I do not envy the happiness of my Mistress in possessing your whole Heart I only bewail the misery of my Fortune which hath put me in a condition to be despised even by those for whom I continually do services Having thus spoken she kissed his Hand which she held pressed between her own with so much passion that Lovanius who at first laughed at her folly being not able to resist any longer let himself be overcome by sensuality so much the rather because the Features of Aleria were so excellent that he rather would have been counted a fool than a constant lover who should have let slip the occasion of enjoying her Lovanius and Aleria were ingulfed in Amorous Pleasures when Deadora thinking long e're she was called and perhaps not being without jealousie since true Lovers pay this interest for their pleasure having seen her Husband in bed she came softly down into the ground Chamber There having found her lover engaged in amorous action being hurried by a precipitous rage without remembring the dangers that were imminent to her Life and Honour she began furiously to lay about her both with her hands and tongue Traitors said she do you thus triumph over my disgrace are these the rewards of my confidence and fidelity I 'll handle you in such manner that by seeing you buried in my destruction I will rejoice that my ruine shall not be infested either by your derision or lasciviousness These words were accompanied with so many blows and bites that fetched bloud in many places about Aleria Lovanius in this interim throwing himself at her feet entreated her with such sweet words as would have softned the hardest stones Sometimes he put her in mind of the danger their lives were in Sometimes he excused his own errour promising amendment And other times he protested that his body had sinned without the consent of his soul Deadora nevertheless being deaf to these supplications and humiliations continued her assaults both in words and deeds when Gelasius with a look full of horrour and fierceness came thither He had waking long attended Aleria's coming whereupon rising for to look after her he came where he heard though not distinctly the complaints of Deadora the crys of Aleria and the prayers of Lovanius Gelasius therefore taking a Poniard in his Hand ran in a rage whither the noise called him He had no sooner seen Lovanius embracing his Wifes knees but he concluded him to be the enemy of her Chastity and the reputation of his House wherefore running furiously on him he wounded him in such manner in the head that not being able to support himself he fell flat upon the ground with the Agony of Death upon him which also appeared more terrible unto him because he saw that his sensualities had prepared a grave not only for himself but also for Deadora Gelasius seeing Lovanius in a condition not to live long much less to make any defence turning about to his Wife with a tone so terrible that would have struck horrour into the stoutest heart he said Woman thy offence is so heinous that to let it go unpunished would be an effect rather of weakness than of compassion Yet the characters of my former affection being still imprinted in my mind I will pardon thee but on this condition that seeing this Adulterer hath gotten thy heart thou wilt by the help of this weapon tear it from his breast Deadora taking the Dagger with an undaunted courage greater than is required in any Woman said unto him Sir the errors of love do deserve some kind of pardon because they proceed rather from Fate than out of choice But I confess my self unworthy of it because I could not regulate my dissoluteness She spoke these words and then making as if she would have run the Dagger into Lovanius's body she stabb'd her Husband to the heart who scarce could say Cursed Woman dost thou thus in one moment rob me of my Honour and my Life but losing his Speech in a number of groans in a manner threatning rather than yielding to death he unhappily departed this life Deadora having performed this much more generous than just enterprize she ran to suck in the last breath of Lovanius who striving against the pangs of Death spoke thus unto her My dear Deadora I now dye contented in that I dye not unrevenged Pardon me I pray you and let the chastisement of an humane errour terminate with him that hath committed it For Gods sake let not your anger disturb my ashes But Oh me this is the last minute of my life Give me O my Dear your last kisses for a consolation at this my departure In ending these words he ended his days Deadora being oppressed with grief stood immoveable as a Statue and after a Deluge of tears she cryed out saying Stay a little O thou Soul of my most dear Lovanius 'T is not just that thou shouldst go alone into the Shades In saying so she gave her self a Stab upon the Heart and thereupon in a moment she pow'red forth her Soul with her Bloud Aleria who in the representation of these Tragedies had suffer'd the torments of a thousand Deaths flying from the sight and interrogation of all those whom