fault haue I committed that you should enuie at this small rest which I finde whilst I am dying and why doe you malice my fortune when by death I hope to rid my selfe from these so hellish torments Let me I pray you depart hence quietly who deserue not to liue since whilst I liued I could not conquere my selfe If the braue Caualiere suffereth himselfe sometimes to die for very griefe to see himselfe ouercome and if right generous mindes thinke scorne to beg life of the victor chusing rather to die then to liue and carie the marke of a vanquisht person in their face how much more iustly then ought he to consent to his owne death and die willingly who ouer-charged with ordinarie foolish passions hath not bene able to conquere himselfe It is not for me Madame to liue any longer seeing I am not of power to hinder and forbid louing that which is the occasion of my death because I finde my selfe vnworthie to enioy the same Yet if it be a lesse disgrace to be subdued by a vertuous and gallant Captaine of the warres then by a base coward and a dastard of no valour then doe I count it a lesse displeasure vnto me to die for so worthie and rare a Subiect as I doe Iudge then most gratious Ladie and iudge but rightly how sacred and chast how faithfull and firme my loue hath alwaies bene which forceth me rather to die most wretchedly then to discouer it vnto you for feare of offending your more then wonderfull vertue But alas I not onely sacrifice this my life vnto your diuine deitie but thousands more would I offer if I had so many onely to be reconciled vnto you I haue done all that I could before I came vnto this my last remedie to take vpon me this wofull resolution But Souldiers that are beggered and dispaire of all hopefull succours A Comparison are in the ende forced despite of themselues to yeeld So I seeing my selfe voyd of all health and helps to what ende should I longer prolong my dolorous life to lengthen my cares the more And yet if it were possible you might be moued with a solemne protestation of a iust loyall and liuely affection borne towards you or if the misfortune of him who for feare to offend you most willingly abandoneth his life might touch you with some small drop of pittie Ah then Mistris suffer I beseech you this wretched carkasse of mine to be enterred in your presence to the ende that euen vnto his Tombe he may vaunt to haue had your blessed companie who whilst he liued was his onely delight and clearest light grace this my vnfortunate carkasse so much vnfortunate to die so soone without hauing shewed any sufficient proofe of his seruice nor restored you vnto your former happie fortunes But alas what good could it doe at all Seeing as vnworthie to serue you you haue and yet iustly cashired him and refused his vnprofitable seruice Therefore was it fittest for him to die seeing whilst he liued he was found as Non proficiens in the seruice of her vnto whome he was endebted for his life The onely thing I wish for in this world was but once more to see you to the ende I might certitifie you of my minde as now I haue done and to satisfie my weeping eyes who would haue died most vnwillingly if they had not once beheld your sweet selfe before the closing vp of their lids which request since I haue obtained to what purpose should I longer breathe The trauailer reposeth himselfe at the ende of his iorney A Sentence The craftes man giueth ouer hauing made an ende of his worke and euery one seeketh to rest hauing finished what they first tooke in hand So I now the houre-glasse of my life is run out now I haue seene spoken and obtained what I requested so much why should not I repose my selfe as well as others and quietly goe downe into my graue in peace I must sweet Ladie I needs must die and bid you hartily farewell I must die for griefe to want your presence and loose your companie But for a mortall disease no remedie is to be found Pardon me if I speake more boldly then becommeth me and thinke that he that lieth on his death bed hath libertie at that time to deliuer his minde at full Aboue all I here protest vnto you and most humblie by the name of God by your faire vertues by your Princely descent by your sacred honour by your rare beautie I earnestly entreate you to beleeue me that I neuer desired any thing more then the conseruation of your chastitie that I neuer so much wished mine owne good as I haue alwaies sought to maintaine your renowme and glorie Yet before I die let me intreat you sweet Mistris to heare a few verses which the remembrance of you and death together endited in memoriall of your chast amitie for he dieth not at all who dying seeth himselfe Imprinted in the mindes of his best friends most sorrowfull for his departure And hauing so said he called his sad Page vnto him who being commanded by him tooke his Lute in his hand and with an excellent sweet voyce vnto a most dolefull tune sung these verses following before his weeping Mistris O Death which vnto death my griefes doest consecrate For thankes my heart blood I will offer vp to thee Yet dying I account my selfe as miserable That sooner this to thee I had not power to proffer Alas what gaine I longer life for to prolong If I am frighted thus as well by day as night He shipwracke makes not of his rest that gently dies And his daies ending makes an ende of all his griefes O God what doth it boote me to adore my FAIRE Since I vnworthie am to serue so rare a beautie And yet an honour great t is for me to be loyall My hurts their guerdons haue in my fidelitie Then must I die I see and t is the common course Of brauest spirits death gently to endure Better resolue to die then alwaies liue in woe The shipman toyles till he attaines the wished port A due faire beautie which my soule hast rauished A due mine eyes shall nere more see thy brightnes pure I will entombe with this my sad disastred life My heart my teares my coarse in my most faithfull Loue. Ay me I waile too much A minde magnanimous Distils not watrie drops but floods of goarie blood And worser is his fault who doth vnwilling die Then he that from this world doth part with stomack braus Courage then thou my soute leaue this sad sorrowes cell My bodie and goerise with those that liue below Thrice blessed hee that dieth his Mistris will to please Such ende to make not death but Glories vnto him For Countrey Parents Frends their liues let others spend I will bestow mine for my faire and chastest Friend The Page hauing sung this wofull Dittie vnto a passing mournfull
meane while by reason of that litle space of time I haue to breath thou wilt doe me the fauour to embrace me kindly if it shall please thee to thinke me worthie of such a kindnes this being the last request and latest fauour I shall craue at thy hands Ah let me kisse those faire cheekes which were sometimes mine and those sweet sparkling eyes which had not the blacke foulnes of my fault dimmed them they had still stood me in steed of two glorious Sunnie lights Although I cannot denie but thus to die in thy armes doth much lighten and ease me of my torments I endure within my minde yet had it pleased God to haue but giuen me the grace to haue suruiued but some fewe yeares that I might haue made some amends vnto my faithfull Spouse whom I haue so wickedly abused I then would haue thought my selfe to haue bene the happiest creature vnder the heauens Thinke deare heart that I make no account neither care any thing at all to die but onely for this cause and for that I shall be forced to leaue thee a Widow whom I loue more then my owne soule Iust and great reason hast thou to complaine and find fault with me and farre vnworthie am I that thou shouldest shed these salt teares for my sake For why shouldest thou waile his death who hath bene thy chiefe aduersarie why doest thou sorrow for the losse of thy mortall enemie and lamentest thou the death of him who sought thy vtter ouerthrow Drie vp these teares for I desire them not Leaue these thy sighes for I not merit them and giue ouer these thy bitter wailings for I am no way worthie of them Onely pardon me close vp these my dying eyes when they shall lèaue their wonted light which done if it shall please thee to honour this miserable carkasse of mine with thy presence vnto my Tombe and now and then to thinke on me although thou hast small reason so to doe then then I say shall I be euery way contented and satisfied vnto the full Weepe not I pray thee then for me who descrues no teares at thy hands but rather ill thoughts for otherwise I shall sustaine a double death thy sorrow being nigher setled vnto my heart then my deperture hence can be any way dolefull vnto me So saying the fainting knight kisseth his wife wiping her blubbered eyes and embracing her as straitly as the Iuie doth the wall If the poore Ladie could not answere him it was no great wonder when as those that were but spectators in this heauie sight although they felt not as much as she yet were they mouelesse and much amazed for verie pure pittie In the end the disconsolate Izabella began to recouer her speech answering him in this sort Cruell and hard-harted husband let my pittifull paine my easelesse griefes and my insupportable sorrowes satisfie thee without gaulling me any further with this word pardon vnto her who neuer desired to liue but to doe thee seruice Ah deare Horatio thinkest thou I can liue after thy departure hence and that I can ioy in this world being bereaued of thy companie Whilest thou did dest liue I was thine by the lawes of marriage and when thou art dead I will be thine also resolued to follow thee wheresoeuer thou goest thinking my selfe happie that I am so luckily come as to die with thee Then if I may or thou wouldest haue me to giue any credit vnto thy speeches then in requitall of them all let me againe intreate thee this one thing which is that I may leaue this world with thee But why should I aske leaue of thee when I am at libertie my selfe to dispose of my life as I shall thinke good of and when with ending of one life I may rid my selfe of a lingring death which doth continually haunt me Thankes therefore to thee kind Thethis who didst driue my shippe into this Port where I may passe to heauen with him who was the onely life and maintainer of my life and who being dead I can no longer remaine allue Pittilesse husband to debarre me from my teares whē as I see my countrie depriued of a braue defender of his libertie and find my selfe forsaken of the onely loyall and most louing friend I had here vpon this earth No no I will weepe and shed teares as long as any drop of moysture shall remaine within this bodie for should I not waile for thee for whom then should I reserue these teares Whose losse should I lament but thine and for whom should I take thought or care for but for thine owne sweet selfe who was so neare to mee as thou who so deare as thy selfe and who is to haue interest in mee but my best and sweetest Horatio Then hinder not her from lamenting who liueth onely to shead teares and doe not enure the happines she findeth in that she hath time to bewaile her vnhappie Fortunes How wide is my best Lord from mine intention and meaning and how slenderly doth he conceit of my loue towards him when hee imagineth that although I see him dye yet should not I waile and that his death and destruction should not be the ende and date of my life this beeing the least thing that I can doe for him the least dutie that I doe owe vnto him and the smallest testimony of my great affection which I haue euer borne him Gush forth then my brinish teares and streame downe along my pale cheekes washing away the bloud of my wounded Spouse mingling your selues together as my soule hath alwayes bene with his most perfectly mixed and conioyned the one with the other My dearest Lord if euer thou hast thought well of mee speake neuer more of this word pardon it becommeth me to intreate rather then you I hauing bene shee that hath so often offended you let vs forgiue forget all vnkindnesses whatsoeuer that our soules as most loyall friends may die and liue together in eternall felicitie for euer O how like an Angell replyed Horatio doth my Izabella speake and how pleasing doth shee cause my death to be vnto mee would she but promise to suruiue and liue after my death For sweet Lady it is thy sorrows and not my death that shortens my lifes and I die not for griefe but for sorrow to see thee lament for my cause Wilt thou die and doest not descrue death No it is I that haue offended and therfore merit to be punished for my fault Liue thou happilie still and safely returne thou home into thy Countrey againe where thou shalt not want new husbands who will deserue at thy handes far better then I haue done had I not so much forgot my selfe towards thee as I confesse I haue my ioyes had bene at the highest and I had departed hence the happiest man aliue But now mine houre approcheth I feele death ready to arrest mee with his yron mace my heart fainteth and my soule beginneth to flie from
findeth in louing a diuine beautie easilie recompenceth the paines thereof for that man shall be more accounted of who hath combatted with some famous Conquerour although he be ouercome by him then he that shall remaine Maister of the field ouer a weake and feeble enemie Thinke not much then faire and glorious Nymph if I dare venter to serue you when the meanest followers of mightie kings are more respected and regarded then those that are the greatest of other great Lords and Nobles The faire Nymph would haue replied but that by chance a certaine Virgin came before her presenting her with a Sonnet composed in the name of all the whole companie which hindered her from answering me But this was the Sonnet following The glorious heauens we praise in goodly wise Because the Gods doe lodge within that place So you that hold sweet beautie in your eies And honour in your soule haue fairer grace Then who to glorie yours can silence giue When than the heauens it is farre more diuine Heauens perish but vertuous spirits alwaies liue Glorie shall flourish still and so shall thine Then at your feet we hang this verse of ours Whilst vnder shade of thousand Lawrells greene We of your virtues will discourse whose powers No Tempests rage to feare shall ere be seene Since Pans faire Sisters to you honour yeeld Since this our Song your vertues doe sigh forth And since all Lawrells doe your for head shield Vouchsafe thereof though t is of little worth Diana hauing read this Sonnet liked it passing well which I perceiuing and that she delighted in Poetrie made bold to request my Muse that she should daine to inspire some daintie veine or conceit in me to be able to endite the like Whereupon she pittying me gaue care vnto my praier which was the occasion that at that verie instant and vpon the sodaine I wrote these verses following If nothing faire I see but what 's thy face If brightnes thine the day is of mine eies If vertue thine I doe as Gods embrace Haue I not reason then in dutious wise Thy gratious selfe for to implore Since thee as Goddesse I adore Who finds a salue to cure him of his griefe By friendly hand of that shall he not make Account when he thereby may get reliefe Whereby his sicknesse from him he may shake The wounded Deare to the hearbe 〈…〉 Which can him helpe as be doth know So then in this my worse then Captines state These lines I offer to thy Deitie Not doubting but though haplesse be my fall I from thy selfe shall find some remedie Of thee I beg some grace to haue In thee of health to spill or saue Who dieth for want of succour or remorse Doth not deserue or merrit any blame But such as by their owne power and their force May wretches helpe yet let them take their bane Such doe deserue punisht to bee Of Gods and men in highest degree Another Dian thou shin'st in heauens with Maiestie In hell below likewise thou doest command And in the earth thou raignest gloriously Ah then if I am thine let me so stand Slaues to immortall Essence are we all And them we honour must though gainst our will Doest aske Diuine then how this doth befall How I dare loue thee I must loue thee still The sacred skies are made for to adore What that resembleth we must worship too For mortall men haue life from them therefore And vnto them we reuerence ought to doe Then if thy power breath to my soule doth giue Ah then conserue the same for I am bound Most strictly thee to honour whilst I liue And whilst I tred vpon this earthly ground Deare a presumption let not this be thought In me to serue thee though a thing of nought I hauing finished these two Sonnets presented them vnto her who shewed them vnto all her companions they marking and looking vpon me verie wissly I thinking that by that meanes I might obtaine some of them to be my good friends and to speake a good word for me vnto my Mistris who now was once more conducted by the sweet voice of the other Nymph vnto the temple of Diana where she for a while staied And so deare Father let me intreate you that I may make a stay here at this time for my minde is troubled within me my tongue faileth and my voice beginneth to be hoarse we wil deferre the rest til vnto morrow for what liketh not one day may chance to please at an other Content quoth the old Magitian and let vs away The bowe must not alwaies be bent lest it weaken too much and so must thou take some rest or else thou wilt be ouer wearie and soone tired Therefore am I the more willing to yeeld vnto thy request to the end thy discourse may be as agreeable vnto thee in reporting as it is pleasant vnto me in hearing the same Whereupon they left the place where as they were walking homewards they might perceiue a Shepheard talking with a Shepheardesse vnder the shade of an old Oake which was the occasion they drew nigh to heare what they said the Shepheard viging her in this sort Fond is that man that thinketh to remoue a huge Rocke from one place into another and as fond is he that goeth about to turne or stay the course of the salt waters of the Sea Fuen so O cruell Delia is he a foole that will take vpon him to resist the will of the Gods and oppose himselfe against the power of the heauens Those huge Giants the Titans went about such a bold piece of worke but being ouerthrowne with lightning they serue as witnesses that the hand of the holy one of Israel doth not strike in vaine If so why then wilt thou so wilfully stand against the decree of the Gods Which if thou doest thinke not but they will quickly abate thy boldnes and punish thy ouer presumptuous pride That Maister doth punish his seruant worthily who scoffeth at his commaundements and maketh no account to be obedient vnto him And thinkest thou that the Gods will not plague thee seeing thee so stubborne against their wills so peruerse against their minds and so vnwilling to performe their desire They haue saued thee from the rauenous tallents of the murthering Pitate and as it were by miracle brought thee hither and wherefore doest thou thinke they did so but onely because thou shouldest be milde vnto my prayers and yeeld gently to graunt me some fauour But it seemeth by thy carriage hitherto that thou wilt as it were of meere obstinacie bandie against them in this thine error but take heede thou be not plagued and then too lately thou wilt wish that thou haddest changed thy minde for the Gods vse alwaies to afflict selfewild people because it is not fit nor the part of any man to rise vp and to rebell against them Then seeing the most maruellous and diuine prouidence hath brought vs here both together that
same For can poore men with their weake feeble power The force of Gods crosse when they gin to lower The Titans those monstrous Gyants were blasted with Lightning and tumbled downe headlong into hell because they would pesume to encounter with the Gods And Tamirus and Marsius the one lost his eyes and the other his skinne because they dared to compare with Apollo and his sacred Sisters But neuer thelesse to beginne where wee left Although Leander often intreated sollicited yea and Coniured Antonio to make manifest the cause of his sicknes vnto him yet could hee not so much as get one word from him which made him so much the more disconsolate And yet to say the truth who would haue done but as Antonio did beeing in his case For to haue discouered the truth thereof vnto him had bene as if a guilty wretch should haue confessed his criminall misdeeds before the Iudge and to put himselfe into the hands of his vtter enemie hauing iust cause to be reuenged of him Meane space Leander after his olde wont taketh on and lamenteth that he hath not that kinde interest in his friend as before hee thought he had had Crying out that hee loueth him not For otherwise hee would not let to haue disclosed a greater matter then that vnto him For saide he weeping vnto Antonīo Perswade thy selfe deare friend that I will spend my heart blood to doe thee good and neither shall any meanes be left vnsought for to helpe thee so I may but onely knowe the cause of thy maladie Thou knowest thy well-fare is mine thy sicknesse my sorrow and that as long as thou art ill I cannot be well at ease Why then thou that art the sweetest part of mine owne selfe shouldest thou thus deferre to reueale thy discontentment vnto him who is thine owne sworne brother and who cannot be content as long as thou art thus displeased Now good now doe not delay any longer but let me know thy minde since I am grieued as much as thy selfe to see thee in this most grieuous taking Truely truely if you doe keepe this still thus from me I cannot chuse but thinke you are no perfect nor true friend indeede for no fortune bad or good ought to part such as knit in true frienship and loyall affections bands and they ought to be partners as well of weale as of woe Then why shouldest thou doubt me or be thus strange vnto me haue you seene or marked any thing in me that might make thee conceit mee not to be the same man towards thee that I haue bene of yore Or doe you imagine that I am not as willing to take part of your bad fortunes as in former time I haue bene to be acquainted with your good If you thinke so hardly of mee I protest you doe me the greatest wrong that may be No no one friend must not conceiue sinisterly of another neither mistrust him without vehement and most apparant presumptions but must alwayes iudge the best rather then imagine the worst no more then one ought to condemne him that is vertuous and honest vnlesse there be apparent proofe and restimony against him of the same The affection that is betweene two friends is so sacred and religious of it selfe that there is no sense why any should take exceptions against it as long as it sheweth no contrarie effects but such as be worthy of all commendation and praise If thou thinkest that to recouer thy health or to purchase some comfort for thee it lyeth in my power and that I haue that which may doe thee good then hast thou the more reason to demaund it freely For rightly may hee be counted but a counterfeit friend that will not employ the vttermost of his power to helpe his friend and the rather for that true friends indeed reioyce and are not a little proude when there is any occasion giuen them to engage themselues or what they haue for to profite one another For as a learned Scholler desireth nothing more then that his learning may be knowen abroade in the world so a sure friend doth not couet for any thing so much as to render some assured testimonie of his infallible friendship vnto his best beloued friend Then doe not smoother this thy griefe within thy selfe but make me acquainted therewithall Otherwise thou wilt induce me to haue this opinion of thee either that thou doest hold me for thine enemie or else that thou art no right friend vnto me and therefore iudge of me by thine owne selfe Although these speeches were vttered with great earnestnes and with a most hartie affection yet could they not worke any thing at all in the minde of Antonio As the wilde Boare sitting vppon his tayle standeth stoutly in his owne defence against the dogges not stirring once as much as one foote from his first place now tearing one Brache and then shaking in pieces another euen so Antonio Coneealeth still within his brest his paine Nor but to Mistris his will tell the same But the meanes how to discouer it vnto her he knoweth not much lesse how to finde occasion to breake his minde vnto her O how hard a matter is it to doe ill and when wee haue done it to conceale the same whereas the behauiour and carriage of the well-meaning man is safe and sure not vnlike a common beaten way that is easie to be found But now Leander looketh for an answere of Antonio who could not chuse but that he must needs answere him and answer him he did but God knoweth in such manner and with such simple and bare excuses as Leander perceiued too plainely that the young Louer meant not to acquaint him with that which troubled him so much which was the reason that for that time hee gaue ouer to importune him any more and the rather for that his conscience told him hee had done what he could to the vttermost of his power as much as did belong vnto him For when one hath offered vnto his deare and beloued friend as much as in him lyeth to hinder or crosse and keepe backe some inconuenience that is like to happen vnto him although he cannot bring what he would to passe yet is it farre lesse griefe vnto him then if the pretended mischiefe had come and he had offered no kindnesse at all vnto him because we beeing mortall creatures are not able to cope with the Gods whose wills it is it should be so and to be ouercome by them after we haue done to the vttermost of our strength and power is not a cause why wee should chafe or stomacke thereat in as much as wee are subiect vnto them and the rather because we are made and formed by them But now Antonio his discase increaseth daylie more and more hee taketh no rest nor can he eate or drinke his colour is earthly and his face is pale and leane The day he spendeth in sighing and the night in sobbing whilst his eyes looke
