two corruptly done with a confusion of verse into Prose and leauing out in many places diuers hard sentences and some leaues in the end of the third Part wherefore they are but blind guides by any to be imitated Well might I haue excused these paines if onely Edward Paston Esquier who heere and there for his owne pleasure as I vnderstand hath aptly turned out of Spanish into English some leaues that liked him best had also made an absolute and complete translation of all the Parts of Diana the which for his trauell in that Countrey and great knowledge in that language accompanied with other learned and good parts in him had of all others that euer yet I heard translate these Bookes prooued the rarest and worthiest to be embraced The faults escaped in the Printing the copie being verie darke and enterlined and I loth to write it out againe I pray you Gentlemen pardon since all the last Terme that it was in the Presse hauing matters of greater consequence in charge I could not intende the correction aduertising you by the way that the greatest faults are at the ende of the Booke set downe the lesse being of no moment purposely omitted Fare ye well and continue me in your woonted loue and fauours Yours in all friendly offices B. Y. THE EPISTLE To the Illustrous and noble Lord Don Iuan de Castella de Villa Noua Baron of Bicorb and Quesa of GEORGE of Montemayor ALthough this custome were not very auncient most noble L. for Authours to dedicate their workes to personages of honour and renowne by whome they were protected and defended notwithstanding your rare and high deserts as well for your noble and ancient house from whence you are descended as also for the resplendant valour and vertue of your person might with greater reason then I can expresse incite me to performe more then this obliged dutie And admit the base stile of the worke and the Authours small woorth in reason ought not so far extend as to dedicate it to your Lordship yet excluded from all other remedies I presumed onely on this that it was somewhat accounted of For precious stones are not so highly valued for the name they haue for they may be false and counterfeite as for his estimate in whose handes they are I humbly beseech your good Lordship to entertaine this booke vnder your Hon. ampare and correction as to the Authour heereof being but a stranger you haue done no lesse since his poore abilitie is not able to serue your Lordship in any other thing whose wished life and noble estate our Lord increase for many yeeres To the same Lord. Moecenas was to Maro of great fame A singular good Lord and louing frend And Alexander did enioy that same Rare wit of Homer death though him did end And so the Villanouas generous name The Lusitan poore Authour doth defend Making a base and wanting wit t' aspire Vnto the clouds and yet a great deale higher Don Gaspar Romani to the Authour If Lady LAVRAS memorie vnstained PETRARC in endlesse verse hath left renowned And if with Laurell HOMER hath beene crowned For writing of the wars the Greekes obtained If Kings t' aduaunce the glorie they haue gained In life time when fierce MARS in battell frowned Procure it should not be in LETHE drowned But after death by historie maintained More iustly then shouldst thou be celebrated O excellent DIANA for the fairest Of all the faire ones that the world hath brought foorth Since all those wits whose pens were estimated To write the best in glorie thou impairest And from them all the Laurell crowne hast sought foorth Don Hieronymo Sant-Perez to George of Montemayor Parnasse O sacred mount and full of glorie The Poets muse delight of their desires Me thinkes thou art too comfortlesse and sorie Compar'd with this whose famous name aspires In deede J am since that the Muses left me And with their gracious Quire from hence descended To mount this Hill whose Greatnes hath bereft me Of all my fame and glorie that is ended Thrise happie his Diana since her flower In top of this High Hill was set so lately That all the world might view it euery hower Where she doth liue most soueraigne and stately In all the world most celebrate and graced Being no lesse excelse then highly placed The Argument of the first Seuen Bookes IN the fieldes of the auncient and principall citie of Leon in Spaine lying along the bankes of the riuer Ezla liued a Shepherdesse called Diana whose beautie was most soueraigne aboue all others in her time She loued and was deerely beloued againe of a Shepherd called Syrenus in whose mutuall loue was as great chastitie and vertue as might be At the same time another Shepherd called Syluanus loued her also more then himselfe but so abhorred of the Shepherdesse that there was not any thing in the world which she hated more But it fell out that as Syrenus was constrained to be out of the kingdom about certaine affaires which could by no means be excused nor left vndone and the Shepherdesse remaining at home very sad for his absence time and Dianas hart with time were chaunged who then was married to another Shepherd called Delius burying him whom she had but of late so greatly loued in vniust obliuion Who after a whole yeere of his absence comming home againe with great affection and desire to see his beloued Shepherdesse knew before he came that she was already married And from hence the first booke begins and in the others following they shall finde diuers histories of accidents that haue truly happened though they goe muffled vnder pastorall names and style The first Booke of Diana of George of Montemayor DOwne from the hils of Leon came forgotten Syrenus whom loue fortune and time did so entreate that by the least greefe that he suffered in his sorrowfull life he looked for no lesse then to loose the same The vnfortunate Shepherd did not now bewaile the harme which her absence did threaten him and the feare of her forgetfulnes did not greatly trouble his minde bicause he sawe all the prophecies of his suspicion so greatly to his preiudice accomplished that now he thought he had no more misfortunes to menace him But the Shepherd comming to those greene and pleasant meades which the great riuer Ezla watreth with his cristalline streames the great felicitie and content came to his wandring thoughtes which sometimes he had enioyed there being then so absolute a Lord of his owne liberty as now subiect to one who had wrongfully enterred him in darke obliuion He went musing of that happie time when in those medowes and on those faire banks he fed his flocks applying then his minde in the onely care and interest he had to feede them well and spending the rest of his howers in the onely delight that he tooke in the sweete smell of those golden flowers at that time especially when cheerefull spring-tyde the merry messenger
Page played his part by depainting foorth their properties in their liuely colours And because I thought nothing more commodious for my rest and for the enioying of my desire then to follow Fabius his counsell I answered him thus In truth I determined to serue none but now since fortune hath offered me so good a seruice and at such a time when I am constrained to take this course of life I shall not do amisse if I frame my selfe to the seruiee of some Lord or Gentleman in this Court but especially of your Master because he seemes to be a woorthy Gentleman and such an one that makes more reckoning of his seruants then an other Ha thou knowest him not as well as I said Fabius for I promise thee by the faith of a Gentleman for I am one in deede for my father comes of the Cachopines of Laredo that my Master Don Felix is the best natured Gentleman that euer thou knewest in thy life and one who vseth his Pages better then any other And were it not for those troublesome loues which makes vs runne vp and downe more and sleepelesse then we woulde there were not such a Master in the whole worlde againe In the end faire Nymphes Fabius spake to his Master Don Felix as soone as he was come foorth in my behalfe who commanded me the same night to come to him at his lodging Thither I went and he entertained me for his Page making the most of me in the worlde where being but a fewe daies with him I sawe the messages letters and gifts that were brought and caried on both sides greeuous wounds alas coruiues to my dying hart which made my soule to flie sometimes out of my body euery hower in hazard to leese my forced patience before euery one But after one moneth was past Don Felix began to like so well of me that he disclosed his whole loue vnto me from the beginning vnto the present estate and forwardnes that it was then in committing the charge thereof to my secrecie and helpe telling me that he was fauoured of her at the beginning and that afterwards she waxed wearie of her louing and accustomed entertainment the cause whereof was a secret report whosoeuer it was that buzzed it into her eares of the loue that he did beare to a Lady in his owne countrey and that his present loue vnto her was but to entertaine the time while his busines in the Court were dispatched And there is no doubt saide Don Felix vnto me but that indeede I did once commence that loue that she laies to my charge but God knowes if now there be any thing in the world that I loue and esteeme more deere and precious then her When I heard him say so you may imagine faire Nymphes what a mortall dagger pierced my wounded heart But with dissembling the matter the best I coulde I answered him thus It were better sir me thinkes that the Gentlewoman should complaine with cause and that it were so indeed for if the other Ladie whom you serued before did not deserue to be forgotten of you you do her vnder correction my Lord the greatest wrong in the world The loue said Don Felix againe which I beare to my Celia will not let me vnderstand it so but I haue done her me thinkes the greater iniurie hauing placed my loue first in an other and not in her Of these wrongs saide I to my selfe I know who beares the woorst away And disloyall he pulling a letter out of his bosome which he had receiued the same hower from his Mistresse reade it vnto me thinking that he did me a great fauour thereby the contents whereof were these Celias letter to Don Felix NEuer any thing that I suspected touching thy loue hath beene so farre from the truth that hath not giuen me occasion to beleeue more often mine owne imagination then thy innocencie wherein if I do thee any wrong referre it but to the censure of thine owne follie For well thou mightest haue denied or not declared thy passed loue without giuing me occasion to condemne thee by thine owne confession Thou saiest I was the cause that made thee forget thy former loue Comfort thy selfe for there shall not want another to make thee forget thy second And assure thy selfe of this Lord Don Felix that there is not any thing more vnbeseeming a Gentleman then to finde an occasion in a Gentlewoman to leese himselfe for her loue I will saie no more but that in an ill where there is no remedie the best is not to seeke out any After he had made an end of reading the letter he said vnto me What thinkest thou Valerius of these words With pardon be it spoken my Lord That your deedes are shewed by them Go to said Don Felix and speake no more of that Sir saide I they must like me wel if they like you because none can iudge better of their words that loue well then they themselues But that which I thinke of the letter is that this Gentlewoman would haue beene the first and that Fortune had entreated her in such sort that all others might haue enuied her estate But what wouldest thou counsell me saide Don Felix If thy griefe doth suffer any counsell saide I that thy thoughts be diuided into this second passion since there is so much due to the first Don Felix answered me againe sighing and knocking me gently on the shoulder saying How wise art thou Valerius and what good counsell dost thou giue me if I could follow it Let vs now go in to dinner for when I haue dined I will haue thee carie me a letter to my Lady Celia and then thou shalt see if any other loue is not woorthy to be forgotten in lieu of thinking onely of her These were wordes that greeued Felismena to the hart but bicause she had him before her eies whom she loued more then her-selfe the content that she had by onely seeing him was a sufficient remedie of the paine that the greatest of these stings did make her feele After Don Felix had dined he called me vnto him and giuing me a speciall charge what I should do because he had imparted his griefe vnto me and put his hope and remedie in my hands he willed me to carie a letter to Celia which he had alreadie written and reading it first vnto me it said thus Don Felix his letter to Celia THe thought that seekes an occasion to forget the thing which it doth loue and desire suffers it selfe so easily to be knowne that without troubling the minde much it may be quickly discerned And thinke not faire Ladie that I seeke a remedie to excuse you of that wherewith it pleased you to vse me since I neuer came to be so much in credit with you that in lesser things I woulde do it I haue confessed vnto you that indeede I once loued well because that true loue without dissimulation doth not suffer any thing
whether it doth tend Eies of my soule behold and then deplore My wretched state what I was once before And what I am and what must be my end O wofull life O poore afflicted hart Tell me poore soule how canst thou not but faile In Passions of such torments paine and smart With such a thought how dost thou not depart And perish when no succour can preuaile O haplesse louer wretched and forgot Though happy once and happy but of late To day thou diest but yet thy loue cannot To day thy greefes begin their gordian knot To day thy ioy doth end and happy state To day thy woes and sorrowes doe appeere To day thy sadnes and thy paines are knowen To day thy sweete content doth finish heere To day thy dismall death approcheth neere To day thy firmest loue and faith is knowen What doe you now mine eies what doe you rest Let out your flouds whose streames in greefe doe swell For it may be you may within my brest Quench out this burning flame or at the lest Coole this great heate that burnes like Mongibelle But woe is me I striue but all in vaine Against the streame For golden Tagus streames Nor Duerus floud nor Iberus againe Can quench this heate or mitigate the paine How then my teares Alas these are but dreames And in such sort bicause it doth hoffend My hart that burnes like to the smithie flame For it doth more increase and doth extend And more it doth with sparkling flames incend The more that water 's cast vpon the same And now since want of hedgrow faileth me And that I feele increase not want of paine I thinke it best for me to goe and see If I can finde some other hedge or tree To write that there which this cannot containe With the taste of this sorrowfull song I will now leaue of which me thinkes is of great substaunce whether the affection I beare the Shepherde that wrote it makes me thinke so for by the wordes thereof you may vnderstand it was written by Delicius or that then the reading and now the recitall of it whereby the miserable estate of the poore youth was then and now represented vnto me doth make me iudge it to be no lesse I know not Assuring you that then for a little I woulde not haue made an ende to read it out though I had sought it in euery place if the teares which fell so fast from mine eies to see the greefe of so faire and vnfortunate a yoong Shepherd had not let me Tell me no such thing saide Lord Felix for if I thought thou hadst not as well read the other which he saide he went to write in another tree I would intreat thee to recite this once againe but we shall haue time enough if it please the Gods to heare out the rest But what will you say said Crimine if I should tell you that we neuer remembred to seeke out the other Therein I beleeue thee not answered Lord Felix for so smal care should not me thinks befall in women of so great respect and in thee especially who didst loue him with such tender care and affection Not to deceiue thee therefore nor thy imagination saide Crimine know Lord Felix that we sought and found it out O how hast thou reioiced my hart saide Felismena but take heede heereafter Crimine what thou sayest and if wee shall continue friendes I praie thee mocke vs no more in this sort for thou hadst not a little troubled my minde by making mee beleeue that thou hadst not sought it out But state yet saide Doria for I am not of your opinion that she shoulde recite this other song so soone as you woulde haue her Why saide Lord Felix Bicause I woulde first knowe saide Doria if it be such an one as the last for if it be not she did well to leaue of her tale at such a point for it is not the condition of my palate to remaine with an ill taste when it hath once a good one Verie true said Felismena What answerest thou therefore Crimine to this I haue not perhaps the same taste said I that she hath so that it may be that what is sweete to her may seeme bitter to me or contrarie for in tastes there is no small difference But for my selfe I can say that the rest to come pleaseth me no lesse then that which is past Then by this reason said Lord Felix thou maist tel it which I beleeue thou wilt not otherwise choose to do with the condition that Doria alleaged vnto thee Since you haue faire Ladies saide Polydora staide your selues more then I would in questions and answers I will also propound mine Of which I dare lay a wager you will confesse that one of them wil seeme better to you then all the rest And for this I wil not cal any other to be iudges but your selues and in faith not to appeale in any time from the sentence giuen Thou takest much vpon thee said Felismena and more leauing it in the arbitrement of these that be contrarie to thee Nay rather little said Polydora for I know well that for your credits you dare not but pronounce it in my fauour Tell it then to trie said Lord Felix You all take vpon you said Polydora not meanely to be in loue and praysing not without good cause the song and hauing heard Crimine confesse that she could not make an end to read it for pitie she had of Delicius what is the reason that you haue not asked any thing what he did or what Stela felt or what impression it made in her These are questions more woorthe the asking of louers then to bee so precise in demaunding if it were written or not and if shee sawe the other or not It would haue greeued mee being no louer if she had not beene condolent for him who was put in such anxieties and you that affirme it to be so seeme not to be sorrowfull for this passion whereby it seemes you haue no desire to helpe him with so much as a worde Polydora gaue them all great delight with her friendly anger which shee shewed in iest of whom there was not anie that thought not but that she was in good earnest if in the ende she had not laughed Then all with one voice saide that the verdict should passe on her side Euery one holding their peace to see what Crimine would answer to it she began thus to saie Thou hast so highly considered the matter Polydora that if thy demand had come ioyntly with the quesions of these Gentlemen I would to haue satisfied thine with pardon be it spoken haue left theirs vnanswered And truely if loue had not required of Stela a narrow account of the hardnes of her hart then thine also had beene without an answer bicause I thinke you would not giue any credite to my speeches not seeming a possible thing that where all vertues are laid vp pitie
who shewed by his countenance a kinde of fiercenes making them almost afraide that looked on him and that which was written aboue him was this Bernard of Carpio I am The Pagans terror and their smart An honour to the Christian name Since that my handes aduaunc't the same By valour of my stoutest hart Fame iust it is not thou conceale My matchlesse deedes from tender yeeres But nothing if thou wilt reueale To Ronçes-Vales I appeale That sometimes was of the twelue Peeres On the other side stoode a valiant captaine in gilded armour with sixe bendes gueles in the middes of his shielde and on the other side on him many enfolded Auncients and a captiue king in a chaine whose superscription said thus My greatest valours they shall see Which knewe them not whereby againe I onely haue deseru'd to bee Surnamed The great Capitaine And in strangelandes and in our owne I purchased so great a fame That my exploites are held and knowne To be far greater then my name Next to this stout captaine stoode a knight all in siluer armour sowen full of starres and of the other side on him a king with three Fleure de Lyses Or in his shielde Azure before whom he tare certaine papers the superscription aboue him was this I am Fonseca whose braue historie Europe doth knowe and doth so much commend Whose life though ended yet my memorie Enroll'd by liuing fame shall neuer end My souer aigne King I serued and did beare My countrey loue and not in fained showe I neuer did leaue of for seruile feare To keepe that holy lawe which euery where The seruant doth vnto his master owe. In another quadrant of the Obeliske stoode an armed knight his armour sowen full of little golden shieldes who by the valour of his personage seemed to be descended from some noble and high blood casting his eies amongst manie other Lords and knights of his ancient lynage the subscription beneath his feete was this Don Luys of Villanoua I am named And from the great Marquesse of Tranz descended My valour and renowne with praise proclamed In Italie Fraunce Spaine is far extended Bicorb an ancient house my state is framed That fortune to a hart hath now commended So high sans peere and that so much surmonnteth As to commaund a world it smally counteth After they had particularly behelde the paterne and all the knights and valiant champions placed in it they went into a rich hall the feeling whereof was all of yuorie woonderfully wrought and carued the wals of allablaster and many ancient histories so liuely cut out and grauen in them that one would verily haue thought that Lucretia killed her selfe indeede and subtill Medea vndid her webbe in the Iland of Ithaca and that the famous Romaine Lady yeelded to the fatall sister bicause she would not offende her honour with the sight of the horrible monster and that the louing wife of Mauseolus was making great lamentation thinking to what end the sepulcher of her husband was counted for one of the seuen wonders of the world And many other histories and examples of chaste Ladies worthie to be eternized with immortall fame thorow out the whole world bicause it seemed not sufficient ynough for some of them to giue manifest examples by their vnspotted life but for others by their vntimely and cruell death great testimonie of their pure and vndefiled thoughts amongst the which the Spanish Coronella was one who did rather commit her body to consuming flames then suffer her chaste minde to be ouercome with the motion and delight of a dishonest thought After they had viewed all the figures well and the varietie of the histories round about the wals of the hall they went into another square court which for the riches thereof seemed to their iudgements so much to excell all that they had seene as the substance doth the shadowe for all the wals of it were couered ouer with fine golde and the pauements of precious stones Round about this Quadrant stood the figures of many Ladies of Spaine and of other nations and aboue them all the Goddesse Diana curiously cut out of mettall of Corynth with short garmentes like a hunter adorned with much pearle and precious stones of great value who had her bowe in her hande and her golden quiuer hanging downe by her side enuironed rounde about with a troupe of Nymphes fairer then Titan in his cheefest glorie The Shepherdes and the Shepherdesses were so amazed at the sight of these things that they knew not what to say bicause the riches of the house were so infinite the figures so liuely the workmanship of the Quadrant so excellent and the proportion of the Ladies that were retracted there with so great art that they thought it impossible to imagine a more perfect and absolute or a more sumptuous building in the whole world then that was On the one side of the Quadrant stood fower Laurell trees of gold so brauely enameled with greene leaues that in gardens there were none more fresh or liuely and neere to them a little fountaine made all of beaten siluer in the middes whereof was likewise a Nymph of beaten gold which at her faire breastes thorow nybles of Rubies spouted out water cleerer then Cristall and neere to this fountaine did Orpheus the famous musition sit enchaunted with the age that he was in when his Euridice was requested of importunate Aristeus He had on a cote of cloth of siluer interseamed and imbrodered with flowers of seede pearle his sleeues broad about the shoulders and falling very narrow to his elbowes from whence his armes came out naked He had on a paire of hose of cloth of siluer to the knee and made after the olde fashion of Thrace wrought full of little golden Harpes and Citherens his golden bush of haire which hung downe curled and long was tied about with a faire Laurell wreath But when he perceiued the Nymphes comming towardes him he began most sweetely to touch a fine Harpe which he had in his handes with the diuine melodie whereof the strangers were so much rauished that they forgot all that they had seene in respect of this new delight Felismena sate her downe vpon a faire lowe bed in the Quadrant which for the most was couered all ouer with purple damaske finely wrought and fringed with golde and the Nymphes and Shepherdesses about her the Shepherdes leaning vpon the siluer fountaine In this sort therefore they were harkening to worthy Orpheus as if he had bin singing amongst the Cyconians when Cyparisus was turned into a Cypres tree and Atis into a Pine tree Enamoured Orpheus then began to sing so sweetely to the tune of his Harpe that with the heauenly musicke thereof he suspended their amazed senses And turning his sweete face to Felismena he began to sing these verses following Orpheus his song HArke Felismena to the sweetest song Of Orpheus whose loue hath bene so high Suspend thy greefe Seluagia somewhat long Whilst
