now I sing that once for loue did die Forget Belisa now thy woefull wrong And to my voice sweete Nymphes your eares apply That lost his eies to beauties blaze then turning And Shepherdes cease a while your amorous mourning I will not speake for God forbid the same Of that most heauie processe of mine ils Nor when I so did sing that I did tame Wilde beastes and birdes and mooued trees and hils Nor when I did suspend th' infernall flame Nor when I sawe Pluto nor that that kils My soule with greefe when I lookt backe to see If that Euridice did follow me But I will sing with pure and sweetest voice Of those perfections and that grace display That wisedome wit and beautie of such choice Of those who doe illustrate Spaine this day Then see her Nymphes whose beautie doth reioice Vs all her great Diana and her gay And goodly traine on whom both Gods and men Cannot ynough imploy their toongs and pen. Lift vp your eies this Lady to beholde That heere is sitting in this highest chaire With scepter neere to her and crowne of golde And angrie fortune by her on the staire This is the star that Spaines light did enfolde Whose absence now her glory doth impaire Her name is Lady Mary that hath beene Of Hungarie Boeme and of Austrie Queene The next that sits to her is Lady Iane Princesse of Portugall and of Castille The Infant and from whom fortune had tane The crowne and scepter by her turning wheele And vnto whom death was so inhumane That in her selfe great wonder she doth feele To see how soone she did stretch forth her hands On her that was the light of Lusitans Behold faire Nymphes that Lady Mary great And soueraigne Infant of her Portugall Whose grace and beautie hath this day a seate Where humane thought could neuer reach at all Behold though cruell for tune there doth threat Her wisedome yet doth count of her but small For time and death and destinie cannot Conquere her goodnes vertues and her lot Those two that are by her on either side Whose beauties Titans brightnesse doe offend Their sleeues of gold their gownes of damaske tide With pearle and where faire Emerauldes depend Their curled golden lockes wauing so wide Vpon their shoulders loose that doe descend Daughters they are of th' Infant Lusitanc Duarta the valiant and great Cristiane Those two great Dutchesses of worthy fame For beauties prize in either of our Spaines Which there you see to life se◠out in frame With grace and features that all others staines Of Sessa and Najare each hath her name Whose companie Diana not disdaines For their exceeding beautie and desartes Discretion wisedome and all other partes Behold a golden Phoenix all alone Arare perfection neuer seene before Wisedome as like was not in any one Beautie and grace where neuer could be more She that puls fortune from her vaunting throne And hath her subiect to her will and lore Great Lady Leonore Manuell hath to name The Lusitane light that doth the world inflame The Lady Luise Carillo that in Spaine Hath made Mendoças blood of such renowne Whose beautie and braue grace hath in a chaine Cupid himselfe for loue of her cast downe She 's waiting still vpon our Goddesse traine For chastitie worthie to weare a crowne Of faire and honest an example heere And of them all a mirrour bright and cleere Rehold a sweete perfection and a rare Of her whom fame her selfe doth greatly feare Behold a passing beautie sans compare Founded in grace and wisedome euery wheare That both with reason binde to loue and care For in her doth the lest part beautie beare Lady Eufrase of Guzman is her name Worthy to be eternized with fame That matchlesse beautie sweete and peregrine Not seene in any but in her alone Which euery wit and soule doth so refine With holy loue as like was neuer none Apparelled with Crimson that doth shine With flowres of gold and pearle that there are sowne The Lady Mary Aragon her name The world doth know and he auen doth knowe the same Her doe you knowe to whome Diane her face Doth turne and points her to vs with her hand Who matcheth her in wisedome and in grace And equall is with others in this land In wit and hath in beautie highest place Apt to conduct and leade a martiall band T' is Lady Isabell Mauriq of Padille Who Mars doth conquer and with wonder fill The Ladies Mary Manuell and Ione Osorius are those two which you doe see Whose grace and beautie as the like not knowne Euen Loue himselfe with loue doth wound and slee And this our Goddesse doth not ioy alone To see two such with her but also wee Since then no toong their worthinesse may praise Reason and fame to heauen the same shall raise And those two sisters of such worthy name Either of them a second neuer had Their grace and beautie fils the world with fame This day their golden beames doth each one glad Me thinkes I see them in their perfect frame To which more beautie nature could not adde The Lady Bettrice Sarmient is one With Castro her faire sister so well knowne That cleerest sunne which heere you see doth shine And heere and