my fame might resound in Amenia's ears caus'd me with so great animosity to break into the troops of my enemies that giving life and courage to the Austures I oft times enforc't them to a victory and by my example gave puissance to their arms It was a reasonable encounter when chusing out a hundred of the chiefest of Lilibilis's Camp we attacqued a thousand of the Romans well appointed and put them to a shameful flight which extreamly irritated Caesar to see his Eagles flie backwards but neither his anger nor endeavours could recover the losse nor save his men from a miserable slaughter These actions of mine carried on with prosperous successes rendred me another Hannibal amongst the Austuâ—es Lilibilis giving me more Encomiums than my modesty could receive That speedy Herald Fame still echoed my actions in Amenia's ears and an action was no sooner done in the field than known in Austurica I shall let pass the honour I receiv'd from Lilibilis the Love from the rest of the commanders the encomiums of the souldiers and the general applauses from all the Iberians and tell you Winter being far entred and Caesâ—r having withdrawn his Troops falling at that instant sick as we thought for his ill success we returned to Austurica where under triumphal arches they made me enter the City seeking for new honours to expreâ—s their gratitude Amenia carried the sure testimonies of joy for my return in her countenance and with a very pleasing language gave me thanks for my services my content was unexpressable at the reinvisaging those lamps which had kindled the ardours in my soul and the kissing those fair hands infus'd new vigor into all my limbs I did believe my actions could not be so lively represented to her ears as to beget that affection which was possible for the intuition of them to have done This suscitated a desire to sheâ— some feats of activity in her sight that her eyes might be witnesses of my strength and agility The next day I told Lilibilis that it would not be amisse to exhibit some publick rejoycings for our good successes thereby manifestinâ— to the world the little fear we had of the Romans He was very well pleas'd with the motion and referr'd the ordering of it to my self I immediately caus'd every thing to be prepared against a time which I had prefixed and published a running a Tilt in the City Whilst every thing was preparing for these sports I gave continual assaults to that specious fort with my eyes not daring as yet to come so near as to prove its strength with the engine of my tongue for fear of a repulse and losing that ground I had gain'd not knowing the desire my amiable enemy had for an assault that the Fort might be rendred with honour Those favours she shew'd me were with so great discretion that I could not distinguish whether she favoured me as a Lover or for those services I had done her father for those shots which went from my eyes could not but declare me an amorous foe Neither could I perceive that she manifested any more signes of Love than Clotuthe Lilibilis's wife who was a young Lady and married to him since the death of Amenia's mother and indeed too young for his years My designs being nothing but what were truly honourable I resolved after those publick pastimes to exhibit my passion with a more apert language than that of the eyes Euripides was about to proceed not minding the stealing away of the time when one whose misfortunes had made a companion to him in his solitary life came into the Grove to look him but unexpectedly finding a Cavalier with him in discourse was about to return had not Euripedes espying him desired him not to descede I could not imagin said he being come near Euripedes what should detain you longer than your usual musings the consideration that you were yet fasting and the afternoon far entred made me come to seek you not thinking fortune would have brought me so abruptly to trouble your discourse with this Cavaliere I believe said Euripedes that you have done him a pleasure for I lackt a remembrancer being entred into the discourse of my life which you are acquainted with and truly not denoting the elaption of the time I might have entertain'd him yet longer with it and it may be to the tryal of his patience I beseech you said Argelois think not that I am weary of your discourse for if you studied to do me the greatest injury in the world you could not find a greater than to debar me of the content I receive in the audition of your fortunes for my diligent hearkning to the relation of your life gave me no time to reflect on my own miseries and I did not think anothers relation could have eas'd my passion I should importune you to continue your story at this time did not the remembrance of your fasting rather cause me to desire you to forbear till a fitter opportunity wherein you may better continue your discourse Euripedes following his advice having prevailed with Argelois to accompany them returned all three through those pleasant shades to his grott ELIANA BOOK the second THey had not walked very