King commands the words of Kings can charm They find her playing with her pretty Son Garinter and declare what must be done Bellaria swouns for sorrow when she hears The cruel message which they tell in tears But her immaculate thrice spotless mind Sings her Quietus though her death 's design'd Away she goes free from the thought of crime In doleful sighs and tears to pass the time Pandosto then complains his own disgrace That King Egistus had supply'd his place Rode in his saddle tho his old companion By the lewd practice of the Traytor Franion Who now is fled away with Sicils King He therefore must be just in punishing His Wifes adultery the people who Do never further than the outside go Easily fancy the report she stood Say they one fair in fame she once was good The injur'd Queen mean time is tyr'd with wo And now as Fates conspire her overthrow She finds her self with Child she wrings her hands For now quoth she the King confirmed stands Who cruelly consents to credit fables That Egist. put a wrong point in his tables O how does Fortune in disaster vary Tho' safely brought to bed I must miscarry The sailor bears a part in this same Ditty And thinking it would move the King to pity Conveys the story to his Royal Ear Who raves foams like some incensed Bear Baited by Mastiffs he shall surely die Qd. he tho' Iove should give my words the lie Her Bastard too shall suffer death by this The Glory of the Sex delivered is Of a fair Daughter this Pandosto hears And holding up his hand to Heaven swears Both Child Mother shall be burnt with fire His Nobles strive to mitigate his ire They tell him that his Queen had ever prov'd How much she honour'd how much she lov'd His sacred Person say she were defil'd Nature and Justice yet would spare the child But all these reasons cannot abate his grudge Who is the Queens Accuser and her Judge But yet at last he is content to spare The child but find a death more cruel far He lights on this device the child quoth he As 't came by Fortune so to Destiny I will commit it in a sledgy Boat This Royal infant must on Neptune float Left to the mercy of the winds seas But Heaven has care of such sweet Babes as these He then commands his Guard to fetch the Brat For so he terms it who was sucking at Its mothers milky tears what heart can think Had I huge Oaks for Pens the sea for Ink And Homer's deathless Verse I could not show Half the stern horror of Bellaria's woe Half dead they leave the Queen and bring the child Whose face would make a savage Scythian mild Unto the King who strait commands his guard To put it into the little Boat prepar'd For this fell purpose neither Rudder nor A Sail to guide it to some happy shore The Infant plac'd unto a ship they tye The little Bark and hale it instantly Into the Main this done they cut the cord And then return to certifie their Lord. They were no sooner gone but there arose A mighty Tempest like to potent foes Austes with Boneas fights the seas swell high The sparkling Surges front the weeping Skie But here the Muse must leave this Theam a while And unto King Pandosto turn her stile Who yet not glutted with revenge conveens All his chief Lords declaring that he means His trothless Queen in open Court to try For Murder meant and for Adultery Behold Bellaria's at the Bar she throws A light about her though hem'd in with woes Her innocence gives courage above thought And now the Kings hir'd witnesses are brought Who heard the hapless Queen declare her grief That King Pandosto ever had the chief Seat in her heart that she had ever been His faithful subject and his loyal Queen That she no love had to Egistus shown But such as strictest Anchorites might own Pandosto tells her that her surest fence Considering her Crime was impudence Her guilt emboldens her but thou shalt die Quoth he by furious fire to typifie Thy fate in Hell Bellaria kneeling on The humble earth in a distracted tone Besought the King by the great love he bare To his young son Garinter his sole heir To grant her one request 't was this to send Six of his Nobles Phoebus to attend At Delphos if that God who all things knew Should ratifie her guilt all torments due To parricide and vile adulterous sin Practis'd against the Person of a King Might be inflicted this most just request So reasonable could not find the least Repulse without Pandosto by his deeds Will make it know his Will all Law exceeds The Queen returns to Prison he to Court And the six Lords together now consort For Cynthia's temple three weeks expir'd Their feet salute that shore so much desir'd With great Devotion the six Peers pass on Unto the fame of fam'd Hyperion Where come they offer liberal sacrifice And gratifie his Priests with Gifts of price They had not long chanted the Hymn divine Kneeling down before Apollo's shrine But they might hear a voice resembling thunder To their great joy but to their greater wonder Crying Bohemians what ye apt to find Behind the Altar take up 't is the mind Of great Apollo they forthwith obey And find a parchment scroll which thus did say THE ORACLE Suspicions are no proofs and jealousie A