there her golden beames doth cast She that doth laugh at louers that doe pine In loue and at the teares that they doe wast And at Loues powre whose countenance diuine Saies more then I though praising her so fast T' is Lady Ione Carate in whom we see Surpasing grace and beauties praise to bee The Lady Anne Osorius that braue dame And Castro next to her possesse their place For peerelesse beautie honoured with fame For goodly giftes for modestie and grace But her hard hap alas was much to blame So cruelly her glory to deface Bicause her fortune equall might not bee Vnto her wisedome beautie and degree That matchlesse beautie that 's adorned so With honestie and grace so soueraine Which was with reason chosen to bestowe Her honour in the Temple of Diana Not conquer'd but still conqu'ring high and lowe Her name O Nymphes is Lady Iuliana Neece to that greatest Duke and Conestable Speake fame of her for I am far vnable Behold the beautie on the other part Of many faire and braue Valencian Dames Whom with my pen but more yet with my hart I will procure to celebrate their names Heere Fount of Helicone vouchsafe thy art And heere Minerua helpe me in these blames To tell what those braue Ladies be whose sight Onely to them all eies and harts inuite See heere fowre blasing stars that brightly shine Of whom Fame brutes their name in euery ground That from three famous kingdomes drawe their line And from Cardonas aneient house come downe On th' one side Dukes most excellent decline And from the other scepter throne and crowne Daughters vnto Sogorbe whose golden fame From Atlas vnto Maurus soundes their name The light of all the world the flowre
who shewed by his countenance a kinde of fiercenes making them almost afraide that looked on him and that which was written aboue him was this Bernard of Carpio I am The Pagans terror and their smart An honour to the Christian name Since that my handes aduaunc't the same By valour of my stoutest hart Fame iust it is not thou conceale My matchlesse deedes from tender yeeres But nothing if thou wilt reueale To Ronçes-Vales I appeale That sometimes was of the twelue Peeres On the other side stoode a valiant captaine in gilded armour with sixe bendes gueles in the middes of his shielde and on the other side on him many enfolded Auncients and a captiue king in a chaine whose superscription said thus My greatest valours they shall see Which knewe them not whereby againe I onely haue deseru'd to bee Surnamed The great Capitaine And in strangelandes and in our owne I purchased so great a fame That my exploites are held and knowne To be far greater then my name Next to this stout captaine stoode a knight all in siluer armour sowen full of starres and of the other side on him a king with three Fleure de Lyses Or in his shielde Azure before whom he tare certaine papers the superscription aboue him was this I am Fonseca whose braue historie Europe doth knowe and doth so much commend Whose life though ended yet my memorie Enroll'd by liuing fame shall neuer end My souer aigne King I serued and did beare My countrey loue and not in fained showe I neuer did leaue of for seruile feare To keepe that holy lawe which euery where The seruant doth vnto his master owe. In another quadrant of the Obeliske stoode an armed knight his armour sowen full of little golden shieldes who by the valour of his personage seemed to be descended from some noble and high blood casting his eies amongst manie other Lords and knights of his ancient lynage the subscription beneath his feete was this Don Luys of Villanoua I am named And from the great Marquesse of Tranz descended My valour and renowne with praise proclamed In Italie Fraunce Spaine is far extended Bicorb an ancient house my state is framed That fortune to a hart hath now commended So high sans peere and that so much surmonnteth As to commaund a world it smally counteth After they had particularly behelde the paterne and all the knights and valiant champions placed in it they went into a rich hall the feeling whereof was all of yuorie woonderfully wrought and carued the wals of allablaster and many ancient histories so liuely cut out and grauen in them that one would verily haue thought that Lucretia killed her selfe indeede and subtill Medea vndid her webbe in the Iland of Ithaca and that the famous Romaine Lady yeelded to the fatall sister bicause she would not offende her honour with the sight of the horrible monster and that the louing wife of Mauseolus was making great lamentation thinking to what end the sepulcher of her husband was counted for one of the seuen wonders of the world And many other histories and examples of chaste Ladies worthie to be eternized with immortall fame thorow out the whole world bicause it seemed not sufficient ynough for some of them to giue manifest examples by their vnspotted life but for others by their vntimely and cruell death great testimonie of their pure and vndefiled thoughts amongst the which the Spanish Coronella