lodge of such Spirits as like vacabonds wandred vp and downe the world being worthily punished by the great and iust Gods Many gastly Caues were there to be found but so horrible were they as the onely sight of them brought trembling feare to the mindes and sudden amazement to the eyes of such as should behold them No running Fountaine was there that gaue forth cristall water no shadowing groue to keepe men from parching heate nor any greene coolie grasse with faire coloured flowers to delight the sences onely in this vncoth wildernesse did soiourne such sad and old angrie men as by there nightly Charmes forced the Spirites of the earth to obey their wills and to be at their command In steede of Nightingale and Lark was there found the Scritching Owle and night Rauen with such other dismall Birdes whose flight nature and crie did serue for sinister prophesies vnto the miserable Inhabitants thereof All thrise wofull and lamentable dwelling in comparison of the ioyfull woods of Arcadia the first witnesses of the chast Loues of this disastred Shepheard and yet fortunate inough for him seeing that he being depriued of all his wisht for hopes soughtby many pittilesse Accidents to ende his loathed life Those faire and goodly troupes of Shepheards and Shepheardesses which were wont heretofore to be a comfort vnto him were now most pittifully taken from his sight There the learned Iulâ—tta was not to be found neither there could his deare friend Philas be heard of who with others were wont most sweetly to record and sing of their ouerhard fortunes in their loyall Loues O poore Shepheard if solitarines may bring to the male-contented any delight at all no doubt but then thou doest participate with the same for amongst millions of sauadge beastes thou liuest alone amongst thousands of gastly rocks and amongst infinites of desarts without any cleare light or cheareful Sunne And yet the sharpe feeling of his inward griefes ouercame and drowned the sad apprehension of this solitarie seate A Similie no otherwise then great and desperate mischances slake and quench those that are little or as most violent diseases hinder the feeling of such as are lesse vnrecouerable Not smally fortunate did he thinke himselfe to haue found this vnluckie Râ—ceptakle making vnto himselfe a false ioy of that sower Subiect which was the caâ—se of heause sorrow vnto others And herein might he witnesse full well that in respect of the â—ll that happeneth in Loue all other euils are right pleasures and that that onely torment brought with it a certaine sure knowledge of misfortunes vnto men O how easie a matter is it to resist all worldly troubles and to passe through the pikes of the same But how hard or rather impossible a thing is it to vanquish and ouercome loue A Sentence Of all the fanites that wise men commit none is more excusable then such as Loue forceth then to doe Who was more learned then Plato who more inditiall then Aristotle who more godly then Daâ—ad who more wise then Salomon and who more strong then Sampson Surely none and yet neuer haue any bin more ouercome by loue then they of which Tirants slauâ—sh yoke this poore Shepheard also had felt the heauie burthen His rare constancie bare patiently the losse of his goods tooke gently his banishment from his countrie endured quietly the crueltie of time and brooked wisely the iniuries of the enuious but vnto this Loue it yeelded quickly and as it were without constraint Thrise blessed was he in that be knew how to make choise of so beautious and rare Subiects but yet quadruple vnfortunate for that he could not reape the sweete fruites of the same in this world A Sentence The remembrance of things lost is forgotten through length of time the paine of deadliest sicknesses is appeased by Phisicke and the deepest conceited sorrow weareth away with often sighing but alas his loue was alwaies liuing without ende and without truce as a substance euerlasting Too too cruell was that star that shonne at his birth but farre more remorslesse the care and griefe of his continuall vexed life And in respect of him happie are all other whatsoeuer who are tormented with the losse of their kinde friends deare countrie louing families and acquaintance all which though they be much grieuous to support and suffer yet are they not to be compared in rigor vnto the least passion of Loue for the Soule findeth in them some one comfort or other and the bodie some ease of griefe or at the least an ende of all but in the pangs of Loue neither the one nor the other are euer out of trouble Wretched then is the man that leueth therefore wretched this Shepheard and yet more happie then such contented persons who liue alwaies fearing death whereas the approach of the same was the onely hauen and heauen of his vnhappines Such and so great was the extremities of his woes as it hindred him to marke or conceiue the fearefulnes of this desart to apprehend the horror of so frightfull a dwelling He thinketh of nothing lesse then of the horriblenes of the same Such condemned Soules as are drawne vnto the place of execution dreame not of any thing else then of the bitter death they goe to suffer EueÌ„ so sought not he any other iourney in this wildernesse then such as his passion led him on to take his eyes not being employed in any office at all whilest he himselfe seemed to be both deafe blinde and dumme O sage and prudent Poets who to expresse the nature and effects of Loue most properly faine Louers to haue bin changed into insensible shapes for certainely they are but Stones Trees and Rocks in their actions and behauiour although they retaine and keepe with them a humane shape A long time did this miserable Shepheard walke thus without knowing which way he went vntill at the last for verie wearines he was forced to rest himselfe at the foote of a mightie high Rocke There being set vpon the ground his armes a crosse his eyes lifted vp his lips close shut together leaning his head vpon the stone which hung on the one side he seemed as if he had bin another very Rocke for as a Rocke so were his gestures moue-lesse his spirits gone and all the partes of his bodie without force and vigor And to say the truth indeede how could he once stirre if his Soule being the life of his bodie was as then absent and at that time retired into the bosome of his faire Mistris Thus sat he senselesse a great while with a heauie setled countenance vntill at last looking downe lowe with his eyes he espied certaine verses to be carued most curiously within the Rocke which made him resemble the Hunter A Similie who dispairing of his Prey and hauing as it were quite forgotten the same vpon the soden spieth his game which forceth him to begin a fresh the pursuite thereof and so followeth the
't to passe This onely now remaines for me my life is in thy hand If I shall liue or die the power as now within thee stands By thee alone I hold this life for thee I die as now That hope I haue thou nourishest my feare engendrest thou Sweete then take pittie of this Loue like Caos so confuse And graunt my hearts request who there his aduocate doth chuse Mine i st not any more thine eyes from me the same did take Then being thine doe pittie it and much of it doe make Destroy not what is in thy power but rather it preserue In man great wisedome t is what is his owne for to conserue I craue not that thou me my captiue heart againe restore To liue with so braue conquerour as thou t is happier more My wils if any interest longes to me in the same As much I doubt since it I lost no more I may it claime It still within thy louely bands as prisoner true be bound Nor in my brest his wonted place no more henceforth be found Then since it is thine owne and that an amorous sweete desire To haue respect vnto his health and life doth thee require Vnlesse thou on his fortune hard dost take some kinde remorse In thy chast amities pure heate he needes must die of force Ah then relent be pittifull in fauourable wise And daine for to accept from him this dutious sacrifice For what can I offer more deare to thee then my deere heart Which nere would yeelde to Loue before he felt this bitter smart Which scornd his vtmost force and lawes did vtterly reiect And of his manly stomack stout did showe full many effect Then of so braue a vanquisht Foe ore-come by beautie thine Take pittie and him gently vse in this his captiue time Such gallant souldiers as be tooke in field by chaunce of warre A Similie Be much respected kindly vsde and honoured much they are And whilst as prisoners they remaine and till their ransome come All friendly courtesie to them in louing sort is done Then to my humble heart faire Dame who thee doth honour deere Not cruell be as if thy foe whome thou should'st hate he were Ah gently vse him or without thus suffering him to lie Still languishing giue verdit strait and he shall willing die For if thy grace he may not gaine he cannot liue on earth Whose wounds are deadly happie he if ease he finds by death A Sentence Speake then Floretta faire to me nor by thine answere sower Be thou the cruell cause to force me leaue my life this hower SWEET speake for by their Oracles contented are the Gods To answere men yet greater farre then men they are by ods So said the Shepheard who in feare the summons did attend Offortune good or bad if he should liue or life should end Like to the guiltie criminall who is of hope depriu'd A Comparision Whilst iudgement with great terror he expects to be disliu'd His heart did paint full sore and fast his face for feare did sweat Mistrust did show in his sad eyes feare in his soule was set Disgrace and shame to be denide his bodie gauld throughout Who doth attend for what he longes and languisheth in doubt Thus wandred too and fro his vitall spirits in this state Whilst that his life did seeme to him as ouer desperate Tide was his tongue and now it irke him that he ought had said Wishing that he his secret wound to her had not bewraide So doth a braue and gallant mind by famine forct to beg Repent him after that an almes demanded thus he had But at the last the Shepheardesse dissolu'd these doubts confuse Chearing somewhat the Shepheard by these words which she did vse The time hath bin that Venus though Loues mothers she hath lou'd Whilst selfe same plagues which she inflicts on others she hath prou'd Great Ioue the President and chiefe of all the Gods aboue Did thinke it no disparagement at all to be in loue Both Gods and Goddesse haue lou'd then why should I be blam'd Since but with selfesame spot I am as they haue all bin staind Ioue life hath giuen vnto vs that we should follow him To erre as Gods A Sentence is no offence so praise not blame we winne Then may I without scandall loue as they before haue done So as my loue in chastest path of loyaltie doe come With such loue Plaindor thee I like and hope this loue so strong Shall be of force thy constancie to make endure more long I loue thee yet no power thou hast ore body mine at all If once presume vnmodestly A Sentence ought to request thou shall For no loue is that loue indeed but rather furious rage That seekes our honour with disgrace or infamie t' engage Then I will loue thee yet of me thy selfe nought else assure But my chast faith which I le reserue to thee vnspotted pure Vntill that happie time shall chance to hap to vs at last When we by sacred marriage rights may coupled be more fast And with this Plaindor be content for what more canst require Then of my loue to be assur'd which is thy chiefe desire The loyall wish of Louers true is loue reciprocall For where good meaning is and plaine there none is mockt at all But for to 〈◊〉 for plâ—â—â—ure send alone in sensuall wise Is brutish 〈◊〉 to beâ—stâ—s who show all reason to despise Did I but thinks Shepheard thy Loue not sober were or chast Or that within thy brest blaâ—k thoughts staine to my state were plast That from thy heart all honour thou and credit didst reiect And more of 〈◊〉 mâ—â—t â—nlike then vertue didst respect Assure thy selfe I will â—râ—uâ—ng myself on thee so sore As for thy boldnes thou shouldst diâ— although I dide therefore And I soone pâ—â—ish would my 〈◊〉 for that I was so vaine To loue a friend so small of worth a my chast minde to staine My blood shed by my hands should wash my fault and error baed Since I to maker hoyce of my Loue no better foresight had Floretta nere shall liue to morne by taking such disgrace Floretta sooner flourish shall by death which I le imbrace Then Plaindor liue and thinke thy selfe thrise happie for to be Since of a vertuous Loue thy selfe assured thou dost see Mâ—aâ—â— time looke to thy selfe attending that same blessed day The haruâ—st of our â—hastest Loue when Hymen gather may To die or say ought that vnto discredit mine may turne For which death purging me too late thou then for me shalt mourne He that is wise seekes to be Lord ore his affections And he a conquerour is right that conquers his passions Be thou such one deare friend for who with prudencie doth cope Findes his desires soone riâ—in dare and nourished his hope Thus wisely spake Floretta faire whose golden speech so graue Made Plaindor in his entrailes hot a greater burning haue Her sage discretion
plac't Who thinking they were then alone for so they made account Th' one toying with the other stood as was their vsuall wont And after many louely tricks Loue from their eyes did thrill So many Darts hitting their soules more heate increasing still That Plaindor being ouerchaft with this fierce amorous rage His lippes vpon the cheekes and mouth of his faire Saint did gage Now of himselfe not master he her in his armes doth take And thousand times did kisse her though resistance she did make As hard it is for him that dyeth through thyrst and want of drinke A Similie For to abstaine when he drawes nigh the Cristall riuers brinke So t' is as insupportable for any Louer much To be in presence of the Dame he loues and her not touch When he hath Fortune time and place the leisure and the meane He cannot hold his blood 's so hot his heate is so extreame When he is neere his health his health to haue he needs must seeke When he seeth what he longeth for he needs the same must like 〈◊〉 were he senslesse as a stone and liuelesse as a blocke Like to a lumpe of heauie earth and worse then flintie rocke So Plaindor takes his pleasure then forgetfull of his oth Whilst he her lips with kisses seales respecting nought his troth But weladay those kisses sweet to poyson sower did turne And was the cause that to his death they forc't him for to mourne Floretta chaft apace that he thus on her lips had seasde But Plaindor this her rage at last in sugred-wise appeasde The sneaking Shepheardesse the while withdrawne her selfe now had Out from her hole where she did see what made her welnigh mad And seeing that so many kisses twixt them giuen had bin These Louers lou'd but wantonlie she strait begun to win Away she goeth nor for to see the ende she durst be bold But much astonisht did depart then frosty Ice more cold She is resolu'd to be reueng'd and vexed mightily With sundry passions her hote loue doth turne to crueltie The Loue of these two soules she meanes to taxe with foule repriefe And of the kissing close to cast Floretta in the teeth Her Honor to accuse and of these vertuous Louers twaine To seeke with infamie and with reproch their liues to staine O how disdaine is in her kinde more violent of force And what great dammage hath it brought to men without remorse O how it power hath for to change the hearts of vanquishers And how to alter dearest Friends in minde shee her bestirs Meane time Floretta vnderstands that her Renoum's disgrac't And that her Honor vndeseru'd is wrongfullie defac't Her Fault if chaste loue may be term'd a Fault this woman base One morning fore the Sheapheards all reprocheth to her face Which when Floretta heard she vowes ore-charg'de with furious Ire Against her selfe against her health and life for to conspire No longer will she liue as now reuenged for to bee For Honor hers by Treason stainde as she with griefe doth see So for to purge her selfe of fault An Example not faultie nerethelesse In ancient Time vnto her Fame did die the chaste Lucresse Thus doth Floretta destined too hard with heauy looke Sweare with her selfe vpon her selfe Murther to execute Her daintie hands she aymeth now against her proper corse Her hands which too too hastie were to wrong without remorse Ah how much Honor 's deare vnto a chaste and modest spright Who seeks by vice to slaunder such accursed be that Wight The feare of Death can neuer coole Desire A Sentence that 's resolet To saue his good name by his life if he thereon be set Floretta then changing her former vse from sweetest ioy To vncoth plaint and passions sad surcharged with annoy Bewailing her disaster hard and sighing forth her paine Vnto a sauadge Mountaines toppe gets vp with speed amaine Where sprang a certaine Water strange or rather poyson fell By which strong venim she did meane her woes for to expell This water of such nature was as nothing could it hold It brake Glasse Iron Brasse Leade Steele it was so deadly cold But she that knew the propertie thereof in hoofe of Asse Close did the same conserue and then away from thence did passe And carrying it about her still vntill she Plaindor found She neuer left that done she downe sits by him on the ground Where she withouten shewe of griefe like Cignet that doth sing Before her death these words worth Note did vse thus greeting him Ah Plaindor deare deare may I say if thy Floretta poore Hath giuen thee any proofe of Loue most perfect or most sure If euer of her friendship kinde thou care hadst heretofore As not long since she in thy Loue with pitty thee did store By that same loyall loue of thine she now coniureth thee Permit her Honor to reuenge her on her iniurie Floretta now can liue no more since that she through thy selfe Hath lost her good Fame which she priz'de aboue all worldly wealth Ah Plaindor t' is for euer lost and by like lucklesse Fate Floretta thine now goeth the way her life to ruinate Alas how often told I thee when first thou didst me woe That still mine Honor to preserue thou shouldst respect haue due Mine Honor which Florettas life after the same doth draw And which I iustly forced am to follow now by Law How we do liue here in this world God knoweth is reckning small Nor flourish can our Names A Sentence or deeds immortally at all Vnlesse our Honor mongst our selues doe liue immortallie For that alone keeps vs aliue that we can neuer die But if the selfe same blood as yet remaineth in thy heart Of such so many sauadge beasts by which thou richer art If in the prime of thy best Age and pride of thy youths flower Thou hast not lost thy courage olde through Loues ore-conquering power Then Plaindor I pray heartily nay more beseechen thee To liue when I am dead and that thou wilt suruiuen me And thinke deare Friend I merit not the halfe part of the griefe Which for my death I know that thou wilt take without reliefe For I was but a shadow plaine trans-form'd in body thine Besides fairer then I thee loues whose beautie is diuine Who with affection like to thine in fancie being set The thought of me and memorie shall make thee soone forget So that no sooner Death shall me from my liues chaines dislinke As thou stalt forced be no more on me at all to thinke Meane time since hasty Death doth me of all my hopes depriue To haue for my sore wound a Salue whilst I shall be aliue And that sweet Shepheard I no more shall now of thee haue need I le thee acquaint how much how deare I loued thee indeed Most zealous yet more chast I lou'd such was mine amorous flame My heart was thine and in thy breast mine owne Soule did remaine My thoughts
miserable Carkasses should come to be in durance neuer to be redeemed Besides men haue found now adayes many kindes of shiftes to violate and breake their Faiths as some Note by betraying of their maisters others by selling such places of importance as are committed vnto them in trust others by being neuer maisters of their owne word and others faining themselues of deadly enemies to become sound and deare friends to the ende that vnder the colour of this faith they may the sooner beguile such as repute most confidence in them We must therefore talke no more of Faith But God who is the reuenger of all outrages and enormities committed against him punisheth those persons with such extreame rigor that there is not so much as one of them exempted from publike misfortunes whereas peace-full quietnes being the companions of Loue and of Faith hath followed after them leauing men in a most miserable plight and wretched taking For this is most certaine A Sentence that the wicked languish alwayes in miserie being alwayes in continuall feare horror and frighting although they be followed by none other then their owne faults alone And thus you see how Loue and Faith are quite expulsed from out the world Although quoth the olde man these two goodly vertues be driuen from hence yet see I as yet no sufficient subiect by reason of which the Muses should be exiled as thou hast set downe the other be and therefore in this point thy speech is false For glorious renowme is a passion so sweete and of so pleasing a taste that it maketh herselfe to be wisht for not of the good and vertuous onely but also of such as are Infidels and vngodly For doe the leaude man neuer so badly A Sentence yet would he willingly be commended for the same Praise is a certaine odoriferous sent in the noses of men and an amorous kinde of thundring in their tickling eares Haue you euer seene creature were he neuer so much corrupted with vice that would refuse such glorie as you seemed willing to attribute vnto him A right Simily For as euery parent thinketh his owne childe fairest and euery workman his owne worke finest euen so euery man be he neuer so wicked esteemeth his deedes most iust and his actions worthy of most praise If therefore both the good and the bad hunt thus after this glorie and striue so much for praise although the world at this time be inhabited only with the wicked And if the sacred Muses be of so great perfection of themselues as they giue sufficient testimony euerie where of the same who then can be able to chase them away from men For much good can they doe for the good in commending their proceedings Prayse of Learning and in animating their courages to follow the same still And much hurt can they doe to the bad in dispraising their actions and in disswading others to leaue and giue ouer such vndecent and most vnseemlie fashions In good therefore and in bad the Muses ought and may alwaies haue an interest and a perfect continuance as best them pleaseth Denis the Tyrant loued Plato diuers learned men haue tendered succoured cherished and fauored the Muses and Learning and therefore doe they still liue amongst them And I am flat of another minde replied the Shepheard being of opinion that the Muses haue neuer had to doe with the wicked that their fortunes haue not bene like the others neither their cariage at any time alike Therefore the Muses as things contrarie vnto them hate them finging of none but of the vertuous whereas the others shunne and detest the Muses doubting least they should reueale their vices and reprehend their faults ouermuch The vpright Iudge hateth the high-way Robber because he troubleth the quietnes of the Countrie of which his charge maketh him the preseruer and the fellon hateth the good Iudge because he both knoweth he can and ought to punish him for his demirrits And so is it betweene the Muses and such as are wicked Neuer hath it bene knowne that betweene them there hath bene found any perfect frendship of force sufficient to haue tyed their hearts stronglie together for if the bad haue at any time made any show of Loue vnto the Muses yet no sooner came they to haue knowledge of their true iust and of their pure and liberall nature but that sodenly they conceiued against them a greater hatred then if they had neuer bene acquainted with theÌ„ For as two agreeable natures hapning to encounter and vnite themselues so strictlie together as it is not possible for death it selfe to separate them asunder So likewise two contrarie humors coÌ„fronting one against another after they perceiue now much they disagree detest and loathe one another more then if there had not bene any habit of acquaintance betweene them before For although Denis loued Plato yet when he vnderstood of his plainnes and bold franknes in his speech and how he abhorred all flattery he then pursued him vnto death sending him home againe most shamefullie into Greece So was that worthie Philosopher Anaxagoras hated so much of that Tyrant as nothing could appease and expâ—at his cankred rage and furie but only the hart blood of this graue and prudent wise man It is now an ordinarie custome amongst men who because they are vicious therefore they become aduersaries vnto the Muses whose diuine and immortall pen they greatly feare So as I may well say that neither Faith neither Amitie nor the Muses are now liuing amongst men To this the olde man began to replie when on the sodaine they might heare a voice which sweetly sighed forth these words following O Loue and the Sea alike and agreeable in power which force men against their wills to take what course they best please Loue compelleth to like in despight of our owne hart and the Sea driueth miserable wretches out of their way halfe dead and halfe aliue which flote on her waues Twise hath Loue made me loue contrarie vnto my minde and twise hath the sea driuen me far froÌ„ my iourny against my desire But alas which of these twaine can any mortall creature resist of both I gesse the sea is best able to be encountred withal For if the Gods tremble at the commandements of Loue who then can set men free at libertie from his yoke whereas the labor and industrie of the Marriners the Mast the Rudder the Cable and the Ancor may sometimes bridle the boldnes of the sea and withstand his raging violence The first place into which the sea maugre my will threw me was wheÌ„ I arriued being driuen by the swelling surges vpoÌ„ the bankes of the desarts of Arabia where I sawe that thrise renoumed Iulietta of whom Loue on the soden forced me to become exceeding amorous since which time long haue bene my paines cruell my trauels scalding hote my cares in this my liking these being the goodliest Weapons that