Iudge that 's swag'd by damn'd partiality Bellaria ' s chast Egistus void of blame Pandosto treacherous and void of shame Franion ' s a Loyal Subject the sweet Child That in a paper Cock-boat was exil'd Its native Country is most innocent Pandosto shall embrace his Monument Without an Heir unless the Femal's found whom July men conjecture to be drown'd No sooner had the Lords this Schedule handled But by Apollo's Priests they were commanded Not to presume to read it till they came Unto Pandosto as they dread the name Of sacred Phoebus home return'd they tell The King what hapned at the Oracle Shewing the scroll the Nobles of the Land Intreat the K. he forthwith would command The Queen unto the Bar and there before The Lords Commons if she were a Whore Appoint her such a death as might deter Her sex from paths so much irregular But if her grace were faultless found that then She might be lov'd and honour'd once agen This counsel pleas'd Pandosto and next day His Peers they all appear the people they May witness with them poor Bellaria stands Before the Bar to Heaven her eyes and hands She lifts her soul-Indictment's read but she Puts in a pithy and a noble plea Pandosto then commands a Duke to read The scroll being what Apollo had decreed Which when the people heard they clapt their hands While King Pandosto all amazed stands Asham'd of his rash folly but at last He begs Bellaria to forgive what 's past But while he
's courting her that 's easily led Black news is brought that Prince Garinter's dead which soon as fair Bellaria hears she dies Her soul ascending to the Deities The King affectionate too late so much Laments her death his inward grief is such For 3 days space he 's speechless but at length Recovering his forfeit speech and strength He pours forth seas of tears and makes such moan Rocks would relent to hear him sigh groan But time asswages these laments the King Makes preparation for the burying Of chast Bellaria and his lifeless Heir Whom in one sumptuous tomb he doth interr Making such solemn Obsequies as told How dear he did his Queen Bellaria hold Upon whose Tomb the glory of her kind In golden Letters were these numbers sign'd Here lies intomb'd Bohemia ' s blessed Queen Bellaria whose fame shall flourish green While Sol shall dart a beam accus'd to be Vnchast and conscious of Adultery But by Apollo ' s sacred arbitration Restor'd with glory to her former station Yet slain with grief at last grief that had long Surchang'd her soul caus'd by her Husbands wrong Therefore whoe'r thou art that passeth by Curse him that caus'd this Royal Queen to die Into this Monument once every day The King Pandosto would repair to pay A dolorous Tribute where lamenting we Will leave him and review the raging sea Where his young Daughter floats on Neptunes back High Providence protecting her from wrack CANT III. The Child that floated on the Main Is sav'd by a Sicilian Swain Who fosters her with happy care Till she is almost fit to bear Her glorious beauty is made known To King Egistus ' s only Son Who comes to gaze but when they part Fawnia secludes his Princely heart Doubting his Father's rage they flye VVith an intent for Italy But by a sullen fate are driven Into a fair Bohemian Haven Dorastus is to Prison sent To Fawnia ' s direful discontent VVho now is known Paridosto ' s Heir All to Sicilia then repair There these two Lovers crost by Fate Till now becomes incorporate Pandosto kills himself and leaves His Crown Dorastus it receives THe Infant Princess by a cruel doom Allow'd in bright-hair'd Thetis angry womb Tost by the merciless winds and angry seas Avoids the horrid shock for two whole days But had not scap'd the third if she that guides Saphire-hew'd Neptune and in triumph ride Over the surface of the swelling deep Had not commanded Spio safe to keep The Royal babe the plyant Nymph obeys Guiding the boat through Neptunes pathless ways Till on the Coast of Sicily it stands There Spio leaves it sticking on the sands It fortuned a shepherd that had lost One of his Flock implores about the Coast His sheep he seekt in vain but in 's retreat The shepherd hears this pretty Lamb to bleat He stands amaz'd a while being crampt with fear But taking heart of grace he comes more near Finding the fairest Babe e're seen with eye Wrapt in a Mantle broidered curiously The shepherd who 's astonisht at the thing Resolves to bear the Child unto the King The pretty Bantling in his arms he bears And presently unto his Cot repairs But as the shepherd seiz'd the Royal Child A Purse of Gold he at her feet beheld His mind is altered now himself will keep The Infant who does writhe his head weep Wanting the dulcide Dug but he hasts home And is no sooner to his Mansion come But the Child cries aloud the shepherdess Amaz'd with both her hands her self doth bless Women tho' excellent are so much accurst By Nature that they still believe the worst She thinks it is some Bastard seizes on A Cudgel vowing Chastigation The good man seeing her who wore the Breeches Arm'd with her Mace strives with the fairest speeches To pacific her rage but his sweet