was one who did rather commit her body to consuming flames then suffer her chaste minde to be ouercome with the motion and delight of a dishonest thought After they had viewed all the figures well and the varietie of the histories round about the wals of the hall they went into another square court which for the riches thereof seemed to their iudgements so much to excell all that they had seene as the substance doth the shadowe for all the wals of it were couered ouer with fine golde and the pauements of precious stones Round about this Quadrant stood the figures of many Ladies of Spaine and of other nations and aboue them all the Goddesse Diana curiously cut out of mettall of Corynth with short garmentes like a hunter adorned with much pearle and precious stones of great value who had her bowe in her hande and her golden quiuer hanging downe by her side enuironed rounde about with a troupe of Nymphes fairer then Titan in his cheefest glorie The Shepherdes and the Shepherdesses were so amazed at the sight of these things that they knew not what to say bicause the riches of the house were so infinite the figures so liuely the workmanship of the Quadrant so excellent and the proportion of the Ladies that were retracted there with so great art that they thought it impossible to imagine a more perfect and absolute or a more sumptuous building in the whole world then that was On the one side of the Quadrant stood fower Laurell trees of gold so brauely enameled with greene leaues that in gardens there were none more fresh or liuely and neere to them a little fountaine made all of beaten siluer in the middes whereof was likewise a Nymph of beaten gold which at her faire breastes thorow nybles of Rubies spouted out water cleerer then Cristall and neere to this fountaine did Orpheus the famous musition sit enchaunted with the age that he was in when his Euridice was requested of importunate Aristeus He had on a cote of cloth of siluer interseamed and imbrodered with flowers of seede pearle his sleeues broad about the shoulders and falling very narrow to his elbowes from whence his armes came out naked He had on a paire of hose of cloth of siluer to the knee and made after the olde fashion of Thrace wrought full of little golden Harpes and Citherens his golden bush of haire which hung downe curled and long was tied about with a faire Laurell wreath But when he perceiued the Nymphes comming towardes him he began most sweetely to touch a fine Harpe which he had in his handes with the diuine melodie whereof the strangers were so much rauished that they forgot all that they had seene in respect of this new delight Felismena sate her downe vpon a faire lowe bed in the Quadrant which for the most was couered all ouer with purple damaske finely wrought and fringed with golde and the Nymphes and Shepherdesses about her the Shepherdes leaning vpon the siluer fountaine In this sort therefore they were harkening to worthy Orpheus as if he had bin singing amongst the Cyconians when Cyparisus was turned into a Cypres tree and Atis into a Pine tree Enamoured Orpheus then began to sing so sweetely to the tune of his Harpe that with the heauenly musicke thereof he suspended their amazed senses And turning his sweete face to Felismena he began to sing these verses following Orpheus his song HArke Felismena to the sweetest song Of Orpheus whose loue hath bene so high Suspend thy greefe Seluagia somewhat long Whilst
of Spaine The end of perfect beautie and of grace A royall hart that euer doth maintaine Valour and bountie in a vertuous race That looke so modest and so sweete againe Adorned with so faire and milde a face Giuès Lady Anne of Aragon such fame That Loue himselfe is captiue to her name Her sister Lady Bettrice that you see Is next if that you can behold such light Whom none can praise for this is onely shee Whom none can praise according to her right That Painter that did make her so must bee Her praiser and her giftes he must reeite For where all humane wit cannot attaine My poore conceite doth labour there in vaine The Lady Frances of great Aragon Shew you I vvould but she is alvvaies hid Her svveetest beauties leaues not any one With life for so her starlike eies forbid Our mortall sight to vievv the same alone In life and death her vertues euer did Subiect each hart to loue and admiration As fame can tell in euery forrain nation Now Lady Magdalene you may reueale Sister vnto those three which I haue showne Behold her well and see how she doth steale Her gazers harts and subiect liues to none Her peerelesse beautie threats and in a chaine Leades little Cupid turn'd into a stone None see her but they die and none there ar But she doth conquer without armes or war Those two bright stars that heere and there doe vaunt Their shining beames that dim the starrie skie And making that illustrous house of Gaunt In all the world with high renowne to flie This day their wisedome and their beauties daunt Each humane thought and euery