sees her must commend her Who them can praise her well and not offend her The Lady Isabell Borâ—… here doth stand Perfect and absolute in euery thing Behold her face her fine and dainty hand Ouer whose head the nightingales doe sing Our age she honours and th' Hiberian land Of grace and vertuâ— she 's the onely spring And those to whom nature did beautie giue She staines as fairest that did euer liue She that her haire hath hanging downe and speed Abroad and tide with golden third behinde And that faire face that hath so often led So many harts to bondage of the minde Her Iuorie necke her ties in beautie bred Faire modest gray not looking out of kinde Her famous name is Lady Iuliana That honours â—…ere the Temple of Diana She whom you there doe see whom nature made So curiously at neuer like before Since that her beautie neuer seem'd to fade Nor that a faire one can desire more Whose great deserts and wit doth still perswade Fame to the world her praises to restore Is called Lady Moncia Fenollit To whom Loue yeelds himselfe and doth submit The song of renowned Orpheus was so pleasant in Felismenas eares and in all theirs that heard it that it held them in such a suspence as if they had passed by no other thing but that which they had before their eies Who now hauing particularly viewed the rich chamber of estate with euery thing in it that was woorth the seeing as all was the Nymphes went foorth by a certaine dore into the great hall and by an other out of the hall into a faire garden the beautie whereof stroke no lesse admiration into their mindes then the strange things which they had seene before for amongst the fruitfull trees and sweete flowers were many sepulchers and tombes erected of diuers Nymphes and Ladies which with great puritie had kept their chastitie due to the Goddesse thereof inniolate and vnstained Some of the tombes were adorned with coronets of knottie Iuie others with chapplets of sweete Myrtles and some with garlands of greene Laurell There were also manie Allabluster fountaines in the garden some of Iaspar marble some of other mettall seated under vines which with artificiall arches and wreathes aloft did spred foorth their branches depressed with clusters of coloured grapes The Mytrhe trees grew in manner of fower walles with embattlements and pinnacles on the tops of them and on the sides aboue them were certaine Terrasses and walkes reared vp whereon as ouer all the garden besides did growe many sweete flowers of sundry colours as white Iesmins Woodbyne and many more delightfull to the insatiable eie In the hiddes of the garden stoode a Ieat-stone vpon fower brazen pillers and in the thids of it a tombe framed out of Iaspar which fower Nymphes that were wrought out of white Allablaster did hold vp with their handes and about it stoode manie Tapers of Virgine waxe burning in massie candlestickes of bright siluer that were made in artificiall manner About this tombe stoode certaine Lordes and Knights some fashioned out of stone and mettall other som out of Iaspar marble and other matter Which figures shewed such great sorrow by their countenances that they filled Felismenas hart and all theirs that were looking on the tombe with no lesse greefe then admiration But viewing it narrowly they sawe in a table of shining golde which at the foote of the sepulchre a dead and pale mattone held betweene her hands this Epitaphe subscribed HEere Lady Katherine entombed lies Of Aragon and Sarmient whose fame Doth mount with praise vnto the loftie skies And sounds from North to South her woorthy name Death kil'd her to reuenge the sacrifice Of those she killed when she was a dame Her body 's heere her soule in heauen with pleasure The world vnwoorthy to possesse such treasure After they had read this Epitaphe they sawe an Eagle of blacke marble with displaied wings on the top of the tombe with a golden table betweene her tallons with those verses in it EVen as O death the Planets should remaine Without Apollo and Diana bright The ground without mankinde and beasts againe The Marriner without the North-starre light The fielde without faire flowers grasse or graine The mornings showe without the dewe of night Vertue and beautie so remaine and die Without the dame that in this tombe doth lie When they had read both these Epitaphs and Belisa had vnderstoode by them what the Nymph was that was buried therein and how much Spaine lost by leesing her calling therewithall to minde the vntimely death of her deere Arsileus she could not but with teares breath out these sorrowfull wordes O death how far am I from thinking that thou maiest comfort me with other womens harmes The small time that the world enioyed the great beautie and wisedome wherewith they tell me this Nymph was endowed doth not a little greeue me bicause as she was not her-selfe in loue so did not any deserue she should be so For had she beene I would then account her for so happie a woman by dying as my selfe vnfortunate by seeing how small reckoning thou makest of me cruell death since taking from me all my good and the onely ioy of my life thou dost not leaue me heere but onely to feele the neuer-ceasing paine of this heauie want O my Arsileus O rare wisedome in such yoong yeeres O the most faithfull louer that euer was and the finest wit that the heauens could euer infuse into so braue an ornament of nature What eies may without inundations of reares behold thy sorrowfull absence And what hard hart suffer thy vntimely and difastrous end O Arsenius Arsenius how smal a time wert thou vnable to endure the violent death of thy vnfortunate sonne hauing more occasion to suffer it then my selfe Why didst thou make me cruell Arsenius participate of two deathes Of both which to preuent the least that did greeue me I would haue giuen a thousand liues Farewell happie Nymphe the light and honour of the royall house of Aragon God giue thy soule eternall glory and deliuer mine from so many woes and afflictions wherinto it is so deepely sunke After that Belisa had spoken these wordes and after they had seene many tombes more very richly erected they went out by a backe dore in the garden into a greene meadowe where they found the sage Ladie Felicia recreating her-selfe alone and walking vp and downe who seeing them comming towards her receiued them all with a ioyfull countenance And whilest it was time to go to supper they went to a pleasant walke in a groue of Sicamours harde by where the Nymphes of the sumptuous temple were woont many times to go and disport themselues where sitting downe in a little plat of greene grasse that was encompassed round about with leauie Sicamours they began to discourse one with another of that which did best please their fancies The Lady Felicia called the Shepheard Syrenus and Felismena to
they made an insurrection wherein with ten gentlemen more of their kinred they conspired to kill the King land to diuide the kingdome amongst themselues so to be reuenged of the vnworthie disgrace receiued by him This conspitacie whether it was true or false was discouered before it could be put in practise and they apprehended and condemned to die before the citizens had intelligence thereof who without all doubt for the great loue they bare them would haue risen not consenting that iustice should haue beene done vpon them For carying them to exequution it was the strangest spectacle in the world to see the lamentations that some made the priuie murmuring of one to another and the bootlesse excuses that for compassion of these gentlemen were generally made in all the citie They ran all to the King and offered to buie his mercie with great summes of gold and siluer but such was his seueritie that it expelled all motions of pitie and clemencie Which when the people beheld they began to weepe and lament againe The Lords Knights and gentlemen did weepe and mourne with whom they were wont to keepe companie The tender Ladies and Damsels of the Court wept whom they loued and serued And all the whole citie wept for the great honour and auctority that such noble citizens gaue them The lamentations and outcries were so many and so loud as if the earth had sunke or the world beene drowned anew But the King who to all these teares lamentations and pitifull outcries did stop his eares commaunded that his definitiue sentence should be presently executed So that of all that house and linage there remained not one man aliue that was not beheaded that day except my father and mine vncle who were not found complices in that conspiracie These ils resulted to them besides this miserable chaunce that their houses were ruinated they proclaimed traitours to the King their goodes lands and possessions confiscated And that no Abenceraje should liue any longer in Granada except my father and mine vncle and they but with this condition that if they had any issue they should send the men children as soon as they were borne to be brought vp out of the citie neuer to returne into it againe and if they were women and marriageable to be married out of the Realme When the Gouernor heard the strange discourse of Abyndaraez and the termes wherewith he complayned of his misfortune he could not stop his teares but did shew by them the sensible greefe which of such a disastrous accident could not be but felt And therefore turning himselfe to the Moore saide vnto him Thou hast good cause Abyndaraes to be sorrie for the fall of thy noble house and kinred whose heads I thinke coulde neuer hatch so great treason And were it for no other proofe but that so worthie a gentleman as thy selfe came out of it this onely were sufficient to make me beleeue that they neuer pretended such wickednes This gentle opinion which thou hast of me said the Moore and of the goodnes of my auncestors I know not worthie Gouernour how to requite but onely with vnfained and humble thankes But now when I was borne into the world with the inheritance of the selfe same mishap of my kinred they sent me because they would not infringe the Kings edict to be nursed and brought vp in a certaine fort belonging sometimes to the Christians called Cartama committing the charge and care of me to the Gouernor thereof with whom my father had ancient familiaritie acquaintance A man of great account in the kingdome vpright in the maner of his life and verie rich but chiefly in a daughter that he hath which is the greatest â—…ie which I account of in this life the which I wish I may neuer enioy if in any â—…g but onely her I euer tooke content pleasure With her was I brought vp 〈◊〉 my childhood for she was borne but three yeeres after me and as we were â—…erally thought of all to be brother and sister for like such was our education so did we also thinke our selues to be The loue that I did beare Xarifa for thus is the Lady called that is mistresse of my libertie were but little if I could tell it Let it â—…fice that time hath so confirmed the same that I would giue a thousands liues if â—…ad them but to enioy one momentarie sight of her faire face Euerie day encreased our age but euerie hower augmented our loue and so much that now me thought I was made of another kind of mettall then of consanguinitie I remember that Xarifa being on a day in the orchard of the Iesemynes dressing her faire head by chaunce I espied her amazed at her singular beautie and how me thought it greeued me that she was my sister And by the extreme passion of my loue driueÌ„ out of my musing I went to her who as soone as she saw me with open armes came to receiue me And sitting vpon the fountaine by her she said vnto me Why hast thou good brother left me so long alone It is sweete Ladie said I againe a good while since I hauing sought thee in euerie place found not any that could tell me what was become of thee my hart at last coniectured where thou wert Buttel me now I pray thee what certaintie hast thou that we are brother and sister No other saide she then of the great loue I beare thee and to see how euerie one doth call vs so and that my father doth bring vs vp like his sonne and daughter And if we were not brother and sister saide I wouldest thou then loue me so much as thou dost Oh seest thou not saide she that we shuld not be suffered to go so coÌ„tinually together al alone if we were not But if we were depriued of this ioy that which I feele in my selfe is a great deale more At which words her faire face being tainted with a vermillion blush she said vnto me What couldest thou leese by it if we were brother and sister My selfe and thee to said I. I vnderstand thee not said she but me thinkes being brother and sister it binds vs to loue one another naturally Thy onely beauâ—… said I doth oblige me to this brotherhood which rather qualifieth my loue 〈◊〉 sometimes distempers my thoughts At which words blushing for too much bolâ—…es casting downe mine eies I saw her diuine figure in the cristalline fountaine so liuely represented as if it had beene she her selfe and in such sort that wheresoeuer she turned her head I still beheld her image and goodly counterfaite truely translated into verie hart Then said I softly to my selfe O if I were now drowned in this fountaine where with pride I behold my sweete Lady how more fortunate should I die then Narcissus And if she loued me as I do her how happie should I be And if fortune would let vs liue euer together what a happie life should I
then lead These words I spake to my selfe and it would haue greeued me that another had heard them But hauing spoken this I rose vp and reaching vp 〈◊〉 hand to certaine Iesemynes that grew round about that fountaine I made of thâ—… and of some Orenge flowers a faire and redolent garland and putting it vpon my head I sat downe againe crowned and conquered Then did she cast her eies vpon me to my thinking more sweetly then before and taking it from my head did put it vpon her owne seeming then more faire then Venus And looking â—…on me she said How dost thou like me now Abyndaraez That in beautie said I and sweete perfections thou ouercomest al the world and that crowned Queene and Ladie of it At which words rising 〈◊〉 of her place she tooke me by the hand and said vnto me If it were so indeed bâ—…er thou shouldest leese nothing by it â—…d so without answering her againe I followed her out of the garden But now from that time certaine daies after wherein cruell Loue thought he was too long from discouering vnto me the deceit that I had of my selfe and time meaning then to lay open hidden and secret things we came to perfect knowledge that the kinred between vs was as much as nothing whereupon our firme affections were confirmed more strongly in their former and true places All my delight was in her and my soule cut out so iust to the proportion of hers that all that was not in her face seemed to mine eies foule friuolous and vnprofitable in the whole â—orld And now were our pastimes far different from our first and I beheld her with a certaine kind of feare and suspect to be perceiued of any And now had I also a certaine enuie and â—…lousie of the sunne that did touch her Who though she looked on me again with the verie same desire and intent wherewith she had beheld me before yet thought it was not so bicause ones owne distrust is the most assured and certaine thing in an enamoured hart It fell out afterwardes that she being on a day it the cleere fountaine of the Iesmynes I came by chaunce thither and beginning to talke with her her speech me thought and countenance was not like to her former lookes communication She prayed me to sing for she was greatly delighted with songs musick And I was then so trustles misconceiuing of my selfe that I thought she bad me sing not for any pleasure that she took by hearing me but to passe away the time and only to entertaine my companie with such a request so that I then wanted time to tell her the whole summe of my greefe But I who employed my minde in nothing else but to do whatsoeuer my Lady Xarifa commanded me in the Arabicke toong began to sing this song whereby I gaue her to vnderstand the crueltie that I suspected of her IF thy soft Haires be threds of shining gold Vnder the shade of which are two faire Eies Two sunnes whose Brow like heauen doth them vphold Rubie thy Mouth and lips where Corall lies Could Cristall want to frame thy Necke so white And Diamond to make thy Brest so bright Thy hart is not vnlike vnto thy Brest Since that the flight of mettall of thy Haire Did neuer make thee turne thy Necke at lest Nor with thine Eies giue hope but cold despaire Yet from that sugred Mouth hope for an I And from that snowe-white Brow that makes me die Ah beautifull and yet most bitter Brow And may there be a Brest so hard and faire So sweete a necke and yet so stiffe to bow So rich and yet so couetous a Haire Who euer sawe so cleere and cruell Eies So sweete a Mouth yet mooues not to my cries Enuious Loue my Necke doth chaine with spite His passions make my Brow looke pale and swart He makes mine Eies to leese their deerest light And in my Brest doth kill my trembling hart He makes my Haire to stand in ghastly wise Yet in thy Mouth all wordes of comfort dies O sweetest face and lips more perfect faire Then I may tell O soft and daintie Necke O golden Raies of yonder Sunne not Haire O Cristalline Brow and Mouth with Rubie deckt O equall white and red O Diamond Brest From these faire Eies when shall I hope for rest But if a No by turning of thine Eies Harke yet what saith her sweetest Mouth to me See if her hardnes in her Brest yet lies And if she turnes her whitest Necke to thee Marke vvell the beckning of her fairest Brow Then from her Haire what may I hope for now If that her Lilly Brest and Necke doe once affirme their No And if her shining Eies and Haire will not conclude an I What will her Ruby Mouth then doe and Brow as white as snowe Nay what shall I my selfe expect but vvith denials die These wordes were of such force that being helped by the loue of her in whose praise they were sung I saw her shed certaine teares that I cannot tell you now noble Gouernour how much they moued my hart nor whether the content that I had by seeing so true a testimonie of my Mistresse loue or the greefe my selfe being the occasion of her teares was greater Calling me to her she made me sit downe by her and thus began to say vnto me If the Loue Abyndaraez whereunto I am obliged after I was fully assured of thy thoughtes is but small or such that cannot but with extinction of life be ended my wordes I hope before we leaue this onely place shall make thee sufficiently knowe And blame thee I will not for thy mistrust which hath made thee conceiue amisse for I knowe it is so sure a thing to haue it as there is nothing more proper and incident to Loue. For remedie whereof and of the sorrow that I must needes haue by seeing my selfe at any time separated from thy sweete companie from this day forth for euer thou maist hold and esteeme thy selfe such a Lord and Master of my libertie as thou shalt be indeede if thou art willing to combine thy selfe in sacred bondes of marriage with me the refusall whereof is before euery other thing no small impediment to both our contents a preiudice to mine honour and the sole obstacle of enioying the great loue which I beare thee When I heard these wordes Loue working my thoughts to things cleane contrarie I conceiued such great ioy that had it not beene but by onely bowing downe my knees to the ground and kissing her faire handes I was not able to doe any other thing With the hope of these wordes I liued certaine daies in the greatest ioy in the world whilest mutable Fortune enuying my prosperitie and ioyfull life bereaued vs both of this sweete contentment for not long after the King of Granada minding to prefer the Gouernour of Cartama to some higher charge by his letters commanded him foorthwith to yeeld vp the
for the Shepherd was yet sleeping and the old man and the other Shepherdesse were still embracing each other Lord Felix comming to them both said Thou shouldest haue enough noble Lord of these vnfit embracements Whereat Felicia laughed to her-selfe to see how much in their mindes they disdained the Shepherdesse But the old man said Nowe may yee O Gods conclude my many daies with their last period since you haue granted me this vnspeakeable fauour to see my deerest daughter now may yee make an end of my wearied yeeres hauing before mine eies my onely beloued Stela for so was the Shepherdesse called that spake vnto him Stela mine onely hope my ioy and comfort of my life To this end my praiers tended to lengthen my decaying life and to see this ioyfull day This was the white whereat my petitions oblations and sacrifices aymed for prorogation of my death And now let it come when it wil since I haue her in my presence who in despite of death maintaines my life but yet gentle death rather then by any other misfortune that may ensue I might be depriued of her againe come and bereaue me of this common light O my deerest daughter who did take thee away from me for I coulde neuer beleeue that of thine owne accord thou wouldst haue left me without first taking leaue of thy louing father Woe befall to thee false Shepherde that liest there asleepe and an ill end betide thy friend wheresoeuer he be if he hath it not yet already Bende not thy eares O Iupiter saide the Shepherdesse to this cruell petition but rather turne it vpon me a thing more requisite for my miseries and not on them whose goodnes neuer deserued any ill at all I will not consent good Father nor be content to heare them accursed that in all points are so faultlesse Lo Loue she would haue said hath erred if modestie and maidenly shame had not staied her toong in the middest I haue erred or rather my Fortune to speake more truely hath beene to blame by granting me no meanes to take my leaue of thee Felicia who knewe the cause of the Shepherdesse her greefe said Let these excuses now cease And Parisiles forsake thy sadnes since now thou inioyest thine onely desire Who turning to sage Felicia and marking with what graue auctoritie she spake vnto him said vnto her Whosoeuer thou art noble Ladie whether thou dost recken thy selfe in the number of mortall women or art registred in the Catalogue of the immortall Gods for such an one thou seemest to be pardon me if hitherto I haue not done my obliged duetie and reuerence hauing so pitifull and condigne a cause of pardon in euerie thing hereafter I am wholy at thy deuotions and subiect to thy commaund whatsoeuer It is well said Felicia we shall thinke of that hereafter And bicause I will make thee more ioyfull then euer thou thoughtest to be for from him thy comfort shall proceed of whom thou dost most complaine let vs goe to rest vs vnder the shadowes of those Laurell trees neere to the siluer fountaine brincke and that thou maist beleeue my words to be true know that I am Felicia if euer my name hath sounded in thine eares Parisiles then with the Shepherdesses fell downe on their knees to kisse her hands saying Who of all those that honour our immortall Gods is there that is ignorant of the portion which thou hast with them Felicia lifted them all three vp and would not suffer them to do her such honour and taking one of the Shepherdesses by the hand called Crimine said to all the rest Go you my Sonnes to the fountaine and rest you there while I talke with this Shepherdesse and with that Shepherd a word or two And thou my friend Parisiles with thy deere daughter shalt keepe them company and tell them some famous historie or antiquite vntill it be time to go in to dinner Then taking Crimine by the hand she went towards the Shepherd that was yet sleeping all this while and shaking him by the shoulder awaked him said He should sleep but a little that comes as a guard to two faire yoong Shepherdesses Whereat the vnknowen Shepherd awaked and not seeing Stela without making the sage Ladie any answere with a sudden sursault of griefe said O Crimine where is Stela Be not afraid said Felicia for she is not far from hence Thou mightest do better to looke more aduisedly to thy selfe when as but euen now thy temporall slumber had verie neere cast thee into thy last and endlesse sleepe They of whose liues and honours they chose thee their onely ampare had more care to faue thy late endangered person then thou hadst of thy selfe or them And bicause thou maist see vnto what extremitie thy fates had almost brought thee knowe that it is not long since the knife was at thy throate readie to cut it The Shepherd could not imagine what she meant by these words nor what companie that was that sat about the fountaine where turning his eies about to see Stela he espied her but Crimine secretly admonished him to doe his duetie to Felicia who then making low obeisance vnto her craued pardon of her Felicia then told him in order what had passed and how Parisiles forgetting his aged weaknes and ayded by the force of his furie would haue killed him how they would not let him with that that folowed In the end the Shepherd was verie sad when he knew that old Parisiles was there not for feare of him but bicause he now thought to loose his beloued Stela which sage Felicia perceiuing said vnto him Abandon Shepherd these sorrowfull thoughts for all shall redound to thy content and ioy for now thou art in such a place where thou shalt haue no wrong and where thy passed troubles those of thy sweet company deerest friends shall be better ended then thou art able to imagine To all this the Shepherd could yeeld no more but humble thankes though it was not sufficient to comfort him bicause he was absent from a deere friend of his whom he loued more then himselfe and who euer requited him with no lesse loue againe as by manie proofes most often it appeered For well might they two haue been the thirde number annexed to the onely two paire of friends that after so manie thousande yeeres were accounted in the world for the greatest But the Lady Felicia assured him how she would finde out some meanes to haue him thither out of hande At which words he fell downe on his knees and kissed her hands for any thing that she could do the contrarie In these and other speeches they went talking vp and downe a pretie while But God knowes how Crimine was ashamed of her-selfe before Felicia though it was not long for Felilia did remedie that by and by hauing taken her aside to no other ende from the rest of the companie While these three were in these speeches Lord
