same man continuing hys complaynt dothe saye In the .3 booke the .12 Chapter Ah my great friende Angriota of Estrauauxâ— where are ye now and how haue ye forsaken me hauing so long time mainteined this company togither and when need is ye leaue me without any ayde or succoure not that I wil blame you for I my selfe haue bene the cause to separate vs thys day to our great misfortune the which shall also separate vs one from another for euer The Oration of Oriane to Florestan declaring vnto him that the absence of him and of Amadis hath caused great harme to many damsels In the .3 booke the 12â— Chapter IN good fayth my Lord Florestan it is loÌ„g ago since we saw you in this countrey whereof I greatly mused as well for the good will that I do beare you as for the néede that manye poore creatures haue suffered the whiche were wont to fynde and to haue succour of you of Amâ—dis and of many other that haue folowed him Cursed be ther that are cause of so long a separation And beléeue that I speake not thys wythoute greate occasion for I know a poore Damsell that is verye néere to be dishorited bycause she hathe not one to defende the wrong that men haue done hir And if Amadis were â—ere agayne and likewise the other whyche are farre from hence she might be sure that hir right should not as it is be taken from him but seing they be abseÌ„t she hath no better hope nor no other recourse but vnto death Florestans answer to Oriane certifying hir that Amadis maketh good cheere and that his name is dayly diuulgate thorough his fortunable conquests In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter MAdame God that is mercifull doth neuer forget those that put their trust in him and if it please him he shall not begin with the damsell that is so desolate As touching my Lord Amadis be ye assured that he is in very good health searching continually strange aduentures and in such wise that for the great feates of armes that he doth in farre countreys where he is his renoume doth diuulgate it selfe in all the coasts of the world King Lisuards Oration to Galaor concerning the mariage of Oriane and the Emperour desiring him to giue his aduise In the .3 booke the .14 Chapter MY great friend I haue alwayes knowen so great fidelitie in you and haue found it so profitable that I ofteÌ„ times haue beleeued your counsell and am purposed neuer to conclude any matter of importance without it Ye knowe the honor that the Emperoure doth me and the embassade that he newly hath sent vnto me desiring me to giue him my daughter Oriane to be his wife And ye shall beléeue me I thinke that the Lord in this thing dothe muche for hir and me for he is at this present the most mightie and redoubted Prince of all chiâ—tendome And being thus well alyed wyth him I from hencefoorth shall haue no neighboure nor enemie that shall dare once lift vp his hornes to hurt or to enuie me and I shal be more feared and obeyed than euer was any king of England Furthermore it shall be in a manner impossible to prouide better for hir than she shall be being the wife of suche an Emperoure and thus Leonor shall remaine after me sole Lady of my landes and countries the which otherwise might be deuided and a thing very hurtful But yet I am purposed to do nothing without the aduice of the Lords and knights of my Court and specially yours the which I pray you by the amitie that ye haue alwayes borne me to tell me freely and frankly and without any dissimulation The answer of Galaor to king Lisuard the which doth tend to disswade to turne him by the reasons that he bringeth in from the foresaid mariage In the .3 booke the 14â— Chapter SYr ye say that marying my Lady Oriane to the Emperoure ye shall prouide so well for hir that it should be impossible to prouide better The whiche thing séemeth to me cleane contrary for she being your principall heire and to send hir into a farre countrey to cause hir to leese hir realme the which is hirs already ye shall make hir poore without men and in subiection to a people not agreing with the maners and conditions of this countrie And if it séeme to you that she to be the Emperours wife to beare the name of an Empresse shall be in more authoritie in time to come by God Syr ye do abuse your selfe and here is the reason therof Suppose that it may chaunce hir to haue male children by the Emperoure hir husband if she remaine widow the first thing that hir sonne shall do vnto hir shall be to cause hir retire and to haue the rule of the Empire alone and if he marrie it will be worse for the new princesse will be inferior to none And therefore it is most sure that my Lady your daughter shall fall into a thousand inconueniences and extreme sorowes hauing forsaken this countrey the which certenly is hir natiue land to liue in a straunge countrie from hir parents subiects and seruants And as conceâ—ning ye say that thorough his fame you shall be succoured feared and redoubted truly sir ye haue thanks be to God so many friendes and knightes at your commaundement that without the ayde of the Romaines ye may easely if ye think it good extend your limits and I beléeue that in the steade to haue any support they shall rather assay to bring you to ruine and to destroy you than as ye estéeme to ayde and succour you for they will haue no egal vnto them nor none greater nor aboue them And furthermore this is certaine that they would demaund nothing more than to haue an occasion to set you in their Chronicles to your confusion and their glory vnder the shadow of some little fauor that they haue borne you the which thing should be the greatest euill that might happen to you and yours And also Syr what reason should it be to put my Lady Oriane your daughter and principall inheriter so farre from you to aduantage so much the princesse Leonor the whiche is the yonger by my soule for a righteous king and that is taken throughout all the world for an author of iustice ye shall make peraduenture the greatest wound in your renoume that euer did prince or mightie king And God neuer giue not only to you the will so farre out of reason but also to the poorest knight of your court beséeching you sir most humbly to beléeue that I would not haue bin so foolish hardy to declare vnto you so freely the thing that I thought good if ye had not expressely commaunded me and also bicause I am minded and apointed to kéepe vnto you all my life the fidelitie that I haue promised as he that doth feele him bound vnto you for the goodnesse and fauor that ye haue done for me Oriane complayning to
that we for our sodaine enterprise incurre to late repentance Lucidor the vengeor writyng to Prince Florisel of Niquea dothe pray him to declare the cause of the rauishment of his wife finally he settyng his honour before his eyes dothe counsell him to restore hir agayne of in refusing thereof he denounceth him mortall warre In the .10 booke the .5 Chapter MY Lord Florisel Lucidor the vengeor the naturall prince of France and of Apollonie by aliance dothe pray God so to inspire you that ye may know the faulte that ye haue committed against me and to repaire and amende it as right and reason coÌ„maundeth The thing that hath moued me to write this letter vnto you is that I your errour beyng knowen and the amendes made may remayne with you in such peace and amitie as two Christen Princes of such highnesse as we â—e ought to employ our common forces and strength against the Infidels I desire greatly to know what excuse ye shall sinde for the great wrong that yée haue done me and to your selfe as I may say in violating my Kingly estate and likewise the amitie that ye owe to the father of my spouse praying you that ye will wryte it vnto me by