caused the other dames to bury those two bodies in one graue O how happy famous had these two sisters ben if they had not bene the daughters of so wicked and cruell a father But parentes offence on Childrens trespasse oughte not to deface the vertuous déedes of their posteritie Two Romane Queenes ¶ The maruellous courage and ambition of a Gentlevvoman called TANAQVIL the Quene wife of TARQVINVSPRISCVS the fifth Romane King with hir persuasions and pollicie to hir husbande for his aduauncement to the kingdome hir like encouragement of SIRVIVSTVLLIVS wherin also is described the ambition of one of the. ij daughters of SERVIVSTVLLIVS the sixt Romane King and hir crueltie towards hir ovvne naturall father with other accidents chaunced in the nevv erected common welth of Rome specially of the last Romane Kyng TARQVINVS SVPERBVS who with murder atteined the kingdom with murder mainteined it and by the murder and insolent life of his sonne was with all his progenie banished The sixt Nouell ANcus Marcius being that fourth King after Romulus the first builder of that Citie there came to dwell in Rome one Lucumo a lustie gentleman rich and desirous of honour who determined to continewe his habitation there Thesame Lucumo was the sonne of one Demaratê° a Corinthian who for sedition fled his owne countrie dwelt in 〈◊〉 amongs the stock of the Tarquines and after he was maried he begat two sonnes one of them was this Lucumo and the other was called Arnus Lucumo was heire to his father for that Arnus died before leauing his wife gret with childe The father not knowing that his daughter in lawe was with childe gaue nothing in his will to his Nephewe for which cause the childe was called Arnus Egerius Lucumo being the sole heire of his father maried a noble woman named Tanaquil and bicause the Thuscans could not abide to sée a straunger growe to abundance of welth and authoritie she despised hir owne country rather than she would suffer hir husband in any wise to be dishonoured Wherfore she deuised to forsake the Tarquinians to dwel at Rome where she thought among that honorable sorte and newe rerected state that hir husband being stout and valiant should attaine some place of resiance For she called to remembraunce that Tatius the Sabine Numa borne of the stock of Curetes and Ancus brought forth by a Sabine woman all strangers did raigne and became noble and mightie Thus ambition and desire of honour easily doeth persuade any deuise Wherfore carrying with theÌ„ al their substance they repaired to Rome It chaunced when they came to Ianiculum as he and his wife were sitting in a Wagon an Eagle hoouering hir wings ouer Lucumo sodenly toke away his cappe which done she soared ouer the wagon with great force then she retourned againe as though she had bene commaunded by some celestiall prouidence aptly placed his cappe againe vpon his head and then soared away vp into the element Tanaquil conceiuing this act to be some Augurie or Prophecie being cunning in that knowledge as commonly all the people of Hetruria be imbraced hir husband and willed him to be of good chere and to expect great honour And as they were ymagining and consulting vpon these euents they entred the Citie and when they had gotten a house for him and his familie he was called Tarquinins Priscus His riches and great wealth made him a noble man amongs the Romanes and through his gentle entertainement and curteous behauiour he wanne the good willes of many in so much as his fame and good report was bruted throughout the palace At leÌ„gth he grew in acquaintance with the King him selfe who séeing his liberall demeanor and duetifull seruice estéemed him as one of his familiar and nere srends and both in his warres and also at home he imparted to him the secrets of his counsell and hauing good experience of his wisedom by his last will and testament appointed him to be tutour of his children Ancus raigned xxiiii yeres a man in peace and warre in policie and valiance with any of his predecessours comparable His children were very yong and for that cause Tarquinius was more instant to summon a parliament for creation of a king When the day was come he sente the yong children abroade a hunting and then ambiciously presumed to demaunde the kingdome being the first that euer attempted the like For the better conciation and obteining of the peoples good will he vttered this Oration I doe not presume to require a straunge or newe thyng that was neuer before put in practise nor yet am the first but the third straÌ„ger and foraine borne that affected and aspired to this gouernmeÌ„t For which consideration there is no cause why any man ought to muse or maruell more than behoueth It is euidently knowen that Tatius not onely being a stranger but also an ennimie was made Kyng Numa also was made King being altogether a foraine stranger borne not through his owne request but rather voluntarily accited and called therevnto by the Romanes but for my parte after I was able to gouerne my self I repaired to dwell at Rome with my wyfe my children and all my substance where I haue spent the chiefest porcion of my life specially after it was mature and able to execute ciuile magisterie which I chose rather to bestow at Rome than at home in myne owne countrey I haue lerned the Romane rites and lawes as wel such as be mete to serne abroade in the warres as also necessarie to bée practised at home at the hands of mine olde maister Ancus Martius your late king a maister right worthie and famous in all pointes to bée followed I shewed my selfe an humble and obedient subiecte to the King and in friendeship and familiaritie towarde others I contended with the Kyng him selfe When hée had spoken those wordes which in déede were very true with the whole consent of the people hée was saluted King And as all things succéeded his Noble requeste euen so after hée was settled in his Kyngdome hée gaue hym selfe to 〈◊〉 the common wealth Hée chose an hundred graue persons whiche he called the Fathers of the lesser countries He warred firste with the Latines and 〈◊〉 the Citie of Appiolas who bryngyng from thence a greater spoyle and bootie than was looked for ordeined richer and more gorgeous Playes than any of hys predecessoures Hée builded certayne Galleries and other places of assemblie aboute the Forum hée walled the Citie rounde about with stone And as he was doing these things the Sabines interuented him vpon the 〈◊〉 in so much as they were passed the Kyuer of Anienes before the Romane hoste was in a redinesse Whiche was an occasion of greate feare and stirre at Rome In the 〈◊〉 after the battailes were ioyned betwéene them bothe a cruell and blouddie slaughter was committed the victorie fallyng to neyther parte Then the Romanes sought meanes to renue their force by addyng to their armie a further
the same the matter most specially therin comprised treting of courtly fashions and maners and of the customes of loues galantise and the good or yll successe thereof bicause you be an auncient Courtier and one of the eldest Traine and suche as hath ben imployed by sundrie our Princes in their affaires of greatest weight and importance and for that your self in your lustiest time euer bred and brought vp in Court haue not bene vnacquainted with those occurrents If I should stande particularly to touch the originall of your noble Ancestrie the succession of that renoumed line their fidelitie for graue aduise and counsell your honourable education the mariage of a mighty King with one of your sisters the valiant exploites of your parentes against the French and Scots the worthie seruice of your self in field whereby you deseruedly wanne the order of Knighthode the trust which hir Maiestie reposeth in you by disposing vnder your charge the Store of hir Armure and your worthie preferment to be Maister of hir Armarie generall If I shoulde make recitall of your carefull industrie and painfull trauell sustained for answering hir Maiesties expectation your noble cherishing of the skilfull in that Science your good aduauncement of the best to supplie the vacant romes your refusall of the vnworthie and finally of your modest and curteous dealings in that office I feare lacke of abilitie and not of matter would want grace and order by further circumstaunce to adde sufficient praise Yea although my self do say nothing but reserue the same in silence to auoide suspect of adulation the very Armure and their furnitures do speake vniuersall testimonie doth wonder and the Readinesse of the same for tyme of seruice doth aduouche Which care of things continually resting in your breast hath atchieued suche a timely diligence and successe as when hir Maiesties aduersarie shall be ready to molest she shal be prest by Gods assistance to defend and marche But not to hold your worship long by length of preamble or to discourse what I might further say eyther in fauour of this Boke or commendation of your selfe I meane for this instant to leaue the one to general iudgement and the other to the particular sentence of eche of your acquaintaunce Humbly making this only sute that my good will may supplie the imperfection of mine abilitie And so with my heartie prayer for your preseruation to him that is the Author of life and health I take my leaue From my poore house besides the Toure of London the fourthe of Nouember 1567. Your moste bounden William Painter ¶ A Summarie of the Nouels ensuing ¶ The Hardinesse and conquestes of diuers stoute and aduenturous Women called Amazones the beginning continuance and end of their raigne and of the great iourney of one of their Quéenes called Thalestris to visit Alexander the great and the cause of hir trauaile Nouel j. Fol. 1. ¶ The great pietie and continencie of Alexander the great and his louing interteinement of Sisigambis the Wife of the great Monarch Darius after he was vanquished Nouel ij Fol. 5. ¶ Thimoclia a Gentlewoman of Thebes vnderstanding the couefous desire of a Thracian Knight that had abused hir and promysed hir mariage rather for hir goodes than Loue well acquited hirselfe from his falsehode Nouel iij. Fol. 9. ¶ Ariobarzanes great Stewarde to Artaxerxes King of Persia goeth about to excéede his soueraigne Lord maister in Curtesie wherein are conteyned many notable and pleasant chaunces besides the great pacience and loyaltie naturally planted in the sayd Ariobarzanes Nouel iiij Fol. 11. ¶ Lucius one of the Garde to Aristotimus the Tyranne of the Citie of Elis fell in loue with a faire Maiden called Micca the daughter of one Philodemus and his crueltie done vpon hir The stoutenesse also of a noble Matrone named Megistona in defense of hir husband and the Common wealth from the tyrannie of the sayd Aristotimus and of other acts done by the subiects vpon that tyrant Nouel v. Fol. 32. ¶ The maruelous courage ambition of a gentlewoman called Tanaquil that Quéene wife of Tarquinus Priscus the fift Romane King with hir persuasions and pollicie to hir husband for his aduauncement to the kingdome hir like encouragement of Seruius Tullius wherin also is described the ambitiō of one of the two daughters of Seruius Tullius the sixt Romane King and hir crueltie towardes hir owne naturall father with other accidents chaunced in the new erected Common wealth of Rome specially of the laste Romane King Tarquinus Superbus who with murder attained the kingdome with murder mainteined it and by the murder and insolent life of his sonne was with all his progenie banished Nouel vj. Fol. 40. ¶ The vnhappy ende and successe of the loue of King Massinissa and of Queene Sophonis ba his Wife Nouel vij Fol. 49. ¶ The crueltie of a King of Macedon who forced a Gentlewomā called Theoxena to persuade hir children to kil poison themselues after which fact she and hir husband Poris ended their life by drowning Nouel viij Fol. 59. ¶ A strange maruellous vse which in olde time was obserued in Hidrusa where it was lawfull with the licence of a Magistrate ordeyned for that purpose for euery man and woman that lyst to kyll them selues Nouel ix Fol. 62. ¶ The dishonest loue of Faustina the Empresse and with what remedie the same was remoued and taken away Nouel x. Fol. 65. ¶ Chera hidde a treasure Elisa going about to hang hir selfe and sying the halter about a 〈◊〉 found that treasure and in place therof lefte the halter Philene the daughter of Chera going for that treasure and busily searching for the same sounde the halter where with all for dispaire shae woulde haue hanged hir selfe but forbidden by Elisa who by chaunce espied hir she was restored to part of hir losse leading afterwards a happie and prosperous life Nouel xj Fol. 67. ¶ Letters of the Philosopher Plutarch to the noble and 〈◊〉 Emperour Traiane and from the sayde Emperour so Plutarch the like also from the sayde Emperour to the Senate of Rome In all whiche bée conteyned Godly rules for gouernement of Princes obedience of Subiects and their dueties to Cōmon wealth Nouel xij Fol. 76. ¶ A notable historie of thrée amorous Gentlewomen called Lamia Flora Lais cōteining the sutes of noble Princes and other greate personages made vnto them with their answeres to diuers demaunds and the maner of their death and funeralls Nouel xiij Fol. 123. ¶ The life and gestes of the most famous Quéene Zenobia with the Letters of the Emperoure Aurchanus to the sayde Quéene and hir stoute aunswere therevnto Nouel xiiij Fol. 89. ¶ Euphimia the King of Corinths daughter fell in loue with Acharisto the seruaunt of hir father and besides others which required hir to mariage she 〈◊〉 Philon the King of Pelponesus that loued hir very feruently Acharisto conspiring against the King was discouered tormented and put in prison and by meanes of
two was péerelesse without comparison older than the other by one yeare The beautie of those fair Ladies was bruted throughout the whole Region of Persia to whome the greatest Lordes and Barons of the countrey wer great and importunate suters He was not in his countrey resiant the space of iiij monethes which for salubritie of aire was most holsome and pleasant full of lordelike liberties and gentlemanlike pastimes as well to be done by the hounde as by the spaniell but one of the Kings Haraulds sent from the Court appeared before him with message to this effect saying My lord Ariobarzanes the King my soueraigne Lorde hath commaunded you to send with me to the Court the fairest of your two daughters for that the report of their famous beautic hath made him hardly to beleue them to be such as common brute would fayn do him to vnderstande Ariobarzanes not wel able to conceiue the meaning of the kings commaundement reuolued in his minde diuers things touching that demaunde and concluding vpon one which fel to his remembrance determined to send his yonger daughter which as we haue sayd before was not in beautie comparable to hir elder sister whereupon he caused the maiden to be sent for and sayd vnto hir these words Daughter the King my maister and thy soueraigne Lorde hath by his Messanger commaunded me to send vnto him the fairest of my daughters but for a certain reasonable respect which at this time I purpose not to disclose my mynde is that thou shalt goe praying thée not to say but that thou thy selfe art of the twaine the fairest the concealing of which mine aduise will bréede vnto thée no doubte thy greate aduauncement besides the profite and promotion that shall accriue by that thy silence and the disclosing of the same may happe to engendre to thy dere father his euerlasting hindrance and perchance the depriuation of his life but 〈◊〉 so be the King doe beget thée with childe in any wise kéepe close the same And when thou 〈◊〉 thy 〈◊〉 begin to swel that no longer it can be closely kept then in conuenient time when thou séest the King most merily disposed thou shalt tell the King that thy sister is farre more beautifull than thy self and that thou art the yonger sister The wise maiden well vnderstanding hir fathers minde and conceiuing the summe of his intent promised to performe his charge so with the Haraulde and honorable traine he caused his daughter to be conueyed to the Courte An easie matter it was to deceiue the King in the beautie of that maiden For although the elder daughter was the fairest yet this Gentlewomā séemed so péerelesse in the Court that without comparison she appeared the most beautifull that was to be 〈◊〉 either in Courte or countrey the behauiour and semblance of which two daughters were so like that hard it was to iudge whether of them was the eldest For their father had so kept them in that seldome they were séene within his house or at no time marked when they walked abroade The wife of the King was deade the space of one yere beforé for which cause he determined to marie the daughter of Ariobarzanes who although shée was not of the royall bloud yet of birthe she was right noble When the King saw this Gentlewoman he iudged hir to be the fairest that euer he sawe or heard of by report whom in the presence of his noble mē he 〈◊〉 did marrie seut vnto hir father to appoint the 〈◊〉 of his married daughter out of hande and to returne the same by that messanger When Ariobarzanes herd tell of this vnhoped mariage right ioyefull for that 〈◊〉 cesse sent vnto his daughter that dowrie which he had promised to giue to eyther of his daughters Many of the Courte did maruell that the King béeing in aged yeares would mary so yong a maiden specially the daughter of his subiect whome he had vanished from the Courte Some praised the Kings disposition for taking hir whom he fansied Eche man speakyng his 〈◊〉 minde 〈◊〉 to the diuers customes of men Notwithstanding there were diuers that moued the King to that mariage thereby to