my heart in easing of which I brought away this her table My hope is shortly to returne backe againe after I haue set in good order certaine of mine affaires of great importance at what time if thou shalt remaine here as then I will take thee with me as I passe to the ende I may restore thee vnto thy sweete Countrey vnto thy deare acquaintance and vnto thy louing friends who remaine not a little heauie for thine absence Ah Knight An excellent discourse in praise of a Contemplatiue kinde of life answered the Shepheard what need hath he that is resolued to die retiring himselfe from the companie of men to returne into their societie againe What need of a Chyrurgian had Cato when after he had wounded himselfe hee was determined with himselfe to die Next after the dead are men onely happie who as these that are dead vnto the world neuer vse to frequent the world more And seeing thou thy selfe confessest that Vice doeth raigne and rage amongst men why shouldest thou enuie at this small parcell of contentment which mine Exile yeeldeth me tumbling me downe as it were from the very height and toppe of the same The right happinesse of man doth not consist in greatnes of Honor nor in the vaine pleasures of this world for how can you terme such accidents to be happie when they haue no assurance of continuing wherein the chase of Vertue is to be followed without tracing the paths of Vice at all For what trouble can there arise vnto a vertuous man can the losse of goods humble him no for he hath none Can the death of children no nor that for hee finding by Vertue that they were borne to die vexeth not himselfe at all in that they haue payd the debt which they did owe vnto Nature Can the want of friends no for if he iudge the time to be miserable in which we liue and as it were the father of all misfortunes he will then think his friends most fortunate to be departed out of this vale of misery Can the afflictions of his bodie neither for hee knowing the goodlines of vertue will soone find that glory is gotten with patience and that it is far better to suffer for a little while then to see himselfe mingled with the troupes of vnworthie persons whose memorie good name dieth euen with their bodies What then may grieue the vertuous Can the losse of his vertue No nor that likewise For it being a Treasure farre beyond the power of Fortune and as it were wholly diuine is not subiect vnto anie mortall decaying Byas was of the same minde who carrying his learning with him wisely affirmed An Example that he bare away all his chiefe wealth with him If then neither all the spitefull deuises of enuious Fortune neither all the bloodie cruelties of stepdame Nature can euer force or offer violence vnto a vertuous man what need hath hee at all to craue ayde of men or to enter into their societie when by their vices they shall corrupt his vertue Diogines was of mine opinion who being content with his owne vertue very boldly refused those Magnificall proffers of Alexander the great And so did Phocion the Grecian Fabritius the Roman and Pyrrhus that famous king of the Epyrotes Besides what feare of punishment for his fault doeth trouble the wise man what sodaine apprehension of losses what frightfulnes of paine what doubt of death or what thoughtfull care for worldly matters to come hereafter Anacharsis being pounded to death in a morter iested at death Socrates bought the same and Plato forced his owne selfe to take the like That Rocke that is founded most strongly within the midst of the Sea cannot nor ought once to feare least the weather-beaten Barks or Ships should breake it in peeces when contrariwise it is the same that splitteth them in sunder Euen so the wise man hath no neede to doubt least the force of any worldly accidents should carry him away seeing in all his Actions hee goeth beyond them and vanquisheth the puissance both of the Heauens and of Fortune But this power hath he not whilst he shal be ranging and running vp and downe amongst men spoyling himselfe through their vices but rather when he is retired alone by himselfe to entertaine vertue which as now keepeth and abideth in the woods since shee hath bene banished from Townes and Cities Our Sauiour CHRIST being to encounter with Satan chose not a battalion-field in the magnificall temple of Salomon nor in the publike Market-places of most populous Cities but in a solitary and frequentles Desart within which whilest S. Iohn Baptist kept he neuer saw the incestuous adulterie of proud Herod nor felt his own head cut off from his shoulders for speaking nothing but the truth He then that will be counted wise let him forbeare and flie from Citties where growe nothing but contentions and troubles for so did Ciccro Seneca very often lament because they were drawne from their solitary abidings to be imploied by the Roman Emperors about matters of Estate But now what vice can the wise man encounter withall here in these Desarts which may be offensiue vnto his Vertues Doeth he finde here any Iniustice No for such as haue nothing to loose and offend not the Lawes haue nothing to doe with a Iudge Doth he find ambition no for pouertie is neuer hated but rather pittied then spighted Doth he find murther no for vncouth wildernesses neuer breed quarrels Doth he finde falsifying of faith and lying no for here being nothing to be gained we need not to make our selues rich with lying Doeth he finde disloyaltie or subtil trecherie no nor that neither For the deceitfull deuises of the wicked and their aspiring hopes to become great doth not combat with the truth and honestie of our contented soules Seeing then all accidentall causes of sinne are here preuented driuen backe and quite taken away that may trouble the vertuous in his quiet rest deface his vertue offer violence vnto his constancie and bring hurt vnto the calme contentment of his owne minde Did euer any such man repent him of what he had done not any for of well doing A Sentence repentance neuer commeth Repentance beeing one of the most sensible sharpe and cruellest whippes wherwith men are much scourged because it neuer marcheth alone without shame and great hurt He onely is right blessed who at the very period of his life and at his last gaspe sorroweth not for any thing that hee hath done finding himselfe to haue no more to repent him of his former actions passed A blessed and holy abode then for the wise are these harmelesse desarts which bannish all vice and giue entertainment onely vnto vertue Vnto such a place did that godly Saint Duke William of Aquitaine withdraw himselfe when he was determined to leaue the world to followe God to renounce all vice to loue vertue to abiure all sinne and to honor pure Innocencie
what time she hath most neede of our helpe For force onely bindeth the Slaue whereas wee are bound both by Nature honor in a more perfect indissoluble chaine to staÌ„d in her defence Hath not that Prince iust cause to be angrie with his Vassell nay rather A similie may he not worthily put him to death who leaueth him in his most extremitie when he hath most greatest and most dangerous affaires such as concerne his whole Estate Land about which when he should be busied he getteth him away and giueth him quite ouer eyther for feare least he should be put to too much labor and taking of paines or else because he is loath to hazard his life for the safetie of his Soueraine If so then is hee worthie of farre more punishment that doth abandon his Countrey when it is in most miserie For offering our bodies vnto her wee offer but the least dutie that may bee seeing we doe but discharge vs of that debt which is due vnto her and which but for a time we borrowed Of a better minde O Codrus wert thou who to serue thy Countrey An example wert content to sacrifice thy selfe to death being willing for the good of thine owne Land not onely to loose thy pleasures thine Imperiall Crowne but also thy owne sweet and Royall selfe So likewise did Themistocles merit great coÌ„mendations who thought it better to dispatch himselfe by swallowing downe a draught of deadly poison then to draw his sword against his natiue soyle He therefore is not worthie the name of Honor who in respect of his owne priuate contentment and safetie renounceth and abiureth the troubles of his Citie rendring by such bad meanes his vertue without fruit or profit and without any merit at all For most seriouslie shall he be punished of God who hath not employed his calling to some good vse which was lent vnto him and as a bad seruant hath hid the same vnder ground without profit at all Inasmuch as hee sheweth himselfe vnthankfull vnto God yea and deserueth no goodnes at all if hee shall not make a commoditie of that vertue good gift which he hath bountifully giuen vnto him more then vnto others Not vnlike vnto him that maketh the world laugh at his follie who beeing diseased and sicke carrieth the remedy of his maladie in his hand without once tasting or taking the same vnto the benefit of his health In olde time such as liued as vnprofitable members vnto their Common-wealths were taxed at a very great Fine to the end that if their bodies would doe no seruice vnto their Countreyes yet at the least their purses should supplie the defects of that fault For there is no reason that we should liue without bestowing somwhat of our substance vnto the reliefe of our Common-wealth Such then as for feare of taking too much paines for the Common-wealth and as loath to oppose themselues against the abuses of the same withdraw themselues apart to liue to their owne selues are much to be blamed and are farre wide from being to be called or accounted vertuous For it is not a valuable excuse to say I cannot doe any good seruice because I am of no account and reckoning No no this is not enough we must doe as much as we may to the vttermost of our power for many little fagots laide together make a huge and great Bonfire At the least we must seeke as much as in vs lyeth to quit the debt we owe. But as such slothfull men as these are to be condemned so farre more are some others to be hated and detested who sticke not as damned Traytors to conspire against the safetie of their natiue soyle raising factions in the same consuming them with ciuill dissentions and vtterly ouerthrowing them with mutinous Seditions Such vipers as these are borne to the detriment domage of the Common-wealths comming of the race of Tymon of Athens These kinde of men being onely such as the further they are off from their Countreyes the more profitable it is for the same But amongst manie children which a good Father bringeth vp it cannot be chosen but that some one or other of them must be found to be bad An example In as much as the earth it selfe producing many plants of which some are good and some are badde doeth likewise engender such strange and diuerse Natures Yet as shee teacheth the Gardner by skill to set and graft his best fruites in such a season as he may bring them to full maturitie and ripenes at their fitte time And they deuise how to cut off and to pluck vp by the roots such as be ill nothing worth So hath she also both ordained rewards and glorie for the best and most vertuous Natures in recompence of their worthie and honorable deedes and sharpe and seuere punishments for such as are badly enclined to punish them for such leaude faults as they shall commit Now as a King who is to wage battaile with a strong and puissant enemie hath need of all his Forces to gether valiantly to giue him the ouerthrowe So that Realme which perceiueth some of her owne proper children to rise and to take Armes against her seeking like the sonnes of Absolon to destroy their Father hath great neede of all her good and faithfull issue who at such an extreamity as that is neither may nor ought to leaue her naked and alone because as then such an one doth as much hurt that will not seeke to hinder this conspiracie against her and yet is of power to doe it as hee that is the first Author and motiue of the same This time then will not suffer thee my deare Shepheard to take thine ease thus thou must returne againe into thine afflicted Countrey take thy Fortune as shall happen participate with her in her miseries and saile with her in the selfe-same dangerous voyage For those are knowne to be true friends that helpe at a dead lift A Sentence and in greatest extremitie because they doe good without euer hoping for of any reward Change then thy aduise and like another Camillus returne from thine exile to bestow vpon thy Countrey these thy last deuoires depriue not thy Natiue soyle of thy bones being to be pittied as much as great Affrican was to the end that either thou being buried within the bowels of the same thou mayst leaue a glorious remembrance of thy selfe when thou shalt die Or else that thou offering thy seruice vnto her thou now bindest her vnto thee although all the seruices which wee are able to render vnto our Countrey cannot binde her vnto vs by reason wee are farâ—c more beholding vnto her Thinke not as yet that thou art as it were a dead tronk which is cast into the graue because it is vnprofitable and to be put to no good vse yeelde vnto thy Countrey what good thou canst and any braue qualitie thou hast to stand her in steed
was the occasion hee replyed thus vnto her Faire Gentlewoman I knowe no beast were it neuer so sauadge but would willinglie helpe and assist you in your miserie And feare you then that any man hath the power as much as once to offend you especially such as haue taken their oaths and whose ordinarie exercise extendeth chiefly to conserue and maintaine the Honour and welfare of all Ladies and Gentlewomen whatsoeuer My condition bringeth me within the number of such Heauens onely graunt that my proceedings and mine endeuours may by the fruites thereof testifie the same And as for your selfe you neede not doubt of any thing for I assure you you haue more power to command mee then Fortune hath giuen me authoritie ouer you A Sentence In what base or abiect state soeuer vertue encounters and enters she alwaies shineth bright the crueltie of Fortune not being able to darken her beames nor to oppose her selfe against her diuine cleernesse Perswade your selfe then not onely of your life but also of your Honour which this my hand shall preserue against all the men in the world euen vntill the last drop of blood in my bodie That prisoner that by myracle hath escaped out of prison A Similie is not more glad at the meeting of his deerest friendes who are come to conuey him away safe and sure then this poore Princesse was ioyfull seeing her selfe throughly assured of the safetie of her Honor Insomuch as shee resolueth to take her Fortune and to repose her selfe vpon the promise of the Knight who sweetly kissing her hand and helping her vp from the ground gentlie with all curteous ceremonies and dutious respectes that might be conducteth her his attendants following him vnto his Castle where being arriued hee deliuered and recommended her vnto his owne mother an aged Ladie who receiued and entertained her with the greatest curtesie and kindnesse that might be as if she had bene her daughter So as she found her selfe to be honored and respected as greatly as if she had bene in the Court of her Father without being as much as once vrged or demaunded any thing that should be occasion of mislike vnto her Thus when from Heauens of succour we dispaire We finde that then they take for vs most care So myraculously was Ioseph the chaste deliuered so holie Susanna An Example so vertous Iudith and many other such Neither is it without great reason that high Iehoua should come for to assist vs but euen then when we haue most need when we are in greatest extremitie and when we haue wholly retired our selues from all expectation of worldlie hopes For if we should be deliuered after a humane manner and by the hands of men when we are in exceeding great danger we then should neuer acknowledge the puissance and power of GOD to be so mightie and immortall as it is Neither should we be bound vnto him as we are when by his onely speciall grace alone he doth deliuer vs from such infinite troubles Iustina then being so starngely freed from all dangers began by little and little to forget her sorrow being in time content to receiue some comfort and consolation in these her grieuous mischaunces whilst in the meane while her faire eyes recouered againe their former attractiue force her colour beautie and grace reuiuing againe in her as fresh as euer they were before hauing caught as Captiue the heart of her agenerous Hoast Valiant Achilles so was slaue to Brisseis Beautie fought for her and became her seruant with great dutie By which we finde how profitable Loue is vnto Slaues and Seruants making them An Example many times Lords and Commaunders ouer their owne Maisters And such was Theseus to Phedra Paris to Helena Anthony to Cleopatra with other moe All which sheweth a prudent kinde of recompence in Loue to requite with so great an aduantage such as Fortune hath turned topsie-turuie and vtterly in a manner ouerthrowne in giuing them authoritie to controll ouer such as are their Soueraignes Yet this good which he doeth is rather to make himselfe seeme admirable excellent and diuine in his power then for any good will he beareth vnto any man being for all this meerely ignorant and starke blinde how to finde the meanes through which he may become rightly iust and pittifull indeed But leauing Iustina for a while to plucke vp her spirits to take heart at gras againe and to begin to be as merrie as euer she was we will returne to the young Danish Prince who had now gotten a certaine intelligence and true knowledge of his betrothed Spouses shipwrack on the Seas and as he thought her vtter ruine and ouerthrow For one of the companie of their Ships escaping by the benefite of the windes was driuen back vpon the coasts of Denmarke by whome he was throughly ascertained of the casting away of his faire Mistris and all her Fleete If hope of future things being prolonged and deferred rendreth the soule miserie and trouble how much more then doeth Dispaire afflict and torment the same The furious assaults whereof this young Prince but too too well felt hauing lost that which he esteemed most of in this world and seeing himselfe quite frustrate and voyde of the onely delightfull hope of his life Oftentimes went he about to embrue his owne hands with his deerest bloud if he bad not bene preuented and perswaded to doe otherwise he being of the minde that it was impossible for him to liue after the losse of that which was the onely occasion of his life Nor did hee grieue alone for all his Countrey did participate with hm in his sorrow not so much for the death of the Princesse as for to see the exceeding passions and torments he still endured For so much did hee take on and so impatiently did he beare her losse as not only he forgot the office the deuoir of a Prince but also of an ordinary poore creature offering himselfe through the extremitie of his passions to become the spoyle of Fortune as the most miserable wretch in the world For all ioy became irkesome vnto him all state and pomp loathsome and odious and all pleasure displeasant and wearisome his griefe made him forget his condition his health and his welfare So faithfull Piramus with griefe was tost When he had thought his Thisbe faire was lost His walkes were solitarie his purmenados melancholie and the sauage beasts of the woods his onely companie How often would hee sit roaring within the bowells of some hollow Rocke or other and complaine him in the shadie desarts of his too haplesse disasters How often would he runne vnto the shore side looking here and there like Ariadnne to see if the selfe-same Ship in which his Ladie was imbarked would appeare vnto his sight or no yet could he see nothing but the soming surges of the Sea and the swelling billowes beating on the bankes too and fro All the newes that he could vnderstand was
poasting towards Alphonsos Castle where he and his companie being disguised lay in waite for the Spaniard not daring for his life to set vpon him nigh the Kings Court lest his villanre should be descried and he well punished for the same About some sixe daies after he was gone Alphonso leaueth the Court highly commended and much praised of euery one little suspecting any treason with a small traine following him when being now within two leagues of his Castle behold the vngratefull Dane and his attendants to come out of a little wood well armed at all points and to rush sodeÌ„ly vpon Alphonso who being of an excelleÌ„t spirit courage carried himselfe so brauely as before he caught his deaths wound the Prince was turned off from his horse starke dead vpon the ground by him who being the first that set vpon him But in the ende What can the valiant Hercules gainst oremuch force preuaile Couragious mindes will sooner die then yeeld themselues or quaile So our worthie Spaniard had rather be killed manfully then saue his life by base and ignoble flying away But after he had fought a long time hauing giuen vnto many their death wounds and receiuing many himselfe his enemies still hemming him in round about setting vpoÌ„ him with a fresh assault at the last he falleth downe dead from his horse which the villaines perceiuing and doubting lest they should be followed by the countrie they tooke vp the dead course of their Prince in hast lamenting this hard aduenture and setting spurres to their horse away they flew as fast as the winde being neuer heard of after Behold here one of Loues feâ—sts of a contrarie fashion vnto other bankets For his first dishes presented at the table are pleasant sweet and delightsome but his last course is bitter cruell wofull bloodie and full of murther His chiefest companion is quarrelling Mars neither doth he euer march without hauing with him either Rage Furie or Follie. Meane space some of Alphonsos men who as crauens retired apart when the skirmish was at the hottest seeing their enemies fled came backe againe where all the broile had bin longing to know how their Maister had sped whom they found with a thousand wounds well nigh bleeding through euery part of his bodie and lying amongst the thickest of his enemies which were slaine by his owne hand whereat they making most pittious mone began to search if there were yet any one sparke of life in in him or no At the last they hauing done their best indeuour to recouer him he began to come a little vnto himselfe againe when scarce being able to open his eyes dimd and damd vp with death his soule readie to flit from hence vnto a better world with a hollow voice he thratled forth these few words My dearest friends let me intreat you to shew me this fauour it being the last which I will euer hope or looke for at your hands to conuey this my martyred body vnto my faithfull spouse to the ende I may be so happie as once to see her and to bid her farewell More would I say but I am so faint I cannot His sorrowfull seruants yerning for very griefe and dissoluing themselues into salt teares cursing now though too late their cowardly running away carried his dying carkasse faire and softly towards his house To Cleopatra so Marke Anthònies dead coarse Was brought which she drew vp to her with wofull force O what a spectacle what a tragicke present and what a bitter encounter was this for miserable Iustina to meete withall who not long before had heard how happily and how valiantly her kind husband had conquered his enemie in the sight of all Spaine which good newes had filled all her spirits with an exceeding kind of pleasing ioy and comfort But alas what a change and alteration was this from the first matter Ah how much more is that misfortune liuely toucheth vs to the quicke which when we least thinke of it surprizeth vs altogether vnexpected we passing our time in iollitie and pleasure then such as we are prouided for when it commeth it being long since we looked for the same and therefore the better prepared to beare the burthen thereof Meane time the poore Ladie must needs tast this bitter potion beare as well as shee can this terrible clap of dismall thunder No sooner had she a sight of this dying coarse which she thought to be starke dead But that she tooke on as one distraught and quite out of their wits O faire haire before daintily curled how cruelly were you then torne But farre fairer face how wert thou bescratched and thou beautious brest how wert thou be bloodied So great was her anquish as she fell downe in a sowne vpon that bodie whom she so dearely loued embracing the same most tenderly it being that which she more accounted of then of any thing else in the world Thrise happie had she bin and not a little beholding vnto death if at that houre he had bereft her of life but her fortune was not so good for she was compelled to liue the longer because her paine should be the greater And now she being come vnto her selfe againe although it was a woful mirrour to behold his pale bloodlesse face his mangled flesh all to be sprinkled washed in his owne gore yet did she not sticke to kisse his wan and cold lips a thousand times and more whilst her teares serued her in steed of water to make cleane his wounds to wash away the blood and to solemnize his drerie Funerall with the same Carelesse of her health she lay long time vpon the wet ground whilst she held the coarse as pittifully in her lap as the kind nurse doth her little Infant in her armes neither did she remoue her sweet mouth from his but kept it still close thereon desirous to die as he had done Out alas alas cried she where am I who am I what do I see is it possible that I should yet breath hauing lost the onely life of my soule And you mine eyes are you so cruell vnto my health that you will abide to behold that which will force you to be more miserable and yet mine eyes my wofull eyes it is no shame to behold your best benefactor looke then on him your fill although pittilesse death hath closed vp his sight with an eternall sleepe But thou art dead for me my deare husband for my cause hast thou lost thy life and for no other O wretched iourney and most vnhappie that euer thou tookest in hand yet was it not death that slew thee No no death durst But it was I and euen I t' was I and none but I and I alone whome thou diddest thinke to be thy louing wife Ah sweete sweet Husband shall I be guiltie of this fault by murthering of my selfe which I haue committed against thee No no for my death cannot counteruaile thine Shall it be said that