parcell meanes to the ende I may consider that it be sufficient to accomplish the satisfaction on your parte in my behalfe for if I with your good will cannot haue it I must be constrayned to take it with the edge of the sworde by the way of armes betwene you and me onely vnto the vtterance of your life or mine I maruell me much that your vertue so wel knowen here in so glorious actes is so forgetfull through a disorbinate appetite of vnbrideled youth to declare it selfe so great an enimie of reason specially of the peace inuiolable that your Fathers and predecessours haue alwaies entertained with the pareÌ„ts of my spouse assuring you that with great payne ye shall washe you of so great a spotte with all the water of the Sea for your estate was bounde to resist this vile acte nor doing the thing that ye would not that he that is of your qualitie should doe to you of â—he which ye cannot discharge you neither to God nor man By the meanes whereof although I had good right to make warre vpon you as a defiler of my wife and of hir owne proper fayth so it is yet that hauing God before mine eyes and the businesses of the Christian common weale in recommendation I woulde haue inuited you to haue she woe and done me right of your selfe considering that the lawes as touching themselues do kind Princes that by this meanes men might auoyde one so cruel warre as I sée to be prepared and no lesse than your predecessours had before Troy the whiche God thorough his grace turne from vs by the meanes of your iust satisfaction And in case no I protest to make you suche warre that one of vs shall remayne in gage Florisel of Niquea dothe answere Lucidors letter excusing himselfe of the accusations layde agaynst him submitting him to the iudgement of his parents or otherwise he is appoynted to defend him In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter LOrd Lucidor I maruell me of this proude surname that yée occupy causing your selfe to be named the Uengeor knowyng or else ye should know that suche a title dothe not pertayne but to God only And particularly to answere to the articles of your letter the which that Crie of Armignac your ambassafor hath presented vnto me I say that ye your selfe are bounde to satisfie for the presumptuous woordes ye haue vsed against me and Helen my spouse And as touchyng that yée say how that the excuse is not sufficient that loue hath ledde conducted me to that faulte inferring that a person of estate as you and I shoulde not coÌ„mit so filthy déedes I say that the excellent beautie of my Lady Helen ioyning thereunto the parentage and place whereout shée is issued haue bound mée to such noble thoughts dayly drawing me out of my self continually giuing héede to the honest loue that I bare hir vnder the pure lawe of Mariage the which ought to discharge me and to deface the faulte that ye lay vnto me of the whiche I in no wise féele my selfe reprehensible if that faulte were not that I made hir parents leading hir away without their consent a thing that greatly displeaseth me for the loue of them vnto whom in this respect I was bound much To this wher ye say that I depriue my selfe of the thing that good renounâ—e hath alwayes graunted mée I mayntayne that I in nothing haue violated nor yet diminished it but truâ—â— that the thing whiche I haue done in this case shall fall and come forth so the augmentation of my great glorie Also the Princes of Greece are accustomed and wonte to kéepe the poynt of honour and to reuenge the outrages that men enterprise to doe vnto them And nowe the Empyre is ruled by those whiche are more stoute of minde and more warlike than euer it had it is not ready to fall from the degrée of his auncient reputation And as touchyng you if yée will vnderstande reason ye should departe from this quarell seyng that Helen is my wife and that the déede is irreuocable but for the reparation and satisfaction to you wardes my Lordes and parents haue concluded to giue you another lady of great highnesse beautie and richesse such a one as by reason ye shoulde content your selfe withall if not let it suffise you to remit the déede to the discretion of your parentes and mine and of my wiues promising you to condescende to euerie reasonable and honesâ— condition towardes the Prince Birmates and the King of Apolonia Otherwise I protest before God to defend my iust cause as long as my soule shal breath in my body praying you lord Lucidor for amitie sake to haue and to take a regarde to the doubtful and vncertaine ende of battels and to the great number of friendes of Greece besides the number of vassalles not comprehending the murders that this enorme title of Vengeance the which ye vnder the diuine power doe vsurpe shall stirre vp against you Lucidor of Vengeance letters to Zahara Queene of Caucase demaunding of hirayde and succor against Florisel of Niquea In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter MAdame I being come not long since that Florisel of Niquea enterprised vpon the aliance made against me and Princesse Helen of Apolonia he hath indecently and violently rauished hir from me I coulde bethinke me then of no better recourse thaÌ„ of your excellence in that of your noble sonne and daughter to obtaine helpe succor to reuenge the wrong and shame that he hath purchased me the which if ye wil not grauÌ„t me notwithstanding any amitie that may be betwéen you or his I pray you to haue a more regarde to the diuinitie whereof ye are participant that doth binde you to doe iustice in earth to
them taking there feare deliuering them our victorie for if they sée but your assured faces only I am fast and sure that they cannot suffâ—r nor abide it let vs rush in among them for God doth helpe vs. The oration of Lisnarde the King of England vnto his subiectes and freendes exhorting them to giue him counsell About the beginning of the .33 Chapter of the first Booke MY fréendes there is none of you that is ignorant of the graces that it hath pleased God to shew me making me the greatest earthly Lorde that is this day in al the Iles of the Occean therefore it séemeth vnto me very reasonable that euen as we in this countrie be the chéefest that also we be not the second to no other prince to render vnto him immortall thankes throughe good and vertues déedes in the which we ourselues ought to rest and to continue For thyâ— cause I pray and commauÌ„d you for asmuch as kings are the chéefest of the monarchies ye the members that ye aduise you togither in your consciences to counsell me what yâ—â— shall thinke best for me to â—o in this matter as well for the consolation of my subiects as for the entertainement and augmentation of our estate assuring you my friendes that I purpose to beléeue you as my loyall and faithful subiects therefore I pray you once againe that euery man without feare deuise as wel particularly as generally what yé◠shall thinke we should or ought to do in this behalfe The oration of Serolo is the Fleming and Earle of Clare the which he spake and made to the counsell to induce them to the thing that King Lisuard ought to vnderstand and know for the vtilitie and profite of his kingdome In the selfe same Booke MY Lords ye al haue perceiued the good zeale that the king hath to the gouernment and rule not only of the common wâ—ale of his kingdome but particularly for the augmeÌ„tation and honour of cheuaâ—rie and knighthoode the whiche he doth desire to entertaine in greater preheminence than euer it hath bene And therefore my Lordes sauing yours better aduice and opinioÌ„ my mind is that all we doing and following the interpretation of our prince should counsell him that he make himselfe strong with money and men for they