force him to confesse that by taking of the goodes of Ariobarzanes he might be called Courtenus and Liberall The mariage being solemnized in very 〈◊〉 and princely guise Ariobarzanes sente to the King the like dowrie which before he had sent him for mariage of his daughter with message to this effect That for so much as hée had assigned to his daughters two certain dowries to marie them to their equal 〈◊〉 and seing that he which was without exception was the husbande of the one his duetie was to bestow vpon his grace a more greater gift than to any other which shold haue bene his sonne in lawe But the King woulde not receiue the increase of his dowrie déeming him self well satisfied with the beautie and good cōdicions of his new spouse whome he entertained honored as Quéene In the meane time she was great with childe with a sonne as afterwardes in the birth it appered which so wel as she coulde she kept close and secrete but afterwards perceiuing hir bellie to ware bigge the greatnesse whereof she was not able to hide being vpon a time with that King and in familiar disporte she like a wise and sobre Lady induced matter of diuers argumēt amongs which as occasion serued she disclosed to the King that she was not the fairest of hir fathers daughters but hir elder sister more beautifull than she The King hearing that was greatly offended with Ariobarzanes for that he had not accomplished his commaundement and albeit he loued well his wife yet to attaine the effect of his desire he called his Haraulde vnto him whome he had firste sent to make request for his wife and with him returned again his new maried spouse vnto hir father cōmaunding him to say these words That for so much as he knewe him self to be vanquished and ouercome by the Kings humanitie his grace did maruell that in place of Curtesie he would vse such contumacie and disobedience by sending vnto him not the fairest of his daughters whiche he required but such as he himselfe liked to sende A matter no doubt worthy to be sharpely punished and 〈◊〉 For which cause the King being not a litle offended 〈◊〉 home his daughter againe and willed him to sende his eldest daughter and that he had returned the dowrie which he gaue with his yonger Ariobarzanes receiued his daughter and the dowrie with willing minde sayd these words to the Harauld Mine other daughter which the King my soueraigne Lord requireth is not able presently to go with thée bicause in hir bed she lieth sick as thou mayst manifestly perceiue if thou com into hir chāber but say vnto the King the vpon my faith allegiance so soone as she is recouered I will sende hir to the court The Haraulde séeing the maiden lie sicke
bande of horsmen Wherefore Tarquinius sente to the Rammenses Titienses Luceres To the bandes that Romulus had conscribed hée added other new troupes of horsemen purposing that the same should continue in memorie of him after his death And bicause Romulus dyd the same without aduise of the Southsayers one Accius Nauius the notablest Prophecier in those daies withstoode that constitution 〈◊〉 that it was not lawsull for him eyther to appoint a newe order or to alter the olde except the birdes and auguries did assent thervnto Wherwith the king was displeased deluding that science said Go to M. Sothsayer tell me now quod he is it possible to bring that to passe which I haue now conceiued in my minde Yea quod the Southsayer if you tel me what it is Then quod Tarquinius I haue deuised that thou shalt pare thine owne skin with a Raser Therfore take this knife doe as thy birdes doe portend and signifie And as it was reported he pared his own skin in déede In memory wherof an Image of Accius was erected with his head 〈◊〉 After that time there was nothing attempted without those auguries Notwithstanding Tarquinius procéeded in his constitution and added to the Centurias an other number for that 1800. horsemen were conteined in the thrée Centuriae The later addition was called also by the same name which afterward were doubled into vj. Centurias Whē his numbre was thus increased once againe he ioyned battel with the Sabines who by a notable pollicie recouered a great victorie And bicause the Sabines doubled a freshe onset without any order of battell or good aduisement they were ouerthrowen and then constrained to make peticion for peace The citie of Collatia and the Coūtrie confining vpon the same was taken from the Sabines The Sabine warres being in this sortended Tarquinius in triumphant maner 〈◊〉 to Rome At that time a prodige and miraculous 〈◊〉 chaunced to be séene in the Palace The head of a childe whose name was Seruius Tullius lying a sléepe in the palace was séene to burne The king was brought to sée that miracle And as one of his seruants was going to fetch water to quēch the fire he was staid by the Quene who commaunded that the childe should not once be touched vntill he awaked of himselfe And so soone as he rose from sléepe the fire vanished Then she tooke hir husband aside and said doe you sée this childe whom we haue verie basely and negligently brought vp I assure you sir said she he wil be the only safegard and defender of this our doubtfull state and will be the preseruer of our houshold when it is afflicted Wherefore let vs make much of him that is like to be the ornament and a worthie stay to all our familie After that they had accompted him amongs the number of their children traded him vp in those Arts which excite all good dispositions to aspire vnto honoure the pleasure of the Gods appeared in short time For the child grew to a royal behauior in so much as among all the Romane youth there was none more méete to mary the daughter of Tarquinius This Seruius Tullius was the sonne of one Seruius Tullius that was a Captain of a towne called Corniculum at the apprehension whereof it chaunced that the sayd Tullius the father was 〈◊〉 leauing his wife great with child the mother being a captiue and bonde woman was deliuered of hir childe at Rome in the house of Priscus Tarquinius After Tarquinius had raigned xxxviij yeres the yong man began to growe to great honor and estimation aswell with the king himself as also with the Fathers Then the Romanes conceiued a hateful indignation against the king for that he being put in trust to be the Tutor gouernor of Ancus children displaced them from their right inheritance and specially for that he himself was a stranger fearing also that the kingdom should not return againe to the election of themselues but degenerat and grow into seruile bondage They also called to remembrāce that the Citie continewed one hundred yeres after the sublation of Romulus an intier kingdome within one Citie and that it was a shame for them to suffer a bondman borne of seruile kind to possesse the same and would rebound to their perpetual ignominie hauing the progenie of Ancus aliue to suffer the same to be open to straungers and bōdmen Wherfore they determined to defend the griefe of that iniurie and to be reuenged rather vpon Tarquinius than vpon Seruius In fine they committed the execution of that fact to two shepherds chosen out for that purpose Who deuised this pollicie Before the entrie into the Palace they fell togither by the eares vpon which fray all the kings officers assembled and repaired thither to know the cause of their falling out when they were parted they appealed to the king with such exclamation as they were heard to the Palace Being called before the king both of them fell to brawling and one of thē striued of purpose to hinder the tale of the other The kings sergeant rebuked them commaunding them to tel their tales in order Whē they were a litle quieted one of thē beginneth to discourse the tale And as the king was attentife to heare the plaintif the other toke vp a hatchet threw it at the king and leauing the weapon sticking in the wound they conueied themselues out of the dores Those that waited vpon the King made hast to relieue him and the sergeants followed to apprehende the malefactors With that a hurlie burlie rose amōgs the people euery man maruelling what the matter shoulde be Tanaquil commaunded the palace gates to be shut and séeketh remedie to cure hir husbande as though some hope of life had bene remaining When hope failed of his recouerie shée called Seruius before hir which maried hir daughter and shewed vnto him hir dead husbande holding him fast by the right hande shée intreated him that he would not suffer the death of his father in lawe to be vnreuenged to the intent he might not be ridiculous to the traitours saying to him further these words If thou be a man of thy hands O Seruius the kingdom is thine and not theirs which thus cruelly by the hands of other haue committed this abhominable facte Wherefore put forth thy selfe and the Gods be thy guide For they did portende this noble head to be the Gouernour of this citie at such time as they circumfused the same with a fire descendyng from aboue Let that heauenly 〈◊〉 excite thy courage Be throughly awaked We being straungers sometime haue raigned Thinke and consider what thou art not from whence thou camest If the strangenesse of the case doe affray thée my counsel from time to time shall relieue thée The crie and stirre of the people being vnmesurable that one could scarse heare an other Tanaquill opened the windowes that had their prospect to the new way for the King dwelt at the temple of
daughter in this house of right 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to thée yet I will that thou shalte vnderstande my curtesie and that thou sée howe the Romanes doe more esteme the nobilitie of their minde than all the riches of the worlde Therfore that thou mayst enjoy thy loue I referre vnto thée and to thy disposition all the goodes and Iewels that were in the Caskette and conteyned in thy writyng Beholde therefore causing the Casket to 〈◊〉 brought vnto him all the Iewels and other parcels that were in the same when they were founde take so muche therof as thou wilte and if so bée thou desire the whole willingly I render the same vnto thée 〈◊〉 by meanes of those riches and the industrie of my trafique I haue gained so muche as hauyng gyuen a conuenient dowrie vnto my daughter I can honorably line without it Philene séeing the 〈◊〉 of this valiant Gentleman 〈◊〉 him insinite thanks and then sayd vnto him Sir I for my part dare aske nothing wel knowing that if you giue me nothing there is no cause why I should complaine of you but of my hard and wicked fortune which hath offered and giuē that to you which ought to haue ben mine Wherefore fith your curtesie is such as you referre the whole to me I purpose to take nothing but wil that the whole shal be in your disposition and giue me what you list that so giuen of your liberalitie I shal more thankfully receiue than if dette or dutie did constraine it And if it shall please you to giue me nothing my heart shal be 〈◊〉 well appeased for that your curtesse as rather woulde I choose to liue in the poore estate wherein I am than be rich with your displesure Howbeit the Roman intreated Philene to take therof what she thought good And Philene craued no more than it pleased 〈◊〉 to gyue Cyther of them standyng vpon these termes Elisa brake the strife who knowing the force of loue and the griefs incident to his cliēts of hir own harmes moued to haue compassion vpon the afflicted turned towardes hir father and 〈◊〉 vnto him Right louing father the contencion betwéene Philene and you is risen of a matter which came by me The treasure for which you striue and cōmit to the will of Philene was found by me wherof if it please you both I will take such order as both you shall be satisfied I am contented sayd hir father and I likewise answered Philene Then sayd Elisa You father hitherto haue had but one daughter which am I vnto whom like a childe and louing daughter I haue bene obedient and shal be all the dayes of my life And I againe haue receiued from you such fatherly education as your abilitie and state required This treasure I sound and gaue to you for case and comfort of vs both To me it yelded the only delectation of my heart in choise of husband to you honour and 〈◊〉 within this citie Wherefore sith the principall came from me and the right resteth in this carefull maiden my desire is this that where before you had but one daughter you will adopte this maiden for an other and think that you haue twaine and that you will intreate Philene in like sort as if she were my 〈◊〉 And where this inheritance and renenue wherwith now you be possessed and this casket also ought to be onely mine aster your decease for that you haue no sonnes nor other issue my desire is that you giue vnto hir the halfe and that you accept hir for your daughter as I doe meane to take hir for my sister and accordingly to vse hir during 〈◊〉 With these wordes Elisa imbraced Philene and louingly dyd kisse hir saying vnto hir For my sister I entertain thée Philene and then she toke hir by the hand and 〈◊〉 hir vnto hir father with these wordes Beholde father your new daughter whome I beséech you so heartily to loue as you doe Elisa youre naturall chylde The father praised the curtesie of Elisa and receiued Philene for his daughter And was contented with the arbitrement of his daughter But Elisa perceyuing hir husbande to bée somewhat offended therewith specially for that the same shoulde bée 〈◊〉 into two partes whiche was like to haue bene his wholly béefore persuaded hym by gentle meanes to be content with that agrement and although at the first he coulde not well brooke the liberalitie of his wife yet at length viewing the good behauiour and gentle disposition of Philene and the contented minde of his father in lawe together wyth the noble nature of hys wife and hir wise aduertisement of Fortunes fickle assurance yelded and acknowledged Philene for his 〈◊〉 And so Philene put in possession of the halfe of those goodes wherof she was altogether out of hope was well satisfied and had the Romane for hir 〈◊〉 Elisa for hir sister and hir husband for hir kinsman That 〈◊〉 Roman was so careful ouer Philene as if she had ben his owne daughter and so indeuored as he brought to passe that she obteined hir beloued Scicilian to husbande who also 〈◊〉 for him to Carthage where he continued with his wife in the Romans house and loued them both so dearely as though he had ben father to the one and father in lawe to the other In this maner these two poore wenches attained their two husbands for hauing of whome their only care was for Riches and for lacke therof were dryuen to despaire And in the ende both though 〈◊〉 and the one more fortunate than the other recouered riches and with the same their husbandes to their heartes singular ioye and contentation Whiche lucke I 〈◊〉 to all other poore Girles but not hanging ripe or louing in despaire that bende their myndes on Mariage and séeke to people by that estate their countrey common wealth But leauyng for a tyme these Tragicall Nouels and heauie chaunces wée purpose to remember some morall matters right worthie of remembrance Letters they bée from a godly Pagane clerk the famous philosopher Plutarch Schoolemaister to an Emperour of no lesse vertue than his maisters schoole and minde was 〈◊〉 with diuine precepts Wherfore procéede good reader to continue thy paines vpon the reading of these so well as thou hast 〈◊〉 to employ thy time before They shal no lesse delite thée if vertue brooke thée they shall no lesse content thée if duetie please thée than any delighte some thing wherevpon at any time thou hast employed thy vacant time Letters of the Emperour Traiane ¶ Letters of the Philosopher Plutarch to the noble and vertuous Emperour Traiane and from the sayd Emperour to Plutarch the like also from the said Emperour to the Senate of Rome In all which be conteined godly rules for gouernement of Princes obedience of Subiectes and their dueties to Common wealth The. xiij Nouell BIcause these Letters ensuing proceding from that infallible schoole of wisedome and practised by an apt Scholer of the same by a noble Emperor