To be accounted chaste of euerie one And that her chiefest honour did consist In honest pure and vndefiled life Now therefore as the virgine did not know Bicause her minde was soon vertue bent What thing loue was nor due of marriage rites To hunt it was her onely ioy and sport Then hither came this gallant Nymph to chase Where proud Apollo went by chaunce to hunt Not thinking to finde out so farie a game Bicause his breast free from the thoughts of loue Was onely bent in thinking of his spoile He was so glad and did triumphe so much Within himselfe that he did neuer thinke Of any thing but this till to his harme He cast his wandring eies vnto the place Where he did spie faire Daphne in her chace The good old man Parisiles went prosecuting his historie carrying all his hearers with him verie silent by reason that the substance thereof as also the stile wherewith he told it delighted them verie much when they perceiued the sage Felicia comming with Crimine and the vnknowen Shepherd towardes them whose comming made not Stela a little glad for she lent but a small eare to the tale bicause the Shepherd was not in her companie But Parisiles turning his head and seeing Felicia said Behold how it fals out true which I feared my tale shall breake off till another day when we will haue fitter time and place for it wherein nothing shall be lost hauing made so good a beginning By no meanes saide Doria will I consent hereunto The like did all affirme with one voice Then came Felicia and as they were rising to do her honour they saw the Shepherd that came with her to be the fairest most gracious and goodliest youth of person as euer they beheld before His weedes were of gray cloth to signifie by that colour his troubles and griefes All along the border of his coate and sleeues went three ribons or laces of sundry colours two of them on either side of Lion tawney and Oliue greene to signifie by the first his sorrow and by the second his torment That in the mids of his sorrow and torment was his hope Other things did the Shepherd weare worthie himselfe and to be marked But Parisiles did hinder them bicause Crimine returned now cleane and washed at Felicias request whom now he also knew and therefore with a loud voice with casting vp his eies to heauen he said And is it true O Iupiter which with mine eies I here behold O sweete Nymph my friend and mistresse Is it possible thou art here If I had knowen my deere daughter had gone in thy company I would haue somewhat moderated my griefe for her absence And being come to her with reuerence he louingly embraced her But both of them desiring earnestly to know the meanes of their vnlooked for comming to that place Felicia said Defer this till further time for I know these questions will not hereafter a little delight this companie Come thou Crimine and speake to all this companie who will be verie glad of thine They were a prettie while in congratulations and conuesies wondering at Crimines beautie and therefore at last thus said Why did such a shining gemme as this Ladie Felicia goe hidden in such a base couerture if her conpanion be such another do vs this fauour to make her wash her selfe To auoide all danger by reason of their tempting beautie said Felicia and not to be molested like those that haue suffered many inconueniences for theirs they haue gone thus disfigured in apparell and face As for the washing of this yoong Shepherdesse pointing to Stela it shall remaine at my pleasure when I will request her to doe it for dinner being nowe readie I will deferre it till some other time for feare I should giue you a dinner against your stomacke for washing nowe her fowle face and handes will not perhaps make you eat so much as otherwise you would and make you haue a lesse appetite then to see them in the manner that nowe they be But if you like not of her companie at dinner she shall sit by her selfe and dine with Parisiles in whose eies she is nothing so soule nor ill-fauoured And then turning to her Nymphes she commanded them to bring in dinner who presently came in with it But if you please good Lady said Lord Felix command Parisiles first to make an end of the tale he hath begun Since you will haue it so said Felicia I will entreat not command him It were great reason sage Lady saide Parisiles to hold my peace not to shewe so great rudenes before your singular wisedome if it were not more to obey your iust command It is well saide Felicia leaue off this and do that which all the companie heere requesteth thee Parisiles then began thus Obeying then most willingly great Lady what you haue giuen me in charge and purposing to tell the cause why this Oke was planted betweene these two Laurel trees I haue touched the gifts that Apollo gaue to the Laurell tree when Daphne was turned into it From whence this noble company did not suffer me to passe any further though I alleaged some excuses to the contrary but that I must needes from the beginning recount this transformation of Daphne into a Laurell tree And so hauing told of the glorious victorie that Apollo had of the serpent Python and of the quarrell and contention betweene him and Cupid for carying both one weapon I went on along telling how Apollo being proud of this conquest by chance cast his eies vpon the faire and chaste Nymph Daphne And when you came hither good Lady with Crimine you gaue a gracious impediment to my tale So that now since it is your pleasure I will proccede in it beginning onely but with a worde or two recited before to annexe that and this that followeth the better togither APollo being in this heauenly ioy For victorie by Pythons death obtain'd Lift vp by chaunce his eies and spi'de the Nymphe The fairest Nymphe as euer he did see Whom at the first he onely did behold With an impartiall eye a common thing And onely markt her beautie and her grace And with that common kinde of honest loue In praise of her these louing wordes did moue What Nymph might yonder be So fine with her dishieueled haire That in this forrest hunteth all alone I will goe neere to see If that she be indeed so faire As she doth seeme Ah Godheades there is none In all your heauenly throne No Goddesse nor no power diuine With beautie and good grace That nature doth imbrace Then this in whom most cleerely shine Her giftes and chiefest art As many as to all she did impart But Cupid seeing her in such estate Thought it high time to punish the contempt And brauing words that proud Apollo vs'd And now to be reuenged on his head With more dishonor and with greater shame He did prepare him to assaile his foe
to loue no ease imparts Nor that those arts that profit euery one Cannot helpe me their master all alone Now running fast away betweene them both Daphne to flie Apollos wanton vvill Apollo follovving chaste Daphnes loue Loue helpe Apollo vvith his speedy vvings And vnto Daphnes feete feare tyed her vvings And both sufficient fauours haue of both But loue in fine doth ouercome pale feare Bicause he is more forvvard light and hot But vvhen the Nymph did see herselfe surpris'd And that the God embrac'd her in his armes Lifting her hands and eies vnto the heauens Succour she crau'd of all th' immortall Gods Forgetting not her father demy God And in this sort besought their fauours all Helpe each immortall power For ioyntly all your helpes I do desire And humbly do your fauours all inuoke None I except out of the heauenly quire O saue my virgine flowre Be readie else with force it will be broke O let the earth deuoure And swallow me within her hidden vaines With furious paines Or else destroy my shape with thunder clap Since this mishap It wrought Helpe Pene now my father deere If deitie be in thy riuers cleere Scarce had faire Daphne ended her request When by and by a trembling feare possest Her bodie with each member of the same Hard barke did winde about her snow-white brest Her golden haire was turned to greene leaues Her armes into two long and branchie boughes Her nimble foote which was of late so light Fastned remaind in rootes that could not stirre And such like shape remaind in euerie part Apollo deerely lou'd this Nymph in life And now he loues her turn'd into a tree Where thrusting his right hand into the barke Felt that transformed Daphnes hart did yet Tremble and quake vnder the same so new He doth imbrace those fine and tender boughes As though he would embrace her body yet The wood he kisseth but the wood disdaines His kisses and doth seeme to bend away So in this sort Apollo stood a while Speechlesse and thinking of no other thing After like one that is amazed in minde Not knowing whether he doth dreame or no Vpon the Gods and heauen he doth exclaime With angrie wordes of pitie and despite Bicause they vs'd such rigour to his loue For faine he vvould had Daphne to his vvife But vvhen he savv it could not come to passe He chose her for his tree and gaue to it Great honours as the like had neuer yet And in this great astonishment he said What thing is this vvhich I do see Is it a dreame or none O that it vvere A fansie or some vaine deceite What doe I erre Or is it night or day what might I be If it be true I see a losse so great With many harmes my burning soule will threat But yet awake I am for in my right Hand Python dead and headlesse I doe beare And on my left arme weare My bowe and low my quiuer and my flight Why this is Thessalie Which this fell beast did waste both day and night O woe and after such a ioy so high Must such mishap my sweete content deny What hard and cruell God is that That hath transform'd with enuie and despite Her goodly figure and her face Most perfect bright Me thinkes he nill deserues to banquet at The tables of the Gods nor heauenly place Since he hath wronged nature in this case My skill and powers beare not such a sway To change thee to thy former shape againe And that snowewhite And rosie face which first did breede my paine The reason is bicause that none Though neuer yet so learned any way And though they ioin'd their vertues all in one Can vndoe that which one did doe alone But now since all the fates so dire And wicked destinies this good forbid That thou my louing wife should'st be Yet though they did With more despite against my will conspire Thou shalt for euer be my louing tree And I will neuer cease to honour thee My yellow haire like shining threeds of golde To honour thee thy leaues shall compasse round My harpe with siluer sound Thou shalt adorne and quiuer shalt vphold In all the world thy noble fame shall bide And when triumphantly In honours chaire the Conquerour doth ride Before them they shall carry thee on high Lifting their conquest to the starrie skie And as my faire and youthfull head Adorned is with lockes of dangling haires Whereon were neuer yet imploid The little sheares Euen so thy leaues shall neuer be destroid And angry time thy honour shall not teare But euermore greene bowes and leaues shalt beare The lightning that all creatures doth offend And euery thing of beauties pride bereaues Shall neuer touch thy leaues But be obedient to thee without end From lightning to defend The okes with them thy branches they shall reare And euery where In honour of th' Imperiall palace gate On portals they shall place thee with great state This did Apollo speake vnto the tree And gratefully the Laurell bow'd her top In steed of moouing her new changed head And with her new and tender branches made A signe that she with thankfull minde receiu'd These giftes and fauours which that God did giue To her while Laurell on the earth did liue And now beholde noble companie how I haue fulfilled your commands although not so fitly to your demand nor my desire Woorthie Parisiles saide Lorde Felix you haue done no lesse then was expected at your hands but yet one doubt remaineth in my minde for what reason the Oke is better kept then any other tree since there are of others a great number more necessarie for mans life There is no God answered Parisiles but hath some tree birde beast or other thing dedicated to his deitie as the Oliue to Minerua the Laurell to Apollo the Turtle doue to Venus the Peacocke to Iuno and so foorth But bicause Iupiter is the highest of the Gods and the Oke is dedicated to him for this respect to that tree more then to any other we do greater reuerence I am satisfied saide Lord Felix But tell me I pray you why the Oke was rather dedicated to him then any other tree To shewe the infinite power and might of Iupiter saide Parisiles It is well answered saide Felicia And for this time let demands answers cease and let vs go about other necessarie busines without the which no mortall creature can any long time preserue life The tables therefore being spred and furnished with many daintie dishes Felicia tooke Crimine and Stela by the hands and caried them out of the meadowe to a fine spring where Stela being washed she apparelled them as richly as their woorthines and beautie deserued for she had commanded some garments secretly to be brought thither knowing what would ensue and then they returned by and by to the fountaine for now they were tarying for her althings being in a readines against her comming Felismena the
Nymphes beauties were so ecclipsed at Stelas comming as the cleere stars at the rising of the radiant Sunne whereat all of them did not a little woonder the women not without great emulation procuring yet to comfort themselues by putting some defect therein although indeede there was not any at all which when they coulde finde any such they studied to picke it else-where as out of the basenes of her estate or to attribute it to some other things that they with inquiring and talking amongst themselues are commonly wont to helpe and flatter theirs withall But now saide Felicia you may laugh indeed at Parisiles embracements and you shall see if we did with good cause finde fault with him for conioyning his reuerend visage with so foule a face Then Parisiles rose vp and began to embrace Stela a new saying O my daughter now do I see thee like thy selfe and in the habite of thine owne estate and deserts The vnknowne Shepherd marking all this his colour in his face went and came not bicause hee sawe Stela in so braue a habite for his affection did not augment with the brauerie nor value of her costly garments neither did his loue diminish with the basenes of her pastorall habite but for the remembrance of that time when he had seene her in like ornaments His colour changed also for enuy of Parisiles thinking that those imbracings were more proper and due to him But Felicia must needes come once againe to put olde Parisiles and Stela asunder which done they went to dinner To tell the maner and order of their libationes which they made before they went to dinner and to describe the preparation order and diuersitie of daintie messes as things too prolixe I thinke best to omit The end of the second booke The third Booke of the second Part of Diana of George of Montemayor WHen dinner was done all of them being very desirous to know what these Shepherdesses and the vnknowne Shepherd was for what cause Parisiles shewed himselfe so incensed against him Lord Felix for his owne desire and at the request of his beloued Felismena and the Nymphes and Shepherds praied Felicia in her eare to intreat it of them whom Felicia answered saying By this request I might demand of them a thing which I assure you they themselues cannot tell for the vnknowne Shepherd and the faire Shepherdesse knowe not who they are howe can they then make any report of themselues And it is not now possible for you to know the course of their liues for they are heere in the presence of old Parisiles before whom they dare not vnfold it But yet leaue this charge to me I will find out some means to satisfie you heerein I coulde tell it better then they better I say touching the certaine knowledge who they are Neuerthelesse I meane that you shall heare it from their owne mouthes who can better expresse their owne affections as those that they passed themselues When Felicia had answered thus Lord Felix made signes to her to speake no more of the matter for that time whereupon all of them were content perceiuing it was most conuenient to be so But hauing nowe reposed themselues a little after dinner Felicia saide vnto the vnknowne Shepherd Shewe these Shepherds thy sheepe-hooke and view it well for it deserueth well to be seene The Shepherd then rose vp for it for he had laid it aside with his scrip when he sat downe to dinner And giuing it to the Sepherds and Lord Felix seeing it of a different colour requested onely to see of what woode it was for from a very little sidewise the principall was not deuided which might be from the middes of the pommell vpward which was wrought all ouer and carued very fine and from one side thereof I say this caruing was not seene by reason of the fine workemanship But when Lord Felix holding it in his hande viewed the sheepehooke well he saide Why wouldest thou haue the Shepherds good Lady onely enioy the sight of this sheepehooke Bicause it is a thing said Felicia more properly apperteining to their estate And me thinkes saide Lord Felix it may well beseeme a Prince his hands though it is well enough bestowed where it is If I am of any woorth amongst so good a companie as this saide the Shepherd I will not gainsay you neither is it my minde to pay you with the same money least my base wordes might diminish your high deserts Nowe was Lord Felix answering when Felicia reached foorth her hand saying Heere take it and view it well Then came the Shepherds Syrenus and Syluanus to Lord Felix to looke vpon the curious sheepehooke Which was all blacke with some white spots and the women staied to looke on it afterwardes They varied amongst themselues what wood it might be and there were diuers opinions concerning the same Some of them said it was the wood of Aloës others of Ebony and in the end concluded that it was the roote of an Olife which was verie like to both Then they began to view the sheepe-hooke well which was of length as much as a man of meane stature to the breast from the part beneath to the mids of the head and from the part aboue in the steele a handfull length it was garnished with copper which shined like gold so finely laid in and so euen with the wood that if it were not for the different colour the staffe might hardly haue beene discerned from the metall Then from the metall in the steele without any worke two strikes went downe as broad as two barley cornes the rest of the pommell of the sheepe-hooke was deuided into fower peeces in bredth by fower pedestals Bases Cannyons Chaptrees Architrees Frises and Cornishes And yet bicause all reached not to the steele for all the fower pillars vpheld it vpon euerie one was a little child holding forth his arme and lifting vp one leg the better to reach it with his hand and to support the steele of it Betweene pillar and pillar were fower little figures verie finely wrought so that there were sixteene carued peeces in all the Pommell But betweene euerie pillar one onely fable was carued belonging to sheepe or Shepherds bicause it was a hooke for a Shepherd In the peece that was first offered to their sight was a goodly white Bull in a heard amongst many other Buls and Cowes a fairer Bull then all the rest and with white hornes for the workman helped himselfe by the white streakes of the wood when he had any occasion whereon Europa was putting a garland of flowers which she tooke from her owne head the Bull lying gently standing quietly licking her garments to assure hir the more of his gentlenes A litle before that was she sitting vpon the Buls back who by little and little making as though he went feeding rose vp Aboue the first of these two peeces the Bull turning his head licked the Damsels handes that rodde
how much thy departure greeues me but onely to content and please thee for heere will I staie vntill I know what the immortall Gods will determine with me Scarce coulde my louing brother stande vpon his feete when from mine owne mouth he heard that I was enamoured of the faire damsell bicause he had also no lesse then my selfe as by a strange chance I afterwards knew it yeelded vp to her his loue and libertie But bicause it was either my good or ill happe to manifest my passion first Parthenius dissembled his in lieu that I might carie the guerdon away So that on the oneside he was very glad that one thing offred it selfe whereby I might receiue the first fruits of his true friendship and was sorrie on the other to see that his greefe was remedilesse Which perfect function of amitie I would in very truth haue no lesse performed towards him if he had first opened his loue of her vnto me as afterwards I did though yet for all this I must remaine his debtor But bicause I might not perceiue the great good turne he did me and he by disclosing it haue lost the merite thereof he did not onely dissemble it right-out but by words and demonstration made as if no such matter had beene And albeit he striued with himselfe not to loue Stela yet was he not able to performe it but as I saie hidde it in such sort that it might not be perceiued Whereupon to that which I had saide he answered thus The Gods neuer suffer me to profite nor pleasure my selfe with such a leaue deere brother For thou art my father mother to forsake thee I meane not to seeke them out Let them pardon me whosoeuer they be for since they left me in my infancy perhaps without iust occasion it shal be no part of impietie for me to denie them in their old age being warranted by so iust an excuse Many other friendly speeches passed betweene vs both that wheron we concluded was this To go to the next town bicause itwas late there by som other course if at the least some happie meanes did obuiate our desires to informe vs what that Damsell was thereupon to aduise vs what was best to be done Comming therefore neere vnto a little towne not farre from that place we espied this reuerend old Parisiles almost in the very same robes that he now weares who turned his eies on euerie side to see if he might perceiue her comming for whom it seemed he had long looked and lamented To whom in the end a certaine raunger that a farre off came crossing ouer the lawnes appeared who being come vnto him spake some fewe words togither but what we could not heare for we had hid our selues a prettie way off and fewe they were For by and by the sorrowfull old man with a pitifull outcrie fell into a great swoune The raunger seeing him in such a trance thinking he was dead and fearing least his sudden death as he thought might haue beene laide to his charge ran presently away as fast as euer he could when as we all in vaine called and cryed out alowd vnto him so that for that time we could not know the cause of the good old mans sorrow One thing I haue noted in thy disoourse saide Lord Felix that thou euer with reuerence and humanitie entreatest olde Parisiles who as not long since it seemed would haue killed thee And with great reason answered Delicius to whom I doe not onely wish well because he is Father to faire Stela but honour him for his high deserts But returning to my discourse seeing the ranger would not stay we went to the noble Parisiles who was lying as abouesaid distraught of his sences and perceiuing that he came not to himselfe again we both went to seeke out some water to sprinkle on his face ech of vs going a sundry way to bring it the sooner to him Which when after too long seeking as we thought we could not finde we returned backe againe and before we came to the place where we left him we heard him lamenting in this sort O World false world and like to hell belowe Alake of fi lt hinesse and puddle mud A sea where teares and miseries doe flowe A trauell without ease or hope of good A pit of sorrow and of endlesse woe A region full of brambles thornes and brakes Ameadow full of adders toades and snakes A ceaslesse greefe afalse delight and pleasure Of men that goe on wheeles and dancing scope Of him that counteth thee his trust and treasure And of thy worldlings false and vainest hope A heape of woes that hath no end nor measure A hideous hill of care and dwelling place Of monsters and of paine an endlesse race A poison sweete a hony full of gall A dungeon of despaire a dismall field Of wretchednes of seruitude and all Infections that ten thousand deathes doth yeeld A hell a filth a miserie and thrall A care a greefe a paine a plague a sore A slauerte a death and what is more Many that haue endur'd thy yoke of paine Haue gone about in colours to depaint Thy wicked slightes with which thou still dost traine Distressed soules vnto an endlesse plaint And weeping where my cleerest light is hid There wretched man my life I meane to rid By this lamentation whereunto we gaue an attentiue eare we vnderstood the cause of his complaint That the Woodman belike had told him how Stela flying from Gorphorost had cast her selfe into the riuer but not that which afterwardes succceded We were no lesse glad to heare the newes of that we so much desired to knowe as to giue him good tidings whom it behooued vs to make as much beholding to vs as we could for seruing our owne turnes But as we were now determined to goe and talke with him my brother said Let vs stay for if this be Father to thy new Mistresse it is not best that he should now knowe vs when we our selues knowe not what we haue to doe nor how our matters not yet well commenced will fall out And since he saide he will goe to the riuer there to be the minister of his owne death I thinke it best for vs to follow him and demanding what he seekes and whither he goes to tell him what hath passed which I also thinke best to be done when it is somewhat darke bicause speaking to him then he may not knowe vs another time whereas if it might afterwards auaile vs by knowing vs to be the same men that brought him these good newes we shall not want meanes to tell him that at our owne pleasure We thought this to be good counsell and did therefore put it so well in practise that the good olde man being thereby comforted vp a little went backe againe and in requitall of these good newes offered me that was the teller of them his lodging that night Which courtesie of his
the euening dewe of approching night came stealing on apace with her sable coloured horses when Hercules with his company tooke vp a caue neere to the vineyards of Lidia wherein while supper was a preparing for the seruants Iole for her pleasure or for some other merrie conceit that she had in her head did put her apparell vpon mightie Hercules vnripping the seames to make it fitter for him and tearing that which was too streight On her-selfe she put the Lyons skin and tooke his club on hir shoulder and in her hands her husbands bowe and arrowes In this sort they supped and laid them downe to sleepe and with this habite each of them in a bed by themselues as time and place affoorded them began to sleepe for it was not lawfull for them that night to lie togither bicause the next day they were to offer vp sacrifice to Bacchus And now Pan burning in impatient loue about midnight which was very darke for what doth not a louer enterprize came into the caue and found the seruants what with their great cheere and wine at supper and what with their sports afterwards fast a sleepe thinking the same might be also the cause of their Master and Mistresse sleepe His good fortune therefore falling out so well conducted him to the place where Iole was happie man if he had knowne his good happe where groping vp and down and feeling the Lyons pawe with feare he lifted vp his hand thinking it was Hercules that lay there as the musing traueller by the high way his foote that hath vnawares troden vpon some snake or hidden adder he sawe not Going therefore from thence he met by chance with the couch where Hercules in a habite different from his person lay a sleepe whom when Pan touched and selt Ioles soft and delicate garments thinking he had founde that he sought for at the beds feete began to mount vp and lifting vp his clothes in lieu of finding a soft and tender skin felt a hard flesh and full of haire Hercules awaked out of his sleepe gaue the poore louer such a blowe with his fist that he smote him from the bed to the ground where he laie all along Iole awaked at the noise and calling to her seruants for light found the sillie God on the grounde complaining for the blowe he had receiued which made not onely Hercules and his men but his beloued Iole laugh apace at the infortunate louer You therefore see heere my friends why the God deceiued by the garments doth so much hate them It is well saide Syrenus But tell vs I beseech you as you haue begun how we should know him to bee the God of all by his picture They paint him with two hornes answered Parisiles like to the sunne beames and to the hornes of the Moone his face redde like a firie flame in imitation of the firie Element In his brest a star called Nebrides in representation of the starres which starre I thinke was made of a wilde goates or Hearts skinne bicause Nebrides is as much in signification as a wilde Goate or Heart which skins they vsed in Bacchus sacrifices whereby we may easily gather that he is God of all aboue From the mids of his body downward they paint him full of haire and bristled to signifie the trees and wilde beasts with Goates feete to shew the hardnes of the earth And let this suffice for this time With these and many other like curiosities that the Shepherds demanded of Parisiles the night came on to his great contentment The verie same day as I said Felicia carried with her Stela And Lord Felix Felismena and the Nymphes with Crimine went by themselues to another place To whom after they were set vnder the shadow of some thick Sallowes Lord Felix said So may all thy fortunes succeed happily to thee faire Nymph and according to thine owne desire by seeing thy selfe in the greatest prosperitie in the world as thou wilt deigne to tell vs why Stela and thy selfe go wandring vp and downe so sorrowfull in the company of this faire yoong Shepherd and how long since it is you had acquaintance with him Thou commandest me Lord Felix said Crimine to renew the summe of my sorrowes and extremest griese Alas who can stop my teares from their continuall flowing by awaking such tormenting memories Who can quench my scalding sighes that with such a heauie recitall will come smoking out of my balefull breast How can I tell you my excessiue misfortunes in order since there was neuer any in my innumerable passions Let it content you Lord Felix and you faire Ladies to knowe that you haue before your eies the most haplesse woman of all our sexe and in your presence the verie summe and pattern of all disastrous virgins Hauing thus spoken a profound sigh accompanied with abundant teares hindered the rest of her dolefull words whereupon they came all together to comfort her Felismena saying Beleeue me faire Nymphe my Lord Don Felix woulde neuer haue requested this at thy hands if he had thought to haue giuen thee the least griefe in the world but that he and all we were desirous by knowing the cause of thy sorrowfull life to helpe thee as much as we could in thy cares and troubles O happie Ladie said Crimine how much art thou deceiued and the rest that thinke there is any remedie for my mishaps But for the loue and friendship you shew me and for that which I beare to you all giue attentiue eare vnto my words and vnderstand my misfortunes for I will satisfie you in that which Lord Felix hath demaunded of me And because you may knowe how far my mishaps haue extended and to what end my miseries haue driuen me Know that I am forced to loue one that hath no power to loue me againe that it is not in my power not to account her my deerest friend that entreats me like a cruell foe Which thing because it may perhaps seeme hard to you to beleeue you must vnderstand that I loue this Shepherd that is our guide in our trauels as much as I can can in truth as much as I wil. I loue also Parthenius his friēd as much as I will will truely as much as I can for as it cannot be discerned which is Delicius and which Parthenius and the one impossible to be knowen from the other for like two drops of water they resemble one another so much so cannot I tell which of them I loue most louing both in equall balance of extreme affection I thought once to be content and happie by being beloued of one of them whereof when I was perswaded I was not yet satisfied I cannot with reason complaine of them since both or at the least Delicius I think nay firmly beleeue that my suspition is not in vaine hath forced himself as much as may be to loue me by working al the means he could which neuer yet lay in his