the noise had drawn thither in great numbers and hating at once both to see her self and the light retired unto the uppermost part of the House Thereby fitting a Cord and therewith miserably expiring she gave a worthy reward to her own immodesty From hence it may be gathered that the joys of all illegitimate love do terminate in sorrows and that unchast affection can have no other than an unhappy end The Argument The Countess of Castelnovo in a certain great exigency sends for assistance to the Marquess Oliverio He being fervently enamoured of her doth most readily comply with her desires The Countess having her want supplied doth by a neat contrivance carried on by favour of the night both save her own honour and satisfie the discretion of the Marquess NOVELL IV. IN the City of Alexandria situate in the Province of Puglia upon the Confines of Monferrat there was a most Noble Gentlewoman whom I will at present distinguish by no other name than that of the Countess This Lady was graced with such singular perfection of Beauty that she could not be beheld by Men without ardent love nor by Women without great envy The content which Lovers had in looking upon the most admirable features of her Face did extort from them the loss of their liberty In short this glorious Sun did dazle the hearts no less than the eyes of the Spectators He was rather deem'd a fool than wise who could not be subject to such sweet Tyranny and he was almost reputed a Sacrilegious Person who did not offer up his heart in Sacrifice to this idolized Beauty This Treasury of all the riches of Nature was by right of Matrimony in the possession of the Count de Castelnovo a Gentleman endued
where they both armed themselves for to revenge the affront done unto their Reputation They could not do this so silently but that some of the Servants gave notice thereof to the Lovers who thereby had the opportunity of getting away before they were assaulted Don Pietro carried Giacintha to an Aunt of hers in a Monastery and he by retiring secured himself from the Persecution which he feared of Justice Don Garzia being wounded in the most sensible part of his Soul did fully resolve to revenge this disgrace by himself He was so far from preferring his complaints to the Judges that he seemed not to reserve the least sense of this injury He answered those that spoke to him of it in such a manner that did rather favour of stolidity than of revenge Nevertheless Don Pietro was not wanting in his due circumspection hoping at length by Marrying Giacintha by exercising acts of modesty and by the interposition of time to appease the implacable rage of Don Garzia In the mean time to shelter himself from Justice he took Sanctuary in a little Grove belonging to a Nunnery where he staid the longer because in the night time by means of the Gardner he had the opportunity of discoursing with Giacintha through an iron-barred Window Don Garzia having intimation hereof got admittance one Night by the mediation of Gold and with Sword in Hand together with his Son set upon Don Piedro He fearing to violate the privilege of the Monastery and unwilling to hazard the lives of his intended Father and Brother-in-law betook himself to flight He was hotly pursued by Ardelius wherefore to stop his fury and save himself Don Piedro facing about was forced to run him into the side Ardelius thereupon suddenly fell down his Soul together with his Bloud expiring in the same moment Don Garzia could not come up time enough either to succour his Son or apprehend his enemy The daylight discovering this sad accident raised up great murmurings in so much as Don Piedro having privately taken leave of Giacintha for to secure himself departed for Flanders which is the Asylum of all wicked and unfortunate men Don Garzia not being able at present to sacrifice the bloud of Don Piedro to his revenge went about to alleviate his sorrow by tormenting the soul of Giacintha He therefore being very lavish of his Gold to bring this to effect contrived it so that all the Letters of Don Piedro were brought to his hands There was a Month past wherein Giacintha was tortured with the impatience of hearing from Don Piedro when one day being at the Window with her Husband's Father she took some comfort in shewing her a Letter which came from Barcellona whither Don Piedro went designing thence for Naples and so for Flanders She having hastily unfolded the Letter found what followeth Dear Sir 'T is not without extream and hearty sorrow that I send you the unhappy News of the loss of your Son Signor Don Piedro He going late out of a Gaming-house last Night was killed by many Wounds he received in his Breast no body knowing nor so much as suspecting who should be the aggressors It grieves me that I should write you so ungrateful a Letter but my affection and obligation could not exempt me from this Office To morrow he will be buried with that Solemnity that is due to his Birth and my grief I pray God in his Mercy to moderate your affliction and to give you that consolation