wyth immortall same fame glorie hath in it self these only marks and propertyes to bée knowne by Chastitie toleration of aduersitie For as the mynd is constant in loue not variable or giuen to chaunge so is the bodie continent comely honest and 〈◊〉 of Fortunes plagues A true cōstant mynd is moued with no sugred persuasions of friendes is diuerted with no eloquence terrified with no threates is quiet in all motions The blustering blastes of parents wrath can not remoue the constant mayde from that which she hath peculiarly chosen to hir selfe The rigorous rage of friendes doth not dismay the louing man from the embracement of hir whom he hath amongs the rest selected for his vnchanged féere A goodly exāple of constant noble loue this history ensuing describeth although not like in both yet in both a semblable cōstancie For Euphimia a Kings daughter abandoneth the great loue borne vnto hir by Philon a yong Prince to loue a seruant of hir fathers with whome she perseuered in greate constancie for all his 〈◊〉 and ingrateful dealings towards hir Philon séeyng his loue despised neuer maried vntill hée maried hir whome afterwardes hée deliuered from the false surmised treason of hir cancred and malicious husbande Euphimia fondly maried against hir fathers wil and there fore deseruedly after wards bare the penaunce of hir fault And albeit she declared hir selfe to bée constant yet dutie to louing father ought to haue withdrawen hir rashe and headie loue What daungers doe ensue such like cases examples be 〈◊〉 and experience teacheth A great dishonour it is for the 〈◊〉 and Gentlewomā to disparage hir no 〈◊〉 house with mariage of hir inferior Yea and great grief to the parents to sée their children obstinate wilfull in carelesse loue And albeit the 〈◊〉 Propertius describeth the vehemente loue of those that be noble and haue wherwith in loue to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in these verses Great is the 〈◊〉 of Loue the constant mynde doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he that is well fraught with wealth in Loue doth much preuaile Yet the tender damosell or louing childe be they neuer so noble or riche ought to attende the fathers time and choise and naturally encline to their 〈◊〉 liking otherwise great harme and detriment ensue For when the parents sée that disobediēce or rather rebellious minde of their childe their conceiued sorowe for the same so gnaweth the rooted plante of naturall loue as either it hastneth their vntimely death or else ingēdreth a heape of melancholie humors which force them to proclaime 〈◊〉 and bitter cursse against their 〈◊〉 fruite vpon whome if by due regarde they had 〈◊〉 ruled they woulde haue pronounced the swéete blessyng that Isaac gaue to Iacob the mothers best beloued boye yea and that displeasure may chaunce to dispossesse them of that which should haue bene the only comfort and stay of the future age So that negligence of parents 〈◊〉 and carelesse héede of youthful head bréedeth double woe but specially in the not aduised childe who tumbleth him selfe first into the breach of diuine lawes to the cursses of the same to parents wrath to orphans state to beggers life and into a sea of manifold miseries In whome had obedience ruled and reason taken place the hearte mighte haue bene 〈◊〉 the parent well pleased the life ioyfully spent and the posteritie successiuely tast the fruits that elders haue prepared What care and sorrow 〈◊〉 what extremitis the foresayde noble Gentlewoman 〈◊〉 for not yelding to hir fathers minde the sequele shal at large declare There was sometimes in Corinth a Citie of 〈◊〉 a King which had a daughter called Euphimia very tenderly beloued of hir father and being arriued to the age of mariage many noble men of Grecia made sute to haue hir to wife But amongs all Philon the yong king of Peloponessus so fiercely fell in loue wyth hir as hée thought he coulde no longer liue if hée were maried to any other For which cause hir father knowing him to be a King and of singular beautie and that he was far in loue with his daughter woulde gladly haue chosen him to be his sonne in law persuading hir that she shold liue with him a life so happie as was possible for any noble lady matched with Gentleman were he neuer so honorable But the daughter by no meanes woulde consent vnto hir fathers will alleaging vnto him diuers sundry considerations wherby hir nature by no means woulde agrée nor heart consent to ioyne with Philon. The king aboue al worldly things loued his fair daughter and albeit he woulde faine haue broughte to passe that she should haue taken him to husband yet he wold not vse the fathers authoritie but desired that Loue rather than force should match his daughter and therfore for that tyme was contented to agrée vnto hir will There was in the Court a yong mā borne of hir fathers bondman which hight Acharisto and was manumised by the King who made him one of the Esquiers for his bodie and vsed his seruice in sundry enterprises of the warres and bicause he was in those affaires very skilfull of bolde personage in conflictes and 〈◊〉 verie hardie the King did very much fauor him aswell for that hée had defended him from manifold daungers as also bycause he had deliuered hym from the 〈◊〉 pretended against him by the king of the Lacedemonians Whose helpe and valiance the king vsed for the murder and destruction of the sayde Lacedemonian King For which valiant enterprise hée bountifully recompenced him with honorable prefermentes and stately reuenues Upon this yong man Euphimia fired hir amorous eyes and fell so farre in loue as vpon him alone she bent hir thoughtes and all hir louing cogitations Wherof Acharisto béeing certified and well espying and marking hir amorous lookes nourished with like flames the fire wherewith she burned Notwithstandyng his loue was not so 〈◊〉 bent vpon hir personage as his desire was ambicious for that she shoulde be hir fathers onely heire and therfore thought that he shold be a most happie man aboue all other of mortall kynde if hée might possesse that inheritance The king perceuing that loue told his daughter that she had placed hir mynde in place so straunge as hée had thought hir wisdome wold haue more warely forséen and better wayed hir estate birth as come of a princely race and would haue demed such loue farre vnworthie hir degrée requiring hir with fatherly words to withdraw hir settled mynde to ioyne with him in choise of husbande for that he had none other worldly heire but hir and tolde hir howe he meant highly to bestowe hir vpon such a personage as a moste happie life she should leade so long as the destenies were disposed to weaue the webbe of hir predestined life And therefore was resolued to espouse hir vnto that noble Gentleman Philon. Euphimia hearkned to this vnliked tale with vnliked words refused hir fathers hest protesting vnto him such reasons
be very straunge that such 〈◊〉 guard shold be obserued of those which ought to liue at libertie and doe not consider how libertie and licentious bridle let slip vnto youth brede vnto the same most strong and tedious bondage that better it had bene the same to haue bene chained and closed in some obscure prison than marked with those blottes of infamie which willingly such licence and libertie doe conduce If England doe not by experience sée maidens of Noble houses infamed through too much vnbrideled and frank maner of life and their parents desolate for such villanie and the name of their houses fabulous and ridiculous to the people yet that manner of espiall and watch ouer children may be noted in nations not very farre cōfining from vs where men be iealous of the very fantasie of thē whome they thinke to be of good grace and who dare with one very loke giue atteint vnto their Daughters But where examples be euident where follie is more than manifest where all the world is assured of that which they sée by daily experience and that the frutes of the disordered breake out into light it behoueth no more to attend the daungerous customes of a Countrey and to condescend to the sottishe opinion of them which say that youth too narrowly looked vnto is trained vp in such grosenesse and blockishnesse of minde as impossible it is afterwards the same should do any thing praise worthy The Romane maidēs 〈◊〉 were cloistered within their fathers Palaces stil at their mothers elbowes notwithstanding were so wel brought vp that those of best ciuility finest trained vp in our age shal not be the second to one of the least perfect in that Citie But who can learne ciuilitie vertue in these our daies our daughters nousled in cōpanies whose mouths run ouer with whorish filthy talk with 〈◊〉 full of ribauldrie many times 〈◊〉 with facts lesse honest thā word is able to expresse I do not pretend héereby to depriue that sexe of honest and seemely talk and companie and lesse of exercise amongs the Noble Gentlemen of our English soile ne yet of the libertie receiued from our auncestors only me thinke that requisite it were to contemplate the maners and inclination of wils and refrain those that be prone to wantonnesse by like meanes to reioyce the mindes of them that be bent to heauinesse diuided from curtesie and ciuility by attending of which choise and considering of that difference impossible it is but vertue must shine more bright in Noble houses than homelinesse in cabanes of pesants and coūtrey carles who oftentimes better obserue the Discipline of our predecessors in education of their children than they which presume to praise thēselues for good skill in vse and gouernmēt of that age more troublesome painfull to rule than any other time of mannes life Therfore the good and wise Emperor Marcus Aurelius would not haue his daughters to be brought vp in Courts For quod he what profite shall the nurse receiue by learning hir maiden honesty and vertue whē our works intice them to dalliance and to learne the follie of those that be amorous I make this discourse not that I am so 〈◊〉 a iudge for our maydens of England that I wishe them so reformed as to sée and be séene should be forbidden being assured that vertue in what place so euer she be cannot but open things that shall sauor of the tast therof But to talke of an Italian dame who so long as hir first husband knowing hir inclination kept hir subiect she liued in reputation of a modest and sober wife Nothing is séene in hir that can defame hir 〈◊〉 And so soone as the shadow of that frée captiuitie was passed by the deathe of hir husband God knoweth what pageant she played and how she soyled both hir owne renoume and the honor of hir second husband as ye shal vnderstand if with pacience ye vouchsafe to reade the discourse of this present Historie Cafall as it is not vnknown is a Citie of Piedmont and subiecte to the Marquize of Montferrato where dwelled one that was very rich although of base birth named Giachomo Scappardone who being growne to be rich more by wicked Art and vsury to much manifest than by other his owne diligence tooke to wife a yong Greke maiden which the Marchionesse of Montferrato mother of Marquize Guglielmo had broughte home with hir from that voyage that she made into Grecia with hir husband when the Turkes ouerran that countrey of Macedonia and seased vpon the Citie of Modena which is in Morea Of that maiden Scappardone had a daughter indifferent faire but in behauior liuely and pleasant who by name was called Bianca Maria. The father died within a while after hir birth as one that was of good yeres and had bene greatly turmoiled in getting of riches whose value amoūted aboue one hundred thousand Crownes Bianca Maria arriued to the age of xvj or 〈◊〉 yeres was required of many aswell for hir beautie gentlenesse good grace as for hir great riches In the ende she was maried to the vicecount Hermes the sonne of one of the chiefest houses in Millan who incontinently after the mariage conueyed hir home to his house leauing his 〈◊〉 mother to gouerne the vsuries 〈◊〉 by hir dead husbād The Gentleman which amōgs two gréene knew one that was ripe hauing for a certain time wel vsed and learned the maners of his wife saw that it behoued him rather to deale with the bit and bridle than the spur séeing hir to be wanton full of desire and coueted nothing so much as fonde and disordered libertie therfore without cruell dealing disquiet or trouble he used by little and little to keepe hir in and cherished hir more than his nature willingly wold suffer of purpose to holde hir within the bounds of duetie And although the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue almost like liberties that ours haue yet the Lord Hermes kept hir within dores and suffred hir to frequent none other house and company but the Ladie Hippolita Sforcia who vpon a day demaunded of him wherfore he kept in his wife so short persuaded him to giue hir somewhat more the bridle bicause diuers already murmured of this order as too straite froward estéeming hint either to be too much fond ouer hir or else to iealous Madame said the Millanoise they which at pleasure so speake of me know not yet the nature of my wife who I had rather shold be somewhat restrained than run at rouers to hir dishonour and my shame I remember well madame the proper saying of Paulus Emilius that Notable Romane Who being demaunded wherfore hee refused his wife being a Gentlewoman so faire beautiful O quod he lifted vp his leg whereupon was a new paire of buskins ye sée this fair buskin méete and séemely for this leg to outwarde apparance not grieuous or noisome but in what place it hurteth me or
〈◊〉 of one of their Queenes called THALESTRIS to visit ALEXANDER the great and the cause of hir 〈◊〉 The first Nouel WHere the first boke began with a Cōbate foughte and tried betwene two mighty cities for principalitie and gouernment the one hight Rome after called the heade of the world as some thinke by reason of a mans head foūd in the place where the Capitole did stand the other Alba. To which Combat 〈◊〉 gentlemen of either citie wer appointed and the victorie chaunced to the Romaine side In this second parte in the forefront and first Nouel of the same is described the beginning continuaunce and ende of a Womans Common wealth an Hystorie 〈◊〉 and straunge to the vnlearned ignorant of the 〈◊〉 fickle ruled stay which contended with mighty Princes and puissant Potentates for defense of their kingdome no lesse than the Carthaginians and Romaines did for theirs But as it is no wōder to the skilful that a whole Monarche and kingdom should be inticrly peopled with that Sexe so to the not wel trained in Hystories this may seme miraculous Wherfore not to stay thée from the discourse of those straunge and Aduenturous women diuers be of diuers opinions for the Etimologie of the word wher of amonges the Grecians 〈◊〉 diuerse iudgementes These Amazones were moste excellent warriers very valiant and without mannes aduise did conquer mighty Countreyes famous Cities and notable Kingdomes continuing of long time in one Seigniorie and gouernment These people occupied and enioyed a great part of Asia Some writers deuide them into two Prouinces one in Scithia in the North parte of Asia other by the hill Imaus which at this day is called the Tartarian Scithia different from that which is in Europa the other sort of the Amazones were in Libia a prouince of Africa But bicause the common sort of Authors doe vnderstand the Amazones to be those of Asia I meane to leaue off the differēce The Scithians were a warlike people and at the beginning of theyr kingdome had two kings by whome they were gouerned Notwithstanding the nature of dominion being of it self ambicious cannot abide any companion or equal Which caused these two Kinges to beat variance and afterwardes the matter grew to ciuill warres wherein the one being Uictory two of the principal 〈◊〉 of the contrary faction called Plinius and Scolopithos were banished with a great number of their 〈◊〉 all which did withdraw themselues to the limites of Cappadocia in the lesser Asia in despite of the Countrey Pesantes dwelled alonges the riuer of Thermodon which entreth into the sea Euxinum otherwise called Pontus And they being made Lordes of the countrey of the places adioyning raigned for certain yeres vntill the peasantes and their confederates made a conspiracie against them and assembling by policie ouercame them and slewe them all The newes of their deathe knowen to their wiues dwelling in their countrey caused them to cōceiue great heauinesse and dolor extreme And although they were womē yet did they put on māly courage and determined to reuenge the death of their husbandes by putting their handes to weapons wherwithall they did exercise themselues very ofte And that they might all be equal their sorow commō they murdred certain of their husbands which remained there after the other were banished Afterward being all together they made a great army and forsoke their dwelling places refusing the mariage of many suters And arriuing in the land of their enimies that made smal accōpt therof although foretolde of their approache they sodenly came vpon them vnprouided and put them all to the sword This being done the women toke the gouernāce of the Countrey inhabiting at the beginning along the Riuer of Thermodon where their husbands wer stain And although many Authors do differ in the situaciō of the place where the Amazones did dwel yet the truth is that the beginning of their kingdome and of their habitacion was vpon that Riuer But of their manifolde conquestes be engendred diuers opinions declared by Strabo and others They fortified them selues in those places and wanne other countries adioyning chosing among them two Quenes the one named Martesia and and the other Lampedo Those two louyngly deuided the armie and men of warre in two parts either of them defending with great hardinesse the Lands which they had conquered and to make them selues more dreadfull such was the credite and vanitie of men that time they fained themselues to be that daughters of Mars Afterward these miraculous womē liuing after this maner in peace iustice considered that by succession of time for wante of daughters that might succéede warres and time wold extinguishe their race For this cause they treated mariage with their neighbors named Gargarians as Plinie sayeth with condition that vpon certaine times of the yeare their husbands shold assemble together in some appointed place and vse them for certaine dayes vntill they were with childe which being done and knowen they shoulde returne home againe to their owne houses If they brought forth daughters they norished and trained them vp in armes and other manlyke exercises and to ride great horsse They taught them to run at base to follow the chace If they were deliuered of males they sent them to their fathers And if by chaunce they kept any backe they murdred them or else brake their armes and leggs in suche wyse as they had no power to beare weapons and serued for nothing else but to spin twist and to doe other feminine labour And for as much as these Amazones defēded themselues so valiantly in the warres with Bowe and Arrowes and perceiued that their breasts did verie much impech the vse of that weapon and other exercises of armes they seared vp the righte breastes of their yong daughters for which cause they were named Amazones which signifieth in the Gréeke tong without breasts although that some other do giue vnto that name an other Etimologie Afterwardes increasing by course of time in numbre force they made great preparation of weapons and other 〈◊〉 for the warres and leauing their coūtrey which they thought was very small in the keping of some whom they specially trusted the rest marched abrode cōquering subduing all those which they foūd rebellious And hauing passed the riuer of Tanais they entred Europa where they vanquished many countreys directing their way towardes Thracia from whence they returned a whyle after with great spoile and victorie and comming again into Asia they brought many prouinces vnder their subiection proceding euen to Mare Caspium They edified and peopled an infinite numbre of good cities amōgs which according to the opinion of diuers was the famous Citie of Ephesus the same béeing the chiefe of all their Empire and the principal place that stoode vpon Thermodon They defended them selues in warres with certaine Tergats made in fashion of a half Moone and entring into battaile vsed a certaine kinde of flutes to giue the people corage to