mortall eie For who sees Magdeline and Marguerite That doth not die for loue at such a sight But will you see the thing that hath vndone All wits and made them all to wonder so Behold a Nymph more faire then orient sunne Or louely rose or lilly hard by Po This Phoenix name that through the world doth runne Is Lady Caterine Milane for so Valencia cals her and the world doth say She is as faire and wise as liues this day Lift vp your eies faire Nymphes and now behold The Lady Mary Pexon çannoguere How by the riuer banks her locks of gold She kembes adorning of her shining heare Whose beautie wisedome and braue giftes are told For rarest in our Europe euery wheare Behold her eies her faire and Cristalline face Her sweete demeanour and her heauenly grace Those two behold the rest that doe excell Inperfect wisedome and in quicke conceate And for braue beautie beare away the bell A paire sans peere whose starlike eies doe threate Despaire and death to those that view them well For there sits Cupid in his proper seate Their blessed names doe with their nature fit Faire Bettrice Vigue and Bettrice Fenollir What time Diana went to sport and play With her most soueraine face and more diuine Amorning star arose in moneth of May Like to that Star that neere the Moone doth shine Which when she sawe so glorious euery way A famous place to her she did a ssigne Her beauties tell you if her name you seeke That she 's the peerelesse Lady Anna Vigue Faire Nymphes behold the Lady Theodore Carroz that is great Lady and the Queene Of such braue beautie neuer seene before Wisedome and grace as like was neuer seene Each thing of hers enamours more and more The brauest mens deserts haue neuer beene Such as they durst attempt or euer sought By them to place in her an amorous thought See Shepherdes Lady Angelas braue grace Of Borja looking on Diana bright And how to her the Goddesse turnes her face To view those eies that all eies doe inuite And mightie Loue himselfe weeping apace And how the Nymph derides his conquer'd might And laughes to see the cruell Tyrant lying Wrapped in chaines to her for mercy crying Of that most famous stocke of çannoguere A flowre sprung out so perfect and so pure That liuing yet but yong she neede not feare Any that may her beauties blaze obscure Her mothers heire she is for she doth beare The praise which she did with her giftes procure So hath Lady Hieronyma you see In grace and wit obtain'd the high'st degree Now in a wonder Nimphes will you remaine And see what fortune gaue to her alone How wisedome beautie and the goodly traine Of vertues make in her the chiefest throne Lady Veronica Marrades see againe For onely by her figure it is knowne That she hath all and nothing wants to serue her Vnlesse it be that none can well deserue her The Lady Luise Penaroje we see In more then humane beautie and in grace In euery thing most excellent is shee All beauties els she staines and gaineâ—…pace Loue dies for her and he will not agree That any should behold so sweete a face Who sees it dies vnlesse he see it againe And seene it then his sight augments his paint Now see I Nymphes that you are seeing her On whom my thoughts continually deuise And yours perforce from her can never stirre Cupid for robs and in her loue he dies See how her beauties make the world to erre See but beware such light blinde not your eies The Lady Iane Cardona that faire star It is to whom loues powres subiected 〈◊〉 That beautie which exceedeth humane thought Which you doe see if that you can behold it She whose estate was blest esteeming nought Of fortune time or chaunce that could enfold it She to the world that such rare giftes hath brought She that 's my Muse and Parnasus vntold yet Lady Ione Anne of Catalane The end She is of all that e're I did commend Neere vnto her there is a great extreme In purest vertue high and sublimate In comely grace the fairest in this Realme Her golden haire her necke most delicate Each gracious eie a firie pointed beame A noble wit and name of heauens estate The Lady Angela Fernando named Whom nature to her name like gifts hath framed Next to her sits the Lady Marian Who hath not in the world her paragon Neere to her sister fairer then the swan In cristall streames or fine Vermillion Proud is our age of both of them that can In tender yeeres haue no comparison For wisedome for so much they may presume As thousand toongs can tell or golden plume The two fine sisters Borjas which you see Hyppolita and Isabell so faire With grace and giftes that so adorned lee That Phebus brightest beames they doe empaire And see how many liues that once were free Their beauties conquers Cupids onely snare Behold their haire their countenance and eies This gold that sweete and those like stars in skies Behold the Lady Mary Cannoguere Who wow is Lady of sure Catarasse Whose beautie and sweete grace doth euery where Conqueâ—… 〈◊〉 with vnrepaired losse Fame on her wings â—…row out the world doth beare Her vertues rare that shine like gold to drosse Since each one them that
