contrarie to these things and shewest that thou art not son of a king but of perdition for thou despisest thy father In stead of reuerence thou hast him in hate and thou makest him warre where thou shouldest hold him in loue and thou puttest him to great dishonor thy selfe where thou art hold and bounden to do him worship O Iupiter who shall giue thée absolution of thy life dwelling in venome Who shall excuse thy sinne Thou art enemie of thy father The case is so grieuous that there is no mercie ne excusation vnlesse it procéede from the naturall clementie of thy father Beholde Iupiter beholde the ende of thine insurrection All lawe positiue and all lawe written condemne thée vnto death and curse and anathematise thée It is great pittie thou art a goodly yong man Know that thy reigne may not long dure and that thou shalt more sharply be punished then thou wéenest peraduenture at this this time For Ganimedes one of the sonnes of Troy is hereby in the helpe of Saturne thy father with twenty thousand sighting men which summoneth thée by me that thou returne into the mercie of thy father and yéeld him his realme all excuses set apart Messenger aunswered Iupiter if I were such one as ye say with iust reason ye and other might giue sentence and condemnation vpon mee I were then guiltie for both parties And I trow if Ganimedes of whome ye haue spoken had heard my my excuse hée would not bee mine enemie I aunswere you that I loue my father Saturne in as much as hee is my father But I say to you on the other part that he hath oft tymes sought to put me to death hée shewing himselfe my mortall aduersarie and not father For euery father naturally loueth his sonne and for that regarde I will kéepe me from him as from mine enemie And will well that the Troyans knowe that if they come and assayle mee I will defende mee with all my puissance c. With this aunswere returned the saide Troian vnto Saturne and Ganimedes and sayd vnto them what he had found Saturne and Ganimedes swore then the death of Iupiter and approched so nigh the strait that they came within a bow shot the one nigh vnto the other and from as farre as they sawe each one nigh vnto the other they made great cryes and showtes Iupiter had set his puissaunce in two wings whereof hee was chiefe in the formost and Ixion and his Centaures were gouernours of the second When Iupiter had séene that there was no way but for to skirmish he said he would begin the battaile and after that he had encouraged his people he pricked his horse foorth and then happened and befell a maruaylous thing For from the high clouds aboue came downe an Eagle vpon his head and after beganne to flie about him making him ioy and théere and departed not nor left him during the battaile By the flying of this Eagle Iupiter and the people tooke in them an hope of good successe And Saturne and the Troians fell in a feare and doubt that could not come out of their conceits What shall I say more when Iupiter sawe the dooing of the Eagle he had a great ioy in his heart and as a man well assured in his bodie he entred among the Archers of the Troyans that shot thicke at him and running as a tempest passed by their arrowes and tarried not for resistance of shot till he came among the men of armes of the Troyans The Troyans had neuer séene man on horse backe before and when they saw Iupiter they had thought it had béene halfe a man and halfe a horse and there were some that fled at his comming and some abode and fought valliantly against him thus began the battaile of that day They of Crete followed Iupiter with a great noyse of Tabors and clarions and began to skirmish with the Troyans they did their best on both sides Iupiter bare to the ground many Troyans and well employed his horse on which he rode Ganimedes and Saturne on the other side failed not Alway Iupiter proued himselfe in armes the most expert aboue all other And abandoned his body and life vnto the fight of his enemies and there was no man that durst haue to do with him or abide him but he was slain and put vnderfoote by the cutting and smiting of his sword Cruell and fierce was this battaile The Troyans were without feare and did great prowesses and manly by the the leading of Saturne and of Ganimedes Saturne met Iupiter often times as he that sought great strokes but Iupiter that knew him well would neuer abide him saying that he would neuer set hand on his person but eschewed and fled his death vnto his power This notwithstanding hee sought the death of his helpers and made no sparing of their harnesse ne armor of leather of their heades ne of their liues of yong nor of old of valiant nor of hardy it was to him all one he yéelded neither to one side nor to other for stroke of sword of mace ne of guisarme Yet he had oft remembrance of the faire Danae and desiring to be quit of his enemies for to go about her deliuerance like as he had promised vnto her he smote off heads and arms Vnto him was nothing impossible At euery stroke he dyed his sword with new blood and the Eagle did flée alway about him now low now hie Wherfore the Troians had great despite in thēselues Ganimedes the noble Troyan was of little stature Yet notwithstanding he was of more greater courage then any other vigorouslie he fought agaynst them of Crete as hee that mynded nothing but to get worshippe and honour What shall I say they fought thus togither in this poynt from the morning till the euening without that any of both parties obtayned any winning or losse and then Saturne withdrew his people on the one side and Iupiter returned with the King Ixion and the Centaures and still followed him alwayes the Eagle and sate vppon his Tent which was made of boughes and greene rushes For at that time Tents and Pauillions of cloath were not had nor vsed howbéeit the making of linnen cloath and of cloath of Golde and Silke was founde afore this tyme. In this night they of Troy and they of Crete made great cheare in theyr Tentes and lodgings and disposed them to beginne againe on the morrowe the labour of armes hoping all to haue the better and victorie The hurt men were dressed and the harnesse broken was made again and amended they spake largely of the prowesses of one and other but principally they helde theyr speaches of the Eagle and spake so much of him that Iupiter that same night tooke a péece of Crimson Satten containing a yard and a halfe square and made therein the resemblaunce of an Eagle of Golde and set it on a Speare and made a banner saying that he would beare that banner in all battailes euer after