on hir bedde weake and impotent not able to trauell returned to the King and tolde him of the sicknesse of the eldest daughter of Ariobarzanes wher withall being satiffied he attended the successe of his desired sute The 〈◊〉 man no sooner béeing recouered but the time of the others childbirth was come which brought forth a goodly boy both the mother safely brought to bed and the childe strong and lusty Which greately contented and pleased Ariobarzanes and the greater grew his ioy therof for that he sawe the childe to be like vnto the King his father And by that time the yong Gentlewoman was rysen from hir childbed the sister was perfectly whole had recouered hir former hiewe beautie both which being richely apparelled Ariobarzanes with an honourable traine sent vnto the King instructing them first what they ought to say and do When they 〈◊〉 arriued at the Courte one of the priuie chambre 〈◊〉 the Kyng that Ariobarzanes had not onely sent one of his daughters but bothe of them being so many as hée had The King hearing and séeing the liberalitie of Ariobarzanes accepted the same in gracious part and determined for that his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 princely liberalitie as he should be forced to confesse him self ouercom And before the messanger which had broughte the yong Gentlewoman did departe he caused to be called before him his onely sonne called Cyrus vnto whom he sayde Bicause Cyrus the time of thy yeares be suche as mete they be to matche thée in mariage for hope I haue to sée some progenie procede of thée before I die my mynde is that thou shalt marie this goodly Gentlewoman here the sister of my wife To which his fathers hest the yong Gentleman willingly 〈◊〉 Then the King toke againe his owne and ordeined a royall feast for the mariage of his sonne which was celebrated and done with greate triumph and solemnitie continuing the space of viij days Ariobarzanes hearing these good newes wold not yet acknowledge him selfe to be ouercome and séeing that his purpose was now brought to an extremitie determined to sende the little childe a litle before begotten of his daughter to the King which so resembled the Kings face and countenaunce as was possible And therfore caused 〈◊〉 to bée made of the fairest yuorie that was to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and garnished with pure golde 〈◊〉 and set with moste precious stokes and Ieinels wherin he caused the childe to be placed and couered with rich clothes of finest gold and silke and together with the nourice 〈◊〉 with a pompous 〈◊〉 of Gentlemen he sente hun to the King the very 〈◊〉 that the solemne mariage should be celebrated And the King being in his great 〈◊〉 which was hanged with maruellous rich and costly Arras attended vpon with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Barons and noble men he that had the charge of the conduction of the childe vpon his knées presented the same before him lying in the cradle The King and the noble men maruelling what that did mean expected what the messanger 〈◊〉 say who holding the 〈◊〉 by one of the pomels sayde these wordes Most renoumed and victorious Prince in the behalfe of Ariobarzanes my Lorde and your subiecte moste humbly I present vnto your 〈◊〉 with al submission and reuerence this gift And my sayde Lorde doth rendre infinite thankes vnto your highnesse for the great 〈◊〉 it hath pleased you to vse by 〈◊〉 to entertaine him into your alliance For which not to séeme 〈◊〉 this present and ther withall he opened the cradle by me he hath 〈◊〉 vnto your maiestie When the cradle was discouered there appeared a goodly yong childe smiling and laughing vpon his father the ioyfullest sight that euer his father sawe and so like vnto him as the halfe Moone is lyke the proportion of the reste Then euery of the standers by beganne to say his minde touching the resemblaunce of the childe to his father hardily protestyng the same without doubte to be his owne The King coulde not bée satisfied with the sight of his childe by reason of the greate delight he had to looke vppon 〈◊〉 and of the generall opinion whiche all men 〈◊〉 touching his likenesse The childe againe vpon the common reioyce made vpon hym but specially of his father with preatie motions and swéete laughings representing two smilyng pyttes in his ruddie 〈◊〉 crowed many tymes vpon his father toying 〈◊〉 and downe his tender hands Afterwardes the King behelde the workmanship of that sumptuous cradle and demaunded whereof the substaunce was Unto whome the Messanger described the historie and whole contente of that incomparable Iewell Who 〈◊〉 that discourse caused the Quéene to be called forth and by hir was further certified of hir fathers Noble disposition with excéeding contentation and wonderfull reioyce he receiued the little childe and 〈◊〉 hym selfe in maner vanquished Not withstandyng séemyng to bée thus surmounted hée thoughte if hée dyd not surpasse this Curtesie his Noble and Princely mynde should be disgraced Wherefore hée determined to vse a kynde of Magnanimitie therby eyther to ouercome Ariobarzanes or else hauing apparant occasion altogether to fall out and to conceyue a mortall malice against him The King had a daughter of the age of xxi yeares a very faire and comely Lady according as hir royall education and princely bringing vp required whome as yet he had not matched in mariage meanyng to bestowe hir vpon some King or greate Monarch with a dowrie of ten hundred thousand Crownes bisides the princely and great costlye apparell and Iewells which hir owne mother lying vppon hir death bedde did bequeathe hir The King then purposing to excell Ariobarzanes minded by couplyng hym with his daughter to make hym his sonue in lawe Which to a Ladie of royall Linage appeareth some debacing of hir noble bloud to bée matched with a man of inferiour birth The like to a man howe honorable so euer he bée can not chaunce if he take a wyfe of degrée neuer so base For if he bée borne of noble and gentle kinde hée doth illustrate and aduaunce the woman whome hée taketh all be it she were of the meanest trampe of the popular forto and the chyldren which bée borne of them by the fathers meanes shall be noble and of gentle kynde But a woman although shée bée moste Noble if she bée married to hir inferiour and that hir husbande bée not fo noble the children that shall bée borne of them shall not receyue the honour of the mothers storke but the state of the fathers lotte and so shall be vnnoble Such is the Reuerence and Authoritie of the â—ere of â—aâ— where vppon doeth ryse comparyson of the wyse whiche doth resemble the man vnto the Sunne and the woman to the Moone For we sée that the Moone of hir selfe doth not giue light ne yet can yelde any brightnesse to the darknesse of the night if the did not partake some shining of the Sun who with his liuely flames at
singuler vertue hauing dispersed and broken the armes and malice of all his enimies if before he were curteous and liberall after these so stout aduentures he became more than Princely in his déedes and if somtimes he had done one curteous act now he doubled the same But such was his Magnanimitie so noble were his indeuours tempred with such measure and equanimitie as the whole worlde clearely might discerne that not to contende with his soueraigne Lorde but to honour him to expresse the Maiestie of his Prince he imployed the goods and liuing which the King and Fortune had boūtifully bestowed vpon him Who vntill his dying day famously mainteined him selfe in the good grace and fauour of his Prince in such wise as the King more clerely than the shining Sunnebeames knew Ariobarzanes to be framed of Nature for a christalline mirrour of curtesie and Liberalitie and that more easie it was to berieue the fire of heate and the Sunne of light than despoile Ariobarzanes of his glorious déedes Wherefore he ceassed not continually to honour exalte and enriche him that he might vse the greater liberalitie And to say the truthe although these two vertues of 〈◊〉 and Liberalitie be commendable in all persons without the which a man truly is not he wherof he bereth the name yet very sitting and mete it is for euery riche and welthie subiect to beware howe he doth compare in those noble vertues with Princes and great men whiche béeing right noble and péerelesse vpon earth can abide no comparisons which according to the Prouerbe be odious and hateful Aristotimus the Tyrant ¶ LVCIVS one of the Garde to ARISTOTIMVS the Tirant of the Citie of 〈◊〉 fell in loue with a faire maiden called MICCA the daughter of one 〈◊〉 and his crueltie done vpon hir The stoutnesse also of a noble Matrone named MEGISTONA in defence of hir husbande and the common wealth from the tyrannie of the sayd ARISTOTIMVS and of other actes done by the subiects vpon that Tyrant The fifth Nouell YOu haue heard or as it were in a manner you haue beholden the right images curteous conditions of two well conditioned persons mutually eche towards other obserued In the one a Princely mind towards a noble Gentleman his subiecte In the other a dutiefull obedience of a louing vassall to his soueraigne Lorde and Maister In both of them the true figure of Liberalitie in liuely orient colours described Now a contrary plotte yll grounded vpon extreme tyrannie is offred to the viewe done by one Aristotimus and his clawbacks against his humble subiects of the citie of Elis standyng in Peloponessus a countrey of Achaia which at this day we call Morea This Aristotimus of nature was fierce and passing cruell who by 〈◊〉 of king Antigonus was made Tyran of that Citie And like a Tyran gouerned his Countrie by abuse of his authoritie with newe wrongs and straunge cruelties vering and afflicting the poore Citizens and all his people Which chaunced not so much for that of himself he was cruel and tyrannous as for that his Counsellours and chief about him were barbarous and vicious men to whom he committed the charge of his kingdom the guarde of his person But amongs al his mischiefes wrongfully done by him which were innumerable one committed against Philodemus the same which afterwardes was the cause of the depriuation of his life and kingdom is speciallie remembred This Philodemus had a daughter called Micca that not onelie for hir right chast and honest qualities and condicions which 〈◊〉 florished in hir but for hir extreame goodlie beautie was in that Citie of passing 〈◊〉 and admiration With this fair maiden one of the Tyrants guard called Lucius fell in loue if it deserue to be called loue and not rather as the end full well declared a most filthie and heastlie lust This Lucius was derelie beloued of Aristotimus for the flendish resemblāce and wicked 〈◊〉 of his vile abhominable condicions and therefore feared and obeyed as the Tyrants owne person For which cause this Lucius sent one of the 〈◊〉 of the kings chambre to 〈◊〉 Philodemus at an appointed houre al excuses set apart to bring his daughter vnto him The parents of the maiden hearing this sodain and fearefull message constrained by Tyrants force and fatall necessitie after many teares and 〈◊〉 sighes began to persuade their daughter to be contented to goe with hym declaring vnto hir the rigour of the magistrate that had sent for hir the 〈◊〉 that would be executed that there was no other remedie but to obey Alas how sore against their willes with what trembling gessure with what 〈◊〉 the good parents of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were affected to consider the purpose of that dreadfull message all dere fathers and naturall mothers can tell But this gētle maiden 〈◊〉 which was of nature stout 〈◊〉 lessoned with sundrie right good and holsome instructions from hir infantes age was determined rather to die than to suffer hir self to be defloured This 〈◊〉 maiden fell downe prostrate at hir fathers féete and clasping him fast about the knées louingly did pray him and pitifully besought him not to suffer hir to be haled to so 〈◊〉 and vile an office but rather with the piercing blade of a two edged sword to kill hir that thereby she might be rid from the violation of those fleshlie and 〈◊〉 varlets saying that if hir virginitie were taken from hir she should liue in eternall reproche and shame As the father and daughter were in these termes Lucius for the long tariance and 〈◊〉 dronke with the wine 〈◊〉 lechery made impacient and furious with 〈◊〉 spéede posted to the house of Philodemus and finding the maiden prostrate at hir fathers féete wéeping hir head in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with taunting voice and threatning woordes commaunded presentlie without longer delaie she should rise and goe with him She refusing his hastie request and crying out for fathers help who God wot durst not resist stoode still and would not goe Lucius séeing hir 〈◊〉 full of furie and proud disdnine began furiously to hale hir by the garments vpon whose struggling he fare hir 〈◊〉 and furnitures off hir head and shoulders that hir alablaster necke and bosome appeared naked without compassion tare and whipt hir flesh on euery side as the bloud ranne downe beating that tendre flesh of hirs with manifold and grenous blowes O 〈◊〉 tirant more 〈◊〉 and sauage than the desert beast or mountaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Could crueltie be so déepelie rooted in the hart of man which by nature is affected with reasons instinct as with out pitie to lay handes and violontly to hurt the tendre bodie of a 〈◊〉 Maiden Can such inhumanitie harbor in any that beareth about him the shape of man But what did this martyred maidē for al this force Did 〈◊〉 yeld to violence or rendre hir self to the disposition of this mercilesse man No surelie But with so great stoutnesse of minde she suffred those impressed woundes
Iupiter Stator and then spake to them in this wise Be of good chéere good people the King is but amazed with the sodainesse of the stroke the wound is not very depe for euen nowe he is come againe to him selfe and the wounde being opened and dressed there is good hope of life I trust within these fewe days you shall sée him In the meane time I pray you to 〈◊〉 your obedience to Seruius Tullius who is appointed to execute the lawes and to doe all other affaires in the absence of my husbande Seruius occupying the state and Authoritie of the Kyng executed the lawes in some cases in other some made the people beleue that he would consult with the King him self The death of the King was concealed and kept close a certaine space till such tyme as Seruius had gathered his force about him After the death of the King was disclosed Seruius being garded with a strong Garrison toke vpon him to be King not by the consent of the people but by the will of the Fathers The children of Ancus vnderstanding that the King was aliue and that Seruius power and force was greate conueyed them selues in exile to Suessa Pometia And least the children of Tarquinius shold attempt like enterprise against him as the children of Ancus did against Tarquinius hée maried 〈◊〉 of his daughters to Lucius and Aruns the children of Tarquinius But yet the deuise of man could not breake the necessitie of fate and constellation for the hatred conceiued in desire of Ambicious gouernment made all things vnstable and vnfaithfull amongs domestical frends But yet to quiet and pacifie the present time warre was renued with the Veientes and other Cities of Hetruria wherein the fortune and valiāce of Tullius excelled For when he had giuen an ouerthrow to the ennimie least the peoples and fathers good wil should be withdrawne he retourned to Rome who then attempted and brought to passe a notable woorke in the common wealth He instituted a certen yerely taxe reuenew to satisfie and discharge all charges susteined in the time of peace and warre with sundrie other notable lawes and deuises for the defense of the publique state After that he had mustered the whole numbre of the Citizens in the field called Martius the same amounted to lxxx M. And as Fabius Pictor saith there were so many that were able to beare armure Then the hilles of Quirinalis Viminalis and Exquiliae were added to the citie He compassed the town round about with a vamure enuironing the same with a double trench He deuided the Romanes into v. bands called Classes and into Centurias which be bandes of an hundred men He also builded a Temple to Diana with the helpe and assistance of the Latine people Amongs the Sabines there chaunced an Oxe in the house of an husbande man to be brought forth of