should there be wanting in whom I assure you was no more shewe of mercie then signe of heat in snow Whereat if I tooke any greefe wishing the Shepherd so much good for the reason that I haue alleadged thou maiest faire Nymph coniecture But I promise you now that I haue no occasion to complaine for loue hath as well paied me for the offence which then by her crueltie she gaue me that I may iustly complaine of too great pitie which she vsed towards him since being such it hath beene too cruell for me in this behalfe And for this time I will cease as well for that I wearie my selfe and you as also for that Felicia and the rest come in very good time who comming neere vnto them Felismena saide Lay thy hand of punishment vpon me Lady Felicia for I confesse I deserue it affirming that thy comming hath made me sorie hereof I know well who is in fault The same all the rest said Say you so said Felicia Then I sweare to morrow you shall be all punished for it With this they went to supper and to rest If I should set downe in order the braue daunces and songs that after supper were plaied and sung it would be an endlesse peece of worke The end of the fourth booke The fifth Booke of the second Part of Diana of George of Montemayor THe next day in the morning the three Nymphes that were rescued by the Shepherdes being there when the Sauages ranne vpon them desirous to giue them all the pleasure and contentment they could tolde them all what Crimine had discoursed vnto them before euen vnto that very point where Crimine by Felicias and their comming was interrupted which made Syrenus to say Did Felismena then say it grieued her for this bicause Felicia came Not for any other thing saide the Nymphes God neuer helpe me said Seluagia if euer I goe one foote from Crimine before she haue made an end of her historie and I hope Syluanus and Syrenus will doe the like We meane no lesse said they Dinner being done Lord Felix Felismena and the Nymphes desirous to knowe the rest of that which Crimine had begun the day before consulted togither to get her out of the companie she was in Which sage Felicia perceiuing and what they went about bad Lord Felix be content and told them that she would doe the best to fulfill their desires A little while after she went from thence to passe away the time with Parisiles and Crimine and left Stela with them all to tell out the rest bicause Crimine could not tell that which followed so well as Stela whereof Felicia informed Lord Felix When dinner was done Delicius went as he was woont to walke vp and downe in the woods spending those miserable daies in sorrowfull thoughts and teares So that Felicia Parisiles and Crimine being gone Lord Felix Felismena the Nymphes and the Shepherdes remained with faire Stela to whome Felismena began thus to say From that very instant most excellent virgine when first thou didst discouer to vs thy vermillion and snow white face we cleerely knew that for singular beautie thou didst get the prize and honour amongst the fairest wheresoeuer and till yesterday that Crimine shewed the hardnes of thy hart we had not knowen that thy exceeding crueltie deserued the palme and victorie amongst all mortall women Renowned Ladie said Stela cutting her off I thinke it will not greeue thee if I answere thy needelesse wordes after a rude sort since thou wilt giue me that but in wordes which thou hast deserued in deede I speake it concerning thy more rare beautie For as for being cruell I denie not but that I haue deserued a reward though I am now more worthie of a greater for being on the contrarie so pitifull as thou seest Thereof said Felismena we know the first and of the seconde being ignorant doe vs therefore the fauour to rid vs out of this false opinion of thee All of them with one voice likewise charged her with the same demaund For many respects said Stela I cannot woorthy companie denie your earnest requests for one bicause I was commaunded thereunto by sage Felicia to whom I owe all obedience and respect of dutie for another to fulfill your commaunds which I will not disobey and for the third bicause I take a pleasure in recounting mine owne passions to trie if with the greefe which I shall haue in telling them death will deliuer me once from them which though for this respect I chiefly desire yet life is pleasant to me onely for no more but to enioy the sight of my yoong Shepherdes to whom mine honour reserued I haue sacrificed my deerest libertie Other reasons I omit that mooue me to satisfie your mindes And now bicause you are informed to that point where my deere friend Crimine left from that I will take my beginning and proceede vnto the present estate that we are now in aduising you by the way that I durst neuer open my mouth with such boldnes to tell you of my loues if of mine owne part there had euer beene the lest staine or thought of impuritie in them The which thing affirmed as well by Crimine as by that which I will rehearse shall soone appeere And as I will also tell you which my companion could not but that which she did openly see what I did and spake with my selfe alone so cannot I report vnto you what she or the Shepherdes did or spake when they were by themselues alone And if I shall tell you any thing that I haue not seene it shall be after their owne report to me Giue eare therefore for now I begin CRimine could scarce pronounce the words of the song written in the tree and recited by her for pitie of Delicius which we knew well by the tenor of it to be his for if they had held out longer she could not haue made an end of them but hauing read them she said Woe is me how different are they in mind that are so like in face for now you know how Crimine died for the loue of Parthenius and how she had told me it Delicius burnes in loue and Parthenius is cold in the same Me thinks it were good that both of them should loue like faithfull companions or that Stela and I like good friends should hate O Stela thou mightest well agree with Parthenius who in condition of cruelty is so like vnto thee and shouldest forsake Delicius so like to me I assure you Gentlemen that the pitifull verses that Delicius wrote in the tree penetrated deepely into my soule but the words that were fixed in Crimines sorrowful breast mooued me without comparison to more ruth The perswasions that Crimine oftentimes vsed to me to induce me to loue Delicius were of great force but this last was so strong that it wrought more effectually with me then al the rest Delicius his singular parts and
leese his hew and vigour quite Where hope begins to faile and to decay If musing all alone by chaunce I stay Vpon my greefe that smallest ioy denies And see some spring or fountaine in the way I flie and softly to my selfe I say Let that suffice that runneth fro mine eies And if in taking some poore little pleasure If pleasure in a haplesse state I take And view the greene the countries hope and treasure I flie and say that hope of death must measure My minde with ioy that doth my pleasures make According to my life in great disgrace And miseries euen from my mothers wombe I thinke and as I am in such a case That if I follow death with happie pace Death will not yet vnto my succour come I thinke sometimes alas weake is my might To giue my selfe some comfort and some rest But they doe flie from me by day and night In me poore wretch they can take no delight And so my paines doe double in my brest It wearies me for greefe doth euer range To be so long together in a place Yet my vnwearied greefes doe neuer change Their place but still my seldome ioies in strange And cruell manner from my breâ—… doe chace Heere stay my song and tell the world my smart And let this tree with thee haue neuer end For with me shall my haunting greefe depart For it will neuer leaue my wofull hart Like to a trustic good and faithfull friend Lord Felix as soone as Stela had made an ende of the song turned him to Polydora saying Art thou now satisfied So much said she that for a little I would not sticke to say that it is better then the first But knowest thou what I thinke of it said Syrenus That the first is finer pretier this more sententious witty with this I am pleased and it came finely in when he said very wel that first the ill came to him before any good since without widow-hood he suffered like griefe to the Turtle Doue for he esteemed it but a meane sorrow to be a widower bicause it was a signe of sometime enioying the thing he loued But it seemed a most greeuous thing vnto him not hauing at any time the possession of the thing he loued to be depriued of it Truely said Felismena thou art much beholding to him Stela being so hard vnto him as thou wert to cleere thee of all fault and that none might be laid vpon thee he said Thou wert not cruell onely attributing his disgrace to his ill fortune But in one thing said Doria he shewed his infinite loue more then in any thing else when he said he rested not in any place I might well haue noted something said Syluanus but that I would not hinder so pleasant a discourse Tell on therefore faire Stela as the Gods graunt thee thine owne desires Hauing made an end of reading this that was in the Sicamour said Stela prosecuting her tale neither of vs could speake for a good while Crimine for pitie and I for greefe But afterwards Crimine said Dost thou thinke Stela that I had not reason to helpe thy great need What had become now of Delicius if thy rigour and hardnes had lasted till this time That which is now I answered and if any other thing had happened I would not haue greatly cared Say not so said Crimine for therein thou dost offend thy self After this we went to the accustomed place to the Shepherdes bicause we thought it was no time And being there in their sweete and gracious company my companion said I am euer when I am with you my friendly Shepherds not a little troubled in minde They asked why so Bicause to know you distinctly saide she some outward token and signe must be apparant whereby I may know how to make a difference betweene you whereas otherwise I am as much deceiued and know as little as they that haue frequented your companie lesse then I for if I turne but my head I returne to the selfe same doubt if happily in the meane time you haue chaunged places For the cleering whereof and for the friendship that is betweene vs I pray thee Stela giue one of them a token whereby we may know how to be assured of either of them and not need to be troubled any more with this doubt If thou hast then so great a desire said I what needest thou require this at my hands but that thou maist do it as well as I. Thou knowest now said Crimine that it was first demanded of thee and if it had not beene it might suffice that I request it againe of thee I deny not this said I but assure thee that of this great likenes and deceit which troubles thy minde so much I take great pleasure And it was so indeed for as I loued them in equall sort so my desire was to haue them not onely like in their exteriour shewes but all one in their interiour soules I say as touching my selfe so that I knew it bicause I was then far from knowing the loue that Parthenius did secretly beare me and not onely desired as I said to haue them still like to one another but that in truth they had beene both one It must not euer be to thy liking said Crimine for it must sometimes please mine a little Let it be as thou wilt saide I and choose since it makes so much for thee Good Lord saide Crimine how frowarde art thou Stela Heereaster I will not request thee to doe any thing I will be gone and tarie thou heere if thou wilt if not doe what thou wilt for I knowe not nowe to what ende it will come Staie staie saide I Goe not away and bee not so angrie for all shall bee done to thine owne desire In faith if it were not for these yoong Shepherdes sakes saide Crimine I thinke thou shouldest see me no more heere If then the matter be so said I harke but one worde that I shall say vnto thee and taking her aside I saide vnto her I would not by any meanes in the world giue more fauour to one then to the other by giuing one a signe and the other none lest his wings to whom I giue it growe bigger then the others Thou must therefore either giue me some time to thinke of it or else counsell me how I must doe it The wings to serue thee she answered are now growen in Delicius so that to him onely thou maiest giue thy fauour for as Parthenius will not care for it so much at thy handes so it likes me best that thou giuest him none at all Crimine thought not by speaking these wordes that she did cut me to the very hart but God knowes how much I felt them yet dissembling the matter the best I could I answered Though it likes thee not yet will I giue to Parthenius his difference as well as thy selfe and I was not then in iest
but that he staied his hands as he said bicause he would not giue me any occasion of offence and was Loth to leese the cōpany of Parthenius also bicause indeed he could not know him from his friend Parthenius least thinking to be reuenged on Delicius he might hurt his friend Parthenius Wherefore to cleere himselfe of this doubt one day as Parthenius according to his woonted custome went where he was he said vnto him I vnderstand my friend Parthenius that thy brother Delicius doth loue Stela which thing if it be not more bitter to me then the wilde Olife I leaue thy iudgement since she is the onely Goddesse to whom my soule is subiect and I the onely man that can deserue her Of one thing thou maiest be assured that had it not beene for thy sake I would long since haue made him leaue such follies or else felt the hardnes of my sheep-hooke He might haue considered if he had any wit that he goes about to be a Corriuall with him who makes no reckoning of the Gods if there be any at all Aduise him therefore to leaue that to me which is worthily mine owne if not tell him that by my iustice he shall be punished and not without reason And bicause it is not my will that the great likenesse which is betwene you might preiudice or harme thee take this sheepe-hooke which for ransome of a iollie yoong Shepherde I had of a faire and gracious Shepherdesse the which carrying euer in thy handes I may knowe thee for Parthenius If thou dost meane Gorphorost saide Parthenius any harme to Delicius my deerest brother begin first with me which shall I promise thee least of both greeue me But bicause thou maiest knowe they haue not tolde thee true I sweare vnto thee by the Gods whom I adore and by her whom I loue more then mine owne life that Delicius loues Stela no more then I do For her I cannot tell thee if she loue him or not and he spake in truth in the one and other The Sheepehooke thou giuest me as an impious gift for so vile an effect I refuse to take if by taking it I thought thou wouldest giue it me to the intent to knowe vs one from another But yet bicause I know it is not sufficient for such a purpose I will take it bicause it shall not serue thee to that end that thou pretendest when as Delicius shall carrie it as often as my selfe for by carying it and not carying it thou maiest not knowe which of vs is Delicius whereby thou maiest cleerely perceiue if his life be deere vnto me or no Gorphorost was amazed at the great loue that Parthenius did beare Delicius but beleeued it was not so great in deeds as in words he shewed it wherefore he answered him thus Behold Parthenius I haue warned thee nowe for the great friendship that is confirmed between vs for surely I make more account of thee then thou thinkest bicause thou art onely he by whose meanes I finde with imparting my greefe vnto thee some ease in these my extreme paines But if with this intent thou wilt take the Sheepehooke of me I am not content to giue it thee nor for the woorth of it for I would giue thee more then this but bicause none of my things shoulde come to Delicius hands Of one thing thou maiest be ascertained that loue hath taught me how to know him and then thou shalt see how my despised counsell shall auaile to serue him more then his owne deceitfull opinion With this Parthenius came away very sorrowfull and full of melancholike thoughts not knowing what was best to bee done in such a case On the one side he sawe it was dangerous for Delicius to be there on the other he knew it was impossible for him to absent himself from me He conceiued by that which he found in himselfe the irrepugnable force of Cupid and considered by that he knew too well the vnbrideled furie of cruell Gorphorost But if they were desirous to kill him they thought it impossible vnlesse it were by treason which rather then they would haue done they woulde first haue lost a thousand liues That very euening at Sunne set all wee sower sitting vnder a leasie Sallow tree fierce Gorphorost came out of his caue and by and by was on the top of a high rocke that hung ouer the riuer right ouer against that place where I threw my selfe into it when I fled from him Who after hee had sit downe a little while and laid his scrip by his side and his Pine tree betweene his legges that serued him for his Sheepehooke staffe and weapon he tooke a Flute out of his scrip made of a hundred Baggepipes ioyned togither with waxe Putting it to his mouth and blowing it strongly to cleere it of filth within the hils resounded againe the riuers ranne backe the wilde beasts and fish were stroken in a feare and the forrests and woods thereabouts began to tremble And a little after that he began to sing the most amorous song of me that euer you heard which I promise you had pleased me well if he had not made so cruell an ende of it For with cruell comparisons borrowed of the fieldes and Shepherds he strangely praised my beautie and made me on the contrarie most cruell by offering mee such things afterwardes as hee thought fittest to win me most of all vnto him But to see howe he prooued himselfe faire being so fierce it is a pleasant iest By that which most of all thou louest saide Seluagia I pray thee faire Stela recite it if thou dost remember it which if it like not perhaps these Gentlemen a thing different from their estate shall woonderfullie delight vs if they will do vs so much pleasure to lend vs a little patience to heare it bicause it is fittest thou saiest for countrey Shepherds No saide Lord Felix and Felismena but she shall do vs as great a pleasure to see what so fierce a Shepherd could saie louing this faire damsell so much whom she hated more How can I denie your requests saide Stela being so brauely coniured Giue therefore attentiue eare for I promise you it will please you well STela mine onely Goddesse and my good Whiter then is th'vntrodden snowie way And redder then the rose but late a bud Halfe blowen and pluckt with deaw by breake of day To see more gracious then the Plane tree shape And sweeter then the ripe and swelling grape More pleasant then the shade in sommer time More then the sunne in winters coldest prime More fresh then any coole and trembling winde More noble then the fruit that orchards yeelds More iocund then the tender kid by kinde When full it skips and runs about the fields More flowrie then the rich and pleasant meade With painted flow'rs in mids of May bespred More soft then spotlesse downe in Cygnets brest More then the milke and cheese curds yet vnprest
matters and seeing how needfull it was for him to depart from his Mistresse by reason of the menaces of cruell Gorphorost against Delicius as it was told you he was many times about to kill himselfe but would not put it in practise onely bicause he knew Delicius would follow him therein as also for that the future blisse and hope of seeing his Mistres any more would haue ended Being therefore a greater while there then was needfull for the cause of his absence from his friend Delicius asked leaue of the Nymphes to go see why Parthenius staied so long And so seeking and finding him he came to him where he lay flat vpon his bellie with his mouth to the grounde who seeing him in this sort and thinking hee was asleepe came so softly to him that Parthenius could not perceiue him and in verie truth being in such extreme greefe of minde and deepe imaginations as hee was though he had come as fast and as loud as he could I thinke he had not heard him As these two were therefore thus togither and Parthenius now then speaking to himselfe thinking that no body heard him he vttered such lamentable wordes and complaints of himselfe and of his hard fortune that Delicius knew by and by he was a true-louer of Stela and that for his sake hee dissembled the same so much when Delicius perceiued this he went softly from thence againe bicause he would not be seene of Parthenius the better to do that which he had now determined Whereby he might shew that in his loue and friendship to Parthenius he had no lesse integritie and degree then Parthenius in his or to endeuour at the least to be euen with it And so without speaking or doing any thing he went backe to the Nymphes saying that he coulde not finde him but hoped he woulde not be long away After a good while Parthenius came to all their thinkings very ioyfull which made Delicius not a little to maruell knowing in what a miserable plight he had lest him wherupon he gathered it was but a sayned gladnes bicause hee might not suspect his greefe From this point therefore Delicius by little and little bicause he would not be suspected doing it on the sudden began to shew himself very cold in Stelas loue being merrier then he was wont to be saying it was needlesse to passe sorrowes and greefes for one that made no account of them nor cared a whit for him which he said he cleerely perceiued since so many daies she staied without comming to see him and that he had done a great deale better if hee had employed his loue on Crimine then on her of whom perhaps hee might haue beene rewarded so that with this he shewed that he made no great account of Stela and to beare no small affection to Crimine But for all this Parthenius would neuer declare his loue for he rather suspected that this was but a deuise to trie if hee loued Stela then once thought that Delicius knewe it the which hee imagined not at all But as Delicius coulde not by these meanes bring the truth out of Parthenius to light by forcing himselfe as much as he coulde he sung and plaied many merrie things like a man free from loue and without speaking any thing of Stela which was different from his wonted custome which he did not onely put in practise but determined to doe more if they met togither as he did indeed when face to face he told Stela that hee loued her not And behold heere what you desired to know We are satisfied said Lord Felix and truely it was a great part of friendship betweene them both But yet you shall see and heare said Felicia of many other proofes of their mutuall loue With these and many other speeches Lord Felix Felismena Syluanus and Seluagia passed that time meerely away while Felicia staied them there Parisiles Stela and Crimine with a meane content for the hope they had of their remedies to come But it shall not be amisse that leauing these Gentlemen heere we go on with the three Shepherds which went where Diana was if you will that we beginne to helpe Syrenus who now with his potion that Felicia had giuen him began to feele a tendernes of loue entring in by the passage of the late passed obliuion and a certain discontentment of Firmius and Faustus loues that followed the same Whereupon Syrenus musing with himselfe saide to Partheus By that yoong Shepherdesse which hath so great power ouer thee bicause with some thing we may lighten the wearines of our way I pray thee tell this yoong Shepherd and me something if thouknowest of that which passed betweene Faustus and Firmius with Diana Although it must be to mine owne greefe said Partheus bicause I shall reduce to my memorie a part of the troubles which so great a friend of mine as Firmius is passed yet to pleasure you heerein it lies not in my power gentle Shepherdes not to obey you Hauing intelligence from the place where he was that in the fieldes of Leon my Firmius had made his abode I went leauing on a sudden the presence of my soueraigne Shepherdesse for certaine daies to visite him and the very same daie I came thither found him sitting vnder the shade of a high Sicamour in companie of the faire Shepherdesse Diana To whom bicause she had not beene well at ease by reason of a conceit she tooke in leesing a paper that Firmius had giuen her he song this Sonnet IF that a small occasion had the power To make thee leese thy rosie hew and colour Diana say how fals it out this hower That all my woes to pitie make thee duller Hath now a little peece of paper made thee So milde and gentle in so short a morrow And cannot yet my greatest loue perswade thee To make thee take compassion of my sorrow How of my selfe am I my selfe ashamed That thou shouldst reckon of so short a writing Which cannot iudge nor vnder stand thy graces And yet thou wilt not bend thee to requiting Of that that 's written in my hart inflamed And which hath alwaies suffred thy disgraces I that behinde other trees hard by was harkening vnto him would not interrupt their pleasant conuersation with my abrupt presence but there wanted not a meanes that immediately hindred the same For Faustus going vp and downe to seeke Diana for now he knew she was gone to the field by chance he light vpon the place where they were who with the greefe he had to see her so fortunate in beautie as vnfortunate by marriage came singing this old dittie A faire maide wedde to prying iealousie c. The which he had scarce begun when hee espied Diana and Firmius togither Which sight if it greeued him not I leaue to your iudgements But as the beginnings are hurtfull to a louer to amend them by dissembling notwithstanding his greefe he came and saluted