are the sinnews and the spirites of war peace by the meanes whereof all earthly kings are mainteyned in their force and authoritie considering that greate treasure truely is to pay the souldiers that cause kings to reign the which by no occasion shoulde any other where he spent or else it shoulde be a very sacriledge seing that it nameth it selfe holy And thus doing he may mainteinâ— his estates in tranquillitie and make and obtayne glorious conquests against those that would let him And to come the better thervnto he ought by meanes to séeke and to recouer and get all the good and valiants of whome he should be aduertised aswell straungers as other shewing them great liberalitieâ— wherby his name shal slye and he spoken of throughout al the world the which from the furthest part of all the earth shall come vnto his seruice trusting for their laboure and seruice to be well rewarded By whose ayde and help he may easely oâ—tayne the monarchie aboue all the princes of the North and West for it was neuer red nor perceyued that anyâ— princes made themselues mightie and greate but hée that â—ought and drew vnto him the good and valiant knightes I say bought fauoring and honoring them and distributing their riches and treasures vnto them that did them little harme but haue conquered greater pursuing and following their victories The oration of Barsinam the Lorde of Sansuegue the whiche held in counsell against the president of Serolois wherein heâ— exhorteth them not to deceiue themselues through euill counsell In the first Booke MY Lords it séemeth beholding your countenance that the Earle of Clares opinion is wholly approued for I sée already that the most part of you do agree vnto his saying without hearing the contrarie part debated neuerthelesse I trust my Lordes to make you all and hereafter the king presently to knowe and vnderstande how greatly I desire to bée a friende vnto him and to you and to all hys realme The Earle of Clare not long since hath counseled that the King your maister shoulde fortifie himselfe in the strength and multitude of straunge knightes the whyche hée counseled to bée called forâ— and that from all the partes of the worlde Certes if hys opinion bée beléeued and that ye bynde youre selues to followe it I am fast and sure that within a little whyle the quantitie of them shall bée so extreame and greate that youre King the whyche is a good Prince and a liberall â—â— willing too thanke and aduantage them shall not onely gyue them the thyng that he is accustomed and woont to gyue you but shall take that is yours from you to gratifie and aduantage them the more considering that naturally all newe thinges not gotten and woonne doe please vs And thuâ— whatsoeuer seruice â—ee shall doe be it neuer so good â—eâ— shall fall into his disdayne and forgetfulnesse and those straÌ„gers shall lift you out of your seates that nowe do promise you sure rest and therefore my Lordes firste or euer I conclude thys fact séemeth to me such and of so greate importance that ye all should take heede with good and ripe deliberation of your wise and sage iudgemeÌ„ts I estéem that there is none of this assistance that doth presume or thinke that I speake otherwise than reason and the good loue that I beare you doth monish me for God be thanked I am such a one that I may as easely passe and set by the greatest prince my neigbour as he may passe and set by me but finding my self and being in so noble a companie among whome I haue receiued so great honoure and fauor I had rether God be my witnesse neuer to haue bin borne than to bowe and turne Thus my Lordes ye ought promptly and diligently to thynke vpon this matter least that hereafter ye repent you with too much leysure The oration of King Lisâ—arde wherein he resolueth the pluralitie of aduises and counselles that was giuen him In the first Booke MY greate fréendes I am well assured that the loue which ye beare me and the desire to do me seruice hath set you in these difficulties and I beléeue that there is not he of you all that hath not spokeÌ„ as nigh the truth as was possible for him to do and so that your aduises be so good that they cannot be better yet this is a thing sure and certaine that the kings of the earth be not estéemed greate for the number of places that they possesse but for the quaÌ„titie and multitude of people whom they command and rule What can a King doe alone it may bée that lesse than the moste simplest of hys subiectes and furthermore it shoulde
he foresayd in the which he declareth that vpon â—ust occasion they enterprised against the Emperoure and that it is needefull in all sweetnesse to aduertise king Lisuard least he shoulde be miscontent In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY Lord Amadis it is very certeine that the enterprise that hath bin made vpon the Emperoure was not for any enmitie that we bare him but only to kéepe our fayth as al good knights should to sustayne and defend the wrongfully afflicted and specally all good Ladies of the whiche all we should be protectors And therefore I am thus minded first or euer we begin this warre that we send to king Lisuard and to cause him to vnderstand the occasion that moued vs to assaylâ— and inuade the Romaines and as quietly as may be if he be miscontent to pacifie him declaring vnto him with all graciousnesse the iniurie and wrong that he did to my Lady his daughter disheriting hir vnder the coloure to marrie hir with a strange Prince the which thing is not agreable vnto God nor to none of his subiects and therfore if it be his good pleasure to receiue hir to his grace and fauor and to forget the enuie if he heare hir any offering vnder this condition to restore hir vnto hym and no otherwise And if he refuse it and disdaine the duetie that we put oure selues in that then we declare resolutely vnto him that we doubt him not and that we if he make warre vpon vs be ready to defend vs In the meane while it is necessarie that we fortifie vs with all things thaâ— are requisite â—o a thing of such importance as this is at least way if he purpose to inuade vs that he find vs not vnprouided although he will be as my mind giueth me more ready to peace than to any other thing but yet that should not cause vs tâ— be slacke to make vs ready and to send to our friends and alies to pray them to ayde vs when we shall send them word The Oration of Oriane to Agrayes thanking him for his benefites and praying him to labour for peace betwene king Lisuard and Amadis In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY cousin notwithstaÌ„ding I haue great hope in the wisdome of your cousin Amadis in the good will that thesâ— knightes beare me so me thinketh that I haue good reason and cause to haue in you a speciall fidâ—litie as well for the obligation in the whiche I finde my selfe bound to the king your father and also to the Quéene for the good intreating that they made me in Scotlande as for that they deliuered me your sister Mabile to kéepe me company by whome onely next vnto God I do liue for why without the comfort that she oftentimes made and gaue me when my misfortunes were most greeuous I had bene buried long since and depriued of this world And although that at this present I haue not the meane to recognise nother to them nor to you how muche I am bound to you yet I hope with the time by all meanes to endeuer me thereto And in the meane while ye shall not if it please you he miscontent that I familiarly do cause you to perceiue the gréeues that I suffer And to begin I pray you that ye leauing off the wrong that my father hath done you will to your power make meanes to haue peace betwene my cousin and him for I doubt not