the Elect and chosen of God yet let vs behaue our selues so as we may be of the same meaning by these his words that if we list we may saue our selues Then ought I to fret and fume against the starres or murmure and repine against the Heauens themselues No God forbid since my faults and not they haue bene the authors of mine owne misfortunes Had I not sinned I had not felt the least touch of these troubles that thus torment mee I had not bene so wretched as to haue bene despoiled of that little mercie grace which I had of the Almightie I had not bene driuen from mine owne house banished from my Countrie exiled from the presence of my dearest friēds nor scourged with the sharp whip of extreme want and pouertie Neither had this my predestinated disaster which still followeth me vnto mine vndoing bene able to haue crost mee in all my designes as it doeth euen at this houre and will doe continually For alas how little would I esteeme of my losses and of mine exile since he cannot be termed a Bandite who is welcome amongst the wiser sort and who yet hath some friendes left him were it not for this my hard Destinie which as a ghastly Furie doeth still haunt and follow mee But I see I see as in a glasse my miserie to be such as it will neuer be separated from mee and I perceiue but too well that Destinies may be foreseeue but neuer can be preuented As the Shepheard was thus pittifully lamenting vnto himselfe behold hee might perceiue two terrible roaring Lyons to come directly towards the Caue wherein he had gotten himselfe it being the ordinary denne wherein they vsed to harbour which when hee saw he quickly started vp drawing forth his sword with intention to defend himselfe to make them buy his flesh dearely but they without so much as once offering to hurt him gently passed by him moued as I gesse with his more then wofull misery They being gone he came forth from his melancholike Cell and as he was walking thus alone the dolefull Nymph Orythia his old yet loyall Louer met him by chance who was comen euen into this wildernes to finde him out After she had saluted him shee intreated him to sit downe vpon a greene banke couered ouer with shadowing Cipresse and to heare a certaine Sonnet which shee had made in remembrance of him The Shepheard seeing no other remedie sitteth him downe promising the Nymph attentiucly to giue eare vnto her Dittie which shee most pitifully sung after this manner following Cruell mishap the Butcher of my life All thee except is mortall heere below Men are deaths foes with him are at strife And death is that which I doe couet so My tongue speaks what with hart agreeth best Death and laments is of my speech the sourse Ah iudge then if that I haue any rest Louing of euils all the very worse If damned soules without en ende alwaies Sharp plagues endure Alas I feele like paine A monstrous ill it is all his lifes daies To beare the brunt of ghosts in Limbo slaine And yet the damnd suffer for their offence Whilst I for doing good indure these woes The guiltie to complaine of ill wants sonse Wrongly to suffer patience makes to lose May not my plaints most iustly counted be In right the Heauens of crueltie t' accuse What good ere found I O yee Gods to mee Vniust yee slay vs yet to heare vs yee refuse Without enfeele of pleasure or of ioy With anguish you our vitall spirits fill Enforcing vs to entertaine annoy So what 's good leaues vs whilst we take the ill Thus gainst your fierce and more then sharpe Alarms Wee sickly soules too weake must harden strong Our selues and for to helpe vs in our harmes Wee hope in vaine the more our selues to wrong Alack Cowards that flie and followed are orefast Small leisure haue or none their Armour off to cast The Nymph hauing ended this her mournfull Musicke with a deepe sigh fet from the bottome of her heart began thus to wooe the Shepheard O how iustly doe the powers aboue afflict thee seeing thou so cruellie doest torment others Is it not most meete and reasonable that as we sowe so we should reape and as we haue measured vnto others so wee should looke for the like measure againe LOVE maketh thee die without depriuing thee of life whilst thou forcest the selfe-same Loue without killing me to torment me most cruelly Ay mee what strange kinde of Frenzie doeth trouble thy soule Thou refusest the friendship of one that is immortall to seek after the loue of a worldlie beautie which is subiect vnto death fortune and chaunge wherein thou doest shewe a sufficient signe of the error of men who follow that that flieth from them leauing the best and accepting of the worst And if they committing so grosse an absurditie feele themselues to be plunged in the gulfe of most bottomles griefes by the Heauens A Sentence should they therefore complaine lament He that hath wounded himselfe can accuse none for his hurts but his own selfe and the prodigal child that hath through his foolishnes consumed all his wealth may blame or thank no bodie but his owne meere follie Why doest thou not accept of that present which willingly offereth it selfe vnto thee why doest thou endure so many miseries to obtaine that which thou wilt neuer be able to purchase Is not hee vnwise that whilst the storme lasteth leaueth the drie house in which he was in to runne to seeke another farther off and in the meane time is subiect vnto the bitternes of the Tempest And is not he a foole who leaueth a thing certaine and present to take what is vncertaine and doubtfull Well may hee bee counted to murther himselfe that refuseth what is profitable vnto him whilest he vainely seeketh and yet to no purpose what he is likely neuer come by Loue then sweet Shepheard loue her that dearely liketh thee No small punishment doe they deserue A Sentece who hate such as loue fancie them in as much as friēdship being not forced but rather comming of his owne accord deserueth a recompence no lesse then that gift which departeth from a franke and liberall free minde doeth merit thankes because it is not forced any way Then I say doest thou not loue her who esteemeth of thee more then of her owne selfe whilst thou more sauadge and fierce then the cruell Tygers who loue their matches doest refuse the amitie of thine equall euery way that sacred amitie so much accounted of both by Gods and men Ah change thy selfe-will and stubborne minde hard hearted swaine as thou art and call to remembrance what dangers I haue passed what hazards I haue trauersed and how many countryes I haue runne through to find thee out resoluing with my selfe neuer to leaue him who hath my heart and carrieth the same within his brest alwayes But
coarse possession there to keepe When thou my coarse depriued quite of beauties gifts shalt view My chearfull eyes to loose their lights and bid those lights adue When thou doest heere her sigh from forth her soule vntimely crost And when thou shalt Sycambra thine view to giue vp the Ghost Ah then doe this good turne for me doe this for me straitway Vnto my cruell vnkind friend this RING from me conuay Tell him his too too flintie heart and barborous crueltie Hath forct me loyalst maide aliue for him aliue to die Tell him by that quicke lightning fire which from his eyes forth came Which swifter far then whirling darts my gentle heart haue slaine By his rich beautie too too rich for me too poore to enioy Which for my time vntimely brought me vnto endlesse noy And by that heart of his too proud tryumphing ore my glorie That he forget me not but thinke vpon my pittious storie Doe this sweet Zerphir for my sake doe this request for mee T is all before my death to thee I giue as Legasee Nor doe denie me this although in conscience I confesse I not deserue thy smallest grace for my ore cruelnesse Ah Zerphir this denie me not This said she held her peace And presently death fore her came with violence to cease Whilst with a gentle quiet sigh her soule that wearie was Of loathed life most willing vp vnto the heauens did passe Leauing her bodie voyd of life withouten vitall aire Disrobde of beautie spoylde of forme depriude of colour faire Yet happie she to die in such kinde sort as then she dide Since that her griefe vanisht therewith which liuing she did bide Happie to die so as she dide since partiall Loue vniust Disasters hard and vndeserude vpon her still did thrust Like as we see in th' end of day vpon the set of Sunne When Tethis entertaines her spouse the light being well might done A kinde of cloudie sable dampe ariseth to our eyes And with a gloomie curtaine thicke is couered all the skies So as vpon the face of th' earth there nothing doth appeare But darknesse sleepe and heauie care with gastly sighes each where So by degrees this beautious coarse lookt pale and wanne like earth When once the soule had it depriude of his quicke liuing breath Like to a shadow was it of a substance faire before No cheerfull colour was there in that face so faire of yore Withouten sence or motion it remained like a blocke Or as a comly pile of stone carude out of marble Rocke Yet Zirphir doth imbrace it oft and as i ft t were aliue The same with pittious glaunces he to yeeld to him doth striue But kisse her he not dares though she be dead lest he offend The soule of her who whilst she liu'd he lou'd as dearest friend Her as before he doth respect and doth her reuerence Although him no drop of grace she gaue his amorous heate to quench Teares like to flowers he streameth downe yet not one word he speakes Sorrow so much doth seaze on him as tongue from plaining breakes Long was he in this agonie at length he comes his way Taking the Fatall Ring with him his Mistris to obey He hunteth vp and downe to finde Armanda and at last Reuiling him into these tearmes tearmes fit for him he brast Hard hearted cruell Sauadge wretch for thy vnworthy Loue Fairest Sycambra now is dead since thee she could not moue Dead is she for thy sake thou liu'st vnworthy of thy life Thou liu'dst her and her loue to scorne through thy orethwartings rife Take here this Ring she sends to thee as witnesse too too true That she destroyd her selfe for thee though thou her death nought rue The Flower of all fairenes is dead slaine onely for thy sake Whilst thou nor her nor on her Loue wouldst any pittie take More fierce then Tyger beastly more then Lion when as such Relent and shew compassion more then thou hast done by much Why takst thou not this pretious I em thou that doest women kill Which for thee till her dying day she had reserued still Happie to haue so deare a pawne yet curst because thou art The cause the owner kinde thereof was strooke with mortall dart Hold hold rude carle and thinke not but the day shall one day come When as iust plague thou shalt receiue for this by heauens iust dome Armanda hearing him to rage in this wise nought doth say But smiling flings the Ring from him to the woods betakes his way Leauing poore Zerphir almost quite bereft of wit and mad To see what slight regard of her and of her Ring he had And but he feard the quiet Ghost to grieue of his faire Dame He had Armanda for his pride as he deserued slaine This held his hands from slaughtring him he so did her respect The onely reason why to kill that wretch he did neglect The reuerence which vnto her he long before time bare Made him for his so hot reuenge his hastie will to spare As one enraged this carelesse man he looketh after long And by his eyes his minde bewraies he faine would venge this wrong Nor doth he leaue to curse and ban this more then ruthlesse wight Vntill through thicknes of the trees no more he spie him might Wherewith he riseth and turnes backe vnto his Ladies corse Which he embracing oft through griefe to fall in sound doth force Her Ring on finger hers againe he puts nor dareth hee Retaine the same as his owne goods although now dead she bee Fearing Sycambras angrie Ghost once fairest ouer all Should be offended for so doing and him disloyall call This causde him beare himselfe so iust whilst in most mournfull wise These his last wordes he sighed forth mixt with strange dolefull cries And is it thou Sycambra sweet whom now I doe embrace Whom whilst thou liu'dst my chiefest ioy I in this earth did place Is thy faire body fram'd by heauens all others for to foyle Become deaths prey vnworthy death Sycambra sweet should spoyle Are these the eyes whose lights of late did shine like brightest Sunne Now darkned by dire destinie and of their sights vndone Is this faire forhead honour chiefe of Muses vertuous Bereft of beautious feature quite and quite disfigurde thus Is this sweet hony mouth of thine O griefe that makes me banne Dispoylde of all his treasures rich become pale white and wanne Are thy chast Brests the pure ripe fruit of Paradise so faire Which to allure the staiedst witts two daintie Apples bare Dead and shrunke in and thou thy selfe Sycambra tirde with griefe Hast thou thy soule to heauens resignde there for to finde reliefe Thou hast alas nor liu'dst thou more those eyes of thine but late Like Diamonds sparkes now dim doe show as deaths darke Sable gate Nor part nor parcell is of thee from head vnto the foote But yeelds a heauie solemne shew attirde in deadly sute Thy dates expirde dead art thou
their dyet with better stomack then such as are ouer-satisfied glutted before Or else it is as I thinke for that the diuell is in these leaude liuers who more and more enticeth and prouoketh them to follow this sinne from which they can neuer without the great grace of OOD retire nor withdraw themselues vntill such time as vtter ruine and destruction falleth vpon their heads But now Horatio began to loose his wonted reputation and credit euery one speaking ill of him for his new Minion which he had gotten hee being then as infamous for his bad life as he was before renowmed for his worthy vertues yet was he so shamelesse and so impudent that he would stoppe his eares vnto such as sought to giue him good counsell and aduise making a shewe as if he knewe no such matter and that all was well whilst he was so bewitched with this raging and incestious Hellena as he could not be quiet nor rest any where except this notorious Curtezan were by him insomuch as hee carried her with him into the Warres wheresoeuer he went which shee made earnest shewe to desire faining that she loued him so dearely as she could not liue without his companie when the truth was shee sought all the wayes that might be to be with her former Husband againe and to be reuenged of Horatio who kept her sore against her will Such foolish women doing much like vnto Lice or Fleas which leaue a dead coarse presently assoone as they finde whereon no more to bite and so these kinde of common ware neuer loue but for their owne commoditie or profit No more then the common Queanes who sent packing away the prodigall Childe without as much as one crosse or pennie in his purse to blesse him withall Now whilst our Gouernour of Ansillses liued thus licentiouslie the chaste Izabella chanced to heare how badly her periurde Husband had vsed her how ill he had demeaned himselfe toward her she vnderstandeth of his follies and hath knowledge of his ouer-lustfull and raging fault O how cruell is the wound that one receiueth of his friend and how grieuouslie doe we take an iniurie of those whom we account and holde as chiefe defenders of our wellfare and our good reputing them as our best friends To receiue a wrong of a foe is an vsuall matter but to be abused by ones deare friend doth gall the very heart Too true doth this poore Ladie finde the same who hearing of these vnwelcome newes thought presently as gallant spirited Portia to giue ouer her life Diuers conceits ranne in her troubled braine whilst shee is vexed and tormented with rage and disdaine with griefe and iealousie One while she thinketh to die and then chaunging that aduice she determineth to reuenge her selfe of her vnconstant Husband but she bare him so loyall an affection and loued him so dearely that this also was quickly out of her minde Now shee resolueth and determineth to commit her selfe vnto the mercie of the Seas and windes and to saile to seeke him out at Ansillies to complaine iustlie of him there to reprehend him for his fault and to be obiect vnto him in his vicious kinde of life But disdaine quicklie altered that deuise thinking with her selfe that in so doing shee should too much abase her selfe to venture and indaunger her selfe so much for a most leaude and vile licentious Palliard hee no way deseruing so charitable an exployt at her hands Manie times did she send vnto him and often did she write one while sharply another while sweetly but all was one with him for neuer would he vouchsafe her any answere by Letter or by word of mouth Onely hee would Iest and gibe at her messengers and messages whilst being inchaunted with the vnhonest loue of his enemie he studied how he might satisfie and content her alone which his last bad vsage grieued her more then the rest enforcing her to beginne to lament afresh Ah said she how iustly am I punished for mine owne error Who will bemoane him that would not be warned by the harmes of his neighbour What reasonable excuse can that man alledge for himselfe that falleth into the selfe-same pit into which hee hath seene him fallen that hath gone before him How many wretched Ladies like vnto my selfe most vngodlie abandoned and cast off by their wicked Husbands might I haue had for examples not to beleeue these flattering men Shall I come and complaine vnto thee wofull Ariadne Alacke I dare not Shall I make my mone vnto thee haplesse Enone No no I must not seeing the least of your misfortunes had bene enough to haue made me wise O iust God reuenger of all Oathes broken that so cruelly diddest punish Laomedon for infringing his promise Canst thou suffer the most periured wretch in the world to liue and to scape scotfree Am I so cruelly destined that he must follow me with thousand torches of griefe vnto my Tombe who should haue hene in right vnto me as the comfortable Sunne-shine of my life O faithlesse Husband how quickly hast thou trod vnder thy feete thy faire promises And how little a while hath lasted the care of loyall Loue betwixt vs And now thou hast so miserablie deceiued mee What canst thou haue of mee more then my death which I know thou wouldest be wonderfull glad of to the end I might not vrge thy guiltie conscience for this so foule a fact against me And certainly were it not for this I would most willingly die but to the ende I may somwhat vexe and reuenge my selfe of thee I will although vnwillingly liue a little longer knowing nothing can be more greeuous or vnwelcome vnto thee then my companie and presence Yea I will come before thee face to face and vpbraide thee for thy fault euen vnto thy teeth I will pull out those shamelesse eyes of that impudent Strumpet who keepeth vniustlie that from me which is mine owne and whome thou preferrest before thy lawfull and chaste spouse That done I will hasten the heauens to shorten my life I will make my daily prayers that I may die quickly The foming waues therefore shall not hinder mee of my iourney the colde Seas shall not freeze the hote desire I haue to see thee neither the feare of the rising billowes shall let me from comming vnto thee I being not able any longer to liue vnlesse I may come to put thee in mind of thy fault not doubting but the raging waters will be more kinde vnto me then thou art at lest-wise I meane to trie them by reason of the small ioy I haue of my life which I neither esteeme nor make account of at all Thus lamrnted this comfortlesse Ladie whome Loue and Iealousie egged forwards to goe onwards with her iourney No perill to giue ore her purpose can her make So little care shee of her loathed life doth take Often is it seene that such desperate persons as are wearie of their liues An example scape the
still in such base and abiect seruitude and bondage These speeches did the cunning Curtezan vse sepatheticallie sending forth so manie sighes and teares to accompanie the same that as I gesse the rightfull God to reuenge poore Izabellas wrongs did so much animate the strength and courage of the Moore her husband that as one desperate with rage and iealousie hee most furiouslie runneth with all his Troupes vpon the Portugall Armie whome as a Thunder or Lightning hee ouerturneth so that the Christians doe what they could were ouerthrowne and had the worse Which when Horatio percelued he as a wise and politike Capitaine beganne with aduantage to retire vntill such time as the foresaid diuellish Moore came where hee was who with his wife set vpon him where Horatio slue them both whilst in this conflict ouer pressed with numbers of Souldiers hee was strucken downe and thrust through with a Iaueline where he lost both force and life together So died the companions of Machabeus An example being slaine by the fword who were found charged with Thefts and Robberies So by the decree of God those chiefe men and heads ouer the people of the lewes were hanged vp because they caused the other to commit Idolatrie and leaue their Creator So was the periurde Zedechias forced to die in prison hauing his eves pulled our and his children slaine before his face And so perished Ioconias and diuers others iustlie punished by the holie one of Israel For Iustice diuine neuer giueth ouer from doing right And if it be slowe in comming yet doth the crueltie of the punishment make amends for the deferring of the same Meane time the Portingales gathered themselues againe into battaile array and followed their enemies with so hote a pursuite as they at the last recouered and brought backe againe the bodie of their Capitaine ouer which the Moores meant to haue triumphed So for the bodie of Achilles deere friend slaine The Greekes and Troyans hand to hand doe fight amaine Hardly did these Infidels let the bodie goe skirmishing oftentimes with their foes for the same yet neuerthelesse in despite of them all the Portingales gote it away and brought it with them which as yet breathed and had some little life within it But sorrowfull newes were these vnto heauy Izabella who hoped that at the ioyfull returne of her husband all should be well as shee her selfe could wish But man purposeth and God disposeth man hopeth of one thing but God doth quite contrarie to that which he supposeth So Senacherib thinking to conquer was himselfe conquered and the Iewes who thought themselues to be quite ouerthrowne came in the end to be victors So proud Goliah was slaine contratie vnto his owne conceit and to the opinion of all men So Amon was hanged neuer any thinking he should haue died such a shamefull death And Mardocheus who was condemned to be slaine was honoured deliuered And so it fell out with this vncomfortable Ladie who hoping to see her husband to come home well and safe vnto her and to repent him of his former follies found him to be slaughtered and dead without life or soule O cruell mutation change truth it is that she before had heard by certaine of her husbands Souldiours that had escaped out of the field that the Portugalls had lost the day but yet knew she nothing of his death And yet euen then a cold feare ran all about her heart whilest she sore suspecting the worst prophesied within her selfe that it was true and that she had lost her husband and not not long after her doubt was confirmed but with too too true a proofe when the rest of his band brought his coarse into the citie vnto her where she was and when so denly at the sight thereof she sounded it being long before they could get life in her againe whilest in the meane space Horatios mangled carkasse was laid in a bed God giuing him so much time of repentance as he craued mercie of him and of all the world for his bad life whilest all that small time as he so lamēted his sinnes his faithfull Souldiours with sad teares wonderfully lamented the losse of so noble a Generall vnder whom they had alwaies remained vanquishers So Greckes did waile Achilles death of great renowne So Troyans Hector moande chiefe Fortresse of their towne Great Machabeus one of the Nine WORTHIES was neuer more lamented amongst his men of warre than he was amongst the Portugalls whom he had so often brought home victorious ladē with forraigne spoyles into their countrie Who then perceiuing himselfe to drawe nigh vnto his end desired to talke with his wife that he might take his latest leaue of her But now what is he that can lend mea Sea of Inke to set downe the grieuous passions and the insupportable sorrowes of his pittifull wife Where shall I find a pen of Iron to paint forth her lamentable speeches And what paper is sufficient to receiue in writing the number of her more then sad and heauie complaints To hers was the woes of Niobe nothing at all Nothing the griefes of Hecuba nothing those of Portia nor those of chast Lucretia compared vnto hers With much adoe was she brought vnto the bed for goe she could not for very faintnes weakenes where her repētant husband was giuing vp the Ghost who so soone as he beheld her O griefe O loue O pittie O heauie spectacle that it was to see this heauie meeting such as like was neuer seene before the poore dying soule beginning in his death to affect and loue her more entirely then euer he had hated her before whilest thrusting forth his dying armes with seeble force to embrace her and laying his cold lips vpon hers with a hollow faultring voyce he began thus to speake as well as he could O fortunate day in which poore Horatio dieth reposing himselfe at ease in the bosome of his Izabella O my chaste and sweet Ladie must I needs die leauing after my death so foule a fault as thou shalt haue cause to complaine of me as the authour of all thy griefes whatsoeuer No way am I able to make thee any reasonable satisfaction neither know I how sufficiently to make amends for so hainous and so detestable an offence as I haue committed against thee which the iust God hath reuenged vpon me for thy sake and according as I deserued But sweet wife if as yet there remaineth any one small sparke of that rare and loyall Loue thou hast heretofore borne me and if iust griefe and rightfull disdaine hath not quenched it all and quite put it out then by the selfesame affection and fancie I pray desire and beseech thee most humbly to pardon me this once and not to be the cause that miserable Horatio should goe into his graue with great anguish and exceeding bitternes of his soule This pardon as I hope for of thee so doe I expect it at thy hands crauing in the
