the head so that the blood ouerflowed his costly attire and he fell to the ground Philenia halfe madde with melancholie leapt from her palfrey to comfort her paramour and seeing the whole troope of assailants ready to charge her husband and assured that Arsadachus was the chiefe of them with such a piteous looke as Venus cast on bleeding Adonis shee behelde Minecius and wiping his wounds with one hand and touching the knees of Arsadachus with the other she spake thus Ah Cuscan prince though thy face is shadowed I knowe thee by these follies though thy raiments are changed I iudge thee by thy rashnesse what seekest thou if my fauour it is already bequeathed if reuenge how base is it against a woman if Minecius life how iniurious art thou to wrong him that loues thee as his life Ah cruell as thou art yet would thou wert not cruel thou knowest Chrises teares could moue Achilles the one proceeding from a seely maid the other pitied by a princely man thou knowest that Alexander to Campaspe Pompey to his prisouer and other great conquerours haue rather shewed compassion then victorie and wilt thou who art equall to all in power be inferier to al in vertue Ah wo is me poore Philenia that haue planted my affections there where they are watered with warme blood and heape my compassion there where working teares haue no boote I pray thee gracious prince I pray thee be gracious diuide not those by murther whome the gods haue vnited by marriage seperat not those soules by death whome the destinies haue appointed to liue In speaking these words she beheld Minecius who through the grieuousnesse of his wounds fell in a swowne wherevpon she casting off all care of life and hope of comfort closed her soft lippes to his breathing the balme of her sighes into his breathlesse bodie clapping his pale cheekes with her pretie hands moisting his closed eies with her christal teares so that they who were the very authors of her sorow gan sigh to see her ceremonies Wilt thou hence said she Minecius Oh stay for Philenia let our soules post together to Elizium that on earth here may not enioy their happinesse for nothing shall separate me from thee my loue if thou do banish sight from thine eie I will driue out blood from my heart if thy beautie grow pale as â—ying death my cheekes shall pine as seeking death if thou faint through feeblenesse of bodie I will default through waightinesse of discontent and since we may not liue together we will die together With this Minecius rowsed himselfe and Arsadachus inflamed replied Philenia there is no raunsome of thy husbands life but thy loue nor no meanes to pacifie me but my pleasure of thee speake therefore and sound the sentence of my delight or Minecius destruction which said he approched to kisse hir whom Minecius though halfe dead beganne to rescue and Philenia halfe bedlam enforced her selfe in these termes Traitor disloyall and damned leacher since neither teares nor tearmes will satisfie thee vse thy tyranny for better were it for me to be buried with honor then bedded with infamie do therefore thy worst thou hated of the gods and despised among men for no sooner shalt thou assaile my husband but thou shalt slaie me each drop of his blood shall be doubled by mine and â—s in life he should haue beene the shelter of mine honor so euen in death wil I be the shield to defend him froÌ„ the assaults of his enemies come therefore ye murtherers in growing cruel to me you wil proue pitiful first take my life that Minecius beholding my constancie may die with more comfort Thus cried she out with many teares and Minecius disswaded her But the time passing away and Arsadachus fearing delaies seeing all hope lost grew to desperate furie so that animating his followers they set on Minecius who valiantly defended himselfe It was a world to see how during the conflict Philenia bestirred her letting no blow slip without the warde of her body lying betweene the sword of the enemy for her husbands safetie crying out on the heauens til she was wellnie hoarse with crying At last Minecius lacking blood Philenia breath both of them entangled arme in arme fell downe dead leauing the memorie of their vertues to be eternized in all ages Arsadachus seeing the tragedies perfourmed not without some sighs which compassion extorted from him as strokes do fire out of hard flint he presently sent Brasidas away as it was concluded attended by those Cuscans that followed him in the enterprise and hee with Thebioâ— speedily posted to their lodging both vndiscouered and vnsuspected By this such as attended Minecius to his castle had with speedy flight entred the court of Arsinous who certified of