sees her must commend her Who them can praise her well and not offend her The Lady Isabell Borâ—… here doth stand Perfect and absolute in euery thing Behold her face her fine and dainty hand Ouer whose head the nightingales doe sing Our age she honours and th' Hiberian land Of grace and vertuâ— she 's the onely spring And those to whom nature did beautie giue She staines as fairest that did euer liue She that her haire hath hanging downe and speed Abroad and tide with golden third behinde And that faire face that hath so often led So many harts to bondage of the minde Her Iuorie necke her ties in beautie bred Faire modest gray not looking out of kinde Her famous name is Lady Iuliana That honours â—…ere the Temple of Diana She whom you there doe see whom nature made So curiously at neuer like before Since that her beautie neuer seem'd to fade Nor that a faire one can desire more Whose great deserts and wit doth still perswade Fame to the world her praises to restore Is called Lady Moncia Fenollit To whom Loue yeelds himselfe and doth submit The song of renowned Orpheus was so pleasant in Felismenas eares and in all theirs that heard it that it held them in such a suspence as if they had passed by no other thing but that which they had before their eies Who now hauing particularly viewed the rich chamber of estate with euery thing in it that was woorth the seeing as all was the Nymphes went foorth by a certaine dore into the great hall and by an other out of the hall into a faire garden the beautie whereof stroke no lesse admiration into their mindes then the strange things which they had seene before for amongst the fruitfull trees and sweete flowers were many sepulchers and tombes erected of diuers Nymphes and Ladies which with great puritie had kept their chastitie due to the Goddesse thereof inniolate and vnstained Some of the tombes were adorned with coronets of knottie Iuie others with chapplets of sweete Myrtles and some with garlands of greene Laurell There were also manie Allabluster fountaines in the garden some of Iaspar marble some of other mettall seated under vines which with artificiall arches and wreathes aloft did spred foorth their branches depressed with clusters of coloured grapes The Mytrhe trees grew in manner of fower walles with embattlements and pinnacles on the tops of them and on the sides aboue them were certaine Terrasses and walkes reared vp whereon as ouer all the garden besides did growe many sweete flowers of sundry colours as white Iesmins Woodbyne and many more delightfull to the insatiable eie In the hiddes of the garden stoode a Ieat-stone vpon fower brazen pillers and in the thids of it a tombe framed out of Iaspar which fower Nymphes that were wrought out of white Allablaster did hold vp with their handes and about it stoode manie Tapers of Virgine waxe burning in massie candlestickes of bright siluer that were made in artificiall manner About this tombe stoode certaine Lordes and Knights some fashioned out of stone and mettall other som out of Iaspar marble and other matter Which figures shewed such great sorrow by their countenances that they filled Felismenas hart and all theirs that were looking on the tombe with no lesse greefe then admiration But viewing it narrowly they sawe in a table of shining golde which at the foote of the sepulchre a dead and pale mattone held betweene her hands this Epitaphe subscribed HEere Lady Katherine entombed lies Of Aragon and Sarmient whose fame Doth mount with praise vnto the loftie skies And sounds from North to South her woorthy name Death kil'd her to reuenge the sacrifice Of those she killed when she was a dame Her body 's heere her soule in heauen with pleasure The world vnwoorthy to possesse such treasure After they had read this Epitaphe they sawe an Eagle of blacke marble with displaied wings on the top of the tombe with a golden table betweene her tallons with those verses in it EVen as O death the Planets should remaine Without Apollo and Diana bright The ground without mankinde and beasts againe The Marriner without the North-starre light The fielde without faire flowers grasse or graine The mornings showe without the dewe of night Vertue and beautie so remaine and die Without the dame that in this tombe doth lie When they had read both these Epitaphs and Belisa had vnderstoode by them what the Nymph was that was buried therein and how much Spaine lost by leesing her calling therewithall to minde the vntimely death of her deere Arsileus she could not but with teares breath out these sorrowfull wordes O death how far am I from thinking that thou maiest comfort me with other womens harmes The small time that the world enioyed the great beautie and wisedome wherewith they tell me this Nymph was endowed doth not a little greeue me bicause as she was not her-selfe in loue so did not any deserue she should be so For had she beene I would then account her for so happie a woman by