hence To you I turne my speech now my faithfull fellows and companions in Arms who haue always taken such fortunes as I haue done to you I recommend the honor of your deare friend Horatio somtimes your Gouernor after his death Most strictly charging you as you shall answere before God and most kindlie intreating you as you will haue the good will of men to see my faithfull and constant wife conueyed safely from hence into Portugall according vnto her calling after this my carkasse shall be interred there to doe her all dutifull seruice that may be Farewell my brethren my friendes and my companions I goe before you to prepare places for you I goe to heauen there to enioy eternall happinesse Giue me your hands euery one of you before I die and leaue now these your needlesse and vnnecessary mournings in my behalfe Remember that God is iust in all his actions who hath and that deseruedly punished mee for abusing my constant Spouse so hainouslie as I haue done being so voyde of grace as to preferre a most damned strumpet before her chast and vertuous selfe which was the onely occasion of mine vntimely death Murmure not therefore at the diuine iudgements of the Almightie neither be you grieued at my losse and ouethrow for a far better and a brauer Captaine may you haue then I am Portugall being able to veeld forth men better for desert and for valour then I haue bene euery way I say no more but wish you my faithfull Souldiers no worse then I doe vnto mine owne soule And now once more againe I come to thee my chastest wife Although what to say more then alreadie I haue done well I knowe not Loth I am to leaue thee yet leaue thee I must and therefore I hope thou wilt remember not the fault I haue done thee but how I repent me for the same before I die And this perswade thy selfe that if euer sinne hath bene grieuous vnto the sinner then hath mine bene the same My verie soule beeing sore vexed and tormented day and night euery houre that I doe but thinke thereof But things past and done are not to be vndone and what is once remedilesse must needs prooue to be recurelesse Once more farewell my sweete Izabella to whom I wish no lesse ioy then I haue felt of sorrow Thou God that knowest the secrets of all hearts receiue my soule I beseech thee and saue it from the hands of the enemie So saying hee gaue vp the ghost being infolded within the chaste armes of his kinde wife his face touching her face and his lippes ioyning vnto hers No sooner was his carkasse without life and colde as a marble stone but his mestfull Izabella sunke downe for sorrow So that afresh as then began cryings out screechings wringing of hands and sheading of teares the house resembling a shadow of that miserable mourning when the Troyans saw their Citie set on fire by the Grecians in the night So wofull and so shrill was the sorrowes that euery one made for their Lord as the noise therof waked their vnfortunate Lady from her passionate extasie who being somwehat come vnto her selfe and falling vpon the dead coarse began thus to exclaime Woe is me that euer I was borne and art thou dead my deare Lord without mee Ah why hast thou left her who had rather die with thee then liue with anie other else Thou hast left me at the worst now thou art gone For what am I but an Anatomie of griefe it selfe What is my heart but a receptacle of sadnesse And what are mine eyes but a colde fountaine that distilleth salt water continually Is it likely or possible that Izabella should breath now Horatio is breathles Can it be he should be dead and I should be as yet aliue No no it cannot be and yet in the meane time his bodie is without life and senses and mine too full of vitall motion but long it shall not be so I must now resolue my selfe to follow the course my husband led mee and to take such part with him as he hath taken before me vnfortunate I to haue stayed so long and that I died not before my louely husband Could Portia die when Brutus was slaine and may Izabella liue her Horatio hauing left her Before that time come the Seas shall chaunge the course of his floods and mountaines shall remoue and come to settle amongst lowe valleyes As I saw thee here vpon the earth so hope I to behold thee in the Heauens And for the conclusion and ende of all my disasters I will be interred in the place where thou art buryed Then kissing the pale lippes of her dead husband shee thus began againe O faire mouth from whence sometimes I sucked Nectar foorth must thou be a Trophee for death And must thou be despoyled of so many rich vertues to make famous his victorie Sweete louely eyes must you likewise serue to honour death resigning ouer your quondam Diamond lights vnto blacke and gloomic darknes And thou beautious face must thou turne vnto earth and shewe pale and wanne whilst I remaine here against my will and pleasure No reason is there herein but that I should follow my Guide and accompany him at whose commaund I was alwayes and that most willingly Ah my kind friends I coniure you by the late affection you bare vnto your Lord and Goueruor now dead by the faith and promise you vowed and sware vnto him and by the sacred remembrance of his glorious renowne which neuer shal be forgotten that you consent and agree to bury our two bodies both in one graue Whilst I liued I esteemed as my chiefest treasure my honor good name and now I die my loue vnto my Lord shall remaine as a president for Ages to come of our loyall and true faithfull loue I come sweet Horatio I come nor will I any longer linger in miserie but will seeke thee wheresoeuer thou art vntill I finde thee ending this my loathed life with a death most sweet comfortable Then sweet Iesus be mercifull vnto me and forgiue me this my last fault which extreame and vnsupportable sorrow and not any desperate kinde of conceit forceth me to put in practise And hauing so said shee went about to stabbe her selfe with a poniard vnto the hart when one of the company there by snatcht it forth of her hands vppon the suddaine wherevpon shee seeing her selfe to be preuented of her purpose looking angerly vpon them Well quoth she Portia for all her Gard that watched ouer her had her will and died Cato despite of all his attendants slew himselfe And thinke you for all your narrow looking vnto me that I will not rid my selfe one way or another of life Yes yes ye vnkind men I will dispatch my selfe from this miserie mauger your malicious minds who I perceiue do enuie at my good Fortune and I will complaine of your hard dealing towards me vnto my deare husband in that
Ceres of me praise deserue Though all the ground with Corne doth swarue When I through hunger pure doe starue And readie am to pine My broken ioyes repaire who may Who can my weeping Conduits stay Since who of sorrow is the pray Belongeth vnto griefe Mine eyes which death orechargeth sore As now can waile and weepe no more Since shee is gone whom I adore And who brought them reliefe My hart through sorrow's waxen cold Loosing what hee most deare did hold Blessed if that in graue enrold He were his hopes being past No comfort to my soule 's arriude He seekes the meanes to be disliude So Piramus of Loue depriude Gane vp his latest gaspe Now I my cruell Faire haue lost Of what sweet comfort may I boast Yet for ones Mistris to be lost The paines of death or pleasure He is not bound in world to liue Who alwayes languishing doth grieue When hee by dying may it relieue Which to him is a Treasure The Sunne though hidden be his beames Extinguisht yet are not his gleames So Lady mine her sight forth streames Though she is farre from me More cruell did I feele the paine When her faire glannce burnt euery vains Respecting what I now doe gaine Although shee absent be When shee was tooke from me away Why then did not my heartsome slay For who with Conquerour his is pray Cannot be said to die Ah cruell day and lucklesse time When as I lost those lookes dinine My soule consumde away did pine Wanting that Deitie Then seeing that deprinde I am Of her no longer liue I can My Fortunes hard I le curse and ban Expecting still for death Withouten soule no bodie liues His Mistris losse a Loner grienes Whilst he such wofull torments prieues As none feele like on earth The olde Magician and the Knight hearing so dolefull a Dittie sung by the Shepheard Arcas who did nothing but lament for the absence of his Diana could not choose but weepe when after hee had made an end of his Song they might heare him vse these speeches vnto himselfe O troublesome and vnquiet Sunne who hath caused thee so soone to leaue thy bed before thy wonted time And what need had anie Creature of thine so quick to returne as long as they ouer-wearied and tyred with trauatle slept sweetly vnder the protection of the secret and still Night A Similie And how happie was I before thy brightsome comming For then at my pleasure I did contemplate and behold the face of Diana shining in the heauens which nourished in my soule the remembraunce of my beautious Goddesse And what can delight me more then to thinke on her who resembleth her much and who it honoured with her name Nothing pleaseth the sicke man so much as his health which he desireth aboue all things although many times in vaine And so nothing is so much agreeable to me as my faire Mistris whome I doe often wish for although to no ende For the pale and breathlesse coarse layde vpon the colde ground is not more depriued of life A Sentence then I am voyd of all hope to see my cruell Faire againe Miserable is hee that languisheth without all hope for nothing sweeteth the sharpnes of his wound when as a little hope alone is of force to nourish the poorest wretches in the world Easie are the trauailes and gentle the paines that one suffereth whilst he hopeth For the conceit of the delight of the thing he hopeth for maketh them pleasant changing them into contentment and ioy whereas the labour and paine of him that is in dispaire of all hope is most dangerous insupportable and intollerable Tell me mine eyes to what end doe you see and giue light if you can no more behold her who was your chiefest delight O faire and louely Diana in what place soener it is thy Fortune as now to bee making the same blessed with thy beautious presence Heauens graunt that thou mayest liue happilie and that the remnant of all my good Fortunes if at least I haue any reserued for me be heaped bestowed vpon thee whilst I in the meane space will liue here alone in this solitary Wood to bewaile my disasters and languish daily as one in a consumption that piecemeale pineth away and can neuer be cured For to what end doth he make intercession or praiers vnto the Heauens whom the Heauens themselues doe holde for their enemie That man that is difasterly destined hath no reason to expect any good fortune which if he doth he but mocketh himselfe and in the end doth finde he is deceiued So I looke for nothing that is comfortable or pleasing to come from aboue because I know my selfe to be in the number of those miserable Caitifs A Sentence who neuer haue felt any thing here in this world but woe and distresse vntill they haue bene layed and lodged within their graues O too too partiall Fates of men that some should be still happy luckie and blessed in euery thing and others so vnfortunate that they should neuer taste of aught but of sorrow care and anguish And of this last accursed crue I am the chiefe But perhaps some will say Eucry one feeleth his owne griefe and misfortune but not that which another is tormented withall Yet let such iudge but indifferently of my case and then I know they cannot chuse but pittie me For is it not an euill to be endured for one to loose the cheerfull light of his owne sweete life his much desired health and well-fare his owne louing natiue Countrey his deare Parents and his affectionate friends and acquaintance without finding any succour or reliefe at all but of his proper enemies For vaine is the helpe of them from whom I hoped and as bootlesse is the reward of my trauaile that I am like to receiue of such as I serued O miserie worse then dispaire it selfe for one to be beholding for his good Fortune vnto his mortallfoe and not finde recompence of those of whome he hath so well deserued O Themistocles it was thou that didst passe through this narrow straight being welcommed caressed and honorablie entertained of thy cruell aduersarie when thou wert banished by thy ingratefull Countreymen whom thou hadst most faithfully serued and oftentimes most valiantly fought for to saue their â—â—es and Countrey And thou Coriolanus didst finde the like fauour and grace amongst thine enemies after thy owne Citizens had vnkindly driuen thee out of their Citie whom thou before hadst serued loyallre with many testimonies of rare and wonderfull fidelitie And such was thy Fortune braue Alcibiades exiled by thine owne people and entertained most louingly by the Spartanes thy hatefull deadly foes In your Ship doe I saile in your boate doe I rowe and the selfe-same mishap you had doe I participate of but sore full sore against my minde for in an ill houre was he borne that is driuen vnto such a narrow estate as he is forced to haue recourse
〈◊〉 goodly Castle wherein for the most part 〈…〉 This Geâ—lle man 〈…〉 more challe 〈…〉 be made much 〈◊〉 by her husband she hauing two such 〈…〉 bounding miner This their maritage at the first was the 〈…〉 them both for there wanted nothing more to 〈…〉 Paris and 〈◊〉 conceiued when they were first 〈…〉 Admitus with Alcesta or that of Vltsses with Penelope or 〈…〉 was nothing in respect of the true delight that these two 〈…〉 being coupled so sacredly and surely together But what is too violent be it aduersitie or prosperitie can not be 〈…〉 more then hee who ouer swistly and too too hastily beginning his course loosert vâ— on the suddaine his breath and so in the midst of his race faileth both in force and in running whether it be eyther because their violent beginnings ingendereth their procâ—edings for that without reason no sure foundation can be layde or else that their hues passeth away with their owne ouermuch violence as a great and outragious fire consumeth in a sinall time great store of wood and sewell But not to digresse from our first matter Not farre from this gallant Lombard called Leander was there an other faire place the owner whereof was a neighbour of his a youthfull Gentleman a Batcheler and vnmarried which two what by reason of the nearenesse of their houses and the conformitie of their manners grewe to be so inward and deare friendes as they could not abide one to be from another and their loue was so great as all things as farre as honor would permit was common betweene them Pilades was neuer so great with Orestes Theseus neuer nearer to Peritheus nor Alexander neuer more beloued of Ephestion then Leanaer was of his friend and his friend of him Neuer went they on Hawking Hunting or anie other such like laudable exercise but they were together Being at home they had but one boord and being abroad but one bed and one purse betweene them as if they had benesworne brethren and both borne of one mother But now marke the difference betweene leaud Loue and loyall Amitie This friendship betwixt these two young neighbours so sacred so religious and honest was famous euerie where and commended throughout all the whole Countrey there about which neuer thelesse cruell LOVE diuided and brake in sunder Yea and in such sort as that which was the chiefe ioy and contentment of them both cost them both their liues By this then may we perceiue how contrarie LOVE is vnto Friendship for whereas the one is laudable honest praise-worthie and profitable the other is wicked and cruell sowing discord and malice amongst such as were and should bee most faithfull and firme friendes one vnto an other So did LOVE drowne and extinguish long since all respect friendship and dutie which Medea ought vnto her Father bereauing her of all naturall pittie tearing in peeces her owne proper Brother to succour and helpe her Louer Iason And so likewise this mischieuous LOVE forced the daughter of Minos to be his mortall enemie onely to follow her deceitfull seruant Theseus Neither did this wicked LOVE worke a lesse villanie against these two friendes for Leander hauing as I said before a most excellent faire and modest wife but as Hellena vnfortunate was the occasion that shee ministred meanes and matter vnto LOVE to put in practise and to exercise so manie cruell and vniust parts as hee afterwards did but if the Innocent merit to be excused then is shee not to be accused as the losse of her owne deare life afterwards shewed But what kingdomes oftentimes which of themselues are rich and necessarie set a fire most hurtfull damageable and spoyling warres of which notwithstanding they are manie times cleare of crauing no other thing then onely to submit themselues vnder the dominion and gouernement of the right and lawfull heire vnto the Crowne But the ambitious desires of men are they that make the wounds by reason of the greedinesse they haue to enioy that which in their conceits they iudge to be faire profitable and pleasant This Gentleman the friend of Leander called Antonio Picchio made account of Leunders house as his owne being seldome or neuer from thence and the longer hee stayed there the better he was welcome his marryed friend and his wife for his sake giuing him the best entertainment they could deuise It is an olde said sawe that a man alwayes liketh his neighbours house better than his owne Whether it be the chaunging of lodgings is the cause or the straunge and good companie that he findeth An old saying where there is good refort and merrie Now whilst our Batcheller passed his time most pleasantly away hee began inwardlie to cast an affection vnto his friends wife and to loue her farre better then hee did her husband And thus are many men now a dayes made account of onely for their wiues sakes as manie kisse the children onely for the Nurses sake Tuta frequensque via est per amici fallere nomen Tuta ftequensque licet sit via crimen habet The safe and surest way it is By fri udship to deceiue Though safe and surest way it be T' is knauerie by your leaue So long he beganne to like her that at last he was troubled in his minde so as a secret conceit ranne still in his braine a nouell flame was kindled in his brest and a new strange desire chaunged the nature of his first humor And in so much as within a little while after he became another kinde of man then he had bene heretofore I will now maruell no more why the Poets haue set downe so manie humane bodies to be chaunged through LOVE into diuers insensible and senslesse likenes and shipes For there is no doubt but that the very countenance the conditions and the desires of Loâ—ers alter and chaunge in so much as they turne themselues into new bodies as the Snake doth cast her skinne by reason this extreame hote and supernaturall passion comming vppon the suddaine and crossing the right nature of man breaketh and chaseth it soone away as a suddaine flood of water carryeth before him both hedges Trees and houses and whatsoeuer else withstandeth his violence And so did it happen vnto foolish Antonio Picchio The desire he had to see his shee friend and chase the Deare with her husband was the occasion he came oftner to Leanders house Louers metamorphosed and changed then otherwise he would haue done for he was passing craftie and knewe too too well how to colour his comming thither Loue being his Schoole-master and hauing taught him this cunning Louers neuer want a pretext or shadow to cloake theit affections It is the first lesson they learne in Cupids schoole and which they studie carnestly to obserue to the end that for want of concealing that The first lesson that a Louer learneth which they are most desirous should be hid from the sight of others they feare it it should be
