shall and wyll be all contented to serue at your pleasure The Lady seeing the dutifull showe of submission in the Knight commeth to him saying WEll syr Knight in hope that your after seruice shall prooue so permanent as héere you haue auouched and that you euer hereafter in this péerelesse Princes cause wyll bothe lyue and dye I dare pronounce that you are pardoned and that your offence shall be no more remembred Caesar got him such a noble name through his great compassion and that made Cicero so much to commend him Licurgus when he had his eye put out by the neglygence of Alcander commaunded that his first offence should be forgiuen he would be more héedefull in the next Eusebius wounded to the death with a stone throwen from the hand of a Woman on his death bed forced his fréendes to sweare that they would not harme her for it I may lykewise alleage the woordes of Virgill to thée Forsan et hoc olim meminisse iuuabit and that the sentence of Euripides wyll byd thée beware Dulâ—e est meminisse malorum Nowe is thy first fault forgiuen in hope of amendment so that rather prayse shall be purchased by pardoning thine offence then that rigour should rule to exact on so penitent an offender Therefore behold when Iustice sayth strike Mercie by mildnesse dooth stay the swoord when a crime is coÌ„mited deseruing death Pitty dooth woork on the offenders behalfe Therefore whyle thou lyuest homage her whose mercifull minde wyll not reuenge with rygor for that Uertue hath caused her to pittie thine estate and thou and all that are her dutifull Subiectes say God saue our most vvoorthy Queene Therefore goe your way and fetche the rest of your trayne and so wyll I bring with me all my noble Ladyes and then will we goe together to procure some farther pastime After they had bothe brought theyr traynes they fell to a freshe Tournament and so ended this Deuise Zelauto Now syr haue I not wearied you with this long tedious discourse Tell me I pray you how lyke you of it Is it not woorthy to be caryed in remembraunce because it is such an excellent deuise Astraepho Credit me syr it is the proprest deuise that euer I heard of and if it shall please you to bestowe the same on me I wyll giue you as gallant a discourse to cary with you Zelauto Syr any thing I haue is at your commaundement and I would it were so déere a gyft as I could finde in heart to bestowe on you Astraepho I thanke you for your good wyll hartily But doo her noble Péeres and Lords that are about her often vse to recreate her person with such braue and straunge deuises Zelauto Syr those gallant youthes doo and haue bestowed aboundaunce in the pleasing of her Maiestie and are so well contented therwithall that surely it surpasseth any mans wit to giue them prayse according to theyr desert Astraepho But dyd you euer come in acquaintaunce with any of those noble Gentlemen Zelauto Yea Syr and am much bound to one of them in especiall who sure in magnanimitie of minde and valure of courage representeth in that famous Land a second Caesar to the view of all that know him And a lyttle before I departed out of that woorthy Countrey I wrote a few verses in the commendation of that vertuous Mayden Quéene and also I wrote a few other in prayse of that noble Lord to whome I am bound for his singuler bounty Astraepho I pray you Syr if those verses be not out of your remembraunce let me heare some part of them Zelauto That you shall wherfore marke what I wryt in the prayse of the English Quéene Zelauto heere telleth to Astraepho the verses that he wrote in the commendation of the Englishe Queene QVEL CHE MI. MOLESTAVA ACCENDO ET ARDO IF eyes may iudge and minde may full suppose the Vertues rare that I of late haue seene Then pen at large may perfectly disclose the seemely honour of a Virgin Queene VVhose perfect prayse deserues to be vnfolde And blasde abroade in trumpe of beaten Golde The Graces three attendant stand at beck Diana dooth her royall raygne support Vertue dooth stand all vice to countercheck and Modestie beares sway in all her Court Trueth rules aloft repelling darke debate Iustice dooth sway the swoord of her estate Prudence dooth stand on right side of this Queene and Temperaunce a Garland holdes before Then Fortitude standes ioyntly them betweene and Tryall he dooth garde her euermore Peace on the left syde Plentie on the other Thus seemely they adorne the Queene their mother Sobrietie