seing the auncient and old hatred that they haue together the occasion that ye all haue to will him little fauor but that full honestly the things begon shall come to no other end than to a great ruine of the one part and other if it be not through the resistance that ye may do vsing in this thing your wisedome and good counsell Of the which thing I pray you againe as well to auoide such inconuenience as not to make me suspect to straunge nations the whiche may hereafter doubt of my innocencie and bespot my good renoume the which is to me of such consequence as ye may iudge and estéeme Agrayes answer to Oriane excusing him selfe vnto hir and promising hir to satisfye hir mind as much as he may posssible and to fynd peace in tyme oportune In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MAdame quoth he as touching the good intreating that ye receiued and had in Scotlande the king my father and the Quéene in that did nothing but that it becoÌ„med theÌ„ to do and I am sure that they haue you in such affection and loue that in things whervnto their power may extend they will emplâ—y it and do it for you as for their best parent and â—â—ie And considering that you doe say of my sister and me the effect shall dayly beare witnesse of our good will that we heare you beséeching you to beleeue that you may commauÌ„d vs as those the which desire your wealth and honor asmuch as their owne And as touching that you haue to cause me to forget the iniurie that the King your father hath dnoe to me and not only to me alone but to all my parents and friends he you assured Madame that the wounde is so great that it will bléede as long as I shall liue knowing the ingratitude that he hath vsed towards vs denying my Lord Amadis me and many other good Knights the request that we made vnto him to giue my vncle Galuanes the Isle of Mongase the which had deserued it and better coÌ„sidering also that it was conquered by the vertue and noble actes of him that prayed him but yet for the honor of you I am content to dissâ—Ì„ble that matter and to force my self vntil then to defer for a time the iust occasion that I haue to will him ill specially bycause he so straungely and after he had receiued of vs so many great seruices chased vs from his Courte as though we had bene his mortall enimies And to shewe you that I will wholly prepare me to please you I promise you Madame to assay to do to my power the thing that you desire of me but it were not reasonable that it shoulde be done so promptly for if I should nowe begin in the word and communication the thinges being thus disposed to warre in place to encourage so many good Knightes as be in this Isle I shoulde put the most part of them hearing me speake of peace in feare presuming that I it might be so helde suche a purpose as though I were the first that were afearde Also I should doe two euils togither that which after this might turne to the losse of vs all and to me alone great dishonor But I hauing your fathers answere shall pray my companions to do as ye haue deuised and counselled in the mean while you should as I do thinke be heauie as little as you may and take the time and fortune most paciently as constantly as you may possible Amadis Oration to Grasinda offering hir all pleasure and
to giue him leysure to come finde vs here I haue bene euer of this minde if the rest of you my Lordes and good friendes will the same for by this meanes he perceiuing that we aproche so nigh vnto him will chaunge pâ—raduenture his opinion and shall require vs to doe the thing that we in times past most humbly desired him The Oration of Guillan the pensife to the Emperor of Rome in the name of King Lisuard declaring vnto him the taking of his meÌ„ and of the lady Oriane that therâ—ore he is purposed to make warre against the knights of the Isle inclosed and that it would please him therefore to ayde him In the fourth booke the .13 Chapter SYr sayde Guillan King Lisuard my maister doth sende yâ—a word that for to haue your amitie and perpetuall aliance he was well content following the request that ye caused to be made vnto him by your Ambassadors to marrie the lady Oriane his eldest daughter and principall inherit or vnto you and in déede after many difficulties auoyded among the princes Lordes and subiectes of his Realme he deliuered her into the hands of those that haue power by you to receiue hirâ— but it chaunced that Amadis of Fraunce and other his mates with a certaine number of shippes spied them and in suche sort assailed theÌ„ in a straite that after they had â—ought a lonâ— space the Prince Salust Quide was slaine and all the rest of your men were ledde as prisoners into the inclosed Ilande where that as yet my lady Oriane is detained the Quéene Sardamire and other that were in this company But yet afteewardes thinking to pacifiâ— the faulte that they had done they sent Ambassadours to his Maiesâ—ie offering him many good partes and offers the which he woulde not receiue before he vnderstoode your wil and pleasure for as much as the iniurie that they haue done him doth touche you as much or more than him And therefore he hath commaunded me to shewe you that if ye be minded to take vengeance on them that he will bring a great armie into the fielde if ye of your part will doe the like being assured that if your strength be once ioyned you and he shall easely bring them to suche a point and reason as ye shall thinke good The Oration of King Lisuard to the Romanes setting before theyr eyes the great wrong done vnto theyr companions and that they shoulde therefore seeke to be reuenged against their enimyes and not to lease theyr courage in so iust a quarrell In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY masters and great friends ye haue sene and proued in these two méetings how that fortune hath shewed hir selfe our enimie in suche wise that in giuing vs the worsâ— shée hath triumphed by the death of my good brother the Emperour your maister and of many other valiant knightes the woyche in effect reuenging them vpon theyr â—nimyes woulde haue come to the thing that they become vnto â— bycause that this was the fayrest experience that they coulde doe by their vertue and strength to obtayne the glory whervnto they breathed And to come therevnto they thought it lesse than nothing to put their lyues in ioperdie and that it â—â—s muche better to dye valianâ—ly defending themselues than goyng backe to escape And bycause they woulde fall into no suche dishonour and shame they had rathâ—r throughe great magnanimitie of courage to endure and suffer fortune than to obey feare not bicause I wyll in alâ—â— thing reâ—â—ke those that scaped knowing the great diligence that they puâ— themselues to but to pray you â—ll that preferring your honour aboue the heauinesse that ye maye haue of the losse of your companions yâ— will assaye the truce fayling to reauenge them fighting strongly with them that are too prouide of their viâ—orie I am of this mynd that we shall put our selues in lâ—sse daungers and lesse â—azaâ—de our selues tyll wâ— may haue vpon themâ— that they haue had vpon vs nor that to haue lesse courage to assayle them or to defende vs if fortune doe continue to diffaine â—s consideryng that if we all die that it shall be vnto vs an immortall glorie and one Sepulchre the most honorable that wée can wyshe for or desire for all the earth in generall is the verye place where the bodyes of noble and couragious men shoulâ—e bée layde whose memorie is not conserued and kepte onely by Epitaphes and inscriptions but by the renoume of those that publishe themselues among strange nations that consider more in theyr mindes the greatnesse and heygth of