and go and complaine to king Saturne After these wordes Vesca deliuered the child to a Damosell of the house that onely was there with them and bade her that she should go slea the childe in the presence of Saturne or in some other place out of theyr sight the poore damosell excused her and Vesca gaue her in commandement and charged her with great menaces that she should go forth and take the child and the knife and â—â—ea it And so by the commaundement of these two Ladyes shee tooke the knife many times put it to the throte of the childe for to cut it asunder and alway the noble childe laughed at the knife And when the damosell saw this that it was innonocent she might not find in her heart to do it any harme In this sorrow and and in this pain and vexation Vesca Cibel and the damosell were a long time Now they iudged him to death and put the knife to his throte and suddainly the Damosell reuoked it and sware that she would neuer be persecutresse of one to fayre a childe And thus they began all thrée to wéepe and sobbe bewailing the childe by so great affection that it was pitie to heare After this when they had long wept and sobbed and bewayled the tender wéeping and paine of Cibell they beganne a little to pacifie their hearts and began to returne to motherly pitie Cibell called her that held the child and required her pitiously that she would giue her her sonne to kisse and hold in her armes promising that she would do him no harme The Damosell that wist not what should fall deliuered her her tender childe and then when Cibell beheld her childe with her face all bewept and all distempered with teares she kissed his laughing mouth more then an C. times came againe to her nature knowledging her sinne and began to say My child I had bin well infortunate if I had taken thy life from thée I haue coÌ„tended thy death my right swéete sonne alas shall I persecute thée after the will of thy father king Saturne It is his commandement and I owe him obeysaunce if I obey the culpe and sin is due to him If I obey not I make my selfe culpable of death Ah what is this shalt thou die by my handes by the hands of thy proper mother Hâ— shall thy mother be thy mâ—â—tyrer Shall thy mother be thine enemie and bitter mortal aduersarie for doubt of death I wote not what to say but wil I or will I not thou art my sonne Euery mother loueth her childe how may I hate thée It is much better that I tie then thou I haue liued long though and thou art nowe 〈◊〉 borne Verily thou shalt not â—â—s at this time I shall saue thy life or I shall die for thy health requiring the gods mercie for the euill will that I had against thée CHAP. IIII. ¶ How Saturn had commaunded to slea Iupiter that was new borne and how his mother Cibell sent him to king Meliseus where he was nourished THe right sorrowfull Ladie after this came better to hir selfe and tooke heart to heâ— and kissed her child that alway laughed And Vesca beheld her countenance all new and sate downe on the bed side where her daughter lay There they two began to speake togither of Saturn of the fortune of this childe and that hee had béene in great aduenture and promised the one vnto the other that they would saue the childe vnto their power After this promise in the ende of diuerse purposes they concluded to send this child secretly vnto the two daughters of king Melliseus the which Vesca had nourished in her yong age Of these two daughters the one was named Almachee and the other Mellisee This conclusion fully finished and taken Vesca lapped and wound the childe as it ought to be and deliuered it vnto a damosell being there present with all things gaue her charge to bear it secretly to Almachee Mellisee The good damosel enterprised the said charge and departed out of Crete with the child at al aduenture so worshipfully guided her that she brought the child liuing in safetie to the citie of Oson which she presented to Almachee and Mellisee rehearsing how Vesca had sent him to them for the great loue and trust that she had in them and how Saturn had commaunded that his mother should flea it Anone as these two damosels sawe the childe and vnderstoode how Saturne had iudged it to death they receyued it with pitie and in fauour of Vesca promised to nourish it in the secretest and best wise that they mought And forthwith the same houre they bare the childe vnto a mountaine that was nigh to the Citie wherein dwelled their nourse in a déepe hole of a caue which was richly entailed and carued with Chisell and other diuerse instruments And then they sent againe the Damosell that brought the child into Crete In this maner was the life of the childe saued Almachee and Mellise nourished the child with the milk of a goat Fortune was to him more propice and helping theÌ„ nature What shall I say in the beginning when he was put in the caue as his nurse on a day sawe him wéepe and crie by his proper inclination of chilhoode because hee should not be heard they tooke Trumpets Timpanes and nimbals and made them to sownd so greatly that a great multitude of Bées fléeing about the mountaine heard their sound and with this sownd entred into the caue and tooke an hole by the childe flying about him without any greefe or harme doing to the childe and yet more they made there honie whereof the childe did eate and was nourished from thence forth which was a maruailous thing And for to atchieue the matter beginning at the damosell that had borne this childe thither when she came againe shee rehearsed to dame Cibell and Vesca all her dooing and worke and gaue them a right great comfort touching the childe Then the two Ladies by méere deliberatioÌ„ tooke an Abest which is a precious stone and brayed it into pouder and after that they mingled it with wine in a cup of gold and dame Vesca bare it to her son Saturne and she abounding in bitter teares all bewept said vnto him My sonne thy wife hath sent to thée this drinke know thou verely that she this day hath rendred and yéelden the fruit of her wombe a son and a daughter she hath sent the daughter to nourish in the Citie of Parthenie but in the obeying of thy straight commandemeÌ„t we haue defeated thy son and put him to death Of whom the body the flesh and the little tender bones be now turned into ashes she hath sent here to thee the right noble hart tempred in wine which I present to thée to the end that thou do thy pleasure and be no more in doubt by thy son to be put out of the realme Anon as Saturne
trauaile in furies redoubled and in sighes vpon sighes which may not be puruaied of remedie but by your benignitie and amorous good will At the beginning of the first recommendation that was made of you in my presence and at the poynt that I enterprised to deliuer you out of this Tower I beheld my selfe right ioyfull and happie because of so hie an enterprise but séeing the perils that I finde my selfe in since I wote neuer what I may say of my selfe For by moneth vpon moneth wéeke vpon wéeke and day vpon day your name hath had domination on me And oft times hath constrained mée to be rauished and yet more in a traunce by desire to speake to you and to imagine howe I should come to the poynt where I nowe am and not onelie in this but also to finde mercie in you And I pray and require you right humbly that the amourous gift of mercie ye will to me accord and thus doing ye shall do mercie to your selfe and haue pitie of your yong daies which you haue consented to loose by the foolish fantasies of the king your father Ye know well that his life during he will not suffer you to be married to any man It is possible that your father shall liue as long as you for he is strong of members hard and boystrous Also ye ought conceyue if ye will beléeue me that your life hath no wealth nor pleasance Onely the pleasances come vnto the people by the sight and by beholding of diuerse things The women singularly haue their principall pleasures in their husbands and in their generation and lynages Ye may come here to