dooth beare the flagge on hye Virginitie standes clothde in Vestall white Her trayne behinde borne by Humilitie Pittie lykewise waytes on this woorthy wight Thus euerie thing standes in so good a frame That farre and neere dooth spreade her golden Fame FINIS Astraepho Zelauto beléeue me I neuer heard in all my lyfe so many Uertues resident in a mortall creature But certaynly as I know your iudgement is excellent in such matters so I confesse agayne that had I not heard it of you I would not haue beléeued it But now Syr I pray you let me heare the verses which you wrote in commendation of that noble Gentleman whome you praysed so much lykewise Zelauto That you shall and I would I were able by pen to prayse or by paynes to requite his singuler great curtesie Heere Zelauto rehearseth the verses that he wrote in the prayse of a certayne Noble Lorde in the English Court. IF euer Caesar had such gallant Fame or Hanniball whose martiall lyfe we read Then in your Honour I esteeme the same as perfect proofe in vertue and in deede My pen vnable is your prayse to paynt VVith Vertues rare that dooth your minde acquaynt VVhat I haue found I neede not to expresse what you haue done I farre vnwoorthy was But Nature yet dooth cause me thinke no lesse but that with looue you dyd respect my case And such great looue dyd in your heart abound That straunge it is the freendship I haue found VVherfore for aye I Honour your estate and wishe to you to lyue Argantus lyfe And all your deedes may prooue so fortunate that neuer you doo taste one iot of stryfe But so to lyue as one free from annoy In health and wealth vnto your lasting ioy FINIS Astraepho Surely belyke Zelauto you haue found great fréendshippe at that noble Gentlemans handes But referring all other matters aside tell me what became of your CompanioÌ„ that went with you into England Zelauto Truly he was so farre in loue with the Countrey that I could not get him from thence when I departed And in déede so would I lykewise haue stayde if my Fathers commaundement had not bene such which caused me to hasten away because I would sée other Countryes Astraepho Then you dyd depart shortly after and left your Companion there Zelauto
of myserie wherefore I would the howre were at hande to translate this Tragâ—die then should I haue my withâ— and they suffice them with tyranny But since it can not be so soone as I would but perforâ—â— I shall stay tyll choir When I behelde my Syster 〈…〉 courage from mourning to myrth and from pensiuenes to perfect gladnesse what ioy I conceyued is not nowe to be spoken of for the wyllingnesse that she had to the death caused me perfectly to beléeue that their excessiue tormentes should not any and attaynt her but that in the fulnesse of her fayth she would withstand their practises whatsoeuer and then I sayd vnto her Déere Syster as I am right ioyfull of this your Christianlike courage so wishe I you may remaine vnto the ende but thus much comfort is sent you thus much good hope to harten you that there is a Christian Champion in this Cittie wyll aduenture lym and life in defence of your constancie and thus much he hath wylled me to tell you that this night you must passe in prayers for his safe successe Wherfore kéepe this secrete to your selfe for it is vnknowen to anyâ— and least I should be in ought suspected I wyll byd you adiew good Syster With that the Iaylor came to attend oâ— talke and I séeing that departed Then went I in to the Soldanes Armorie and from thence brought the best 〈◊〉 finde héere is mine owne Shéeld Launce and 〈◊〉 which I doubt not but wyll like you well ¶ Zelauto hearing the discourse passed by Mica Sheffola and hauing finished his Orisons vnto him verie courteouslie replyeth in this manner SIr the good wyll I wishe you and the dutifull courtesie I am ready to offer you I trust shall suffice for to byd you good morrowe These weapons which you haue brought and this Armour hâ—re present shall through the assistaunce of my God eyther set at lybertie your godly Sister or be bathed with my blood in the open féelde for this I wyll assure you and without vaunt be it spoken I neuer in all my life went about any thing so wyllingly as I nowe goe â—o the Combate for my conscience were he as great as Goliah as stoute as Sampson and as monstrous as the Minoâ—aureâ— I wyll be so bolde as bestowe a fewe blowes not doubting but they shall be indifferently