Honey Cannot be won until the Purse of Money Greet her gray eyes declaring all the matter How he had found the Infant on the water She then began to simper somewhat sweetly And in her arms she takes the Babe most neatly Be sure quoth he you never blab our store Profit qd she is a good Hatch to th' door All things in order fet he carefully Doth keep his sheep she sings a Lullaby At home unto her Babe the Child grew tall Inrich'd with all those Graces which we call Supreamly excellent she 's Fawnia nam'd Fawnia that shall in future time be fam'd The honest shepherd and the shepherdess Her Father and Mother she doth guess Whom she obey'd in all things yet her face Was so Coelestial and with such a grace She bears her self so young and yet so sage All men might run and see her Parentage The Swainlings who live near do wonder sore That Porrus who was once so very poor Should on the sudden have such wondrous store Blest with a daughter too whose wit feature Almost declar'd she was no mortal creature Who now such favour finds in each man's eye Sicilia's Prince hears of her fulgency Egistus Son Dorastus whose rare parts Wan him the peoples wonder with their hearts Now by the gods qd he speaking in laughter I will go see the shepherds handsom daughter Who kept her fathers sheep with solemn care The chearful Sun did for the West prepare When Prince Dorastus goes from Court set on And finds the fairest Fawnia all alone Somnus had seiz'd her senses on the ground Cloth'd with sweet grass she slept her head was crown'd With a fine flowry Chaplet Flora she Or arrow-loving Cynthia seem'd to be But while the Prince doth feed his greedy eyes His noble heart becomes her beauties prize Who waking wonders she conceits some god Had left the pleasures of his bright aboad To bless Mortality upon her knee She falls Incomparable Mago quoth he I am no Deity though Princes are Call'd gods like other mortal men they fare And travel to the Grave the self-same way I am thy slave most beautious Fawnia Behold Dorastus King Egistus Son Implores thy love sure Fawnia can be won The shepherdess whose colour went and came To hear of Love and Prince Dorastus Name Replies My gracious Lord it is your will To jest with her who shall adore you still But simple shepherds never aim so high As Princes Courts the brow of Majesty Breaks their frail senses Odours poyson them They dare not gaze upon a Diadem This said she rose and reverently bow'd While 1000 thoughts about her soul do crowd The Prince repay'd her courtesie with a kiss Can Heaven qd he afford a greater bliss Now by the Powers coelestial should my father As sure he will all earthly Kings together Conspire to hinder my Resolves I 'de do What my unbounded thoughts do prompt me to I 'le wed thee Fawnia we this night will fly From hence my Dear to fertile Italy Good store of Gold and Jewels we will bear Along the rich find friendship every where Fawnia replies Your
Fortunes Tennis-Ball OR The Most Excellent History OF Dorastus and Fawnia Rendered in Delightful English Verse and worthy the Perusal of all sorts of People By S S. Gent. Lucis Anecreon Licensed according to Order Printed by A. M. for I. Deacon at the Angel in Guilt-spur-street 1688. The most Excellent History OF DORASTUS and FAWNIA CANT I. Bohemia ' s King is visited By Sicil ' s Prince who hath been bred In King Pandosto ' s Royal Court Who doubts his Queen and he do sport Between the sheets and though in vain Contrives a way to have been slain Egistus sees the snare and flies By Sea to escape these Treacheries INspire me gentle Love and jealousie Give me thy passion and thy extasie While to a pleasant Air I strike the strings Singing the Fates of Lovers and of Kings Fertile Bohemia fam'd in German stories For happy government and of her glories Had once a King Pandosto nam'd by birth Exceeding Royal and for innate worth Every way excellent his royal Mate Bellaria call'd a woman blest by Fate With learned Education fair by nature For Vertue famous earths divinest creature This happy pair had not been married long Scarce had they reach'd the Key of Hymens song When generous Lucina gave a boy To their hearts comfort and the general joy The King to manifest his high content Proclaim'd a solemn Just or Turnament Fame bears the Embassie on Eagles wings His Court is now a Parliament of Kings Great feastings masks mirth deeds of arms While Honor sits inthron'd with all her charms But when this great Assembly takes her leave And Royal Present from the King receive The Infant Prince Garinter doth consort With careful Nurses in his Fathers Court What can the powers Etherial add to this Can great Pandosto wish for better bliss Or sweet Bellaria covet more than Fate Already hath confer'd But what Estate Can boast a firm fixt Basis if the blind False sickle Goddess hath its fall design'd Sicilia's King Egistus who had found His Education on Bohemian ground From 's Infancy until the gods had given Him power on earth like to the powers in heaven To manifest no tract of time could race His friendship out nor distancy of place Estrange his love in ships well rig'd