courages than the thing that fortuned vnto them considering that cowardnesse accompanyed wyth shame is more grieuous and diâ—pleasant to a man that hath a good and an entire harte than the death that chauncâ—th by manfulnesse with the hope of publike glorie That thing my great friends maketh me beleue that ye not degeneratyng from your predecessors shall doe that â—hâ— worldâ— may knowe the great vertue and constancie that is in you and that in tho deathe of your Prince all yours â— not ioyned and contained Therefore I pray you to tell â—e the deliberation where to ye intrude to the intent that I following your resolution may take counsell on my part to set in order the thing that shal be necessarie assuring you by tâ—â— worde of a King that if I should die a thousande deathesâ— I will not departe from hence vntill I haue an ende of my enimyes or they of me Nascian the hermites Oration to King Lisuard aduertising him that he is not so nyghe him without a great cause and occasion and furthermore he sheweth him that he shoulde not goe aboute to marie his daughter Oriane to the Emperour bycause she is ioyned to another and giueth him the reason why And by this meanes he entendeth to turne him from the enterprise of warre In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter SYr ye haue good cause and reason so to thinke for certainly my great age and estate where vnto it hath pleased the Lorde to haue called me long since doth well excuse me to be among this bloudy people yet considering the euill that myghte haue happened if I had deferred my enterprise I haue not feared to trauell my body trusting to doe agreable seruice to God and healthfull to your soule Understande syrâ— that beyng a fewe dayes since in the hermitage wheâ—e by chaunce I wayted for you and when you and I communed togethen of the strange nouriture of Esplandian I then knewe the occasion of the warre that ye haue begonne agaynst Amadis and hys and neuerthelesse I am sure that ye can not doe nor perfourme the thyng that ye haue enterprised that is to marrie my Ladie your daughter to the Emperour of Rome for the whyche too manye yll chances are alreadie chaunced not onely bycause they are not agréeable as well to the greatest as to the leaste of your Realme as oftentymes they haue caused it to
onely of the councell that may be giuen you to the contrarie whether it be to turne you wholy or at the least to slacke your diligence that is required in this businesse by the occasion of the auncient amitie that ye haue continually with the Princes of Grece a thing that shoulde turne me to an inestimable losse if it shoulde be prolonged séeing that the aray and the furniture wherevnto ye sée that I am set the which to me should be vnprofitable if it be not strengthned and augmented by yours And therefore sir and ye Princes Barons Capitaynes and souldiours Apolloniens ought not to maruell that I so vrgently doe solicite you to this enterprise and lesse to refuse my request being of such consequence for you that thinking to reiect it as mine ye shall finde it as muche contrarie to your selues Who is he that can say that this outrage hath not béene done as much to you as to me As touching my part I am disposed to vengeance in the which if I do not content my desire in the satisfaction of my honour in as much as Fortune is not content I will turne vpon my selfe the rest of the force and strength not as a subiect to serue hir any more in any newe crueltie For this cause Sir and you other Lordes Apolloniens I pray you moste humblie and verie effectuously that ye will in this behalfe employe and shewe your force and strength and the strength of youre friendes and allyes to be ioyned vnto mine to appoynt and prepare such a power and might agaynst the Princes Constantines that if willingly they will not make amendes for this wrong and iniurie we may be sufficient to execute the thing vpon them and to enforce them to reason Here I make ende of my demaunde not dooing it after my first intention whether it be as concerning the vengeance to giue or to take The Prince Birmates spâ—â—king for â—hem all doth answerâ— bycidor shewing him that warre ought not to haue a 〈…〉 beginning and he counselleth him to sende a letter to Dom Florisell and to dissuade the combate betweene them twoâ— In the .10 booke the .5 Chapter MY Lorde Lucidor séeing that the good pleasure of the king my Lorde and father and the Lordes assisting do charge me with the answere that they intende shall be made you I will briefly shew you the thing and what they thinke in this matter remitting yet my will and resolution to yours In the first place I confesse vnto you that we haue a common interâ—st with you in the issue of this câ—use the which in condition is nothing different or vnlike to that that was begun among the Greekes and the Troians for the rape of their fayre Helen of whome I am extremely diâ—pleâ—sed that my daughter beareth the name and effect of the seconde I will not denie any more the auncient amitie that I haue with the Princes of Gâ—â—â—ce if it be so that the ballance of my iudgement be not of suche waight that the respect of my honor of my daughters doth not fall nor decay the which Iestéeme ought to be bought againe with what pryce so euer it maye bee as well of the goodes as of the person Yet the affayres of such importance requyre their beginning to be diligenâ—ly consulted and debated for feare least the ende shoulde-euill succéede referning such diligent regarde that their Princes and men may be discharged before God and principally their subiectes in case that fortune turne contrarie to their â—stimation She hath somwhat a regarde to things that are agaynst my owne taste for leauing of all passions as men shoulde doe in matters of counsell I estéeme that in this enterprise wée â—ouche and laye the totall and whole summe of our estates and treasures in the hande of Fortune without assurance to come to anye other reparation pretended than of oure owne righte the whiche as subiecte to the inconstancie and variablenesse of the variable and wauering Goddesse hath oftentimes néede of helpe The Princes of Greece had good right against the citie of Troy the whiche that notwithstanding did sustaine their siege and assaulte the space of tenne yéere and had sustayned it peraduenture vnto the ende sauing for the treason so craftily pretensed and so valiantly executed But lette vs leaue a parte the great effusion of bloud that I sée prepared let vs onely consider what issue it shall haue for in very déede the effect of armes is almost vpoÌ„ fortune nor neuer grounde in any suretis therfore we must descende specially to the conseruation of our honour Touching the which notwithstanding that it hath bene offended by the taking away of Helen it may be that greater reason shal be shewed vs for the satisfactioÌ„ of our iniurie than we hope after that the partie shall haue well perceyued and discussed the grounde of our complaint Upon the which men can giue no lawfull iudgement before they heare the deduction of both parties Therefore let vs take héede to procéede by ripe deliberation fearing least we repent vs to much by leasure of our foolish precipitation and hastinesse for this cause we are thus minded my Lord Lucidor that or euer ye procéede any further ye should shew your minde and intention by writing to Prince Florisel summoning him for the reparation of the outrageous iniurie for through his refuse ye shall make our cause a great deale the better TheÌ„ without any difficultie ye may denounce mortall warre with fire and bloud vnto the accomplishment and fulfilling of the vengeaunce and as concerning the combat of your person with his I