left we may hope our woes to recomfort Vnto the heau'ns our wings be too short earth thinks vs a burden Aire we do still with sighes encrease to the fire we do want none And yet his outward heate our teares would quench but an inward Fire no liquor can coole Neptunes realme would not auaile vs. Happy shepheard with thanks to the Gods still thinke to be thankfull That to thy aduauncement their wisdomes haue thee abased Dorus. Vnto the Gods with a thanckfull heart all thankes I do render That to my aduauncement their wisdomes haue me abased But yet alas O but yet alas our happs be but hard happs Which must frame contempt to the fittest purchase of honnour Well may a Pastor plaine but alas his plaints be not esteem'de Silly shepheards poore pype when his harsh sound testifi's anguish Into the faire looker on pastime not passion enters And to the woods or brookes who do make such dreery recitall What be the pangs they beare and whence those pangs be deriued Pleasd to receaue that name by rebounding answere of Echo May hope therby to ease their inward horrible anguish When trees daunce to the pype and swift streames stay by the musicke Or when an Echo begins vnmou'd to sing them a loue song Say then what vantage do we get by the trade of a Pastor Since no estates be so base but loue vouchsafeth his arrow Since no refuge doth serue from woundes we do carry about vs Since outward pleasures be but halting helpes to decayd soules Saue that dayly we may discerne what fire we do burne in Farre more happy be you whose greatnes gets a free accesse Whose faire bodily gifts are fram'd most louely to each ey Vertue you haue of vertue you haue left proofe to the whole world And vertue is gratefull with bewty and richnes adorned Neither doubt you awhit time will your passion vtter Hardly remains fyer hid where skill is bent to the hiding But in a minde that would his flames should not be repressed Nature worketh enough with a small help for the reuealing Giue therefore to the Muse great praise in whose very likenes You doo approch to the fruite your onely desir's be to gather Zelmane First shall fertill grounds not yeeld increase of a good seed First the riuers shall ceasse to repay their fludds to the Occean First may a trusty Greyhounde transforme himselfe to a Tigre First shall vertue be vice and bewty be counted a blemishe Ere that I leaue with song of praise her praise to solemnize Her praise whence to the world all praise hath his only beginning But yet well I doo finde each man most wise in his owne case None can speake of a wound with skill if he haue not a wound felt Great to thee my state seemes thy state is blest by my
Tir'de as a iade in ouerloden carte Yet thoughts do flie though I can scarcely creep All visions seeme at euery bush I start Drowsy am I and yet can rarely slepe Sure I bewitched am it is euen that Late neere a crosse I met an ougly Cat. For but by charms how fall these things on me That from those eies where heau'nly apples bene Those eies which nothing like themselues can see Of faire Vrania fairer then a greene Proudly bedeckt in Aprills liuory A shot vnheard gaue me a wound vnseene He was inuisible that hurt me so And none vnuisible but Spirites can goe When I see her my sinewes shake for feare And yet deare soule I know she hurteth none Amid my flock with woe my voice I teare And but bewitch'd who to his flock would mone Her chery lipps milke hands and golden haire I still do see though I be still alone Now make me thinke that there is not a fende Who hid in Angels shape my lîfe would ende The sportes wherin I wonted to do well Come she and sweet the aire with open brest Then so I faile when most I would do well That at me so amaz'd my fellowes iest Sometimes to her newes of my selfe to tell I go about but then is all my best Wry words and stam'ring or els doltish dombe Say then can this but of enchantment come Nay each thing is bewitcht to know my case The Nightingales for woe their songs refraine In riuer as I look'd my pining face As pin'd a face as mine I saw againe The courteous mountaines grieu'd at my disgrace Their snowy haire teare of in melting paine And now the dropping trees do wepe for me And now faire euenings blush my shame to see But you my pipe whilome my chief delight Till straunge delight delight to nothing ware And you my flock care of my carefull sight While I was I so had cause to care And thou my dogg whose truth valiant might Made wolues not inward wolues my ewes to spare Go you not from your master in his woe Let it suffise that he himselfe forgoe For though like waxe this magique makes me waste Or like a lambe whose dam away is fet Stolne from her yoong by theeues vnchoosing hast He treble beas for helpe but none can get Though thus and worse though now I am at last Of all the games that here ere now I met Do you remember still you once were mine Till my eies had their curse from blessed â—ine Be you with me while I vnheard do cry While I do score my losses on the winde While I in heart my will write ere I die In which by will my will and wits I binde Still to be hers about her aye to flie As this same sprite about my fancies blinde Doth daily haâ—nt but so that mine become As much more louing as lesse combersome Alas a cloud hath ouercast mine eies And yet I see her shine amid the cloud Alas of ghostes I heare the gastly cries Yet there me seemes I heare her singing loud This song she singes in most commaunding wise Come shepheards boy let now thy heart be bowd To make it selfe to my least looke a slaue Leaue sheepe leaue all I will no piecing haue I will I will alas alas I will Wilt thou haue more more haue if more I be Away ragg'd rams care I what murraine kill Out shreaking pipe made of â—ome witched tree Go bawling curre thy hungry maw go fill On yond foule flocke belonging not to me With that his dogge he henst his flocke he curst With that yet kissed first his pipe he burst This said this done he rase euen tir'd with rest With heart as carefull as with carelesse grace With shrinking legges but with a swelling brest With eyes which threatned they would drowne his face Fearing the worst not knowing what were best And giuing to his sight a wandring race He saw behind a bush where Klaius sate His well know'ne friend but yet his vnknowne mate Klaius the wretch who lately yelden was To beare the bondes which Time nor wit could breake With blushing soule at sight of iudgements glasse While guilty thoughts accus'd his Reason weake This morne alone to lonely walke did passe With in himselfe of hir deare selfâ— to speake Till Strephons planing voice him nearer drew Where by his words his self-like cause he knew For hearing him so oft with wordes of woe Vrania name whose force he knew so well He quickly knew what witchcraft gaue the blow Which made his Strephon think himselfe in hell Which when he did in perfect image show To his owne witt thought vpon thought did swell Breeding huge stormes with in his inward parte Which thus breath'd out with earthquake of his hart As Lamon would haue proceded Basilius knowing by the wasting of the torches that the night also was farre wasted and withall remembring Zelmanes hurt asked hir whither she thought it not better to reserue the complaint of Klaius till an other day Which she perceiuing the song had alreadie worne out much time and not knowing when Lamon would ende being euen now stepping ouer to a new matter though much deligâ—ted with what was spoken willingly agreed vnto And so of all sides they went to recommend themselues to the elder brother of death The end of the first Booke THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA IN these pastorall pastimes a great number of daies were sent to follow their flying predecessours while the cup of poison which was deepely tasted of this noble companie had left no sinewe of theirs without mortally searching into it yet neuer manifesting his venomous work til once that the night parting away angry that she could distill no more sleepe into the eies of louers had no sooner giuen place to the breaking out of the morning light and the Sunne bestowed his beames vpon the tops of the mountaines but that the woefull Gynecia to whom rest was no ease had left her loathed lodging and gotten her selfe into the solitary places those deserts were full of going vp and downe with such vnquiet motions as a grieued and hopeles minde is wont to bring forth There appeered vnto the eies of her iudgement the euils she was like to run into with ougly infamie waiting vpon them shee felt the terrors of her owne conscience shee was guilty of a long exercised vertue which made this vice the fuller of deformitie The vttermost of the good she could aspire vnto was a mortal wouÌ„d to her vexed spirits and lastly no small part of her euils was that she was wise to see her euils In so much that hauing a great while throwne her countenaunce ghastly about her as if shee had called all the powers of the world to be witnesse of her wretched estate at length casting vp her watrie eyes to heaueÌ„ O Sunne said she whose vnspotted light directs the steps of mortall mankind art thou not ashamed to impart the clearnesse of
thy presence to such a dust-creeping worme as I am O you heauens which continually keepe the course allotted vnto you can none of your influences preuaile so much vpon the miserable Gynecia as to make her preserue a course so long imbraced by her O deserts deserts how fita guest am I for you since my hart can people you with wild rauenous beastes which in you are wanting O Vertue where doost thou hide thy selfe What hideous thinge is this which doeth Eclips thee Or is it true that thou weart neuer but a vaine name and no essentiall thing which hast thus left thy professed seruant when she had most need of thy louely presence O imperfect proportioÌ„ of reason which can too much foresee too little preuent Alas alas said she if there were but one hope for all my paines or but one excuse for all my faultinesse But wretch that I am my torment is beyond all succour and my euill deseruing doth exceed my euill fortune For nothing els did my husband take this straunge resolution to liue so solitarily for nothing els haue the windes deliuered this straunge guest to my country for nothing els haue the destinies reserued my life to this time but that onely I most wretched I should become a plague to my selfe and a shame to womankind Yet if my desire how vniust so euer it be might take effect though a thousand deaths folowed it and euery death were followed with a thousand shames yet should not my sepulcher receiue mee without some contentment But alas though sure I am that Zelmane is such as can answer my loue yet as sure I am that this disguising must needs come for some foretaken coÌ„ceipt And then wretched Gynecia where canst thou find any small ground plot for hope to dwel vpon No no it is Philoclea his hart is sett vpoÌ„ it is my daughter I haue borne to supplant me But if it bee so the life I haue giuen thee vngratefull Philoclea I will sooner with these handes bereaue thee of then my birth shall glory she hath bereaued me of my desires In shame there is no comfort but to bee beyond all bounds of shame Hauing spoken thus she began to make a piteous war with hir faire haire when she might heare not far froÌ„ her an extremely dolefull voice but so suppressed with a kind of whispering note that she could not conceaue the wordes distinctly But as a lamentable tune is the sweetest musicke to a wofull mind shee drewe thether heere-away in hope to find some companioÌ„ of her misery And as she paced on she was stopped with a number of trees so thickly placed together that she was afraide shee should with rushing thorow stop the speach of the lamentable partie which shee was so desirous to vnderstand And therefore setting her downe as softlie as she could for she was now in distaunce to heare she might first perceaue a Lute excellentlie well played vppon and then the same dolefull voyce accompanyinge it with these verses IN vaine mine Eyes you labour to amende With flowing teares your fault of hasty sight Since to my hart her shape you so did sende That her I see though you did lose your light In vaine my Hart now you with sight are burnd With sighes you seeke to coole your hotte desire Since sighes into mine inward fornace turnd For bellowes serue to kindle more the fire Reason in vaine now you haue lost my hart My head you seeke as to your strongest forte Since there mine eyes haue played so false a parte That to your strength your foes haue sure resorte Then since in vaine I find were all my strife To this strange death I vainely yeeld my life The ending of the song serued but for a beginning of new plaints as if the mind oppressed with too heauy a burtheÌ„ of cares was faine to discharge it self of al sides as it were paint out the hideousnes of the paine in all sortes of coulours For the wofull person as if the lute had euill ioined with the voice threw it to the ground with such like words Alas poore Lute how much art thou deceiu'd to think that in my miseries thou couldst ease my woes as in my careles times thou was wont to please my fancies The time is changed my Lute the time is changed and no more did my ioyfull minde then receiue euery thing to a ioyful consideration then my carefull mind now makes ech thing tast like the bitter iuyce of care The evill is inward my Lute the euill is inward which all thou doost doth serue but to make me thinke more freely off And alas what is then thy harmony but the sweete meats of sorrow The discord of my thoughts my Lute doth ill agree to the concord of thy strings therefore be not ashamed to leaue thy master since hee is not afraide to forsake himselfe And thus much spoke in steede of a conclusion was closed vp with so harty a groning that Gynecia could not refraine to shew her selfe thinking such griefes could serue fitly for nothing but her owne fortune But as she came into the little Arbour of this sorrowful musicke her eyes met with the eyes of Zelmane which was the party that thus had indited her selfe of miserie so that either of them remained coÌ„fused with a sodaine astonishment Zelmane fearing least she had heard some part of those complaints which she had risen vp that morning early of purpose to breath out in secret to her selfe But Gynecia a great while stood still with a kind of dull amasement looking stedfastly vpon her at length returning to some vse of her selfe she began to aske Zelmane what cause carried her so early abroad But as if the opening of her mouth to Zelmane had opened some great flood-gate of sorrow whereof her heart could not abide the violeÌ„t issue she sanke to the ground with her haÌ„ds ouer her face crying vehemently Zelmane helpe me O Zelmane haue pittie on me Zelmane ranne to her maruelling what sodaine sicknesse had thus possessed her beginning to aske her the cause of her paine offering her seruice to be imployed by her Gynecia opening her eyes wildly vpon her pricked with the flames of loue the torments of her owne conscience O Zelmane Zelmane said she doost thou offer me phisicke which art my only poyson Or wilt thou doo me seruice which hast alredy brought me into eternall slauerie Zelmane then knowing well at what marke shee shot yet loth to enter into it Most excelleÌ„t Ladie said she you were best retire your selfe into your lodging that you the better â—ay passe this sodaine fitte Retire my selfe said Gynecia If I had retyred my selfe into my selfe when thou to me vnfortunate guest camest to draw me from my selfe blessed had I bene no neede had I had of this counsaile But now alas I am forced to flie to thee for succour whom I accuse of all my hurt make thee iudge of my cause who
gouernement as to lay before your eyes the picture of his proceedings But in such sorte hee flourished in the sweete comforte of dooing much good when by an accasion of leauing his Countrie he was forced to bring foorth his vertue of magnanimitie as before hee had done of iustice He had onely one sister a Ladie lest I should too easilie fall to partiall prayses of her of whom it may be iustly saide that she was no vnfit branch to the noble stock whereof she was come Her he had giuen in mariage to Dorilaus Prince of Thessalia not so much to make a frendship as to confirm the frendship betweene their posteritie which betweene them by the likenes of vertue had beene long before made for certainly Dorilaus could neede no amplifiers mouth for the highest point of praise Who hath not heard said Pamela of the valiant wise and iust Dorilaus whose vnripe death doth yet so many yeares since draw teares from vertuous eyes And indeede my father is wont to speake of nothing with greater admiration then of the notable friâ—ndship a rare thing in Princes more rare betweene Princes that so holily was obserued to the last of those two excellent men But said she go on I pray you Dorilaus said he hauing married his sister had his marriage in short time blest for so are folke woont to say how vnhappie soeuer the children after grow with a sonne whom they named Musidorus of whom I must needes first speake before I come to Pyrocles because as he was borne first so vpon his occasion grew as I may say accidentally the others birth For scarcely was Musidorus made partaker of this oft-blinding light when there were found numbers of Southsayers who affirmed strange and incredible thinges should be performed by that childe whether the heauens at that time listed to play with ignorant mankinde or that flatterie be so presumptuous as euen at times to borrow the face of Diuinitie But certainly so did the boldnesse of their affirmation accompanie the greatnesse of what they did affirm euen descending to particularities what kingdoms he should ouercome that the king of Phrygia who ouer-superstitiously thought himselfe touched in the matter sought by force to destroy the infant to preuent his after-expectations because a skilfull man hauing compared his natiuity with the child so told him Foolish man either vainly fearing what was not to be feared or not considering that if it were a worke of the superiour powers the heauens at length are neuer children But so he did and by the aid of the Kings of Lydia and Crete ioining together their armies inuaded Thessalia and brought Dorilaus to some behind-hand of fortune when his faithfull friend and brother Euarchus came so mightily to his succour that with some enterchanging changes of fortune they begat of a iust war the best child peace In which time Euarchus made a crosse mariage also with Dorilaus his sister and shortly left her with child of the famous Pyrocles driuen to returne to the defence of his owne countrie which in his absence helped with some of the ill contented nobilitie the mighty King of Thrace and his brother King of Pannonia had inuaded The successe of those warres was too notable to be vnknowne to your eares to which it seemes all worthy fame hath glory to come vnto But there was Dorilaus valiantly requiting his friends helpe in a great battaile depriued of life his obsequies being no more solemnised by the teares of his partakers then the bloud of his enimies with so pearcing a sorrow to the constant hart of Euarchus that the newes of his sons birth could lighten his countenance with no shew of comfort although all the comfort that might be in a child truth it selfe in him forthwith deliuered For what fortune onely southsayers foretold of Musidorus that all men might see prognosticated in Pyrocles both Heauens and Earth giuing tokens of the comming forth of an Heroicall vertue The senate house of the planets was at no time so set for the decreeing of perfection in a man as at that time all folkes skilfull therein did acknowledge onely loue was threatned and promised to him and so to his cousin as both the tempest and hauen of their best yeares But as death may haue preuented Pyrocles so vnworthinesse must be the death of Musidorus But the mother of Pyrocles shortly after her childe-birth dying was cause that Euarchus recommended the care of his only sonne to his sister doing it the rather because the warre continued in cruell heat betwixt him and those euill neighbours of his In which meane time those young Princes the only comforters of that vertuous widow grewe on so that Pyrocles taught admiration to the hardest conceats Musidorus perchaunce because among his subiects exceedingly beloued and by the good order of Euarchus well perfourmed by his sister they were so brought vp that all the sparkes of vertue which nature had kindled in them were so blowne to giue forth their vttermost heate that iustly it may be affirmed they enflamed the affections of all that knew them For almost before they could perfectly speake they began to receaue conceits not vnworthy of the best speakers excellent deuises being vsed to make euen their sports profitable images of battailes and fortifications being then deliuered to their memory which after their stronger iudgements might dispense the delight of tales being conuerted to the knowledge of all the stories of worthy Princes both to moue them to do nobly and teach them how to do nobly the beautie of vertue still being set before their eyes and that taught them with far more diligent care then Grammaticall rules their bodies exercised in all abilities both of doing and suffring and their mindes acquainted by degrees with daungers and in sum all bent to the making vp of princely mindes no seruile feare vsed towards them nor any other violent restraint but still as to Princes so that a habite of commaunding was naturalized in them and therefore the farther from Tyrannie Nature hauing done so much for them in nothing as that it made them Lords of truth whereon all the other goods were builded Among which nothing I so much delight to recount as the memorable friendship that grew betwixt the two Princes such as made them more like then the likenesse of all other vertues and made them more neere one to the other then the neerenes of their bloud could aspire vnto which I think grew the faster and the faster was tied betweene them by reason that Musidorus being elder by three or foure yeares it was neither so great a difference in age as did take away the delight in societie and yet by the difference there was taken away the occasion of childish contentions till they had both past ouer the humour of such contentions For Pyrocles bare reuerence full of loue to Musidorus and Musidorus had a delight full of loue in Pyrocles Musidorus what he had learned either for body or minde
lesse daungerous But after that yeares began to come on with some though more seldome shewes of a bloudie nature and that the prophecie of Musidorus destenie came to his eares deliuered vnto him and receiued of him with the hardest interpretation as though his subiects did delight in the hearing thereof Then gaue he himselfe indeede to the full currant of his disposition especially after the warre of Thessalia wherein though in trueth wrongly he deemed his vnsuccesse proceeded of their vnwillingnes to haue him prosper and then thinking himselfe contemned knowing no countermine against contempt but terror began to let nothing passe which might beare the colour of a fault without sharp punishment and when he wanted faults excellencie grew a fault and it was sufficient to make one guiltie that he had power to be guiltie And as there is no humour to which impudent pouertie cannot make itselfe seruiceable so were there enow of those of desperate ambition who would build their houses vpon others ruines which after should fall by like practises So as seruitude came mainly vpon that poore people whose deedes were not onely punished but words corrected and euen thoughts by some meane or other puld out of them while suspition bred the mind of crueltie and the effects of crueltie stirred a new cause of suspition And in this plight full of watchfull fearefulnes did the storme deliuer sweete Pyrocles to the stormie minde of that Tyrant all men that did such wrong to so rare a stranger whose countenaunce deserued both pitie and admiration condemning themselues as much in their hearts as they did brag in their forces But when this bloudy King knew what he was and in what order he and his cosin Musidorus so much of him feared were come out of Thessalia assuredly thinking because euer thinking the worst that those forces were prouided against him glad of the perishing as he thought of Musidorus determined in publique sort to put Pyrocles to death For hauing quite lost the way of noblenes he straue to clime to the height of terriblenes and thinking to make all men adread to make such one an enemie who would not spare nor feare to kill so great a Prince and lastly hauing nothing in him why to make him his friend he thought he woulde take him away from being his enemie The day was appointed and all things appointed for that cruell blow in so solemne an order as if they would set foorth tyranny in most gorgeous decking The Princely youth of inuincible valour yet so vniustly subiected to such outragious wrong carrying himself in all his demeanure so constantly abiding extremitie that one might see it was the cutting away of the greatest hope of the world and destroying vertue in his sweetest grouth But so it fell out that his death was preuented by a rare example of friendship in Musidorus who being almost drowned had bene taken vp by a Fisherman belonging to the kingdome of Pontus and being there and vnderstanding the full discourse as Fame was very prodigall of so notable an accident in what case Pyrocles was learning withall that his hate was farre more to him then to Pyrocles hee found meanes to acquaint him selfe with a noble-man of that Countrie to whome largely discouering what he was he found him a most fit instrument to effectuate his desire For this noble-man had bene one who in many warres had serued Euarchus and had bene so mind-striken by the beautie of vertue in that noble King that though not borne his Subiect he euer profest himselfe his seruaunt His desire therefore to him was to keepe Musidorus in a strong Castle of his and then to make the King of Phrygia vnderstand that if he would deliuer Pyrocles Musidorus would willingly put him selfe into his hands knowing well that how thirstie so euer he was of Pyrocles bloud he would rather drinke that of Musidorus The Nobleman was loath to preserue one by the losse of another but time vrging resolution the importunitie of Musidorus who shewed a minde not to ouer-liue Pyrocles with the affection he bare to Euarchus so preuayled that he carried this strange offer of Musidorus which by that Tyrant was greedelie accepted And so vpon securitie of both sides they were enterchanged Where I may not omitte the worke of friendshippe in Pyrocles who both in speache and countenance to Musidorus well shewed that he thought himselfe iniured and not releeued by him asking him what he had euer seene in him why he could not beare the extremities of mortall accidentes as well as any man and why he should enuie him the glorie of suffering death for his friendes cause and as it were robbe him of his owne possession But in this notable contention where the conquest must be the conquerers destruction and safetie the punishment of the conquered Musidorus preuayled because he was a more welcome praie to the vniust King and as chearefully going towardes as Pyrocles went frowardly fromward his death he was deliuered to the King who could not be inough sure of him without he fed his owne eies vpon one whom he had begon to feare as soone as the other began to be Yet because he would in one acte both make ostentation of his owne felicitie into whose hands his most feared enemie was fallen and withall cut of such hopes from his suspected subiects when they should knowe certainly he was dead with much more skilfull crueltie and horrible solemnitie he caused each thing to be prepared for his triumph of tyrannie And so the day being come he was led foorth by many armed men who often had beene the fortifiers of wickednes to the place of execution where comming with a minde comforted in that he had done such seruice to Pyrocles this strange encounter he had The excelling Pyrocles was no sooner deliuered by the kings seruants to a place of liberty then he bent his witte and courage and what would not they bring to passe how ether to deliuer Musidorus or to perish with him And finding he could get in that countrie no forces sufficient by force to rescue him to bring himselfe to die with him little hoping of better euent he put himselfe in poore rayment and by the helpe of some few crownes he tooke of that noble-man who full of sorrow though not knowing the secrete of his intent suffered him to goe in such order from him he euen he borne to the greatest expectation and of the greatest bloud that any Prince might be submitted himselfe to be seruant to the executioner that should put to death Musidorus a farre notabler proofe of his friendship considering the height of his minde then any death could be That bad officer not suspecting him being araied fit for such an estate and hauing his beautie hidden by many foule spots he artificially put vpon his face gaue him leaue not onely to weare a sworde himselfe but to beare his sworde prepared for the iustified murther And so Pyrocles taking his time when Musidorus