vnto them Now Fortune beginnes to smile vpon you Parisiles and my daughters and will nowe lift you vp to her triumphant chariot and desist not to carrie you in it vntill she hath placed you higher then you may imagine Happie was the hower wherin you saw the yong Shepherds Parthemus and Delicius and happy that time when first they sawe you for that you by them and they by you shall on ioy a supreme and ioyfull estate And bicause you may know who these yoong fortunate Shepherds are presupposed they are the sonnes of Corineus and Dinia of whom Partheus began to tell you so many strange things The right name of this Shepherd Shepherdesse is Disteus Dardanea Who these be you shal by by know of this Pilgrim their seruant who hath sought for them many yeres togither besides many others that haue made the same iourney amongst the which the yong Prince of Aeolia wandreth vp down seeking out Delicius and Parthenius for the which no meane ioy shall befall to all So that whatsoeuer you shall heare of Disteus and Dardanea you must know that they are these Shepherds whose counterfeit names are these aforesaid and parents to Delicius and Parthenius And I assure you that if you three thinke that you haue deserued the crowne of vnformnate and haplesse weights Disteus and Dardanea their company may presume that the palme of disastrous men should not be denyed them But bicause you may know who they are and for what cause wandring from their countrey they passe away their life in so poore an estate tarie for me heere and I will bring you one hither who shall tell you all the whole matter which I promise you though it touch you will not make you a little glad to heare the strange discourse thereof Parisiles therefore Stela and Crimine remayning there all alone you may now imagine if desirous to see him that should tell that which so faine they would haue knowen especially Stela and Crimine that without comparison cared not to know any other matter then this Felicia sent a Nymph to call Placindus to her who was now gone to view the sumptuous Palace who being come before her she saide thus vnto him O worthie example of a loyall seruant doubt not but that thy good deeds though lately shall be rewarded by the highest assuring thy selfe that the deferring thereof shall more augment the requitall For otherwise if good deeds were not requited by some waies we might haue iust occasion to complaine of his diuine power I say by some meanes as touching that he hath promised vs bicause otherwise he oweth vs nothing but we are rather perpetually obliged to his diuine essence not onely that he hath made vs rationall creatures the highest estate in nature when it lies in his celestiall power to fashion vs to that which is accounted the lowest most seruile in the world vnto the likenes whereof though he might haue made vs who was besides no lesse able to leaue vs without being which is the greatest infelicitie next after eternall damnation But leauing this aside as well bicause larger time then that we haue were necessarie for it as also bicause the place doth not require it I will according to this tell thee in briefe that heere in this house thou hast made an end of thy great iourney finding in the same that which thou couldst not find in so manie countries Here shall thy trauels end and all the troubles of these Gentlemen and with greater prosperitie you shall returne to your desired heauen Here you shall shortly see how many of you wander vp and downe like banished men and more then you thinke of In conclusion in a few daies thou shalt see in this Temple of chaste Diana thy louing Lord and Ladie and thy deer Aunt Placindus at so ioyfull newes breaking off so sweete a speech and not knowing how to requte her prostrate vpon the ground kissed her hands Felicia tooke him vp againe saying It is therefore needfull for thee as a thing that concernes thy Lord and Ladie to tell the beginning of their banishment and the cause of thy long trauell to two faire Nymphes and a reuerend old man whom thou shalt finde attending thy comming in a great broad court before the Palace hall Placindus to obey the sage Felicias commaund without any answer went to the place where she appointed him She that now had caused Lord Felix Felismena Syluanus and Seluagia Danteus and Duarda and the Nymphes to be all togither whiles she was speaking to Placindus being gone to them said Follow you me all None then refusing went after her and came where Placindus Stela and Crimine were iust at that time that Placindus began to tell his discourse To whom Felicia said Because thou maist not want an auditorie for so noble a tale behold my selfe that comes with my companie to take part of it Wherefore let vs all sit downe and thou Placindus without any more courtesies do that which I did of late request thee The end of the sixth booke The seuenth Booke of the second Part of Diana of George of Montemayor THey were all now silent and set downe in order when Placindus being place in the middes began thus to say Of the descent and famous pedegree of Eolus king of Aeolia whom afterwards they called the God of the windes and of whom that countrey tooke the name sprung out two illustrous houses Of the one a most mightie man called Sagastes was cheefe The other a vertuous yoong Gentleman called Disteus made most famous who though in possessions and reuenewes he was not equall to the other yet in vertue wherewith his minde was bountifully enriched farre surpassed him Betweene these two houses was an ancient quarrell and emulation by reason that neither of them would allow any equalitie both still contending for superioritie which to him that desires to beare rule and command is a great and heauie burden Truth it is that in the time of these two principall men Disteus his partialitie went somewhat by the woorse bicause king Rotindus that then reigned fauoured not a little the contrarie part onely for that Sagastes resembled him so much in his bad conditions and disorder of life For both of them were proude cruell libidinous enimies to vertue and imbracers of all kinde of vice whereunto Disteus was a mortall enimie So that the king with continuall fauours enriched Sagastes and fauoured his followers and with perpetuall hatred procured to impouerish Disteus and persecute his friends There were but fewe in the whole kingdome that for feare did not whatsoeuer Sagastes commanded though they hated him in their mindes and none that by their good wils would haue denied to fulfill Disteus pleasure in all things who loued him deerely in their secret harts So that they obeied Sagastes openly for respect of the king and loued Disteus secretly for his owne deserts Who yet with vertuous and sincere
loue was not a little enamoured of Dardanea Sagastes sister a yoong gentlewoman passing faire and rich she being also adorned with all those gifts of nature and minde which onely enstall that noble sexe in immortal praises For in her did euerie vertue shine as in their proper place Her loue likewise to him was chaste and pure being onely grounded vpon Disteus his noble vertues and singular goodnes that was then the common subiect of euery mouth whose loue though in her chaste breast it was with all kind of honest affection entertained yet might his comely personage goodly features haue well procured a wanton thought in the most modest minde This noble Ladie had been married but three moneths to a knight of her own house but in many degrees remooued called Fenubius when Atropos before his iust time did cut off his vital thread and in the flower of her age made her a yoong widow Who bearing no small affection to Disteus when she was a maide would faine haue married him but neither by words nor signes durst once declare the lest thought thereof vnto him bicause she would not for all the world transgresse the due limits of her honor and vertuos reputation as also bicause she thought it impossible to conclude a marriage in two such contrarie houses Whereupon without more a doe she was constrained to take such a husband as her brother did giue her for her parents died when she was but eight yeeres old with whom she liued so content or at the least fained it as if she had neuer thought of any other matter a thing no lesse beseeming so braue a personage as she a most worthie example for them that take this honorable estate vpon them Dardanea being therefore a widow it fell out that Sagastes vpon a small occasion did to her great griefe put away her steward who had beene an auncient seruitor and well esteemed of her parents denying to pay him that which was his due for his late seruice In regard whereof and for his other deserts this noble Gentlewoman did not onely satisfie Anfilardus for so he was called but also bestowed bountifull rewards vpon him excusing her selfe to him and saying that his departure was much against her will There was not one in all the citie of Sagastes partie that would giue him entertainment bicause they would not offend so mightie a man the which Anfilardus perceiuing and how vniustly he was reiected he laboured to be with Disteus whose fauour bicause he deserued no lesse as also bicause it was an honor to Disteus to releeue Sagastes old seruants he soone obtained Though yet on the sudden so vnaduisedly he entertained him not without first taking his word and faith of a Gentleman not to go from him againe vpon no wrong nor iniurie offered him The which thing Disteus thought good not to forget bicause he might not after he was placed with him once offer to forsake him thinking the disgrace that resulted to him by such a departure would be greater then the honour that he got by receiuing him All this and more with solemne oath did Anfilardus auow of whose word as also of himselfe bicause he knew him well Disteus made no small reckoning The which to accomplish Anfilardus neuer failed though he had beene often molested to the contrarie But before he came to dwell with Disteus he forgot not to aske Dardanea leaue bicause he would not giue her any occasion of discontent if perhaps by meanes thereof she felt any at all But she consented the more willingly thereunto when she vnderstood that he was to be entertayned by Disteus For as her brother could not choose but be offended thereat so she therefore hoped that he would worke the meanes to place him with her againe But Anfilardus told her not of the faith and promise that he had giuen Disteus for his aboade and true seruice which if she had vnderstood she would not doubtlesse haue giuen him any such leaue knowing that Anfilardus would not do any thing repugnant to his word and promise It greeued not Sagastes a little to heare what the steward had done knowing that only he himself deserued blame for it but more when he perceiued that neither faire entreaties nor fierce threats could reclaime him to Dardaneas seruice Who therefore perceiuing the remedie thereof impossible bethought himselfe of one more preiudiciall to him then any other which was by giftes and faire promises or for that which afterwards fell out to entice from Disteus the woman whom he most tenderly loued a nurse of his for from the teate she had nursed him and brought him vp and an Aunte of mine called Palna to bestowe her on Dardanea in lieu and recompence of her late departed stewarde of which reuenge hee was so proud in minde for hee had soone brought it to passe that he thought he had done Disteus the greatest iniurie he coulde by bereauing him of his nurse and besides wounded his minde with greater greefe then the ioy that he conceiued at Anfilardus comming whose fact made none to maruell much knowing well what great occasion he had to doe it But mine Auntes departure filled euery one full of woonder thinking that she had no iust cause to make her blamelesse but that she was a woman bicause Disteus as they all knew rewarded euerie one so well that there was not the meanest in his house whom he iniuried and gratified not especially Palna whom he loued aboue al the rest and honored as his mother neuer knowing her by any other name Which thing greeued him so much that it made him almost besides his wits for first he would haue thought that al the world woulde haue left him before mine Aunt woulde haue forsaken him Disteus therefore being very sadde and pensiue and sometimes complayning of his Aunt Anfilardus came vnto him and began thus to say If my person had not beene exchanged my good Lord and Master for so deere a price I had then great reason to be glad and vaunt that I am the seruant to so woorthie a gentleman but considering that in the cause of my gladnes the effect of your sadnes doth consist let my ioy be drowned with your discontent and euer remaine so colde that it may seeme rather dead then liue without the sight of your wished good I woulde it had pleased the immortall Gods that I had neuer enioyed the perfect knowledge of your goodnes bicause you might not then haue tried the vnkindnes of ingratefull Palna I was maruelling at vnstable fortune that so on a sudden deined to giue me so sweete a potion but bicause she woulde not haue me fall from the common opinion that I euer had of her she by and by distempered it with a bitter taste Onely one thing comforts me and ioyes my thoughts that you my Lord shal know what difference there is betweene a man and woman though I wish you had not tried it by this example And though in truth
you haue reason to bee sorrie for Palnas change yet you haue no cause to maruell at it in that she is a woman which name the ancient writers Philosophers Poets and Painters did not vainely impose to Fortune Pardon me good sir if I am so bold with one whom you loue so well since I haue iust occasion to do it by reason of the great and greeuous charge that she hath left me For if I was then bound of mine owne selfe to obey you to my power now by her occasion I am constrained to serue you more then my forces can well attaine to And if I being placed in your seruice shee had remained still the little that I could do might perhaps haue seemed something but she going awaie for my cause but not thorow my fault for all that euer I can do I shall be yet obliged to more being exchanged for her whom you so greatly loued And the worst of all is that if any thing which not by my will but by some negligence I may commit shall be open to the popular eie it will be a common by-worde in all the citie That it was a good exchange of Palna for Anfilardus Wherefore I beseech you my good Lord that omitting this you woulde accept of my good will which is sufficient enough if in my deedes there shall be any defect and that my fault which must needes proceed from my small abilitie or ignorance be not attributed but to the one or other To this did Disteus answer thus As I neither can nor will denie Anfilardus that I haue not greatly felt the ingratitude of my mother Palna my nurse I meane by not thinking of that mutabilitie which thou saiest is naturally incident to women by reason of the loue that I did alwaies beare her and doe yet to speake the truth which is not so little that in so short a time I may so easily forget the great iniurie which I haue receiued at her vnkinde hands So must I needs confesse that it is a great lightening to my hart that it was done for thy sake of whom I hope it shall be well considered since the greater part thereof is alreadie requited with the good will which at this present thou hast discouered though thy workes also haue seemed of no lesse effect both which when opportunitie shall serue I will not hereafter forget to reward The beginning whereof shall be this That I promise thee bicause I perceiue how heauily thou takest the great greefe which I haue felt for her absence and sweare neuer to shew my selfe agreeued for it in thy presence although perhaps I be in minde nor in thy absence to impart it to any but to my selfe They being in these speeches I came to Disteus house and speaking with one of his men willed him to tell his Master how I was come with a letter from mine Aunt vnto him The page did my errant and as Disteus was in suspence whether he might receiue it or no Anfilardus saide vnto him Sir send for the messenger in for by this you shall the more signifie your goodnes hearing with one countenance the iust and culpable person and not do Palna so much glorie as to make her know that her absence hath greeued you very much Disteus liked his counsell well and thereupon commanded me to come in With thy good leaue Lady Felicia and of all the rest said Parisiles I would aske how being without you might heare these speeches betweene them within From hencefoorth answered Placindus you must vnderstand that we tolde one another all the matters that passed and with this aduertisement I will proceed In the end I came in where Disteus and Anfilardus were and doing my dutie began thus to speake Your nurse Palna with her remembred dutie to you my Lord doth most humblie beseech you to reade this letter which she sends you Disteus tooke the letter and dissembling his greefe as Anfilardus had counselled him said If thine Aunt doth write to me to the ende to excuse herselfe she needed not haue taken these paines for she might haue done heerein according to her owne minde as in that which shall like me best I will do to mine own will and pleasure Thou shalt tell her that I will reade it wherein if there be anie thing for me to do for her I will heereafter bethinke me of it I not perceiuing this kinde of dissimulation maruelled not a little to see how soone he had shaken off the loue that he bare to mine aunt Truth it is that as I was then ignorant of that which afterwards succeeded so I esteemed his coye answere for a point of wisedome and was no lesse ashamed at that she had done With this answer I went my waies and they remained all alone Anfilardus praised not a little his fained answere commended his wisedome in that he would not call her mother as he was wont to do nor name her by her owne name in token of contempt But Disteus opening the letter saw it said thus Palnas letter to Disteus PAlna thy mother from thy milke and from the loue of her inward soule to thee her louing Sonne Disteus sendeth greeting Bicause as I know thou wouldest condemne me for a verie foole if I went about to shew that I had iust cause to forsake thee that wert mine onely comfort and to whom I am so much bound so will I not excuse my selfe heerein which if I should do and say that I am not worthie of reprehension I might then seeme in a manner to charge thee therewith since something must be attributed to so great a chaunge But if any fault be committed I am content that it be onely imputed to me for it shall greeue me lesse that the whole world should condemne me for it then that any should suspect the least defect in thee that might be Wherefore let this onely serue to entreate thee by the amorous milke that thou hast sucked out of my breast to haue so much patience vntill the successe shall manifest the cause hereof which to the end I will passe with the ill opinion that the world hath on me for leauing thee to an effect that shall result to thy profit whereby thou shalt affirme thy selfe satisfied and me acquited with thee at the least whereas for the rest it shall not greatly skill I know well thou wilt obiect say That if there were any hidden thing whereby I might haue procured thy content I had no reason to conceale it from thee I answer bicause I knew thou wouldest by no meanes giue me leaue to depart I would not tell thee of my purpose vntill seeing the good successe of it thou mightest know my great loue to thee since without making thee priuie I haue enterprized so great and difficult a matter And now bicause I haue spoken more then I thought I will conclude with this That I am in good health and not a little glad that my good
Fortune brought me to Dardancas seruice whose beautie and golden vertues are the woonder of our age When Disteus had read the letter softly to himself for he would not read it aloud before he had viewed the contents of it he said to Anfilardus I would haue read this letter vnto thee Anfilardus if I had thought it would haue made thee glad or sorrie and also bicause it is so obscurely written that I can scarce vnderstand one clause thereof The contents of it perswade me not to be carefull nor trouble my wits by inquiring out the cause of her departure vntill time doth manifest it when as then she saieth she shall be as free from fault as I from complaint With this also she writes me that she is content with Dardaneas seruice for proofe whereof she extols her highly with onely two wordes saying That she is the woonder of our age She that is of such excellent beautie saide Anfilardus enchased with all precious gems of vertue deserues no lesse assuring you Sir that Palna if with so much truth she iustifies that which she hath done as she hath reason for that she hath spoken may be blameles and excused to all the worlde wherein I must needes say she hath beene wise hauing no good discharge and excuse of her fault by putting you in a doubtfull loue and hope of a thing you knowe not to the ende that in the meane while you might forget and ouerpasse your anger by such thoughts and that she might not neede heereafter to excuse her-selfe I told thee not long since saide Disteus that though I feele Palnas absence very neere yet I must dissemble it with thee by meanes whereof happe good or ill I will still shewe one semblant prouided that I know the cause of it for indeed I could neuer perswade my selfe that this was no more but a dreame since I had euer so great confidence in her loue and fidelitie Whereupon I thinke some iust cause must needes mooue her to doe it for my behoofe and benefit as she writes vnto me which though it were not so I will not Anfilardus otherwise conceiue nor imagine In that which toucheth the fauour you do me said Anfilardus by imparting to me the contents of the letter I am bound to kisse your handes And in the rest as in this you shew my Lord your selfe what you are and maintaine the title of your noble minde In these and like speeches they spent a pretie time though Disteus sometimes altered his talke asking him of Dardaneas qualities beautie and wit for he tooke a great delight to heare that so many good parts in so high a degree were iointly found in one woman which Anfilardus did so brauely set forth as one that knew them well and to whom he was so much bound that the eloquence of the golden mouthed Lord of Ithaca had beene needlesse there All which was to cast an amorous and secret powder into Disteus foule that he might thereafter haue been set on fire On the other side mine Aunt Palna with great respect of dutie and discretion discoursed sometimes vnto Dardanea but with far fet circumstances of Disteus his honorable disposition and noble vertues which she so wisely insinuated as if she meant nothing lesse then to praise him Disteus now gaue leaue to his imaginations to be only imploied in Dardaneas beauty so that he loued melancholy sadnes abandoned al sports publick places He now delighted only in solitarines not only the company of strangers but of his own friends serūats was troublesom vnto him who neuer suspected that any amorous thought had so forcibly raigned in him but rather attributed this alteratiō to the greef that he had for Palnas absēce which if they had not beleeued they wuld not haue left to aske him the cause therof though it had bin but in vaine when he himself did scarce know it Disteus spent som daies in these considerations wherein his fansies being not meanly occupied he vsed these words O God how needlesse is it for thee my mother to tell me what reason thou hadst to leaue me for this excellent Ladie O ten times art thou happie that hast before thee as often as thou wilt the cleerest mirrour of our times Onely heerem from this day foorth I will not cease to blame thee for leauing me so late if any fit occasion had beene offered thee to defend thee with the shield of Dardaneas bountie and beautie for both which all mortall men are bound to serue and obey her Thou hast soone performed thy word that at length I should see thy iust cause Pardon therefore good mother my errour by reproouing thee although the same if thou dost marke it well was not my fault but the great loue that I did euer beare thee But wretch that I am what haue I done by not answering thy wise and louing letter and thrise vnhappy mee if thy nephew returned the sharpe answere from the venemous mouth of thy vnwoorthy sonne Ah then thou shalt haue more reason to detest the vnfruitfull milke thou gauest him then he had to condemne thee for thy iust departure and with greater cause to curse the vngratefull nouriture that thou hast bestowed on him then he hath now to blame thy forced absence O Disteus inconsiderate youth how rash wert thou in answering Palna thy graue and wise mother and how ill hast thou deserued to aduantage thy selfe by her gentlenes and helpe And thus thinking he had done a hainous offence by not answering her in haste he called for inke and paper and going about to write he was a good while in suspence and knew not how to begin for faine he would haue shewed her how willing he was not onely to forgiue her but also to haue craued pardon of her both which he durst not doe neither was it wisedome before Palna had cleerely made her iustification And therefore he wrote in such sort that my Aunt might take no offence thereat and did what became him the tenour whereof was this Disteus his letter to Palna BIcause thou maist haue no defence whereby thou maist not be bound to shew that innocencie which thou saiest thou hast and maist also vnderstand how I haue better plaied the part of an humble sonne then thou of a louing mother I haue strained my selfe to take pen in hand to answere thee By and by after I had read thy letter I would haue setled my selfe to this taske wherein I had so many contraries of I and no that not knowing what to determine or to which of both to adhere I haue till now suspended it If the loue I beare thee did sollicite me to do it the anger thou gauest me did forbid it If the faith which euer thou foundest in me did admonish me thereof the disloyaltie that then I sawe in thee did disswade me from it If my good minde towards thee did force an I thy impietie to me did forge a No. So