but then ye must haue mercie on your selfe Is it not in your conceyte and knowledge that no man hath but his life in this world Forasmuch as ye obey and yéeld to the foolish commaundement of your father the King Acrisius ye shall be a woman lost being in this place it is not possible to take and haue patience This is too hard a thing vnto a yong heart to be put in prison without demerite I knowe the humaine affections and vnderstande that natually euerie creature loueth his profite before the profite of another This is agaynst your prosperitie and vtilitie from which ye be shut here within Howe may ye haue loue vnto him which is cause of two euils The lesse euill is to bee chosen since that you féele you condemned here vnto the ende of the dayes of your father Doubt ye not but his ende is oft desired to his death for your sake and his death may not bee effected without great charge of conscience Me thinketh that better it were for you in diuerse considerations to finde way to issue and go out of this place and to take to husband some noble puissant man that wold enterprise to carrie you away secretelie for to be his wife in his Countrey By this meane ye shall be deliuered from the paine that ye be in ye may eschew the death of your father and lesse euill yee should doo in breaking his foolish commaundement then to abyde in the poynt where hee hath put you Madame alas thinke ye here on for your honour and health as I haue sayde vnto you I am your seruaunt and if it please you to depart from this place ye shall finde no man readier then I am for to kéepe you and to saue you I giue my selfe vnto your noble commaundements for to furnish your will to my power as he that beareth alway the remembrance of you in the most déepest place of my mind in sléeping I sée you and waking I thinke on you I haue had neuer rest in my selfe nor neuer shall haue but if it please you My fortune my destinie my happe and vnhap come of you If yee take me vnto your mercie and that I finde grace with you I shall bée the most happiest of all happie And if ye do otherwise it may be sayde that among all vnhappie none shall go before me But if such fortune shall come to me by your rigour I will take it in patience for the noblenesse that I sée in you alway I require you that my heart be not depriued ne put from your heart for as much as it toucheth me nearely All the tongues of men can not say nor expresse the quantitie of the loue that I haue in you no more then they can pronounce by proper name all the starres of heauen By this loue I am alway in thoughts labours in sighs anguishes and often times in great feare and doubt At this houre I wot not whether I liue or not because me thinketh I am héere for to receiue absolution or a mortall sentence These things considered alas will not ye haue him in your grace that for to deserue your loue and mercy hath abandoned and aduentured his life as ye may sée leauing his royall estate the better to kéepe his cause secret Vnto an hart wel vnderstanding few words suffice For conclusion I pray you to giue your heart vnto him that hath giuen his heart vnto you and that ye prouide from henceforth for the ill case ye now be in after the common iudgement With this Iupiter held his peace and kept silence and lent his eares for to heare what should be the answere of Danae The right noble damosell when she had heard his talke which she had sore noted and whē she saw that he had giuen her space to speake she was resolued and changed colour and said to him Sir king alas know ye well what would be the renowme that would abide with me if I shuld and not onely in this but also to find mercy in you And I pray you right humbly that out of the amorous gift of mercy ye will to mée accord and in this doing ye shall do mercy to your self and have pity of your young daies which you have consented to lose by the foolish fantasies of the King your Father Ye know well that during his life he will not suffer you to be married to any man It is possible that your Father may live as long as you for he is strong and boysterous Also ye ought to conceive if ye will beléeve mée that your life hath no wealth nor pleasure Onely the pleasures come unto the people by the sight and by beholding of divers things The woman singularly have their principal pleasures in their Husbands and in their generation and linages Ye may come hitherto but then you must have mercy on your self Is it not in your conceit and knowledge that no man hath but his life in this world Forasmuch as ye obey the foolish commandment of your Father the King Achrisius yée shall be a woman lost being in this place it is not possible to have patience This is too hard a thing unto a young heart to bée put in prison without demerit I know the humane affections and understand that naturally every creature loveth his profit before the
profit of another This is against your prosperity and utility from which ye be shut here within How may you have love unto him which is cause of two evils The lesse evil is to be chosen since that you féel your self condemned here unto the end of the daies of your Father doubt you not but his end is oft desired for your sake and his death may not be effected without great charge of conscience Mée thinketh that better it were for you to find way to issue out of this place and to take to husband some noble and puissant man that would enterprize to carry you away secretly for his wife into his Countrey By this means you shall be delivered from the pain that you be in you may eschew the death of your Father and lesse evil you shall do in breaking his foolish commandment then to abide in the point where he hath put you I have said unto you I am your servant and if it please you to depart from this plaâ—e you shâ—ll find no man readier then I am for to save you I give my self unto your noble commandments to nourish your will to my power as he that beareth alway in remembrance of you in the most déepest place of my mind in sléeping I sée you and waking I think on you I have had no rest in my self nor never shall have but if it please you My fortune my destiny comes of you If you take mée unto your mercy and that I find grace with you I shall be the most happiest of all happy And if ye do otherwise it may be said that among all unhappie none shall go before mée But if such Fortune shall come to mée by your rigour I will take it in patience for the noblenesse that I sée in you alway I require you that my heart bee not deprived nor put from your heart forasmuch as it toucheth mée nearly All the tongues of men cannot expresse the quantity of the love that I have in you no more then they can pronounce by proper name all the Stars of Heaven By this love I am alway in thoughts labours in sighs anguishes and oftentimes in great fear At this hour I know not whether I live or not because mée thinketh I am here to receive absolution or a mortal sentence These things considered alas will not yee have him in your grace that for to deserve your love and mercy hath abandoned and adventured his life as yee may sée leaving his Royal estate the better to kéep his cause secret Vnto an heart well understanding few words suffice For conclusion I pray you to give your heart to him that hath given his heart unto