was vpon the scaffold separaâ—ed somewhat from the rest as allowed to say something he stept vnto him and putting the sworde into his hande not bound a point of ciuility the officers vsed towards him because they doubted no such enterprise Musidorus said he die nobly In truth neuer man betweene ioy before knowledge what to be glad of and feare after considering his case had such a confusion of thoughts as I had when I saw Pyrocles so neare me But with that Dorus blushed and Pamela smiled and Dorus the more blushed at her smiling and she the more smiled at his blushing because he had with the remembraunce of that plight he was in forgotten in speaking of him selfe to vse the third person But Musidorus turned againe her thoughts from his cheekes to his tongue in this sort But said he when they were with swordes in handes not turning backs one to the other for there they knew was no place of defence but making it a preseruation in not hoping to be preserued and now acknowledging themselues subiect to death meaning onely to do honour to their princely birth they flew amongst them all for all were enimies and had quickly either with flight or death left none vpon the scaffold to annoy them Wherein Pyrocles the excellent Pyrocles did such wonders beyond beliefe as was hable to leade Musidorus to courage though he had bene borne a coward But indeed iust rage and desperate vertue did such effects that the popular sort of the beholders began to be almost superstitiously amazed as at effects beyond mortall power But the King with angry threatnings from-out a window where he was not ashamed the world should behold him a beholder commaunded his gard and the rest of his souldiers to hasten their death But many of them lost their bodies to loose their soules when the Princes grew almost so weary as they were ready to be conquered with conquering But as they were still fighting with weake armes and strong harts it happened that one of the souldiers commaunded to go vp after his fellowes against the Princes hauing receiued a light hurt more wounded in his hart went backe with as much diligence as he came vp with modestie which another of his fellowes seeing to pike a thanke of the King strake him vpon the face reuiling him that so accompanied he would runne away from so fewe But he as many times it falls out onely valiant when he was angrie in reuenge thrust him through which with his death was streight reuenged by a brother of his and that againe requited by a fellow of the others There began to be a great tumult amongst the souldiers which seene and not vnderstood by the people vsed to feares but not vsed to be bolde in them some began to crie treason and that voice streight multiplying it selfe the King O the cowardise of a guiltie conscience before any man set vpon him fled away Where-with a bruit either by arte of some well meaning men or by such chaunce as such things often fall out by ran from one to the other that the King was slaine wherewith certaine yong men of the brauest mindes cried with lowde voice Libertie and encouraging the other Citizens to follow them set vpon the garde and souldiers as chiefe instruments of Tyrannie and quickly aided by the Princes they had left none of them aliue nor any other in the cittie who they thought had in any sort set his hand to the worke of their seruitude and God knowes by the blindnesse of rage killing many guiltles persons either for affinity to the Tyrant or enmitie to the tyrant-killers But some of the wiser seeing that a popular licence is indeede the many-headed tyranny preuailed with the rest to make Musidorus their chiefe choosing one of them because Princes to defend them and him because elder and most hated of the Tyrant and by him to be ruled whom foorthwith they lifted vp Fortune I thinke smiling at her worke therein that a scaffold of execution should grow a scaffold of coronation But by and by there came newes of more certaine truth that the King was not dead but fled to a strong castle of his neere hand where he was gathering forces in all speed possible to suppresse this mutinie But now they had run themselues too farre out of breath to go backe againe the same career and too well they knew the sharpnesse of his memorie to forget such an iniury therefore learning vertue of necessitie they continued resolute to obey Musidorus Who seing what forces were in the citie with them issued against the Tyrant while they were in this heat before practises might be vsed to disseuer them and with them met the King who likewise hoping little to preuaile by time knowing and finding his peoples hate met him with little delay in the field where him selfe was slaine by Musidorus after he had seene his onely sonne a Prince of great courage beautie but fostred in bloud by his naughty Father slaine by the hand of Pyrocles This victory obteined with great and truly not vndeserued honour to the two Princes the whole estates of the country with one consent gaue the crowne and all other markes of soueraigntie to Musidorus desiring nothing more then to liue vnder such a gouernment as they promised themselues of him But he thinking it a greater greatnes to giue a kingdome then get a kingdome vnderstanding that there was left of the bloud Roiall and next to the succession an aged Gentleman of approued goodnes who had gotten nothing by his cousins power but danger from him and odiousnes for him hauing past his time in modest secrecy and asmuch from entermedling in matters of gouernment as the greatnesse of his bloud would suffer him did after hauing receiued the full power to his owne hands resigne all to the noble-man but with such conditions and cautions of the conditions as might assure the people with asmuch assurance as worldly matters beare that not onely that gouernour of whom indeed they looked for all good but the nature of the gouernment should be no way apt to decline to Tyranny This dooing set foorth no lesse his magnificence then the other act did his magnanimitie so that greatly praysed of all and iustly beloued of the new King who in all both wordes and behauiour protested him selfe their Tenaunt and Liegeman they were drawne thence to reuenge those who seruants of theirs of whose memorable faith I told you most excellent Princesse in willingly giuing themselues to be drowned for their sakes but drowned indeed they were not but gat with painefull swimming vpon a rocke from whence after being come as neere famishing as before drowning the weather breaking vp they were brought to the maine land of Pontus the same country vpon which Musidorus also was fallen but not in so luckie a place For they were brought to the King of that country a Tyrant also not thorow suspition greedines or reuengefulnes as he of
for Loue so forceth me Plangus doth liue and shall Erona dye Erona dye O heauen if heauen there be Hath all thy whirling course so small effect Serue all thy starrie eyes this shame to see Let doltes in haste some altars faire erect To those high powers which idly sit aboue And vertue do in greatest need neglect Basilius O man take heed how thou the Gods do moue To causefull wrath which thou canst not resist Blasphemous words the speaker vaine do proue Alas while we are wrapt in foggie mist Of our selfe-loue so passions do deceaue We thinke they hurt when most they do assist To harme vs wormes should that high Iustice leaue His nature nay himselfe for so it is What glorie from our losse can he receaue But still our dazeled eyes their way do misse While that we do at his sweete scourge repine The kindly way to beate vs on to blisse If she must dye then hath she past the line Of lothsome dayes whose losse how canst thou mone That doost so well their miseries define But such we are with inward tempest blowne Of windes quite contrarie in waues of will We mone that lost which had we did bemone Plangus And shall she dye shall cruell fier spill Those beames that set so many harts on fire Hath she not force euen death with loue to kill Nay euen cold Death enflamde with hot desire Her to enioy where ioy it selfe is thrall Will spoile the earth of his most rich attire Thus Death becomes a riuall to vs all And hopes with foule embracements her to get In whose decay Vertues faire shrine must fall O Vertue weake shall death his triumph set Vpon thy spoiles which neuer should lye waste Let Death first dye be thou his worthy let By what eclipse shall that Sonne be defaste What myne hath erst throwne downe so faire a tower What sacriledge hath such a saint disgra'st The world the garden is she is the flower That sweetens all the place she is the guest Of rarest price both heau'n and earth her bower And shall ô me all this in ashes rest Alas if you a Phoenix new will haue Burnt by the Sunne she first must build her nest But well you know the gentle Sunne would saue Such beames so like his owne which might haue might In him the thoughts of Phaëtons damme to graue Therefore alas you vse vile Vulcans spight Which nothing spares to melt that Virgin-waxe Which while it is it is all Asias light O Mars for what doth serue thy armed axe To let that wit-old beast consume in flames Thy Venus child whose beautie Venus lackes O Venus if her praise no enuy frames In thy high minde get her thy husbands grace Sweete speaking oft a currish hart reclaimes O eyes of mine where once she saw her face Her face which was more liuely in my hart O braine where thought of her hath onely place O hand which toucht her hand when we did part O lippes that kist that hand with my teares sprent O toonge then dumbe not daring tell my smart O soule whose loue in her is onely spent What ere you see think touch kisse speake or loue Let all for her and vnto her be bent Basilius Thy wailing words do much my spirits moue They vttred are in such a feeling fashion That sorrowes worke against my will I proue Me-thinkes I am partaker of thy passion And in thy case do glasse mine owne debilitie Selfe-guiltie folke most prone to feele compassion Yet Reason saith Reason should haue abilitie To hold these wordly things in such proportion As let them come or go with euen facilitie But our Desires tyrannicall extortion Doth force vs there to set our chiefe delightfulnes Where but a baiting place is all our portion But still although we faile of perfect rightfulnes Seeke we to tame these childish superfluities Let vs not winke though void of purest sightfulnes For what can breed more peeuish incongruities Then man to yeeld to female lamentations Let vs some grammar learne of more congruities Plangus If through mine eares pearce any consolation By wise discourse sweete tunes or Poets fiction If ought I cease these hideous exclamations While that my soule she she liues in affliction Then let my life long time on earth maintained be To wretched me the last worst malediction Can I that know her sacred parts restrained be From any ioy know fortunes vile displacing her In morall rules let raging woes contained be Can I forget when they in prison placing her With swelling hart in spite and due disdainfulnes She lay for dead till I helpt with vnlasing her Can I forget from how much mourning plainfulnes With Diamond in window-glasse she graued Erona dye and end this ougly painefulnes Can I forget in how straunge phrase she craued That quickly they would her burne drowne or smother As if by death she onely might be saued Then let me eke forget one hand from other Let me forget that Plangus I am called Let me forget I am sonne to my mother But if my memory must thus be thralled To that strange stroke which conquer'd all my senses Can thoughts still thinking so rest vnappalled Basilius Who still doth seeke against him selfe offences What pardon can auaile or who imployes him To hurt himselfe what shields can be desenses Woe to poore man ech outward thing annoyes him In diuers kinds yet as he were not filled He heapes in outward griefe that most destroyes him Thus is our thought with paine for thistles tilled Thus be our noblest parts dryed vp with sorrow Thus is our mind with too much minding spilled One day layes vp stuffe of griefe for the morrow And whose good haps do leaue him vnprouided Condoling cause of friendship he will borrow Betwixt the good and shade of good diuided We pittie deeme that which but weakenes is So are we from our high creation slided But Plangus lest I may your sicknesse misse Or rubbing hurt the sore I here doo end The asse did hurt when he did thinke to kisse When Zelmane had read it ouer marueyling verie much of the speeche of Eronas death and therefore desirous to know further of it but more desirous to heare Philoclea speake Most excellent Ladie saide she one may be little the wiser for reading this Dialogue since it nether sets foorth what this Plangus is nor what Erona is nor what the cause should be which threatens her with death and him with sorow therefore I woulde humbly craue to vnderstand the particular discourse thereof because I must confesse some thing in my trauaile I haue heard of this strange matter which I would be glad to finde by so sweet an authoritie confirmed The trueth is answered Philoclea that after hee knew my father to bee Prince of this countrie while hee hoped to preuaile something with him in a great request hee made vnto him hee was content to open fully the estate both of himselfe and of that Ladie which with my
hee receiued countenance leauing no meanes vnattempted of destroying his son among other employing that wicked seruant of his who vndertooke to empoyson him But his cunning disguised him not so well but that the watchful seruants of Plangus did discouer him Whereupon the wretch was taken before his well deserued execution by torture forced to confesse the particularities of this which in generall I haue told you Which confession autentically set downe though Tiridates with solemne Embassage sent it to the King wrought no effect For the King hauing put the reines of the gouernment into his wiues hande neuer did so much as reade it but sent it streight by her to be considered So as they rather heaped more hatred vpon Plangus for the death of their seruaunt And now finding that his absence and their reports had much diminished the wauering peoples affection towardes Plangus with aduauncing fit persons for faction and graunting great immunities to the commons they preuailed so farre as to cause the sonne of the second wife called Palladius to be proclaymed successour and Plangus quite excluded so that Plangus was driuen to continue his seruing Tiridates as hee did in the warre against Erona and brought home Artaxia as my sister tolde you when Erona by the treason of Antiphilus But at that word she stopped For Basilius not able longer to abide their absence came sodainly among them and with smiling countenance telling Zelmane hee was affraid shee had stollen away his daughters inuited them to follow the Sunnes counsell in going then to their lodging for indeed the Sun was readie to set They yeelded Zelmane meaning some other time to vnderstand the storie of Antiphilus treason and Eronas daunger whose cause she greatly tendred But Miso had no sooner espied Basilius but that as spitefully as her rotten voice could vtter it she set foorth the sawcinesse of Amphialus But Basilius onely attended what Zelmanes opinion was who though she hated Amphialus yet the nobilitie of her courage preuailed ouer it and shee desired he might be pardoned that youthfull error considering the reputation he had to be one of the best knights in the world so as hereafter he gouerned himselfe as one remembring his fault Basilius giuing the infinite tearmes of praises to Zelmanes both valour in conquering and pittifulnesse in pardoning commanded no more wordes to be made of it since such he thought was her pleasure So brought he them vp to visite his wife where betweene her and him the poore Zelmane receaued a tedious entertainement oppressed with being loued almost as much as with louing Basilius not so wise in couering his passion coulde make his tong go almost no other pace but to runne into those immoderate praises which the foolish Louer thinkes short of his Mistres though they reach farre beyond the heauens But Gynecia whome womanly modestie did more outwardly bridle yet did oftentimes vse the aduantage of her sexe in kissing Zelmane as shee sate vpon her bedde-side by her which was but still more and more sweete incense to cast vpon the fire wherein her harte was sacrificed Once Zelmane coulde not stirre but that as if they had bene poppets whose motion stoode onely vpon her pleasure Basilius with seruiceable steppes Gynecia with greedie eyes would follow her Basilius mind Gynecia well knew and could haue found in her hart to laugh at if mirth could haue borne any proportion with her fortune But all Gynecias actions were interpreted by Basilius as proceeding from iealousie of his amorousnesse Zelmane betwixt both like the poore childe whose father while he beates him will make him beleeue it is for loue or like the sicke man to whom the Phisition sweares the ill-tasting wallowish medicine he profers is of a good taste their loue was hatefull their courtesie troublesome their presence cause of her absence thence were not only her light but her life consisted Alas thought she to her selfe Deare Dorus what ods is there betweene thy destiny and mine For thou hast to doo in thy pursuite but with shepherdish folkes who trouble thee with a little enuious care and affected diligence But I besides that I haue now Miso the worst of thy diuels let loose vpon me am waited on by Princes and watched by the two wakefull eyes of Loue and Iealousie Alas incomparable Philoclea thou euer seest me but dost neuer see me as I am thou hearest willingly all that I dare say and I dare not say that which were most fit for thee to heare Alas who euer but I was imprisoned in libertie and banished being still present To whom but me haue louers bene iaylours honour a captiuitie But the night comming on with her silent steps vpon them they parted each frō other if at lest they could bee parted of whom euery one did liue in another and went about to flatter sleepe with their beds that disdained to bestow it selfe liberally vpon such eies which by their will would euer be looking and in lest measure vpon Gynecia who when Basilius after long tossing was gotten a sleepe and the cheereful cōfort of the lights remoued her kneeling vp in her bed began with a soft voice and swolne hart to renue the curses of her birth then in a maner embracing her bed Ah chastest bed of mine said she which neuer heretofore couldst accuse me of one defiled thought how canst thou now receaue this desastred chāgling Happie happie be they onely which bee not and thy blessednes onely in this respect thou maiest feele that thou hast no feeling With that she furiously tare off great part of her faire haire Take here ô forgotten vertue saide shee this miserable sacrifice while my soule was clothed with modestie that was a comely ornament now why should nature crowne that head which is so wicked as her onely despaire is she cannot be enough wicked More she would haue said but that Basilius awaked with the noise tooke her in his armes and began to comfort her the good-man thinking it was all for a iealous loue of him which humor if she would a little haue maintained perchance it might haue weakned his new conceaued fancies But hee finding her answers wandring from the purpose left her to herselfe glad the next morning to take the aduantage of a sleepe which a little before day ouer-watched with sorrow her teares had as it were sealed vp in her eyes to haue the more conference with Zelmane who baited on this fashion by these two louers and euer kept for many meane to declare herselfe found in her selfe a dayly encrease of her violent desires like a riuer the more swelling the more his current is stopped The chiefe recreation she could finde in her anguish was sometime to visite that place where first she was so happy as to see the cause of her vnhap There would she kisse the ground and thanke the trees blisse the aier doo dutifull reuerence to euery thing that she thought did accompany her at their first
seene her I am the willinger to speake of to you who I know know her better being your neer neighbor because you may see by her example in her self wise and of others beloued that neither folly is the cause of vehement loue nor reproch the effect For neuer I think was there any woman that with more vnremoueable determination gaue her selfe to the coūcell of loue after she had once set before her minde the worthines of your cosin Amphialus and yet is nether her wisedome doubted of nor honor blemished For O God what doth better become wisedome then to discerne what is worthy the louing what more agreable to goodnes thē to loue it so discerned and what to greatnes of hart then to be constant in it once loued But at that time that loue of hers was not so publikely known as the death of Philoxenus and search of Amphialus hath made it but then seemed to haue such leasure to send thither diuerse choise knights of her court because they might bring her at lest the knowledge perchaūce the honor of that triumph Wherin so they behaued thēselues as for three daies they carried the prize which being come from so far a place to disgrace her seruaunts Palladius who himselfe had neuer vsed armes perswaded the Queene Andromana to be content for the honour sake of her court to suffer vs two to haue our horse and armour that he with vs might vndertake the recouerie of their lost honour which she grāted taking our oath to goe no further then her sonne nor euer to abandon him Which she did not more for sauing him then keeping vs and yet not satisfied with our oth appointed a band of horsemen to haue eye that we should not go beyond appointed limits We were willing to gratifie the young Prince who we saw loued vs. And so the fourth day of that exercise we came into the field where I remember the manner was that the forenoone they should run at tilt one after the other the afternoone in a broad field in manner of a battell till either the strangers or that countrie Knights wan the field The first that ran was a braue Knight whose deuise was to come in all chayned with a Nymph leading him his Impresa was Against him came forth an Iberian whose manner of entring was with Bagpipes in steed of trumpets a shepheards boy before him for a Page and by him a dozen apparelled like shepherds for the fashion though rich in stuffe who caried his Launces which though strong to giue a launcely blow indeede yet so were they couloured with hooks neere the mourn that they pretilye represented shephooks His own furniture was drest ouer with wooll so enriched with Iewels artificially placed that one would haue thought it a mariage betweene the lowest and the highest His Impresa was a Sheepe marked with pitch with this woord Spotted to be knowne And because I may tell you out his conceipt though that were not done till the running for that time was ended before the Ladies departed from the windowes among whom there was one they say that was the Star whereby his course was onely directed The Shepherds attending vpon PHILISIDES went among them and sang an eclogue one of them answering another while the other shepherds pulling out recorders which possest the place of pipes accorded their musicke to the others voice The Eclogue had great praise I onely remember sixe verses while hauing questioned one with the other of their fellow-shepheards sodaine growing a man of armes and the cause of his so doing they thus said ME thought some staues he mist if so not much amisse For where he most would hit he euer yet did misse Once said he brake a crosse full well it so might be For neuer was there man more crossely crost then he But most cryed O well broke O foole full gaily blest Where failing is a shame and breaking is his best Thus I haue digrest because his maner liked me well But when he began to run against LElius it had neere growne though great loue had euer bene betwixt them to a quarell For Philisides breaking his staues with great commendation Lelius who was knowne to be second to none in the perfection of that art ranne euer ouer his head but so finely to the skilfull eyes that one might wel see he shewed more knowledge in missing then others did in hitting For with so gallant a grace his staffe came swimming close ouer the crest of the Helmet as if he would represent the kisse and not the stroke of Mars But Philisides was much moued with it while he thought Lelius would shew a contempt of his youth till Lelius who therefore would satisfie him because he was his friend made him know that to such bondage he was for so many courses tyed by her whose disgraces to him were graced by her excellencye and whose iniuries he could neuer otherwise returne then honors But so by Lelius willing-missing was the oddes of the Iberian side and continued so in the next by the excellent running of a Knight though fostred so by the Muses as many times the very rusticke people left both their delights and profites to harken to his songs yet could he so well performe all armed sports as if he had neuer had any other pen then a Launce in his hand He came in like a wilde man but such a wildenes as shewed his eye-sight had tamed him full of withered leaues which though they fell not still threatned falling His Impresa was a mill-horse still bound to goe in one circle with this word Data fata sequutus But after him the Corinthian knights absolutely preuailed especially a great noble man of Corinth whose deuise was to come without any deuise all in white like a new Knight as indeede he was but so new as his newnes shamed most of the others long exercise Then another from whose tent I remember a birde was made flie With such art to carry a written embassage among the Ladies that one might say If a liue bird how so taught if a dead bird how so made Then he who hidden man and horse in a great figure liuely representing the Phoenix the fire tooke so artificially as it consumed the bird and left him to rise as it were out of the ashes thereof Against whom was the fine frosen Knight frosen in despaire but his armor so naturallye representing Ice and all his furniture so liuely answering therto as yet did I neuer see any thing that pleased me better But the delight of those pleasing sightes haue carried me too farre into an vnnecessary discourse Let it then suffice most excellent Ladye that you know the Corinthians that morning in the exercise as they had done the daies before had the better Palladius neither suffring vs nor himself to take in hand the partie til the after noone when we were to fight in troupes not differing otherwise from earnest but that the sharpenesse of the