an huge bignesse and maruellous shape the hornes whereof were placed at the porche of Dianas temple for a monument long time after The Soothsayers prophecied that where the same Oxe shoulde be first sacrificed to Diana there the chief Empire and principall gouernement should remain which prophecie came to the knowledge of the chiefe minister of Diana hir Temple One of that Sabins expecting for a day mete to be employed in that sacrifice brought the sayde Oxe to Rome to the Temple of Diana placing the same before the Altar The chiefe Minister calling to remembrance the oracle and saw that the greatnesse of that sacrifice should be famous spake to the Sabine these words What dost thou meane thou impure Straunger to prepare sacrifice to Diana before thou bée purified and clensed in the liuely Riuer of Tyber Here belowe in thys valley the sayde riuer doth runne Goe get thou hence and wash thée The Sabine attached with a religious feare goeth downe to that Riuer and while he is washing of himselfe a Romane doth offer the Sacrifice which was right acceptable both to the king and his countrie The king although that of long time he had raigned yet vnderstoode that the elder Tarquinius which was maried to one of his daughters did bragge and report 〈◊〉 that his father in law obteined the gouernmēt and kingdom without the consent of the people wherfore the king through his liberalitie by diuiding the conquest atchieued of the ennimy amōgs the common people conciliated their 〈◊〉 and good wils In so much as he affirmed that he would raigne in despite of them all and that there was no King at any time that raigned with a more generall consent All which did nothing diminish the hope and desire of Tarquinius He had a brother whose name was Aruns being of a quiete gentle disposition Both they maried two of the kings daughters which were of maners and conditions verie vnlike The yonger daughter being the wife of Aruns the sharper shrewe and fiercer of nature séeing that hir husband was nothing giuen or pliant to match with hir vngracious deuice or ambicious stomack attempted hir brother whose condicion was correspondent to hirs and sayd vnto him that he was a man in déede and one worthie to be accompted to be borne and procede of the bloud royall Then she began to contemne hir sister for that she hauing such a man to hir husband would suffer him to neglecte so mete and iust occasion for recouerie of the Kingdome Their natures being of one disposition as commonly one 〈◊〉 procureth an other al things began to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the attempt of that vngracious woman To be shorte they two deuised meanes that Aruns his brother and the Elder Tullia hir syster were 〈◊〉 which done they two maried together The wicked woman ceased not dayly to 〈◊〉 and prouoke hir husband from one 〈◊〉 to an other And amōgs all hir wicked talke and cruel 〈◊〉 she vsed these words If thou be that man vnto whom I thinke I am maried then I wil cal 〈◊〉 both husband and King But if thou be not he then the alteration is chaunged to the worse and crueltie is matched with cowardise But why doest thou not put thy selfe in a readinesse Why thou 〈◊〉 not nowe from 〈◊〉 or from the 〈◊〉 Tarquines to atchieue and conquere newe kingdoms as thy father did The 〈◊〉 Gods and the Gods of thy countrey the nobilitie of thy father and thy royal bloud thy stately seate within thine own house and thy name Tarquinius doe create and make thée Kyng But if in all these occasions thou dost wante stomacke why 〈◊〉 thou make the whole Citie conceyue a false opinion of thée Why dost thou not shewe thy selfe to be the sonne of a King Auoide hence I say and goe to the Tarquinians or to Corinth retire again to thy first linage thou dost rather resemble thy brothers effeminate heart than the valiant stomacke of thy father 〈◊〉 these wordes and such like she pricked forward hir husbande and shée hir selfe coulde in no 〈◊〉 bée quiet Then Tarquinius went forth to the fathers of
toke the poysoned cuppe and said vnto the messanger Giue the king thy maister right humble thankes in my behalfe and say vnto him that I receiue and drinke this poyson with a will so good as if he had commaunded me to enter in triumph with Laurell garlande ouer mine ennimies For a better gift a husband can not giue to wife than accomplishment of assured faith the funeralls whereof shall be done with present obsequie And saying nothing else vnto the Messanger she toke the cuppe and myngling well together the poyson within she vnfearfully 〈◊〉 it vp And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had dronke the same she deliuered the messanger his cuppe againe and layed hir selfe vpon hir bed commaūding hir Gentlewomen in comely wise to couer hir with clothes and without lamentation or signe of Feminine minde shée stoutly waighted for approching death The Gentlewomen which waited vpon hir bewaited the rufull state of their 〈◊〉 esse whose plaints and schriches were heard throughout the palace wherof the brute and rumor was great But the good Quéene vanquished with the strong force of the poyson remained not long before she died The Messanger returned these heauie newes vnto Massinissa who sorowfully complained the losse of his beloned wife in such wise as many tymes hée was like to kill him selfe that his soule might haue accompanied the ghost of hir which was beloued of hym aboue all the deerest things of the worlde The valiaunt and wise captaine Scipio vnderstanding hereof to the intent Massinissa shoulde not commit any crueltie against himselfe or perpetrate other vncomely déede called hym before him and comforted him with the swéetest wordes he could deuise and friendly reproued him for the little faith and trust that he had in him The next day in the 〈◊〉 of all the arinie he highly commended him and rewarded him with the Kingdome of Numidia giuing hym many rich iewels and treasures and brought him in great estimation amōgs that Romans which the Senate and people of Rome very well approned and cōfirmed with most ample priuileges attributing vnto him the title of King of Numidia and frend of the Romanes Such was the eude of the vnhappie loue of kyng 〈◊〉 and the faire and unluckie Quéene Sophonisba Poris and Theoxena ¶ The crueltie of a King of 〈◊〉 who forced a Gentlewomā called THEOXENA to persuade hir children to kill and poison them selues after which facte she and hir husband PORIS ended their life by drovvning The. viij Nouell BUt sith wée haue begon to treat of the stoutnesse of certaine noble Quéenes I will not let also to recite the Historie of a like vnfearefull dame of Thessalian lande called Theoxena of right noble race the daughter of Herodicus prince of that cūtrey in the time that Philip the sonne of Demetrius was king of Macedone tolde also by Titus Liuius as two of the former be This lady Theoxena first was a notable exāple of 〈◊〉 vertue afterwardes of rigorous crueltie For the said King Philip hauing through his wickednesse first murdred Herodicus and by succession of time cruelly done to death also the husbands of Theoxena and of Archo hir natural sister vnto either of them being widowes remaining a sonne afterwardes Archo beyng maried againe to one of the principall of their countrey named Poris of him she had many childrē But when she was dead that sayd ladie Theoxena hir sister who was of heart more cōstant and stoute than the other stil refused the second mariage although sued vnto by many great lordes and princes at length pitying hir nephewes state for scare they shold fal into the handes of some cruell stepdame or that their father would not bring them vp with such diligence as till that time they were was contented to be espoused again to Poris no lawe that time knowen to defend the same to the intent she might traine vp hir sisters children as hir owne That done she began as if they wer hir own to intreate and vse them louingly with great care and 〈◊〉 wherby it 〈◊〉 appeared that she was not 〈◊〉 againe to Poris for hir own commoditie and pleasure but 〈◊〉 for the welth and gouernement of those hir sisters children Afterwards Philip king of Macedon an vnquiete Prince determining to make new warres vpon the Romanes then throughout the worlde famous and 〈◊〉 for their 〈◊〉 fortune 〈◊〉 not onely the chief and noble men but almost all the auncient inhabi 〈◊〉 of the Cities along the sea coast of Thessalia and their whole and entier families into Peonia afterwards called Emathia a countrey farre distant from the sea giuing their voided cities for the Thracians to inhabite as most propre and faithfull for the Romains warres which he intended to make and hearing also the 〈◊〉 maledictions pronoūced against him by the banished people and vniuersally by all other thoughte hée was in no good suretie if he caused not likewise all the sonnes of them whome a little before he had 〈◊〉 to be put to death Wherfore he commaunded them to be taken and holden vnder good garde inprison not to do them all to be 〈◊〉 at once but at times now one and then an other as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoxena vnderstanding the 〈◊〉 of this wicked and cruell King and well remembring the death of hir husband and of him that was husband to hir sister knew wel that hir sonne and nephew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be demaunded and greatly 〈◊〉 the Kings wrath and the rigour of his Guarde if once they fell into their handes to defende them from shame and crueltie sodeinly applied hir minde vnto a straunge deuice For shée durst to say vnto hir husband their fathers sace that sooner 〈◊〉 would kill them with hir owne handes if otherwise she coulde not warraunt 〈◊〉 than suffer them to bée at the will and power of King Philip. By reason wherof Poris abhorring 〈◊〉 erecrable crueltie to comforte his wife and to saue his children promised hir secretely to transporte them from thence and caried them himselfe to certain of his faithful friends at Athenes which done without long delay he made as though he would go from Thessalonica to Aenias to be at the 〈◊〉 of certaine sacrifices which yearely at an appointed time was done with great ceremonies to the honour of Aenêas the 〈◊〉 of that citie where spending the time amongs other in solemne bankets the. iij. watch of the night when euery mā was a slepe as though he woulde haue returned home to his countrey with his wife children priuily he embarketh him selfe and them in a shyppe hired of purpose to passe into Euboea and not to 〈◊〉 to Thessalonica But his entent was cleane altered chaunged for his shippe was no sooner vnder saile but at that instant a contrarie winde and tempest rose that brought him backe againe in despite of their labour and all the endeuour they were able to doe And when daye light appeared the Kyngs garrison descried that shippe and manned out a boate to bring in the same
other I will carrie with me to Rome not as prisoner but as hostage pledge from thée The prisoners which thou haste of ours shal bée rendred in exchange for those which we haue of thyne without ransome of eyther parts And by théese meanes thou shalt remaine honored in Asia and I contented will retorne to Rome The Gods bée thy defense preserue our mother the citie of Rome from all vnhappie fortune The Quéene Zenobia hauing reade the letter of the Emperour Aurelianus without feare of the contentes incontinently made such answere as followeth Zenobia Quéene of Palmyres and Ladie of all Asia and the kingdomes thereof to thée Aurelianus the Emperour helth and consolation c. That thou doe intitle thy selfe with the Emperour of the Romanes I do agrée but to presume to name thy selfe lorde of the East kingdomes I saye therein thou doest offende For thou knowest well that I alone am Lady Regent of all the Orient the onely dame maistres of the same The one part wherof descended vnto me by lawfull inheritaunce from my predecessors and the other part I haue wonne by my prowesse and dedes of armes Thou sayest that if I rendre obedience vnto thée thou wilt doe me greate honor To that I answere that it were a dishonest part of me and a déede moste vniust that the Gods hauing created Zenobia to comaunde all Asia she should nowe begyn to be slaue thrall vnto the citie of Rome Semblablie thou sayest that thou wilt gyue and leaue me all the golde siluer and other riches which I haue Whervnto I answer that it is a wicked and fonde request to dispose the goodes of another as they were thine owne But thine eyes shall neuer sée it ne yet thy handes shal touch it but rather I hope in the Gods aboue to bestow and crye a larges of that which thou haste at Rome before thou finger that which I haue possesse in Asia Truely Aurelianus the warres which thou makest against me and thy quarell bée most vniust before the supernall Gods and verie vnreasonable before men and I for my part if I haue entred or doe take armes it is but to defend my selfe and myne Thy comming then into Asia is for none other purpose but to spoyle make hauocke of that which an other hath And thinke not that I am greatly afrayde of that name of Roman Prince nor yet of the power of thyne huge armie For if it bée in thy handes to gyue battell it belongeth onely to the gods to giue eyther to thée or me the victory That I remaine in field it is to me greate fame but thou to fight with a widdowe oughtest truely to bée ashamed Ther be come vnto myne ayde and Campe the Persians the Medes the Agamēnonians the Irenees the Syrians and with them all the Gods immortall who bée woont to chastice such proude princes as thou arte and to helpe poore widows as I am And if it so come to passe that the Gods doe permit suffre my lucke to bée such as thou doe bereue me of life and dispoile me of goods yet it wil be bruted at Rome and published in Asia that the wofull wight Zenobia was ouerthrowne and slaine in defense of hir patrimonie and for the conseruation of hir husbandes honor Labor no more then Aurelianus to flatter and pray me nor yet to threaten me require me no more to yelde and become thy prisoner nor yet to surrender that which I haue for by doing that I can I accomplish that I ought For it will be saide and noysed through the world may it so come to passe as Fortune doe not fauor me that if the Empresse Zenobia bée captiue she was not yet vanquished The sonne which thou 〈◊〉 to carie with thée to Rome truely that request I cannot abide and much lesse doe meane to 〈◊〉 the same knowing full well that thy house is stored full of manyfolde vices where myne is garnished with many notable Philosophers Wherby if I leaue vnto my children no great heapes of goodes yet they shal be well taught and instructed For the one halfe of the day they spende in Learnyng and the other halfe in exercise of Armes For conclusion of thy demaunde and finall answer thervnto I pray thée trauell no more by letters to write vnto me ne yet by ambassage to spende any 〈◊〉 talke but attend vntill our controuersie bée decided rather by force of armes than by vttered wordes The Gods preserue thée It is said that Aurelianus receiuing that answere did reioyce but when he had redde it hée was greatly offended which incontinently hée made to bée knowne by gathering together his Campe and besieging the Citie wherin Zenobia was And Aurelianus wroth and outraged with that answere although his armie was werie and halfe in dispaire by reason of the long warres yet hée vsed suche diligence and expedition in the siege of that place as the 〈◊〉 was taken and the citie rased which done the Emperour Aurelianus retourned to Rome carying wyth hym Zenobia not to doe hir to death but to tryumphe ouer hir At what tyme to sée that noble Ladie goe on foote and marche before the triumphing Chariot bare 〈◊〉 charged wyth that burden of heauie chaūce and hir two children by hir side truly it made the Roman Matrons to conceiue great pitie being well knowen to all the Romanes that neither in valo rous dedes nor yet in vertue or chastitie any mā or woman of hir time did 〈◊〉 hir The dayes of the triumph being done al the noble Ladies of Rome assembled and repaired to Zenobia and vsed vnto hir greate and honorable enterteinement giuing hir many goodly presents and rewardes And Zenobia liued in the companie of those noble matrones the space of x. yeares béefore she dyed in estimation like a Lucrecia and in honor lyke a Cornelia And if Fortune had accompanied hir personage so well as vertue and magnanimitie Rome had felt the egrenesse of hir displeasure and the whole world tasted the swetenesse of hir regiment Euphimia of Corinth ¶ EVPHIMIA the King of 〈◊〉 daughter fell in loue with ACHARISTO the seruant of hir father and besides others which required hir to mariage she disdained PHILON the king of PELOPONESVS that loued hir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ACHARISTO conspiring against the king was discouered tormented and put in prison by meanes of 〈◊〉 deliuered The king promised his daughter and kingdome to him that presented the heade of ACHARISTO EVPHIMIA so wrought as he was presented to the King The King gaue him his daughter to wyfe and when he dyed made him his heyre ACHARISTO began to hate his wyfe and condemned hir to death as an adulteresse PHILON deliuered hir vpon the sute of hir subiects she is cōtented to marie him therby he is made king of Corinth The. xv Nouel COnstancie in Honeste loue beyng a perfect vertue and a precious ornament to the beloued indewing 〈◊〉 besides ioy and contentacion