his daughters danger aduised the emperour and presently with certaine armed souldiers posted on to the rescouse meane while Protomachus made search through al the court for such as were absent and they that were appointed to the action entring Arsadachus chamber found him in his foxe sleepe where-through the emperour being aduertised gan little suspect him in like sorâ— found they Thebion only Brasidas was missing In the meane while Arsinous hauing attained the place of the conflict found both the murthered bodies sweltered in their blouds whereupon falling from his horse in great furie he thus exclaimed on fortune Oh fortune wel art thou called the enemie of vertue since thou neither fauourest such as deserue wel nor destroyest those that performe ill for hadst thou not beene partiall my daughters chastitie had preuented her death and her murtherers crueltie had beene their owne confusion woe is me that haue lost my floure in the bud my hope in the eare and my haruest in the blossome Ah my deere Philenia deare wert thou to me that bought thee with much care and haue lost thee with more deere wert thou vnto me who hast cost me many broken sleepes to bring thee vp many carefull thoughts to bestow thee more fatherly teares to preuent thy ouerthrow and now hauing reared the fortresse of my delights the tempest of iniurious fortune hath destroyed it wo is me that am carefull to publish my paines and negligent to seeke remedy fond am I to defie fortune from whom I cannot flie ah Arsinous weepe not her that may not be recalled with teares but seeke to reuenge her shew thy selfe rather fatherly in act then effeminate in teares Which said he gouerned himselfe causing the dead bodies honorably to be couered and conueied with him to his castle where within a temple erected to chastitie hee reared a faire tombe of white marble wherein with the generall teares of the emperour and his whole court these two faithful louers were entombed and ouer their graues thus written Vertue is dead and here she is enshrined Within two lifelesse bodies late deceased Beautie is dead and here is faith assigned To weepe her wracke who when these dide first ceased Pitie was dead when tyranny
of such a troublesome wretch why cease you then you Cuscans to sacrifice to your gods to the end they may deliuer you of this trouble-world It was a lawe among the Romanes that that childe which had disobeyed his father robbed any temple iniured any widdowe committed any treason to a stranger should be banished from Rome and disinherited of his fathers possessions and what hath not Arsadachus done of these things and why is not Arsadachus punished Scedasus daughters being violated in Lacedemon and vnreuenged by the magistrates of the cittie the gods inflicted both the guiltie and vnguiltie with plagues in that they afflicted not punishment on the offenders and what can you hope ye Cuscans that suffer this sincke of sinne to triumph in your pallaces You will perhappes say that no man is to be punished afore hee be conuicted And I pray you for what should ill men pleade since as Chrisippus saith nothing is profitable vnto them You see testimonies of his murther before your eies tokens of his periury I ring in your eares his lust the gods abhorre and shall he yet liue This said there grew a great muttering among the nobilitie and the noise thereof awaked the emperour whose sleep had stayed the working of the inchantment who finding him selfe wholy imbrewed with blood his doores fast locked vnto him beganne to misdeeme whereuppon calling and exclaiming on his attendants some of them at last fearefully opened the doores The nobilitie hearing of his freedome presently fled but when as the fatall fruits of his furie were discouered vnto him and his ruthfull eies beheld what his hands had executed Lord what pittifull exclamations vsed he how hee rent his breast with furie how he tare his face At last laying him downe vpon the mangled members of Diana and embracing the dead bodie of Margarita hee washed both of them in his teares and demeaned himselfe so wofully as it 〈◊〉 wonder to behold at last with a bitter sigh he brake out into these bitter words whilest his nobles hearing of his recouery beganne to reenter the pallace True it is that Plutarch saith quoth he that life is a stage-play which euen vnto the last act hath no decorum life is replenished with al vices and empouerished of all vertue Sooth spake Chrisippus when he alleadged this that the euilles of this life are so many that the gods can not inuent more neither a liuing man indure halfe so that rightly I may say with Hercules Plenus malorum sum iam nec superest locus Alijs nouis