you and that ye consider from henceforth for the ill conceit yée now be in after the common judgement With this Jupiter held his peace and lent his ears for to hear what should be the answer of Danae The right noble Damosel When she saw that he had given her space to speak shée was resolved and changed colour and said to him Sir King â—las know ye well what would be the Renown that would abide with mée if I 〈◊〉 beléeve your counsel What would the people say Madam answered Jupiter the worst that they may say shall be that men will name you disobedient unto the foolish commandment of your Father which as all men knoweth holdeth you fondly in this Prison And if yee will thus help your self and convey your self away men would but laugh for your youth would excuse your doing and yee should bee reported to have done this déed by great wisdome Ah Sir said Danae ye go about to deceive mée by your fair words I know the speeches of the Argiens and also know that I am bound to obey my Father Furthermore I am not so ignorant but that I would well have some noble-man to my Husband so as mine honour were saved and also I confesse that I am greatly beholden to him that hath sent so liberally and so largely of his treasures and Iewels and in likewise unto you if it be truth that ye bée him that ye say that ye are But when I have considered and understood and séen visibly that the Argiens would defame mée to perpetuity and that my Father would send mée where mine honour should strongly be abased and put underfoot by your proper declaration I will in no wise deal hardly with you neither shall you have any disturbance for my cause But I pray you to think on the other side of mine honour and that ye suffer mée alone with my company and friends Dame answered Jupiter be ye in doubt of mée that I am not Jupiter King of Creet If I be any other all the Gods confound mée and the Thunder fall on mée the swallow of the Sea receive mée and that I be given to be meat unto the most venemous beasts of the world O Madam put no suspition in my doing as I have said to you I am come to you not in Royal estate but in simple array for to order my matters more secretly then accord ye this request Take yee day of advise and grant to morrow I may speak once to you and counsel you well this night The noble Maid Danae had then her blood so moved that she durst not behold Jupiter for shame smote her in the eyes This notwithstanding her heart commanded her to try what man he was and whether he had the state of a Noble-man or a King At last she took day of advise and accorded to him that she would speak again to him on the morrow After this she commanded the Tables to be covered by the Damosels and said that shée would feast the messenger of the King Jupiter The Damosels hearing that answered they were all much bound to feast him and shewed to her the riches that they had all along in the Chamber whereof the walls shone and were bright The Damosels arrayed with the Iewels of Jupiter garnished the Tables with meat Danae and Jupiter were set the one against the other the seruice was great and rich and they had enough to eat yet Jupiter nor Danae gave little force of eating Jupiter eat lesse bodily then spiritually he was in trances in doubts and fears He had an answer by which he could not gather any thing to his profit save onely that he hoped that Danae would discover it unto the Damosels as the young maidens bee of custome to discover the one to the other and as when any requireth them of love that they should shew favour to him the more for his gifts In this estate was King Jupiter for his part The Damosels beheld him enough and said that he had not the behaviour of a yeoman or servant but of a man of very noble and great estate and above all other Danae to whom Jupiter had given cause to be pensive cast her eyes upon Jupiter upon his countenance his gesture and beauty and then it séemed that he had said truth
to assayle their enemies Whilest these things were in parle in the citie Iupiter was in the fielde and made great chéere with Ixion and the Centaures and being set at supper vpon the ground al about a great stone Iupiter sent for to fetch Ganimedes and made him to sup with them Ganimedes was sore mooued and had in his heart great trouble yet he tooke a short refection with them for he felt right great ache and smarte in his woundes And there Iupiter commāned with him saying that he was the valiantest man that euer was séene among the most valiantest of Troy and for as much as he was in his mercye and that it was hée that late with his father descended into Crete where he had gladly planted his name in worshippe if fortune woulde haue suffered him therefore sayd he I will no more warre before Troye but I will enter agayne to morne into the Sea and will go and putte in execucion a thing that lyeth me nowe sore at hearte And will well that ye knowe that I haue intencion to go vnto the Realme of Argos vnto the Tower of Dardan for to deliuer according to my promise out of the same Tower the fayre Danae whome the King Acrisius holdeth fast shut in without any reason This conclusion pleased king Ixion and the Centaures for as much as they had heard speake of the Tower of Dardain and they thought well that the Argiens might not hold against their strength When that they had eaten they entred into their ships and thought among other things on the wounds of them that were hurt and also of Ganimedes And after they laide them downe on the straw to sléepe and about two houres before day they weighed anchor and departed so secretly that the Troyans had no knowledge thereof And on the morrow betimes when king Troos and Ilion issued out of Troy to battaile they ranged in good order and found no man to haue to do withall nor they could not sée nor perceiue their enemies on no coast of the sea for they had so farre sailed from the port that by that time they were out of sight Thus they had great sorrow maruailously and came vnto the place where the battaile had béene and buried the dead men But nowe I will leaue speaking of them and of Iupiter and will turne vnto the History of Danae CHAP. XXVIII ¶ How the king Arcrisus when he sawe his daughter with childe sent her to exile and put her in a little vessell into the sea at the aduenture of fortune c. THe noble Damosell Danae abode with child of the séede of Iupiter as it is said before After that Iupiter was returned into his countrey she abode passing long in hope that he would come to fetch her by strength of people and would leade her into his Realme as he vnto her had promised In this hope she mounted often times into high windowes of the tower and casting her eyes now hither now thither vpon the mountaines wayes and stréetes for to awarre if he came or that she might sée his men of armes and his people of warre and without end shée had alway her eares open to hearken if she might heare the Trumpets Tabours and Clarions This hope dured long vnto the last day that Iupiter had promised and sore she complained in this tyme of his abyding and sayde vnto her selfe that he would come But certes when euening was come of the day that he had set and hee was not come nor she heard no tydings of him when she sawe that hée came not and that the fruit of her bellie