was sent forth on businesse of the kings The conclusion of which practise was that when she caried meate to Acharisto according to the ordre appointed she should faine hir selfe to bée violentlie dispoyled of the prison-key by Acharisto who taking the same from hir should shut hir in the prison and escape and wheÌ„ hir husband did returne she should make compl 〈…〉 of the violence done vnto hir according to which deuise the practise was accomplished And when hir husbande returned home hearing his wife crie out within the Tower was meruellously amazed and vnderstanding that Acharisto was deade ignorant of the pollicie betwene his wyfe and Euphimia hée fell into great rage speâ—delie repaired to the king and tolde him what had chauÌ„ced The King thinking that the breache of prison was rather through the womans simplicitie than purposed malice did mitigate his displeasure 〈◊〉 forthwith he sent out Scoutes to spie and watche in to what place Acharisto was gone whose secrete flight made all their trauell to be in vaine Then the King when he saw that hée coulde not be found made proclamation throughout his realme that who so would bring vnto him the hed of Acharisto should haue to wife his onely daughter and after his decease should possesse his Kingdome for dowrie of that mariage Many knightes did put themselues in redinesse to themselues that enterprise aboue al Philon was the chiefe not for gredinesse of the kingdome but for loue which hée bare vnto the Gentlewoman Wherof Acharisto hauing intelligence and perceuing that in no place of Europa he coulde be safe and sure froÌ„ daunger for the multitude of them which pursued hym vnto deth caused Euphimia to vnderstand the miserable estate wherin he was Euphimia which bent hir mind employed hir studie for his safegarde imparted hir loue which she bare to Acharisto to an aged Gentlewoman which was hir nurse gouernesse besought hir that she wold intreat hir sonne called Sinapus one very wel beloued of the King so reach his help vnto hir desire that Acharisto might return to the court again The Nurse like a wise woman lefte no persuasion vnspoken nor counsell vnremembred which she thought was able to dissuade the yong gentlewoman froÌ„ hir conceiued loue but the wounde was so déepely made and hir heart so greuously wounded with the thrée forked arrows of the litle blinde archer Cupide that despising all the reasons of hir beloued nurse she sayde howe shée was firmely bente eyther to runne from hir father and to séeke out Acharisto to sustaine with hym one equall fortune or else with hir owne handes to procure death if some remedie were not founde to recouer the Kynges good grace for the returne of Acharisto The Nurse vanquished with pitie of the yong mayden fearyng bothe the one and the sorte daunger that myght ensue sent for Sinapus and vpon their talke together Euphimia and hée concluded that Acharisto shoulde bée brought agayne vnto the Courte and that shée hir selfe should present him to the Kyng wherin should want no kinde of diligence vntill the Kyng did enterteyne him againe for his faithfull seruaunt as hée was woont to doe Upon which resolution Acharisto was sente for and being come Sinapus and Euphimia together wyth the Nurse tolde hym in what 〈◊〉 they thrée had concluded touching his health and safegarde Which of him being well lyked did giue 〈◊〉 humble thankes And then Sinapus went vnto the Kyng and tolde him that there was one newely arriued at Corinth to make a present vnto his grace of the hed of Acharisto At which newes the King shewed him selfe so ioyful as if he had gotten an other Kingdome and being placed vnder his cloath of state with his Counsell and Princely trayne about him telling them the 〈◊〉 of that assemblie coÌ„maunded hym that brought those newes to bring the partie forth newely come vnto the Citie to presente the head of Acharisto Then Sinapus broughte Acharisto before the presence of the King who no sooner looked vpon hym but fell into such a rage as the fire séemed to flame out of his angrie eyes and commaunded hym presentlye to bée taken and put to death But Acharisto fallyng 〈◊〉 vpon his knées humbly besoughte his Maiestie to gyue hym leaue 〈◊〉 speake But the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufferyng hym to vtter one woorde 〈◊〉 him away Then the Counsellours and other Lordes of the Courte intreated his grace to heare him At whose requestes and supplications hée 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 contente Then Acharisto began to say Most sacred Prince and redoubted Soueraigne Lord the cause of thys my presumptuous repaire before your Maiestie is not to shew my selfe guiltie of the late beuised conspiracie ne yet to craue pardon for the same but to satisfie your Maiestie with that contented desire whiche by proclamation ye haue prondunced through your highnesse 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 whiche is to offer this heade for reuenge of the fault vniustly laid vnto my charge by those foure which woorthily haue tasted the deserued pame of their 〈◊〉 Whersore I am come hither of mine owne accorde to shewe the loue and greate desire whiche euer I had to serue and please your Maiestie And for that I would not coÌ„sume my lyfe in your displeasure I make offer of the same to your mercifull will and disposition chosing rather to die and leaue your maiestie satisfied contented than to lyue in happie state your princely minde displeased But desirous that hour maiestie shuld know myne innocencie I humbly besech your grace to heare what I can say that my fidelitie may bée throughly vnderstanded the wickednesse of the 〈◊〉 myne accusers wel wayed and considered Then hée began to rehearse all the things done by him for the seruice of his crowne and maiestie and finally into what daunger he did put himself when he killed the Lacedemonian king that went about by treason to murder him which enterprise might appere vnto him to be 〈◊〉 sure and euident testimonie that he ment nothing hurtfull or preindicial to his highnesse And that hée cstemed not his life when he aduentured for his seruice sauegarde to employ the same after these alleaged causes he added briefly that the loue which his maiestie knew to bée betwene him Euphimia his daughter ought to 〈◊〉 persuaded him that 〈◊〉 had rather haue suffered death himselfe than commit a thing displeasant to Euphimia And knowing that a more 〈◊〉 thing could not chauÌ„ce to hir than the 〈◊〉 death of hir father he might wel thinke that he wold haue deuised the death of a thousand other rather than that horrible 〈◊〉 déede such as his greatest enimie would neuer haue done much lesse 〈◊〉 which was bounde vnto him by so many receiued benefits for whose service preseruacion he had dedicated vowed his life and soule But if so be his maiesties rancor and displeasure could not bée mitigated but by doing hym to death hée desired that none of his alleaged reasons should bée accepted and
therfore was there redie to sacrifice his life at his maiesties disposition and pleasure Acharisto by nature coulde tell his tale excedyngly well and the more his tongue stode him in seruice the greater appered his eloquence Whiche so pierced the minde of the King and persuaded the Counsellers and other of the Court as he was demed giltlesse of the treason and the matter was so debated and the King intreated to graūt him pardon as he was accompted most worthie of his fauour Then the Kyng by the aduise of his Counsell was persuaded that by force of hys proclamation his daughter should be giuen to Acharisto in mariage and his Kingdome for a dowrie bicause hée had offered his owne head accordyng to the effecte of the same So the King repenting him self that he had offended Acharisto in the ende agréed to the aduise of his counsel and gaue him his daughter to wife Whereof Euphimia was so ioyful as they bée that atteine the summe of their heartes desire The father liued one whole yeare after this mariage and Euphimia so pleasant a life for a certaine time as was possible for any Gentlewoman Hir father was no sooner dead but the vnkind mā nay rather brute beaste had forgotten all the benefites receyued of his kinde and louing wise and hauing by hir only meanes gotten a Kingdom began to hate hir so straungely as he could not abide hir sight Such is the propertie of cancred obliuion which after it crepeth into ambicious heades neuer hath minde of passed amitie ne regardeth former benefite but like a monster and deadly enimie to humane nature ouerwhelmeth in his bottomlesse gulfe all pietie and kindenesse and determined in the ende for recompence of such great good turnes to despoile hir of hir life Howe thinke you faire Ladies was not thys a faire rewarde for the loue the trauailes and sorrowes susteined for this ingrate and villainous man by that royal ladie to saue his life and to take him to husband Here is manifest probatum that in a vile and seruile minde no vertue no duetie no receiued benefites can be harboured Here is a lesson for yong Gentlewomen to beware how they contemne and despise the graue aduise of their auncient fathers Here they maye sée the damage and hurt that vnaduised youth incurreth when neglecting their parentes holeseme admonitions they giue them selues to the loue of suche as bée 〈◊〉 their estate and calling For what should aile the gentle pucell borne of gentle bloud but to match hir self in like affinitie not to care for currish kind or race of 〈◊〉 Bée there no Gentlemen to be founde of personage and beautie woorthie to ioyne in loue with them Bée they so precious in nature or tēder in education as their like can not be vouchsafed to couple in mariage yoke Compare the glistering golde to drossie durte and such is the difference betwéene gentle and vngentle But perhaps bringing vp may alter nature and custome transforme defect of birth As Licurgus the lawemaker dyd trie betwene the Currish whelpe and the Spaniell kinde both by training vp running to their contraries the Spaniel not vsed to hunte eigre vpon the potage dishe the other nouseled in that pastyme pursuing his game But that Metamorphosis is seldome séene amongs humane sort and therfore I aduise the gentle kind to match them selues in equall lotte and not to trust sir Customes curtesie in choise of féere Returne we then to vnkind Acharisto who now in full possession of his desired praio reuerting to his puddle of carlish will and cancred nature after many thousande wrongs done to this moste noble and gentle Quéene accused hir to be an adulteresse and as one in déede although most innocent she was condemned to the mercilesse fire Philon King of Peloponessus which as we haue said before loued Euphimia as did the balles of his owne eyes vnderstanding the crueltie that this wicked mā vsed towards hir to whom both his life kingdome did belong moued with nobilitie of minde determined to declare to Euphimia the inwarde feruent loue which 〈◊〉 bare hir and to chastise Acharisto for his ingratitude with due correction Wherfore depely debatyng with hym selfe of this aduenture thus hée sayde Nowe is the time Euphimia that Philon shewe what faithful loue he hath euer born vnto thée and that he deliuer thée bothe from the present daunger wherein thou art and from the hands of that vnkynde wretche that is farre vnworthie of such a wife For if thou haddest agréed to thy fathers will and yelded to the pursute of him that loued thée best thou haddest no néede of rescue nowe ne yet bene in perill of the wastful flames of fire which be readie to consume thy nesh and tender corps full tenderly sometymes beloued of thy deare father and of thy louing friend Philon. When he had spoken those wordes he earnestly disposed him selfe vpon that enterprise There was in those days a custome in Corinth that they which were condemned to death were caried iii. miles forth of the Citie and there the sentence pronounced against them wer put to execution Philon hauyng intelligence hereof did put in readinesse a good troupe of horsemen and being secretely imbarked arriued at Corinth and closely the nyght before Euphimia shoulde be brought to the fire harde by the place where the miserable Ladie should be burnt into a wood he conueyed his people and so soone as the Sergeants and officers were approched nere the place with the ladie he issued forth and did set vpon the throng not suffering one of them to remaine aliue to carie newes When he had deliuered Euphimia from that prcsent daunger of hir life the companie dispercled he said to the Quene Now thou mayst sée faire Quéene the diuersitie betwene the disloyaltie and vnkindnesse of Acharisto and the faith and loue of Philon. But for that I meane not to leaue hys ingratitude vnreuenged thou shalte stays here vntill thou heare newes of the due 〈◊〉 whiche I shall giue him Those dire and cruell wordes foretolde of hir husbandes death moued hir honest and Princely hearte which by no meanes coulde be altered from the gentle nature which it had first tasted and receiued And although she had suffred mortall solemne iniurie of hir vnkinde husband for manifolde benefites yet she good Gentlewoman woulde permit no duetie of a trustie and faithfull wife vnperformed Wherfore she besoughte Philon vpon hir knées not to procéede to further reuenge of Acharisto telling him that enough it was for hir to haue escaped that presente perill from which he like a Princely Gentleman had deliuered hir and therfore during hir life was most bounde vnto him Philon greately wondred at the goodnesse of this Ladie howbeit the ingratitude of that 〈◊〉 by no meanes he woulde suffer to bée vnpunished And béeing aduertised that Acharisto remained in his Palace without any suspicion of this aduenture banded neither with Guarde or other assurance committed Euphimia to safe
pain and finish thy troublesome trauels Surely I suppose she did so but that shame duety forced hir to vse such wordes to make me thinke that lightly she would not be ouercome by my persuasions And put the case that it were not so who could haue let me to take by force that whervnto willingly she would not accorde But what is she to be reuenged of suche an iniurie She is for conclusion the daughter of a Miller and may make hir vaunte that she hathe mocked a Gentleman who being alone with hir and burning wyth loue durst not staunche hys thirst although full dry so néere the fountaine And by God sayd he rising from a gréene banke néere the fountaines side if I die therfore I wil haue it eyther by loue or force In this wicked and tyrannicall mynde hée retourned to his place where his companyons séeing him so out of quiet sayd vnto him Is this the guise of gentle minde to abase it self to the pursute of so simple a wench Doe not you know the malice of that sexe and the guiles wherewith those Serpents poysen men Care you so little for a woman as she doth for you and then will she imbrace you make much of you hir only study is which I beleue to frame hir selfe against all that for whych humble sute is made But admit that a woman hath some quality to draw men to loue hir honoure and serue hir truely that office and duetifull deuoire ought to be imployed in seruice of them that be honourable in sprite and iudgement of gentle kinde whych no doubte will 〈◊〉 the merite of the suter And certesse I am of opinion that a man may vainely consume a yeare or two in pursuite and seruyce of thys mealy Countrey wenche so well as addresse his loue in the obedience of some faire and honest Gentlewoman which courteously and with some fauoure will recompence the trauailes of hir seruaunt where that rude and sottish gyrle by pryde will vaunt and looke a lofte at the honoure done vnto hir despise them whose worthinesse she knoweth not and whome neither she nor the best of hir lede be worthy to serue in any respect wil you know then what I think best for you to do Mine aduise is then that one of thefe euenings she be trussed vp in a male and brought hither or else in place where you thinke good that you may enioy at pleasure the beautie of hir whome you doe praise and wonder at so much And afterwards let hir dissemble if she lust and make a Jewell of hir chastity and modesty when she hath not to triumph ouer you by bearing away the victory of your pursutes Ah my good friend aunswered the desperate louer how rightly you touche the most daungerous place of all my wound and how soueraine a salue and plaister you apply therunto I had thought truly to intreat you of that whereof euen nowe you haue made the ouerture but fearing to offend you or too much vsurpe vpon your friendship rather had I suffer a death continuall than raise one point of offense or discontentation in them which so frankly haue offred to doe me plesure wherof by Gods assistance I hope to be acquieted with all duety and office of friendship Now 〈◊〉 it to put in proofe the effect of your deuise and that so shortly as I can In like manner you sée that the terme of my héere abode will shortly be expired and if we be once at the Courte impossible it is for me to recouer so good occasion and peraduēture she wil be maried or some other shall cary away the pray after I haue beaten the bushe The plot then of this maidens rape was resolued vpon and the first espied occasion taken But the louer which feared least this heat of his companiōs wold coole sollicited them so muche as the execution was ordayned the folowing night which they did not so muche for the pleasure of their friend to whome in suche aduentures they ought to deny all helpe sith friendeship ought not to passe Sed 〈◊〉 ad ar as as Pericles the Athenian sayd so farre as was sufferable by the lawes of God as for that they wer of nature of the self same tramp which their passionate cōpanion was and would haue made no conscience to enterprise the same for themselues although the other had not tolde them his affections These also be the frutes of vnruled youth wherin only the verdure and gréennesse of the age beareth greatest sway the will whereof reason can not restrayne which easily waltreth and tosseth sooner to the carnall part than to that which tendeth to the pasture and cōtentation of the minde The next night after they 〈◊〉 came accompanied with v. or vj. seruauntes so honest as their maisters in armure weapons well appointed to defend hurt that if any resistance were made they might be able to repell their aduersaries Thus about two of the clocke in the night repaired they to the Mill the heauens hauing throwne their mantell ouer the vaporous earth 〈◊〉 hir face with their vaile obscure dark and yet not such but that the aire was cloudy cléere when no man doubted of so great offēse of such vnhappy rape they brake into the pore millers house betwene whose armes they toke away his daughter déere almost dead for fear piteously begā to cry for help defending hir self so wel as she could from these Theues and Murderers The desolate father raging with no lesse fury than the Hircanian Tigre when hir Faucons be kylled or taken away ran first to one and then to another to let them from carying of hir away for whome they came In the end the amorous rauisher of his daughter sayd vnto him Father Father I aduise thée to get thée hence if thou loue thy life for thy force is too weake to resist so many the least of whome is able to coole this thy foolishe heat and choler for the which I would be sory for the great loue I beare vnto thy daughter who I hope before she depart my company shal haue wherwith to be contēted and thou cause to pacify this immoderate rage which in vain thou yalpest forth against this troupe Ah false knaue and théefe sayd the honest poore man is it thou then which by thine infamous filthinesse insaciable knauerie doest dishonor the commendable fame of my daughter and by like meanes 〈◊〉 the hoped yeres of me hir poore vnhappy father losing through thy wickednesse the staffe and stay of mine olde aged life Thinkest thou Traitor that liuing till this day for all my pouertie in reputation of an honest man in mine old dayes will become an vnshamefast and vile minister and Chapman of my daughters maidenhoode and virginitie No knaue thincke not that I forget the wrong receiued of thée for which by some meanes or other I will purchase iust reuenge either vpon thée or thine The Gentleman caring little or nothing