deliuered her pure soule to the purest place leauing me as full of agonie as kindnes pitie and sorow could make an honest hart For I must confesse â—or true that if my starres had not wholy reserued me for you there els perhaps I might haue loued and which had bene most strange begun my loue after death wherof let it be the lesse maruaile because somewhat she did resemble you though as farre short of your perfection as her selfe dying was of her selfe flourishing yet somthing there was which when I saw a picture of yours brought againe her figure into my remembrance and made my hart as apt to receiue the wounde as the power of your beauty with vnresistable force to pearce But we in wofull and yet priuat manner burying her performed her commandement and then enquiring of her fathers estate certainly learned that he was presently to be succoured or by death to passe the neede of succour Therefore we determined to diuide our selues I according to my vowe to helpe him and Musidorus toward the King of Pontus who stood in no lesse need then immediat succour euen readie to depart one from the other there came a messenger from him who after some enquirie found vs giuing vs to vnderstand that he trusting vpon vs two had apointed the combat betweene him and vs against Otanes and the two Gyants Now the day was so accorded as it was impossible for me both to succour Plexirtus and be there where my honour was not only so far engaged but by the straunge working of vniust fortune I was to leaue the standing by Musidorus whom better then my selfe I loued to go saue him whom for iust causes I hated But my promise giuen and giuen to Zelmane to Zelmane dying preuailed more with me then my friendship to Musidorus though certainely I may affirme nothing had so great rule in my thoughts as that But my promise caried me the easier because Musidorus himselfe would not suffer me to breake it And so with heauy mindes more carefull each of others successe then of our owne we parted I toward the place where I vnderstood Plexirtus was prisoner to an auncient Lord absolutely gouerning a goodly Castle with a large territory about it whereof he acknowledged no other soueraigne but himselfe whose hate to Plexirtus grew for a kinsman of his whom he malitiously had murdered because in the time that he raigned in Galatia he fouÌ„d him apt to practise for the restoring of his vertuous brother Leonatus This old Knight still thirsting for reuenge vsed as the way to it a pollicie which this occasion I will tell you prepared for him Plexirtus in his youth had maried Zelmanes mother who dying of that only child-birth he a widdower and not yet a King haunted the Court of Armenia where as he was cunning to winne fauour he obteined great good liking of Artaxia which he pursâ—ed till being called home by his father he falsly got his fathers kingdome and then neglected his former loue till throwen out of that by our meanes before he was deeply rooted in it and by and by againe placed in Trebisonde vnderstanding that Artaxia by her brothers death was become Queen of Armenia he was hotter then euer in that pursuit which being vnderstood by this olde Knight he forged such a letter as might be written from Artaxia entreating his present but very priuate repaire thether giuing him faithfull promise of present mariage a thing farre from her thought hauing faithfully and publiquely protested that she would neuer marrie any but some such Prince who would giue sure proofe that by his meanes we were destroyed But he no more wittie to frame then blinde to iudge hopes bit hastely at the baite and in priuate maner poasted toward her but by the way he was met by this Knight far better accompanied who quickly laid hold of him and condemned him to death cruell inough if any thing may be both cruell and iust For he caused him to be kept in a miserable prison till a day appointed at which time he would deliuer him to be deuoured by a moÌ„strous beast of most vgly shape armed like a Rhinoceros as strong as an Elephant as fierce as a Lion as nimble as a Leopard and as cruell as a Tigre whom he hauing kept in a strong place from the first youth of it now thought no fitter match then such a beastly monster with a monstrous Tyrant proclaiming yet withall that if any so well loued him as to venture their liues against his beast for him if they ouercame he should be saued not caring how many they were such confidence he had in that monsters strength but especially hoping to entrappe thereby the great courages of Tydeus and Telenor whom he no lesse hated because they had bene principall instruments of the others power I dare say if Zelmane had knowen what daunger I should haue passed she would rather haue let her father perish then me to haue bidden that aduenture But my word was past and truely the hardnes of the enterprise was not so much a bitte as a spurre vnto me knowing well that the iorney of high honor lies not in plaine wayes Therefore going thether and taking sufficient securitie that Plexirtus should be deliuered if I were victorious I vndertooke the combatte and to make short excellent Ladie and not to trouble your eares with recounting a terrible matter so was my weakenes blessed from aboue that without dangerous wounds I slew that monster which hundreds durst not attempt to so great admiration of many who from a safe place might looke on that there was order giuen to haue the fight both by sculpture and picture celebrated in most parts of Asia And the olde noble-man so well liked me that he loued me onely bewayling my vertue had beene imployed to saue a worse monster then I killed whom yet according to faith giuen he deliuered and accompanied me to the kingdome of Pontus whether I would needes in all speede go to see whether it were possible for me if perchance the day had bene delaied to come to the combat But that before I came had bene thus finished The vertuous Leonatus vnderstanding two so good friends of his were to be in that danger would perforce be one him selfe where he did valiantly and so did the King of Pontus But the truth is that both they being sore hurt the incomparable Musidorus finished the combat by the death of both the Giants and the taking of Otanes prisoner To whom as he gaue his life so he gotte a noble friend for so he gaue his word to be and he is well knowen to thinke himselfe greater in being subiect to that then in the greatnes of his principalitie But thither vnderstanding of our being there flocked great multitudes of many great persons and euen of Princes especially those whom we had made beholding vnto vs as the Kings of Phrygia Bythinia with those two hurte of Pontus and Galatia and Otanes
then waite for mischiefe And so against the Captaine wee went who straight was enuironned with most parte of the Souldiers and Mariners And yet the trueth is there were some whom either the authoritie of the councellour doubt of the Kinges minde or liking of vs made drawe their swords of our side so that quickely it grewe a most confused fight For the narrownesse of the place the darkenesse of the time and the vncertainty in such a tumult how to know friends from foes made the rage of swordes rather guide then be guided by their maisters For my cousin and mee truely I thinke wee neuer perfourmed lesse in any place doing no other hurte then the defence of our selues and succouring them who came for it draue vs too for not discerning perfectly who were for or against vs we thought it lesse euill to spare a foe then spoile a freend But from the highest to the lowest parte of the shippe there was no place lefte without cryes of murdring and murdred persons The Captaine I hapt a while to fight withall but was driuen to parte with him by hearing the crie of the Councellour who receiued a mortall wounde mistaken of one of his owne side Some of the wiser would call to parley and wish peace but while the words of peace were in their mouthes some of their euill auditours gaue them death for their hire So that no man almost could conceiue hope of liuing but by being last aliue and therefore euery one was willing to make him selfe roome by dispatching almost any other so that the great number in the ship was reduced to exceeding few wheÌ„ of those few the most part weary of those troubles leapt into the boate which was fast to the ship but while they that were first were cutting of the rope that tied it others came leaping in so disorderly that they drowned both the boate and themselues But while euen in that little remnant like the children of Cadmus we continued still to slay one an other a fire which whether by the desperate malice of some or intention to separate or accidentally while all thinges were cast vp and downe it should seeme had taken a good while before but neuer heeded of vs who onely thought to preserue or reuenge now violently burst out in many places and began to maister the principall partes of the ship Then necessitie made vs see that a common enimy sets at one a ciuill warre for that little all we were as if wee had bene waged by one man to quench a fire streight went to resist that furious enimie by all art and labour but it was to late for already it did embrace and deuoure from the sterne to the wast of the ship so as labouring in vaine we were driuen to get vp to the prowe of the ship by the worke of nature seeking to preserue life as long as we could while truely it was a straunge and ougly sight to see so huge a fire as it quickly grew to be in the Sea and in the night as if it had come to light vs to death And by and by it had burned off the maste which all this while had prowdly borne the sayle the winde as might seeme delighted to carrie fire bloud in his mouth but now it fell ouerboord and the fire growing neerer vs it was not onely terrible in respect of what we were to attend but insupportable through the heat of it So that we were constrained to bide it no longer but disarming and stripping our selues and laying our selues vpon such things as we thought might help our swimming to the lande too far for our owne strength to beare vs my cousin and I threw ourselues into the Sea But I had swomme a very little way when I felt by reason of a wound I had that I should not be able to bide the trauaile and therefore seeing the maste whose tackling had bene burnt of flote cleare from the ship I swaÌ„me vnto it and getting on it I found mine owne sworde which by chaunce when I threw it away caught by a peece of canuas had honge to the maste I was glad because I loued it well but gladder when I saw at the other end the Captaine of the ship and of all this mischiefe who hauing a long pike belike had borne himselfe vp with that till he had set him selfe vpon the mast But when I perceiued him Villaine said I doost thou thinke to ouerliue so many honest men whom thy falsehood hath brought to destruction with that bestriding the mast I gat by little and little towardes him after such a manner as boies are wont if euer you saw that sport when they ride the wild mare And he perceiuing my intention like a fellow that had much more courage then honestie set him selfe to resist But I had in short space gotten within him and giuing him a sound blowe sent him to feede fishes But there my selfe remainde vntill by pyrates I was taken vp among them againe taken prisoner and brought into Laconia But what said Philoclea became of your cousin Musidorus Lost saide Pyrocles Ah my Pyrocles said Philoclea I am glad I haue taken you I perceiue you loueâ—â— doo not alwaies say truely as though I knew not your cousin Dorus the sheepeheard Life of my desires said Pyrocles what is mine euen to my soule is youâ—â— but the secret of my friend is not mine But if you know so much then I may tâ—â—â—ly say he is lost since he is no more his owne But I perceiue your noble sister and you are great friends and well doth it become you so to be But go forward 〈◊〉 Pyrocles I long to heare out till your meeting me for there to me-ward is the best part of your storie Ah sweet Philoclea said Pyrocles do you thinke I can thinke so precious leysure as this well spent in talking Are your eyes a fit booke thinke you to reade a tale vpon Is my loue quiet inough to be an historian Deare Princesse be gracious vnto me And then he faine would haue remembred to haue forgot himselfe But she with a sweetly disobeying grace desired him that her desire once for euer might serue that no spote might disgrace that loue which shortly she hoped should be to the world warrantable Faine he would not haue heard till shee threatned anger And then the poore louer durst not because he durst not Nay I pray thee deare Pyrocles said she let me haue my story Sweet Princesse said he giue my thoughts a little respite and if it please you since this time must so bee spoiled yet it shall suffer the lesse harme if you vouchsafe to bestow your voice and let mee know how the good Queene Erona was betraied into such danger and why Plangus sought me For indeede I should pitie greatly any mischance fallen to that Princesse I will said Philoclea smiling so you giue me your worde your handes shall be quiet auditours They shall said he
valure and fore-preparation put all his companie to the sword but such as could flie away As for Antiphilus she caused him and Erona both to be put in irons hasting backe toward her brothers tombe vpon which she ment to sacrifice them making the loue of her brother stand betwene her and all other motions of grace from which by nature she was alienated But great diuersitie in them two quickly discouered it selfe for the bearing of that affliction For Antiphilus that had no greatnesse but outward that taken away was readie to fall faster then calamitie could thrust him with fruitlesse begging of life where reason might well assure him his death was resolued and weake bemoning his fortune to giue his enemies a most pleasing musique with manie promises and protestations to as little purpose as from a little minde But Erona sad indeede yet like one rather vsed then new fallen to sadnesse as who had the ioyes of her hart alreadie broken seemed rather to welcome then to shun that ende of miserie speaking little but what she spake was for Antiphilus remembring his guiltlesnesse being at that time prisoner to Tiridates when the valiant princes slue him to the disgrace of men shewing that there are women both more wise to iudge what is to be expected and more constant to beare it when it is happened But her wit endeared by her youth her affliction by her birth and her sadnesse by her beautie made this noble prince Plangus who neuer almost from his cousin Artaxia was now present at Eronaes taking to perceyue the shape of louelinesse more perfectly in wo then in ioyfulnesse as in a picture which receiues greater life by the darkenesse of shadowes then by more glittering colours and seeing to like and liking to loue and louing straight to feele the most incident effects of loue to serue and preserue So borne by the hastie tide of short leysure he did hastily deliuer together his affection and affectionate care But she as if he had spoken of a small matter when he mencioned her life to which she had not leisure to attend desired him if he loued her to shew it in finding some way to saue Antiphilus For her she found the world but a wearisome stage vnto her where she played a part against her will and therefore besought him not to cast his loue in so vnfruitfull a place as could not loue it selfe but for a testimonie of constancie and a sutablenes to his word to do so much comfort to her minde as that for her sake Antiphilus were saued He tolde me how much he argued against her tendeâ—ing him who had so vngratefully betraied her and foolishly cast away himselfe But perceiuing she did not only bend her very good wits to speake for him against herselfe but when such a cause could be allied to no reason yet loue would needes make it-selfe a cause and barre her rather from hearing then yeeld that she should yeeld to such arguments he likewise in whom the power of Loue as they say of spirits was subiect to the loue in her with griefe consented though backwardly was diligent to labor the help of Antiphilus a man whom he not only hated as a traitour to Erona but enuied as a possessor of Erona Yet Loue sware his hart in spite of his hart should make him become a seruant to his riuall And so did he seeking all the meanes of perswading Artaxia which the authority of so neere and so vertuous a kinsman could giue vnto him But she to whom the eloqueÌ„ce of hatred had giuen reuenge the face of delight reiected all such motions but rather the more closely imprisoning them in her chiefe citie where she kept them with intention at the birth-day of Tiridates which was very nere to execute Antiphilus and at the day of his death which was about halfe a yeere after to vse the same rigor towards Erona Plangus much grieued because much louing attempted the humors of the Lycians to see whether they would come in with forces to succor their Princesse But there the next inheritor to the crowne with the true play that is vsed in the game of kingdoÌ„s had no sooner his mistres in captiuity but he had vsurped her place and making her odious to her people because of the vnfit electioÌ„ she had made had so left no hope there but which is worse had sent to Artaxia perswading the iusticing her because that vniustice might giue his title the name of iustice WaÌ„ting that way Plangus practised with some deere friends of his to saue Antiphilus out of prison whose day because it was much neerer then Eronaes and that he well found she had twisted her life vpoÌ„ the same threed with his he determined first to get him out of prison and to that end hauing prepared all matters as well as in such case he could where Artaxia had set many of Tiridates old seruants to haue well-marking eyes he coÌ„ferred with Antiphilus as by the aucthoritie he had he found meanes to do and agreed with him of the time maner how he should by the death of some of his iaylors escape But all being well ordered and Plangus willinglie putting himselfe into the greatest danger Antiphilus who like a bladder sweld redie to breake while it was full of the winde of prosperitie that being out was so abiected as apt to be trode on by euery bodie wheÌ„ it came to the point that with some hazard he might be in apparant likelihood to auoid the vttermost harme his hart fainted and weake foole neither hoping nor fearing as he should gat a conceit that with bewraying this practise he might obtaine pardon and therefore euen a little before Plangus should haue come vnto him opened the whole practise to him that had the charge with vnpittyed teares idly protesting he had rather die by Artaxias commaundement then against her will escape yet begging life vpon any the hardest and wretchedest conditions that she would lay vpon him His keeper prouided accordingly so that when Plangus came he was like himselfe to haue bene entrapped but that finding with a luckie in-sight that it was discouered he retired and calling his friendes about him stood vpon his guard as he had good cause For Artaxia accounting him most vngratefull considering that her brother and she had not only preserued him against the malice of his father but euer vsed him much liker his birth then his fortune sent forces to apprehend him But he among the martiall men had gotten so great loue that he could not onely keep himselfe from her malice but worke in their mindes a compassion of Eronas aduersitie But for the succour of Antiphilus he could get no bodie to ioyne with him the contempt of him hauing not bene able to qualifie the hatred so that Artaxia might easilie vpon him perfourme her will which was at the humble suite of all the women of that citie to deliuer him to their censure who mortally hating him for
hauing made a lawe of Polygamie after many tortures forst him to throw himselfe from a high Pyramis which was built ouer Tiridates tombe and so to end his false-harted life which had planted no strong thought in him but that he could be vnkinde But Plangus well perceiuing that Artaxia staied onely for the appointed day that the faire Eronas bodie consumed to ashes should make a notorious testimonie how deepely her brothers death was engrauen in her brest he assembled good numbers of friends whom his vertue though a stranger had tied vnto him by force to giue her libertie Contrariwise Artaxia to whom Anger gaue more courage then her sexe did feare vsed her regall authoritie the most she could to suppresse that sedition and haue her will which she thought is the most princely thing that may be But Plangus who indeede as all men witnes is one of the best captaines both for policie and valour that are trained in the schoole of Mars in a conflict ouerthrew Artaxias power though of far greater number and there toke prisoner a base sonne of her brothers whom she deerly affected and then sent her word that he should run the same race of fortune whatsoeuer it was that Erona did and happy was that threatning for her for els Artaxia had hastened the day of her death in respect of those tumults But now some principall noble-men of that countrie interposing themselues it was agreed that all persons els fullie pardoned and all prisoners except Erona deliuered she should be put into the hands of a principall nobleman who had a castle of great strength vpon oath that if by the day two yeare from Tiridates death Pyrocles and Musidorus did not in person combat and ouercome two knights whom she appointed to maintain her quarrell against Erona and them of hauing by treason destroyed her brother that then Erona should be that same day burned to ashes but if they came and had the victorie she should be deliuered but vpon no occasion neither freed nor executed till that day And hereto of both sides all toke solemne oath and so the peace was concluded they of Plangus partie forcing him to agree though he himselfe the sooner condiscended knowing the courtesie of those two excellent Princes not to refuse so noble a quarrell and their power such as two more like the other two were not able to resist But Artaxia was more and vpon better ground pleased with this action for she had euen newly receiued newes frō Plexirtus that vpon the sea he had caused them both to perish and therefore she held her selfe sure of the match But poore Plangus knew not so much and therefore seeing his partie as most times it falles out in like case hungry of any conditions of peace accepted them and then obteined leaue of the Lord that indifferently kept her to visite Erona whom he found full of desperate sorow not suffering neither his vnworthinesse nor his wrongs nor his death which is the naturall conclusion of all worldly acts either to couer with forgetfulnes or diminish with consideration the affection she had borne him but euen glorying in affliction and shunning all comfort she seemed to haue no delight but in making herselfe the picture of miserie So that when Plangus came to her she fell in deadlie traunces as if in him she had seene the death of Antiphilus because he had not succoured him and yet her vertue striuing she did at one time acknowledge her selfe bound and professe her selfe iniured in steede of allowing the conclusion they had made or writing to the Princes as he wisht her to doo crauing nothing but some speedie death to follow her in spite of iust hate beloued Antiphilus So that Plangus hauing nothing but a rauisht kisse from her hand at their parting went away toward Greece whetherward he vnderstoode the Princes were embarked But by the way it was his fortune to intercept letters written by Artaxia to Plexirtus wherein she signified her accepting him to her husband whom she had euer fauoured so much the rather as he had perfourmed the conditions of her mariage in bringing to their deserued end her greatest enemies withall thanking the sea in such tearmes as he might well perceiue it was by some treason wrought in Plexirtus shippe Whereupon to make more diligent search he tooke shippe himselfe and came into Laconia enquiring and by his enquirie finding that such a shippe was indeede with fight and fire perished none almost escaping But for Pyrocles and Musidorus it was assuredly determined that they were cast away for the name of such Princes especially in Greece would quickly els haue bene a large witnesse to the contrarie Full of griefe with that for the losse of such who left the world poore of perfection but more sorie for Eronas sake who now by them could not be relieued A new aduertisement from Armenia ouertooke him which multiplied the force of his anguish It was a message from the Noble-man who had Erona in ward giuing him to vnderstand that since his departure Artaxia vsing the benefite of time had besieged him in his castell demaunding present deliuery of her whom yet for his faith giuen he would not before the day appointed if possibly he could resist which he foresaw long he should not do for want of victuall which he had not so wisely prouided because he trusted vpon the generall oth taken for two yeares space and therefore willed him to make hast to his succour and come with no small forces for all they that were of his side in Armenia were consumed and Artaxia had encreased her might by mariage of Plexirtus who now crowned King there stickt not to glory in the murder of Pyrocles and Musidorus as hauing iust cause thereto in respect of the deaths of his sister Andromana her sonne his nephew and his owne daughter Zelmane all whose losse he vniustly charged them withall and now openly stickt not to confesse what a reuenge his wit had brought forth Plangus much astonished herewith bethought himselfe what to doo For to returne to Armenia was vaine since his friends there were vtterly ouerthrowne Then thought he of going to his father but he had already euen since the death of his stepmother and brother attempted the recouering his fauour and all in vaine For they that had before ioined with Andromana to do him the wrong thought now no life for them if he returned and therefore kept him still with new forged suspicions odious to his father So that Plangus reseruing that for a worke of longer time then the sauing of Erona could beare determined to goe to the mighty and good King Euarchus who lately hauing to his eternall fame fully not onely conquered his enemies but established good gouernment in their countries he hoped he might haue present succour of him both for the iustnes of the cause reuenge of his childrens death by so hainous a treason murthered Therefore with diligence he went to him by