dying as my selfe vnfortunate by seeing how small reckoning thou makest of me cruell death since taking from me all my good and the onely ioy of my life thou dost not leaue me heere but onely to feele the neuer-ceasing paine of this heauie want O my Arsileus O rare wisedome in such yoong yeeres O the most faithfull louer that euer was and the finest wit that the heauens could euer infuse into so braue an ornament of nature What eies may without inundations of reares behold thy sorrowfull absence And what hard hart suffer thy vntimely and difastrous end O Arsenius Arsenius how smal a time wert thou vnable to endure the violent death of thy vnfortunate sonne hauing more occasion to suffer it then my selfe Why didst thou make me cruell Arsenius participate of two deathes Of both which to preuent the least that did greeue me I would haue giuen a thousand liues Farewell happie Nymphe the light and honour of the royall house of Aragon God giue thy soule eternall glory and deliuer mine from so many woes and afflictions wherinto it is so deepely sunke After that Belisa had spoken these wordes and after they had seene many tombes more very richly erected they went out by a backe dore in the garden into a greene meadowe where they found the sage Ladie Felicia recreating her-selfe alone and walking vp and downe who seeing them comming towards her receiued them all with a ioyfull countenance And whilest it was time to go to supper they went to a pleasant walke in a groue of Sicamours harde by where the Nymphes of the sumptuous temple were woont many times to go and disport themselues where sitting downe in a little plat of greene grasse that was encompassed round about with leauie Sicamours they began to discourse one with another of that which did best please their fancies The Lady Felicia called the Shepheard Syrenus and Felismena to
not my sweetest life loue thee more then mine owne soule I woulde neuer haue made such signes of inwarde greefe for the wounding thoughts which I brought with me whē I came with my selfe all alone I passed away with a better hart but now that I am constrained to go from thee I haue no force to endure them at all And because thou shalt be no longer in suspence of knowing the cause of my sorrow I will tell thee what lately passed And then he told her all the matter not leauing any thing out in the end of his tale with many teares saying thus vnto her So that thy captiue faire Lady is also prisoner to the Gouernour of Alora And the paine of that imprisonment which thou hast cast vpon me and taught my hart to suffer I feele not but the torment and bondage by liuing without thee I account woorse then any death Wherupon thou seest that my sighes are rather arguments of greater loyalty then of any want thereof And with this he began againe to be so pensiue and sad as he was before he had tolde her his greefe But then with a merrie countenance she said vnto him Trouble not thy minde Abyndaraes with these thoughts for I will take the care and remedie of this greefe vpon mee as a thing that toucheth mee most of all and the more since it is not denied any prisoner that hath giuen his worde to returne to prison to satisfie it by sending the ransome that shall be demaunded of him Wherefore set thy selfe downe what summe thou wilt for I haue the keyes of al my fathers treasure which I will put into thy hands leaue it all at thy disposition Rodrigo of Naruaez is a curteous gentleman a good knight and one who gaue thee once thy libertie And as thou hast acquainted him with the trust of these affaires so is he now the more bound to vse greater virtue and gentlenes towardes thee I am sure he will be contented with reason for hauing thee in his power and prison he must perforce set thee at libertie when he hath the value of thy ransome I see well faire Ladie said the Abencerraje againe that the loue which thou dost beare me will not suffer thee to giue me the best counsell for I will neuer commit so foule a fault as this For if I was bound to fulfill my word when I was alone and without thee now that I am thine the bond is greater I will therefore returne to Allora and yeeld my selfe into the Gouernors hands and when I haue done what I am bound to do let Fortune do with me what she will Nay let me rather die saide Xarifa if thou goest to be prisoner then once desire to remaine here at libertie For being thy captiue by duetie I am bound to accompanie thee in this iourney for the extreme loue that I beare thee whereas also the feare of my fathers frownes which I haue purchased by offending him will let me do no lesse The Moore weeping for ioy to heare these words embraced her saying Thou neuer ceasest my deerest soule to heape fauours vpon my happie head do therefore what thou wilt for this is my resolution With this determination they rose before it was day and prouiding some necessarie things for their iourney they went verie secretly towards Allora and when the day began to waxe cleere Xarifa went with her