recipiandis But why philosophie I of life complaining on it where I ought onely to conuict my selfe It is not the wretchednesse but the wickednesse of life that maketh it odious Then hast thou occasion wretched man as thou arte to learne thee who hauing sinned in the excesse oughtest rightly to haue thy comforts in defect Yea I haue sinned O ye heauens first in beguiling this chast Margarita with hope in wronging my deere parents in their age in slaughtering this poore infant with his mother Oh AEtna of miseries that I see oh ye Cuscan princes why suffer you me aliue that haue stained your empire with such infamies why vnsheath you not your swords for pitie delay not for pittie rid me of life alas why craue I pittie that haue beene altogether pittilesse ah yee flockes of flatterers where are you nowe that fedde me with follies come nowe and punish my follies in me none heareth me all forsake me despised of the gods hated of men ah iust heauens I honour you that haue left mee occasions in my selfe you cursed eies of mine that haue glutted your selues in vanitie since you reft me of my senses I will be reuenged on your sight which saide hee drew out his eies weeping piteously in so erneful maner that the whole assistance became compassionate at last some one of his nobles labouring to pacifie him alleadging reasons of great weight which in a man of gouernement were sufficient to quallifie the furie of sorrow he replied thus Friends and princes the force of reason as the Stoicks say is not to bee vsed in those things that are not it concerneth not me lords that I liue perswade me not for that cause to entertaine and thinke of life for if it be odious to those that through infirmities of their flesh grow in hate with it what should it be to me who haue not onely a bodie aggreeued with sorrowes but a soule sweltered in sinnes lament mee not therefore neither releeue me for as the dewe causeth leprosie in man though it yeeldeth life to floures so teares rather torment those that dispaire then releeue them and though they comfort the distressed yet they are tedious to the desperate I feele my forlorne heart you nobles cloyed with thoughtes and longing to be disburthened I see with mine inward eies the ghosts of these poore slaughtered soules calling for iustice at my hands stay me not therefore from death but assist me to die for by this meanes you shall ridde your countrey of a plague the world of a monster Such as are wounded with brasen weapons are according to Aristotles opinion soone healed so likewise are they that are tainted with easie sorrow but whereas the passions exceede reason they haue no issue but death the instrument that woundeth is deadly Ah my heart I finde Plutarchs reason of force for as the sunne is to the heauen so is the heart to the man and as the one eclipseth the other cloudeth when the one danceth the other dieth I â—eele thee poore heart dispossest of al ioy and shal I continue possest of life no you ghosts I will visit you This saide he grapled about the floore among the dead bodies and at last he griped that weapon wherewith he slew Margarita wherewith piercing his hated bodie he breathed his last to the generall benefit of all the Cuscans who in that they would pacifie the emperour Protomachus who as they vnderstoode had leuied a huge armie after they had enterred their slaine emperour with his faire loue bestowed honourable funerall on the princesse Margarita on whose sepulchre as also on that of Dianâ—es Arsinous wrote these epitaphs Margaritaes Epitaph A blessed soule from 〈…〉 Ye happie heuens hath 〈◊〉 to you conuaide The earthly holde within this tombe inclosed White Marble stones within your wombe is laide The fame of her that soule and bodie lost Suruiues from th'ile to the Bractrian coast A precious pearle in name a pearle in nature Too kinde in loue vnto too fierce a foe By him she lou'd shee dide O cursed creature To quite true faith with furious murther so But vaine are teares for those whom death hath slaine And sweete is fame that makes dead liue againe Dianaes Epitaph Thy babe and thou by sire and husbands hand Belou'd in staied sence was slaine in rage Both by vntimely death in natiue land Lost Empire hope and died in timelesse age And he whose sword your bloud with furie spilt Bereft himselfe of life through cursed guilt All ye that fixe your eies vpon this tombe Remember this that beautie fadeth fast That honours are enthralde to haples dombe That life hath nothing sure but soone doth wast So liue you then that when your yeares are fled Your glories may suruiue when you are dead In this sort were these murthered princes both buried honored with epitaphs by which time the emperor of Mosco arriued in Cusco who certified of that which had insued with bitter teares lamented his daughter and vpon the earnest submission of the Cuscans spoiled not their confines but possessing himselfe of the empire he placed Arsinous gouernor of the same whom vpon the earnest reconcilement and motion of the Princes he tooke to fauour being certified of his wrong and innocencie which done he returned to Mosco there spending the remnant of his dayes in continuall complaints of his Margarita FINIS