delyuered and that the Soldane him selfe shall say he that wyll buye her better then I is woorthy to haue her when he hath done And if afterwarde by trayterous treason he séeke to bereaue my life yet shall he knowe that no man deserueth it better then I. But I pray you quoth I doo you know the other Champion against whome I must wage battayle is he any man of accoumpt or of such estimation as to fight in this quarrell taken in hand He aunswered me that it was the Soldanes Sonne named Terolfo a man of synguler courage and one that had aduentured verie woorthily in his tyme bothe by Sea and Land in verie great affayres Mary all the better quoth I the more noble the man is the more famous wyll the fight be and ryght glad I am that it is the Soldanes Sonne for then if I dye I dye at the hands of a valiaunt Champion And about what time thinkâ— you quoth I that it wyll be when shée shall be conducted foorth to death Syr quoth he verie early because they are verie wylling to dispatche her least any other should séeme to take opinion of her fayth and it wyll not be long nowe for the Officerâ— were gone to the prison to make her ready and the Trumpet soundeth on the Castle for any Champion that wyll come the Stake is made ready to burne her at and wood and all thinges ready brought The Soldane him selfe and all his Lordes are ready wherefore I knowe it wyll not be long hence now Well sayd I the time is welcome whensoeuer it commeth and if it shall please you to helpe to arme me it shall not be long before I am ready too Manniko Rigustello and Dania his wife commeth vp into the Chamber to Zelauto and there helpeth to arme him THen presently came vp mine Hoste and his Wife who after they had courteouslie saluted me they and the Gentleman helped to arme me After I was ready I heard a great noyse of Trumpettes Syr quoth the Gentleman nowe commeth this sorrowfull sight héere commeth the séelly Lambe lead vnto her slaughter I looked out and there came the Soldane and his Lordes before him a great garde of Armed men some on horsebacke some on foote and next before the Soldane rode one on a verie gallant Stéede a valiaunt and comly Champion After the Soldane and his Lordes came the innocent Lady in a fayre whyte Roabe downe to the ground about her were the Tormenters that should payne her to death then after them a company of auncient Matrones all in blacke to mourne the Ladyes death and after them came all the braue Ladyes and Gentlewomen of the Cittie all to sée the execution of this poore innocent All these béeing past the Gentleman tooke his leaue of mee tyll I came to the place which was not farre of Within a whyle I lystened and heard the Trumpette sounde verie shryll then it stayed and sounded the second tyme vp came mine Hoste and sayde Syr nowe it is tyme hye you quickly or else neuer I got vp on Horsebacke and by that tyme I was come out of the doores the Trumpet sounded againe Then rode I with all the possyble spéede I might tyll I came to the place and when the Soldane and all his company sawe a defendour come in such haste they were all abashed There was great enquirie what I should be and from whence I came the braue Ladyes and Damoselles they were excéeding ioyfull and when I was entred the myddest I saluted the Soldane as well as I could and lykewise the Champion then made I obeysaunce to all the company beside who thronged néere to heare what I would say and then began I to frame my talke this order If right woorthy Soldane and you also noble Lordes by the verdict of your wisedomes shall lycence mée to yéelde to lybertie what I haue to saye and be not offensiue at any thing héere spoken I shall thinke you shewe mée nothing but Iustice and equitie and then I shall accoumpt your Fame the more woorthy Quoth the Soldane thou hast frée leaue to speake and lybertie to doo what thou canst but what wyll follow we can not assure thée Why quoth I offering no iniurie to any person present nor wishing to be no otherwise dealt with all then my déedes deserue I trust you shall finde no occasion of any offence but that what I say may be well borne with all Well quoth the Soldane if all be well it is the better for thée if any thing yll stand to your owne