many paces in that delectable place before they came to a rock where that little rivulet which ran through the grove had its Original The rock was of a hard stone and the top and sides covered with moss round about it grew very high trees which gave a great umbraâ—e and made the place seem with so great solitude as if it had been the habitation of silence The declivity of the rock made an entrance like to the mouth of a great cave and so dark that it would have feared one ignorant of the place to have ent'red it Being at the end of that obscure entrance there was no further way to be perceiv'd still Euripedes slideing away a stone pulled at a line which rung a bell within a cave but so far that the sound came not to their ears without which gave notice to them within to give them entrance By and by some stones being taken away which on the inside might veâ—y artificially and easily be slid by gave them an entrance into a large entry which admitted light through certain artificial holes at the top of the rock that entry introduced them into several rooms having the light admitted after the same manner here it was that nature and art strove which should excell in the illustration of this Cryptoporticus Nature provided the rooms and had suffulted the roof of the rock with admirable obdurate pillars which divided the Chambers of this curious Cavern But art had so imbellished the more rude workmanship of nature that it made it surpass many pallaces Argelois little thought so tenebrous an entrance would have conducted him into so fair dormitoâ—ies but having past two or three they went into a very fair Chamber where Euripedes desiring his guest to sit down bid him
injuries you had done him Amongst many other words that his fury and distemper made him utter I retained these Cruel mischance cryed he out just as I hoped for the fruition I had so long expected but who can conquer Fortune that mocker of our hopes I thought I had been past all danger of her mockeries I thought she had done her utmost against me I thought the cruell Goddesse had given me Amenia for to recompence the losse of the Kingdom she hath taken from me Cruell destiny inexorable goddesse thou art nothing but illusions no thou knowest no other way to make Mandone throughly miserable but by this last ereption of all my comfort with Amenia furies snakehaired sisters asist me Fill me with your veniferous potions add fire to my flames and let your stings give me no rest till I have revenged my self on that cursed vagabond Euripedes and that strumpet Amenia Assist me in my invention and they shall know there is no rage like that of love converted to fury and revenge your selves shall be lesse cruell than I will be in inflicting those tortures rage wrath and revenge provoke me to No Euripedes thy weak arme cannot help thee now I am assisted by the internall Furies wrath and revenge Thou shalt find that my arme is stronger than it was and the inspiration of rage hath augmented my forces And thou Amenia shalt repent thee of thy folly thy beauty nor teares shall move me to any pity no I will blind my eyes with revenge and answer thy demerrits with whips of steel Araterus after he had listned a while to the rage and fury of this man impatient of longer delay and hoping by him to learn some newes of you lest his secret ausculation and presenting himselfe to that mad man I have heard said he accidentally what your fury hath made you vent against a man whom I go in Quest of and who is my friend and kinsman The ardent desire I have to meet with him induces me to pardon your crime upon condition you direct me where I might find him otherwayes consanâ—tinity and fâ—iendship ties me to chastise the irregularities of your tongue The man who by thâ—â—e words was sufficiently roused cast himselfe upon his feet evâ—ginating his sword Gods cryed he I thank ye for sending one that dares maintaine the Quarreâ—l of Euripâ—des how great eâ—â—e will this be to me that his friend shall bear the first Stigma's of my fury Without other words he assaulted Araterus with his eyâ—s that shewed rage and desâ—eâ—atenesse and with so much strength and fury that it made me doubt of the event Araterus opposed him with a sufficient courage and animosity and oppoâ—ed to his strength and fury skill and Judgment The battle hung long in suspence blood and wounds having been equally shar'd till at last after three hours endeavour Victory began to declare her selfe for Araterus Mandone beâ—inning to faint with the losse of blood and courage I expected every minute when he would fall when Fortune shewing one of her usuall pâ—ankes had like to have given away the victory and life of Araterus to Mandone Araterus warding a back blow of Mandone's and stepping back stumblâ—d at a shrub which intangling his leg flung him on the ground Mandone noâ— loosing that opportunity thrust his sword in at the buckling of his Curace which neverthelesse with the sudden turning of Araterus mist his body and piercing the other side pinned him fast to the ground Mandone drawing