no wight deserues to knowe For into seas infinite With small barke it were to goe And that labyrinth sans light Wherein Theseus they did throwe I not hauing in this plight Threed as he his guide from woe I will onely sing and write How in happines I flowe That thy seruant I doe hight Praising Fortune and Loues bowe Thanking him that so did smite She bicause she was not slowe In her throne my paines to quite Loue for like a friendly foe Wounding thee with golden flight And for shooting many moe Into my soule whose paines shal seeme but slight If with thy grace their woūds thou wilt requite Sagastes would haue the dittie make mention of this last point bicause as Marthea gaue him to vnderstand no lesse so he beleeued not any thing to the contrarie This song being ended he began to doe that he promised which was to praise God Cupid and Fortune with so great delight of the hearers as the end of the first had taken it away from them But their beginning as it was told me was not without the vnpleasant iarring of their discording instruments I beleeue it well said Lord Felix that this discord was not any whit pleasant to them there when the recitall thereof heere is displeasant to mine eares and therefore I pray thee without any more circumstances tell vs what was sung besides for I doe greatly desire to heare how he praised Fortune an apter subiect of blame then fit to be praised If it be your pleasures said Placindus giue eare to my words and note the meaning of it for this is the song HE that doth Fortune blame And of God Cupid speaketh ill Full little knowes he that his will Is subiect to the same And that he doth procure his proper shame Held for a foole and one of simple skill Who speakes he knowes not what Is thought to be a very Sot For good of them who speaketh not And I suspect that that Same simple one doth lay a formall plat To be reputed for an Idiot He knowes not Fortunes might Nor knowes the mightie God of Loue She rules beneath and he aboue For she doth sit by right Amongst the Goddesses with shining light And he amongst the Gods his might doth prooue The Boy I will omit Since that his great and mighty name Giues him great praise and woorthy fame Being who knowes not it The God of Loue whose praise I will forgit To sing of Fortune that most noble dame The foole on Fortune railes Bicause she neuer doth repose The first and highest sphere and those Adioyning neuer failes In that which all the world so much auailes I meane in motions which they neuer lose In their perpetuall course Their essence and foundation lies And in their motions neuer dies Our life from them their source Doth take and vnto death should haue recourse And cease if they should cease to mooue the skies They vse to paint her blinde Bicause the highest and the lowe She reares and after downe doth throwe Respecting not the kinde Of persons nor the merits of the minde The King she doth not from the Collier knowe Fortune heerein they take For agreat Goddesse and with right For Goddesses doe not requite With partiall hand and makes No difference of persons for their sakes And partially doe neuer vse their might They call her also mad Bicause her works they doe not knowe Nor any path where she doth goe But all her waies so bad That to exempt themselues they would be glad From them for feare of their ensuing woe But such are made indeede That make a reason so vnfit For when did euer humane wit Knowe what the Gods decreed Or how they meant with power to proceede Or their intents which men could neuer hit t fitteth not my song o deigne to answere with direction en of such wit and small perfection hat offer her such wrong For Fortune doth onely to those belong That haue the vse of reason and election The Ancient otherwise Did thinke for they did make of her A Goddesse and they did not erre To whom sweete sacrifice And temples in her name they did deuise As in their bookes they doe no lesse auerre When this song in the praise of Fortune was ended then in dispraise of time for now as I tolde you the answere of his marriage was deferred for one moneth and euery short hower seemed a long yeere vnto him he sung this Sonnet But I will goe on with my discourse and will not tell it you bicause I shall but trouble you I thinke with recitall of it as it hath done me by seeing it so imperfect and not ended In faith thou art too extreme in thy opinions said Lord Felix and though I had diuers occasions offered me to aske thee many questions yet I haue held my peace vnto the end bicause thou mightest proceede without interruption and it seemes of purpose thou seekest many digressions to depriue vs of that wherein we take no small delight Then doe vs so great a pleasure as to tell vs the song that was begun and why it was not ended and heere we will endeuour if we can to supplie the wants of it Since you offer me so faire said Placindus I will tell it you but I thinke it will be somewhat hard for you Then lend a patient eare to the vnhappie Sonnet which I thinke will not please you so well ALl you that haue vnwoorthily complained Of Loue and Fortune each a mighty powre On Time that doth your sweete contents deuowre Turne them For more heereby is to be gained For time is false For if content vnfained It giueth thee it passeth in an howre But still it staies if it begins to lowre It comes not wisht for nor doth stay obtained Time hath no friend in any thing created For euery thing it wasteth and consumeth And doth not spare so much as any body c. The Boy was yet redoubling the foote of the last verse when Beldanisus who serued Marthea came suddenly vpon Sagastes and marred all the musicke hauing left his brother and three of his cosins in reareward to helpe him if any came foorth in Sagastes defence Disteus that now c. Stay a little said Lord Felix for it shall not be amisse with leau of this good company that I cut off the thread of this discourse when as so often it hath beene broken off And before I forget it declare vnto me but halfe of one of those verses aboue that begins thus It fittteth not my song c. The meaning whereof I doe not vnderstand no more then the words To answer your demaund Lord Felix said Placindus it is requisite I had beene brought vp in the Academies of the Grecian Philosophers and as it is in prouerbe in the Peripateticke schooles But since you will so faine knowe the exposition of it I will shew it you written with his owne hand that made the verses who at my request did it
and I carrie it alwaies about me bicause I like it well And heere it is But will you heare me reade it vnto you or reade it your selfe Thou hast wisely asked me this question said Lord Felix for of this point I haue seene diuers good conceites and from whence the cause proceedes I knowe not but let it goe For of conceites and opinions they say there is no disputing But I take more pleasure to reade it my selfe to stay and studie vpon that which likes me best and to vnderstand it the better Read it therefore aloude said Placindus that euerie one may vnderstand it and that I may tell you when you must leaue I read it said Lord Felix and therefore giue attentiue eare for thus it saith It fitteth not my song To deigne to answer with direction Men of such wit and small perfection That offer her such wrong For Fortune doth onely to those belong That haue the vse of reason and election For declaration whereof we must presuppose the learning and opinions of the Peripatetickes That Fortune is an accidentall cause which doth seldome happen and comes onely to them that worke by election ordained to some end It woulde be too long a labour to expound euery particular part heereof and tell how it is vnderstood and if it be distinguished from the fower causes which the Philosophers doe assigne and if it be not distinguished bicause then there should be fiue to which of the fower it is reduced and what difference there is betweene Chaunce Fortune and Fate and many other things touching this subiect But to fulfill our purpose it sufficeth to vnderstand That if one did dig or turne vp the ground to sowe or burie some thing and digging did finde some treasure this digging should be termed Fortunate which was the cause of finding the treasure And it is called the Accidentall cause bicause that digging was not ordained to finde treasure but to burie a dead thing For if it had beene knowne that it was there and he had digged to that end it could not be termed Fortune It came to one that vsed election for it lay in his choice to digge which he might haue left vndone if he would considering besides howe finding of treasure doth seldome happen It must be called good Fortune if the effect be good as finding of treasure ill if the effect be naught as when he found treasure he found a viper that bit him It may be called great if the effect be great little if the effect be little Whereupon it may begathered for our purpose or intent for they vse all in one signification for this present disputation that it may be called Fortune So that in fooles and children that haue no reason there is no Fortune Whereupon you shall vnderstand that if the stone whereof they make the aulters or the woode whereof they make the statues of the Gods they poetically call Fortunate it is by a figure called Metaphora or likenes that those stones and woode hath in respect of others with fortunate men and those which are not But there is one thing to be noted that insensible things participate of Fortune passiuely as obiects by meanes whereof men are fortunate Giue it me againe said Placindus to Lord Felix for you go too far that which is read is sufficient for the vnderstanding of the foresaid verses Truely said Parisiles it is learnedly handled and I thinke that the point which Lord Felix desired to know is sufficiently vnderstoode and that he cleerely shewed it by that which he read considering the obscuritie of the matter I am satisfied said Lord Felix but I should take great pleasure if now the sence of the verse taken with the intent were quadrant to my minde I am content said Placindus to tell it Hauing said in the beginning if you remember that whosoeuer speaketh ill of Fortune was a foole answering to his reasons he prooues himselfe to haue no reason whereupon that it is inferred in that staffe which you aske that since they haue no reason at that time when one entreates of Fortune it is not meete to talke with them nor they to meddle with things of Fortune Since Fortune onely commeth to him that hath reason Nowe that I am resolued said Lord Felix returne to your Historie againe You made an end in telling how Beldanisus had interrupted the musicke leauing his brother and cosens in the reregard I brake it off at this worde Distcus that now And since I interrupted your continued discourse it is reason that I helpe you to knit it and reduce you to it againe Well then from that place I will begin said Placindus Disteus that now had come somewhat neere desirous to taste of that dainty musicke euen then when he saw violent hands laid on Sagastes although he hated him mortally yet to do his Lady Dardanea seruice he ranne in and stept betweene Eeldanisus and Sagastes for he had now also drawne his sword saying Keepe out Lord Sagastes and receiue this small peece of seruice for my Mistres Dardanea your sisters sake Beldanisus was so wroth to see Sagastes taken away that like an angrie Beare despoiled of her yoong ones with enraged furie he ran vpon Disteus to wreake his anger wholly vpon him and thinking he had beene but of small courage and partly incensed with violent despite and choler without any feare he ranne within him and lifting vp his sworde with all his strength did manfully discharge it vpon him But Disteus like a stout and couragious Gentleman knowing it was no time to dally when he sawe such a furious blowe comming before it was discharged by closing with him tooke it vpon his buckler wherewith he thumped him so strongly on the brest that he felled him to the ground where hauing knocked his head by the terrible fall he lay senceles for a space and was not able to rise vp againe Sagastes and his page would haue come in to helpe Disteus but that Beldanisus brother and his cosens seeing swordes drawne in Sagastes fauour two of them fell vpon Disteus thinking it had beene Sagastes with intent to haue made but a short peece of worke of it bicause they could not stay long about that busines for so the fower had concluded betweene them and the other two fell vpon Sagastes and his page whom they thought to be Sagastes men But it fell out cleane contrarie and in vaine came they in so soone for Disteus had now smitten Beldanisus to the grounde where his brother seeing him lie without a worde thought verily that he was slaine Wherefore determining either to die or to reuenge his death with one of his cosens he assailed Disteus who without any signe of feare or cowardise manfully receiued them both But yet he sawe him selfe narrowly beset bicause they were both hardy youths besides that the wrath and desire of reuenge to see Beldanisus on the ground made them desperate But they were not able to
controll Disteus his courage nor to abate his strength and dexteritie that had by this time wearied them and ended their liues if they had not bin wel armed with defences But when at his pleasure he lifted vp his good sworde to smite one of them he did so hardly entreate them that they thought it best not to come within his reach wherewith he had nowe broken their maile and wounded them lightly in some places The two cosens made Sagastes and his page flie before them and had killed them if they thought Sagastes had beene there being also ignorant in what case Beldanisus and his cosens were But nowe when Disteus had brought them to an ill passe Beldanisus came to himselfe againe for he had no other harme but that onely by the blowe in his head he had lost his sence and knowing what a great shame and dishonour it was vnto him and seeing besides how valiantly the man that came in betweene them had behaued himselfe with two of them he fell fiercely vpon him of purpose to take iust reuenge of him assailing him more aduisedly then before Disteus though he sawe himselfe encountred by three did not yet loose his manly courage but as if the effray had but then begun wounded them cruelly not escaping himselfe without some small wounds cuts in his garments bicause their swordes did not cut like his nor their armes had the strength as his had the cheefest cause whereof was that Disteus did not let them wound him at their pleasure albeit one of the cosins did put him to much trouble For as two of them did set him well a worke he with a long tucke did thrust at him mortall stocados wherupon Disteus thinking that all the victory consisted by ouercomming him he endeuoured to close with him for he perceiued wel that if he had thrust but one to his minde it had beene ynough for him But the other two perceiuing his intent preuented him of his purpose whereupon the other in the meane time reached him a desperate thrust the which with a ready eie auoyding he requited with such a sturdie blowe that he felled him to the ground And to Beldanisus who had wounded him in the shoulder without any pause at all he gaue an ouerthwart blowe on the left arme that he cut the maile from his sleeue and the flesh to the bone With these two blowes they were put in such a feare that they thought it best to giue backe studying rather to defend themselues then offend or hurt their enemie Disteus seeing the victorie in his hands did not cease to plie them still in such sort that he made them by one and one retire But now by this time there was much people gathered togither to part the effray though by the darknes of the night one knew not another Whereupon Disteus taking vp his cloke that he had cast downe got himselfe out of the prease and Sagastes to seeke the man out that had helped him so well in that encounter cared not to pursue his enemies so that they escaped then away vnknowen without getting any thing of their purpose Disteus perceiuing that with so great desire they sought him to doe his feate the better and that which heereafter you shall heare came to Sagastes page and putting a corner of his bandkercher in his mouth bicause he would not be knowen by his speech said vnto him Let not thy Master take any care to knowe who I am for to morrow I will goe my selfe to kisse his handes The page went with this errant but Sagastes not content therewith would haue gone himselfe to haue spoken with him if the page had not disswaded him saying Sir it is no reason to molest him that hath done you no lesse a good turne then the sauing of your life It seemes he would not now be willingly knowne let him therefore alone and trouble him not since he hath giuen you his word to come to morrow and visit you Thou saiest well saide Sagastes and till then I shall not be quiet in minde for it hath put me in a great wonder and confusion to knowe who he might be that so valiantly defended himselfe against three but in a greater when I call to minde the wordes that he spake when he stept in to helpe me That I should take it for a peece of seruice due to my sister and his Mistresse Dardanea For they were such that had I not knowen Dardanea well would haue put me in a great suspicion and iealousie of her And besides this it comes also to my minde that if he be wounded for he could not otherwise escape it shall be ill beseeming me if I doe not the best I can to procure his health and reuenge although by the last he hath sufficiently accuited himselfe Go tell him therefore from me what my desire and good will is towardes him and that before he be gone in haste to helpe himselfe I will not depart from this place The page went and being come to Disteus spake thus vnto him Sir whosoeuer you be my Lord Sagastes doth kisse your hands and by me giues you to vnderstand that he praies the Gods may graunt him but the lest occasion and opportunity to serue you in any thing he may and to requite the great good turne which he hath this night receiued at your hands who would haue come in person himselfe to thanke you but that the vnderstands it is your desire to cōceale your selfe He is also no lesse desirous to know who you are but he is loth to intreat you to any thing against your will lest perhaps you would deny to do that you shal think good although you haue forced him to be euer bound vnto you But for all this he would vrge and oblige you to fulfill your promise to see him to morrow according to your word He praies you moreouer to looke wel to your selfe if you be wounded and to take some speedy order for your safetie saying that vntill he see you go hence he will not depart from the place where he is Tell thy Lord answered Disteus that if I haue done any thing for him it was no more but a due debt which I owe him onely for that he is brother to my Mistresse Dardanea and bicause he may not be greeued in minde by not knowing who I am tell him that I am Placindus nephew to Palna free from wounds and I must needs stay here all alone about certaine busines that I haue agreed vpon and that therefore he may depart since I am greeued in nothing wherein his care may preuaile me assuring him that to morrow I will stand to my word and promise The Page maruelled much that I had so valiantly helped his Lord and him and as he esteemed me in his mind for a tall man so thought me to be ill brought vp by giuing him so rude an answere For Disteus of purpose would not answere him with more humanitie though
he could do it well bicause there was no cause as I told you to vse him well but onely that he was brother to her that was his onely ioy But the page thinking it proceeded of ignorāce want of good education mended I think the matter with his Lord touching my homely answer Sagastes woondred and not without great reason when he heard that it was I that had so manfully taken his part and with that false opinion which from that time he had of my valour he went home thinking stil it was I by whom he receiued so great a benefit Disteus also when he saw Sagastes gone went home to his own house where he found me with fear for his long tarying carefully attending his returne But when I saw him so ill entreated I began to chaunge colour thinking he had beene hurt and therefore said vnto him What meanes this Sir How come you home in this sort Trouble not thy selfe said Disteus for I haue no hurt and now that thou hast seene how in thy apparell because I would not be knowen in Dardaneas house I went to see thine Aunt and my mother So I also told thee that thine Aunt was to send thee of an errant the which bicause it lay in my way I would also dispatch The errant therefore that Dardanea did will thee to do was this But giue good eare and loose not a word of that which I will tell thee bicause it behooues thee much and also bicause we may not both be taken in a lye I say Dardanea requested thee to goe watch her brother who as it was told her was accustomed to goe night by night out of his house and to see whither he went But it fell out that this night my selfe doing that which was committed to thy charge after a good while that Sagastes came foorth I followed him and after this he told me particularly all the successe as you haue now heard and somewhat more When I heard of the singular fauour and helpe that Disteus had done to Sagastes I was astonished to see that with so great zeale and courage he had succoured him who was his mortall enemie and therefore saide vnto him You haue filled me Sir full of woonder for it is beyond all sence and conceit that you should be mooued to put your life in danger for one that would bereaue you of yours Stay said Disteus and hearken how the matter fals out thou shalt know the whole cause whereby thou shalt vnderstand how much thou art beholding vnto me Thou must therfore know that to heare the musick the better as I told thee I came somwhat neere thinking that by wearing thy apparell I might not haue been knowen and bicause Dardanea might not thinke of thee the worse that being present there thou didst not helpe her brother in so great danger I thought good not for any loue I bare him whom I would rather haue pursued to death then to defende him from it but for thy sake Placindus to put my person in hazard And therefore bicause it might bee thought that thou wert the man that came to helpe him when I stept in before him I saide Accept this small token of good will Lord Sagastes for my Mistresse Dardaneas sake your vertuous sister And now therefore that thou knowest how al hath hapned and that I charged thee not to forget the least part thereof giue eare to the end whereunto this particular discourse of mine is adressed To morrowe thou shalt goe to my mother and carrie her a letter from me and tell her what thou hast done touching that busines which she had giuen thee in charge wherein all the whole matter shall consist First bicause she may aduise thee howe to behaue thy selfe with Dardanea and with anie other that perhaps may aske thee howe this matter passed Secondly bicause she may set downe some good order for that which is needfull to be done After this thou shalt go and speake with Sagastes to stand to thy word or rather mine to saie better where as thine Aunt shall instruct thee and as I haue aduised thee thou shalt speake vnto him Thou shalt also carrie this sword with thee bicause I thinke he will aske for it for the good proofe that it made on the rapiers and daggers there If he would know where thou hadst it tell him that when thine Aunt was with me I gaue it thee and so I am sure hee will bestow some suites of apparell on thee in recompence of thine which were spoiled and defaced in his defence But thou must do me so much pleasure not to take them at his hands but rather tell him that thou carest not for any other recompence then that thou didst it for Dardaneas seruice being Mistres to thine Aunt In doing whereof thou shalt not onelie binde me to bestow this and more on thee but also her when she shall know howe thou didst aduenture thy life for her sake to requite this good turne and euer hereafter to make more account of thy manhood and fidelitie And by denying to take any reward at Sagastes hands oblige her moreouer to thine Aunt The next daie in the morning I carried the letter that Disteus had written that night to mine Aunt and told her all that had passed As Placindus went on thus telling the pleasant discourse of Disteus and Dardaneas loues they all bent their cares to a certaine noise that a horse and his Master made he to take him that ran vp and downe without his bridle and the horse vnwilling to be caught bicause he liked his libertie better Which when Placindus saw with a merrie countenance he aroseland said I beseech you sage Lady and noble companie pardon me for it shall ill become me if I goe not to helpe that Gentleman to get his horse againe And without more adoe he went and left them all laughing and somewhat greeued to see how abruptly he left them for so small a matter To whom Felicia spake thus Thinke it not a small occasion that hath made him leaue you thus for it should ill beseeme him indeede as he well considered no lesse if he did not helpe him that ran after his horse bicause he is a great friend to Disteus called Martandrus who as you must knowe went out long since in company of Delicius and Parthenius to seeke out Disteus and Dardanea wherefore you should be the rather glad of his comming at this time bicause better then Placindus he can tell you out the rest of these loues that Placindus hath begun If it be so said Lorde Felix and the Shepherdes it shall not be likewise amisse for vs all to helpe him And so rising vp they helped Martandrus to get his horse againe But Martandrus who thou dost bring me I am not so for I know not whether I may recken them in the number of good or consort them amongst the ill On the one side by giuing credit to thy words I
I might well passe ouer this new bond my sweetest Lady answered Disteus with many more already past wherein after that I was thine thou hast so much obliged me since I was neuer able yet to discharge them the which vnlesse the vnspeakable loue which I haue borne thee and wherein I meane to die doth not with fauour come in part of their account and satisfaction must still remaine the more my greefe in their former force when as the disproportion of my small abilitie can neuer counteruaile their encreasing value I haue remembred and weighed that with my selfe which thou didst command me but would not hitherto tell thee so much fearing to giue thee any occasion of sorrow by absenting thy selfe from thy friends and kinsfolkes and from thy house and quiet rest to carie thee to some vncouth place amongst strangers to liue in pouertie and vnrest If you regard this my Lord saide Dardanea you do also forsake this and much more But admit I leaue all this and you nothing at all in not leauing you I might well thinke I left nothing at all No more of this said Disteus but were it not fonfeare of thy trouble and harme I woulde desire no other heauen in this world then to haue thee continually in my presence But let vs make my mother priuie of it who will counsell vs as she hath done what is best for vs and direct vs in all our matters They therefore calling Palna vnto them and telling her their mindes she saide And knowe yee my good sonne and daughter that Martandrus and I were also talking of the same matter who is no lesse troubled in minde fearing there will be a search made in his house whereby great harme may befall vs and no good to him at all I would not tell you of it bicause you might not thinke he did it for any feare that concerned him When she had said thus she called me before them and Disteus began to say thus vnto me If I knewe thee not to be a faithfull friend Martandrus I would not haue put the weight of so great affaires in thy trust and secrecie nor omit with words since I cannot with deedes to gratifie that which thou hast done for me But as I haue experimented and doe yet trie the contrarie I hope thou wilt not blame me if I make not some outwarde and apparant shewe of thankes for it But for the present remedie of our dangerous estate wee are determined to flie the furie of our king with the absence of our persons for which escape we craue not onely thy aduise but assistance and how it may be done without our discouerie Concerning that supposed debt saide I which you my good Lord confesse you owe me I will not answer you but only touching that which you haue committed to my charge since it hath pleased you to make mine the greater by hauing amongst all others chosen me out for your onely friende which I esteeme more then all that I did euer for you in my whole life all which were it ten times more is nothing in respect of this fauourable trust which you repose in me As for the rest let euery one of vs thinke what we haue to do and how to take the best course Al fower of vs therfore laying our heads togither in counsel after a great while euery one hauing told his opinion as mine was thought the best so was it allowed chosen which was That since Sagastes had placed watchmē in the citie gates especially by night that none might passe vnles he were knowne what he was the best way to get out was that I should cause three cartes to come that euening from my farme for they knew I had a Farme but three miles out of the city to bring certaine prouision from thence for my house other things though I had no need of them So that the cartes might come thither at Sunset go emptie backe againe the same night when it began to waxe darke bicause seeing them to go home againe without any thing they might not suspect our drift and yet though they had looked narrowly into the Carts might as little haue suspected any such matter for vnder them I had deuised to binde certaine great sackes at length with their mouthes open in each a peece euerie one to put themselues and to send the Carters after they had vnladen bicause they might not be priuie to it to some place or other while in the meane time I dispatched our secret affaires hauing made meanes before in my Farme that it might not be knowen of any All which was done in such sort that there was not as much as any suspition of the matter The same night that I carried them to my Farme we all went to counsell what way we might best deuise for three of them to go out of the kingdome to some solitarie place where they might not be pursued and liue vnknowen And our conclusion was that Disteus should take one of those Carts and make himselfe a Carter and Dardanea and Palna in poore apparell goe out of the kingdome and in the best manner they could in habits cleane different from their estates passe into Tynacrta and that from that place where they made their aboade write to me of their successe Still did Sagastes set watch and ward in euerie place for it was his chiefest desire to catch Disteus that none of them might escape whose eruell purpose yet and not without reason the furie of his anger did chaunge For as he knew that all men loued Disteus and that all his friends if without iust cause he apprehended and punished him would discouer themselues and bandie against him and by these meanes perhaps draw himselfe into great danger So was he not a little content to see the head of the contrarie side taken away and his capital enimie absent whereby he thought to do well enough with the rest But yet he knew not that his sister was likewise gone with him but thought she was in some of her kinsfolkes houses So that Disteus being absent Sagastes might confiscate his goods and condemne him for a traitour since he appeered not at the Kings call by whose commaund Sagastes seised indeed vpon all Disteus lands and his Sisters goods which were not a fewe Heere is no time to tell you Gentlemen of the teares that were spent betweene me and my noble guests at their departure But that Disteus prayed me by my selfe or by my friends to helpe Anfilardus and Placindus the best I could and to get them out of prison for this was the onely thing he said that did trouble him So that they being gone from me and I from them in body Disteus went as I told you to Tynacria where as afterwards I vnderstoode buying a little flocke of sheepe to dissemble his noble condition with this base estate they were some daies there perhaps with more harts ease then in Eolia bicause they