face couered with a maske for feare of being knowen and by reason of the greath aste they made they came in good time to Alora where going directly to the castle knocking at the gate it was opened to them out of hand by the Centrinels who had notice of that was past and what they should do The valiant Gouernor receiued them curteously and Abyndaraes going to the gate and taking his wise by the hand brought her vnto him said Behold Rodrigo of Naruaez if I keepe not well my word and appointed time For promising thee to returne thy prisoner insteed of one I bring thee two for one was enough to ouercome many Behold here my Ladie iudge if I haue not iustly suffered for her sake accept vs now for thine for in thy virtuous and noble minde I repose my whole trust and confidence and into thy hands commit her deere and chiefest honour The Gouernor was verie glad to see them both and said to Xarifa I know not faire Ladie which of you haue conquered each other in loue and curtesie but truely thinke my selfe greatly bound vnto you both Come in therefore and rest you in your owne house the which from henceforth as also the master of it accept for none other After this friendly entertainement they went with him into his dining chamber where after a little while they refreshed themselues bicause they came somewhat wearie The Gouernor asked the Moore how he did for his wounds I thinke said he that what with the way and what with paine they are somewhat rankled which faire Xarifa hearing with an altered an appalled countenance said vnto him Alas how comes this to passe my Lord Haue you any woundes about you and I not knowe them Who escapes saide he from thine needes little to care for any other Truth it is that at our late skirmish in the night I got two little woundes which my troublesome iourney and negligence in curing them hath made somewhat worse but all is but little or nothing It is best saide the Gouernour that you lay you downe and I will send for a Chirurgeon that is heere in the Castell to cure them Following which counsell faire Xarifa caused him to put off his apparell and though she set a good face on the matter bicause she woulde not giue him any occasion to feele her inwarde greefe yet was she altered much and troubled in her minde The Chirurgeon came and searching his wounds saide that they were not dangerous bicause the signe was not in those places when he receiued them and also bicause they were smitten ouerthwart would not be long in healing For with a certaine ointment that he made out of hand the paine of them was somewhat asswaged and in fower daies by meanes of the great care the Chirurgeon had in healing them hee was as sound and whole as euer he was before But one day after dinner was done the Abenceraje saide thus vnto the Gouernour As you are wise Rodrigo of Naruaez so can you not choose but by the manner of our being at Coyn and of our comming hither imagine more then you haue seene which affaires of ours by our owne misfortunes driuen to this desperate though happy euent wherein they nowe are must be I hope by your aduise and helpe brought to some good end This is faire Xarifa of whom I tolde you This is my Lady and my deerely beloued wife In Coyn she woulde not stay for feare of her Father For though he knowes not what hath passed betweene vs yet she feared least this accident
as it strooke the Nymph in a great admiration so likewise in no lesse compassion of his paines but when she vnderstood that vndoubtedly he was Arsileus the ioy that she conceiued thereof was so great that with words she could not tell it and thought her selfe vnable at that present to do any more but with inward sence to surfet on the sweet ioy of such happie newes Behold then what might be expected of comfortlesse Belisa when she should vnderstand of these gladsome tydings The Nymph therfore casting hir eies on Arsileus not without teares of inward gladnes said vnto him I would I had thy ripe wit and fluent toong Arsileus to make thee know what infinite pleasure I conceiue by the good successe that Fortune hath solicited for my Belisa because I might otherwise be deceiued by thinking that so simple a conceit and barren wordes as mine are could declare it I euer thought that the coutinuall griefe of my Belisa should be at length conuerted into great gladnes induced thereunto by the great deserts of her singular beautie wisdome faith that she hath euer kept firme and inuiolate but did euer feare on the other side that Fortune neuer made account to giue it her so amply and in such sorte as I did desire it bicause it is her condition for the most parte to bring her effectes to passe cleane contrarie to their desires that loue well Happie maiest thou call thy selfe Arsileus since thou didst deserue to bee so well beloued in life that couldest not bee forgotten after death And bicause the deferring of such great ioy for a hart that needes it so much may not be too long giue me leaue to goe and carrie so good newes to thy