other whole bodies to see to but that their hartes wont to be bound all ouer so close were nowe with deadly violence opened in others fowler deaths had ouglily displayed their trayling guttes There lay armes whose fingers yet mooued as if they would feele for him that made them feele and legges which contrarie to common reason by being discharged of their burden were growne heauier But no sword payed so large a tribute of soules to the eternall Kingdome as that of Amphialus who like a Tigre from whome a companie of Woolues did seeke to rauish a newe gotten pray so he remembring they came to take away Philoclea did labour to make valure strength choller and hatred to answere the proportion of his loue which was infinit There died of his handes the olde knight AEschylus who though by yeares might well haue beene allowed to vse rather the exercises of wisedome then of courage yet hauing a lustie bodie and a merrie hart he euer tooke the summons of Time in iest or else it had so creepingly stollen vpon him that he had heard scarcely the noise of his feete and therefore was as fresh in apparell and as forwarde in enterprises as a farre yonger man but nothing made him bolder then a certaine prophecie had beene tolde him that he shoulde die in the armes of his sonne and therefore feared the lesse the arme of an enemie But now when Amphialus sword was passed through his throate he thought himselfe abused but that before he died his sonne indeede seeing his father beginne to fall helde him vp in his armes till a pitilesse souldier of of the other side with a mace brained him making father sonne become twinnes in the neuer againe dying birth As for Drialus Memnon Nisus and Policrates the first had his eyes cut out so as he could not see to bid the neare following death welcome the seconde had met with the same Prophet that olde AEschylus had and hauing founde many of his speeches true beleeued this to that hee should neuer bee killed but by his owne companions and therefore no man was more valiant then he against an enimie no man more suspicious of his friends so as he seemed to sleep in securitie when he went to a battell and to enter into a battaile when he began to sleepe such guards he would set about his person yet mistrusting those verie guards lest they would murther him But now Amphialus helped to vnriddle his doubtes for he ouerthrowing him from his horse his owne companions comming with a fresh supplie pressed him to death Nisus grasping with Amphialus was with a short dagger slaine And for Policrates while hee shunned as much as hee could keeping onely his place for feare of punishment Amphialus with a memorable blowe strake of his head where with the conuulsions of death setting his spurres to his horse he gaue so braue a charge vpon the enemie as it grewe a prouerbe that Policrates was onely valiant after his head was off But no man escaped so well his handes as Phebilus did for hee hauing long loued Philoclea though for the meannesse of his estate he neuer durst reueale it nowe knowing Amphialus setting the edge of a riuall vpon the sworde of an enemie he helde strong fight with him But Amphialus had already in the daungerousest places disarmed him and was lifting vp his sworde to send him away from himselfe when he thinking indeede to die O Philoclea said he yet this ioyes mee that I die for thy sake The name of Philoclea first staied his sworde and when he heard him out though heabhord him much worse then before yet could he not vouchsafe him the honour of dying for Philoclea but turned his sworde another way doing him no hurt for ouer-much hatred But what good did that to poore Phebilus if escaping a valiant hand hee was slaine by base souldiour who seeing him so disarmed thrust him through But thus with the well-followed valure of Amphialus were the other almost ouerthrowne when Philanax who was the marshall of the army came in with newe force renuing the almost decayed courage of his souldiers For crying to them and asking them whether their backes or their armes were better fighters hee himselfe thrust into the presse and making force and furie waite vppon discretion and gouernement he might seeme a braue Lion who taught his yong Lionets how in taking of a pray to ioine courage with cunning Then Fortune as if shee had made chases inow of the one side of that bloody Teniscourt went of the other side the line making as many fall downe of Amphialus followers as before had done of Philanaxis they loosing the ground as fast as before they had woon it onely leauing them to keepe it who had lost themselues in keeping it Then those that had killed inherited the lot of those that had bene killed and cruel Deaths made them lie quietly to gether who most in their liues had sought to disquiet ech other and many of those first ouerthrowne had the comfort to see the murtherers ouerrun them to Charons ferrie Codrus Ctesiphon and Milo lost their liues vpon Philanax his sword but no bodies case was more pitied then of a yong esquire of Amphialus called Ismenus who neuer abandoning his maister and making his tender age aspire to actes of the strongest manhoode in this time that his side was put to the worst and that Amphialus-his valure was the onely stay of them from deliuering themselues ouer to a shamefull flight hee sawe his masters horse killed vnder him Whereupon asking no aduise of no thought but of faithfulnes and courage he presently lighted from his owne horse and with the helpe of some choise and faithfull seruants gat his master vp But in the multitude that came of either side some to succour some to saue Amphialus hee came vnder the the hande of Philanax and the youth perceyuing he was the man that did most hurt to his partie desirous euen to change his life sor glorie strake at him as hee rode by him and gaue him a hurt vpon the legg that made Philanax turn towards him but seing him so yong and of a most louely presence he rather toke pity of him meaning to make him prisoner then to giue him to his brother Agenor to be his companion because they were not much vnlike neither in yeeres nor countenance But as he loked down vpon him with that thought he spied wher his brother lay dead his friend Leontius by him euen almost vnder the squiers feet Then soroing not only his owne sorow but the past-comfort sorow which he fore-knew his mother would take who with many teares and misgiuing sighs had suffred him to go with his elder brother Philanax blotted out all figures of pitie out of his minde and putting foorth his horse while Ismenus doubled two or three more valiant then well set blowes saying to himselfe Let other mothers bewaile and vntimely death as well as mine hee thrust
when they were softly layed but that if her sonne would follow her counsell he should take another course with her and so flang away from her Yet knowing the desperate melancholy of Amphialus in like cases framed to him a very thankefull message poudring it with some hope-giuing phrases which were of such ioy to Amphialus that he though against publike respect and importunity of dissuaders presently caused it to be made knowne to the campe that whatsoeuer Knight would trie the like fortune as Phalantus did he should in like sort be answered so as diuers of the valiantest partly of themselues partly at the instigation of Basilius attempted the combat with him and according to euery ones humour so were the causes of the challenge grounded one laying treason to his charge another preferring himselfe in the worthinesse to serue Philoclea a third exalting some Ladies beautie beyonde either of the sisters a fourth laying disgraces to Loue it selfe naming it the bewitcher of the witte the rebell to Reason the betrayer of resolution the defiler of thoughts the vnderminer of magnanimitie the flatterer of vice the slaue to weakenes the infection of youth the madnes of age the curse of life and reproch of death a fifth disdayning to cast at lesse then at all would make the cause of his quarrell the causers of loue and proclayme his blasphemies against womankinde that namely that sex was the ouersight of Nature the disgrace of reasonablenes the obstinate cowards the slaue-borne tyrants the shops of vanities the guilded wethercocks in whome coÌ„science is but peeuishnes chastitie way wardnes and gratefulnes a miracle But all these challenges how well so euer endited were so well answered that some by death taught others though past learning themselues and some by yeelding gaue themselues the lie for hauing blasphemed to the great griefe of Basilius so to see his Rebell preuaile and in his owne sight to crowne himselfe with deserued honour Whereupon thirsting for reuenge and else not hoping to preuaile the best of his campe being already ouerthrowne he sent a messenger to Argalus in whose approued courage and force he had and had cause to haue great considence with a letter requiring him to take this quarrell in hand from which hee had hetherto spared him in respect of his late mariage But now his honour and as he esteemed it felicitie standing vpon it hee coulde no longer forbeare to chalenge of him his faithfull seruice The messenger made speede and found Argalus at a castle of his owne sitting in a parler with the faire Parthenia he reading in a booke the stories of Hercules she by him as to heare him reade but while his eyes looked on the booke shee looked on his eies and sometimes staying him with some prety question not so much to bee resolued of the doubte as to giue him occasion to looke vpon her A happy couple he ioying in her she ioying in her selfe but in her selfe because shee enioyed him both encreasing their riches by giuing to â—ach other each making one life double because they made a double life one where desire neuer wanted satisfaction nor satisfaction euer bred sacietie he ruling because she would obey or rather because she would obey she therein ruling But when the messenger came in with letters in his hand and hast in his countenance though she knew not what to feare yet she feared because she knew not but she rose and went aside while hee deliuered his letters and message yet a far off she looked now at the messenger and then at her husband the same feare which made her loth to haue cause of feare yet making her seeke cause to nourish her feare And well she found there was some serious matter for her husbands countenance figured some resolution betweene lothnesse and necessitie and once his eie cast vpon her and finding hers vpon him he blushed and she blushed because hee blushed and yet streight grew pale because she knew not why he had blushed But when he had read and heard and dispatched away the messenger like a man in whom Honour could not be rocked a sleepe by Affection with promise quickly to follow he came to Parthenia and as sorie as might bee for parting and yet more sorie for her sorrow he gaue her the letter to reade She with fearfull slownes tooke it and with fearefull quicknesse read it and hauing read it Ah my Argalus said she and haue you made such hast to answere and are you so soone resolued to leaue me But hee discoursing vnto her how much it imported his honour which since it was deare to him he knew it would be deare vnto her her reason ouerclowded with sorrow suffered her not presently to replie but left the charge thereof to teares and sighes which he not able to beare left her alone and went to giue order for his present departure But by that time he was armde readie to go she had recouered a little strength of spirite againe and comming out and seing him armed and wanting nothing â—or his departure but her fearewell she ran to him tooke him by the arme and kneeling downe without regard who either heard her speach or sawe her demeanour My Argalus my Argalus said she do not thus forsake me RemeÌ„ber alas RemeÌ„ber that I haue interest in you which I wil neuer yeeld shal be thus adueÌ„tured Your valour is already sufficiently knowne sufficiently haue you already done for your country ennow ennow there are besides you to loose lesse worthie liues Woe is me what shall become of me if you thus abandon mee Then was it time for you to followe these aduentures when you aduentured no body but your self and were no bodies but your owne But now pardon me that now or neuer I claime mine owne mine you are and without me you can vndertake no danger and will you endanger Parthenia Parthenia shal be in the battle of your fight Parthenia shal smart in your paine and your blood must bee bled by Parthenia Deare Parthenia said he this is the first time that euer you resisted my will I thanke you for it but perseuer not in it and let not the teares of those most beloued eies be a presage vnto me of that which you would not should happen I shall liue doubte not for so great a blessing as you are was not giuen vnto me so soone to be depriued of it Looke for me therefore shortly and victorious and prepare a ioyfull welcome and I will wish for no other triumph She answered not but stood as it were thunder-striken with amazement â—or true Loue made obedience stand vp against al other passions But when he tooke her in his armes and sought to printe his harte in her sweete lippes she fell in a sounde so as he was faine to leaue her to her Gentlewomen and caried away by the tyrannie of Honour though with manie a backe-cast looke and hartie grone went to the campe Where vnderstanding the
armour and deuice streight knowne to be the notable Knight who the first day had giuen Fortune so short a stoppe with his notable deedes and fighting hand to hand the deemed inuincible Amphialus Fonthe very cowardes no sooner saw him but as borrowing some of his spirit they went like yong Eagles to the pray vnder the wing of their damme For the three aduenturers not content on For her exceeding faire eyes hauing with continual weeping gotten a little rednesse about them her roundy sweetly swelling lippes a little trembling as though they kissed their neighbour death in her cheekes the whitenesse striuing by little little to get vpoÌ„ the rosines of theÌ„ her necke a necke indeed of Alablaster displaying the wound which with most daintie blood laboured to drowne his owne beauties so as here was a riuer of purest redde there an Iland of perfittest white each giuing lustre to the other with the sweete countenance God-knowes full of an vnafected languishing though these thinges to a grosly conceauing sense might seeme disgraces yetâ—indeed were they but apparaling beautie in a new fashion which all looked-vpon thorough the spectacles of pittie did euen encrease the lynes of her naturall fairenes so as Amphialus was astonished with griefe compassion and shame detesting his fortune that made him vnfortunate in victory Therefore putting off his headpeece and gauntlet kneeling downe vnto her and with teares testifying his sorow he offred his by himselfe accursed handes to helpe her protesting his life and power to be readie to doo her honour But Parthenia who had inward messingers of the desired deathes approch looking vpon him and streight turning away her feeble sight as from a delightlesse obiect drawing out her words which her breath loath to departe from so sweet a bodie did faintly deliuer Sir said she I pray you if prayers haue place in enemies to let my maides take my body vntouched by you the onely honour I now desire by your meanes is that I haue no honour of you Argalus made no such bargaine with you that the handes which killed him shoulde helpe me I haue of them and I doo not onely pardon you but thanke you for it the seruice which I desired There rests nothing now but that I go liue with him since whose death I haue done nothing but die Then pawsing and a little fainting and againe comming to herselfe O sweete life wel come saide she nowe feele I the bandes vntied of the cruell death which so long hath helde me And O life O death aunswere for mee that my thoughts haue not so much as in a dreame tasted any comfort since they were depriued of Argalus I come my Argalus I come And O God hide my faultes in thy mercies and graunt as I feele thou doost graunt that in thy eternall loue we may loue eche other eternally And this O Lorde But there Atropos cut off her sentence for with that casting vp both eyes and hands to the skies the noble soule departed one might well assure himselfe to heauen which left the bodie in so heauenly a demeanure But Amphialus with a hart oppressed with griefe because of her request withdrewe himselfe but the Iudges as full of pitie had bene al this while disarming her and her gentelwomen with lamentable cries laboring to stanch the remediles wounds and a while she was dead before they perceiued it death being able to diuide the soule but not the beauty from that body But when the infallible tokens of death assured them of their losse one of the women would haue killed her selfe but that the squire of Amphialus perceauing it by force held her Others that had as strong passion though weaker resolution fell to cast dust vppon their heads to teare their garments al falling vpon the earth crying vpon their sweet mistres as if their cries could perswade the soule to leaue the celestiall happines to come againe into the elements of sorrow one time calling to remembrance her vertue chastnes sweetnes goodnes to them another time accursing themselues that they had obeyed her they hauing bene deceaued by her words who asâ—ured theÌ„ that it was reuealed vnto her that she should haue her harts desire in the battaile against Amphialus which they wrongly vnderstood Then kissing her cold hands and feete wearie of the world since she was gone who was their world The very heauens seemed with a cloudie countenance to loure at the losse and Fame it selfe though by nature glad to tell such rare accidents yet could not choose but deliuer it in lamentable accents and in such sort went it quickly all ouer the Campe and as if the aire had bene infected with sorow no hart was so hard but was subiect to that contagion the rarenes of the accideÌ„t matching together the rarely matched together pittie with admiration Basilius himselfe came foorth and brought the faire Gynecia with him who was come into the campe vnder colour of visiting her husband and hearing of her daughters but indeed Zelmane was the Sainct to which her pilgrimage was entended cursing enuying blessing and in her hart kissing the walles which imprisoned her But both they with Philanax and the rest of the principall Nobilitie went out to make Honour triumph ouer Death conueying that excellent body whereto Basilius himselfe would needes lende his shoulder to a Church a mile from the Campe where the valiant Argalus lay intombed recommending to that sepulchre the blessed reliques of faithfull and vertuous Loue giuing order for the making of marble images to represent them and each way enriching the tombe Vpon which Basilius himselfe caused this Epitaph to be written The Epitaph HIs being was in her alone And he not being she was none They ioi'd one ioy one griefe they grieu'd One loue they lou'd one life they liu'd The hand was one one was the sword That did his death hir death afford As all the rest so now the stone That tombes the two is iustly one ARGALVS PARTHENIA Then with eyes full of teares and mouthes full of her prayses returned they to the campe with more and more hate against Amphialus who poore Gentleman had therefore greater portion of woe then any of them For that courteous hearte which would haue grieued but to haue heard the like aduenture was rent with remembring himselfe to be the author so that his wisdome could not so far temper his passion but that he tooke his sword counted the best in the world which with much bloud he had once conquered of a mighty Giant and brake it into many peeces which afterwards he had good cause to repent saying that neither it was worthy to serue the noble exercise of chiualrie nor any other worthy to feele that sword which had stroken so excelleÌ„t a Lady and withall banishing all cheerfulnes of his countenance he returned home Where he gate him to his bed not so much to rest his restles mind as to auoid all company the sight wherof was tedious vnto him
she meanes to trie thy force and my Amphialus knowe thy selfe a man and shew thy selfe a man and beleeue me vpon my word a woman is a woman Amphialus was about to answere her when a Gentleman of his made him vnderstand that there was a messenger come who had brought a letter vnto him from out of the campe whom he presently calling for tooke opened and read the letter importing this TO thee Amphialus of Arcadia the forsaken Knight wisheth health and courage that by my hand thou maiest receyue punishment for thy treason according to thine owne offer which wickedly occasioned thou hast proudly begun and accursedly mainteyned I will presently if thy minde faint thee not for his owne guiltinesse meete thee in thy Iland in such order as hath by the former beene vsed or if thou likest not the time place or weapon I am ready to take thine owne reasonable choise in any of them so as thou doo perfourme the substaunce Make me such answere as may shewe that thou hast some taste of honour and so I leaue thee to liue till I meete thee Amphialus read it and with a deepe sigh according to the humour of inward affliction seemed euen to condemne him selfe as though indeed his reproches were true But howsoeuer the dulnes of Melancholy would haue languishingly yeelded thereunto his Courage vnused to such iniuries desired helpe of Anger to make him this answere FOrsaken Knight though your namelesse challenge might carry in it selfe excuse for a man of my birth and estate yet herein set your harte at rest you shall not be forsaken I will without stay answere you in the woonted manner and come both armed in your foolish threatnings and yet the more fearelesse expecting weake blowes where I finde so sâ—rong words You shall not therefore long attende me in the Iland before proofe teach you that of my life you haue made your selfe too large a promise In the meane time Farewell This being written and deliuered the messenger tolde him that his Lord would if he liked the same bring two Knights with him to be his Patrons Which Amphialus accepted and withall shaking off with resolution his mothers importunate disswasions he furnished him selfe for the fight but not in his wonted furniture For now as if he would turne his inside outward he would needes appeare all in blacke his decking both for him selfe and horse being cut out into the fashion of very ragges yet all so daintely ioyned together with pretious stones as it was a braue raggednesse and a riche pouertie and so cunningly had a workeman followed his humour in his armour that he had giuen it a rustie shewe and yet so as any man might perceiue was by arte and not negligence carying at one instant a disgraced handsomnesse and a new oldnes In his shield he bare for his deuise a Night by an excellent painter excellently painted with a Sunne with a shadow and vpon the shadow with a speech signifying that it onely was barrd from inioying that whereof it had his life or From whose I am bannished In his creste he caried Philocleas kniues the onely token of her forced fauour So past he ouer into the Iland taking with him the two brothers of Anaxius where he founde the forsaken Knight attired in his owne liuerie as blacke as sorrowe it selfe could see it selfe in the blackest glasse his ornaments of the same hew but formed into the figure of Rauens which seemed to gape for carrion onely his raynes were snakes which finely wrapping themselues one within the other their heads came together to the cheekes and bosses of the bit where they might seeme to bite at the horse and the horse as he champte the bit to bite at them and that the white foame was ingendred by the poysonous furie of the combatt His Impresa was a Catoblepta which so long lies dead as the Moone whereto it hath so naturall a sympathie wants her light The worde signified that The Moone wanted not the light but the poore beast wanted the Moones light He had in his headpiece a whippe to witnesse a selfe-punishing repentaunce Their very horses were cole-blacke too not hauing so much as one starre to giue light to their night of blackenesse so as one would haue thought they had bene the two sonnes of Sorrow and were come thether to fight for their birth-right in that sorie inheritance Which aliance of passions so moued Amphialus alredy tender-minded by the afflictions of Loue that without staffe or sword drawne he trotted fairely to the forsaken Knight willing to haue put off this combat to which his melancholy hart did more then euer in like occasion misgiue him and therefore saluting him Good Knight said he because we are men and should know reason why we doo things tell me the cause that makes you thus eager to fight with me Because I affirme answered the forsaken Knight that thou dost most rebellious iniurie to those Ladies to whome all men owe seruice You shall not fight with me saide Amphialus vpon that quarrell for I confesse the same too but it proceeds from their owne beauty to inforce Loue to offer this force I maintaine then said the forsaken Knight that thou art not worthy so to loue And that confesse I too said Amphialus since the world is not so richly blessed as to bring forth any thing worthie thereof But no more vnworthy then any other since in none can be a more worthy loue Yes more vnworthy then my selfe said the forsaken Knight for though I deserue contempt thou deseruest both contempt and hatred But Amphialus by that thinking though wrongly each indeede mistaking other that he was his riuall forgat all minde of reconciliation and hauing all his thoughts bound vp in choler neuer staying either iudge trumpet or his owne launce drew out his sword and saying Thou lyest false villaine vnto him his words blowes came so quick together as the one seemed a lightning of the others thunder But he found no barren ground of such seede for it yeelded him his owne with such encrease that though Reason and Amazement go rarely togither yet the most reasonable eies that saw it found reason to be amazed at the fury of their combat Neuer game of death better plaid neuer fury set it selfe forth in greater brauerie The curteous Vulcan when he wrought at his more curteous wiues request AEnaeas an armour made not his hammer beget a greater sounde then the swords of those noble Knights did they needed no fire to their forge for they made the fire to shine at the meeting of their swords armours ech side fetching still new spirit from the castle window and carefull of keeping their sight that way as a matter of greater consideration in their combat then either the aduantage of Sun or winde which Sunne wind if the astonished eies of the beholders were not by the astonishmeÌ„t deceiued did both stand still to be beholders of this rare match For neither