appeared she went downe from the window of the hie Tower and all surprised with dispayre to beholde her belly sayde poore belly I may no longer hide thée I haue couered thée vnto this time hoping the comming of Iupiter the day is come and past that he should haue come and there is no tidings of him Alas and hath he also forgotten me Where art thou Iupiter Art thou dead or aliue If thou be dead speake to mee in spirite in excusing thée of thy default Tell me what I shall do with thy séede And if thou be aliue what right euill aduenture holdeth thée Art thou wearie of me Of Danae of her that thou enforcedst by raining golde of her that thou so much desiredst Alas thou promisedst me thy loue and gauest it vnto me and I receyued the gift in good part and gaue vnto thée mine heart in like case and more then thou wéenest And what shall this be Iupiter my loue and friend Art thou of the nature of false men as hypocrites that go about to deceyue poore women and then leaue them in dishonour Alas thou art one verily thou hast brought me into perpetuall shame and hast abandoned and giuen me ouer O mischieuous man O false lier be thou cursed with thy riches and accursed be the houre that euer I saw thée I am for euer by thée put to shame and by thée mine ende approcheth I may no longer hide thy workes Where shall my childe become euery man shall sée and know my trespasse Alas my father shall put me to death I may not faile of it and as for death it shall not grieue me saue for the fruit that I beare yet shall I kéepe it as well as myselfe at all aduenure come what may come thereof c. In these and such like wordes Danae passed ouer this night without sléeping or rest from thenchforth she began to be all melancholious and tooke this so sore to heart that she fell into a right grieuous maladie When the maydens that nothing knew of this case saw her so euill disposed they signifyed it into the king Acrisius And then came the king to visit his daughter and betooke her to the cure of his Phisitians and cunning men and demaunded of them what maladie she had They answered him in the presence of Danae that she was great with childe and that in short time shée should be deliuered Danae answered that they fayled to say the truth and that she had neuer knowne man and denied her fact as much as in her was possible hoping alway to liue for she knewe well that her father would condemne her to death if he knewe that she were with child And about this all the maydens of the house striued with the mistresse saying that they had well and surely kept the tower that no man saue the king had spoken to her but if he were come inuisible since that they had receyued her into their gouernance Whereat the king was greatly abashed and sore wondered When the king heard these wordes and saw the state of his daughter he was sore troubled For by experience he sawe well and it appeared that Danae was with childe hée trusted and beléeued better the Phisitians then the excusations of the maydens and of his daughter And for to knowe the truth he sent all the maydens of the place into prison
to Argos and betooke Danae in kéeping to other women and commaunded them vpon paine of death that they should tell him if she were or happened to be deliuered of childe or no. Within a certaine tyme when Danae sawe her in this case shée began to fall into wéeping The king Acrisius from this day forth came euery day to knowe how she did She wept without ceasing shée spake not but vnto her heart and shée bewayled her loue and complayned on Fortune sorrowfully But when she had laboured long in these wéepings and that her faire eyes were made great and red about fiftéene dayes before the time of her childing the beganne to remember the cause why she was put into the Tower And that the gods had prognosticated that she should haue a sonne that should bée king of Argos In this remembrance she was comforted a little and when the time came that nine months was expired she brought forth a passing faire sonne which the Ladyes and women receiued and named him Perseus And after that signified it vnto the king But at the birth of this childe she excused and put out of blame all the damosels and saide that they were all innocents of her fact Anon then as the king Acrisius knew the veritie of his Daughter and that she had a faire sonne he had in his heart more of sorrow then of ioy and condemned her to death indéede and commanded two of his mariners that they should take the mother and her childe and put them in a little Boate them both alone and that they should carrie them farre into the high sea that after should neuer man sée them nor haue knowledge of them The mariners durst not refuse the commaundement of the King but by his commandement they went vnto the Tower Dardane and tooke Danae and her sonne Perseus and said vnto the damosell al that that they had charge to do praying her humbly that shee would pardon them And this was about midnight when Danae vnderstood that shee should bée cast into the sea and her sonne with her Yet she had hope to escape this perill by the meane of the fortune of her son This notwithstanding the teares ran downe from her eyes and wéeping tenderly she tooke her leaue of the ladies and damosels that had her in kéeping and they let her be caried vpon the sea making complaint pitious bewailings When the mariners had brought hir vpon the sea they left her in a litle boat put in her lap Perseus her faire son And as hastily as they might they conducted her into the déepe sea without meate or drinke and without sterne or gouernaile and gaue her ouer to all windes Then was there many a teare wept among the mariners and Danae and Perseus the young childe The marriners bewailed with great compassion that they had to sée such a Damosell abandoned to perill of death Danae wept in considering the rigour of her father and the fault that Iupiter had done to her and also for the perill which she might not resist and Perseus wept for the blowing of the winde and for the grosse ayre of the sea that his tendernesse might not well suffer to endure In this fashion the Matrones returned to Argos and the right discomforted Damosell Danae went forth vpon the waues of the sea at the agréement and will of the windes The waues were right fearefull and lifted themselues into the ayre as Mountaynes the windes blewe by great stormes the little Boate was borne and cast vpon the waues and oftentymes Danae looked and supposed to haue perished but shée had alway hope in Fortune And so well it happened that in this aduersitie and trouble shée was cast into the Sea of Apulia or Naples And there shée was found by aduenture of a Fisher that for pitie and charitie tooke her into his Shippe and her sonne and brought her on lande forasmuch as hee sawe it was great néede At this time the noble Danae was as a deade bodie and halfe gone when the marriner had brought her a land the tooke a ring of gold that she ware on her finger and gaue it vnto the good man praying him that he would bring her into some house where shee might warme and cherish her with her childe for he was nigh dead for colde and was all in a traunce The marriner tooke the Golde Ring and brought the Damosell and the little childe into his house and made them a