Shepherdesse as those of thy life and of her deceiued minde And depart not from this place vntill I come againe with her whom thou dost so much desire and most deserue to see As I can expect nothing else saide Arsileus from such excellent wisdome and exceeding beautie as thine but all ioy and contentment whatsoeuer euen so faire Nymph bicause thou dost so greatly desire to giue it me thy will be done whereby I hope to gouerne my selfe as well in this as in all things else that shall ensue thereof Whereupon they taking leaue of one another Polydora went to tel Belisa these inopinate newes Arsileus remained still tarying for them vnder the pleasant shadow of those green Sicamours who to entertaine the time with something as they are wont to doe that are attending some ioyfull thing tooke out his Rebecke and to the tune of it began with sweetest voice to sing these verses following NOw Loue and fortune turne to me againe And now each one enforceth and assures A hope that was dismaied dead and vaine And from the harbour of mishaps recures A hart that is consum'd in lurning fire With vnexpected gladnes that adiures My soule to lay aside her mourning tire And senses to prepare a place for ioy Care in obliuion endlesse shall expire For euery greefe of that extreme annoy Which when my torment raign'd my soule alas Did feele the which long absence did destroy Fortune so well appaies that neuer was So great the torment of my passed ill As is the ioy of this same good I passe Returne my hart sur saulted with the fill Of thousand great vnrests and thousand feares Enioy thy good estate if that thou will And wearied eies leaue of your burning teares For soone you shall behold her with delight For whom my spoiles with glorie Cupid beares Senses which seeke my star so cleere and bright By making heere and there your thoughts estray Tell me what will you feele before her sight Hence solitarinesse torments away Felt for her sake and wearied members cast Of all your paine redeem'd this happy day O stay not time but passe with speedie hast And Fortune hinder not her comming now O God betides me yet this greefe at last Come my sweete Shepherdesse the life which thou Perhaps didst thinke was ended long ago At thy commaund is ready still to bow Comes not my Shepherdesse desired so O God what if she 's lost or if she stray Within this wood where trees so thicke doe growe Or if this Nymph that lately went away Perhaps forgot to go and seeke her out No no in her obliuion neuer lay Thou onely art my Shepherdesse about Whose thoughts my soule shall finde her ioy and rest Why comm'st not then to assure it from doubt O see'st thou not the sunne passe to the vvest And if it passe and I behold thee not Then I my vvonted torments vvill request And thou shalt vvaile my hard and heauie lot When Polydora went from Arsileus not far from thence she met with the Shepherdesse Belisa who was going to recreate her selfe in the greene wood in the companie of the two Nymphes Cynthia and Doria who seeing her comming in such haste began to be afraid thinking that she ran away from some thing from the which it behoued them also to flie away But now when she came neerer vnto them the ioy that they perceiued by her milde eies and countenance did warrant them from danger and being come to them she went presently to the Shepherdesse Belisa and imbracing her with great ioy and gladnes saide thus vnto her If thou knewest from whom this imbracement came thou wouldst with greater content faire Shepherdesse receiue it then now thou dost It can come from no part faire Nymph said she where I may more ioyfully accept it then from thine owne selfe since he from whom with the supre most ioy in the world I should entertaine it is not now in the world And I would desire to liue no longer if I were now altogither depriued of the content that this miserable life may at some times affoorde me which onely I account faire Nymph thy friendly and gracious companie This life saide Polydora from henceforth I hope thou shalt enioy with more content then thou canst imagine And bicause thou maist knowe how let vs sit vnder the shade of this greene Sicamour and I will acquaint thee with such matters as shall reuiue thy spirits and decaied soule Belisa and the Nymphes sat them downe taking Polydora in the mids who said to Belisa Tell me faire Shepherdesse how certaine art thou of the death of Arsenius and of Arsileus Belisa vnable to stop the sudden eruption of her violent teares answered So certaine as one that beheld that tragicall spectacle with her owne eies the one shot thorow with an arrowe the other killing himselfe with his owne Faulchion But what wilt thou say to one that will tell thee that these two whom thou didst see dead are aliue and in perfect health Her would I answere saide Belisa that told me this that she had a desire to renew my teares and to bring those to my thoughts againe whose remembrance is my death or that she tooke a delight to sport her selfe with my greefes