man'd If cause requir'd the pyrats to withstand Burthens great Neptune's back a chosen train Of peers attending on their Soveraign The winds were still no noxious blast has power To sally forth from Aeolas brazen tower The seas are calm the crooked Dolphins play Doris fair daughter dancing all the way Till great Egistus treads that happy earth Had been his Foster-mother from his birth Bellaria in whose breast the Graces rested With all the Glories of her sex invested Imagining her Husbands Kingly heart Would be the more her own did she impart All special favours to his friend admitted Perhaps more intimacy than befitted Egistus to her private walks her Eye Revealing her mind's just captivity His Chamber oftentimes she would frequent Which caus'd suspicion tho' no ill was meant For these two Constellations still did move Within the Orb of true Platonick love Pandosto marks their meetings and doth fry In the blue flames of baneful jealousie He calls to mind the beauty of his dear And then Egistus merits do appear Full bloom'd he next begins to scrutinize Their private union and their Coloquies He straightway fancies and concludes at last Egist. a Villain and his Wife unchast These erring fires shall lead him up and down Till he grows weary of his Life and Crown But yet he knows not which way to compose A ruine which may falsly crush his Foes He knows Egistus is a mighty King And cannot sink without his ruining He knows his Wife has every subjects heart Paying just homage to her high desert Since then there is no force of publick force He now resolves to take a private course Egistus shall not fall by steel but die By poyson this must Franion's industry Accomplish he that bears his cup must kill His gentle friend and he 'l reward thee ill With numerous dignities but Franion's soul Dreadly abhors to act a deed so foul He therefore sets before the King what guilt He would accrew what blood must needs he spilt What miseries must follow but in vain Does Franion charm his Serpent soveraign He must perform 't or die O killing words But Franion who by millions of swords Had rather perish than to give consent Unto his Prince to kill the innocent Resolves what ever haps to break the thing Though 't break his neck unto Sicilia's King To him he opens all Egistus scarce Can credit Franion's tale though his discourse Have secret truth for warrant Can it be Pandosto should be treacherous quoth he First I 'le believe earth moves heaven stands still I never propt his foes or sought his ill But Franion to remove all doubts declares If that Egistus will forsake these snares And sail into Sicilia if when there Safe in his fulgent throne free from fear The truth of this Narration were not shown To seize his life by tortures yet unknown Egistus now believes and craves advice Of Franion whom he finds maturely wise He counsels him if now the winds sat right To weigh his Anchor and set sail that night Fortune though blind favours this righteous cause With busie care nor doth Egistus pause But by the help of Franion secretly With winged haste by help of Luna's lunacy He passes through the City Postern-gate With all his train and is so blest by fate To find the Skies serene the Surgos came Within the sight of Syracuse the shore Is throng'd with loyal subjects to adore Their lawful Prince their cheerful ecchoes ring Heavens bless our Soveraign GOD preserve the KING CANT II. Pandosto seizes on his Queen What various griefs and woes are seen She brings a Daughter forth whom he Leaves to the mercy of the Sea In a frail boat Bellaria ' s try'd For looseness and for Paracide But by Apollo ' s upright doom She scapes a wisht-for Martyrdom The Prince Garinter dies whose death Bereaves the Queen Bellaria ' s breath Pandosto ' s penitence too late Who builds a Tomb to humour fate EGistus thus delivered by the god From eminent ruine all their Altars loads With Sacrifices for their blest support When death did want him in Pandosto's Court Whose Citizens are all in uproar they Believe that the Sicilians went away Doubting some curst contrivance since their flight Was shrouded with the sullen mists of night But King Pandosto now will Pawn his life That his Cup-bearer Franion and his Wife Bellaria had plotted this protection Prov'd by the fervency of her affection So swoln with rage he instantly commands Thsse of the Guard to lay their guity hands Upon his guiltless Queen there 's no denial And make her Prisoner till the day of tryal The Guard with much reluctancy perform The