good fire and brought them meate and drinke As soone as Perseus felt the ayre of the fyre his heart came to him againe and he began to laugh on his mother When shee sawe that all her sorrowes turned to nought and she tooke hope of good fortune She then made ready and arayed her son and her colour came againe she did eate and drinke What shall I say the fisher behelde her and then séeing in her so much beautie that the like to her he sawe neuer none he went vnto the court of the king of Naples and tolde him his aduenture praysing so certaynly her beautie that the King sent hastely for to fetch her This King was named Pilonus and was sonne to the auncient Iupiter And when Danae was come before him sodaynlye he waxed amorous of her and demaunded her name her countrey and the cause why she was aduentured on the sea At beginning she excused her selfe of al these things vnwilling to tell all and began to wéepe When the King sawe that he comforted her and said to her that he would take her to his wife for her beautie and spake so fayre to her and so graciously that she tolde him al her life how she was daughter of the king Acrisius and how she was shutte in the tower and how Iupiter had deceyued her and how her father hadde put her in the sea What shall I say more when the King Pilonus heard all these fortunes of the damosell he had pitie on her and wedded her with great honour and did put to nurse Perseus and gat on her a sonne which was named Danaus but of this matter I will cease and turne again to the history of Iupiter c. CHAP. XXIX ¶ How Iupiter returning from Troy by sea encountred the great theefe Egeon which he fought with and ouercame and of the tidings that hee had of Danae whereof hee was passing sorrowfull WHen Iupiter was departed from Troy as afore is said he made his mariners to saile and row with all diligence for to withdraw from the port and for to approch Crete for he knew well that the time of his promise made to Danae was expired and that displeased him greatly that he might not amēd it His mariners did all that they could do by the space of a day naturall but the day being past there rose a tempest in the sea so terrible and out of measure that it bare many ships with their furniture vnder water brake their sternes and helmes and drowned all the
aduance himselfe by defaming another This knowing I will say the truth and if there bee any man that may worthily prooue this against me and ouercome me no blessing to my heart I will stand to the iudgement of all noble men that haue knowne my behauiour Alas ladie from whence is come this abusion for to charge me that I should haue willed to enforce you when or in what place was it doone or where be the witnesses of the crie that ye made at the affray where be the prooues that shall say that euer in my life I was with you alone It giueth me maruaile from what heart departed this dishonour that ye note in me and for what cause it is imagined against me for I will well that all the world know that I haue serued you truely and loyally and that I neuer thought dishonour vnto you nor vnto the king to whom I pray that he will take and make information vpon my liuing and to vnderstand in like wise yours And if it can be prooued and appeare that I haue trespassed that I may be punished but I pray also if I be founde innocent that I may haue spéedy absolution Syr said the Ladie that strongly was obstinate in her errour I make me partie against him If then I accuse him it is truth it ought not to demand witnesses of his follie In this case I am worth two witnesses for all the world knoweth that when an ill man will dishonour a woman he calleth no witnesses nor no prooues thereto but doth his damnable will the most secretly that in him is possible And so wéened Bellerophon to haue doone with mée wherefore I require sentence and iudgement of him With these wordes Pricus assembled his Councell and it was iudged that the ladie shoulde bee beléeued and that Bellerophon should bee culpable of death Then spake Pricus to Bellerophon and said Faire sonne thou knowest and hast found that I haue loued and nourished thée louingly thou vnderstandest the accusation of thy Ladie the case is so foule that it may not be purged by denying For if it were so the euill boyes and had fellowes would all day dishonour as many of our women as they could find In this case the Ladyes haue a prerogatiue for to be beléeued and néede not to bring forth witnesses And forasmuch as thy mistres hath vanquished thée and required iudgement of thy trespasse thou art condemned to die But forasmuch as before this time I haue had great loue vnto thée and that I knowe thée a valiant man of thy bodie I will mittigate and attemper this sentence in this wise that thou shalt go fight agaynst the Chymere of Sicill and if thou mayst ouercome and maister her I giue thée thy life and giue thée plaine absolution of all vpon condition that neuer after thou renue nor rehearse this trespasse Sir answered Bellerophon sith that fortune consents that I be attainted of any infelicitie and that the priuiledge of the Ladies take place and go aboue reason I had much leuer to be vanquished by wrong cause and euil then by iust and good cause and thanke you of the moderation of your iudgement and make vow here in your presence that in all haste I will go into Sicil to proue me against the Chimere and will sée if fortune will helpe me to get againe the life which she hath made me lose by your iudgement Then the noble knight departed and tooke leaue of the king of the ladies and damosels tooke also his armours and goods and made couenant and bargained with certaine marriners to bring him to Sicill When they were agréed he went to the sea with little companie and was euill at ease at his heart when hee sawe that Fortune was to him so contrarie yet hee comforted him selfe in his good quarrell and sayling on a daye on the Sea of Hellesponte his Marryners looked into the West and sawe come a right great floate of Shippes of warre which discomforted them so sorrowfully that it was wonder and they awooke Bellerophon that at that time slept and saide that they were but dead and cast away Bellerophon comforted his marriners the best wise hee could and told them that discomfort could not helpe them and as he was thus speaking a gallie of aduantage went out afore his fellowes and flying on the sea like vnto a bird adressed her vnto the ship wherein was Bellerophon and aborded it And who that will demaund what the name was of the gallie and what men were therin I wil say to them that this was Pegase and that Perseus was within it As soone as he might speake to the marriners that caried Bellerophon to Sicyll hee asked and demanded them what they were and into what region they would go When Bellerophon heard Perseus speake hee behelde his behauiour and countenance and iudged in himselfe that he was of a good house and said to him Certes sir I haue much great ioy for that I sée the ship and marriners be so well adressed and in so good readinesse as yours be for ye séeme well a knight of a noble house and therefore I tell you my case afterthat ye haue made your asking First then where ye enquired what we bee knowe ye that in Argos wee haue taken our birth And as to the second I