his dagger sell upon him and had there put a period to the life of Araterus If I seeing the danger he was in had not whilst he was busie in taking away the life of Araterus deprived him of his with a thrust which I gave him in at the back Araterus arising pulled off the cask of Mandone and finding him stone dead instead of the thanks I expected very angerly told me that he had rather he had dy'd than that his honour should be destain'd by so cowardly an act Abash'd at this insulsity I replyed that no wise men but would disowne such generosity which had rather lose a liâ—â— that ought to be preferred to all the world before the breach of such a foolish punâ—illo I told him that I did not do it till necessity urg'd me to it and that it was no stain to his honour himselfe not consenting to the fact and that I hoped he would not be angry at my care of his life but rather that he should have accounted me a monster to have stood by and have seen him murthered without lending him my assistance My teares haveing more poweâ— than my words and promising to offend him no more in the like pacifyed his anger and reconciled him to me Leavinâ— the place and the dead body of Mandoâ—e we rode to the next village where we spent a mon'th in the cure of Araterus his wounds Their sanation being perfected we searched all those places where we had any hopes of meeting with you the last Countrey being the Cantabrians where not finding you and believing that you were returned home we took shipping at Flaviobriga with an intent to do the like Our sailes swelled with a prosperous wind till we had compassed Spain and were almost come to those straits that give entrance into the Mediterranean Sea A reâ—â—â—ting gale arising by little and little the ship notwithstanding the endeavours of the mariners far from the entrance of the strait and withstanding their art and paines bore them into the midst of the Ocean The skie began to befrown his serene face with spissous clouds and to muffle himselfe with an unwonted obscurity darknesse and horror began to empale us round The eyes of heaven continually shot down upon us fulmineous flames his voyce bespeaking our deaths with a tonitruous eccho Every man had his deaths symptomes in his face fear having tainted the cheeks of all the Passengers with a pallid hew The winds breaking their Hyperborean prison fomented the waters which with a kind of imperious greatness swel'd into liquid mounrains opposing it self to the agil lightning Our ship left to the mercy of the winds ran far into those traceless paths ore which Dedalus's wings had never soar'd where lost in that new world of waters it sometimes mounted to the Poles and by and by sunk to the vally of Stix between the aqueous rocks which perpetually threatned with an eternal Tumulation those poor souls with whom fear and sorrow were continual Concomitants Driven thus with a perpetual Hurricano for ten dayes together towards the Antartick Pole we found the Sun almost in our Zenith which penetrating us with its ardoâ— made us know the intolerable heats of those Climatâ—s The storm now tired with assaulting us or else giving a trace to our almost quite-spent Barque abated and heaven unfrowning his face seemed to smile on our miseries There were no gods left unthank'd for this serenity and being reviv'd from that death Dispair had cast them into they
fell to mending the tackle which had been shaken by the wind and to do their endeavours to return out of that incognitous sea Bearing for some dayes to the North-East a youth at last from the summit of the Mast discovered land which was no small joy to the weaâ—ied Mariners and affrighted Passengers Having attained to that shore we had seen we entred a large river which after many â—alls from the mountain embosom'd it self there into the Sea Clearing the mists of sadness from our eyes we went on shore where we found a sufficient shelter against the penetrating beams of the Sun falling almost perpendiculâ—r ore our heads in large and overgrown woods which were stor'd with the light-heel'd-harts and branched horn'd stags After we had stor'd our ship with Venison and with the crystal liquor of the river we left that land and the Pilot necessitated to make use of the utmost of his skill bore towards the West and being got into the main we tacked about setting our prow opposit to the Artick Pole we had but just then shaken off that fear which the impetuosity of the last storm â—â—d put us into when the wind saluting us with a whistling noise made us 〈◊〉 t was but the Praecursor of his Forces We soon found by reiteraâ—ed 〈◊〉 that he had given us that truce that he might overcome us with the moâ—â— glory His forces being augmented from playing with our streamers he began to toss our ship and contradict our passage with an impetuosity fâ—r greater than the former The storm still increasing made us reassume our â—eâ—â—s and many to deprecate those Deities which in safety they scarce thoughâ— of and who they would assoon forget after their dangâ—r This lasted thrice