rudenesse if I chaunce to offend you my good will did labour in hope for to please you Againe some will be inquisitiue why I am so willing to welcome Euphues into England he beeyng so excellent and my selfe so simple If Euphues so wisely dooth wish you beware and to preuent the perilles that heedelesse heades may haue wishing youth likewise to frame their fancies so fit that no crooked chaunces doo happen to harme them Then like that Lilly whose sent it so sweete and fauour his freend who wisheth your welfare And although my wit be so weake that I cannot welcome as I would and my skyll to simple to gratifye so gentle a gueast I trust my good will shall plead me a pardon my honest intent be nothing misliked Thus hoping to haue your courteous consentes which is the reward I cheefest require I wishe my woorkes may prooue as profitable to you in the reading as they were delightfull to me in the writing Your freend to commaund A. Munday A delicate Disputation gallantlye discoursed betweene two noble Gentlemen of Italy The Argument NOt longe since ouer the famous and stupendious Citie of Venice gouerned Gonzalo Guicciardo elected Duke by the most worthye Orlando Fiorentino This aforesayde Gonzalo renowmed for his princely gouerment obayed for his singuler wisdom praysed for his pollitique suppressing of prowde vsurpinge enimies and honored for his humilytie to his subiects in generall was not onely accounted as a second Mutio among his freends and familyars but euen amonge his very enemies was also esteemed as a prince worthy of eternall memory And nature the more to agrauate his ioyes in his hoary haires gaue hym a Sonne called Zelauto whose singuler humanitie whose puisance in feates of armes whose dexteritie in witte and whose comelye shape in personage caused hym through all Venice to bee greatly accounted of This gallant youth Zelauto more desirous to aduaunce his fame by traueâ—lyng straunge countries then to leade his lyngring life styll in the court of his famous father one day by chaunce tooke courage to open the hidden thoughts which longe incombred his carefull breast and hauing espied his father at such conuenient leasure as serued best for his auayle yeelding his obeysaunce as dutie beseemed entred into this discourse If Right woorthy and renowmed Father nature had adorned me with such rare and excellent quallities as might procure an hartes ease and ioy vnto your princely estate then would dutie cause me to keepe my minde in silence and feare of displeasing your aged hart byd me restrayne my vowed attempt But sith I am destitute of that which my hart desireth willing to gaine the same by painefull industry I hope I shall purchase no ill will of your person nor displease the mindes of your subiectes in generall First weigh and consider by your gratious aduisement that a youthfull minde more desireth the fragrant fieldes then the hidden house Custome confesseth yea and lawe of Nature alloweth that it is more permanent to a princely courage to seeke the renowmed mansion of the most illustrious and sacred Ladye Fame then to drowne his youthfull dayes in gulfs of gaping greef in sileÌ„t sorrows in vaine thoughts and cogitations and also in trifling and idle exercises which maketh him more prone vnto vice then vertue more apt vnto lewdnes then contented liuing yea maketh him so friuilous and fantasticall that nothing but libidinous thoughtes beastly behauiour is his whole exercise For then euery blasing beame and euery sugred countenaunce of a woman allureth him that floting on the Seas of foolish fansie and hauing abid one lusty gale of winde wherewith the Barke of his body is beaten against the Rockes of his Ladyes lookes then the poore patient falleth into so extreme an extasie that one worde will kill him and an other reuiue him Thus is he inclosed amid these subtill snares while in the warlike feeld he might enioy his libertie and their win fame which should last eternally These and such like crabbed conceites deere Father vrgeth me to craue your leaue and licence that I may a while visite straunge Countries In which time I doubt not but to atchieue such exploytes that at my returne it will be treble ioy to your Princely eares to heare them recounted Sonne Zelauto aunswered the Duke this your discourse is both commendable and allowable for I lyke well of your intent and with all my hart giue consent that for a limitted time you shal seeke aduentures which time shall amount vnto .vi. yeares and on my blessing I charge thee not to breake that appointed time In the meane while if God call me as my life is vncertaine