Yet in my paines me thinkes you take great pleasure Loth to redeeme or else redresse the same Nor hath your heart compassion of mine illes More cold then snow more hard then Alpine hils The other was this which seemed to be written with more vehementle of spirit and 〈◊〉 great 〈◊〉 melancholie which iâ— a shepheards habite sitting vnder a â—ieâ—le tree he had mornfully recorded in the presence of his mistresse PIETATI O desarts be you peopled by my plaints And let your plantes by my pure teares be watred And let the birds whom my sad mone acquaint To heare my hymnes haue harmonie in hatred Let all your sauage citizens reframe To haunt those bowers where I my woes bewray Let none but deepe dispaire with me remaine To haste my death when hope doth will me stay Let rocks remoue for feare they melt to heare me Let Eccho whist for dread shee die to answere So liuing thus where no delights come neere me My manie mones more moouing may appeare And in the depth of all when I am climing Let loue come by see sigh and fall a crying This mourning passion pleased the ladies very highly especially Philenia who thought her selfe no little blessed to bee thus beloued among the rest they gaue this that follows his deserued commendation for being written in the desolate season of the yeare and the desperate successe of his earnings being so applied to his affects and accordant with the yeares effects in my minde deserueth in small good liking With Ganimede now ioines the shining sunne And through the world displaise his chiller flame Cold frost and snow the meddowes and the mountaines Do wholie blend the waters waxen Ice The meadâ—s want flowers the trees haue parched leaues Such is the dolie season of the yeare And I in coldest season of the yeare Like to a naked man before the Sunne Whilest drought thus dwels in herbes and dried leaues Consume my selfe and in affections flame To cinders fall ne helpes me frost or ice That falles from off these Snow-clad cloudie mountains But when as shades new clothe againe the mountaines And daies wax long and warmer is the yeare Then in my soule fierce loue congeales an Ice Which nor the force of fierce enflamed sunne May thaw nor may be moult with mightie flames Which frost doth make me quake like Aspen leaues Such time the windes are whist and trembling leaues And beast grow mute reposing on the mountaines Then when aslaked beene the heauenly flames Both in the waine and prime tide of the yeare I watch I warde vntill the new sprung sunne And hope and feare and feele both cold and Ice But when againe her morrow-gathered Ice The morne displaies and froâ—tieth drouping leaues And day renewes with rising of the sunne Then wailful â—orth I wend through vales mountaines Ne other thought haue I day moneth and yeare But of my first the fatall inward flames Thus loue consumes me in his liuely flames Thus loue doth freeze me with his chillie Ice So that no time remaines me through the yeare To make me blithâ—ne are there any leaues Through al the trees that are vpon the mountaines That may conceale me from my sweetest 〈◊〉 First shalâ— the sunne be seene without his flame The wintred mountaines without frost or ice Leaues on the stones ere I content one yeare This written in an amorous and more pâ—ausible vaine as that which most pleased the Ladies and was not of least worth I haue set downe last O curious Gem how I enuie each while To see thee play vpon my Ladies paps And heare those Orbes where Cupid layes his traps From whence a gratious Aprill still doth smile And now thou plaist thee in that Garden gentill Twixt golden fruite and neere her heart receiuest Thy rest and all her secret thoughts conceiuest Vnder a vaile faire white diuine and subtill Ye gentle pearles where ere did nature make you Or whether in Indian shoares you found your mould Or in those lands where spices serue for fuell Oh if I might from ouâ— your essence take you And turne my selfe to shape what ere I would How gladly would I be my Ladies Iewell Many such like were deuised by Minecius and allowed by Philenia thorow which Loue that had newe vurgend his wings began to flie and