answere you that we haue a purpose to go straight into Sicill to the which I am constrained by the rigour of a mortall iudgement cast vppon mee at the instance of a Ladye called Aurea that vniustly and vntruely hath complained vppon mee saying that I would haue enforced her This Ladye that I speake of is wife to king Prycus which newly and of late hath banished and exiled his Brother Acrisius out of his Realme and this King for to please and satisfie the accusations of his wife hath condemned mée to be put to death yet for the good and the acceptable seruice that I haue doone to him hée hath graunted me to liue if so it please the goddes that I may by possibilitie vanquish and ouercome a Chimere that is in Sicill vnto the which I go for to assay mee So I pray you that in our misfortune we be not let by you neither by none of your companie Valiant knight answered Perseus as it is true that the heart of a noble man taketh pitie and compassion in the distresse and passion of his equall the weighing of your case hath pearced mine heart with a charitable mercie and pitie by which yée may surely vnderstand not to haue by vs any hinderance during your infortunate life And for as much as the hearts of them that would be induced at calling to the déedes of Armes singularly delyte them in aduentures of great woorth and weight to get credite by I will accompanie you for two causes The first is to expose my selfe to the disputation and destruction of the Chimere if it happen that you ouercome her not which I suppose yée can not
they iudged him to be but dead alowing his hardines that to them séemed was too great One and other spake of this matter Perseus armed him ioyously When he was armed he came to Andromeda and kiss her taking leaue of her and sayd fayre mayde praye ye vnto the goddes for your champion that for your loue submitteth himselfe vnto the perill of death to the ende that by your onely meane I maye come vnto the enioying of loue and that we togither maye be ioyned in maryage which I buye at the price of my life Noble Knight aunswered the mayde I am more beholding to you then to all my kinsmen and fréendes Knowe ye that if my prayers may obtayne of the goddes ye shall returne safe from this enterpryse Then Perseus wente before the stone and Andromeda knéeled with great humilitie with both her knées vpon the earth in calling on her gods to help her champion and there were many matrones vpon the banke of the Sea that for compassion put them in contemplation and by this example of them all the Siriens beganne to pray for the prosperitie of the Knight excepting onely the king Phineus which prayed for his death And that for this cause for as much as before the iudgement giuen on Andromeda hée had fianced and betrothed him to her So had he wished that the monster had deuoured Perseus to the ende that the mariage of him and of her might haue béene ended What shall I say more When Perseus had so put himselfe foorth by the stone he looked towarde the sea and helde in his hande a good and passing strong sworde and he had not long behelde the situation and taken leasure to sée the place when there sprang out of a swalow or depth of the sea a monster so great and so horrible and so dreadfull that it séemed that he had béene made for to destroy all the worlde hee was rough and went on foure féete like a beast and his forme was so disfigured that none wist whereto he might be likened When then the Syriens sawe him put his head out of the déepe there was none so well assured but he trembled for feare And many were so afrayed that they fled into their houses and reentred into their Citie This notwithstanding Perseus as soone as he sawe him rise vp he came to him as hardie and right well assured and smote him with the poynt of his sworde so full vpon the right eye that on that side he made him blinde whereof the monster felt so great paine that he came out of the Sea with open mouth and thought to haue swallowed Perseus And Perseus went backe a little and put his sworde betwéene his iawes into his throate so farre foorth that he could not draw it out againe and so of force it abode in his throate more then foure foote At the second stroke the monster made a maruaslous crie lifting vp his head and wéening to haue cast out the péece of the sworde which abode in his throate but it would not bée Alwaye the monster assayled Perseus and wéend to haue swalowed him into his throate and Perseus alwaye stroke at him with his sword and put him at defence and smote alway at his throte and about nigh his other eye and so well intended the worke that after he had giuen him many woundes he made him blynde on the left eye like as hée did on the right eye And then as the monster went héere and there and made many walkes without séeing or knowing where he went pursuing his enemy Perseus gaue him manye woundes searching his heart and at the last he founde it And finallye he bestirred him so that he pearsed the heart with which stroke he made him to fall downe dead CHAP. XXXVI ¶ How Phineus would haue had Andromeda and how Perseus answered him that she should be his wife PAssing ioyous and astonied were the Syryens when they sawe the good fortun of Perseus and sayd one to an other that such a knight ought to be praysed aboue al other men The king Amon tooke great pleasure to sée his dealing séeing the monster labouring in his death hée went downe to him embracing him and said Sir the gods gouerne thy fortune and since they haue receyued thée in their fauour and grace there is none that may anoy thée in a good houre were thou héere arriued demaunde what thou wilt and I will cause thée to haue it Syr aunswered Perseus I haue preserued from death the Damosel I desire none other thing but her O valiant Knight sayde Phineus that was there awaighting thou doost much gloryfye thy selfe for thou hast gotten in a halfe day more honor then an other knight shal get in an hundred yeare And greatly thou oughtest to be commended But beware that the beautie of this mayd deceiue thée not know thou that I haue betrothed her and by right she ought to be my wife Many dayes bee gon and expyred since that in the presence of our bishop we promised to take each other in mariage This misfortune is after come to her thou haste reléeued her and wouldst therefore haue her The beginning is fayre but the ende is foule And if it so happe that thou do me wrong I let thée know that I will not suffer it for in this coūtrey I am a King haue great puissance al the glory that thou hast gotten shal be héere quenched Wherefore I praye thée that thou forbeare in this case and that thou suffer me to take that is mine and take thou that that belongeth to thée During these wordes Perseus looked towardes the Sea and saw from farre his galyes comming the one after the other directing them towarde this porte Whereof he hadde right great ioy and sayde vnto Phyneus King I make no doubt that thy power is great in this countrey but knowe thou right well that I knowe no man liuing that shall cause me to leaue that belongeth to me When I came hither I found this mayde condemned vnto death At that time shée was all abandoned to the death I haue saued her and I saye to thée that shée is mine and thou oughtest to haue no regard to any promise that she hath made to thée or to any other And so I haue intention that she shal be my wife And if thou wilt Combate and fight for her assemble thy power and make thée ready in thy battaile Lo héere come my galies readye for to receiue thée and although I haue not people ynough yet I haue in my cofers the most parte of the treasors of Medusa for to send for men of armes in al places where I may get them When Phineus considered this answer and knew that hée was the Knight that hadde vanquished Medusa whereof the renoume was greate and ran through out the whole worlde hée coulde none otherwise aunswere to Perseus but that hee might do his pleasure All the kinsmen of Andromeda were angrie with Phineus for his