Gyantes haue falne dead when I onely sought causelesse aduentures and can one Knight now withstand me in the presence of Philoclea and fighting for Philoclea or since I lost my liberty haue I lost my courag haue I gottē the hart of a slaue as wel as the fortūe If an armie were against me in the sight of Philoclea could it resist me O beast on man resists thee thy riual resists thee or am I indeed Amphialus haue not passions kild him and wretched I I know not how succeeded into his place Of the other side the forsaken Knight with no lesse spite fell out with himselfe Hast thou broken saide hee to himselfe the commandement of thy onely Princesse to come now into her presence and in her presence to proue thy selfe a coward Doth Asia and AEgypt set vp Trophes vnto thee to be matched here by a traytor O noble Barsanes how shamed will thy soule be that he that slew thee should be resisted by this one man O incomparable Pyrocles more grieued wilt thou be with thy friends shame then with thine own imprisonment when thou shalt know how little I haue bene able to doo for the deliuerie of thee and those heauenly Princesses Am I worthie to be friend to the most valourous Prince that euer was entituled valorous and shew my selfe so weake a wretch No shamed Musidorus worthie for nothing but to keepe sheepe get thee a sheephooke againe since thou canst vse a sworde no better So was the forsaken Knight layed vpon clokes carried home to the campe But his two friends knowing his earnest desire not to be knowen couering him from any bodies eyes conueyed him to their owne tente Basilius himselfe conquering his earnest desire to see him with feare to displease him who had fought so notably in his quarrell But Fame set the honour vpon his backe which he would not suffer to shine in his face no mans mouth being barrein of prayses to the noble Knight that had bettered the most esteemed Knight in the worlde euery bodie praying for his life and thinking that therein they prayed for themselues But hee himselfe when by the diligent care of friends and well applied cunning of surgeons he came to renewe againe the league betweene his minde and body then fell he to a freshe warre with his owne thoughts wrongfully condemning his manhood laying cowardise to himselfe whome the impudentest backbiter would not so haue wronged For his courage vsed to vse victory as an inheritaunce coulde brooke no resistance at any time but now that hee had promised him selfe not onely the conquest of him but the scaling of the walles and deliuery of Pamela though he had done beyond all others expectation yet so short was he of his owne that hee hated to looke vpon the Sunne that had seene him doo so weakely and so much abhorred all visitation or honour whereof he thought him selfe vnworthy that hee besought his two noble friends to carrie him away to a castle not far of where he might cure his woundes and neuer bee knowne till he made successe excuse this as he thought want in him They louingly obeyed him leauing Basilius and all the campe very sorrie for the parting of these three vnknowne Knights in whose prowesse they had reposed greatest trust of victory But they being gone Basilius and Philanax gaue good order to the strengthning of the siege fortifying themselues so as they feared no more any such suddaine onset as that of Anaxius And they within by reason of Anaxius hurt but especially of Amphialus-is gaue thēselues only to diligent watch ward making no sallies out but committing the principall trust to Zoilus and Lycurgus For Anaxius was yet forced to keepe his chamber And as for Amphialus his body had such wounds and he gaue such wounds to his minde as easily it coulde not bee determined whether death or he made the greater haste one to the other for when the diligent care of cūning surgeons had brought life to the possession of his owne right Sorrowe and Shame like two corrupted seruaunts came waiting of it perswading nothing but the giuing ouer of itselfe to destruction They laide before his eyes his present case painting euery piece of it in moste ougly colours they shewed him his loue wrapped in dispaire his fame blotted by ouerthrow so that if before he languished because he could not obtaine his desiring hee now lamented because he durst not desire the obtaining Recreant Amphialus would hee say to him selfe how darest thou intitle thy selfe the louer of Philoclea that hast neither shewed thy selfe a faithfull coward nor a valiant rebell but both rebellious and cowardly which no lawe can quite nor grace haue pittie of Alas life what little pleasure thou doost me to giue me nothing but sense of reproach and exercise of ruine I would sweete Philoclea I had died before thy eyes had seene my weakenes then perchaunce with some sigh thou wouldest haue confessed thou hadst lost a worthy seruant But nowe caitife that I am what euer I haue donne serues but to builde vp my riuals glory To these speeches he would couple such gestures of vexation and would fortifie the gestures with such effects of furie as sometimes offring to teare vp his wounds sometimes to refuse the sustenance of meat and counsell of phisitions that his perplexed mother was driuen to make him by force to be tended with extreame corsey to her selfe and annoiance to him till in the ende he was contented to promise her he would attempt no violence vpon himselfe vpon condition he might be troubled by no body but onely his Phisitions his melancholy detesting all company so as not the very surgeons nor seruants durst speake vnto him in doing him seruice only he had praied his mother as she tendered his life she would procure him grace and that without that she would neuer come at him more His mother who had confined all her loue only vnto him set only such about him as were absolutely at her commandement whome she forbad to let him knowe any thing that passed in the castle till his woundes were cured but as she from time to time should instruct them she for her selfe being resolued nowe she had the gouernment of all things in her owne handes to satisfie her sonnes loue by their yeelding or satisfie her owne reuenge in their punishment Yet first because she would be the freer from outward force she sent a messenger to the campe to denounce vnto Basilius that if he did not presently raise his siege she would cause the heads of the three Ladies prisoners to be cut off before his eyes And to make him the more feare a present performance she caused his two daughters and Zelmane to be led vnto the walls where she had made a scaffold easie to be seene by Basilius and there caused them to be kept as ready for the slaughter till answere came from Basilius A sight full of pittie it was to see those three
sake one death may be thought inough for me I haue not liued so many yeares but that one death may be able to conclude them neither haue my faults I hope bene so many but that one death may satisfie them It is no great suite to an enemie when but death is desired I craue but that and as for the graunting your request know for certaine you lose your labours being euery day furtherof-minded from becomming his wife who vseth me like a slaue But that in stead of getting grace renued againe Cecropias fury so that excellent creature she was newly againe tormented by those hellish monsters Cecropia vsing no other words but that she was a proud and vngratefull wench and that she would teach her to know her owne good since of her selfe she would not conceaue it So that with silence and patience like a faire gorgeous armour hammered vppon by an ilfauoured Smith she abode their pittiles dealing with her till rather reseruing her for more then meaning to end they left her to an vncomfortable leysure to consider with her selfe her fortune both helplesse her selfe being a prisoner and hopelesse since Zelmane was a prisoner who therein onely was short of the bottome of miserie that she knew not how vnworthilie her Angell by these deuils was abused but wanted God wot no stings of griefe when those words did but strike vpon her hart that Philoclea was a captiue and she not able to succour her For well she knew the confidence Philoclea had in her and well she knew Philoclea had cause to haue confidence and all troden vnder foot by the wheele of senselesse Fortune Yet if there be that imperious power in the soule as it can deliuer knowledge to another without bodilie organs so vehement were the workings of their spirites as one mette with other though themselues perceaued it not but onely thought it to be the doubling of their owne louing fancies And that was the onely worldly thing whereon Philoclea rested her minde that she knewe she should die beloued of Zelmane and should die rather then be false to Zelmane And so this most daintie Nimphe easing the paine of her minde with thinking of anothers paine and almost forgetting the paine of her bodie through the paine of her minde she wasted euen longing for the conclusion of her tedious tragedie But for a while she was vnuisited Cecropia employing her time in vsing the like crueltie vpon Pamela her harte growing not onely to desire the fruite of punishing them but euen to delight in the punishing them But if euer the beames of perfection shined through the clowdes of affliction if euer Vertue tooke a bodie to shewe his els vnconceaueable beautie it was in Pamela For when Reason taught her there was no resistance for to iust resistance first her harte was enclined then with so heauenly a quietnes and so gracefull a calmenes did she suffer the diuers kindes of torments they vsed to her that while they vexed her faire bodie it seemed that she rather directed then obeyed the vexation And when Cecropia ended and asked whether her harte woulde yeelde she a little smiled but such a smiling as shewed no loue and yet could not but be louelie And then Beastlie woman sayde shee followe on doo what thou wilte and canst vpon me for I know thy power is not vnlimited Thou maist well wracke this sillie bodie but me thou canst neuer ouerthrowe For my part I will not doo theâ— the pleasure to desire death of thee but assure thy selfe both my life and death shall triumph with honour laying shame vpon thy detestable tyranny And so in effect conquering their doing with her suffering while Cecropia tried as many sorts of paines as might rather vexe them then spoyle them for that she would not do while she were in any hope to winne either of them for her sonne Pamela remained almost as much content with triall in her selfe what vertue could doo as grieued with the miserie wherein she found her selfe plunged only sometimes her thoughts softned in her when with open wings they flew to Musidorus For then she would thinke with her selfe how grieuously Musidorus would take this her miserie and she that wept not for herselfe wept yet Musidorus teares which he would weepe for her For gentle Loue did easlier yeeld to lamentation then the constancy of vertue would els admitte Then would she remember the case wherein she had left her poore shepheard and she that wished death for her selfe feared death for him and she that condemned in her selfe the feeblenes of sorrow yet thought it great reason to be sory for his sorow and she that long had prayed for the vertuous ioyning themselues together now thinking to die herselfe hartely prayed that long time their fortunes might be seperated Liue long my Musidorus would she say and let my name liue in thy mouth in thy harte my memorie Liue long that thou mayst loue long the chast loue of thy dead Pamela Then would she wish to her selfe that no other woman might euer possesse his hart and yet scarcely the wish was made a wish when her selfe would finde fault with it as being too vniust that so excellent a man should be banished from the comfort of life Then would she fortifie her resolution with bethinking the worst taking the counsell of vertue and comfort of loue So these diamonds of the world whom Nature had made to be preciously set in the eyes of men to be the chiefe workes of her workemanship the chiefe ornaments of the worlde and Princesses of felicitie by rebellious iniury were brought to the vttermost distres that an enemies hart could wish or a womans spite inuent Cecropia dayly in one or other sorte punishing them still with her euill torments giuing them feare of worse making the feare it selfe the sorest torment of all that in the ende wearie of their bodies they should be content to bestow them at her appointment But as in labour the more one doth exercise it the more by the doing one is enhabled to doo strength growing vpon the worke so as what at first would haue seemed impossible after growes easie so these Princesses second to none and far from any second only to be matched by themselues with the vse of suffering their minds gat the habit of suffring so as all feares and terrors were to them but summons to a battaile whereof they knew before hand they would be victorious and which in the suffering was painfull being suffered was a trophe to it selfe whereby Cecropia found her selfe still farder off for where at first she might perchance haue perswaded them to haue visited her sonne and haue giuen him some comforte in his sicknesse drawing neere to the confines of Deaths kingdome now they protested that they would neuer otherwise speake to him then as to the enemy of most vniust cruelty towards them that any time or place could euer make them knowe This made the poison swell in her
When Zelmane began her speech the excellency of her beautie and grace made him a little content to heare Besides that a new lesson he had read in Pamela had already taught him some regard But when shee entered into brauerie of speech hee thought at first a mad and railing humor possest her till finding the speeches hold well together and at length come to flatte challenge of combat hee stoode leaning backe with his bodie and head sometimes with bent browes looking vpon the one side of her sometimes of the other beyonde maruell maruailing that hee who had neuer heard such speeches from any Knight shoulde be thus rebuffed by a woman and that maruell made him heare out her speech which ended he turned his head to his brother Zoilus and said nothing but onely lifting vp his eyes smiled But Zelmane finding his minde Anaxius said she perchaunce thou disdaynest to answere me because as a woman thou thinkest me not fitte to bee fought with all But I tell thee that I haue beene trayned vp in martiall matters with so good successe that I haue many times ouercome brauer Knightes then thy selfe and am wel knowen to be equall in feates of armes to the famous Pyrocles who slewe thy valiaunt Vncle the Giant Euardes The remembraunce of his Vncles death someâ—hing netled him so as he answered thus Indeed saide he any woman may bee as valiaunt as that coward and traytorly boy who slewe my Vncle trayterously and after ranne from me in the plaine field Fiue thousand such could not haue ouercome Euardes but by falshood But I sought him all ouer Asia following him stil from one of his cony-holes to another till comming into this Countrie I heard of my friends being besieged and so came to blow away the wretches that troubled him But wheresoeuer the miserable boy flie heauen nor hell shall keepe his harte from being torne by these handes Thou lyest in thy throate said Zelmane that boye where euer he went did so noble actes as thy harte as proude as it is dares not think of much lesse perfourme But to please thee the better with my presence I tell thee no creature can be neerer of kinne to him then my selfe and so well we loue that he woulde not be sorrier for his owne death then for mine I being begotten by his father of an Amazon Ladie And therefore thou canst not deuise to reuenge thy self more vpon him then by killing me which if thou darest doo manfullie doo it otherwise if thou harme these incomparable Ladies or my felfe without daring to fight with me I protest before these Knights and before heauen and earth that will reueile thy shame that thou art the beggerliest dastardly villaine that dishonoureth the earth with his steppes and if thou lettest me ouer-liue them so will I blaze thee But all this coulde not moue Anaxius but that he onely said Euill should it become the terror of the world to fight much worse to skolde with thee But said he for the death of these same pointing to the Princesses of my grace I giue them life And withall going to Pamela and offring to take her by the chin And as for you Minion saide hee yeeld but gently to my will and you shall not onely liue but liue so happily Hee would haue said further when Pamela displeased both with wordes matter and maner putting him awaye with her faire hande Proud beast said shee yet thou plaiest worse thy Comedy then thy Tragedy For my part assure thy selfe since my destiny is such that at each moment my life and death stand in equall balance I had rather haue thee and thinke thee far fitter to be my hangman then my husband Pride and anger woulde faine haue cruelly reuenged so bitter an answere but alredy Cupid had begun to make it his sport to pull his plumes so that vnused to a waye of courtesie and put out of his byas of pride hee hastily went away grumbling to himselfe betweene threatning and wishing leauing his brothers with them the elder of whom Lycurgus liked Philoclea and Zoilus would needes loue Zelmane or at lest entertaine themselues with making them beleue so Lycurgus more braggard and neere his brothers humor began with setting foorth their bloud their deedes howe many they had despised of most excellent women how much they were bound to them that woulde seeke that of them In summe in all his speeches more like the bestower then the desirer of felicitie Whom it was an excellent pastime to those that woulde delight in the play of vertue to see with what a wittie ignorance shee woulde not vnderstande and howe acknowledging his perfections shee woulde make that one of his perfections not to be iniurious to Ladies But when he knew not how to replie then would hee fall to touching and toying stil vewing his graces in no glasse but self-liking To which Philocleas shamefastnes and humblenes were as strong resisters as choller and disdaine For though she yeelded not hee thought she was to bee ouercome and that thought a while stayed him from further violence But Zelmane had eye to his behauiour and set in her memorie vpon the score of Reuenge while shee her selfe was no lesse attempted by Zoilus who lesse ful of bragges was forwardest in offering indeede dishonourable violence But when after their fruitlesse labours they had gone awaye called by their brother who began to be perplexed betweene new conceaued desires and disdaine to bee disdained Zelmane who with most assured quietnesse of iudgement looked into their present estate earnestly perswaded the two sisters that to auoide the mischiefes of prowde outrage they would onely so farre sute their behauiour to their estates as they might winne time which as it coulde not bring them to worse case then they were so it might bring forth inexpected reliefe And why said Pamela shall we any longer flatter aduersity Why shoulde wee delight to make our selues any longer balls to iniurious Fortune since our owne parents are content to be tyraunts ouer vs since our own kinne are content traitorously to abuse vs Certainly in mishap it may bee some comforte to vs that wee are lighted in these fellowes handes who yet will keepe vs from hauing cause of being miserable by our friends meanes Nothing grieues me more then that you noble Ladie Zelmane to whome the worlde might haue made vs able to doo honour shoulde receaue onely hurte by the contagion of our miserie As for me and my sister vndoubtedly it becomes our birth to thinke of dying nobly while we haue done or suffered nothing which might make our soule ashamed at the parture from these bodies Hope is the fawning traitour of the mind while vnder colour of friendship it robbes it of his chiefe force of resolution Vertuous and faire Ladie saide Zelmane what you say is true and that truth may wel make vp a part in the harmonie of your noble thoughts But yet the time which ought alwaies to bee one is
heauens do sende The heauens conspir'd to make my vitall sparke A wreched wracke a glasse of Ruines ende Seeing Alas so mightie powers bende Their ireful shotte against so weake a marke Come caue become my graue come death and lende Receipte to me within thy bosome darke For what is life to dayly dieng minde Where drawing breath I sucke the aire of woe Where too much sight makes all the bodie blinde And highest thoughts downeward most headlong throw Thus then my forme and thus my state I finde Death wrapt in flesh to liuing graue assign'd And pawsing but a little with monefull melodie it continued this octaue Like those sicke folkes in whome strange humors flowe Can taste no sweetes the sower onely please So to my minde while passions daylie growe Whose fyrie chaines vppon his freedome feaze Ioies strangers seeme I cannot bide their showe Nor brooke oughte els but well acquainted woe Bitter griefe tastes me best paine is my ease Sicke to the death still louing my disease O Venus saide Zelmane who is this so well acquainted with mee that can make so liuely a portracture of my miseries It is surely the spirit appointed to haue care of me which doth now in this darke place beare parte with the complaints of his vnhappie charge For if it be so that the heauens haue at all times a measure of their wrathefull harmes surely so many haue come to my blistlesse lot that the rest of the world hath too small a portion to make with cause so wailefull a lamentation But saide she whatsoeuer thou be I will seeke thee out for thy musique well assures me wee are at least-hand fellowe prentises to one vngracious master So raise shee and went guiding her selfe by the still playning voice till she sawe vppon a stone a little waxe light set and vnder it a piece of paper with these verses verie lately as it should seeme written in it HOwe is my Sunn whose beames are shining bright Become the cause of my darke ouglie night Or howe do I captiu'd in this darke plight Bewaile the case and in the cause delight My mangled mind huge horrors still doe fright With sense possest and claim'd by reasons right Betwixt which two in me I haue this fight Wher who so wynns I put my selfe to flight Come clowdie feares close vp my daseled sight Sorrowes suck vp the marowe of my might Due sighes blowe out all sparkes of ioyfull light Tyre on despaier vppon my tyred sprite An ende an ende my dulde penn cannot write Nor mas'de head thinke nor faltring tongerecite And hard vnderneath the sonnet were these wordes written This caue is darke but it had neuer light This waxe doth waste it selfe yet painelesse dyes These wordes are full of woes yet feele they none I darkned am who once had clearest sight I waste my harte which still newe torment tryes I plaine with cause my woes are all myne owne No caue no wasting waxe no wordes of griefe Can holde shew tell my paines without reliefe She did not long stay to reade the wordes for not farre off from the stone shee might discerne in a darke corner a Ladie lieng with her face so prostrate vpon the ground as she could neither know nor be knowen But as the generall nature of man is desirous of knowledge and sorrow especially glad to find fellowes she went as softely as she could conuey her foot neere vnto her where she heard these words come with vehement sobbings from her O darkenes saide shee which doest light somly me thinks make me see the picture of my inward darknes since I haue chosen thee to be the secret witnesse of my sorows let me receiue a safe receipte in thee and esteeme them not tedious but if it be possible let the vttering them be some discharge to my ouerloaden breast Alas sorrowe nowe thou hast the full sack of my conquered spirits rest thy selfe a while and set not stil new fire to thy owne spoiles O accursed reason how many eyes thou hast to see thy euills and thou dimme nay blinde thou arte in preuenting them Forlorne creature that I am I would I might be freely wicked since wickednesse doth preuaile but the foote steppes of my ouer-troden vertue lie still as bitter accusations vnto me I am deuided in my selfe howe can I stande I am ouerthrowne in my selfe who shall raise mee Vice is but a nurse of new agonies and the vertue I am diuorsed from makes the hatefull comparison the more manyfest No no vertue either I neuer had but a shadow of thee or thou thy selfe art but a shadow For how is my soule abandoned How are all my powers laide waste My desire is payned because it cannot hope and if hope came his best shoulde bee but mischiefe O strange mixture of humaine mindes onely so much good lefte as to make vs languish in our owne euills Yee infernall furies for it is too late for mee to awake my dead vertue or to place my comforte in the angrie Gods yee infernall furies I say aide one that dedicates her selfe vnto you let my rage bee satisfied since the effecte of it is fit for your seruice Neither bee afraide to make me too happie since nothing can come to appease the smart of my guiltie cōscience I desire but to asswage the sweltring of my hellish longing deiected Gynecia Zelmane no sooner heard the name of Gynecia but that with a colde sweate all ouer her as if she had ben ready to treade vpon a deadly stinging Adder she would haue withdrawne her selfe but her owne passion made her yeelde more vnquiet motions then she had done in comming So that she was perceaued Gynecia sodainely risne vp for in deed it was Ginecia gotten into this Caue the same Caue wherein Dametas had safelie kept Pamela in the late vprore to passe her pangs with change of places And as her minde ranne still vpon Zelmane her piercing louers eye had soone found it was she And seeing in her a countenance to flye away she fell downe at her feete and catching fast hold of her Alas sayd she whether or from whome doost thou flye awaye the sauagest beastes are wonne with seruice and there is no flint but may be mollifyed How is Gynecia so vnworthie in thine eyes or whome cannot aboundance of loue make worthie O thinke not that crueltie or vngratefulnes can flowe from a good minde O weigh Alas weigh with thy selfe the newe effectes of this mightie passion that I vnfit for my state vncomely for my sexe must become a suppliant at thy feete By the happie woman that bare thee by all the ioyes of thy hart and successe of thy desire I beseech thee turne thy selfe to some consideration of me and rather shew pittie in now helping me then into late repenting my death which hourely threatens me Zelmane imputing it to one of her continuall mishaps thus to haue met with this Lady with a full weary countenance Without doubt Madame said