that all the lawes of Amitie are deade and vtterly extinguished for so muche as hée in whome I hadde greatest hope and confidence and for whose sake I am become an enimie to my self doth disdaine and contemne me No no Rhomeo thou must fully resolue thy selfe vpon one of these 〈◊〉 points either to sée me incontinently throwen down hedlong from this high window after thée or else to suffer me to accōpanie thée into that coūtrey or place whither Fortune shal guide thée for my heart is so muche transformed into thine that so soone as I shall vnderstande of thy departure presently my lyfe will depart this wofull body the continuance wherof I doe not desire for any other purpose but only to delight my selfe in thy presence and to bée partaker of thy missefortunes And therefore if euer there lodged any pitie in the hearte of Gentleman I beséeche 〈◊〉 Rhomeo with al humilitie that it may now fynd place in thée and that thou wilt vouchsafe to receiue me 〈◊〉 thy seruant and the faithful cōpanion of thy 〈◊〉 And if thou thinke that thou canst not cōueniently receiue me in the estate and habite of a wife who shall let me to chaunge myne apparell Shall I be the first that haue vsed like shiftes to escape the tirannie of parentes Dost thou doubt that my seruice will not bée so good vnto thée as that of Petre thy seruaunt Will my loyaltie and fidelitie be lesse than his My beautie whiche at other tymes thou hast so greately commended is it not estéemed of thée My teares my loue and the auncient pleasures and delights that you haue taken in me shall they be in obliuion Rhomeo séeing 〈◊〉 in these alteratiōs fearing that worsse inconuenience would chaunce tooke hir againe betwéene his armes and kissyng hir amorously sayd Iulietta the onely mistresse of my heart I pray thée in the name of God and for the feruent loue which thou bearest vnto me to 〈◊〉 do away those vaine cogitations except 〈◊〉 meane to séeke hazard the destruction of vs both for if thou perseuer in this determination there is no remedie but we must both perish for so soon as thine 〈◊〉 shal be knowne thy father wil make such ernest pursute after vs that we can not choose but be descried taken and in the ende cruelly punished I as a 〈◊〉 and stealer of thée and thou as a disobedient daughter to hir father and so in stead of pleasant and quiet life our dayes shal be abridged by most shameful death But if thou wilt recline thy self to reason the right rule of humane life and for the time abandon our mutual delights I will take such order in the time of my banishment as within 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 months without any delay I shal be reuoked home againe But if it fall out otherwise as I trust not how so euer it happē I wil come againe vnto thée and with the helpe of my friends wil fetch thée from Verona by strong hand not in counterfeit apparell as a stranger but like my spouse and perpetuall companion In the meane time quiet your self and be sure that nothing else but death shal deuide and put vs asunder The reasons of Rhomeo so much preuailed with Iulietta as she made him this answer My deare friend I will doe nothing contrary to your will and pleasure And to what place so euer you repair my heart shall be your owne in like sorte as you haue giuen yours to be mine In the meane while I pray you not to faile oftentimes to aduertise me by Frier Laurence in what state your affairs be and specially of the place of your abode Thus these two pore louers passed the night togither vntill the day began to appeare which did separate them to their extreame sorow and grief Rhomeo hauing taken leaue of Iulietta went to S. Fraunces and after he hadde aduertised Frier Laurence of his affaires departed from Verona in the habit of a Marchaunt straunger and vsed such expedition as without hurt hée arriued at Mantona accompanied only with Petre his seruaunt whome hée hastely sent backe againe to Verona to serue his Father where he tooke a house and liuing in honorable company assayed certaine months to put away the griefe which so tormented him But during the time of his absence miserable Iulietta could not so cloke hir sorow but that through the euill coloure of hir face hir inwarde passion was discried By reason whereof hir mother who heard hir oftentymes sighing and incessantly complaining coulde not forbeare to say vnto hir Daughter if you continue long after this sorte you will hasten the death of your good Father and me who loue you so dearely as our owne liues wherefore henceforth moderate your heauinesse and endeuor your self to be mery thinke no more vpon the death of your cosin Thibault whome sith it pleasēd God to call away do you thinke to reuoke with teares and to withstand his almighty will But the pore Gentlewoman not able to dissemble hir grief sayd vnto hir Madame long time it is sithens the last teares for Thibault wer poured forth and I beleue that the fountaine is so well soked and dried vp as no more will spring in that place The mother which coulde not tell to what effect those woords were spoken held hir peace for feare she should trouble hir daughter and certaine dayes after séeing hir to continue in heauinesse and continuall griefs assayed by all meanes possible to know aswell of hir as of other the housholde seruaunts the occasion of hir sorow but al in vaine wherwith the pore mother 〈◊〉 beyonde measure purposed to let the Lorde Antonio hir husband to vnderstand the case of hir daughter And vpon a day séeing 〈◊〉 at conuenient leisure she sayd vnto him My Lord if you haue marked the countenāce of our daughter and hir kinde of behauior sithens the death of the Lord Thibault hir cosin you shall perceiue so straunge mutation in hir as it will make you to maruel for she is not only contēted to forgoe meat drinke and sléepe but she spendeth hir time in nothing else but in wéeping lamentation delighting to kepe hir self solitarie within hir chamber where she tormēteth hir self so out ragiously as if we take not héede hir life is to be doubted and not able to know the original of hir paine the more difficult shall be the remedy for albeit that I haue sought meanes by all extremitie yet cannot I learne the cause of hir sicknesse And where I thought in the beginning that it procéeded vpon the death of hir cosin now I doe manifestly perceiue that contrary specially when she hir self did assure me that she had already wept and shed the last teares for him that shée was minded to doe And vncertaine wherupon to resolue I do thinke verily that she mourneth for some despite to sée the most part of hir companions maried she yet vnprouided persuading with hir self it may be that we hir
parents doe not care for hir Wherefore deare husband I heartely beséeche you for our rest and hir quiet that hereafter ye be carefull to prouide for hir some mariage worthy of our state whereunto the Lord Antonio willingly agréed saying vnto hir Wife I haue many times thought vpon that whereof you speake notwithstāding sith as yet she is not attained to the age of 〈◊〉 yeares I thought to prouide a husbād at leisure Neuerthelesse things being come to these termes knowing that virgins chastitie is a dāgerous treasure I wil be mindful of that same to your contentation and she matched in such wise as she shall thinke the time hitherto well delayed In the meane while mark diligently whither she be in loue with any to the end that we haue not so gret regard to goodes or to that nobilitie of that house wherin we meane to 〈◊〉 hir as to that life helth of our daughter who is to me so dere as I 〈◊〉 rather 〈◊〉 a begger wtout lands or goods than to bestow hir vpon one which shal vse intreat hir yll Certain dayes after that the Lord Antonio had bruted the mariage of his Daughter many Gentlemen were suters so wel for that excellencie of hir beautie as for hir great richesse reuenue But aboue all others the aliance of a yong Earle named Paris the Counte of Lodronne liked the Lord Antonio vnto whome liberally he gaue his cōsent told his wife the party vpō whom he did mean to bestow his daughter The mother very ioyful that they had found so honest a Gentlemā for their daughter caused hir secretly to be called before hir doing hir to vnderstand what things had passed betwene hir father the Counte Paris discoursing vnto hir the beauty good grace of that yong Counte that vertues for which he was commended of al men ioyning therunto for conclusion that great richesse fauor which he had in the goods of fortune by means wherof she hir friēds shold liue in eternall honor But Iulietta which had rather to haue bene torne in pieces than to agrée to that mariage answered hir mother with a more thā accustomed stoutnesse Madame I much maruel therwithal am astōned that you being a Lady discréete honorable wil be so liberal ouer your daughter as to cōmit hir to that plesure wil of an other before you do know how hir minde is bent you may do as it pleaseth you but of one thing I do wel assure you that if you bring it to passe it shal be against my will And touching the regarde and estimation of Counte Paris I shall first loose my life before he shall haue power to touch any part of my body which being done it is you that shall be coūted the murderer by deliuering me into the hands of him whome I neither can wil or know which way to loue Wherfore I pray you to suffer me henceforth thus to liue wythout taking any further care of me for so muche as my cruell fortune hath otherwise disposed of me The dolorous mother whiche knewe not what iudgement to fire vpon hir daughters aunswere like a woman confused bisides hir self went to seke the Lorde Antonio vnto whome without conceyling any part of hir daughters talke she did him vnderstand the whole The good olde man offended beyonde measure cōmanded hir incontinētly by force to be brought before him if of hir own good wil she wold not come So soon as she came before hir father hir eyes ful of teares fel downe at his féet which she bathed with the luke warm drops that distilled from hir eyes in great abundance thinking to open hir mouth to crie him mercie the sobbes and sighes many times stopt hir speach that she remained dumbe not able to frame a worde But the old mā nothing moued with his daughters teares sayde vnto hir in great rage Come hither thou vnkynde and disobedient daughter hast thou already forgotten howe many times thou hast heard spoken at the table of the puissance and authoritie our auncient Romane fathers had ouer their children vnto whome it was not onely lawfull to sell guage and otherwise dispose them in 〈◊〉 necessitie at their pleasure but also whiche is more they had absolute power ouer their death lyfe With what yrons with what tormēts with what racks wold those good fathers chasten and correct thée if they were aliue againe to sée that ingratitude misbehauor and disobedience which thou vsest towards thy father who with many prayers and requestes hath prouided one of the greatest lords of this prouince to be thy husbande a gentleman of best renoume and indued with all kinde of vertues of whome thou and I be vnworthie bothe for the notable masse of goodes and substance wherwith he is enriched as also for the honour and generositie of the house whereof hée is discended and yet thou playest the parte of an obstinate and rebellious childe against thy fathers wil I take the omnipotencie of that almightie God to witnesse whiche hath 〈◊〉 to bryng thée forth into this worlde that if vpon Tuesday nexte thou failest to prepare thy selfe to be at my castel of 〈◊〉 where the Coūte Paris purposeth to mete vs and there giue thy consent to that which thy mother I haue agréed vpon I will not onely depriue thée of my worldly goodes but also will make thée espouse and marie a prison so strayght and sharpe as a thousande times thou shalt curse the day and tyme wherin thou wast borne Wherfore frō hence forth take aduisement what thou dost for except the promise be kept which I haue made to the Counte Paris I will make thée féele how great the iust choler of an offended father is against a childe vnkinde And without staying for other answer of his daughter the olde man departed the chamber and 〈◊〉 hir vpon hir knées Iulietta knowing the furie of hir father fearing to incurre his indignation or to 〈◊〉 his further wrath retired for that day into hir chamber and contriued the whole night more in wéeping than sléeping And the next morning faining to goe heare seruice she went forth with the woman of hir chamber to the friers where she caused father Laurence to be called vnto hir and prayed him to heare hir confession And when she was vpon hir knées before him shée began hir confession with teares tellyng him the great mischief that was prepared for hir by the mariage accorded betwéene hir father and the Counte Paris And for conclusion said vnto him Sir for so much as you know that I can not by Gods law be maried twice and that I haue but one God one husbande and one faith I am determined when I am from 〈◊〉 with these two hands which you sée ioyned before you this day to end my sorowful life that my soule may beare witnesse in the heauens and my bloode vpon the earth of my faith and loyaltie preserued Then hauyng ended