as long as the former and with an extraordinary swiftness drove us continually to the South as if it had purposed to have driven us to the utmost end of the earth At last the storm ceased but left us destitute of all knoâ—ledge where we were we saw nothing but waters which seemed yet to threaten us the world seem'd turn'd up side down for we had lost the sight of the North Hemisphere and then beheld a new heaven of stars which before we had never seen The Sun was North of us which had like to have deceived the Pilot for bearing towards the South we perceived by the sâ—ars and new face of the heaven that we had passed the Equinoxial We imagined our selves irrecoverably lost the Pilot professing his art at an end knew not which way to steer Sometimes we ran a hundred Leagues one way then as many another but espying no land we had no hopes of returning To augment our miseries our provision failed us our water was spent and what remained stunk and was corrupted so that many in the ship with the extremity of heat and lack of Victuals died Araterus indured these adversities with wonderfull patience and amongst all the imprecations that anguish wrung from the mouths of those distressed people there was not heard the least murmur fall from his At last in our greatest distress we espied land to the East of us which sight was extreamly welcome to us Having attained the land before we could disembarque we experienced that the torrid Zone contraâ—y to the opinion of Poets was inhabited for upon the shore we saw aâ—â—embled a great many people which continually wore Sables The Sun had with its excessive ardour imbu'd their skin with this innate black wearing nothing that might hinder the penetration of his beams so that their Children were born with the same nigerous hew their hair crisped and short seem'd just like wool their noses flat and something deformed their stature mean but their envie and malice implacable These people which at first sight seem'd like so many Daemons affrighted those in the ship who naming the place the land of Devils would rather have endured the miserie of starving than to expose themselves to the mercy of such Creatures Araterus wearied of the sea perswaded them to go on shore without fear telling them without doubt that those creatures were humane and of necessity they must perish or gain some sustenance at their hands At last he perswaded them to land which they did but were oppos'd by those blacks who at a distance shot at them arrows the points made sharp and hardened in the fire for they had not the use of Iron or Steel which wounded many and slew some But Araterus encouraged them and with great hazard to his person fell in amongst them who affrighted at us and our glittering weapons with a terrible howling and noise sled from us some of them we slew whereby the people of the ship were satisfied that they were poor simple naked people rejoycing that they were landed they quenched their thirsts with a river that we found and stopt their hunger with some wild fowl which we caught without any other cooking than rosting it against the Sun We had but just satisfied our selves with our late caught food when we perceived coming down the mountains an innumerable company of Negroes who being rear'd by those that sled from us came to repell us out of their Countrey We sought to retire to our ships when we perceived their subtilty had deprived us of all hopes of escaping for a whole troop of them getting between us and the ship oppos'd our passage I know not by what Gâ—nius's good direction it was but a little before I had brought Araterus's armour out of the ship which had saved his life in this Exigent He had hardly buckled it on before we were assaulted at a distance with a cloud of arrows which falling upon his armour rebounded back to the amazement of those that jaculated them But many of our companions ended their lives in the first brunt for although they were but slightly wounded yet those wounds being made with empoysoned arrows they immediately dyed Dispair oftentimes the mother of great exploits made our companions fight so vigorously that they obscured the earth with their dark bodies and made a kind of a sable and sanguine field But what avails valour and animosity when 't is over-powered strength may be mastered by a multitude and courage made effectless The power of these Monsters increased and the more we slew the stronger they were by the continual supplies that came It was a kind of miracle to behold how many lay breathing their last and slain by so small a company Indeed they were naked and almost weaponless their chiefest being empoysoned arrows and clubs to whose tops were made fast a kind of stones of a plumbeous substance but their numbers were so great that the weight of their very armes had been enough to have depressed us all to the earth Our companions slew so many of them and had bespread the whole face of the field with their carcases that had you seen them you would have judged by the Clades that it had been the depreliation