redde with continuall weeping For though teares be forbidden braue and gallant Spirits yet are they tollerable in them when they chaunce to fall into the amorous and ardent passions of Loue. His armes are brawne-fallen and on his bodie appeareth little or no flesh at all in such sort as he resembleth an Anatomie or dead carkasse rather then a liuing man As hee that is plagued with a hote burning Feuer giueth manie testimonies of the same One while by suddaine shaking and shiuering throughout his whole bodie another while by a colde sweat and then by a hote one againe Euen so Antonio his in firmitie appeared by many signes there beeing not one ioynt or member of his coarse but what shewed him to be extreamely tormented and as it were at deaths doore Which Leander seeing began to be halfe madde for the very anguish thereof what to doe he knew not and therefore was almost at his wittes ende To set vppon him afresh to see if he could perswade him to shriue himselfe vnto him he thought were but follic by reason he found him before so vnwilling to participate vnto him or confesse any thing At the last he began to thinke that although he kept it from him perhaps vpon some secret occasion yet peraduenture another might wring it out of him Wherevpon he went vnto his wife praying her to take the paines to see if shee could learne of Antonio that which hee had spent so much labour to knowe and yet by no meanes could attaine there vnto The chaste Ladie who was wonderfull willing to obey her husband and who affected yet with modestie what her Lord liked being of her owne disposition so courteous and pittifull as she gricued for the hurt of an other especially he being the dearest friend her husband had gladly accepted of the proffer Promising him to handle the matter both by her diligent care and good aduifement so cunningly as it should goe hard but that before fewe dayes were gone and past shee would vnderstand and know all And so shee did indeed speaking then more truer then shee was aware of For after shee had vsed to come and visite him now and than he began to recouer pretilie well insomuch as one day the gentlewoman finding him alone intteated him verie kindely to walke with her into the garden hard by somewhat to recreate himselfe and to reuiue him in that feeble and weake estate telling him it would not be amisse for him now and than to take the open aire which words she deliuered with so sweet a grace and so lonely a smile as now he was ten times deeper in loue with her than he had bene before O how foolish are Louers who because they themselues are senselesse therefore they thinke that euery one else is so likewise and that because they loue therefore none should be exempted from louing especially this is one of their conceits as concerning such women as they affect that because they are men worthie to be liked therefore forfooth these women must loue them if they but giue them neuer so little entertainment And so this vaine Antonio perswaded himselfe verily that his friends wife affected him because she vouchsafed in priuate to walke abroad with him He that hath bene long sicke is so desirous of his health that the least ease or amendment that he findeth maketh him beleeue he is well recouered and whole And so fareth it with these Louers who if they receiue the least fauour that may be at their Ladies hands they straitwaies thinke they are their owne Now was Antomo where he would be for he might at leisure behold the beautious eies the louely face and the faire breasts of his sweet Mistris but the more the fond man gazed vpon them the more he was burnt with a secret inward fire these rare beauties of hers drawing him into the bottom lesse gulfe of his vtter ouerthrow as the whirle Pooles in the Seas by many windings and turnings still by little and little the ships within their circled armes and so deuour and swallow them vp meane space wretched Antonio one while by his lookes another while by his sighes one while changing countenance and another while looking red as fire discouered vnto his Mistris so liuely the secret griefe that tormented him within his soule as she needed to haue knowne no more had she bene trained vp so well as hee in the schoole of Loue. But as the right true and honourable Captaine suspecteth not any treason because he knoweth not what it meaneth and for that he neuer did couet to learne the same so this rare Gētlewoman hauing neuer learnd how to entertaine or like any one except her husband could not conceiue the amorous fashions of Antonio nor what he meant making loue vnto her which was the reason his sorrowes slaked not but rather encreased more and more His fearefull glaunces which he stole vpon her and his scalding sighes faithfull messengers of his minde forget not to set out the sorrow that he endured One while he looked pale for feare another while he blushed red for shame oftentimes beginning to speake and so made an end before he had begun His heart is willing that his tongue should discouer his sicknes vnto his Physition but his tongue who doubteth he shall make the matter worse by speaking hath not the courage to speake one word His head is intoxicated and troubled whilst thousands of imaginations run in his braine Now he is resolute to bewray his griefe vnto her and now againe he is of a quite contrarie opinion not to doe it whilst he both hopeth and feareth and all at one instant But ô wretched carkasse the while to entertaine so many and so diuers enemies within it Feare opposeth himselfe against Loue who faine would speake and yet respect doth stop and hinder his desire Faine would he haue some stranger to deliuer his minde vnto his Ladie in his behalfe by which meanes should he haue the deniall which he alreadie apprehended in his thought yet being deliuered vnto him at a second hand he thought it would not be altogether so terrible vnto him But he too well knoweth that there is not any that can doe it or that knoweth his secret meaning but himselfe and therefore as the saying is he must make a Page of his owne age or else he must continue as he did without bewraying his minde at all One while he held downe his face for shame fixing his eies vpon the ground and an other while Loue lifted them vp againe forcing him to stare and gaze vpon the faire countenance of his Mistris he had all the gestures and signes of a most miserable Louer attainted of Loue speech onely accepted and he that is a firme and zealous Louer indeed neuer walketh without respect and fear The Centlewoman perceiueth such alteration in his face and that he often began to speake was very importunate with him to know what he ment and what he ailed But
more hurtfull than when it beginneth first to burn Euen so the villainie of Antonio was farre more terrible making no shew of any such thing then if he had put it in practise before when he was in his sicknes languishing through paine for he hauing bethought himselfe what he would haue them to doe getteth a companie of notable Rascalls secretly together certifying them what he would haue them to doe for him euery one of them being as readie to condescend vnto him in hope of base gaine as he to commaund them and the rather when they knew it was to put in practise so damned a deed such cursed murtherers as those being alwaies more prone to euill than vnto good Thus hauing set euery thing in order he most solemnely inuiteth Leander and his louing wife to feast with him vpon a certaine day appointed for the purpose who suspecting no treacherie very kindly accepted of the same promising for himselfe and for his wife not to faile but to be there O how worthie is a false and trecherous friend of the greatest punishment that may be who plaieth the false counterfeit and of a deare friend becommeth a deadly foe and how farre more hurtfull is he than an open and professed enemie for of the one a man can hardly take heed because he carrieth the vaile of friendship to nide his treacherie but the other we may easily auoide by reason we know he seeketh to doe vs any iniurie that lieth in his power Poore Leander found this to be true vnto his cost For comming vnto Antonio his house with his wife at the first meeting he made a shew vnto them of a most solemne and hartie welcome but no sooner were they set at the table thinking to be merrie and that they were there as safe as if their had bene in their owne Castle but behold the ruffianly Murtherers being disguised brake in vpon the sodaine amongst them with their naked swords in their hands running vpon Leander and giuing him many wounds and that done they laid violent hands vpon his wofull wife carrying her away perforce and leauing him there for dead wallowing in his luke-warme blood It is an old saying that gold is a bad seruant being the occasion many times that his owne maisters throate is cut and that rich men liue the wretchedst liues of all others because they haue great care and much adoe to keepe their goods and are in as great a feare continually least they should lose them yet I am of this conceit that a faire woman is farre more hurtfull vnto her husband she being as much laide for or rather more than his gold is for gold except it be taken away by force neuer offereth himselfe vnto a straunger nor betrayeth his Lord whereas a beautifull wife oftentimes forgetting her selfe her honour and her faith suffereth her selfe to be carried away by another and so betraieth her husband who afterward either dieth for griefe or else hath his throate cut by his wiues Champion and friend So was Agamemnon slaine by his wife so died Achilles for Polixenas sake and so were the Sabin women the cause of the warres betweene their owne countrimen and the Romanes But now who could in liuely colours set forth the vnspeakable griefe of mournfull Cynthia the espouse of Leander she thinking he was dead and her selfe being in the hands of her most deadly enemies What penne were able to write all her pittifull complaints what paper were sufficient to containe her laments â—and what report her more then dolefull speeches Vngratious Antonio the Author of all these euils hauing now the prey he so long time desired leaueth his house presently carrying her away in post with him meaning to goe so farre off as he should neuer be heard of afterward not caring for any thing else but for her person and the rather because he had gotten in his purse great store of gold and Iewels to defray his charges in his iourney But leauing him galloping away with her we will come againe vnto Leander who being found to haue as yet some life in him was carried home vnto his Castle where his wounds being searched by a reuerend Hermit dwelling not far from him and one that was very skilfull in Chyrurgerie and soueraine medicines applied vnto the same he recouered and was cured before he was aware But though he was well in bodie yet was he not so in minde for the vnfortunate knight had many fearefull conceits that troubled him in his head one while the dissoyaÌ„ltie of his friend gaulled him and an other while the departure of his wife grieued him but that which most vexed his soule was that he had a vehement suspirion she should be priuie vnto this conspiracie and so by consequence partaker of this murther as willing he should be made away Neuer were the ships of Aeneas or T'lisses tost so furiously and with contrarie windes vpon the swelling waues of the soming Seas as his minde was canuased and carried too and fro with diuers opinions and thoughts as concerning this matter When a man hapneth to haue any strange mischance he still doth consture euery thing in the worse part because he thinketh euery body should be against him by reason ill fortunes is so common and ordinarie vnto him and therefore he laieth the cause of his Disaster vpon euery one and this was it that made the distemperato Leander to suppose that his modest wife had bene consenting vnto his plot laid for him and that he had made her Pailiard to put the same in practise because he had such a firme confidence in his friendship as he could hardly be induced to thinke that he would euer haue perpetrated such an hainous act vnlesse his wife had very earnestly prouoked and vrged him to baue done it Thus we see how the Pilgrim oftentimes in the night taketh the wrong way fot the right and how some take blacke for white and yellow for red in colours Yet must I needes say that such are to be pardoned in some sort although they censure ouer-rashly and hastily who comming from hauing a shrewd turne done vnto them know not but as they blindly gesse whom they should iustly blame for true griefe deserueth pardon and loosers haue alwaies leaue to speake But the righteous God aboue who knoweth the truth of all things did discouer this at the fittest time for distressed Cynthia to cleare her as sometimes he did Susanua of this villainie falsely imputed vnto her Leander waxing strong in bodie although troubled sore in minde determined either to die or else to find out the traitor that had offered him this monstrous outrage vowing to be reuenged on him as also to seeke his wife whom likewise he ment to punish if he should find her accessarie in any point of the same Whereupon he armeth himselfe getteth vpon his horse backe and accompanied by three or foure Gentlemen his friends he searcheth all the countrie thereabouts to see if he could
heare any tidings either of that treacherous villaine or of his wife In the end he lighteth vpon a great thicke gloomie Forrest through which as he rode he found a dead carkasse of a man and a woman lying by him being in little better case then he was But leauing Leander and his companions seeking their aduenture we will come vnto wofull Cynthia his wife and when fit time shall serue we will discouer who was that creature dead and who that woman being almost in as bad a taking as he vpon whom Loander so strongly hapned Cynthia being carried away from her husband so sodenly and by such barbarous treacherie was for a great while as one in a traunce hardly comming vnto her selfe againe And certainlie I thinke that if women were subiect by nature to die for sorrow then no doubt but she had died for neuer was there woman in this world more sad or heauie than she was no not Niobe Hecuba Oenone Porcia Cornelia nor any other Ladie were she neuer so ouerwhelmed with miseries But this kinde of death seldome or neuer is incident vnto the Female kinde as that of sodaine ioy is Long lay she in this Extasie or sound and long was she before she recouered her right sences againe and so much was she astonisht in her minde with the same as the passage of her speech was kept close and shut from her yet at the last her vitall spirits recouered force within her and her tongue had libertie to speake But alas she could not as much as pronounce one word neither was she able once to open her mouth so wofully did she weepe and so pittâ—fully did she sob and sigh Diuers sorts of colours and that in great number must a cunning Painter haue to draw a faire and great Picture Euen so thousands of teares and millions of sighes had this wretched Gentlewoman need of if she meant liuely to set forth and bewaile her Disaster at the fall For neuer was any Ladies sorrowes to be compared vnto hers Hellena was rauished but with her owne consent Neither did her rauishment bereaue her husbands life as hers did Penelope was dailie and hourely sollicited and importuned by a number of tedious and impudent suters but yet she was suffered to liue chastly and to attend the returne of her Vlisses Hecuba after shee had seene her husband murthered and all her sonnes slaine was led away as a captiue or slaue into Greece and yet had shee more reason to haue borne with patience these her misfortunes though in a higher degree of miserie rather then Cynthia in hers For Hecubas mischaunces proceeded from her enemies to whom the law of Nations giueth leaue to doe what mischiefe they can whereas haplesse Cymhias vnhappines came from him whome she esteemed as the dearest and most faithfull friend her Husband had Lucrctia for losse of chastitie slewe her owne selfe but her death was the death of her aduersarie and the life and libertie of all her Romane Citizens And theresore no woman can be said to haue bene more wretched then hopelesse Cynthia for she saw her Leander murthered as she thought whilst she remained as prisoner in the power of him that was his bloodie Butcher looking euerie houre to be forced of her honour and good name Infinit were the occasions that she had to complaine and the reasons without number that compelled her to exclaime against the most partiall Destinies For what could she loose more pretious and deare then her sweet Spouse whom she esteemed more then her honor and her owne life Needs therefore must her complaints be greeuous and her lamentings heauie and bitter as one that dispaired of all comfort to come Ah woe is me cried shee out why was I borne and why did my mother bring me into this world since there is no person liuing so vnfortunate as I am for I doe not count those miserable who haue liberty to shorten their owne dayes by death but onely such as faine would die and yet cannot Is it possible that one should be borne vnder so hard a Planet as not to be able to die when most fainest he would O how great is that euill when it forceth vs to require ayde of the Fatall sisters to ridde vs of the same whom men detest and loath as their mortall enemies And yet can none but they relieue and ease such wretched creatures The healthie man whilst he is well loatheth and abhorreth to take or taste anie potion or medicine but when he is sicke he is glad and faine to swallowe it downe be it neuer so bitter and sower So we whilst we liue merilie and at harts ease we contemne death but when our griefes are so great as wee are not able to endure them then we account our selues as happie to haue him O God is it possible for me to be able in words to deliuer my losses for my sighes to deplore them for mine eyes to bewaile them or for my heart to be of force to endure them If the losse of paltrie goods maketh men outragious in their passions and if the death of our kinsfolks or friends be sufficient to engender afflictions in vs how much more then haue I cause of insupportable sorrowes Alas I haue lost my kinde husband but am I able to say so and not my soule to flie forth of this miserable bodie or is my condition so miserable that I may say I haue lost him indeed No no I will neuer belieue it rather will I die then perswade my selfe of any such vnwelcome matter vnto me But say I die yet haue I lost him yea I haue lost him and onely through mine occation I haue bene the homicide of my husband and I alone haue slaine him but why then alacke doeth not the rigour of the Lawe passe vpon mee which condemneth such murtherers vnto death Was it not enough for mee to be brought into the most wretchedst estate of all others to be depriued of my deare Leander but that I must be the cause of his vtter ouerthrow also Damned and accursed Beautie how wise was that young Romane Gentleman Spurius who most cruelly mangled and defaced his louely face because hee would haue none to like him And so thrice happie had I bene if I had spoyled and made foule this my wicked countenance which was the first motiue of all these euils and mischiefes following O faire soule of my deare Spouse and Bedfellow great reason hast thou now to complaine of mee iust are thy accusations and most right thy greeuances against me yet since the Gods are appeased with the sacrifices of men I hope that my life shall be a sufficient satisfaction for the offence I haue done vnto thee Thou liuest in the heauens where nothing is hid from thee and seeing thou knowest all things thou needest not to doubt of mine innocencie herein But what is this vnto thee seeing now thou liuest no more and that thou art cut off before thy
for foode for dogges Pilate for pronouncing an vniust sentence against the Innocent was condemned vnto a most heauie death And in our time and in these our dayes we see Fellons and Theeues most wretchedly perish The law of God permitteth not one neighbour to offend another but that he receiue his reward thereafter for otherwise God should not be iust except he should doe good for good and euill for euill And so did it happen vpon the Traitor Antonio who was repayed with such iniurie as he had done vnto his deare friend but yet with great reason hee hauing violated and infringed the lawes of friendship and Hospitalitie by one of that cursed-crewe which wrought the foresaide villanies and in whome hee reposed greatest confidence and trust So wee see the rauenous Wolues to howle and to bicker one with another the greedinesse in feeding hindering them to knowe themselues although they be all of one companie and so the sent and sweetnesse of the prey maketh Theeues to forget their former kindnesse amongst themselues egging them forward to cut one anothers throate to haue the more gaine And such was miserable Antonio his misfortune who hauing as I saide before gotten a good round summe of money and Iuells together to liue vnknowne with his Mistris not minding to returne any more vnto his owne home where he had committed this wickednes the smell of his Gold began to come into the noses of these murthering Rascalls who when they knew not from whom to steale vsed to robbe and filche one from another It is a very difficult and hard matter to giue ouer any kinde of vice especially if a man take an habit in the same for then the more hee marcheth forward to exercise it the more he is plunged ouer head and eares in it Not vnlike vnto the horned Stagge who the more he seeketh to get out of the Toyle which as a snare was left to intrappe him the more he intangleth and windeth himselfe therein Denis of Siracusa had gotten such a custome to spoyle and robbe the Gods in their Temples that hee thought he had not spent that day well in which he had not pilled some one God or other of his ornaments or shauen the golden beard of some others But hee and his were punished for the same their fortunes beeing to be banished out of their Countrey and to die in great want and beggerie But to come vnto the bolde Theefe of whome I spake before who being deepely in loue with Cynthia and whose fingers itched to be busie with Antonios golde called his copes-mates together vnto whom he told so swoothe a tale and so cunningly perswaded them to set abroach this second Tragedie against Antonio as their teeth being seton edge for the Treasure they quickly condescended vnto him and the rather because it was their ordinarie trade The wicked still heape sinne like Hills on sinne So long till they their Soules doe soyle within And now the Holie one beginneth to raigne downe vengeance vpon the head of periured Antonio who least thought of danger when it was nighest at hand hee not once as much as dreaming of anie mischiefe that hung ouer him his chiefest studie being how to perswade the sorrowfull Cynthia to giue ouer her pensiue mourning and to cast away all care and sadnes And as hee was one day alone in her chamber with her verie busie to comfort her and as earnest to sollicite his olde loue vnto her seeking to winne her good will and sauour Behold vpon the suddaine this notable Rascall with his fellowes breaketh in vpon them who without speaking so much as one word ranne furiously vpon Antonio with their naked swords massacring him as Caesar was in the Senat and that with such impâ—â—â—ositie and outragiousnes as they spoyled one another especiallie the miserable but then most happy and fortunate Cynthia who wonderfullie desirous to die rushing into the middest of their brandishing blades and presenting her naked breast vnto the mercie of the Theeues was in the ende wounded to death amongst them her chaste and purple blood streaming out of her weake and fainting carkasse as from a running Fountaine And yet may we count her fortunate in this her misfortune since she was borne by destinie to be miserable her happe being so good as to die without the losse of her honour and reputation carrying away with her her good name and fame euen vnto the graue Thus was the chaste Iphiginea sacrificed so was the bashfull Polixena put to death and so dyed the vertuous daughter of Iepha with diuers other Virgins who to conserue their Chastitie left both their liues and soules together This murther done there followed another for these Rakehells fearing to be taken for doing the deed and willing to be gone vrged their fellow Theefe to make haste away with them but he was so farre in loue with Cynthia who lay at the point of death as by no meanes he would leaue her which they perceiuing and doubting least if hee should be found there he would bewray and appeach them all thought to make sure worke as nigh as they could and so thrusting him through they trussed vp their bagge and baggage carrying away Antonio his Treasure with them leauing Cynthia readie to giue vp the ghost who though shee were so nigh her ende yet could she speake a little No sooner were these Hell-hounds gone from her but shee beganne to take some small comfort in her minde counting her selfe as blessed to die in this manner hauing a sure confidence that she should see her husband in Heauen the glorie whereof she hoped to enioy because she had so luckily preserued her honour O how sweete a thing is death vnto them who are desirous to die when they see themselues disfranchised and freed from all misfortunes and when they find their miseries with the vpshot of their liues Such was the death of the modest and pudike Cynthia and with such ioy did Thisbie leaue the world to follow her beloued Piramus for death is not of power to vnbinde the hearts of true Louers No no they must follow one another euen into the Elizian fieldes and there tye againe those chaines which death before had broken in sunder And now sweet Cynthia perceiuing her selfe to be alone and readie to render vp her Soule vnto her first Redeemer lifting vp her eyes to heauen began to make this prayer I knowe and acknowledge I confesse and proclaime all abroad that thy speech ô most gratious GOD is both Sacred true and veritable which is that thou assurest succour and aide vnto such of thy distressed seruants as be readie to dispaire for want of helpe So diddest thou relieue that Countrey of Aegipt which was wel-nigh starued with famine through the wisedome of chaste Ioseph Thou diddest assist the Iewes in their great extreamie when the red Sea gaue backe to make them passage drowning their enemies which went about to pursue and follow after them Thou diddest send