shall faile in performance of your commaundement for were it the strongest poyson or moste 〈◊〉 venome rather would I thrust it into my body than to consent to fall in the hands of him whome I vtterly 〈◊〉 with a right strong reason then may I for 〈◊〉 my self and offer my body to any kinde of mortal danger to approche and draw neare to him vpon whome wholly dependeth my life al the contentation I haue in this world Go your wayes then my daughter quod the Frier the mighty hand of God keepe you and his surpassing power defend you and confirme that will and good mind of yours for the accomplishment of this worke Iulietta departed from Frier Laurence and returned home to hir fathers palace about xi of the clock where she founde hir mother at the gate attending for hir and in good deuotion demaūded if she continued stil in hir former follies But Iulietta with more gladsome chéere than she was wont to vse not suffering hir mother to aske againe sayde vnto hir Madame I come from S. Frauncis Church where I haue taried longer peraduenture than my duetie requireth how be it not without frute and great rest to my afflicted conscience by reason of the godly persuasions of our ghostly father Frier Laurence vnto whome I haue made a large declaration of my life And chiefly haue communicated vnto him in confession that which hath past betwene my Lord my father and you vpon the mariage of Counte Paris and me But the good man hath reconciled me by his holy woords and commendable exhortations that where I had minde neuer to mary now I am well disposed to obey your pleasure and commaundement Wherefore 〈◊〉 I be séeche you to recouer the fauor good will of my father aske pardon in my behalfe and say vnto him if it please you that by obeying his Fatherly request I am ready to méete the Counte Paris at Villafranco and there in your presence to accept him for my Lord and husband in assurance wherof by your pacience I meane to repair into my closet to make choise of my most pretious iewels that I being richly adorned and decked may 〈◊〉 before him more agréeable to his minde and pleasure The good mother rapte with excéeding great ioy was not able to answer a word but rather made spéede to séeke out hir husband the Lord Antonio vnto whome she reported the good will of hir daughter and how by meanes of Frier Laurence hir minde was chaunged Wherof the good olde man maruellous ioyfull praised God in heart saying wife this is not that first good turne which we haue receiued of that holy man vnto whom euery Citizen of this Common wealth is dearly 〈◊〉 I wold to God that I had redemed xx of his yeres 〈◊〉 the third parte of my goods so grieuous is to me his extreme olde age The self same houre the Lord Antonio went to séeke the Counte Paris whome he thought to persuade to goe to Villafranco But the Counte tolde him againe that the charge would be to great and that better it were to reserue that cost to the mariage day for the better celebration of the same Notwithstāding if it were his pleasure he would himself goe visite Iulietta and so they went together The mother aduertised of his comming caused hir Daughter to make hir self ready and to spare no costly iewels for adorning of hir beautie against the Countes cōming which she bestowed so wel for garnishing of hir personage that before the Counte parted frō the house she had so stolne away his heart as he liued not frō that time forth but vpon meditation of hir beautie and slacked no time for acceleration 〈◊〉 that mariage day ceasing not to be importunate vpon father and mother for the ende and consummation thereof And thus with ioy inoughe passed forth this day and many others vntill the day before the mariage against which time the mother of Iulietta did so well prouide that there wanted nothing to set forth the magnificence and nobilitie of their house Villafranco wherof we haue made mention was a place of pleasure where the lorde Antonio was wont many times to recreate him self a mile or two from Veronna there the dynner was prepared for so muche as the ordinarie solemnitie of necessitie muste be done at Veronna Iulietta perceiuing hir time to approach dissembled the matter so well as shée coulde and when time forced hir to retire to hir chambre hir woman wold haue waited vpon hir and haue lyen in hir chambre as hir custome was But Iulietta sayde vnto hir Good and faithfull mother you know that to morow is my mariage day and for that I would spende the most parte of the night in prayer I pray you for this time to let me alone and to morow in the morning about 〈◊〉 of the clocke come to me againe to helpe me make me redie The good olde woman willing to folow hir mind suffred hir alone and doubted nothing of that whiche she did meane to do Iulietta being within hir chambre hauing an eawer ful of water standing vpon the table filled the viole which the Frier gaue hir and after she had made the mixture she set it by hir bed side went to bed And being layde new thoughts began to assaile hir with a conceipt of grieuous death which broughte hir into such case as she coulde not tell what to doe but playning incessantly sayd Am not I the most vnhappie and desperat creature that euer was borne o◠woman for me there is nothyng lefte in this wretched worlde but mishap miserie and mortall woe my distresse hath brought me to such extremitie as to saue mine honor and consciēce I am forced to deuoure the drinke wherof I know not the vertue but what know I sayd she whether the operation of this pouder will be to soone or to late or not correspondent to the due time and that my faulte being discouered I shall remayne a iesting stocke and fable to the people what know I moreouer if the serpents and other venomous and crauling wormes which commonly frequent the graues and pittes of the earth will hurt me thinkyng that I am dead But how shal I indure the stinche of so many carions and bones of myne auncestors which rest in the graue if by fortune I do awake before Rhomeo Frier Laurence doe come to help me And as she was thus plunged in the déepe contēplation of things she thought that she sawe a certaine vision or fansie of hir cousin Thibault in the very same sort as she sawe him wounded and imbrued with blood and musyng howe that she must be buried quicke amongs so many dead carcases and deadly naked bones hir tender and delicate body began to shake and tremble and hir yelowe lockes to stare for feare in suche wise as frighted with terrour a colde sweate beganne to pierce hir heart and bedew the rest of all hir membres in suche wise as she thought that
easie for them to bryng to passe yea if it wer to expel the Saracēs out of 〈◊〉 or to depriue the great Turke of his kingdome of Constantinople Their ioy was such as they coulde not tell where they were thinking euery houre a whole day before night came At length the tyme was come so long desired and the husbandes accordingly gaue diligent attendance and let their wiues to vnderstand or at lest wise beleued they had that they coulde not come home that night for matters of great importāce The women that were very wise séeing their shippe saile with so prosperous winde fained them selues to credite all that they offered These yong men toke either of them his Gondola or as we term it their barge to disport themselues hauing supped abrode rowed in the Canali which is that water that passeth through diuers stretes of the citie expecting their apointed hour The womē redy at iij. of the clocke repaired into their gardens after they had talked laughed together a pretie while wēt one into an others house wer by that maids brought vp to that chābres There either of them that candle being light began diligently to view that order situation of the place by litle litle marked the chiefest things they loked for cōmitting that same to memorie Afterwards they put out that candle both in trembling maner expected the cōming of their husbands And 〈◊〉 at iiij of that clock the maiden of Madōna Lucia stode at the dore to wait for that cōming of master Anselmo who win a while after came gladly was let in by that maid by hir cōducted vp to the chāber euē to the bed side The place there was so dark as hell impossible for hym to know his wife The. ij wiues wer so like of bignesse spech as by dark without great difficultie they coulde be knowne When Anselmo had put of his clothes he was of his wife amorously intertained thynking the wife of 〈◊〉 had receiued him betwene hir armes who aboue 〈◊〉 M. times kissed hir very swetely and she for hir parte swéetely rendred againe to hym so many What folowed it wer folie to describe Girolamo lykewise at v. of the clock appered and was by the mayde conueyd vp to the chambre where he lay with his own wife to their great contentations Now these 〈◊〉 husbands thinking they had bē imbraced by their beloued ladies to séeme braue and valiant men of warre made greater proofe of their manhod than they wer wont to do At what time their wiues as it pleased God to manifest by their deliuerie wer begoten with child of 〈◊〉 faire 〈◊〉 they the best contented women of that worlde This practise cōtinued betwene thē many times fewe wekes passing but in this sort they lay together Neyther of them for al this perceiued themselues to be deluded or cōceiued any suspitiō of collusion by reason that chāber was stil without light in the day the womē cōmonly failed not to be togither The time was not lōg but their bellies began to swel wherat their husbands were exceding ioiful beleuing verily that one of them had fixed hornes vpon an others head Nowbeit the pore mē for al their false belief had bestowed their labor vp on their own soil watred only with the course of their propre foūtain These 〈◊〉 ioly wēches seing thēselfs by this amorous practise to be with childe beganne to deuise how they might breake of the same doubting lest some slaunder and ill talke shoulde rise and thereby the hatrede and malice betwene their husbandes increase to greater furie And as they wer about this deuise an occasion chaunced vtterly to dissolue their 〈◊〉 méetings but not in that sort as they wold haue had it For the women determined as merily they had begon so iocundly to ende but Fortune the guide of humane life disposeth all enterprises after hir owne pleasure who like a puissant Ladie carieth with hir the successe of eche attempt The beginnyng she offereth fréely to him that list the end she calleth for as a ransom or tribute payable vnto hir In the same streate or as they cal it Rio Canale not farre from their houses there dwelled a yong woman very faire and comely not fully xx yeares of age which then was a widow and a little before the wife of M. Niccolo Delphino and the daughter of M. Giouanni Moro called Gismonda She besides hir fathers dowrie which was more thā a thousand 〈◊〉 had left hir by hir husband a greate porcion of money iewels plate and houshold furnitures With hir fell in loue Aloisio Foscari the nephew of the Duke who making great sute to haue hir to wyfe consumed the time in beholding his Ladie and at length had brought the matter to so good passe as one nighte she was contented at one of the windowes of hir house directly ouer againste a little lane to heare him speake Aloisio maruellous glad of those desired newes 〈◊〉 appointed night about v. or vj. of the clock with a ladder made of roapes bicause the window was very high wente thither alone Beyng at the place making a signe concluded vpon betwene them attended when the gentle woman should throwe downe a litle corde to draw vp the ladder accordingly as was appointed which not long after was done Gismonda when she had receiued the ende of the ladder tied it fast to the iawme of the window and gaue a token to hir louer to mount he by force of loue being very venturous liuely and lustely scaled the window And when he was vpon the top of the same desirous to cast himself in to embrace his Ladie and she not ready to receiue him or else vpon other occasion he fel downe backward thinking as he fell to haue saued himself twice or thrice by catching hold vpō the ladder but it wold not be Notwithstāding as God wold haue it the poise of his body fel not vpō the pauement of the streate fully but was stayed by some lets in the fal which had it not bene so no doubt he had ben slaine out of hand but yet his bones were sore brused and his head déepely wounded The infortunate Louer séeing himself sore hurt with that pitifull fall albeit he thought that he had receiued his deaths woūde and impossible to liue any longer yet the loue that he bare to the widow did so far surmoūt the paine by him sustained and the grief of his body sore crushed and broken that so well as he could he raised himself vp and with his hands stayed the bloud that ranne from his head to the intent it might not raise some slaunder vpon the widow that he loued so wel and 〈◊〉 alongs the streat towarde the houses of Girolamo and Anselmo aforsaid Being come thither with great difficultie not able to goe any further for very paine and griefe he fainted and fell downe as deade where the bloud issued in such aboundance
But the prophet of the Citie whom the Citizens had wel tried and proued to be faithfull and trustie manifested vnto them the great daūger that hong ouer the tyrants head such as the like neuer before The confederats which had conspired with Hellanicus made great spéede to prosecute their enterprise and the nexte night to kill the tyrant The very same night Hellanicus dreamed that he sawe his dead sonne to speake vnto him these woords What meane you father this long time to slepe I am one of your sonnes whom Aristotimus hath slaine know you not that the same day you attempt your enterprise you shal be captaine prince of your coūtrie By this vision Hellanicus confirmed he rose bytimes in the morning and exhorted the conspirators that day to execute the benefit of their Countrie That time Aristotimus was certified how Craterus the tyran of another Citie with a great armie was comming to his aide against the banished people of Elis and that he was arriued at Olympia a Citie betwéene the Mounte Ossa and the mountaine Olympus With which newes Aristotimus being incouraged thought alreadie that he had put to flight and takē the banished persons which made him to aduenture himself abrode without guard or garrison accompanied only with Cilon and one or two of his familiar frends the very same time that the conspiratours were assembled to doe the facte Hellanicus seing the time so cōuenient to deliuer his beloued Countrie by the death of the traiterous Tyrant not attending any signe to be giuen to his companions although the same was concluded vpon the lusty old man lifting vp his handes and eies vnto the heauens with cleare and open voice cried out to his companions and said Whie stay ye O my Citizens and louing country men in the face of your Citie to finishe this good and commendable acte At which woords Cilon was the first which with his brandishing blade killed one of those that waited vpon the Tyrant Thrasibulus thē and Lampidus assayled Aristotimus vpon whose sodaine approch he fled into the Temple of Iupiter where he was murdred with a thousand woundes vpon his body accordingly as he deserued He being thus deseruedly slain his body was drawen vp downe the stréetes and proclamation of libertie sounded vnto the people Where vnto eche wight assembled amongs whome the imprisoned women also brake forth and reioysed with their countrey deliuerers of that egregious enterprise by fires and bankettes outwardly disclosing their excéeding great ioye within and in midde of their mirth the people in great throngs and companies ranne to the Tyrants palace whose wife hearyng the peoples noyse and certified of hir husbands death inclosed hir selfe in a chamber with hir two daughters and knowing how hatefull she was vnto the Citizens with a 〈◊〉 corde vpon a beame she hong hir selfe The chamber dores being broke opē the people viewed the horrible sight of the strangled ladie wherwithall not moued they toke the two trembling daughters of the tyrant and caried them away purposing to rauish violate the same firste to saciate their lust with the spoile of their virginitie and afterwards to kill them those Gentlewomen were very beautifull and mariageable and as they were about to do that shamefull déede Magistona was tolde therof who accompanied with other Matrons sharply rebuked their furie saying that vncomely it were for them which sought to establish a ciuile state to doe such a shamelesse act as tirants rage wold scarce permit Upon that noble matrons authoritie and interception they ceassed from their filthie fact and then the woman tooke the 〈◊〉 oute of the peoples handes and brought them into the chambre where their strangled mother was And vnderstandyng that it was decréed that none of the Tyrants bloud shoulde rest on liue she turned hir face to the two yong Gentlewomen and sayde The chiefest pleasure which I can doe to you resteth in this choise that it shall be lawfull for either of you to choose what kinde of death you list by knife or halter if you will to dispatche your liues from the hedlesse peoples greater furie vpon whose two white and tender bodies if they doe seaze the Gods doe know and we doe feare the crueltie and great abuse which they doe meane to vse I thinke not for despite of you but for the iust reuenge of your most cruell fathers actes for the tyrannous life of whom the Gods do thunder downe the boltes of their displeasure afflicting his nearest bloud and beste beloued wife and children wyth vengeance poured from heauens Upon the sentence of this their fatall ende the elder maiden of the twaine vnlosed a girdle from hir middle and began to tie the same to hang hir selfe exhortyng hir yonger sister to doe the like and in any wise to beware by sparing of hir life to incurre the beastly rage of the monstrous people which cared not to do eche vile and filthie acte vnworthie theyr estate The yonger sister at those wordes layed handes vpon the fastened corde and besought hir right earnestly first of all to suffer hir to die Wherevnto the elder aunswered So long as it was lawfull for me to liue and whiles we led our princely time in our fathers courte both were frée from enimies danger all things betwene vs two were common and indifferente wherefore the Gods forbidth at now the gates of death be opened for vs to enter when with the Ghostes of our dere parents our soules amids the infernall fieldes be predestined to raunge and wander that I shoulde make deniall of thy request Therfore go to good sister mine and shrink not when thou séest the vgly face of hir that must consume vs all But yet déere sister the deadly sight of thée before my selfe will bréede to me the woe and smart of double death When she had so sayd she yelded the coller to hir sister counselled hir to place the same so néere the neck bone as she could that the sooner the halters force might stop hir breath When the vnfearefull yonger sister was dead the trēbling hands of that dredlesse elder maid vntied the girdle from hir neck couering in comly wise hir senslesse corps Then turning hir self to Megistona she hūbly prayed hir not to suffer their two bodies to bée séene naked but so sone as she could to bury them both in one earthly graue referring the frutes of their virginitie to the mould wherof they came When she had spokē those wordes without any staye or feare at all with the selfe same corde the strangled hir self and so finished hir fatall dayes The guiltlesse death of which two tender maids there was none of the citizens of Elis as I suppose so stonie hearted voide of Natures force ne yet so wroth against the tyrant father but did lament as well for the constant stoutnesse and maner of their death as for their maydenlyke behauioure and right honest petitions made to that sobre matrone Megisthona who afterwardes