marriage Haue I brought thee children haue I bene a true wife vnto thee to bee dispised in mine olde age And euer among shee woulde sawce her speeches with such Bastonados that poore Damaetas beganne now to thinke that either a generall madding was falne or else that all this was but a vision But as for visions the smarte of the cudgell put out of his fancie and therefore againe turning to his wife not knowing in the world what she ment Miso said hee hereafter thou maiest examine me doe but now tell me what is become of Pamela I will first examine this drabbe said she and withall let fall her stafe as hard as she could vpon Mopsa still taking her for Charita But Mopsa that was alredy angry thinking that she had hindred her from Apollo lepte vp and caught her by the throte like to haue strangled her but that Damaetas from a condemned man was faine to become a iudge and part this fayre such a picture of a rude discord where each was out with the other two And then getting the opportunitie of their falling out to holde himselfe in suretie who was indeede the veriest coward of the three he renewed his earnest demaund of them But it was a sporte to see how the former conceites Dorus had printed in their imaginations kept still such dominion in them that Miso though now shee founde and felte it was her daughter Mopsa yet did Charita cōtinually passe through her thoughts which she vttered with such crabbed questions to Damaetas that hee not possiblie conceauing any parte of her doubt remained astonished and the astonishment encreased her doubt And as for Mopsa as first she did assuredly take him to be Apollo and thought her mothers comming did marre the bargaine So now much talkinge to and fro had deliuered so much light into the mistie mould of her capacitie as to know him to be her father Yet remayned there such foote-steppes of the foretaken opinion that shee thought verily her father and mother were hasted thether to gett the first wishe And therefore to whatsoeuer they asked of her she would neuer answere but embracing the tree as if she feared it had bene running awaye nay sayes shee I will haue the first wish for I was here first which they vnderstoode no more then Damaetas did what Miso ment by Charita till at length with much vrging them being indeede better able to perswade both then to meete hande to hand with either he preuailed so much with them as to bring them into the lodge to see what losse their necligence had suffered Then indeed the nere neighborhood they bare to themselues made them leaue other toyes and look into what dangerous plight they were all faln assone as the King should know his daughters escape And as for the wemen they beganne a fresh to enter into their brawling whether were in the faulte But Damaetas who did feare that among his other euills the thunderbolt of that storme would fall vpon his shoulders slipte away from them but with so maigre a cheare as might much sooner engender laughter then pittie O true Arcadia would he say tearinge his haire and bearde somtime for too much woe making vnweldie somerfaults how darest thou beare vpon thee such a felonious traytor as I am And you false harted trees why woulde you make no noyse to make her vngratious departure known Ah Pamela Pamela how often whē I brought thee in fine posies of all coulored flowers wouldest thou clappe me on the cheek and say thou wouldst be on day euen with me Was this thy meaning to bring me to an euē paire of gallows Ah il taught Dorus that camest hither to learne good maners of me Did I euer teach thee to make thy maister sweate out his hart for nothing in the meane time to run away thy mistres O my dun cow I did think sōe euil was towards me euer since the last day thou didst run away from me held vp thy taile so pitifully did not I se an eagle kil a Cuckoe which was plain fore token vnto me Pamela should be my destructiō O wife Miso if I durst say it to thy face why didst thou suspect thy husbād that loueth a peece of chese better then a womā And thou litle Mopsa that shalt inherite the shame of thy fathers death was it time for thee to clime trees which should so shortly be my best buriall ô that I could liue without death or die before I were aware O hart why hast thou no hands at commaundement to dispatch thee O hands why want you a hart to kill this villanie In this sorte did he inuey against euery thing sometimes thinking to haue away while it was yet night but he that had included all the world within his shepecote thought that worse thē any death sometime for dread of hanging hee ment to hange himselfe finding as in deede it is that feare is farre more paynfull to cowardise then death to a true courage But his fingers were nothing nimble in that action any thing was let inough thereto he being a true louer of himselfe without any ryuall But lastly guided by a farre greater constellacion then his owne he remembred to search the other lodge where it might be Pamela that night had retired her selfe So thether with trembling hammes hee carried himselfe but employinge his double keye which the Kinge for speciall credit had vnworthylie bestowed vpon him hee found all the gates so barred that his key could not preuaile sauing onely one trapt doore which went down into a vault by the seller which as it was vnknowen of Pyrocles so had he lefte it vnregarded But Damaetas that euer know the buttery better then any other place got in that way and pasing softly to Philocleas chamber where he thought most likely to finde Pamela the doore being left open hee entred in and by the light of the lampe he might discerne on in bed with her which he although hee tooke to bee Pamela yet thinking no suretie enough in a matter touchinge his necke hee went heard to the bedside of these vnfortunate louers whoe at that time being not much before the breake of day whether it were they were so diuinely surprised to bring this whole matter to be destinied conclusion or that the vnresistable force of their sorrowes had ouerthrowne the wakefull vse of their senses were as then possessed with a mutuall sleep yet not forgetting with viny embracements to giue any eye a perfect modell of affection But Damaetas looking with the lampe in his hande but neither with such a face nor mind vpon these excellent creatures as Psyche did vpon her vnknowen louer and giuing euery way freedome to his fearefull eyes did not onely perceaue it was Zelmane and therefore much different from the Lady hee sought but that this same Zelmane did more differ from the Zelmane hee and others had euer taken her for wherein the chaunge of her apparell chiefely
good reason saye that the constant man abides the painefull surgery for feare of a further euill but he is content to waite for death it selfe but neither is true for neither hath the one any feare but a well choosing iudgement nor the other hath any contentment but onely feare and not hauing a harte actiuely to performe a matter of paine is forced passiuely to abide a greater damage For to doe requires a whole harte to suffer falleth easeliest in the broken minds And if in bodely torment thus much more in shame wherein since vallure is a vertue and vertue is euer limited we must not runne so infinitely as to thinke the valiant man is willinglie to suffer any thing since the very suffering of some things is a certaine proofe of want of courage And if any thing vnwillinglie among the chiefest may shame goe for if honour be to be held deere his contrarye is to be abhorred and that not for feare but of a true election For which is the lesse inconuenient either the losse of some yeares more or lesse for once we knowe our liues be not immortall or the submitting our selues to each vnworthy misery which the foolish world may lay vpon vs As for their reason that feare is contrary to hope neither do I defend feare nor much yeeld to the aucthoritye of hope to eyther of which great enclining shewes but a feeble reason which must be guided by his seruaunts and who builds not vppon hope shall feare no earthquake of despaire Their last alleadging of the heauenly powers as it beares the greatest name so it is the only thing that at all bred any combate in my minde And yet I do not see but that if God hath made vs maisters of any thing it is of our owne liues out of which without doing wrong to any body we are to issue at our owne pleasure And the same Argument would asmuch preuayle to say we should for no necessitie lay away from vs any of our ioyntes since they being made of him without his warrant we should not depart from them or if that may be for a greater cause we may passe to a greater degree And if we be Lieutenants of God in this little Castle do you not thinke we must take warning of him to geue ouer our charge when he leaues vs vnprouided of good meanes to tarrye in it No certainelie do I not answered the sorrowfull Philoclea since it is not for vs to appoint that mightie Maiestie what time he will helpe vs the vttermost instant is scope enough for him to reuoke euery thing to ones owne desire And therefore to preiudicate his determinacion is but a doubt of goodnes in him who is nothing but goodnes But when in deede he doth either by sicknes or outward force lay death vpon vs then are we to take knowledge that such is his pleasure and to knowe that all is well that he doth That we should be maisters of our selues we can shewe at all no title nor clayme since neyther we made our selues nor bought our selues we can stand vpon no other right but his guift which he must limit as it pleaseth him Neyther is there any proporcion betwixt the losse of any other limme and that since the one bends to the preseruing all the other to the destruction of all the one takes not away the minde from the actions for which it is placed in the world the other cuts off all possibilitie of his working And truly my most deere Pyrocles I must needes protest vnto you that I can not thinke your defence euen in rules of vertue sufficient Sufficient and excellent it were if the question were of two outward things wherein a man might by natures freedome determine whether he would preferre shame to payne present smaller torment to greater following or no. But to this besides the comparison of the matters vallewes there is added of the one part a direct euill doing which maketh the ballance of that side too much vnequall Since a vertuous man without any respect whether the griefe be lesse or more is neuer to do that which he can not assure himselfe is allowable before the euerliuing rightfulnes But rather is to thinke honoures or shames which stande in other mens true or false iudgements paynes or not paynes which yet neuer approach our soules to be nothing in regarde of an vnspotted conscience And these reasons do I remember I haue heard good men bring in that since it hath not his ground in an assured vertue it proceedes rather of some other disguised passion Pyrocles was not so much perswaded as delighted by her well conceaued and sweetely pronounced speaches but when she had cloased her pittiful discourse and as it were sealed vp her delightfull lippes with the moistnes of her teares which followed still one another like a precious rope of pearle now thinking it hye time Be it as you saye sayde hee most vertuous beawtye in all the rest but neuer can God himselfe perswade me that Pyrocles life is not well lost for to preserue the most admirable Philoclea Let that be if it be possible written on my Tombe and I will not enuye Codrus honour With that he would agayne haue vsed the barre meaning if that failde to leaue his braynes vppon the wall When Philoclea now brought to that she most feared kneeled downe vnto him and embracing so his legges that without hurting her which for nothing he would haue done he could not ridde himselfe from her she did with all the coniuring wordes which the authoritye of loue may laye beseeche him he would not nowe so cruelly abandon her he woulde not leaue her comfortlesse in that miserye to which he had brought her That then in deede she woulde euen in her soule accuse him to haue most fouly betrayed her that then she should haue cause to curse the time that euer the name of Pyrocles came to her eares which otherwise no death could make her do Will you leaue me sayde she not onely dishonoured as supposed vnchaste with you but as a murderer of you Will you geue mine eyes such a picture of hell before my neere approaching death as to see the murdred bodie of him I loue more then all the liues that nature can geue With that she sware by the hyest cause of all deuocions that if he did perseuer in that cruell resolucion she would though vntruly not onely confesse to her father that with her cōsent this acte had bene committed but if that would not serue after she had puld out her owne eyes made accursed by such a sight she would geue her selfe so terrible a death as she might think the paine of it would counteruaile the neuer dying paine of her minde Now therefore kill your selfe to crowne this vertuous action with infamy kill your selfe to make me whome you say you loue as long as I after liue change my louing admiracion of you to a detestable abhorring your name And so
establish him as Lieutenant of the state and these were the most populer sorte who iudged by the commodities they felte But the principall men in honor and might who had long before enuyed his greatnes with Basilius did much more spurne against any such preferment of him For yet before theyr enuye had some kinde of breathing out his rancour by layeng his greatnes as a fault to the Princes iudgement who shewde in Damaetas he might easely be deceyued in mens valewe But nowe if the Princes choice by so many mouthes should be confyrmed what coulde they obiect to so rightly esteemed an excellencye They therefore were disposed sooner to yeeld to any thing then to his raysing and were content for to crosse Philanax to stoppe those actions which otherwise they could not but thinke good Philanax himselfe as much hindred by those that did immoderatly honour him which brought both more enuye and suspicion vppon him as by them that did manifestly resist him but standing onely vppon a constant desire of iustice and a cleere conscience went forwarde stoutly in the action of his maisters reuenge which he thought himselfe particularly bound to For the rest as the ordering of the gouernment he accompted himselfe but as one wherein notwithstanding he would imploy all hys loyall indeauour But among the Noble men hee that most openly set himselfe against him was named Timantus a man of middle age but of extreame ambition as one that had placed his vttermost good in greatnes thinking small difference by what meanes he came by it Of commendable wit if he had not made it a seruaunt to vnbrideled desires Cunning to creepe into mens fauours which hee prized onely as they were seruiceable vnto him He had bene brought vp in some souldiery which he knewe how to set out with more then deserued ostentacion Seruile though enuious to his betters and no lesse tirannycallie minded to them hee had aduauntage of Counted reuengefull but in deede measuring both reuenge and rewarde as the partye might eyther helpe or hurt him Rather shamelesse then bolde and yet more bolde in practises then in personall aduentures In summe a man that could be as euill as he listed and listed as much as any aduancement might thereby be gotten As for vertue hee counted it but a schoole name Hee euen at the fyrst assembling together finding the great stroke Philanax carried among the people thought it his readyest way of ambition to ioyne with him which though his pride did hardly brooke yet the other vice carrying with it a more apparant obiect preuayled ouer the weaker so that with those liberall protestacions of friendship which men that care not for their word are wont to bestowe he offred vnto him the choice in marriage of eyther the sisters so he would likewise helpe him to the other and make such a particion of the Arcadian estate Wishing him that since he loued his maister because he was his maister which shewed the loue began in himselfe he should rather now occasion was presented seeke his owne good substancially then affect the smoke of a glory by shewing an vntimely fidelitie to him that could not reward it and haue all the fruite he should get in mens opinions which would be as diuers as many fewe agreeing to yeeld him due prayse of his true heart But Philanax who had limitted his thoughtes in that he esteemed good to which he was neyther carryed by the vayne tickling of vncertayne fame nor from which he would be transported by enioying any thing whereto the ignorant world geues the excellent name of goodes with great mislike of his offer he made him so peremtorye an answere not without threatning if he found him foster any such fancie that Timantus went with an inward spite from him whome before he had neuer loued and measuring all mens marches by his owne pace rather thought it some further fetch of Philanax as that he would haue all to himselfe alone then was any way taken with the louâ—ly beawtie of his vertue whose image he had so quite defaced in his owne soule that he had left himselfe no eyes to beholde it but stayde wayting fitt oportunitie to execute his desires both for himselfe and against Philanax which by the bringing backe of Pamela the people being deuided into many motions which both with murmuring noyses and putting themselues in seuerall troupes they well shewed he thought apt time was layde before him the waters being as the prouerbe sayth troubled and so the better for his fishing Therefore going amongst the chiefest Lordes whome he knewe principally to repine at Philanax and making a kinde of conuocation of them he inueighed against his proceedings drawing euery thing to the most malicious interpretacion that malice itselfe could instruct him to doe He sayde it was season for them to looke to such a weede that else would ouergrowe them all It was not nowe time to consult of the dead but of the liuing since such a slye wolfe was entred among them that could make iustice the cloake of tirannye and loue of his late maister the destruction of his now being children Do you not see sayde hee howe farre his corruption hath stretched that hee hath such a number of rascalls voyces to declare him Lieutenant readye to make him Prince but that he instructs them matters are not yet ripe for it As for vs because we are too ritch to be bought he thinkes vs the fitter to be killed Hath Arcadia bredd no man but Philanax is she become a stepmother to all the rest and hath geuen all her blessings to Philanax Or if there be men amongst vs let vs shewe wee disdayne to bee seruaunts to a seruaunt Let vs make hym knowe wee are farre worthier not to bee slaues then hee to bee a mayster Thinke you hee hath made such haste in these matters to geue them ouer to another mans hande Thincke you he durst become the gaylor of his Princesse but either meaning to be her maister or her murtherer and all this for the dere good wil forsoth he beares to the kings memory whose authority as he abused in his life so he would now perseuer to abuse his name after his death O notable affection for the loue of the father to kill the wife and disenherit the children O single minded modestie to aspire to no lesse then to the princely Diademe No no he hath vired all this while but to come the sooner to his affected ende But let vs remember what we be in quallitie his equalls in number farre before him let vs deliuer the Queene and our naturall Princesses and leaue them no longer vnder his authoritye whose proceedings would rather shewe that he himselfe had bene the murderer of the King then a fit Gardien of his posteritye These wordes pearst much into the mindes already enclined that way Insomuch that most part of the nobilitye confirmed Timantus speech and were readye to execute it when Philanax came among them and with
shape which by mans eye might be perceaued Vertue is dead now set the triumph here Now set thy triumph in this world bereaued Of what was good where now no good doth lie And by the pompe our losse will be conceaued O notes of mine your selues together tie With too much griefe me thinkes you are dissolued Your dolefull tunes sweet Muses now applie Time euer old and yong is still reuolued Within it selfe and neuer tasteth ende But mankind is for aye to nought resolued The filthy snake her aged coate can mende And getting youth againe in youth doth flourish But vnto Man age euer death doth sende The very trees with grafting we can cherish So that we can long time produce their time But Man which helpeth them helplesse must perish Thus thus the mindes which ouer all doo clime When they by yeares experience get best graces Must finish then by deaths detested crime We last short while and build long lasting places Ah let vs all against foule Nature crie We Natures workes doo helpe she vs defaces For how can Nature vnto this reply That she her child I say her best child killeth Your dolefull tunes sweete Muses now apply Alas me thinkes my weakned voice but spilleth The vehement course of this iust lamentation Me thinkes my sound no place with sorrow filleth I know not I but once in detestation I haue my â—elfe and all what life containeth Since Death on Vertues fort hath made inuasion One word of woe another after traineth Ne doo I care how râ—de be my inuention So it be seene what sorrow in me raigneth O Elements by whose men say contention Our bodies be in liuing power maintained Was this mans death the fruite of your dissention O Phisickes power which some say hath restrained Approch of death alas thou helpest meagerly When once one is for Atropos distrained Great be Physitions brags but aid is beggerly When rooted moisture failes or groweth drie They leaue off all and say death commes too eagerlie They are but words therefore that men do buy Of any since God AEsculapius ceased Your dolefull tunes sweete Muses now apply Iustice iustice is now alas oppressed Bountifulnes hath made his last conclusion Goodnes for best attire in dust is dressed Shepheards bewaile your vttermost confusion And see by this picture to you presented Death is our home life is but a delusion For see alas who is from you absented Absented nay I say for euer banished From such as were to dye for him contented Out of our sight in turne of hand is vanished Shepherd of shepherds whose well setled order Priuate with welth publike with quiet garnished While he did liue farre farre was all disorder Example more preuailing then direction Far was homestrife and far was foe from border His life a law his looke a full correction As in his health we healthfull were preserued So in his sicknesse grew our sure infection His death our death But ah my Muse hath swarued From such deepe plaint as should such woes descrie Which he of vs for euer hath deserued The stile of heauie hart can neuer flie So high as should make such a paine notorious Cease Muse therfore thy dart ô Death applie And farewell Prince whom goodnesse hath made glorious Many were readie to haue followed this course but the day was so wasted that onely this riming Sestine deliuered by one of great account among them could obtaine fauour to be heard FArewell ô Sunn Arcadias clâ—arest light Farewell ô pearl the poore man plenteous treasure Farewell ô golden staffe the weake mans might Farewell ô Ioy the ioyfulls onely pleasure Wisdome farewell the skillesse mans direction Farewell with thee farewell all our affection For what place now is lefte for our affection Now that of purest lampe is quench'd the light Which to our darkned mindes was best direction Now that the mine is lost of all our treasure Now death hath swallow'd vp our worldly pleasure We Orphans made void of all publique might Orphans in deede depriu'd of fathers might For he our father was in all affection In our well-doing placing all his pleasure Still studying how to vs to be a ligh As well he was in peace a safest treasure In warr his wit word was our direction Whence whence alas shall we seeke our direction When that we feare our hatefull neighbours might Who long haue gap't to get Arcadians treasure Shall we now finde a guide of such affection Who for our sakes will thinke all trauaile light And make his paine to keepe vs safe his pleasure No no for euer gone is all our pleasure For euer wandring from all good direction For euer blinded of our clearest light For euer lamed of our sured might For euer banish'd from well plac'd affection For euer robd of all our royall treasure Let teares for him therefore be all our treasure And in our wailfull naming him our pleasure Let hating of our selues be our affection And vnto death bend still our thoughts direction Let vs against our selues employ our might And putting out our eyes seeke we our light Farewell our light farewell our spoiled treasure Farewell our might farewell our daunted pleasure Farewell direction farewell all affection The night beganne to cast her darke Canopie ouer them and they euen wearie with their woes bended homewardes hoping by sleepe forgetting them selues to ease their present dolours When they were mett with a troupe of twentie horse the chiefe of which asking them for the Kinge and vnderstanding the hard newes thereupon stayed among them expecting the returne of a messenger whome with speede he dispatched to Philanax The ende of the fourth Booke THE FIFTH BOOKE OF THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA THE daungerous diuision of mens mindes the ruinous renting of all estates had nowe brought Arcadia to feele the pangs of vttermost perill such convulsions neuer comming but that the life of that gouernment drawes neere his necessarye periode when to the honest and wife Philanax equally distracted betwixt desire of his maisters reuenge and care of the states establishment there came vnlooked for a Macedonian Gentleman who in short but pithye maner deliuered vnto him that the renowmed Euarchus King of Macedon purposing to haue visited his olde friend and confederate the King Basilius was nowe come within halfe a mile of the Lodges where hauing vnderstoode be certayne Shepheards the sodayne death of theyr Prince had sent vnto him of whose authoritye and faith he had good knowledge desiring him to aduertise him in what securitie hee might rest there for that night where willinglye hee woulde if safely hee might helpe to celebrate the funeralls of his auncient companion and alye adding hee neede not doubt since hee had brought but twentye in his companye hee woulde be so vnwise as to enter into any forcible attempte with so small force Philâ—nax hauing entertayned the Gentleman aswell as in the middest of so many tumultes hee coulde pausing awhile with himselfe considering howe