which such an unlucky and cruel chance doth deserve You shall be informed of his concerns by a better opportunity in the mean time please to know that I am Your most devoted servant Il Capitan Diego di Mara This Captain was an intimate friend of Don Pietro's who went with him into Flanders But the Letter was forg'd by Don Garzia not only to triumph in the grief of Giacintha but also to divert her correspondence with Don Piedro and it succeeded as he would have it For Don Piedro coming unto Naples and finding no Letters neither from Giacintha nor his Father according as they had agreed without staying long embarqued for Flanders There for diversion of his troubled thoughts he betook himself to Gaming and Courting of Women in such manner that for Six Years time he neither regarded his Spouse nor his Country In this interim the unfortunate Giacintha being drowned in tears and believing that the advice of Don Piedro's Death was true made her tender affection submit to hard necessity by listing her self a Nun in the same Monastery where she had taken refuge Here truly humbling her self she led a life more Divine than Humane Don Piedro on the other hand being surfeited with the love of many fixed his whole delight upon one only Woman who being either more fair or more cunning than the rest had made her self absolute Mistress of his Heart While thus Don Piedro thought of bringing his amorous hopes to perfection he saw them all blasted in the wilful resolution of his beloved who sent him this Letter Signor Don Piedro Your pretensions are very troublesome unto me My free choice and my Destiny do both forbid me to be yours I being already espoused to the Count Aurelius And although my heart shall alway preserve indelible the memory of your kind expressions yet I would not have you by this declaration to bring the least prejudice upon my honesty or my Husband's Reputation Be pleas'd to accept of this acknowledgment which is all you can expect from Your most humble and most obliged Servant Anna Maria. This Paper did raise up the spirits of Don Piedro to such a pitch that he was for some little time beside himself At length coming to himself again and believing that he could not better heal this latter Wound of Love than by opening the former he returned back to Barza Before he saw his own House he went to the Nunnery to see Giacintha Under pretence of bringing her some Letters from Flanders he made her be called and giving her to understand that he was Don Piedro he caused such a sudden change in her that she was ready to have fainted away Giacintha recovering this oppression of Spirit occasioned by such surprizing joy did presently revive her former affection which became the more ardent for being supprest by the tye of Religion Yet this pair of Lovers thought it not difficult to obtain a Dispensation since that the Bond of Matrimony did preeede that of Devotion and Giacintha was no more at her own disposal for that she had taken upon her a Religious Habit supposing her self to be freed from the obligation of Marriage by the pretended death of Don Piedro They were contriving to bring about their amorous desires to a successful end when Don Garzia being informed of Don Peedro's return and of the entertainments he had with his Daughter thought he had offended the Courage of his Mind by so long forbearance And aspiring to wash off the Stains of his
Reputation by a bloudy revenge being full of rancour he ran to the Grates of the Monastery There he found his Daughter having her hands between those of Don Piedro and holding a very strict conference with him His defiance threatning laying hand on his Sword and mortally wounding of Don Piedro was all done in a trice Don Garzia would in like manner have exercised his fury upon Giacintha if he had not been prevented by Don Piedro who strugling with approaching death did so much reinforce himself as that either to save his Beloved or revenge himself he struck Don Garzia with a Dagger to the heart Don Garzia fell down dead and at the same time Don Piedro also unhappily left this life Giacintha at so dolorous a Spectacle stood like a Stock Tears which do usually in some measure asswage grief in her did augment it Words which by their expression do commonly make sorrow more supportable in her by the greatness of the mischief were stifled before they could be uttered Her eyes therefore not being able to behold so dismal a Tragedy and her heart not being strong enough to resist such cruel tortures which rob'd her in the same moment both of her Father and Husband seeing her losses to be desperate and irrecoverable being overcome by deadly grief she fell down to the ground and unfortunately gave up the Ghost By this it appears that Women in pleasing the inordinate appetites of their Senses and in disobeying the Will and Commands of their Parents do oftentimes prepare a funeral for their own and others happiness and that Men by standing on the Punctilio's of Honour and by exercising the desires of revenge do ruine the greatness