being shut in close embers brake out to open fire so that like the Alcatras that scenteth farre Philenia consented to yeeld him faâ—â—ouâ— who sought it knowing that his wit like the rose being more sweet in the bud then in the floure would best fiâ—â—erâ— and as the hâ—arb Ephemerus that hath in his spring a sweete and purple floure but beeing of tenne dayes growth conceiueth nothing of beauty but is replenished with barrennesse so course of time woulde change him she made choise of him since in that estate of life wherein he then liued was fashioned to all pleasures and disfurnished of no perfection she knew him most meetest to enioy his beautie and most accordant to possesse her marriage bed But leaue we Philenia delighted in her Mineciu Margarita applauding them both Protomachus conuersing with Arsinous and the whole courtely traine of Mosco liuing in them coâ—ent and let vs haue an eie to Cusco and the emperour thereof who no sooner arriued in this court but like the good gardner knowing his time to plant like the fortunate husband well trained to yoake and plâ—ugh learned of Trisolium who lifteth vp her leaues against tempest and the emoâ— who by her prouision and trauel foretelleth a showre and trouble that followeth thought good hauing beene taught by experience to take the opportunitie knowing that princes and monarchs mindes are most subiect to alterations according to the humours of their counsailes to send his sonne Arsadachus to Mosco whereupon furnishing him with princely attendance and great treasures he see him forward on his way and at his last farewel â—ooke his leaâ—e of him in this fatherly and kingly manner My sonne as thou art yoong in yeres so hast thou yong thoughts which if thou gouerne not with discretion it will be the cause of thy destruction Thou art leauing thy country for an other court thy familiars for new friends where the least mite of follie in thee will shew a mountaine the least blemish a great blot Since therefore thine inclination is corrupt and the faults which I smother in that I am thy father others will smite at being thy foes I wilâ— counsell thee to foresee before thou fall and to haue regarde before thy ruine Thou art borne a Prince which being a benefit sent from heauen is likewise an estate subiect to all vnhappinesse for whereas much durt is thither come many carrions where high fortunes many flatterers where the hugeredat growes the thistle springeth where the foorde in deepest the fish are plentiest and whereas soueraigntie is there are many seducers Be thou therefore warie like the Unicorne which for feare she should taste poison toucheth with her horne
her entrailes about the pallace floore and seizing on her heart hee tare it in peeces with his tyrannous teeth crying Sic itur ad astra by this tiâ—e the rumour â—as spread throughout the pallace and from the pallace through the citie by which meanes the triumphs which were commenced were turned to mournings for Arsadachus vsed such cruelties euery way that the Numantines for all their inhumanitie could neuer be able to match him And in this fitte continued he for the space of sixe houres at which time he entred the secrets of his pallace and finding there a yong sonne which his Diana had bred and he begotten he tooke it by the legges battering out the braines thereof against the walles in such sort as the beholders were amazed to see him this done he flung it on the ground among the dead members of his mother calling on the name of Artosogon and Lelia his father and mother and telling them that in some part he had yeelded them reuenge By this time Arsinous and Margarita were entred the citie who hearing the turmoile thorow the citie questioned the cause thereof and were certified by those that passed by in what estate the emperour was at that present Margarita hearing the cause beganne wofully to exclaime til she was pacified by Arsinous who told hir that the nature of the medicine which he gaue her was such that if Arsadachus were constant to her it would increase his affection if false it would procure madnesse to which effect since the matter was brought it coulde not be but the yoong Emperour had wronged her With these perswasions hee drew her to the pallace where thrusting through the prease Arsinous thought himselfe happy to see such a reuenge wrought on his enemie Margarita was heartlesse to behold the dolefull estate of Arsadachus so that forgetting the honor of his name and the modestie of her sex she brake thorow the guard and ranne to Arsadachus where he sate embrewed in the bloud of innocents and with teares spake thus vnto him Is this the ioy of my loue said she are these