thinke my victorie vpon The wise of dangers past will were so much as once thinke on Then leaue off for to sorrow thus and seeme not to disdaine Through too much passion honour this which I through thee doe gaine So said he gently helpes her vp and sets her on her feete Whilst with a thousand hunnie words he sweetly her doth greete The Nymph now come vnto herselfe begins to gather hart To chase away all feare from her which fore did breed her smart Her former colour now doth come into her cheekes afresh Whilst she in humble sort with thankes vnto him doth expresse Her gratefull minde acknowledging in courteous manner trim How that her honour and her life preserued were by him With blushing looke and smiling cheare she crownes with flowers his head And vowes in modest wise to be at his deuotion led But weladay who ere would thinke that thanks for his reward Should be the cause a recompence he should receiue so hard This kindnesse which the Nymph on him bestowd deseruing worth Th' vntimely end of him and of his FLORA deare brought forth For doing good the fillie Swaine his harmelesse life must lose A slender hire for praise when at so high a rate it growes Things taken well are still done well a sinne t is to mistruct Vpon surmises false and vaine and proofes not to haue iust Ah had the Shepheards Mistris bene as wise as she was faire She had not heapt vpon her selfe nor him such dismall care Meane-time braue Numidor through his exploit most famous grew And through the Nymphs gratefull report each one this matter knew Which FLORA made for to misdoubt for long time she before Had markt the Virgin to be faire the cause she feard the more She sawe as she did thinke that or'e familiar he was With her and how oft them betwixt great kindnesses did passe She well remembred how they daunct together and which most Did gaul her how in hast away he after her did post When as the Satire snatch her vp her to haue ramshed And how to saue her he againe his life had ventured All these compar'd together made her gesse all was not well So that her bodie quite throughout an vncoth cold sweat fell And now she gan to loue so much as iealous she did grow Of him that nere the same deseru'd nor had off ended so She sighes and sobs and frantick like now here now there doth runne Thinking her dearest Loue of friend an exemie was become Nor dares she in her soule him call her faithfull seruant true Nor worthie of a Mistris kind since he hath got anew Against him say she doth exclaime and still gainst him doth crie Cals him vniust deceitfull false of right an enemie And as if he committed had some monstrous sinne on earth She counts him worthie for to die vnsit to draw his breath And now she throughly is assur'd that he is giuen to range And that of his first plighted Loue he hath made an exchange This forceth her with face one while as pale and wan to looke Another while to be as red as fire from furnace tooke Now doth she burne and then againe she suddenly doth freese Whilst through these passions contrarie her sences she doth leese And now to kill her NVMIDOR she vowes most resolute Since him a periur'd wretch and not better she doth repute That done she meanes to end her daies and slay her selfe him by The more her constant Loue vnto the world to testifie But now Loue makes her change her thought although against her will And forceth her although despite of her to loue him still She weepes and wailes and pearly drops fall from her like small teares Whilst as a bedlem she doth rent her face and golden heares She flings her self vpon the ground her head thereon she knocks Whilst griefe so much in her beares sway as it tongues passage locks With armes a crosse vnto the heauens she lifteth vp her hands Whilst she of Venus and her Sonne reuenge of him demaunds Yet after of the matter she better bethinkes her selfe And then vnto him she doth wish all happines and health Grieuing that she so much hath spoke gainst him she doth repent And from her former cruell minde most willing doth relent But nerethelesse she is resolu'd her selfe to end her life Thereby to ease her of her pangs and rid her from this strife So much she doth disdaine to liue as death she meanes to chuse Since Numidor a Mistris new hath tooke her to refuse Ah cruell Shepheard doth she say lamenting pittiously Hast thou the hart who thee so deare hath lou'd to force to die Well well most vnkind man I for thy sake my selfe will slay And goe into my graue I will vntimely fore my day To please thee not my selfe I sought whilst I on th' earth did liue Nor to prolong my daies tle seeke since thee I see I grieue But at this fault of thine so foule vngratefull dost thou thinke The Gods aboue true Iusticers will seeme at all to winke Thinkst thou vnkind the heauens will ere vnto thee be kinde When how thou fowly hast profan'd their Altars they shall finde No no th' immortall powers sharpe foes vnto thy periurie Shall doe me right and wreake my wrong for this my iniurie Such punishment with tortors huge they shall on thee bestow As they doe on Danaides in Limbo lake below And as they Theseus plagu'd because he wreched was forsworne Or Iason who Medea left all comfortlesse forlorne With many other Louers false which like are vnto thee There as thou rightly dost deserue afflicted thou shalt bee For Iupiter though for a while he men permits to rome And fickle changings proue yet in the end he paieth them home So Paris died and well deseru'd Enone that abusde Who in her life time better him than he deseru'd had vsde Then dost thou thinke fond-man that thou shalt scape this scourage alone Who art the sowrse of all my griefe and motiue of my mone Perhaps thou dreamest because that they awhile their plagues doe spare They slowe are vnto punishment nor of the same haue care What is deferd is not vnpaid the time shall come ere long That thou shalt make amends for misse acknowledging this wrong The more to chastise any fault the Gods gently forbeare The more at last they are rigorous more cruell and seuere Then thinke not wrech most treacherous but that the day shall come That thou shalt smart for what thou hast to wofull Flora done My cause to the heauens I doe commit to them I doe appeale They know the secrets of all hearts nor ought will they conceale And yet sweet Numidor forgiue and pardon what I say Since t is my griefe not I that thus against thee doth enuay For should'st thou neuer so much wrong doe vnto me each houre Yet angrie for to be with thee nere shall I haue the power Loue which is of more force in
imagined that that great God being iealous of mee threatned to flea me aliue as hee did Marsius if I presumed to prosecute my suite anie further And then againe me thought my faire Saint thrust mee from her most disdainefully shee being growâ— proud as an other Olympia or Rhea because of the companie of so glorious a Deitie To be short many dreames troubled mee in my rest abused me in my minde and caused me to be maruellously sorrowfull as I did now and then slumber Alwayes the thought of such things as we haue desired and sought for in the day time presenteth it selfe through Fancie vnto our eyes in the night Beautious Aurora was scarce risen from her olde husband and the Sunne was yet sleeping in his coolie bedde when I got me out of doores trudging as fast as I could vnto the same place from whence but the night before I parted Not being altered in affection or thorough griefe anie thing at all both which I still entertained All the night long before I could not rest which was the cause I composed this Ode following when being as then come vnto mine olde place and seeing my selie alone I began to sing the same with many a heauy sigh hauing it written faire in a paper as thou seest AN ODE Since that thou hast Victorie Ore my dearest Libertie Why with blacke Robe beautie thine Doest thou cloathe sorich and fine If thou wear'st it for to witnesse As a friend my sadde distresse Happie I since for my sake Thou the Colours sadde doest take Sweete my life content be thou That this blacke Weede I beare now Haplesse was my life and so Sad my life in th' end shall show Tomee these sadde cloathes alone Appertaine as signes of mone Nature in one bodie nere Blacke and White at once doth beare From my Blacke all hate be wide With which I my Crosses hide Hee that in dispaire doeth rest Black doeth beare for colour best Cruell this not Colour's thine Since thine eyes bright and dinine Sacred as the hallowed day Chase the gloomie Night away One that or'e All 's Victor braue Cannot rightly this Blacke haue Our barts wounded thou deest make Then of Conquerour habite take And let mee alone with this Since my fitting colour t' is Liue thou in eternall glorie Whilst I die at desperate seric Whilst this Dye thou putst on thee Thou depriu'st of comfort mee For I doubt that thouart sad And thy griefe Death's tome bad Change then this same weede of Dule Fit for dead folks O thou Cruell Why through it wouldst thou impaire Beautie thine farre more then rare Leaue it for I thee assure This my sight cannot endure Giue to mee my Colour blacke Or with Ghostes I goe to wracke If my Colour thou doest take For to ende my Crosses make Thou wilt not for whilst I liue More thou daylie wilt mee grieue That blinde Goddesse Fortune constant onely in vnconstancie hauing the day before vsde me so hardlie thought now to flatter mee a little in making me some amends for the great wrongs she had done vnto mee For my Mistris who with the other Nymphes had the night before fulfilled certaine vowes vnto the Goddesse Diana who then shined most gloriously vppon the face of the heauens was nigher vnto mee then I had thought and in a luckie houre for me heard me thus heauily lament vnto my selfe after I had made an ende of my Song Alas said I into what a maze of wretchednesse am I fallen how wofull is my Destinie and how haplesse my misfortune Of all worldlings liuing some are but too too Fortunate and some but too too miserable but I am neither in the one nor in the other of these two extremities For to say that I am Fortunate I cannot and to tearme my selfe miserable I may not in as much as LOVE although it ouerthroweth mee syet making me affect so dinine a Dame as I do is sufficient enough to he the vpon me all good Fortunes that may be This is the reason I am neither content nor altogether quite displeased whilst I walke in the middest of these two extremities as those base Cowardes who through faintnesse of heart runne from one Enemie vnto another and so serue neither of them rightly And yet alas I finde that the Ballance in which my misfortunes are placed in weigh more then that wherein my good Fortunes be And I feele the burthen of griese more heauy and hard vpon my shoulders then that of ioy and pleasure For what ioy can hee haue that hath not hope of anie thing Most sweete is the sweate that expecteth some fruite to come thereof As that Husbandman laboureth with delight when he soweth his ground because he hopeth to reape some gaine of the same whereas that trauell that is voyd of all hope â—â—so displeasing vnto vs as the verie thought thereof alone maketh a man miserable Such is mine estate for how can I being so wretabed a Caitiffe as I am attend or looke for any fauour from her whom the Gods themselves secke vnto and honour It is not likely that shee will leaue the friendship of so high a Deitie to like of so poore a Shepheard as I in whom there is nothing worthie of commending O beautious Diana enioy enioy I say most happily thy Loue with that great God the father of all Lightsomnes as one whom thou art worthie of and suffer me to pine away in griefe or at the least permit me to sâ—grisâ—ee my hart vpon your common Aultar to the end that this oblation may content him offred vp by a true Louer like himselfe Thrice blessed thou to be adored and reuerenced of so great a God and most accursed I since that I dying am not able to render any sufficient testimonie of the faithfull seruice which I haue alwayes vowed vnto thee But alas what need hast thou of my helpe or which way can I stand thee in stead when thou mayst commaund so mightie and diuine a power at all times Truely thou art right Fortunate and heauens I pray that so thou mavest still continue whilst I as one that languisheth piece-meale away will for thy sâ—ke goe and inclose my selfe within the bottome of some gloomy Rocke where I will so long bewaile my hard chaunce as at the last what with Famine and what with sorrow I will resigne this wretched life tormented with a number of calamities onely because I could no way pleasure thee my sacred Goddesse Thus did I say sighing and sobbing as one resolued to die when my faire Mistris who with â—uch patience had heard this mine amorus complaint vppon the suddaine appeared vnto me not vnlike a newe Sunne breaking through the thicke gloomie Cloudes when they couer the Skies all ouer That wife that beholdeth her husband aliue whome she lamented for dead is not halfe so much astonisht and amazed as I was when I saw my Diana whome I supposed to haue bene as then with the God of the
Censors daughter and modest Octauia the patient wife of that luxurious Marke Anthonie But to come to our former discourse and leaue all digressions by the way Don Iohn had no sooner left the Court but that the young Princes Maria was readie to leaue her life taking on most pittifully now she had loft the sight of him whom she most affected For as the fire put vnder a heape of wood although greene after it groweth to be drie fit to burne kindleth most strangely casting forth huge flames most dreadfull to behold Euen so the heart of Princely Maria which Loue had not yet lighted but onely a little because it began to resist somewhat at the first after it was once throughly dried by desire began to kindle so extremely within her afterward as she was mightily burned with the same insomuch that she grewe so strongly enamored of her louing Seruant as she could no longer liue without his presence Great is the danger of that man that openeth a gap vnto his aduersarie whereby he may take aduantage of him especially vnto that cruell tormentor Loue who worse then any barbarous Tyrant spoyleth vs ouerthroweth vs treadeth vs vnder his feete for so did this comfortlesse Ladie finde him who now with teares from her eyes and sighes from her heart many a thousand times repented her of her ouerfond ouersight in being the Author of so much miserie as well vnto her friend as vnto her owne selfe Faine would shee now redeeme the speeches which before she had spoken but it was then too late although she oftentimes cursed her tongue for the same A bitter Pill of digestion is Repentance and thrice happie is hee that neuer hath had occasion to say I Repent mee onely the ancient Sages fewe in number might iustly speake the same For that man needeth not to be sorrie at all who doeth not anie thing without mature aduise and sound deliberation of iudgement But as a storme neuer commeth without raine or haile so neuer anie misfortune happeneth alone but somewhat else commeth with it For during the time that the Princesse so much bewailed the absence of my loyall Maister it so fell out that the Prince of Lions demaunded her in marriage of the King her Father who presentlie gaue his consent so that there wanted nothing but onely this that the Princesse should agree vnto this match her selfe But shee who could not dispose of her owne heart because shee had bestowed it on another and was fully minded neuer to be wedded vnto anie except vnto Don Iohn thought within her selfe rather to leaue the world then to yeeld vnto any such matter Neuerthelesse her Father and Mother importuned her wonderfully the amorous Prince himselfe not loosing anie time or opportunitie to winne her by all the deuises he could As in the middest of a terrible fight vpon the Sea the Admirall seeing his Shippe set on fire his enemies got therein and his people slaine knoweth not well what to doe or what to resolue vpon whether it were best to die by the â—â—rd of his Foe or to suffer himselfe to be burnt or else to leape into the Sea and there venture drowning and in the end imagining the water to be farre sweeter then the other twaine with desperate courage leapeth therein Euen so and in such perplexitie if not worse was royall Maria. Counsell and aduise shee wanted what to say or doe shee knewe not and which way to turne her she was ignorant shee waileth and weepeth wisheth to die and calleth for death and yet findeth nothing to helpe her Hecuba neuer bewailed her bondage so much nor the murthering of her Children neither did Niobe mone so rufullie for her misso tune as this poore Virgin sighed and tooke on for her hard happe whilst LOVE one while counselleth her one thing another while wisheth her to doe another and yet in the ende doeth not permit her to resolue vpon any matter throughly Shee in the meane time standing doubtfull and wauering what to doe like a vessell that is tossed too and fro with a Tempest O how often did she wish and desire within her selfe to see but once before shee died her dearest friend that she might craue pardon of him for her fault Nothing doth she couet so much as death and yet such was her ill hap as she knew not how to die In the ende after she had bebated the matter within her selfe and beate her braines too and fro therein she found no better meanes then to haue recourse vnto Don Iohn and to intreat him to haue compassion on her but then she was almost at her wittes end to thinke how she might make him acquainted with her purpose When flattering Fortune for her ill luck shewed her how she might bring this her busines about well and as she her selfe would desire For the young Prince of Lions who was in the prime of his youth and in the heate of his chiefe blood seeing he could not by faire meanes obtaine the King of Arragons daughter thought to trie what hee could doe by force and therevpon sent an Embassador vnto the King that if he would not willingly yeeld his daughter vnto his wife he then would haue her from him perforce and by bloodie warres The King hearing this proud Message as one that was loth to force his onely daughter or compell her to marrie against her will yet withall fearing somewhat the power of his arrogant Foe thought to make as sure worke as hee could in this matter and therevpon senâ— pursiuants for all his brauest Soldiours and best men at Armes amongst which he accounted Don Iohn as the chiefe The Princesse hauing espied so fitte an occasion sent a trustie Page of her owne vnto him with her inclosed Letter in great secret but before he had receiued the same the Kings Officers had posted vnto him where he lay certifying him of the Kings commaundement But hee that had vowed vnto himselfe neuer to returne into the world more and finding himselfe so feeble and weake as hee was quite without all force or strength denied the Princesses request minding to excuse himselfe by reason of his sicknes and so to send them away which hee had no sooner done but behold his Mistris Page came presentlie to enter into his Chamber and to deliuer her Letter vnto him As that man who thinking himselfe to be healthfull and strong in bodie is daunted with feare when suddenly and in the best of his time a straunge kinde of Qualme commeth ouer his stomack and an vncoth trembling is found to runne through all his ioyntes and members Euen so was this sicke Knight wonderfullie amazed to see his Ladies Letter in the middest of his miserie and when hee was depriued of all such hope dispairing euer to haue found such kindnesse to come from her In the ende he receiueth them as a Cordiall to his heauie heart and after hee had kissed and rekissed them often hee openeth them wherein he
so before although God he knoweth not anie in all the whole world was more ioyfull then shee to heare of so comfortable tidings and newes Wherevpon shee called for her Coach and went vnto the Knight to visite him where when she was come she found a number of Ladies and Gentlewomen in the chamber who were comforting of him and reioycing with him for his happie victorie No sooner was shee entred into the Chamber where he lay but all the other giuing place she drew towards his beddes side when he poore soule no sooner had spied her but that he forthwith sounded the companie imagining that it was his wounds and not her sight that was the cause thereof whilst she in the mean space was not a little amazed to see him so mightily chaunged and to looke so meger pale and hollow whome not long before she had knowne to be the goodliest and properest man liuing But this misfortune and sicknes hapned vnto him shee laide no bodie in fault of but her owneselfe confessing in her conscience that she was the onely cause thereof and therefore resolued within her selfe to make him amends with the losse of her owne life if he should hap to miscarrie or doe otherwise then well And now my sadde Maister being come vnto himselfe againe and seeing his Mistris to looke so heauily vpon him and sighing he held downe his countenance not daring to behold her whilst the Chyrurgians that had him in Cure and others thought that it was the paine of his woundes that made him so ill And therefore desired euerie one to withdrawe themselues from thence for a while that he might the better take his rest Wherevpon faire Maria was forced though sore against her will to leaue him vowing vnto her selfe if it should please God that her Knight might recouer his former health to marrie with none but him Thinking shee could not be anie mans so rightly as his seeing he had so brauely reuenged her quarrell vpon her hatefull enemie and had engaged his life for her deare seruice Alas how shall I be able to make an ende of this pittious historie I knowe not I and therefore good Arcas let this suffice which I haue alreadie reported vnto thee Heere the wretched Fortunio powred forth whole fountaines of teares it being a long time before hee could speake as much as one word more but I pressed him so much and vrged him so often that in the ende hee went forward with his former discourse in this manner Don Ihon my Maister had all the cunning Physitions and Chyrurgions that could be gotten to looke vnto him whereby hee might recouer his former health and haue his wounds healed But all was in vaine for there was no Medicine or Balme that could doe him any good by reason of the great sorrow which hee had before conceiued in his minde And because the small vertue and strength of his radicall humour within him which griefe had ouermuch weakened was not of power sufficient to nourish his grieuous wounds and therefore they became both weaker and worser euerie day then other They were not ouer mortall or deadlie and yet because of diuers accidents and what through the badde disposition of his bodie they became incurable which they that looked vnto him perceiuing and finding that there was no way but one with him certified his friendes thereof who tooke on most pittrouslie when they heard such heauie newes And now the last day was come in which most happily hee must leaue this world at what time although as then too late his Mistrisse shewed her selfe most kinde vnto him For shee hauing vnderstood by her trustie Page of whome I talked of before that he was drawing towards his latest ende determined with her selfe not long to liue after him wherevpon she tooke a fitte time to steale secretly vnto his Chamber where being alone with him and causing the doore to be boulted she came vnto his beddes head But alas Father I am not able to proceed any further for verie anguish of minde my hart will burst if without weeping I goe onward with my Tale. But yet I will doe what I can to make an ende thereof although for euerie word I speake I shall be forced to shead a teare The kinde Knight perceiuing the young Princesse to stand by him whose eyes were turned into springs of teares whose heart was turned into another Montgibell with scalding sighes and whose amorous locks lay all rent and torne about her shoulders with a hollow voyce and throatling in his throate spake thus vnto her If it be sweete Mistrisse for mee your faithfull and wretched seruant that you lament so much then I beseech you giue ouer the same and reserue it for a better purpose and lessen not the glorie which hee feeleth for dying in your Royall seruice But alas what is this I say Is it likely that you can bewaile the losse of him who when hee was liuing you depriued of life through your too extreame rigour No no I know it is not for mee that you thus take on for I confesse I am not worthie thereof but it is for the Prince of Lyons who is slaine that you torment your selfe whome perhaps you made account of to haue had for your husband If so then cruell Lady know this that it was thy onely commaundement caused me to kill him and had it not bene thy will he had bene yet aliue Neuerthelesse if in this I haue done amisse I craue pardon of thee before I die as well for that as for anie errour else that I haue most vnwillingly done against thee I die beautious virgin yea I must die onely because I loue thee accounting my selfe most vnfortunate in that I haue not receiued one small fauour at thy hands before my death Neither am I willing to liue seeing it is contrarie vnto thy will and pleasure My dying lippes had neuer that blessed happe to touch those thy vermillion checkes No not so much as to kisse those thy Princely handes and all because I was thereof vnworthie Notwithstanding if thou most gratious Mistris doest thinke that this my death for louing thee deserueth anie recompence then I most humblie beseech you that you pardon all that is past graunting me to kisse not your louely lips but onely that your most victorious hand O my soule my soule how insupportable is your anguish not to loue this my bodie but to abandon the companie of my sweet Princes I die happily being rid from all my griefe and yet most miserably in that I lose thee whom I loue farre more then my owne selfe O fairest creature of all that euer were faire remember remember thy deare Don Iohn after he is dead and gone who now taketh his last farewell of thee Hauing so said he sinketh downe into his bed his faire Mistris falling hard by his side in a sound but in the end comming vnto her selfe againe she shed so many teares vpon the bloodlesse visage of