might endure a fruictfull as an idle absence As for the doubt he conceaued of the peoples constancie in this their election hee saide it was such a doubt as al humane actions are subiect vnto yet as much as in politique matters which receaue not geometricall certainties a man may assure himselfe there was euident likelyhoode to bee conceaued of the continuance both in their vnanimitie and his worthynes wherof the on was apt to be held the other to hold ioyned to the present necessitie the firmest band of mortall mindes In sum hee alledged so many reasons to Euâ—rchus his minde alredy enclined to enter into any vertuous action that he yeelded to take vpon him selfe the iudgement of the present cause so as hee might finde in deede that such was the peoples desire out of iudgement and not faction Therefore mounting on their horses they hasted to the lodges where they found though late in the night the people wakefully watching for the issue of Philanax embassage No man thinking the matter would be well done without he had his voice in it and each deeming his owne eyes the best gardiens of his throte in that vnaccustomed tumult But when they saw Philanax returne hauing on his right hande the King Euarchus on whome they had nowe placed the greatest burthen of their feares with ioyfull shoutes and applawding acclamations they made him and the world quickly know that one mans sufficiencie is more auailable then ten thousands multitude So euill ballanced be the extremities of popular mindes and so much naturall imperiousnes there rests in a well formed spirit For as if Euarchus had ben borne of the princely bloud of Arcadia or that long and well acquainted proofe had engrafted him in their countrie so flocked they about this straunger most of them alredie from deiected feares rising to ambitious considerations who should catch the first hold of his fauour And then from those crying welcomes to babling one with the other some praysing Philanax for his succeeding paine others likinge Euarchus aspect as they iudged his age by his face so iudging his wisedome by his age Euarchus passed thorow them like a man that did neither disdaine a people nor yet was any thing tickled with their flatteries But alwayes holding his owne a man might reade a constant determination in his eyes And in that sorte dismounting among them he forthwith demaunded the conuocation to bee made which accordingly was done with as much order and silence as it might appeare Neptune had not more force to appease the rebellious winde then the admiration of an extraordinary vertue hath to temper a disordered multitude He being raysed vp vppon a place more hie then the rest where he might be best vnderstoode in this sorte spake vnto them I vnderstande saide hee faithfull Arcadians by my L. Philanax that you haue with one consent chosen me to be the iudge of the late euills hapned orderer of the present disorders and finally protector of this countrie til therein it be seene what the customes of Arcadia require He could saye no further being stopped with a generall crie that so it was geuing him all the honourable titles and happie wishes they could imagin He beckned vnto them for silence and then thus againe proceeded well-saide hee how good choise you haue made the attending must bee in you the proofe in me But because it many times falls out we are much deceaued in others we being the first to deceaue ourselues I am to require you not to haue an ouershooting expectation of mee the most cruell aduersary of all honourable doings Nor promise yourselues wonders out of a sodaine lyking but remember I am a man that is to say a creature whose reason is often darkned with error Seconly that you will laye your hearts voyde of foretaken opinions els whatsoeuer I doe or say will be measured by a wronge rule like them that the haue yellow Iaundise euery thing seeming yellowe vnto them Thirdly whatsoeuer debates haue rysen among you may be vtterly extinguished knowing that euen among the best men are diuersities of opinions which are no more in true reason to breed hatred then one that loues black should be angrie with him that is clothed in white for thoughts conceits are the verie apparel of the mind Lastly that you do not easely iudge of your iudge but since you will haue me to command thinke it is your part to obay And in rewarde of this I will promise and protest vnto you that to the vttermost of my skill but in the generall lawes of nature especially of Greece and particular of Arcadia wherein I must confesse I am not vnacquainted I will not onely see the passed euills duly punished and your weale here after established but for your defence in it if need shall requeir I wil imploy the forces and treasures of mine owne country In the meane time this shal be the first order I will take that no man vnder paine of greeuous punishment name me by any other name but protector of Arcadia For I will not leaue any possible culloure to any of my naturall successors to make claime to this which by free election you haue bestowed vpon me And so I vowe vnto you to depose my self of it assoone as the iudgement is passed the King buried and his lawfull successor appointed For the first whereof I meane the trying which be guiltie of the Kings death and these other haynous trespasses because your customes require such haste I will no longer delay it then till to morrowe as soone as the Sunne shall giue vs fit opportunitie You may therefore retire your selues to your rest that you may be reddier to be present at these so great important matters Which many allowing tokens was Euarchus speech heard who nowe by Philanax that tooke the principall care of doing all due seruices vnto him was offred a lodging made ready for him the rest of the people aswell as the small commoditie of that place would suffer yeelding their weery heads to sleepe when loe the night thorowly spent in these mixed matters was for that time banished the face of the earth and Euarchus seing the daye beginne to discloase his comfortable beauties desiring nothing more then to ioyne speede with iustice willed Philanax presently to make the iudgement place bee put in order and assoone as the people who yet were not fully dispersed might be brought together to bring foorth the prisoners and the Kings body Which the manner was should in such cases be held in sight though couered with blacke veluet vntill they that were accused to be the murderers were quitted or condemned whether the reason of the law were to shew the more gratefull loue to their Prince or by that spectacle the more to remember the iudge of his dutie Philanax who now thought in himself he approached by the iust reuenge he so much desired went withall care and diligence to performe his charge But first it
each corner to newe discourses from discourses to wishes from wishes to prayers Especially the tender Philoclea who as she was in yeares yonger and had neuer lifted vp her minde to any opinion of souereignetie so was she the apter to yeelde to her misfortune hauing no stronger debates in her minde then a man maye saye a most wittie childehoode is woont to nourish as to imagine with her selfe why Philanax and the other noble men shoulde deale so cruelly by her that had neuer deserued euill of any of them And howe they could finde in their hartes to imprison such a personage as she did figure Pyrocles whome shee thought all the worlde was bounde to loue as well as shee did But Pamela although endewed with a vertuous mildenes yet the knowledge of her selfe and what was due vnto her made her hart full of a stronger disdaine against her aduersitie So that she ioyned the vexacion for her friend with the spite to see her selfe as she thought rebelliously detayned and mixed desirous thoughts to helpe with reuengefull thoughts if she could not helpe And as in pangs of death the stronger hart feeles the greater torment because it doth the more resist to his oppressour so her minde the nobler it was set and had already embraced the hyer thoughtes so much more it did repine and the more it repined the more helplesse wounds it gaue vnto it selfe But when great part of the night was passed ouer the dolefull musicke of these sweete Ladies complaints and that leasure though with some strife had brought Pamela to know that an Eagle when she is in a Cage must not thinke to do like an Eagle remembring with themselues that it was likely the next day the Lords would proceed against those they had imprisoned They imployed the rest of the night in writing vnto them with such earnestnes as the matter required but in such stiles as the state of their thoughts was apt to fashion In the meane time Pyrocles and Musidorus were recommended to so strong a guard as they might well see it was meant they should pay no lesse prise then their liues for the getting out of that place which they like men in deede fortifying courage with the true Rampier of patience did so endure as they did rather appeare gouernours of necessitie then seruaunts to fortune The whole summe of their thoughts resting vpon the safetie of their Ladyes and their care one for the other Wherein if at all their harts did seeme to receyue some softnes For sometimes Musidorus would feele such a motion to his friend and his vnworthy case that he would fall into such kinde speeches My Pyrocles would he say how vnhappy may I thinke Thessalia that hath bene as it were the middle way to this euill estate of yours For if you had not bene there brought vp the Sea should not haue had this power thus to seuer you from your deere father I haue therefore if complayntes do at any time become a mans hart most cause to complayne since my Countrie which receyued the honor of Pyrocles educacion should be a step to his ouerthrowe if humane chances can be compted an ouerthrowe to him that stands vppon vertue Oh excellent Musidorus aunswered Pyrocles howe do you teache me rather to fall out with my selfe and my fortune since by you I haue receyued all good you only by me this affliction to you and your vertuous mother I in my tendrest yeares and fathers greatest troubles was sent for succour There did I learne the sweete mysteries of Phylosophy there had I your liuely example to confirme that which I learned there lastly had I your friendship which no vnhappines can euer make me saye but that hath made me happy Now see how my desteny the gods knowe not my will hath rewarded you my father sends for you away out of your land whence but for me you had not come what after followed you knowe It was my loue not yours which first stayed you heere and therefore if the heauens euer held a iust proportion it were I and not you that should feele the smart O blame not the heauens sweete Pyrocles sayde Musidorus as their course neuer alters so is there nothing done by the vnreacheable ruler of them but hath an euerlasting reason for it And to saye the truth of these things we should deale vngratefully with nature if we should be forgetfull receyuers of her giftes and so diligent Auditors of the chaunces we like not We haue liued and haue liued to be good to our selues and others our soules which are put into the sturring earth of our bodyes haue atchieued the causes of their hether cōming They haue knowne honoured with knowledge the cause of their creation and to many men for in this time place and fortune it is lawfull for vs to speake gloriously it hath bene behouefull that we should liue Since then eternitie is not to be had in this coniunction what is to be lost by the separation but time which since it hath his ende when that is once come all what is past is nothing and by the protracting nothing gotten but labour and care Do not me therefore that wrong who something in yeares but much in all other deserts am fitter to dye then you as to say you haue brought me to any euill since the loue of you doth ouerballance all bodely mischiefes and those mischiefes be but mischiefes to the basermindes too much delighted with the kennell of this life Neither will I any more yeeld to my passion of lamenting you which howsoeuer it might agree to my exceeding friendship surely it would nothing to your exceeding vertue Add this to your noble speech my deere Cozen said Pirocles that if we complaine of this our fortune or seeme to our selues faultie in hauing one hurt the other we showe a repentance of the loue we beare to these matchlesse creatures or at least a doubt it should be ouerdeerely bought which for my part and so dare I aunswere for you I call all the gods to witnesse I am so farre from that no shame no torment no death would make me forgoe the least part of the inward honor essentiall pleasure and liuing life I haue enioyed in the presence of the faultlesse Philoclea Take the preheminence in all things but in true louing aunswered Musidorus for the confession of that no death shall get of me Of that aunswered Pirocles soberly smiling I perceiue wee shall haue a debate in the other world if at least there remayne any thing of remembrance in that place I do not thinke the contrarye sayde Musidorus although you knowe it is greately helde that with the death of bodye and sences whiche are not onely the beginning but dwelling and nourishing of passions thoughts and immaginations they fayling memorye likewise fayles which riseth onely out of them and then is there left nothing but the intellectuall parte or intelligence which voide of all morall vertues which stande in
into his inuectiue oration Staye staie Philanax saide shee do not defile thy honest mouth with those dishonourable speeches thou arte about to vtter against a woman now most wretched lately thy mistresse Let either the remembraunce how great she was moue thy harte to some reuerence or the seing how lowe she is sturre in thee some pittie It may be truth doth make thee deale vntruely and loue of iustice frames vniustice in thee doe not therefore neither shalt thou neede treade vpon my desolate ruines Thou shalt haue that thou seekest and yet shalt not be oppressoure of her who cannot choose but loue thee for thy singular faith to thy master I doe not speake this to procure mercie or to prolong my life no no I say vnto you I will not liue but I am onely loth my death shoulde bee engreeued with any wronge thou shouldest doe vnto me I haue beene to painefull a iudge ouer my selfe to desire pardon in others iudgement I haue beene to cruell an executioner of mine owne soule to desire that execution of iustice shoulde bee stayed for me Alas they that know how sorrow can rent the spirits they that know what fiery hells are cōtiened in a self condemning mind need not feare that feare can keepe such a one from desiring to be seperated from that which nothing but death can seperate I therefore say to thee O iust iudge that I and only I was the worker of Basilius death They were these handes that gaue vnto him that poysonous potion that hath brought death to him and losse to Arcadia it was I and none but I that hastened his aged yeares to an vnnaturall end and that haue made all his people orphans of their royall father I am the subiect that haue killed my Prince I am the wife that haue murdred my husband I am a degenerate woman an vndoer of this countrie a shame of my children What wouldest thou haue saide more Oh Philanax and all this I graunt there resteth then nothing els to say but that I desire you you will appointe quicklie somme to ridd mee of my life rather then these handes which ells are destenied vnto it and that indeede it maye bee doone with such speede as I may not long dye in this life which I haue in so greate horrour with that shee crossed her armes and sate downe vppon the grounde attending the iudges aunswere But a greate while it was before anye boddye coulde bee heard speake the whole people concurring in a lamentable crye so much had Gynecias wordes and behauiour sturred their hartes to a dolefull compassion neither in troath coulde most of them in their iudgements tell whether they shoulde bee more sorrie for her faulte or her miserie for the losse of her estate or losse of her vertue But most were most moued with that which was vnder there eyes the sense most subiecte to pittie But at length the reuerent awe they stoode in of Euarchus brought them to a silent wayting his determination who hauing well considered the abhomination of the facte attending more the manifest proofe of so horrible a trespasse confessed by her selfe and proued by others then any thing relenting to those tragicall phrases of hers apter to sturre a vulgare pittie then his minde which hated euill in what culloures so euer he founde it hauing considered a while with the principall men of the country and demaunded there allowance he definitiuely gaue this sentence That where as both in priuate and publike respectes this woman had most haynously offēded in priuate because marriage being the most holy coniunction that falls to mankinde out of which all families and so consequently all societies doe proceede which not onely by communitie goods but communitie children is to knit the mindes in a most perfet vnion which who so breakes dissolues al humanitie no man liuing free from the danger of so neere a neighbour she had not onely broken it but broken it with death and the most pretended death that might be In publike respect the Princes persons being in all monarchall gouernmentes the very knot of the peoples welfare and light of all their doinges to which they are not onely in conscience but in necessitie bounde to be loyall she had trayterously empoysoned him neither regarding her contries profit her owne dutie nor the rigor of the lawes That therefore as well for the due satisfaction to eternall iustice and accomplishment of the Arcadian statutes as for the euerlasting example to all wiues and subiectes she should presently be conueyed to cloase prison and there be kept with such foode as might serue to sustaine her aliue vntill the day of her husbands buryall at which time shee shoulde bee buried quicke in the same tombe with hime That so his murder might bee a murder to her selfe and she forced to keepe company with the body from which she had made so detestable a seuerance And lastly death might redresse their disioyned coniunction of marriage His iudgement was receaued of the whole assemblie as not with disliking so with great astonishmēt the greatnes of the matter and person as it were ouerpressing the might of their conceites But when they did set it to the beame with the monstrousnes of her ouglye misdeede they coulde not but yeeld in their hartes there was no ouerbalancing As for Gynecia who had already setled her thoughts not only to look but long for this euent hauing in this time of her vexation found a sweetnes in the rest she hoped by death with a countenaunce witnessing she had before hand so passed thorowe all the degrees of sorrowe that shee had no new looke to figure forth any more rase vp and offred forth her faite handes to bee bounde or led as they would being indeed troubled with no parte of this iudgement but that her death was as she thought long delayed They that were appointed for it conueyed her to the place she was in before where the guarde was relieued and the number encreased to keepe her more sure for the time of her execution None of them all that led her though most of them were such whose harts had beene long hardned with the often exercising such offices being able to barre teares from their eyes and others manifest tokens of compassionate sorrow So goodly a vertue is a resolute constancie that euen in euill deseruers it seemes that partie might haue beene notably well deseruing Thus the excellent Lady Gynecia hauing passed fiue and thirtie yeares of her age euen to admiration of her beautifull minde and body and hauing not in her owne knowledge euer spotted her soule with any wilfull vice but her imoderate loue of Zelmane was brought first by the violence of that ill answered passion and then by the dispayring conceite she took of the iudgement of God in her husbandes death and her owne fortune purposely to ouerthrowe her selfe and confirme by a wronge confession that abhominable shame which with her wisdome ioynde to the truth perhappes
your wise coÌ„sideration For my hart hastens to the miserable point of Basilius murder for the executing of which with more facilitie this yong nimph of Dianas bringing vp fayned certaine rites she had to performe so furious an impietie had caried him from all remembrance of goodnes that hee did not onely not feare the Gods as the beholders and punishers of so vngodly a villany but did blasphemously vse their sacred holly name as a minister vnto it And forsooth a Caue hereby was chosen for the temple of his deuotions a Caue of such darkenes as did prognosticate he ment to please the infernall powers for there this accurssed catife vpon the alter of falshood sacrificed the life of the vertuous Basilius By what meanes he trayned him thether alas I knowe not for if I might haue knowen it either my life had accompanied my master or this fellowes death had preserued him But this may suffise that in the mouth of this Caue where this traytor had his lodginge and chapple when already master sheepeheard his companion had conueyed away the vndoubted enheritrix of this cuntrie was Gynecia founde by the dead corps of her husband newly empoysoned apparelled in the garments of the young Lady and reddy no question to haue fled to some place according to their consorte but that she was by certaine honest-shepeheards arrested while in the meane time because their should be lefte no reuenger of this bloudy mischief This noble Amazon was violently gotten into the chamber of the Lady Philoclea wherby the mingling as much as in him lay of her shame with his misdeede he might enforce her to be the accessary to her fathers death and vnder the countenaunce of her and her sister against whom they knew wee woulde not rebell seaze as it were with one gripe into their treacherous hands the regiment of the mightie prouince But the almightie eye preuented him of the end of his mischiefe by vsing a villaine Damaetas hand to enclose him in there where with as much fortification as in a house could be made he thought himselfe in most securitie Thus see you most iust iudge a shorte and simple story of the infamous misery falne vpon this contrie In deed infamous since by an effeminate man we should suffer a greater ouerthrow then our mightiest enemies haue ben euer able to lay vpon vs. And that all this which I haue said is most manifest aswell of the murdering of Basilius as the rauishing of Philoclea for those two partes I establish of my accusation who is of so incredulous a minde or rather who will so stoppe his eyes from seing a thing cleerer then the light as not to holde for assured so palpable a matter For to beginne with his most cruell misdeede is it to be imagined that Gynecia a woman though wicked yet wittie woulde haue attempted and atchieued an enterprise no lesse hazardous then horrible without hauing some councellor in the beginning and some comforter in the performing Had she who shewed her thoughtes were so ouerruled with some straunge desire as in despite of God nature and womanhood to execute that in deedes which in wordes wee cannot heare without trembling had shee I saye no practise to leade her vnto it Or had shee a practise without conspiracie Or coulde shee coâ—â—â—re without some boddye to conspire with And if one were whoe so likelye as this to whome shee communicated I am sure her minde the worlde thinkes her boddye Neither let her wordes taking the whole faulte vppon her selfe bee heerein any thinge availeable For to those persons who haue vomited out of their soules all remnants of goodnes there restes a certaine pride in euill and hauing ells no shadowe of glorye lefte them they glorye to bee constante in iniquitye and that God knowes must bee helde out to the laste gaspe without reuealing their accomplices As thinking greate courage is declared in being neither affeard of the heauens nor ashamed of the worlde But let Gynecias action dye with her selfe what can all the earth answere for his comming hether Why alone if hee bee a Prince How so richly Iewelled if he be not a prince Why then a woman if nowe a man Why now Daiphantus if then Zelmane Was all this play for nothing or if it had an ende what ende but the ende of my deere master Shall we doubte so many secret conferences with Gynecia such fained fauour to the ouer soone beguiled Basilius a Caue made a lodging and the same lodging made a temple of his religion lastly such changes and trauerses as a quiet Poet coulde scarse fill a poeme withal were directed to any lesse scope then to this monstrous murder O snakie ambition which can winde thy selfe in so many figures to slyde thether thou desirest to come O corrupted reason of mankinde that can yeelde to deforme thy selfe with so filthie desires And O hopelesse bee those mindes whom so vnnaturall desires doe not with their owne ouglinesse sufficiently terrefie But yet euen of fauour let vs graunt him thus much more as to fancie that in these foretolde thinges fortune might be a greate Actor perchaunce to an euill ende yet to a lesse euill end all these entangled deuises were entended But I beseech your Ladyshippe my Lady Daiphantus tell me what excuse can you finde for the chaunging your lodging with the Queene that verie instant shee was to finish her execrable practise How can you cloake the lending of your cloake vnto her was all that by chance too Had the starres sent such an influence vnto you as you should bee iuste weary of your lodging and garments when our Prince was destenied to the slaughter What say you to this O shamefull and shamelesse creature Fit indeede to bee the dishonour of both sexes But alas I spend too many words in so manifest and so miserable a matter They must be foure wilde horses which according to our lawes are the executioners of men which murdre our Prince which must decide this question with you Yet see so farre had my zeale to my beloued Prince transported me that I had almost forgotten my second parte and his seconde abhomination I meane his violence offred to the Lady Philoclea wherewith as if it had wel become his womanhoode he came brauing to the iudgement seate indeede our lawes appointe not so cruell a death although death too for this sacte as for the other But whosoeuer well wayes it shall finde it spronge out of the same fountaine of mischeuous naughtines the killing of the father dishonouring the mother and rauishing the child Alas could not so many benifites receaued of my Prince the iustice of nature the right of hospitalitie be a bridle to thy lust if not to thy crueltie Or if thou hadest as surely thou haste a harte recompensing goodnes with hatred could not his death which is the last of reuenges satisfie thy mallice but thou must heape vpoÌ„ it the shame of his daughter Were thy eyes so