thy welcomes to thy beloued in steede of triumphes to feast her with tragedies in lieu of banquets with blood why speaketh not my deare spouse why lookest thou so ghastly O if it bee thy pleasure to shew crueltie on me make it short by a death not lingering by life Arsadachus all this while sate mute gastly staring on Maâ—â—arita at last fiercely flinging her from his necke his rage reuiued and he cried out Diana ah Diana by thy bright lookes by thy beautifull loâ—kes let not thy ghost be displeased thou shalt haue bloud for bloud here is the sacrifice here is the instrument whereupon drawing a rapier out of the sheath of one of those who ministred fast by him he ranne Margarita quite thorow the bodie and in this sort with bedlam madnesse fled out of the presence to his priuy chamber The poore princesse euen when death beganne â—o arrest her pursued him and as she indeuoured to vtter hir moanes fell downe dead on the floore whom Arsinous wofully bewept and in the presence of the princesse of Cusco discouered what she was Then beganne each of them to imagine a new feare doubting lest the Emperour of Mosco should reuenge her death at their handes For which cause they consulted how to shut vp Arsadachus til Protomachus were certified which they effected sodainely in that they found him laide on his bed and soundly sleeping enforced thereunto by the industrie and art of Arsinous Who after he perceiued the whole assembly of princes dismayed caused the ministers to gather vp the mangled members and couer theÌ„ with a rich cloth of gold and afterwards seeing al the courtiers attentiue he beganne in this manner Thales ye worthie princes after he had trauelled long time and at last returned home being asked what strange or rare thing hee had seene in his voiage answered an olde tyrant for certaine it is that such as practise open wrong liue not long for the gods yeeld them shortest life that haue the wickedest wayes muse not therefore to see your yong Emperour in these passions whose sinnes if they be ripped vp exceede al sence whose tyrannies surpasse the beleefe of any but such as haue tried them What know you not of his disobedience who spared not his owne father that begate him his deere mother that bred him What knowe you not of his periurie that hath falsified his faith to Protomachus betraied and murthered Margarita and at one time frustrated the hope of both these empires What know you not of his murthers where these in sight are sufficient to conuict him but those I sigh for are more odious who thorow his lewd lusâ—â—e reft me poore Arsinous of my daughter and her of an husband But the iust gods haue suffered me to behold the reuenge with mine eies which I haue long wished for with my heart Truely yee Cuscans ye are not to maruell at these chaunces if you bee wise neither to wonder at your emperours troubles if you haue discretion for as vnitie according to Pythagoras is the father of number so is vice the originall of many sorows When the fish Tenthis appeareth aboue the water there foloweth a tempest when euils are growne to head there must needely follow punishment for as the gods in mercie delay so at last in iustice they punish Heare me yee men of Cusco and consider my words if neuer as yet any tyrant liued without his tragedie what should you expect In faith no other thing but the confirmation of Platoes reason who saide that it is vnnecessarie for him to liue that hath not learned how to liue well The tyrant of Sicely Dionisius of whome it is said that he gaue as great rewarde to those that inuented vices as Rome did to those that conquered realmes died a priuate man and in miserie Nowe what in respect of this man can you hope of Arsadachus who hired not men to inuent but did himselfe in person practise beleeue me beleeue me your sufferance of such a viper in your realme is a hainous sinne in you and as Dion saith it is but meete they be partakers to the paine who haue wincked at the fault Caligula the emperor of Rome was so disordered in his life that if all the Romanes had not watched to take life from him he would haue waited to take life from them this monster bare a brooch of gold in his cap wherin was written this sentence Vtinam omnis populus vnam praecisè ceruicem haberet vt vno ictu omnes necarem And what was this man in regarde of Arsadachus Truely almost innocent for the one pretended kindnesse to those that gently perswaded him but the other neither feared the gods neither spared his friends neither regarded iustice and can such a monster deserue life The Romanes when the tyrant Tiberius was made away sacrificed in their open streetes in that the gods had reft them