I frankly freely giue thee all is myne Wherfore looke well to thy selfe that good report may be heard of thee which vnto me will be great contentation But nowe as touching what ayde and assistance thou wilt haue with thee speake and it shall be graunted Good Father answered Zelauto none but onely one to beare me company which I know will be sufficient Well quoth the Duke receiue heere my blessing this portion of money and this knight to beare thee company And I pray God in all thy wayes to guide and protect thee and so you may depart when you please Zelauto accompanied with his knight departed from the Court of his famous Father and tooke shipping to goe vnto Naples from thence he trauailed vnto Valentia in Spayne and chauncing into the company of certayne English Merchauntes who in the Latine tongue told him the happy estate of England how a worthy Princes gouerned their common weale and all suche thinges as could not be more praysed then they deserued The which Zelauto hearing craued of them that he might sayle with them into England and he woulde liberally reward them They beeyng contented and hauing laden their Shippes with such necessaryes as they best desyred within fewe dayes hoysed sayles and away they went This young youth Zelauto beeyng come into England and seene the rare and vertuous vsage of the illustrious and thrise renowmed Princes with the great honour and fauour which he obtayned among her woorthy Lordes purposed to stay still there But yet remembring that although he sawe one place many others were as yet vnseene after a yeere expyred he tooke shipping into Persia and so departed In processe of time he had visited many straunge Countryes sustayned many and wonderfull iniuryes among the Turkes which after shall be declared And returning homeward happened on the borders of Sicile where Fortune was fauourable vnto him that vnawares he happened on the caue of a valiaunt Knight who was a Christian and hauing committed an hainous offence fled out of his owne Countrie and inhabited there in a silent Cell among the woods This Knight beyng named Astraepho and hearing the trampling of one about his denne tooke his weapons and came foorth He beeing greatly abashed at the sight of Zelauto for that in tenne yeeres space he neither sawe man nor woman
the maister that wée might haue one of his men to guyde vs who in déede verye courteously consented And then he sent to his Shyp for one Roberto a verie merry and pleasaunt fellowe and he spake our language very well he gaue him very great charge that he should vse vs well vntyll we came to their chéefe Cittie which they call London and then as soone as we came thyther to bring vs to some of our countreymen So we contented the Maister got vp on Horsebacke and so rode to London Zelauto and his companion being come to London through the meanes of Roberto their guyde they are brought to the house of one Signor Giulio di Pescara who entertained them very curteously OUr mery Companion hauing brought vs to London shewed vs many fayre and comly syghtes as first he had vs into their Bursse where abooue were so many fine Shops full of braue deuises and euery body sayd a mad term that they had What lack ye vvhat lack ye I merueyled what they meant by it then I asked Roberto what they sayd So he tolde me that they asked me what I would buye if I would haue any of their fine wares And surely in that place were many very proper and comely Women Then he had vs and shewed vs a very fine Uaute vnder the same where there was a great many Shops lykewise So then it began to waxe somthing toward the euening and then he conducted vs to the house of one Signor Giulio a Gentleman of Pescara where we had very gallant entertaynement and so well estéemed of as if we had bene in our owne Coūtrey This Giulio had maried an English Woman who in déede was so gentle of nature so comely in qualities and so proper in personage that sure mée thought she excelled Of her lykewise we were very gently welcommed and a very gallant Chamber prepared with all things so necessary and seruaunts to attend on vs so dilligētly that sure it was not in vaine that England had such excellent commendation My Companion sayd he was neuer so quiet and so well at his hearts ease as he was there béeing but so lyttle tyme there For in déede to say the trueth I wāted nothing but euerie thing was ready at halfe a woordes speaking and with