am not of that opinion for asmuch as the déede of so generall offence should not be charged nor layde vpon the shoulders of any one slone the whiche lesing the rest of the pursute should as touching other remayne without amenyment Not that I will in this reuoke in any doubte the valure of your person â—ut bicause the fauour of Mars is vncertain and common in the which a man should not put his confidence of a thing of suche importaunce without he had his promisse by signe and seale autentike This is it wherunto the Kinges ech one this assistence doth tende to tary the answere that the Prince Florisel shall make vnto the Ambassadours sent by you for to take thereby the fundation of our finall resolution In the meane space not to require nor yet to put our fréendes to payne of whome we shoulde desire succour in these affayres vntill we may shew them more than dutie vnto whome wée shal be sent to search for peace and to auoyde the horrible furie of the warre the whiche thing shall furthermore encourage them to take armour and to fight for vs against a common enimie for right equitie peace and quietnesse of the people bâ—sides that the losse of so litle time cannot be preiudiciall vnto you in the expedition of suche a consequence the order and preparation whereof requireth a longer time least
cause Sidonia to die for Dom Florisel but she shall wel defende hir self frō the feare of death for to defend hir faithfulnes that she ought him for the stable and burning loue that she hath cōtinually borne hym at this present dothe beare him Consider then king Balthasar that thinking to winne me thou doest léese mée and thinking to offende me thou shalte offende in nothing for a sworde shall not fayle me at all to resiste thy offence but thou mayste well offende me with thy armes the lawes of the Gods immortall whiche gouerne the sworde of iustice haue muche more force than thine thou shalte likewise offende the Prince of Greece whose righte of mariage thou wouldest violate for although he hath playde by trumperie and deceyte yet it is so that for his honour he will not let passe the iniuries without reuengyng of them that thou shalt doe me And seyng that for the reuerence that he beareth me he in my fauour hath saued their liues that sought to haue his heade as the kings of Gaza and of the Massagenes other of thy cōpanie giuing sure witnesse thou mayst well thinke that nowe he shal be as readie to cause them to léese theyr heades to please me withall as he hath at other times bene prest and readie for my loue to saue them Wherefore kyng Balthasar enterpryse not a warre whereby through hatred thou doest hope to winne hir that hateth and maketh warre agaynst hir selfe the greate loue that enflameth hir cōstrayning nor suffering hir honour to be destroyde nor shal féele hir selfe Demaund neyther loue nor peace of hir that hath neyther loue nor peace with hir selfe and with thée So then I am minded to defende my will and to resist thine and continually sauing my accustomed chastitie I will sustayne my déere countrey and realme calling the Gods to my iustice and men to my defense And purchasing this peace of me I am ready to sustayne suche warre as thou haste denounced vnto me The Oration of Queene Sidonia to the Citizens of Guinday incityng hyr Vassalles valiantly to defend◠hyr and sooner to suffer death than to let theyr renoume be defiled and of hyr parte she had rather die than to fall into the power of hyr enimies In the .12 booke the .43 Chapter IF the duetie whereof we are indetted to vertue my déere fréendes and faythfull Citizens commaunded vs not rather to sacrifice our liues for the conseruation of oure honour than to suffer it in any thing to bée corrupted in asmuche as honour beyng loste we during this mortall life can haue nothing that is good they may complayne them of the vncertaine issue of thinges that with good right and to sustayne their auncient renoume doe giue themselues with a franke courage to the inconstancie of fortune But séeyng that wée be bounde to defende our honour euen to deathe the multitude of enimies nor the doubtfull chaunce of one battell shoulde not put vs in feare for nothing We should onely feare least that the faulte and fayntnesse of heart cause vs to incurre any infamie and that the vniustnesse of our enimie make vs not more afearde than our good right dothe make vs constant for by such slouthfulnesse men might doubte of the experience of fortune the whiche gaue long since to sixe thousande souldiars of Greece the victorie of one million of Perses of the whiche there were slayne two hundred thousande in the playne fielde The selfe fortune graunted to Lucul the Romane hauing but tenne thousande souldiars in his tentes to ouercome by his vertue and good righte the kyng Tygrane and his infinite thousandes of fighting menne among the whiche were fiftie thousande horse menne This greate armie was ouerthrowen and broken in battell araye and the ensigne displayde and in open fielde by those whiche were very fewe in number but many in magnanimitie of courage for by the reason of theyr good righte they supplied the defaulte of theyr number and by the strength of their armes they resisted the feare of fortune as knowyng that the multitude of armed menne maketh the victorie neuer the surer and beyng fewer in number than the enimies menne shoulde not léese the assurance and lesse the hope to winne the glory of the combatte and fielde There is not he that may flée deathe when shée is appoynted him by the destinie of the highe Gods nor also there is not hée the whiche dying is not bounde to saue his good renoume that the shame and infamie of his deathe doe not desile the auncient honour of his lyfe Yée doe knowe the good right that I haue in this warre ye may remember the obedience that hitherto yée haue shewed me as to your Quéene And if I be not disceyued yée do yet remember the rewarde that ye haue receyued for your faithfulnesse I thinke that yée abhorre all tyrannie and I thinke that eche of you is readie to chase it from him as prepared and bounde to receyue deathe for the entertaynement of libertie in the which I haue alwayes enterteyned you and haue hither to defended you We shall haue to our ayde the Gods immortall as those which are the certaine reuengers of outragiousnesse and the sure defenders of innocencie If then reason good right and the ayde of Gods fayle vs not at all in this quarell let vs so doe that good courage fayle vs not and when fortune would enuie our good houre let vs rather choose an honourable death than a shamefull lyfe with a miserable seruitude and bondage Consider also of your part that I refusing the alliances of these barbarous kings that ye shall not onely defende my priuate quarell but also your publike with your goodes your libertie your wiues your children marking the calamities that in time to come ye if ye haue suche tyrants to your Lordes shall indure and suffer Therefore my friendes take a good heart vnto you and nowe shewe the valiantnesse and vertue that ye haue the which is néedfull that ye nowe shewe to defende your selues from those that haue enterprysed your ruine and destruction Do so then that men may sée their spoyles hanging within our Temples for an immortall tryumph of your victorie and ye shall beléeue that the king of Russia shall neuer triumph of the faythfulnesse that Sidonia doth owe vnto him that she first hath receyued for hir husbande but contrariwise for the Barbarian sworde shall not so soone appeare within our walles but that mine shall incontinent appeare within the breast of my daughter and me that by this franke death I shall deliuer my life from subiection leauing my dead bodie vpon the colde earth without spot and satisfying him by the immortalitie of this sacrifice the which as I trust in your vertue and fortitude ye would haue made of your selues before I should sée my self in such extremitie But I am so assured of the iustice of the Gods and of the force and strength of your right handes that I doe yet