of their Families and leave behind them an unhappy and deplored memory to Posterity The Argument Don Diego Saranda being disgusted by a certain Lady resolves to love no more and therefore makes it his business to rail against Women Which being reproved in him by Isabella he falls in love with her And having receiv'd two kind invitations to come to her House is diverted by some accidents of Fire and Sword So that being fearful of hazarding any farther his life he intends to quit the enterprize but being again encouraged by Isabella he is admitted into her Bed Where a new occasion of disgust arising he departs without enjoying her NOVEL IX DOn Diego di Saranda a Gentleman of excellent Merit and Vertue coming to Genoua and taking a private Lodging where he might least be known began to evaporate his passionate Invectives in this manner He that builds his hopes upon the hearts and promises of a Woman may boast of a foundation more unstable than the Waves Woman he that had the wit to call thee Woe man did describe but a little part of thy nature For the precipices of thy inconstancy the insatiety of thy affections and the Hellish torments that thou makest thy Lovers to endure cannot be comprehended in the single word Woe He that called thee Heaven had regard perhaps to thy Thunders and malign influences And who so idolizes thee with the name of Deity does it more in contemplation of the pride of thy Sex and the folly of men than of any desert of thine The Astrologers had great reason to make the House of Women common with that of domestick enemies and to place the House of Death near to that of a Wife for you betray with your smiles entrap by your tears and kill with your wantonness Enough no more Signor Don Diego for God's sake replied a Lady interrupting him that was very well known unto him whom we out of respect to her Quality will call by the borrowed name of Isabella It misbecomes all men continued she to reproach the Female Sex which though naturally it be more weak yet is it more noble than that of yours He that rails at Woman-kind either doth not know their Merit or is unworthy to be acquainted with it Gentlemen like you ought to draw their Swords against those that scandalize Women and not to arm their tongues with injurious words against the reputation of those who have contributed to their Being Madam answered Don Diego my grief tyrannizing over my tongue hath made me utter some odd conceits which though they are the product of anger yet are they not the offspring of falshood But I neither can nor will dispute this matter with you because neither my modesty nor the respect I owe you will permit it But if you had had that experience of a man that I have met with in a Woman sure I am you would wish for a tongue of Thunder and Lightning that might strike dead and reduce all Mankind into Ashes and would exclaim against Dame Nature for necessitating you to obey so odious a subject Tell me I pray you said Isabella again the injury that hath thus excited your hatred against Women Certainly it ought to be very great seeing it extorts from you revenge even against those also that have not in the least offended you In answer to this Don Diego says I will give you a brief relation of my dolorous adventures because I am sure thereby to obtain both compassion to my malady and excuse for my hatred against Women It is now almost five years since I first dedicated my affection unto a certain beautiful and noble Lady This Lady seeming to accept of my love made me so proud that I scornfully despised all other amours and you Madam can be my witness herein seeing I continually refused the favour of your love declaring that my ambition was rather to languish for the love of one than to enjoy the correspondence of a thousand others Seeing that my most humble service was not unpleasing to her after a long and faithful attendance I sued for the reward unto which Lovers do constantly aspire There followed many delays masked under the pretences of Honour and Caution when no longer ago than yesterday I received a challenge to meet my sweet Mistress at night in Venus field I am not able to tell you my unspeakable consolation I as earnestly desired the setting of the Sun as Batts and Owls do desire darkness I came to the appointed place and gave the sign prescribed me but was answered by nothing but mocks and scoffs upbraiding my credulity in believing that a Lady of her esteem should prostrate her Honour to a Lover and yet with these eyes I beheld her Gallant triumphing in my scorn and with his arms about her Neck deriding my Love and Constancy Don Diego did aggravate these passages with so much passion that Isabella taking pity of him broke off his Story saying And now Signor Don Diego why do you blame the Female Sex if by the ill placing of your affections you have met with derision instead of reward You should lay the blame on her that offended you and not include in a particular injury a general revenge against those that are innocent Without doubt you are wholly in the