great reuerence also To the house of this aforesayd Signor Giulio resorted diuers Gentlemen which were of y◠Court of England who shewed vs such courtesie as it is vnspeakable But all this whyle I would not be knowen what I was but told them that I was a Gentleman of Naples and my name was Zelauto and that I came for my pleasure to sée the Countrey These Gentlemen some of them dyd pertayne to men of great Honour in the sayd Court whome I lykewise came acquainted with all But to recount the rare and excellent modestie the vertuous lyfe adorned with ciuilytie the hautie courage and Martiall magnaminitie their singuler qualyties in generall though I had the gallantest memorie in the world the pregnanst wit and the rarest eloquence to depaynt them I know my selfe were vnable to doo it It was my chaunce within a whyle after I was acquaynted with those woorthy Lordes of Honour to come in presence where theyr vertuous Mayden Queene was But credit mée her heauenly hew her Princely personage her rare Sobrietie her singuler Wisedome made mee stand as one bereft of his sences For why before mine eyes I sawe one that excelled all the woorthy Dames that euer I haue read of Astraepho But stay Zelauto dyd you sée that péerelesse Paragon and is she so rare and excellent as you make her to be Zelauto Oh Syr neuer can my tongue giue halfe a quarter of the prayse that is due to that rare Arabian Phaenix Were Mars himself alyue he would stand agast at her Heauenly behauior And as Timon when he drew the mournfull portrait of King Agamemnon for the losse of his Daughter could not set foorth his face correspondent to the sorrow that is conteyned left the same couered with a vayle to the iudgement of others So I because I am vnable to paynt foorth her passing prayse according as desert deserueth I remyt her vnder the vayle of Eternall memorie to the graue iudgement of others Astraepho What now Zelauto why the Goddesses the Graces them selues coulde but deserue this commendation and I am sure she is none Zelauto Were it possyble for a Goddesse to remayne on the earth at this day credit mée it were shée For thus much I wyll tell yée It is not to all Countreyes vnknowen how well her Grace dooth vnderstand and speake the languages that of her selfe without any interpretour she is able to aunswer any Ambassadour that commeth to her Maiestie Also it is not vnknowen howe her Princely Maiestie made the minde of the valiant Marques Vitelli Ambassador sent from the King of Spayne to be marueylously mooued This Vitelli hath bene knowen a excellent warriour and yet the rare excellencie of this Queene had almost put him cleane out of conceyt That as he sayde him selfe he was neuer so out of countenaunce before any Prince in all his lyfe It is in vaine of the Grecians to vaunt of their Sappho Corinna Eriune Praxilla Telesilla Cleobulina nor yet the Pithegoreans brag of theyr Diotima and Aspasia for theyr lyues this is she that excelleth them all and therfore will I say O decus Anglorum virgo clarissima viuas Donec terrigenis Praebebit lumina Titan. O Virgin Queene the rarest gem Ioue graunt thy happy race That whyle Dan Titan giues his lyght Thou mayst enioy thy place Let all true English harts pronounce whyle they haue breath God saue and prosper in renown our Queene Elyzabeth Viuat vincat regnat Elyzabetha Astraepho Zelauto these your woordes dooth agrauate an excéeding ioye in my minde and causeth mée to thyrst with Tantalus vntyll it be my Fortune to sée that happy Land that thryse happy Princes whome if she be as you make report would cause bothe men and monsters to adore But I pray you Syr procéede and let me heare what happened vnto you in that Coūtrey zelauto Syr after I had stayed there a whyle to show this gallant Princes pastime certaine of her woorthy and famous Lordes assembled in a Tournamēt the brauest sight that euer I saw with this gallant troupe there came a Pageant as they call them wherein were men that spake all Languages O syr I am not able to speake sufficient in prayse thereof At an other time there was a braue excellent deuise which went on whéeles without the helpe of any man Therein sate Apollo with his heauenly crew of Musique Beside a nūber of straunge deuises which are out of my remembraunce But yet I remember one thing more which was a braue and comely Shippe brought in before her Maiestie wherin were certaine of her noble Lordes and this