to complaine you of my father for if he haue receiued any goodnesse of you it was for my loue and fauor only and by my commaundement and not for his loue for I alone caused you to come and soiorne in his company And so it is not in him to recompence you but in me whose ye are It is very true that he coÌ„tinually hath thought the coÌ„trary the which doth greatly blame you that ye answered him so vndiscretely And againe bicause your departure being constrained is to me the most grieuous thing that might chance vnto me yet I am content to satisfye my selfe and to obey reason more than delight and pleasure the which I haue by your presence Therefore my friend I will that that pleaseth you bycause I am well assured that to what place so euer ye shall resort your hart that which is mine shall remaine with me for a gage of the power that ye haue giuen me ouer you and it also that my father léesâ—ng you shall knowe by those few that shall be left him the thing that he hath lost in you Amadis answer and replication taking his leaue of Oriane In the same Chapter MAdame said Amadis the goodnesse that ye do vnto me is so great that I estéeme it no lesse than the redemption of my proper life for ye know that euery man of vertue ought to haue hys honor in suche estimation that he should prefer it aboue his owne life Thus Madame seing it is of force the I to coÌ„serue it must go far from you do so much yet if it please you for me as during my absence to send me as oftentimes as ye may newes of you and continually to kéepe me in your grace and fauor as he the which was neuer borne but to obey and to serue you Amadis Oration to his companions declaring vnto them the causes of his departing from the king In the selfesame Chapter MY Lordes bicause men haue wrongfully blamed the Lord Galuanes Agraies my selfe and some other that are here present to leaue and forsake the kings seruice as they and I haue appointed we thought it méete and good to cause you to vnderstand what the occasion is I beléeue that thers is not one of this company that doth not perceiue whether that since our comming into England the authoritie of this prince be augmented or diminished therefore without consuming of time in rehersing the seruices that we haue done for him for the which we had hope to haue had wyth thanks good and great recompence I wil declare brâ—â—fly vnto you whaâ— ingratitude be vseth against vs in suche wise that as mutable incoÌ„stant fortune doth oftentimes turne vpsidowne all things so he hath changed his conditions eyther by euil counsel that he hath receiued or by some light occasion that we knowe not So muche there is that the Lorde Galuanes required vs to moue vnto him it is not yet eyght or tenne dayes agoe the prouision for the mariage of hym and of Madasime and in so doing to cause hym to enioy hir landes with this charge to hold them in fée and homage of hym and of his crowne the which thyng we promised him to do By the meanes wherof assoone as it was profitable for me to go I and other of thys company haue bene with him to make this request but without hauing any regard eyther of vs that spake or of him for whome we labored the which is as euery man doth know the king of Scotlands brother a wise and asmuch as is possible a hardy knight the which euen of late against king Cildadan hath not spared his life but hath done his dutie as much as any that came thither he hath refused vs and burdened vs with iniurie nothing conuenient nor méete for such a king And yet at the first we cared not for it vntill he sayde vnto vs all when we made certayne demonstrations vnto him that we shoulde search in some other place those that knew vs or that did more for vs than â—e and that the world was great and wide ynough to do this thing without troubling of him Thus my companions séeing that we being in his seruice haue always obeyed him so as concerning my selfe I am very well content in this case not to fayle but to depart out of hys countrey But yet bycause this leaue as I do thinke touched not me only nor those that he spake vnto but to all other the whyche are not his vassalles I thought it méete to cause you to vnderstande the matter to the intent ye might thinke vpon the thinges that were to come The Oration of Angriote of Estrauaux to drawe the other to leaue as Amadis did the kings house In the same Chapter MY lords it is not yet loÌ„g ago since I knew the king and for the little knowledge that I haue had of him I neuer saw a wiser vertuouser or a more temperate Prince than he in al affaires And therfore I am in doubt that the communicatioÌ„ which he hath had with Amadis and his Lordes that wer present came not of his own fansie but that he was induced to do it by som enuious euil person that hath persuaded him to be miscontent with them And bycause I haue séene within these nyne or tenne dayes Gandandel and Broquadan speake oftentimes vnto him and that he listened vnto them more than to any other I doubt that these are they that haue â—rued this matter for I haue knowne them of long time for the moste enuious of all the world Therefore I haue euen to day taken deliberation to fight against them and to maintaine that falsly and mischieuously they haue set the Kyng Amadis at debate if they will excuse them bycause of their age they haue eache of them a sonne that of long time haue worne harneys with whome I my selfe will fight if they be hardy and bold to cloke the treasoÌ„ of their naughtie fathers Amadis Oration to King Lisuard whereby he leaueth his seruice In the .2 booke the .21 Chapter SYr if I in any thing haue made you a fault God and you be witnesses assuring you that although the seruices that I haue done you haue bene small the will that I haue had to acknowledge the goodnesse and honor the which it hath pleased you to shewe me hath bene great in all extremitie You sayde vnto me that I should go and search in the world who knowe me better than you giuing me sufficiently inough to vnderstand the little enuie that doth let you that I dwell no more in your court But séeing it hath so pleased you to coÌ„maund me it is reason that I obey you not that I will depart from you as from my souereine for I was neuer your vassall nor of no other Prince but of God only but I take my leaue of you as of him that hath done me much good and honor vnto whom I beare my loue and a desire to serue