Highness speech shall be As true and sacred Oracles to me Dispose your humble hand maid as you please Within these few hours we will take the seas Quoth he I have a trusty servant who I know will further what I lift to do Him will I send to thee within this hour Him follow and may the Almighty power Prosper our loves this said they kiss part Dorastus soon aided by Capnia's art Fills three fair casks full of Gold beside Trunks full of rich Attire for his fair Bride A ship lies ready and as their intents Were own'd by Heaven no rude North-wind rents The rolling waves while things preparing were Capnia doth unto Fawnia repair Who welcomes this true servant to her Lord By whom she presently is brought on board The Mariners finding such pleasant gales Prepape for lanching and expand their sails When lo Dorastus comes and clips his Dear And now they on the raging Ocean are Who slatters for a while but suddenly A paleful darkness muffles up the sky The winds are all inlarg'd dire thunders heard The Master pores in vain upon the Card All look for death when lo a minutes time Makes satisfaction for three days crime All 's whist and they are lodg'd upon the port That 's not far distant from Pandosto's Court Dorastus droops so to mistake his way Instead of Italy Bohemia Fawnia laments for now behold there came Some of Pandosto's Guard to know what name The Ship did bear and presently to bring All her Inhabitants unto the King There no excuse can serve along they go Dorastus Fawnia and Capnio With lowly homage humbled on the knee They do salute Bohemia's Majesty Who askt Dorastus what 's his name whence He came and straitway renders his pretence My name Sir is Meleagrus by my birth A Knight brought up on Trapolonian's earth This Gentlewoman whom I mean to make My wife is an Italian for whose sake Doubting her friends consent I took my way By partial Fate to Trapolonia But forc'd by tempest hither ' gainst my mind Where I shall hope hospicious friends to find Pandosto starting from his Throne replies Now by the everliving Deities Thou art a perjur'd Traytor and hast won This Lady to her sure destruction By cursed frauds who for her grace beauty Merits that mighty Kings should do her duty And till I hear of her descent and can Prove that thou art a Trapolonian A Prison shall contain thee No reply Dorastus made being hurried presently To prison Fawnia wrings her Lilly palms And swoons away vext with uncessant qualms Pandosto who tho' old and sapless grown Loves the lewd act more than he lov'd his Crown He deeply doats on Fawnia comforts her Promising if she 'l presently confer Her love on him he 'l instantly set free Her Knight and raise him unto dignity She scarce refrains to pull the Tyrants beard Calls him a Dog for Footy Dis prepar'd A month is past since King Egistus lost His son who sends about to every coast At last his willy Messengers resort With hasty motion to Pandosto's Court Who kindly welcomes them their charge is thus Where e're they find his son with courteous And winged language to convene him home But if they find he will yet further rome To bring him into Sicily by force But for poor Fawnia her doom is worse She must be murther'd instantly and so The Princes servant faithful Capnio They had no sooner told the Embassy But King Pandosto sendeth presently For Meleagrus he 's Sicilia's Heir He knows and he is glad he has him there Dorastus wonders at this great mutation But more to see some Lords of his own nation There is no bogling now Pandosto's glad That he shall manifest the hate he had Conceiv'd ' gainst Fawnia for her great disdain Commanding she and Capnio should be slain Fawnia no doubt inspir'd by Heaven cries O why did the cruel Destinies Cause Prince Dorastus to affect a Maid So far beneath him now to death betray'd But since I must forsake the World take here Brave Prince this chain which still for my sake wear Which from my Infancy has ever been About my neck but till now never seen Pandosto starts he knew the chain of old It was his wives he then began to hold His thoughts in strict suspence compares the time Since mad with rage he acted that black crime He finds she is his Daughter strait he rears Himself from 's throne watring his cheeks with tears Ah Fawnia my sweet Fawnia he doth cry All there admire at this strange Colloquie Fawnia is not more glad that she has found So great a Father then Dorastus crown'd With glorious hope to gain so brave a wife The Lords on both sides joy that now the strife 'Twixt the Sicilians and Bohemia's State Shall cease and nought remain of ancient hate The King great Feasts Iustings doth prepare For joy he now hath found a Female Heir Which done he does imbark himself and his With Prince Dorastus and his only bliss Divinest Fawnia the Sicilian Peers He takes along and Neptunes brow appears So smooth in six days they see Syracuse Egistus marvels when he hears the news And having heard Pandosto's story sends For Porrus who was in the Jaylors hands Who tells the truth of all how Fawnia scapt Shewing the Mantle wherein she was wrapt Pandosto Knights him and the Lovers are The next day married Hymen every where Is chanted Lo Hymen each man sings And an eternal League 'twixt the two Kings Concluded every Commoner is feasted For forty days so long the triumph lasted Which was no sooner ended but his soul Vext for his former facts so black and foul Having betraid his Friend and slain his Wife Pandosto's own hands takes Pandosto's life Whose death for many days they do bewail And then Dorastus and his Queen set sail For fair Bohemia where he sumptuously Inters his Father Governs graciously For many years till Death with little pain Did put a period to his Life and Reign FINIS