Tetides was lord and king a iust man and a courteous In this land arriued Anthenor with a few shippes and rested on the side of a greater Ile that was nigh vnto the port He saw the countrey faire and full of woodes and of land and of fountaines and there he builded a citie to him and to his people and fortified it with walles and good towres And when the Troians knew thereof many went thither and dwelled there with Anthenor and the citie grew apace and was full of people and Anthenor gouerned him so wisely in this land that he was well in the grace of the king Tetides and was the second after the king in his realme and named his citie Cortiremetralum Cassandra that was left at Troy had great sorrow for the great mischiefes that were fallen to her friends and ceased not to weepe and waile and when shee hadde demeaned long her sorrow the Greekes demaunded her of their estate in their returning home of which she saide to them that they should suffer many paines and great perils ere they wer come into their countrey and after she said to Agamemnon that they of his owne house shoulde slea him So it happened to him after and to all the other like as Cassandra had deuised to them and said Of the king Thelamon were left two sons of two quéenes the eldest was named Hermicides of the queen Glausta and the other of the queene Thymissa had to name Anchisatus these two children nourished the king Theuter til they were great to beare armes Among these thinges Agamemnon and Menelaus demaunded leaue for to returne into their landes and the most great of the hoste gaue thē leaue being sore vexed forasmuch as they had been taken as suspect of the death of Thelamon with Vlisses which was stollen away like a theefe wherefore he shewed well that he was culpable of the death Thus these two brethren put them to the fea for to returne home and in the entrie of the Winter when the sea is most daungerous anon after the other Greekes entered into the Sea as fooles and euill aduised for the doubtes of the Sea and had their shippes all charged and laden with the richesse whereof they hadde spoiled the riche citie and realme of Troy and for the great desire that they had for to be at home in their countrey they beganne to returne thus in the middes of the Winter and set apart all daungers and perilles which fell vnto them About the houre of noone came a great tempest and surprised them sodainly with great thunder and raine with winde and with great waues of the sea that casted their shippes heere and there in the sea and brake their mastes and all to rent their sailes And when the night came which was long and darke the shippes left each other in sayling before the winde some in one place and some in another and many were burnt with lightening and thunder that fell vpon them and many were drowned and sunke into the Sea and they that were therein were dead and drowned and the great riches of Troy lost Oyleus Aiax that had xxxii shippes in this companie had all his ships burnt and perished and he himselfe by the force of his armes and legges all naked swimming came and arriued a land all swollen with the water that hee had drunken and lay a great while vpon the grauel more looking for death then life and anon after came other in likewise that were so saued with swimming which were discomforted in their mishap and vnhappinesse This mischiefe came to this Aiax forasmuch as he drew Cassandra out of the temple of Minerue And it happeneth oft time that many be punished for the sin and trespasse of one man c. CHAP. XXVIII ¶ How the king Naulus and Cetus his sonne did spoile on the sea manie shippes of the Greeks in their return for the death of his sonne Palamedes and of the death of the king Agamemnon and of the exile of Diomedes and of his calling backe by Egee his wife c. IN this time there was a king in Gréece named Naulus that was very riche and puissant and his realme stood vpon the side of the Sea of Greece toward the South In the which Sea were great rockes and high and many mountaines and hilles of sand which were right perillous The king was father of Palamedes that was slain before Troy and hadde yet a sonne named Cetus there was none in Gréece so rich nor so puissant a king Nowe were there some euill people there that coulde not be in ease without greeuing and annoying of other which made the said king Naulus to vnderstand and his son king Cetus that Palamedes was not slain in battaile so as the voice ranne but hee was slaine couertly by Vlisses and Diomedes Agamemnon and Menelaus had made and contriued a false letter wherein was contained that Palamedes would haue betraied the hoste of the Greekes whiles he was emperour of the hoste for a great quantitie of gold and they made this letter to bée put by the side of a knight that was slaine And then Vlisses treated in such wise with one of the secretaries of Palamedes for a great summe of money such as the Letters contained and this Secretarie by the induction of Vlisses put this summe of mony vnder the head of Palamedes whiles he slept And as soone as the secretarie had said to Vlisses that he had done then Vlisses slew this Secretary priuily and forthwith did so much that this letter came into the handes of the Greeks that read it and were all abashed when they saw in writing the treason and the summe contained in the same laide vnder his head They went then into his tent and found the trueth of this thing and woulde haue runne vppon Palamedes but he offered himselfe to defend it against whom soeuer woulde prooue it and so there was none that durst fight against him Then Vlisses did so much by his faire language that this thing was appeased and it seemed that it was best that Palamedes should abide in his dignitie After this thing thus appeased Vlisses and Diomedes on a day did Palamedes to vnderstand that they knew a pit wherein was much treasure and that they would that he hadde his part and that hee should go the night following When the night was come they went all three alone without more company and there offered Palamedes for to go down into the pit first and they said that they woulde followe and assoone as hee was within the other two cast stones vpon him so many that they slew him and after returned to their tentes priuily This thing said these men charged king Naulus and Cetus of the death of Palamedes and all was false Then the king and his sonne began earnestly to thinke how they might auenge them of the Greekes They knew well that the Greekes were vppon returne in the heart of the Winter and that they