of this world farewell the faire Sunne of my soule farewell my ioy and onely comfort and if euer thou thoughtest me worthy of any fauour embrace me once before I die And thou sweet Iesu mine onely Sauiour haue mercie vpon me Scarce were these words forth of his mouth when the most disconsolate Ladie embracing her breathlesse Knight laied her mouth so close vnto his as his soule seemed to part out of his corpse into hers which with a sweet yet scalding sigh she drew in her owne And now he being without life and cold as any stone the Princes knew not what to doe faine would she haue murthered her selfe but that she had no weapon wherewithall to doe the deed besides she durst not stay alone in the chamber least she might perhaps be espied by one or other and yet againe she was most loth of all to leaue the coarse of her kinde friend so soone But in the end reason tooke place which perswaded her to conuey her selfe as secretly from thence as when she came thither which she did so cunningly through helpe of her old trustie and assured Page as she was not perceiued by any vntill such time as she recouered her owne lodging where after she had bene setled a while she locked the doore vnto her and so laying her selfe vpon her bed after she had for a certaine space wailed and lamented for the death of my Maister she held her breath so long within her bodie and closed her mouth so hard as at the length she stifled her selfe for want of taking winde and so was found dead not any doubting of any such matter nor any knowing what the cause should be of her death but onely my selfe and her foresaid trustie Page No sooner was she found thus dead and the bruite thereof noysed abroad but there was a generall lamentation and crying out throughout all the court not vnlike that which was heard in Troy the same night the Citie was set on fire vpon the suddaine by the subtill Greekes What great moane the King and the Queene made for their daughter the young Princes and how grieuously the friends of Don Iohn tooke the death of him being held to be one of the most valiants and brauest Knights of Spaine I hope I need not to report vnto you It shall suffice their Funerall obsequies were performed and set out in the most sumptuous and costliest manner that could be deuised which being past and done I tooke my leaue of that countrie minding to trie my fortune in some other place and so taking with me some fewe Iewels and certaine gold which my late Maister had bestowed vpon me I went my waies when as I trauailed on my iournie some of the foresaid Prince of Lions men by ill fortune met with me who knowing me to be a follower of Don Iohn that had ouerthrowne him in combat laid violent hands vpon me meaning to carrie me with them by sea into their countrie and there to put me vnto some cruell kinde of death But God knowing me to be innocent tooke compassion vpon me so as after I was shipped with them a suddaine Tempest arose in which our vessell was sunke all the passengers within her drowned and I onely escaped and was saued This reuerend sir was the wofull Tragedie which Fortunio reported vnto me of his hard aduentures But it now beginneth to waxe darke let vs be gon then said the old man and to morrow againe thou shalt begin where thou hast now left Agreed quoth Arcas and therewithall walked along with him to bring him on his way towards his lodging which as they were going they might see this riddle to be ingrauen within the barke of an auncient old Elme My fortun 's strange the whâ—le world holds me deare And though I nothing am of nothing made Yet I so spotlesse shew so faire and cleare As noblest states of me are well apaid What ere passeth by me I see the same Yet I no eyes haue and am formed so As smallest force doth bring to me my bane Breaking me peece-meale with a little blow My propertie most true is what doth breath I liuely that present in face and beautie And which is more I creature nere deceiue Great personages to me bowe as t' were of dutie Yet I them faithfull serue whilst loth they are To leaue me so well they my companie Doe like Say then who rightly can me barre From honour such as all giue vnto mee What thinke you of this Riddle said the olde man vnto Areas and how would you expound the same Marrie thus answered the Shepheard This Enigma signifieth nothing else but a right christall Mirrour which is a â—â—ettall of little or none account and is little or nothing accounted of in that they are common and subiect to breaking with euery small little fillip or touch of hand And yet neuerthelesse they are set by in euery place of the world especially by the better and nobler sort who lightly neuer passe by any of them but they looke and behold themselues in the same Not any one goeth by them but if he please he may view and discerne his owne liuely shape whilest the looking glasse it selfe seeth euery thing that passeth before it although it haue no eyes at all So brittle is it of Nature that as I said before it breaketh with any light fall all in peeces It sheweth the true counterfait of euery one that looketh in the same dwithout eceiuing any which is the reason they are in no small request amongst great states especially faire Ladies and Gentlewomen who therefore prise them very highly Well hast thou said quoth the old Magitian and thou hast hit the very naile vpon the head I commending thy sharpe conceit for the exposition thereof But now let vs be walking vnto our lodgings seeing the skie beginneth to waxe darke and the Sunne is readie to repose himselfe vpon his wet and deway coach And herewithall they departed euery one vnto their seuerall houses where we will leaue them vntill the next morning yet not leauing to conceale from your conceits an Ode which a certaine Nymph sung vnto them as they were going homewards And this it was Since that Loue is worse then death And suruies when coarse wants breath I will chase away the same Leust I vext be with that paine For she is fond that liues by Loue And many plagues is like to prone What would euery one report If I liue should in such sort Hope in vaine and to no end Marre myselfe rather then mend Since she is fond that liues by loue And many plagues is like to proue Yet I here protest though I Meane to leaue Loues crueltie Yet I Cupid honour still Whilst he worketh me none ill For she is fond that liues by loue And many plagues c. I confesse ther 's passions sweete In Loue for true Louers meete Such as doth them gently warme And their harts most sweetly charme Though she is fond
strong for him who although he had so often giuen the foile vnto the Romans yet when he lost his pretious libertie through lying in Capua and making Loue vnto a woman there was ouercome by that temperate Romane Scipio Demetrius likewise was so bewitched with the faire Curtezan of Athens as he stood in awe of her as if he had bene her bond-slaue And if we should leaue the earth and flie vp into the heauens wee shall finde the Gods themselues haue bene schollers in Cupids schoole For did not Ioue loue Europa Lida Alcumena and diuers others Phoebus Cassandra Daphne and many moe Mars Venus Venus Adonis Diana Endimion and I know not whome besides Why then if it be so I must needs say that thy power extendeth farre and neere thou being as mightie in the heauens as thou art here vpon the earth Fortunio seeing mee in this humour beganne thus How now man but euen now thou shewedst thy selfe to be conquerour ouer thy passions setting a good face on the matter whilest thou didst bare out the brunt thereof And now againe thou seemest as a recreant to yeeld vnto thy anguish and sorrow crying out and vexing thy selfe as if thou wouldest die vpon the suddaine what is the reason of this alteration and change It is a credit for a man to change from vice to vertue and of bad to become good but not to goe on still growing worse and worse Dauid is praised for amending his wicked life and for becomming a new man where his Sonne Salomon is condemned in that he forgot himselfe in his latter daies becomming an Idolater and a whoremonger amongst his concubines Thinkest thou that it is enough for thee to say thou art not able to resist the force of Loue and that other mens faults are sufficient to excuse and defend thine That thiefe is not exempted from punishment who excuseth himselfe hauing robbed from others that he hath but done as an other hath done before him for though it be lawfull to imitate such actions as are commendable and vertuous yet is it not tollerable to doe what is wicked and villainous This colour then will not serue thee and therefore if as thou not long since diddest affirme thou louest the inward qualities of the minde without coueting that fleshly pleasure which Louers so much studie to obtaine although with great labour and losse but what is the reason thou takest on thus And why shouldest thou seeme to dispaire being readie euery houre almost to goe about to giue ouer the world For louing the soule onely the bodie which is but a closet for the same cannot hinder thy affection neither canst thou hope to receiue any other contentment or pleasure of thy loue then in conceit whereas thou doing thus as thou doest thou wilt make the world belieue that thy loue is of another manner of nature then thou wouldest perswade vs it being the common fashion of sottish Louers and such as desire sensuall delights to crie out and lament as if they were readie to die when they cannot taste the sweetnes of the same as the sicke Patient dieth for want of physicke that should expell such superfluous humours as hurt him Now if thy Loue be such as thou saiest that it neither demandeth nor expecteth in any sort this pleasure what maketh thee for want of enioying the same to run still vnto death wringing thy hands and making such pittious moane as is strange to behold Therefore are such men farre more furious and mad then those senselesse Bedlems are who without cause seeke to offer violence vnto themselues imitating the heathen people of Aegypt who vsed to burne themselues without any cause at all but onely when the toy tooke them in the head for most deare ought we to hold our life because it is vnrecouerable neither must we forgoe it vnlesse for some great occasion as either for the benefit of our common-wealth or for speciall good and aduancement of all our friends I seeing Fortunto to be so earnest replied thus O Fortunio I cannot see how a man can lose a lesser losse then the shortning of his daies for loosing them he lighteth vpon a path that leadeth him into eternall rest and therefore he is not hindered at all resembling that marchant who exchangeth bad marchandise for such as are most pretious and rich For a smaller matter then mine thousands of wise men haue shortned their liues A witnes whereof is that wise man who following Alexander the great and much fauoured of him gaue not ouer for all that to erect a great pile of wood which he setting a fire most cheerfully leapt therein without sturring once and so was there buried But perhaps you will aske me what was the cause that vrged him thereunto truely none but onely because he would leaue this mortall life to inherit a life euerlasting But say that no liuely apprehention of intollerable griefe did force a man to this desire yet are the very defects of Nature and the desire to become immortall sufficient enough to imprint most deeply this conceit in his soule especially if after death we shall be free from feeling of any paine according vnto the grosse errour of the voluptuous Epicure For is it not farre better neuer to be borne then to liue and endure miserie But we flie higher in our thoughts thē those Phylosophers for we by this meanes set not onely an end vnto our wretchednes but we change them into glorie contentment and our fraile and fleshly bodie into an immortall state free from all corruption Therefore my conclusion is that seesing the onely maimes of Nature without any other accident of euill are of force enough to imprint within vs this desire of death we are not to be reprehēded if we die in as much as we are stirred vp vnto death as well because of these imperfections as also by reason of such a subiect of deadly griefe as can no way be remedied nor holpen but by the fatall Destinies and those that doe contrariwise cannot be compared for constancie and vertue vnto those women who one striuing with another leaped into the flaming fire wherein their dead spouses were burned a deepe passion of true sorrow and a vehement desire to follow their husband being that which did animate them vnto this death Besides such as are in dispaire for euer seeing ioyfull daies in this world haue not they the greatest reason of all to die which if any such shall refuse they are of a more base and timerous disposition then those women afore said seeing that in death onely a man incountreth with quiet rest as whilest we liue we are yoaked and tyed vnto troubles The sage Hebrew King praiseth in his prouerbes the dead more then he doth the liuing death being the securest harbor of all other where when we are arriued we are exempted from rowing any more in the dangerous barge of this turbulent world Fond is that Pilot who through the fauour of the
stout his speech his prudent wit By this same gentle Shepheard was Sycambras pride tooke downe Since carelesse of her care for him he on her still did frowne Cruell he was without remorse vnto her endlesse paine As she vnto her Louer was retchlesse and hard againe His great disdaine this crueltie made her to feele the more Which through his beautie ouer proud he made her suffer sore Thus oft by selfe-same punishment which we doe others make To feele for our offences bad like penance we doe take A Sentence So oft the Heauens by selfe-same Blade to slay our proper Coarse With which we others slaughtered haue doe iustly vs inforce Now whilst this Shepheardesse did burne infancie with vnease Nothing vnlesse Armanda t' was her eyes bewitcht could please Yet nothing did Armanda loath so much as when he spide Sycambra hatefull to his sight for then for spite he dide Thus their desires quite contrarie the one vnto the other Could not but bring forth thousand griefs which they were forc't to smother Sycambra curst that haplesse Loue which made her for to burne For him who vnto her againe like Loue did not returne And contrarie that she must hate the Amitie so rare Which Zerphir Zerphir Louer hers most loyall to her bare For so that gentle Swaine was call'd whose friendship was not fainde And who for honoring her so much much sorrow had sustainde Meane space Sycambra night and day laments her Fortunes hard Accusing her crosse Fate and Loue from all good luck debard Whilst all this while Armanda blythe his hunting followeth fast And chasing of the Hart and Hynde his time with pleasure past He sleepeth soundly in the night withouten dread or feare Whilst amorous onely of his health himselfe he seeks to cleare But weladay the other Swayne poore Zerphir Zerphir poore As did Sycambra so did he most grieuous paines endure As well as she Armanda lou'd helon'd her or as much Whilst with the flame of selfe-same fire Loue his true hart did touch Yet could he not this vncoth flame extinguish coole or quench Loue so from case and remedy did keepe him as a fence Sycambras griefe and Zerphires paine alike were in like case Whilst from their blubbered eyes salt tearesran trickling downe apace Both wounded with like Loue and yet with diuers sundry darts Encreasing more their dolours and their pangs within their harts Sycambra nere Armanda could attaine as oft she sought Nor to affect Zerphir her Swaine she euer could be brought Most wretched her hard happe to place Loue where she reapt disdaine Withouten any remedy for to asswage her paine Nor to haue power to succour him who was her Louer true Whom she did force yet could not chuse through her disdaine to rue Thus many dayes in this estate these strange desires remaind Whilst neither length of time nor wees their Fortunes euer chang'd Sycambra louing still the man that would not her requite Nor she once smiling on her Swayne whose ioy was in her sight But in the end vnable more this choaking rage to smother She did resolue at resolute her toments to discouer To trie if she Armanda could perswade to ease her smart And if a gainfull purchase she could make of his deare hart For one day as his fashion was as he was on the wayes Attending on his flocke of sheepe which want only did grase Not thinking he of any Loue detesting such a fee Deuising thousand toyes himselfe to please as he did goe Sycambra sweetly him accosts and prayeth him doe her grace To giue her leaue her Fortunes hard she may discourse a space And not her prayers to disdaine nor yet her secret vow Nor crueller then Gods to be who vnto prayers how Vouchsafing mortall men to heare and them not to despise But mou'd vnto compassion heale their wounds in pittious wise These words Armanda galled much who nought for her did passe Yet she so vrg'de him as to heare her speake content he was She then as one amazde in minde quite out of countenance Her vitall spirits bereft of hope her ioyes for to aduance A cold swet ouer all her face quaking with frightfulnesse Her eyes halfe shut for shame her heart fraughted with much distresse Her sences daunted sore her breath still panting too and fro All which as true fore-runners did her griefs at hand fore-show Her tongue stuttring stammering thick her voyce trembling soft Now weeping and then sobbing fast and sighing then full oft She thus to him vnkinde did speake at last though first t' were long To him who pleasure small did take in this her wofull Song Ah my Armanda wilt not take on me compassion Nor of these torments which doe vexe me in this vncoth fashion Wilt thou her send most cruelly vnto her fatall Tombe Her who in soule hath vow'de thine owne alone for to become Hast thou the heart the wight that liues onely for thee to slay To th' end shee might thee dutious serue and chastly thee obey Sweet Shepheard euery labour great deserues a recompence And lesse men iustly deale the Heauens with them will not dispence They must respect vnto them giue and awfull honor chiefe A Sentence They must their Louers loue and seek to swage their inward griefe Else are they not so curteous as is the Lyonesse Who sheweth to him that feedeth her a kind of thankefulnesse Ah then regard my pittious plaintes reward me for my paine And suffer me to ioy thy loue which I deserue to gaine After a long laborious toyle the Husbandman doeth reape The wisht for fruit which Haruest doth with plentie on him heape Whereby hee well is guerdoned for moyling so before Forgetting quite all former care which troubled him full sore And wilt thou I that partie be afflicted with such crosse That I alone shall merite none receiue for all my losse That I shall alwayes liue in Dole in sad lamenting still Nor finde no ease for all my griefes is this thy pleasures will Wilt thou be without pardon sweete and mercie all alone Like to a Furie full of hate wilt thou be such a one Ah sweete Armanda hart too faire so cruell for to bee Beautie and Mercie as two Twinnes together stillagree A Sentence Euen as the Iuye with his armes the wall doeth close embrace Winding himselfe most hard thereto So Beautie cleanes to Grace And wilt thou then by Bedlem rage thy Beautie rare defame Wilt thou through thy strange crucltie purchase a Murtherers name Wilt thou ore-come with ore-much spite force her vnwilling die Who thee adoreth as the Gods aboue most reuerently Alack Armanda doe not so thy Vertue so to wrong Wise men themselues so carrie as they after death liue long A Sentence Wee must not haue respect alone vnto the present thing But hope that future praise great ease vnto our soules may bring Ah then deare Shepheard mercie showe to mee which shall redowne To thy immortall Glory
much and much to thy renowne Be thou content to see her breathe who by thy Grace doth liue And who to view thy hurts in soule more then thy selfe would grieue No Treasure like a faihfull Friend so rich you can denise Who to himselfe gets foes in minde much diseontented dies Friendship from Heauen first come and as a gift diuine is held A Sentence And mortall men from ouerthrowes it saued hath not seld Then Deare vouchsafe for to appease the torments I endure Appease my sorrowes and my wounds nigh mortall daine to cure Nor force me not lest dying I when life from me shall part Doe call vpon thee in my death as if chiefe cause thou wert Ah speake then my Delight and cleare from me this bitter storme By comforting my deadly woes which I too long haue borne To th' end thy kindnesse milde to helpe my sicknesse may be seene As hitherto the Author of my troubles thou hast beene But why doest thou so long delay to answere vnto mee Hard harted more then flintie rocks which in the mountains bee Ah cruell man I well perceiue my loue thou doest disdaine Nor wilt vouchsafe in cheerfull wise to staunch my bleeding vaine I see thou meanst with those thine eyes prides dartes still me to pierce To close me in my fatall Tombe through rigor thine so fierce Well be it so I am content For happie I them gesse Who dying A Sentence see to dye with them their griefes which then doe cease And since I finde that sauadge-like thou wilt not rue my state I am well pleasde to end my dayes because thou doest me hate Then yet but daine to speake to me say if thou wilt asswage Or still increase these plagues of mine which doe within me rage Cruell dispatch my loyaltie which nere from thee did swerue Say in thy conscience doeth it not one word of thee deserue Alas A Sentence answere but I or no what lesse thing can one finde Or baser priz'de then is a word which is but sound of winde Thus said she sighing ceast whilst teares from cheekes like showres did fall Yet nor her selfe nor teares nor speech Armanda mou'd at all Nay more so cruell was he growne as he disdaind to looke Vpon her face her beautious face which hardly he could brooke Her passionate words could not perswade they made him hate her more That he so long had giuen her eare himselfe he blamed sore In th' end forc't by the vrgings oft and importunitie Of sad Sicambra who like Ghost did haunt him with her crie With furious lookes and frowning brow these words at last he spoke Which like a dismall Oracle her heart in sunder broke Foolish Sicambra thus in vaine to vexe me what doest meane From these fond fittes of idle Loue thy minde why doest not weane T' is thou that makst Armanda die in worse then wofull wise Armanda who thy speech and loue contemnes as worthlesse prise Thy tedious tale told to no end to heare he little ioyes He dies tormented tir'de and gaul'd to heare thee make such noyse Now prie thee prie thee let alone Armanda miserable Who for to take his wonted rest is not through thee scarce able He at thy follies doeth but smile his chiefe delight and loue Is for to chase wild beasts of prey his strength gainst them to prooue He cannot like of any thing except his flocke of sheepe With which to pleasure his not small he in the fields doth keepe To force one loue against his will is what can neuer be Neuer the same hath bene as yet nor shall you find 't in me For loyall Loue that it may dure and neuer prooue to faint Doth of himselfe A Sentence seaze on the heart without force or constraint Where being forc't t' is alwayes bad vnperfect and vnsound For nothing's goodly but what 's built on Friendships firmest ground Then why fond Gyrle art thou so mad to loue me to constraine By this thy earnest vrging speech which thou too well canst faine I tell thee I in those false eyes nor face of thine delight Nor doe I pittie ought at all thy hard and heauy plight I laugh to see thee heauie weepe to heare thee sigh I smile And in thy martyring much doe ioy whilst thou complainst the while Poore wretch thou doest but loosethy time nor euer shalt thou finde Armanda will his fancie change to thee for to be kinde He 'le neuer loue thee For before his heart should so conspire To quench so worthlesse flames a death most strange he would desire For neuer greater mischiefe vile can any himselfe bring Then when he tries the lawes of Loue and feeles his poysonous sting Vnhappie they that know the same and wise I him account That with this bedlem passion mad will not at all confrount My yeares are too too young mine age not ripe enough as yet My selfe to subiect as a slaue to Loue his furious fit Nor haue I time enough to be a scholler in his schoole And I am wilde enough although I play not so the foole Then leaue me to my selfe that I may of my selfe dispose Whose pleasure hunting is whose sport is quiet soft repose And come not thus to trouble me with these thy bawling cries Which I assure thee I disdaine in most contemptuous wise Be gone nor looke here any more thou come this text to preach For for such sicknesse as these I am no pleasing leach And therewith all the Shepheard sterne departs and all alone Sicambra leanes vncomforted Sanus pittying of her mone Alacke what should she doe as now She could doe nought but waile Which rather did encrease her griefe then cause the same to quaile No teares our passions can represse which from the heart arise A signe they are of woe but want the perfect remedie It is but lost time to lament whil'st weeping we reuiue Afresh these cruell torments which doe martire vs aliue Now as she wofully thus tooke on in this her desperate plight Kinde Zerphir who had sought her much on her by chance did light And seeing her afflicted thus all desolate and sole He sighing weepes to view her weepe and with her doth condole So suffereth the Louer chast for his sweet Ladies sake If she but grieued be the same he at his soule doth take He of the paine participates which in her minde is growne And more her hurt doth trouble him then that which is his owne Zerphir then did endure as much as did the Shepheardesse Her teares were his his pensiue plight then his was nothing lesse But after much lamentings sad with many a bitter sob He sweetly thus gan comfort her whil'st fast her heart did throb Sicambra who thus miserable thy life hath made to me Who hath thy fortune brought as mine thus pittious for to be Whence comes these sighes true witnesses of thine in interuall troubles Whence slow these teares apparant showes that care within thee double I st