iudged then rightly I haue iudged myne own children Vnlesse the name of a child should haue force to change the neuer changing iustice No no Pyrocles Musidorus I prefer you much before my life but I prefer Iustice as far before you while you did like your selues my body should willingly haue ben your shield but I cannot keep you from the effects of your own doing Nay I cānot in this case acknowledge you for mine For neuer had I sheapheard to my nephew nor euer had woman to my son your vices haue degraded you frō being princes haue disanulde your birthright Therefore if there be anie thing left in you of Princely vertue shew it in constant suffering that your vnprincely dealing hath purchased vnto you For my part I must tell you you haue forced a father to rob himselfe of his children Do you therefore O Philanax and you my other Lordes of this countrie see the iudgment be rightly performed in time place and maner as before appointed With that though he would haue refrained them a man might perceiue the teares drop downe his long white beard Which moued not onely Kalodulus and Kerxenus to roating lamentations but al the assembly dolefully to record that pittiful spectacle Philanax himselfe could not abstaine from great shewes of pittying sorrow and manifest withdrawing from performing the kinges commaundement But Musidorus hauing the hope of his safety and recouering of the princesse Pamela which made him most desirous to liue so sodainly dashed but especialy moued for hys deare Pyrocles for whom he was euer resolued his last should be and stirred vp with rage of vnkindnesse he thus spake Enioy thy bloudie conquest tyrannicall Euarchus said he for neither is conuenient the title of a king to a murderer nor the remembrance of kindred to a destroyer of his kindred Go home and glorie that it hath been in thy power shamefully to kill Musidorus Let thy flattering Orators dedicate Crownes of Laurell vnto thee that the first of thy race thou hast ouerthrowne a Prince of Thessalia But for me I hope the Thessalians are not so degenerate from their auncestors but that they will reuenge my iniurie and their losse vpon thee I hope my death is no more vniust to me thē it shal be bitter to thee howsoeuer it be my death shall triumph ouer thy crueltie neither as now would I liue to make my life beholding vnto thee But if thy crueltie hath not so blinded thine eyes that thou canst not see thine own heart if thy heart be not so diuelish as thou hast no power but to torment thy self then look vpō this yong Pyrocles with a manlike eie if not with a pittifull Giue not occasion to the whole earth to say see how the gods haue made the Tyrant teare his owne bowels Examine the eies and voices of all this people and what all men see be not blinde in thine owne case Looke I say looke vpon him in whom the most curious searcher is able to finde no fault but that he is thy sonne Beleeue it thy owne subiectes will detest thee for robbing them of such a Prince in whome they haue right as well as thy selfe Some more wordes to that purpose he would haue spoken but Pyrocles who often had cald to him did nowe fully interrupt him desiring him not to do him the wrong to geue his father ill wordes before him willing him to consider it was their owne fault and not his vniustice and withall to remember their resolution of well suffering all accidents which this impaciencie did seeme to varry frō and then kneeling down with all humblenesse hee tooke the speach in this order to Euarchus If my dayly praiers to the Almightie Gods had so farre preuayled as to haue graunted me the end whereto I haue directed my actions I should rather haue beene nowe a comfort to your minde then an example of your iustice rather a preseruer of your memorie by my life then a monument of your iudgement by my death But since it hath pleased their vnsearchable wisedomes to ouerthrow all the desires I had to serue you and make me become a shame vnto you since the last obedience I can shew you is to die vouchsafe yet O father if my fault haue not made me altogether vnworthy so to terme you vouchsafe I say to let the few last words your sonne shall euen speake not be tedious vnto you And if the remembrance of my vertuous mother who once was deare vnto you may beare any sway with you if the name of Pyrocles haue at any time bene pleasant let one request of mine which shall not be for mine owne life be graciously accepted of you What you owe to iustice is performed in my death A father to haue executed his onely sonne wil leaue a sufficient example for a greater crime then this My bloud will satisfie the highest point of equitie my bloud will satisfie the hardest hearted in this countrie O saue the life of this Prince that is the onely all I will with my last breath demaund of you With what face will you looke vpon your sister when in reward of nourishing me in your greatest neede you take away and in such sort take away that which is more deare to her then all the world and is the onely comfort wherewith she nourisheth her olde age O giue not such an occasion to the noble Thessalians for euer to curse the match that their Prince did make with the Macedon bloud By my losse there followes no publique losse for you are to hold the seate and to prouide your selfe perchance of a worthier successor But how can you orall the earth recompence that domage that poore Thessalia shall sustaine who sending out whom otherwise they would no more haue spared then their owne eyes their Prince to you and you requesting to haue him by you hee should thus dishonourably be extinguished Set before you I beseech you the face of that miserable people when no sooner shall the newes come that you haue met your Nephew but withall they shall heare that you haue beheaded him How manie teares they shall spend how many cōplaints they shal make so manie iust execrations will light vpō you And take heede O father for since my death answeres my fault while I liue I wil call vpō that deare name Least seeking too precise a course of iustice you be not thought most vniust in weakning your neighbours mightie estate by taking away their onely piller In me in me this matter beganne in me let it receiue his ending Assure your selfe no man will doubt your seuere obseruing the lawes when it shal be knowne Euarchus hath killed Pyrocles But the time of my euer farewell approcheth if you do thinke my death sufficient for my fault and doe not desire to make my death more miserable then death Let these dying wordes of him that was once your sonne pearce your eares Let Musidorus liue and Pirocles shall liue in
him and you shall not want a childe A childe cried out Musidorus to him that killes Pyrocles with that againe he fell to intreate for Pyrocles and Pyrocles as fast for Musidorus each employing his wit how to shew himselfe most worthy to die to such an admiration of all the beholders that most of them examining the matter by their owne passions thought Euarchus as often extraordinarie excellencies not being rightly conceiued do rather offend then please an obstinate hearted man and such a one who being pittilesse his dominion must needes be insupportable But Euarchus that felt his owne miserie more then they and yet loued goodnesse more then himselfe with such a sad assured behauiour as Cato killed himselfe withall when he had heard the vttermost of that their speach tended vnto he commaunded againe they should be carried away rising vp from the seate which he would much rather haue wished should haue been his graue and looking who would take the charge whereto euerie one was exceeding backward But as this pittifull matter was entring into those that were next the Dukes bodie might heare from vnder the veluet wherewith he was couered a great voice of groning Whereat euerie man astonished and their spirites appalled with these former miseries apt to take anie strange conceite when they might perfitly perceiue the bodie stirre Then some beganne to feare spirits some to looke for a myracle most to imagine they knew not what But Philanax and Kerxenus whose eies honest loue though to diuerse parties held most attentiue leapt to the table and putting of the veluet couer might plainly discerne with as much wonder as gladnesse that the Duke liued For so it was that the drinke he had receiued was neither as Gynecia first imagined a loue potion nor as it was after thought a deadly poyson but a drinke made by notable Arte and as it was thought not without naturall magicke to procure for thirtie houres such a deadly sleepe as should oppresse all shew of life The cause of the making of this drinke had first been that a Princesse of Cyprus graundmother to Gynecia being notably learned and yet not able with al her learning to answere the obiections of Cupid did furiously loue a yoong noble man of her fathers Court. Who fearing the kinges rage and not once daring either to attempt or accept so high a place shee made that sleeping drinke and found meanes by a trustie seruaunt of hers who of purpose inuited him to his chamber to procure him that suspected no such thing to receiue it Which done he no way able to resist was secretly carried by him into a pleasant chamber in the midst of a garden she had of purpose prouided for this enterprise where that space of time pleasing her selfe with seeing and cherishing of him when the time came of â—â—e drinks end of working and he more astonished then if he had falne from the cloudes she bad him choose either then to marrie her and to promise to flie away with her in a bark she had made readie or else she would presently crie out and shewe in what place he was with othe hee was come thither to rauish her The noble man in these straightes her beautie preuailed he married her and escaped the Realme with her And after many strange aduentures were reconciled to the king her father after whose death they raigned But she gratefully remembring the seruice that drinke had done her preserued in a bottle made by singular Arte long to keepe it without perishing great quantitie of it with the foretold inscription which wrong interpreted by her daughter in law the Queene of Cyprus was giuen by her to Gynecia at the time of her marriage and the drinke finding an old body of Basilius had kept him some houres longer in the trance then it would haue done a yoonger But a good while it was before good Basilius could come again to himself in which time Euarchus more glad then of the whole worldes Monarchie to be rid of his miserable magistracie which euen in iustice he was now to surrender to the lawful Prince of that countrie came from the Throne vnto him and there with much adoe made him vnderstand how these intricate matters had fallen out Many garboiles passed through his fancie before he could be perswaded Cleofila was other then a woman At length remembring the Oracle which now indeede was accomplished not as before he had imagined considering all had fallen out by the highest prouidence and withall waying in all these matters his owne fault had been the greatest The first thing he did was with all honorable pompe to send for Gynecia who poore Ladie thought she was leading forth to her liuing buriall and when she came to recount before all the people the excellent vertue was in her which she had not onely maintained all her life most vnspotted but nowe was contented so miserably to die to follow her husband He told them how she had warned him to take heede of that drinke and so withall the exalâ—inges of her that might be he publikely desired her pardon for those errours he had committed And so kyssing her left her to receiue the most honourable fame of anie Princesse throughout the world all men thinking sauing onely Pyrocles and Philoclea who neuer bewraied her that she was the perfit mirrour of all wifely loue Which though in that point vndeserued she did in the remnant of her life daily purchase with obseruing al dutie faith to the example glorie of Greece So vncertain are mortall iudgments the same person most infamous and most famous and neither iustly Then with Princely entertainment to Euarchus and many kinde words to Pyrocles whom still he dearely loued though in a more vertuous kinde the marriage was concluded to the inestimable ioy of Euarchus towardes whom now Musidorus acknowledged his fault betwixt these peerelesse Princes and Princesses Philanax for his singular faith euer held deare of Basilius while he liued and no lesse of Musidorus who was to inherite that Dukedome and therein confirmed to him and his the second place of that Prouince with great increase of his liuing to maintain it which like proportion he vsed to Kaledulus in Thessalia Highly honouring Kalander while he liued and after his death continuing in the same measure to loue and aduannce this sonne Clitophon But as for Sympathus Pyrocles to whom his father in his owne time gaue the whole kingdome of Thrace held him alwaies about him giuing him in pure gift the great Citie of Abdera But the solemnities of these marriages with the Arcadian pastoralles full of many comicall aduentures hapning to those rurall louers the straunge stories of Artaxia and Plexirtus Erona and Plangus Helene and Amphialus with the wonderfull chaunces that befell them The shepheardish loues of Menalcas with Kalodulus daughter the poore hopes of the poore Philisides in the pursuite of his affections the strange continuance of Klaius and Strephons desire Lastly the sonne of Pyrocles named Pyrophilus and Melidora the faire daughter of Pamela by Musidorus who euen at their birth entred into admirable fortunes may awake some other spirite to exercise his penne in that wherewith mine is already dulled FINIS LONDON Printed for William Ponsonbie dwelling in Paules Church yard neere vnto the great north doore of Paules Anno Domini 1593.
daies what death is so euil as vnworthy seruitude But that opinion soone ceased when he sawe the gallie setting vpon an other shippe which held long and strong fight with her for then he began a fresh to feare the life of his friende and to wish well to the Pirates whome before he hated least in their ruyne he might perish But the fishermen made such speed into the hauen that they absented his eyes from beholding the issue where being entred he could procure neither them nor any other as then to put themselues into the sea so that being as ful of sorrow for beyng vnable to doe any thing as voide of counsel how to doe anything besides that sicknesse grew something vpon him the honest shepheards Strephon and Claius who being themselues true friends did the more perfectly iudge the iustnesse of his sorrowe aduise him that he should mitigate somwhat of his woe since he had gotten an amendment in fortune being come from assured persuasion of his death to haue no cause to dispaire of his life as one that had lamented the death of his sheepe should after know they were but strayed would receiue pleasure though readily he knew not where to finde them Now sir saide they thus for our selues it is We are in profession but shepheards and in this countrie of Laconia little better then straungers and therefore neither in skill nor abilitie of power greatly to stead you But what wee can present vnto you is this Arcadia of which countrie we are is but a little way hence and euen vpon the next confines there dwelleth a Gentleman by name Kalander who vouchsafeth much fauour vnto vs A man who for his hospitalitie is so much haunted that no newes sturre but comes to his eares for his vpright dealing so beloued of his neighbours that he hath many euer readie to doe him their vttermost seruice and by the great good will our Prince beares him may soone obtaine the vse of his name and credit which hath a principall swaie not onely in his owne Arcadia but in all these countries of Peloponnesus which is worth all all these things giue him not so much power as his nature giues him will to benefit so that it seemes no Musicke is sweete to his eare as deserued thanks To him we wil bring you and there you may recouer againe your health without which you cannot bee able to make any diligent search for your friend and therefore you must labour for it Besides we are sure the comfort of curtesie and ease of wise counsell shall not be wanting Musidorus who besides he wâ—s meerly vnacquainted in the countrie had his wits astonished with sorrow gaue easie consent to that from which hee savve no reason to disagree and therefore defraying the Mariners with a ring bestovved vpon them they tooke their iourney together through Laconia Claius and Strephon by course carying his chest for him Musidorus only bearing in his countenance euident markes of a sorovvful-mind supported vvith a vveake bodie vvhich they perceiuing and knovving that the violence of sorovv is not at the first to be striuen vvithall being like a mighty beast soner tamed vvith follovving than ouerthrovven by vvithstanding they gaue vvay vnto it for that day and the next neuer troubling him either vvith asking questions or finding fault vvith his melancholie but rather fitting to his dolor dolorous discourses of their ovvne and other folks misfortunes Which speeches though they had not a liuely entraÌ„ce to his sences shut vp in sorow yet like one halfe a sleepe he tooke hold of much of the matters spoken vnto him so as a man may say ere sorow was a wareâ— they made his thoughts beare away somthing els besid his own sorow which wrought so in him that at leÌ„gth he grew content to marke their speeches then to maruell at such wit in shepheardes after to like their company and lastly to vouchsafe conference so that the third day after in the time that the morning did strow roses and violets in the heauenly floore against the comming of the Sun the nightingales striuing one with the other which coulde in most dainty variety recount their wrong caused sorow made them put of their sleep and rising from vnder a tree which that night had bine their pauilion they went on their iorney which by and by welcomed Musidorus eyes wearied with the wasted soile of Laconia with delightfull prospects There were hilles which garnished their proud heights with stately trees humble valleis whose base estate seemed comforted with refreshing of siluer riuers medowes enameld with all sortes of eypleasing floures thickets which being lined with most pleasant shade were witnessed so too by the cheerefull disposition of many wel-tuned birds ech pasture stored with sheep feeding with sober security while the prety lambes with bleting oratory craued the dams comfort here a shepheards boy piping as though he should neuer be olde there a yong shepherdesse knitting and withall singing and it seemed that her voice comforted her hands to worke and her hands kept time to her voices musick As for the houses of the country for many houses came vnder their eye they were all scattered no two being one by th' other and yet not so far off as that it barred mutuall succour a shew as it were of an accompanable solitarines of a ciuil wildnes I pray you said Musidorus then first vnsealing his long silent lips what countreyes be these we passe through which are so diuers in shewe the one wanting no store th' other hauing no store but of want The country answered Claius where you were cast a shore and now are past through is Laconia not so poore by the barrennes of the soyle though in it selfe not passing fertill as by a ciuill warre which being these two yeares within the bowels of that estate betweene the gentlemen and the peasants by them named Helots hath in this sorte as it were disfigured the face of nature and made it so vnhospitall as now you haue founde it the townes neither of the one side nor the other willingly opening their gates to strangers nor strangers willingly entring for feare of being mistaken But this countrie where now you set your foot is Arcadia euen hard by is the house of Kalander whether we lead you this country being thus decked with peace the child of peace good husbandrie These houses you see so scattered are of men as we two are that liue vpon the commoditie of their sheepe and therefore in the diuision of the Arcadian estate are termed shepheards a happie people wanting litle because they desire not much What cause then saide Musidorus made you venter to leaue this sweet life and put your selfe in yonder vnpleasant and dangerous realme Guarded with pouertie answered Strephon and guided with loue But now said Claius since it hath pleased you to aske any thing of vs whose basenes is such as the very knowledge is darkenes geue vs leaue
she where the desire is such as may be obtained and the partie well deseruing as your selfe it must be a great excuse that may well cullour a deniall but when the first motion carries with it a direct impossibilitie then must the only answere be comfort without helpe and sorrow to both parties to you not obtaining to me not able to graunt O sayd Gynecia how good leisure you haue to frame these scornefull answeres Is Ginecia thus to be despised am I so vile a worme in your sight no no trust to it hard harted tigre I will not be the only Actor of this Tragedy since I must fall I will presse downe some others with my ruines since I must burne my spitefull neighbors shall feele of my fire Doest thou not perceaue that my diligent eyes haue pierced through the clowdie maske of thy desguisemēt Haue I not told thee ô foole if I were not much more foole that I know thou wouldest abuse vs with thy outward shew Wilt thou still attend the rage of loue in a womans hart the girle thy well chosen mistresse perchaunce shall defend thee when Basilius shal know how thou hast sotted his minde with falsehood and falsely sought the dishonour of his house Beleeue it beleeue it vnkind creature I will end my miseries with a notable example of reuenge and that accursed cradle of mine shal feele the smart of my wound thou of thy tiranny and lastly I confesse my selfe of mine owne work Zelmane that had long before doubted her selfe to be discouered by her and now plainely finding it was as the prouerbe saith like them that hold the wolfe by the eares bitten while they hold and slaine if they loose If she held her off in these wonted termes she sawe rage would make her loue worke the effects of hate to graunt vnto her her hart was so bounde vpon Philoclea it had ben worse then a thousand deaths Yet found she it was necessarie for her to come to a resolution for Gynecias sore could bide no leasure and once discouered besides the dāger of Philoclea her desires should be for euer vtterly stopped She remēbred withall the words of Basilius how apt he was to leaue this life returne to his court a great barre to her hopes Lastly she considered Dorus enterprise might bring some strange alteration of this their well liked fellowship So that encompassed with these instant difficulties she bent her spirits to thinke of a remedie which might at once both saue her from them and serue her to the accomplishment of her only pursuite Lastly she determined thus that there was no way but to yeeld to the violence of their desires since striuing did the more chafe them And that following their owne current at length of it selfe it would bring her to the other side of her burning desires Now in the meane while the diuided Dorus long diuided betwene loue and frendship and now for his loue diuided frō his frend though indeed without preiudice of frendships loyaltie which doth neuer barre the minde from his free satisfaction yet still a cruell iudge ouer himselfe thought he was somewayes faultie and applied his minde how to amend it with a speedie and behouefull returne But then was his first studie how to get away whereto already he had Pamelas consent confirmed and concluded vnder the name of Mopsa in her owne presence Dorus taking this way that whatsoeuer he would haue of Pamela he would aske her whether in such a case it were not best for Mopsa so to behaue her selfe in that sort making Mopsas enuie an instrument of that she did enuie So hauing passed ouer his first and most feared difficultie he busied his spirites how to come to the haruest of his desires whereof he had so faire a shew And therevnto hauing gotten leaue for some dayes of his maister Damaetas who now accompted him as his sonne in lawe he romed round about the desart to finde some vnknowne way that might bring him to the next Sea port as much as might be out of all course of other passengers which all very well succeeding him and he hauing hired a Bark for his liues traffick and prouided horsses to carrie her thither returned homeward now come to the last point of his care how to goe beyond the loathsome watchfulnes of these three vncomely companions and therin did wisely consider how they were to be taken with whom he had to deale remembring that in the particularities of euery bodies mind fortune there are particuler aduantages by which they are to be held The muddy mind of Damaetas he found most easily sturred with couetousnes The curst mischeuous hart of Miso most apt to be tickled with iealousie as whose rotten brain could think wel of no body But yong mistres Mopsa who could open her eys vpon nothing that did not all to bewonder her he thought curiositie the fittest bait for her And first for Damaetas Dorus hauing imploid a whole days work about a tenne mile off from the lodge quite contrary way to that he ment to take with Pamela in digging opening the ground vnder an auncient oke that stood there in such sort as might longest hold Damaetas greedy hopes in some shewe of comfort he came to his master with a countenance mixt betwixt cherefulnes and haste and taking him by the right hand as if he had a great matter of secrecie to reueale vnto him Master said he I did neuer thinke that the gods had appointed my mind freely brought vp to haue so longing a desire to serue you but that they minded therby to bring some extraordinary frute to one so beloued of them as your honesty makes me think you are This bindes me euen in conscience to disclose that which I perswade my self is alotted vnto you that your fortune may be of equal ballance with your deserts He said no further because he would let Damaetas play vpon the bit a while who not vnderstanding what his words entended yet well finding they caried no euil news was so much the more desirous to know the matter as he had free scope to imagin what measure of good hap himselfe would Therefore putting off his cap to him which he had neuer done before assuring him he should haue Mopsa though she had bene all made of cloath of gold he besought Dorus not to hold him long in hope for that he found it a thing his hart was not able to beare Maister answered Dorus you haue so satisfied me with promising me the vttermost of my desired blisse that if my duty bound me not I were in it sufficiently rewarded To you therefore shall my good hap be conuerted and the fruite of all my labor dedicated Therewith he told him how vnder an auncient oke the place he made him easily vnderstand by sufficient marks he gaue vnto him he had found digging but a little depth scatteringly lying a great number of rich Medailles and that percing further into the