may be called which willingly long since I would haue changed for death Know therefore faire Shepherdesse that my name is Marcelius and my estate far different from that which my habite doth testifie for I was borne in Soldina the chiefest citie in Vandalia of parents for birth and bloud renowned and in all wealth and power abounding In my tender yeeres I was caried to the king of Portugalles court and trained vp there where not onely of all the chiefest Lords and Knights I was beloued but especially of the king himselfe insomuch that I had neuer his good will and leaue to depart from thence vntill at the last he committed to my gouernment a charge of certaine men of warre which he had in the coast of Africa There was I a long time captaine of the townes and fortresses that the king had on the sea side remaining with my chiefest garrison in Ceuta where the originall of all my hard haps was first commenced For in that towne to my great harme dwelled a noble and renowned Knight called Eugerius who had also a charge by the King and gouernment of the same towne whom God besides that he had adorned and inriched him with the gifts of nature and Fortune had blessed with a Sonne called Polydorus valiant without compare and with two daughters called Alcida and Clenarda women of most rare and excellent beautie Clenarda was verie skilfull in drawing of her bow and in shooting but Alcida which was the eldest endowed with incomparable beautie whose vertues so inflamed my hart with burning loue that they haue caused me to leade this desperate kinde of life which I now passe away wishing for death which euerie day I call vpon and attend Her father was so tender and charie ouer her that few times he suffered her to be out of his sight which thing was no small impediment to the opening of my griefe and great loue I bare her except sometimes when it was my fortune to see her by an appassionate eie and many sighes maugre my will came forciblie out of my brest I signified my paines vnto her At one time among the rest I wanted not opportunitie to write a letter vnto her which fit occasion by fauourable fortune granted me I omitted not but wrote to her this letter following Marcelius his letter to Alcida THat maiestie so princely graue and sweete That modest blush that gentle seemely grace Those lookes so chaste and hauiour so discreete Those golden vertues that thou dost imbrace Besides thy beautie which the world resoundes With famous name from heauen that brought their race In such a narrow streight with bleeding woundes Haue set my hart Alcida heauenly faire That euery thing my woonted rest confoundes For that which breedes my loue is my despaire And so restraines my soule that faine it would Say nought although it cost my vitall aire What man of flint that euer did behold The burning beames that thy faire eies doe cast But waxed dumbe and died with mortall cold Who euer sawe those beauties rare and chaste More perfect then the starrie skie aboue Or any liuing now or gone or past That presently felt not a feruent loue The cause whereof his senses so would vse As not to let him speake for his behoue So much I passe by silence that I muse That sad complaintes my hart doe neuer kill Nor breake my brest with anguish so confuse My ioies are none my woes continue still My paine is firme and all my hope is vaine I liue alas and die in greeuous ill And take reuenge vpon my selfe againe That which I most eschew doth take me straight And what I most desire I lest obtaine For that that lest behooues me I awaite Not comfort for my greefe that neuer endes Ioying in paine wherewith my soule I fraight Yet my delight and life so far extendes As thought of that great distance doth abide That twixt thy beautie grace and me dependes For in my soule I doe conceiue a pride That I haue put it in so high a place Where constancie and hope my hart doe guide But yet thy gentle and sweete Angels face Against my soule such mortall war doe threate That thousand liues dare not abide the chace To feare me yet the passage's not so great Nor way so steepe nor craggie that shall stay My forward steps with aanger or deceate I follow then my ruine and decay The path of paine and seeke not to decline From greeuous plaints that force me euery day Yet endlesse ioy my heauie hart doth shrine And glads my life by wished paine opprest That glories strangely in these greefes of mine Paine 's my delight my plaints my sport and iest My sighes sweete soundes my death my glory makes My woundes my health my flames my happy rest Nothing I see which stirs not and awakes My furious torment and her endlesse wheele But happy fortune by the same it takes These ils sweete Mistresse for thy sake I feele And in these passions liue and die tormented With equall paine and suffrance well contented Let then a man despairing of releefe Who to thy loue his doubtfull life assignes Mooue thee to some compassion of his greefe By reading of these hart-breake written lines Since that he craues no helpe for all his mone But onely that his torment may be knowne This was the letter I wrote vnto her the penning whereof had it beene as fine as the purpose fortunate I would not haue changed my skil in posie for famous Homers It came to Alcidas hands in whose hart when finally she knew the summe of my griefe though at the first the contents of my letter with my too great presumption did somewhat offend her it made deeper impressions then I imagined or hoped for Then I began to manifest my selfe for her open Louer by making manie braue Iustes and encounters at Tilt and Tourney running of wilde Buls and juego de Cannas by celebrating for her sweete sake and seruice Moresco sportes on horsebacke in the day time and maskes and stately dances in the night causing consorts of sundrie musicke to delight her and making verses impresas and Anagrammes of her loue and name and many other gallant shewes and inuentions more for the space of two whole yeeres togither At the ende whereof Eugerius thought me woorthie to be his sonne in law and by the request of some great Lords in those parts offered me his faire daughter Alcida for wife We concluded that the espousall rites should bee solemnized in the citie of Lysbone bicause the king of Portugall might with his presence honour them and therefore dispatching a Poste with all haste by him we certified the king of this marriage and requested his maiestie to giue vs leaue hauing commended our charges and affaires to persons of trust to celebrate it there Whereupon the report of this solemne day was published thorow all the citie and places farre and neere which caused so generall a ioy as was due
That if he die not now for thee He will no doubt thy louer bee When that he sees thee heere And this is sure For loue doth knowe Since first my soule he wounded so That I should neuer want A stronger riuall and more stoute Then I who daily would seeke out My true loue to supplant Leaue then the barren sands and shore Forsake the cliffes come there no more Flie from that dangerous coast Take hee de no monster of the sea Surprise thee not faire Galatee Where many haue beene lost Flie now and see how I endure Ten thousand greefes to see thee sure Bicause with double paine Ie alous I am of thy content And for thy dangers imminent Great cares I doe sustaine In seeing thee so mery and glad My iealous thoughts doe make me sad And thinke of Europe faire Deceiued by a milke white bull As on the sea bankes she did cull Fine flowers to dresse her haire And more my ordinarie cares Make me to thinke how vnawares Disdainfull Alnade was Dishiuered and deuour'd by A huge sea monster that did lie Hard by where he did passe But well away that I doe see Signes of no feare nor greefe in thee For this my sorrow knowes That he that 's not of loue afraide Can with no dangers be dismaide And feares not where he goes O then my peerelesse Nymph take heede Lest Cupid doe reuenge with speede To see himselfe contemned For being such a God of might He will not suffer but will smite When he is once offended Come goe with me vnto the woods Where euery plant sprout foorth her buds And to the goodly fieldes Where we will spend the pleasant howers Amongst the faire and redolent flowers That nought but pleasure yeeldes If waters please thee I will bring Thee to so faire and fine a spring That to be first in praise Amongst the rest thy body white To wash within her waters bright For thee it onely staies Disporting in this naked place Thou hast no vaile to hide thy face Nor shade from parching sunne Pitie it were thy beauties blaze Which enutous Titan feares to gaze By him should be vndone Heere hear'st thou no melodious voice But still a huge and fearefull noise Of monsters hideous raues And seas that rore like tumbling thunder Tost with the windes that beate asunder The proude and raging waues What ioy and pleasure canst thou take To see the tossing billowes shake A ship vpon the sand And then to see the broken plankes And carcases in pitious rankes Come swimming to the land Come to the frithes and forrests tall Where nature hath beene liberall With many a pleasant seate Come to the coole and sweetest shades Where in greene pathes and open glades We passe away the heate Flie flie those proude and swelling seas Come come and thou shalt see what ease We take and how we sing Ditties so sweete that in suspence We hold the rockes and euery sence Of euery liuing thing And though that some be full of pitie Loue forceth them to such a dittie For loue is full of paine Yet all the Shepherdes will I mooue To sing no mournefull songs of loue Onely to please thy vaine There maist thou reade in euety tree And euery meade that thou shalt see The loues in knots disguis'd Of iolly Shepherdes and the names Of chiefest Nymphes and countrie dames In curious sort deuis'd But it will make thee sad I feare To see thy name ingrauen there By knowing it was carued By him whom thou didst euer blot Out of thy minde and hast forgot And with disfauours starued And though thine anger will be such Yet wilt thou maruell not so much To see thy carued name As thou wilt woonder then to see That he doth loue and honour thee That there did write the same Not to be loued and to loue It is agreeuous greefe to prooue But what a greefe or paine Could it in thee faire Nymph procure To be beloued with loue so pure And not to loue againe But now despis'd I reckon small Faire Galatee my torment all So that thou wilt forsake These swallowing sandes and seas so high Where monsters bellow out and crie And daily praies doe take What better pastime canst thou finde Neere to the seas of blustring winde Then in our woods and mountaines To listen to the nightingales And gather flowers in our vales And bathe in christall fountaines I would to God thou liuedst heere In our faire fieldes and riuers cleere And for to loue them more I would to God thou wouldst but see Before I should report to thee How they excell the shore Bicause I know the more I praise These woods meades springs louely laies The lesse thou wilt beleeue me And wilt not come where thou dost knowe That part of my content doth growe Which most of all doth greeue me Poore Lycius would haue spoken more To win her from that haplesse shore But that she bad him cease For with an angrie face and scoule She turn'd vnto the wretched soule And bad him hold his peace Then went she to her sportes againe He to his plaintes and woonted paine And in the selfe same sort He still remaines in woonted sorrow She in the sea bankes euen and morrow Contented with her sport The faire maides song and our supper ended al at one time which being done we demanded of Clenarda what had hapned vnto her since our last departure from her who tolde vs what villanie Sartofano offered vnto her in what case Alcida was left of thy imprisonment her captiuitie and in the ende all that thou knowest at large We bewailed bitterly our hard Fortunes which when the Fisherman hearde hee comforted vs vp as well as he could and tolde vs especiallie how that in these parts there was the sage Felicia whose wisedome was enough to remedie our greefes giuing vs also notice of Alcida and of thee to the which our desires principally tended And so passing away that night the best we coulde assoone as morning came leauing the marriners there that came with vs in the shippe we three alone went our waies and not long after came to the Temple of Diana where the wise Lady Fecia keepes her court We sawe there the admirable temple the most pleasant gardens the sumptuous pallace there we knew the great wisedome of the most graue Ladie and other things that filled vs so full of woonder that wee haue scarce anie breath to tell them againe There we sawe the fairest Nymphes examples of chastitie many Lordes and Ladies Shepherds and faire Shepherdesses and especiallie one Shepherd named Syrenus whom euery one there made great account of To him and many more besides did sage Felicia giue diuers remedies for their loues and greefes But the pleasure which but hitherto yet she hath done vs is to keepe our Father Eugerius in her companie commanding vs to goe towardes these parts and that we should not returne vntill we had found out some content or
our liues welnie lost before and Diana no small hope to the attayning of her desires But bicause we must obay the command of so great and wise a Ladie as Felicia is let vs not delay the time to go into the garden and let her wisedome dispose of vs at her best pleasure Then Arethea tooke the apparell that Marcelius should put on from another Nymphe that brought it and with her owne hands helped to put it on which was so rich and garnished so brauely with gold and precious stones that it was of infinit value They went out of that quadrant and all of them following Arethea by one of the Palace gates they went into the garden This Orchard of the one side was enuironed with an arme of a goodly riuer of the other side of it stoode most sumptuous and stately buildings belonging to Felicias Palace and the other two sides compassed about with two wals curiously plaistered with Iesmines Woodbind and other herbes and flowers passing delightfull to the eie But of the pleasantnes of this place it is more copiously entreated of in the fourth booke of the first part Now after they were come into it they saw how Syluanus and Seluagia separated from the other company were togither all alone in a little meadow that was neere to the gate There did Arethea leaue them willing them to stay for Felicia there bicause she was to go againe to the Palace to tell that she had done the thing that was giuen her in charge Syluanus and Seluagia that were there knew Diana by by and maruelled much to see her there Seluagia knew Ismenia also which was of her own towne and so there was great courtesie between them and many embracings ioyfull to see each other there after so long a time Seluagia then with a merie countenance said vnto them Faire Diana is welcome whose disdaine was an occasion to make Syluanus mine And welcome also faire Ismenia who with thy deceit didst giue me so much paine that for remedie of it I came hither where I haue changed it into a happy estate What good fortune hath brought you hither That said Diana which we receiue of thy sight and that which we hope for at Felicias hands O happy Shepherdesse how glad am I of the content that thou hast gotten here God confirme thy fortune so prosperous that thou maist enioy it many yeeres Marcelius offered not to speake any thing amongst them bicause he neither knew Syluanus nor Seluagia But whilest the Shepherds were occupied about their congratulations and curtesies hee was beholding a Gentleman and a Ladie that hand in hand went walking vp and downe an Alley in the Garden being verie merrie one with the other He tooke a certaine pleasure in beholding the Ladie and his minde gaue him that he had seene and knowne her before Wherefore to cleere himselfe of that doubt comming to Syluanus he said Although it is a point of discurtesie to interrupt your friendly greetings yet woulde I faine knowe gentle Shepherd what Lord and Lady those are that walke there togither Their names said Syluanus are Don Felix and Felismena husband and wife Then Marcelius hearing Felismenas name altered his countenance and said Tell me I praie you whose daughter Felismena is and where she was borne if thou dost perhaps knowe bicause I care not so greatly to enquire of Don Felix I haue heard her oftentimes tell said Syluanus that she was borne in Soldina the cheefest citie of all Vandalia her father being called Andronius and her mother Delia. But I praie you Sir do me the fauour to let me know what you are and why you made this demand My name saide Marcelius and all else that thou seekest at my hands thou shalt knowe heereafter In the meane time do me this curtesie that since thou art acquainted with Lord Felix and Felismena craue leaue of them that I may speake a fewe words with them bicause I would aske her a question that may redounde perhaps to much ioy and good on both sides It likes me well said Syluanus and then he went by and by to Don Felix and Felismena and told them that a Gentleman not farre off would faine entreat with them in certaine affaires if they thought it not troublesome vnto them They staied not a minute but came to the place where Marcelius was And after curteous salutations Marcelius said to Felismena I enquired faire Lady of this Shepherd thy countrey name and parents who told me that which by thine owne report he knowes concerning the same and bicause I knowe a Gentleman which was borne in the same citie who is also sonne to a Lord if I be not deceiued whose name is like to thy Fathers Tell me then curteous Lady if you haue anie brother and what his name is bicause it may be he is the same whom I knowe With this Felismena gaue a great sigh and saide O noble Gentleman how much doth thy demand penetrate my hart Know therefore that I had a brother borne with me at one birth and being but a childe at twelue yeeres old my father Andronius sent him to the king of Portugales court where he liued many yeeres This is as much as I can tell of him and that which I told Syluanus and Seluagia that are heere present on a time at the fountaine of the Sicamours after that I had deliuered the three Nymphes and killed three Sauages in the meadowe of the Laurell trees From that time hitherto I haue heard nothing of him but that the king sent him as Captaine into the coast of Africa and bicause I haue a good while since wandred vp and downe the world following mine owne destinies and fortune I knowe not whether he be aliue or dead Then Marcelius could not stay himselfe any longer but said I haue indeed sweet sister Felismena bin dead hitherto bicause I haue wanted thy good company and now am reuiued in that I haue beene so happie a man to see thee And in speaking these wordes he louingly embraced her Felismena remembring well Marcelius kinde of gesture and his countenance in her minde did now cleerely see that he was the same indeed and so was vndoubtedly resolued that he was her owne brother The ioyfull greeting that passed betweene the brother sister and cousen was great and the gladnes that Syluanus and Seluagia tooke to see them so happely mette togither not small There were many louing speeches exchanged many teares of ioy and sorrow powred out many demands and questions hopes reuiued determinations concluded and many wordes and things of ioy and rest mutually spoken and done They spent in these congratulations one whole hower which was little enough for the large history accidents that they had to discourse of after so long an absence But bicause they might better and more safely talke of those matters they sat themselues downe in that little meadow vnder a ranke of Sicamours whose wreathed boughes loden with leaues made
his malladie Delius mother came thither with a heauie hart in great haste and found her sonne tormented with a burning feauer With much sorrow she lamented his case and did importune him to know the cause of his griefe but no other answer would he giue her but sob sigh and weepe The louing mother powring forth many a bitter teare said vnto him Oh my deere Son what an vnfortunate chance is this Hide not the secrets of thy hart from me behold I am thy mother and perhaps I knowe some part of them alreadie Thy wife told me last night that at the fountaine of the Sicamours thou didst forsake her running after I knowe not what vnknowne Shepherdesse tell me if thy greefe doth grow thereby and be not afraid nor ashamed to impart it to me for ill may that malladie be cured the cause and beginning whereof is vnknowne Oh sorrowfull Diana thou didst this day go to Felicias temple to learn some newes of thy husband and he was neerer to thy towne and weaker then thou wert aware of When Delius heard his mother speake these words he answered not a worde but gaue a great sigh and then redoubled his painefull agonie For before he complained onely of Loue but at these wordes with loue and iealousie he was most greeuouslie molested For when he remembred that thou Syrenus wert here in Felicias pallace and hearing that Diana was come hither fearing least her olde and mortified loue might be rekindled againe in her he fell into such a frantike madnes that being assaulted with two most fierce and cruell torments he ended his life in a furious traunce vnto the greatest greefe of his sorrowfull mother kinsefolkes and lamenting friends In very truth I could not chuse but be sorrowfull for his death knowing my selfe to be the chiefest cause of it but I coulde haue done no lesse for safegard of mine owne content and honor Onely one thing greeued me not a little that not contenting him with any comfortable deede I gaue him not at the least some gentle words whereby he might not then perhaps haue come to so sudden a death In the ende I came hither leauing the poore soule dead and his kinsfolkes weeping for him not knowing the cause of his death Thus haue I digressed yet to the purpose to make thee knowe what harme a cruell disdaine and forgetfulnes procureth and also bicause thou shouldest vnderstand of Dianas widowhood and consider with thy selfe if now it were good for thee to change thine intent since she hath changed her condition and estate But I maruell much that Diana departing from her towne yesterday as Delius mother saide to come to this place is not yet heere Syrenus gaue attentiue eare to Alcidas words and when hee heard of Delius death his hart began somewhat to alter and change There did the secret power also of sage Felicia worke extraordinary effects and though she was not present there yet with her herbes and wordes which were of great vertue and by many other supernaturall meanes she brought to passe that Syrenus began now againe to renewe his old loue to Diana which was no great maruell considering that by the influence of his celestiall constellation he was so much enclined to it that it seemed Syrenus was not borne but onely for Diana nor Diana but for Syrenus The prouident and most wise Ladie Felicia was now in her magnificent and rich pallace enuironed about with her chaste Nymphes working with soueraigne and secret verses the remedies and content of all these Louers And as she sawe by her diuine wisedome that by this time Montanus and Alcida being by their imaginations deceiued had now acknowledged their errours and that hard harted Syrenus had mollified his obstinate and rigorous disposition she thought it now high time vtterly to confound olde errours and to ease the long trauels and troubles of her guestes by exchanging them into ioyfull and vnexpected happines Going therefore out of her sumptuous pallace attended on by Dorida Cynthia Polydora and manie other goodly Nymphes she came to the delightfull garden where the Lordes Ladies Shepherds and Shepherdesses were The first that she saw there were Marcelius Don Felix Felismena Syluanus Seluagia Diana and Ismenia sitting in one of the corners of that little square meadow neere vnto the great gate as is aforesaide When they sawe the reuerend Lady comming towards them they all rose vp and kissed those hands in which they had placed their cheefest hope and remedies She courteously saluted them againe making a signe vnto them that they shoulde all follow her which most willingly they did Felicia attended on by this amorous traine crossing euery part of this great and pleasant garden came at the last to the other part of it to the fountaine where Eugerius Polydorus Alcida Clenarda Syrenus Arsileus Belisa Montanus were They all rose vp in honor of the sage Matron And when Alcida espied Marcelius Syrenus Diana and Montanus Ismenta they were all astonished at the sight one of another and verily thought they were in a dreame standing like enchaunted persons and not beleeuing their owne eies The wise Ladie commanding them all to sit downe againe and shewing by her countenance that she was to entreat of important affaires sat her downe in the middes of them all in a chaire of Iuorie grauen with gold and precious stones and spake in this sort Nowe is the hower come renowned and faire assemblie wherein with my hands I meane to giue you all your long desired and happie contentment for by diuers strange meanes and vntroden waies I haue made you come to my Palace for no other intent and purpose Since you are heere therefore altogither wel met where the matters and meanes of your happie loue and life to come must be determined my desire is that you would follow my will and obey my commands herein Thou art Alcida by the true testimonie and report of thy sister Clenarda cleerelie deliuered from the suspicion of thy deceiued imagination And I knew well enough that after thou hadst forsaken that cruell disdaine the absence of thy Marcelius did not a little greeue thee Come hither therefore and offer thy selfe vnto him for this absence shall not be long which hath rather beene so short that at that time when thou complainedst to me of it Marcelius was in my pallace Nowe thou hast him heere before thee as firme and stedfast in his first loue that if it pleased thee and thy Father brother and sister he would thinke himselfe the happiest man aliue to solemnize this desired marriage long since betrothed The which besides that it must needes cause great ioy and gladnes being betweene such principall and noble personages shall make it more perfect and absolute by reason of Felismena his sisters presence whom Marcelius after many yeeres past hath happely found out in my Palace Thou Montanus by Sylueria herselfe that betraied thee art rid from thy erronious opinion After which time thou
serued in and most of them in plate of great value Dinner being done and returning to their former pleasures they made much sport and merriment with many feastes and pastimes which shall be set downe in the Booke following The end of the fourth Booke The fifth Booke of the third Part of Diana THese Louers were so well pleased with their happie estate euerie one seeing himselfe in his desired companie that they quite forgat their former troubles But wee that a farre off beholde and marke the paines and troubles that their contentment cost them the dangers that they were in and the mishaps and crosses that they had before they came to this happines must be well aduised and take good heed that we put not our selues into like inconueniences although our after reward and repose were more certaine then theirs and the rather being so vncertaine and doubtfull that for one that hath good happe a thousand there are whose long and painefull liues with desperate death haue beene rewarded But leauing this aside let vs entreate of those feastes and pastimes which were made in Felicias garden for ioy of the new espousals and obliuion of old iniuries and deceits although it is not possible to set them downe in particular Felicia at whose command all were obedient and in whose direction the whole order and substance of the feast consisted willed the Shepherds for their first pastime to dance togither to the tune of certaine songs that they themselues should sing And so sitting downe with Eugerius Polydorus Clenarda Marcelius Alcida Don Felix and Felismena she declared vnto the Shepherds her will and pleasure Then they all rose vp and Syrenus taking Diana by the hande Syluanus Seluagia Montanus Ismenia and Arsileus Belisa began to foote so braue and sweete a dance as anie that the fairest Driades and Napees with their yealowe haire like threedes of fine Arabian golde hanging loose and blowen abroad with the winde were euer wont to dance in the greene and pleasant forrestes There was no curteous contention amongst them who should begin to sing first For Syrenus who was the chiefest man in all that feast being somewhat ashamed of the small regard hee had of Diana till that time the thought whereof he also suspected was likewise a hinderance vnto him from iustly excusing himselfe resolued in song to tell Diana his minde which shame woulde not permit him to acquaint her with in familiar talke Therefore without any more adoo the rest answering him as it was decreed he sung as followeth I Should haue dide and neuer viewed thee Faire Shepherdesse vnwoorthily forgot Since that I durst presume to liue and bee Before thy sweetest sight and loue thee not A happy loue and fortune I should prooue Both which my paines and sorrowes should abate If by remembring of thy deerest loue I should forget the greefe of former hate For now the feare of death and leesing thee I feare will be my guerdon and my lot Since that I durst presume to liue and bee Before thy sweetest sight and loue thee not Diana was of a contrarie opinion For hauing satisfied her old obliuion and disdaine that she had of Syrenus with a renewed and entire loue of him againe and seeing herselfe sufficiently recompenced for her passed paines and greefes she had now no cause to lament the small care she had of him in times past but rather finding her hart filled with all content and ioy that she could wish and free from all paine by manifesting her gladnes and blaming Syrenus needlesse excuse she answered him with this song MY soule doth leape for ioy to haue My wished loue againe For there 's no other ioy to craue Nor greefe to giue me paine I doe not thinke of sorrowes past Our loue it may offend Of any present greefe to taste For hate that hath an end Reioice my soule such blisse to haue Since with so high a gaine There is no other ioy to craue Nor greefe to giue me paine While Diana was singing her song there came a most beautifull Shepherdesse to the fountaine but newly as it seemed come to Felicias Palace and being tolde that the Ladie was in the garden she came thither to see her and to talke with her Being come to the place where Felicia was she kneeling downe before her kissed her hands and said vnto her Pardon good Lady my boldnes for comming into this presence without leaue since the desire I had to see you and the neede which I haue of your skill and wisedome was so great that I was forced hereunto I bring with me my hart surcharged with greefe the remedie whereof is onely in your handes but it is so great that it requireth some fitter time occasion and place to tell it at large bicause it is against good manners to interrupt this merrie companie with matter of sorrow and greefe Melisea for so was this Shepherdesse called was yet on her knees before Felicia when she perceiued a Shepherd comming along in an Alley of the Orchard towards the fountaine and in seeing him saide This is an other greefe good Ladie so troublesome and painfull vnto me that for the deliuerie of the same also I haue no lesse neede of your gracious helpe and fauour By this time the Shepherd whose name was Narcisus came in presence of Felicia and of those Lordes and Ladies that were with her and making lowe obeisance he began to make a great complaint against the Shepherdesse Melisea that was present there saying that he suffered great torments for her sake and receiued not from her again one fauourable or gentle word Insomuch that in pursute of her loue and company to that place he had come very farre and she not suffred him so much as to declare his greefe to her cruell and disdainfull eares Felicia commanded Melisea to rise vp and cutting off their troublesome contentions saide It is not now time to harken to long and tedious complaints wherefore be content for this time Melisea and giue Narcisus thy hand and go both into that dance and for the rest wee will heereafter finde out a remedie at fitter time The Shepherdesse would not gain saie the Ladies command but hand in hand with Narcisus she went to dance with the other Shepherds And at this time happie Ismenia that was readie to sing shewing by her outward countenance signes of inward content which after so long sorrow she inioyed sung in this sort SVch ioy I feele doth in my soule surmount That now againe I thinke it nothing strange If that a pleasure of so great account Doth cost two thousand torments for exchange Rtill did I looke but still my comforts staied But when my soule did once enioy the same With their content and sweete delight I paied My staying and their tariance did not blame Let paines therefore within my soule surmount Sorrowes and plaints to me shall not be strange If for a pleasure of so great account They giue me
Felix Felismena the three Nymphes and the Shepherds desirous to knowe who these fower were and for what cause Parisiles in so great an anger would haue killed the Shepherd that lay asleepe and all the rest of his fortunes would faine haue demanded the same on him But yet they did not bicause they suspected he would not tell it them Whereupon they reserued it till Felicia was come to entreat her to mooue Parisiles or the rest thereof bicause they knewe they could not then excuse themselues Lord Felix therefore with the rest praied Parisiles to obey the sage Felicia by discoursing some noueltie vnto them But they seemed importunate troublesome vnto him for he would not willingly haue beene one moment from the louing embracements of his beloued daughter Stela so did not one minute when from any other forced thing he ceased cast his tender eies off her whereby he gaue Stela no meanes to looke vpon the vnknowne Shepherd on whom her eies and hart attended but euery time that she might steale a looke from her Father Parisiles making as though she sat not well or as though she would spit or cough then with earnest desire and affection she beheld him But in the end the old man hauing no good excuse to acquite himselfe from Felicias commaund nor from the requests of that faire companie which so seriously demaunded it of him began to say in this sort My louing Sonnes for by the priuiledge of mine age I may call you so for as much as the greater part of my life hath beene dedicated to the worship and seruice of our most soueraigne Gods and especially of our Goddesse Isis whose vnworthy Priest from the entrance of my youth I haue beene it would be most agreeable to my condition to entreat of the maner that ought to be obserued in worshipping of her and how much we are bound to performe the same But bicause you haue for your Ladie and mistresse for so I take her to be bicause you do accompanie and follow her the sage Felicia to whom not I my selfe the lowest of all Priests but the best in all the world may iustly be disciples it must needes be a part beyonde all courtesie and good manners to enterprise any such taske And this difficultie besides doth offer it selfe to my minde in that I know not with what historie to delight al your eares For the difference of estates which in this noble companie I perceiue strikes a doubt into my minde vpon the choise of my discourse considering with my selfe that that which will please some will perhaps offend others To these Shepherdes I could present some things requisite for their poore estate and vocations and profitable for them and their flockes and some curious secretes which they shoulde knowe happily neuer yet thought on amongst Shepherdes As likewise from whence the playing on the fluite or Bagpipe first came and when the honour of their God Pan and the customes and rites which in old times they obserued in their sacrifices were first in vse and why those are decaied and other now admitted in their places To you noble personages I could present a thing perhaps which would best fit your desires whereof loue was first engendred and how he worketh and for what cause the God of Loue doth keepe no reason being honored as a God we holding it for a rule infallible That the Gods are iust and that in all things they obserue due iustice and equitie And this is that which I would more willingly entreate of bicause in these meadowes heere a question was once mooued which touched not the simplicitie of the Shepherd that did aske it But bicause to declare it well it were necessary to entreate of the powers of the soule and the duties thereof and what place euery one of them hath in mans body a disputation more fit for Philosophers schooles then for the fieldes where none but flockes are I will not explaine it reseruing it onely for any one that will thereof be priuately instructed But bicause I haue heere a thing before mine eies which filleth me with admiration although it may be that many that haue beene heere haue perhaps touched the same I will make my beginning thus Do you not see how nature and arte the one borrowing that of the other wherein either of them was defectiue haue done their vtmost in making this Iland or meadow calling it as it shall best please you the very paterne of the Elysian fieldes But leauing aside many things that I could note vnto you about this matter I will declare vnto you why this Oke is placed heere in the middes of these Laurell trees bicause you may vnderstand that there was nothing done nor placed heere but with great wisedome and conceite The loues of Apollo and Daphne are sufficiently knowen vnto you I meane of Apollo with Daphne as also the preheminences wherewith this God endowed the Laurell tree whereinto this Nymph was transformed But how Doria at these words interrupting his discourse saide Me thinkes noble Parisiles thou hast plaied the part of a gentleman Sewer that hast at our chiefest appetite taken away our best dishes Since then these noble personages pointing to Lord Felix and Felismena whom the subiect of loue did more narrowly touch and these Shepherds pointing to Syrenus Syluanus and Seluagia to whom the first point belonged haue let thee passe on without interruption my selfe to whom it chiefely appertaines to heare the accidents of so famous a Nymph bicause I am one my selfe will not with my will giue thee leaue to proceed any farther before thou hast told vs the beginning of Apollos loues why Daphne refused and disdained so high a God Syluanus and Seluagia blushing for shame and anger that Doria had pointed to Lord Felix and Felismena and not to them when she saide that the questions of loue belonged more to Lord Felix and Felismena taking Parisiles by the hande saide And how thinkest thou Nymph Are we in respect of these two so farre from loue that to them onely and not to vs the treatise of this demand is more appertaining Euery one laughing at the Shepherds words Doria answered I haue made a fault Shepherds and so I confesse it It pleaseth me well faire Nymph said Parisiles to obey thee heerein But if I begin at the very beginning it may be I shall not make an end before the sage Lady commeth where being constrained to end abruptly I shall perhaps do you more wrong then if I had not begun at all Leaue not of for this saide Felismena for if it be so we will request her to giue vs leaue to heare out the rest Since then you will haue it so saide Parisiles giue attentiue eare for I will recite it vnto you as I did see it written in Apollo his Temple THat deluge of reuengement being past Determined that was by Gods aboue For guilt of wickednes of mortall men The earth of moisture yet
thee to goe in with vs for it was neuer my condition to force any against their wils whereby to giue thee any occasion to complaine of me and to say that like a forced captiue I carie thee in Your words good Ladie said Delicius are different from your deedes For whosoeuer should heare you say that you did not perforce carie me in would not I thinke beleeue your wordes for I frankly confesse before them all that you carrie me in as a prisoner forced and taken Wherein if they will not credit me for themselues at the least they must needs beleeue me for I will gage my head that all will affirme no lesse and say that you haue moreouer forced and made them captiue to your wil and commaund They all laughed at Delicius answere seeing how well he had acquited himselfe of Felicias iest whereupon they all told Felicia that the Shepherd said true and that she should not care for satisfactions with wordes And who shall iudge this betweene vs said Felicia for I confesse to that you carie me no lesse constrained and forced to your wils and desires But leauing this doubt to be decided let vs go our waies Then all of them obeying the sage Felicia followed her and with the pleasant discourses which they mooued there amongst themselues made the way seeme lesse and shorter so that sooner then they would some of them came to the royall Palace It was now well entred into night when being come neere to Dianas Temple and Felicias Palace a great number of faire Nymphes being richly attired came foorth to meete them and euerie one with a torch of virgin waxe in her hand to light them in thereby the rather to manifest the great magnificence and maiestie of Felicia then for any neede of their light at all For the moone did shine so bright that it seemed she endeuored nothing more then with her sociable presence to behold and hearken to that noble companie They that were neuer before in that rich Palace maruelled to see the stately and sumptuous buildings of it But when vpon the chiefe portall and entrance thereinto they saw two Nymphes made all of massie siluer stand vpon the Chaptrees of two columnes with these verses WHo comes into this place let her take heede How she hath liu'd and whether she hath kept The gift of chastitie in thought and deede And see besides if she hath euer stept With wauering minde to forren loue estranged And for the same her first afection changed May enter in DIANAS Temple heere Whose grace and vertues soueraine appeere Delicius said This aduise Ladie Felicia speaketh me thinkes onely of women but I would faine know why it toucheth not as well men as if there were not some in whom that is also found which warranteth an entrance into this place If the Goddesse of chastitie bicause it is the Temple of Diana delighteth onely in the companie and conuersation of women then must al men consequently be forbidden to come in And whereas it saieth that she that in all those points findes her selfe guiltlesse may come in my desire is to know if any woman failing in any of them happen to come in what would ensue thereof Syrenus before Delicius passed any further said It is wittily demaunded or els I vnderstand it not and truly my desire is no lesse to know what harme would befall to her that with breach of her first faith and loue entered in thereby to warne the faithlesse Shepherdesse Diana But now another scruple said Delicius ariseth in my mind which is That when we were comming towards this rich Palace I asked one of these faire Nymphes what euery one of this noble and vertuous companie might be who briefly satisfying me in euerie point amongst other things that she told me made me especially to maruell at this That some of these heere were married in this place Whereupon I would faine know if in the Temples of the Goddesse of chastitie it be vsuall to solemnize any marriage bicause that mysterie is as strange to mine eares as the reason therof to my conceit If by resoluing thee in these demaunds said Felicia I thought to preuent thee of any more replies I would endeuour to pleasure thee heerein but because I know thou wilt not therewith content thee but that with many doubts that in my answers may perhaps occurre thou wilt yet vrge me further I am minded to leaue it of for this time and the rather bicause it is time to go in to take our wonted foode and rest Whereupon they went in to supper which by this time was sumptuously made readie for them Hauing supped they went to bed without singing or playing on their instruments for there were some that desired more their rest then recreation and sleepe then solace thinking their late meriment past suffised them for that day The end of the third booke The fourth Booke of the second Part of Diana of George of Montemayor AMongst many other times that Felicia caried her guestes to disport themselues at the fountaine of the Laurell trees a place more pleasant then any other on a day when they were going into the little meadow where that faire fountaine did arise they sawe two louely Shepherdesses though by their coye lookes shewing a kinde of signorie and statelinesse aboue any other that were sitting harde by the goodly spring both of them endowed with singular beautie but especially the one that to their iudgements seemed the yoonger Right ouer against them on foote stoode a yoong Shepherd who with the lappe of his side coate wiped away the teares that fell downe thicke vpon his blubbered cheekes in requitall whereof and of his inward greefe the Shepherdesses did nothing else but by looking vpon one another affoorde him a gracious smile Syrenus Syluanus and Seluagia knowing it was the same Shepherd that shewed them the letter when they were going from Felicias palace towards their owne towne withdrew themselues aside and euery one of them doing the like Syrenus very softly said O how glad am I to see this yoong Shepherd here for if he would but sing you should see that the sweetenes of his songs which we haue so much commended to you were no fained thing But it greeues me not a little to see him in these termes that he is not like to make me nowe as good as my worde Take no care for that said Felicia for he will not forget to do it and bicause you may heare him the better come softly on with me for I will bring you to such a place where they shall not see you but where you may at pleasure delight you with his sweete musicke The Shepherdesses were talking with the Shepherd when Felicia brought them as neere vnseene as they could be but yet not so neere that they were able to tell what they were talking togither More faire then curteous are those Shepherdesses saide Lord Felix that request not the Shepherd to
sit downe by them It is not for that saide Felicia but for great respect of loue and dutie that he beareth to the yoonger who in her presence could neuer finde in his hart to sit but onely when others were in companie from whom he thought it best to conceale his passions Why is he so sadde saide Seluagia for as I remember and coulde gather by his letter his Shepherdesse could not doe nor say anie thing wherein he tooke not great ioy and contentment I but Fortune hath nowe turned her wheele saide Felicia for then and euer since for the reward of his loue he onely enioyed the presence and sweete company of his Shepherdesse the force from whence his ioyes and comforts sprung but now for some certaine daies he is forced to depart from her which farewell breedeth no lesse his present greese sorrow And that which giues him greater paine is that he knowes not when hee shall see her againe But harke and giue attentiue care for now they command him to sing whereupon they sawe him take his Rebecke out of his scrip and with a playning voice began thus to sing PHillis my faire yoong Shepherdesse That from thee by and by I must depart O heauinesse O that no but woe that I. O from the world that now I might depart Since that I must my ioy forgo thy sight For now I liue too long Then kill my hart Mishap if thou wilt grant me so much right Or fatall sisters now consent That she or I might die I craue it to a good intent O that no but woe that I. Pardon it is not I that doe desire Thy sudden and thy wrongfull death not I. It is my loue my hot and burning fire That made my toong so much to goe awrie And feare it is that mooues my hart And thoughts of iealousie Since thou dost stay and I depart O that no but woe that I. Such iealousies they are not thou must thinke That thou some other loue wilt entertaine For I doe knowe that loue can neuer sinke Into thy brest vnto my cruell paine But iealousie thou wilt forget Heereafter and denie That one did see another yet O that no but woe that I. But if thou dost faire Shepherdesse suspect To burie me in Lethes lake let greefe Before thou shouldst so ill my loue respect Consume my life let death be my relcefe Then thou shouldst thinke but such a thought First faire one let me die Although it shall be deerely bought O that no but woe that I. To rid my selfe from such n cruell paine I would destroy my selfe and purchase rest But then to kill thee I doe feare againe Bicause thou dwellest heere within my brest Doe then a noble deede my life From thence with speede to flie That then I may conclude this strife O that no but woe that I. Bargaine with me let me this fauour craue To leaue my hart that so thy harme doth dread Thy place againe then after thou shalt haue If thou maist come to it when it is dead For if thou once goest foorth I will To death with courage hte And then my vitall powers kill O that no but woe that I. As if it lay within thy handes and powre Sweete Shepherdesse forsake my wofull hart But yet thou canst not goe from thence one howre Neither can I although I would depart Nor yet I would not though I might I say I would not die But yet bicause I loose thy sight O that no but woe that I. If that I am in any thing to thee Gratefull this fauour then of thee I pray Thou wouldst when I am gone remember me And say where is my Shepherd all this day Then would I count my greefe but small If thou wilt not deny This thing or thinke of me at all Woe that no but O that I. Then say but I although it be in iest And neuer meanst thy promise to maintaine Thou shalt thereby procure some little rest Vnto my parting soule which I will faine Little I craue to ease my hart And paines yet let me trie This fauour Then I will depart O that no but woe that I. As he thus made an end of his song they rose vp and the yonger called Phillis made a signe to the Shepherd with her singer to reach her vp her scrip and Sheepehooke that lay on the ground at whose hands though in most dutifull manner he did it she receiued them with no more thankes or shew of courtesie then if one of hir swaines had giuen it her And then with a word or two of the Shepherdesses but with his many teares the mournefull Shepherd tooke his leaue whereat Phillis being mooued to some small sorrowe and to no lesse greefe for his departure tooke out of her scrip a fine little spoone the same perhaps that she her selfe did eate with and gaue it him wherewith the Shepherd did somewhat mitigate his helpelesse sorrow and then they went out of the meadow one way and the Shepherd another Might it not be well done saide Felismena to Felicia to talke with those Shepherdesses before they goe Not now answered Felicia for heereafter you shall knowe all when their due time shall come wherein you shall then take as great delight to see and conuerse with Phillis and Castalius for so is the Shepherd called that was with them as now perhaps some little greefe for their departure whereas besides it is not now so conuenient bicause I knowe we should make them not a little ashamed The Shepherdesses therefore being now gone out they went into the little meadow to the christalline fountaine where in set daunces and sweete songs accompanied with pleasanthistories and gracious speeches they spent the time till Felicia thought it good for them all to goe to the Temple when she came to warne them Who it seemed did neuer awake or take care for any other thing then where and after what maner she might best delight that noble companie Whereupon she caried them sometimes to the goodly plaine before the Temple other times to another pleasant meadow neere to the wood and sometimes to the Laurell fountaine Truth it is that to haue all possible ioy Don Felix and his faire Lady Felismena Syluanus and his louing Shepherdesse Seluagia needed not to seeke it out in exteriour things since their inwarde ioy to see themselues all fower with mutuall affection so happily beloued was so great that all others in respect of this were but meere shewes and shadowes Syrenus tooke a singular pleasure to beholde the contentment of them all whom so vnfainedly he loued The Nymphes not onely procured it for themselues but to delight them all in generall And Parisiles his anger being now past with that which Felicia had told him and shaking off his former sadnes by enioying the presence of his daughter was no lesse ioyfull then the rest But Stela and Crimine were in suspence betweene solace and sorrow comfort and care being cheered on