Earle Argamont to King Lisuarde declaring the misfortune that shall chaunce vnto him and to my Lady Oriane if he marrie hir to the Emperour In the .3 booke the .15 Chapter SYr haue you not marked the glorie of these Romains the which vnreuerently haue bene bold before you to do iniurie to the Knights of your Court what may they do in other places thinke you by God séeing that they had so litle discretion I feare greatly that they wil lightly estéeme my Ladiâ— Oriane incontinently after that you haue lost the sight of hir And that notwithstanding you haue alreadie as I haue vnderstanded accorded and agréed vnto them I can not perceiue whereof this your fantasie doth procéede considering that neuer Prince so sage and wise did euer forget himselfe so farre And it seemeth that you haue a certaine enuie and will to iniurie and prouoke fortune against you and to vnbinde misfortune that hath bene so long bound at your gate haue you forgotten the graces that the Lordâ— hathe done for you do you not fear at al his furie is not fortune mutable are you to know to learne that she when she is enuied and wearie to do him good whoÌ„ she hath lifted vp doth not afterwards chasten him with rods but with cruell diuers torments a hundred times worsse than death Pardon me syr for the faith and fidelitie that I beare you doth bolden me to saye thus vnto you for you knowe howe that these worldly things are transitorie and perillous and that the glory renoume that men get by long trauell in this life is ofteÌ„times put out and buried through litle and light occasioÌ„ if fortune do disfauor the person so that if there rest any help in the place of prayse he shal be blamed only that could not entertaine kéepe the good fortune wherein he was before Therfore sir think I pray you vpon the fault that you did not long since putting far from you so many good Knightes as Amadis his brothers parents and friends by the which you wer feared honored and redoubted throughout all the worlde and not being yet out of this euill you will enter into a worsse the which thing maketh me beleue that God hath forgotten you bicause you first forgatte him for if it were otherwise you would take their couÌ„sel that haue a desire to serue you faithfully But seing that I sée I am content to discharge me of my fidelitie and homage that I owe you And returne to my countrie to auoyde the sight if it be possible of the iust complaints and strange teares that my Lady Oriane shal make wheÌ„ you as you haue promised do deliuer hir And to do this you haue already sent to séeke Miresâ—â—ur the which hath constrained me to tel you the thing that you haue heard and vnderstanded alreadie Amadis Oration to the Erle Argamont shewing him that for his loue he will saue the life of a Romaine whomâ— he hath ouercome In the .3 booke the .16 Chapter FOr the honor of the good King and you I will saue for this time the life of this presumptuous Romaine yet if any other of his companions fall in like danger they may be sure that they shal pay the amends for him for I neuer heard speak of so extreme glory as of theirs by the whiche they make a matter a custome to dispraise one Knight to aduance theÌ„selues And furthermore I pray you to say vnto your King that for the goodnesse that I haue perceiued in him I neuer had will to disturbe him nor to doe any thing wherewith he should be displeased but I pray him that he will suffer me if any other present himselfe to fight to followe my victorie that hereafter they be not so prompte to speake and to saye euill folowing the fashion of their Emperor Patins doings thâ— whiche is accustomed dayly to threaten and most commonly to be beaten Oâ—ians complaint to King Lâ—suard hir father assuring him that if he marrie hir to the Emperor she shall sone die In the .3 booke and .17 Chapter ALas my Lorde behold in pitie for the honor of God your daughter so greatly desolate and be no lesse fauorable vnto hir than you haue bene all your life time to the most simple Damsels that asked and desired your helpe Ah ah my Lord when Archalaus led you away as a prisoner that waâ— vnder the title of your great goodnesse to go and to helpe hir that had required you And is it possible now that forgetting thâ—t vertue that hath bene alwayes familiar with you you will doe worsse to me than euer you did to any other liuing I haue learned that you will sende me to the Emperor of Rome to be his wife but if you constraine me to that you shall sinne too greatly for that shal be against my wil and I am determined that death shall soner take me Oriane doth yet complaine of hir fathers cruelnesse to marrie hir to a person whome she knoweth not In the .3 booke the .17 Chapter SYr quoth she or euer you send me farre from you I pray you aduise your selfe of the euil that shal follow for Rome shall neuer see me yea the Sea shall neuer deliuer me from this paine so shall you be the cause of two euilles togither The first of the disobedieÌ„ce that I shal commit against you and the other of the homicide that your daughter shall do on hir owne person And beléeuing by this meanes to make aliance and amitie with the Emperor estéeming me thus destroyed for the dispite of him he shall haue iust occasion to will you euill and not he onely but all they that in time to come shall heare it spoken and so whereas you are renoumed throughout all the worlde to be a Prince benigne mercifull ye shall be called vnpitifull and more cruell than any other may be pardon me sir the heauinesse that presseth me doth constrayne me to say all that I thinke and if ye sée that I speake vnto you to irreuerently take of my indiscretion what vengeance it shall please you for ye cannot gyue me so great payne and torment as that is the whiche I see is prepared for me depriuing me of your presence The Earle of Argamont Oration to king Lisuard intending as before to turne him from the foresaid mariage In the 3. booke the .17 Chapter MY Lord I would hold my selfe but too fortunate if I had not an occasion to tell you that reason dothe binde me knowing you to be a wise and a vertuous Prince easily to discerne the good with the euill neuerthelesse the sorow that my Ladie your daughter hath made vntâ— me not long since hath constrained me to put you in remembrance of the thing that I at other times haue tolde you of hir and I praye you as muche as I may possible or euer she depart far from you to thinke ripely and without affection vpon it For notwithstanding a wise man doth not
commonly make a fault gouerning himselfe by reason yet when he presumeth so much of himself that he will haue no counsell but of his own head he falleth often in more daunger than doth the lesse aduised the experience whereof hath ben séene at other times in many Princes My Lorde you sée the extremitie in the whiche my Ladie Oriane is and if you thinke well vpon it you shall easily iudge the inconuenience that maye fall to hir person through too great desperation whereof within a while after you shall be sorie all the dayes of your life And besides all this you may be blamed not onely of straungers but of your own subiects and hereafter be odious vnto them wherof of there may come and arise many chauces and misfortunes Therefore beléeue their counsell that desire your profite and the honor of your Realme for so doing you can not chaunce amisse and although it should chaunce otherwise yet you should be excused and they bounde to finde remedie And furthermore you know well that the fault which is done by couÌ„sell can not be otherwise named but a fault wisely made Sée nowe my Lord why and wherefore I desired you verie humbly vsing fatherly pitie to conâ—ent these Ambassadours by some other meane than with the price of your daughters bloude The Oration of the Damsell Grasinde to King Lisuard declaring vnto him the crueltie that he beareth vnto his daughter Oriane and the damsels of his Court minding to marrie hir to the Emperour In the .3 boke the .17 Chapter SYr hitherto you haue bene taken for the moste estéemed Prince of all Christendome a louer of honor and of all vertue and aboue a all protector of Ladies and Damsels doing and shewing them so great goodnesse and graces that they haue had great occasion to prayse you more than any other that liueth and now losing their hope that they had in you they sée themselues reiected from your great goodnesse knowing how you intreate my Lady Oriane your daughter disinheriting hir of the goods that of right after you should pertaine vnto hir wherof they maruel greatly considering howe it hathe bene possible that your benigne nature might so lightly be turned into so great crueltie as that nowe they neuer hope to haue any thing of you that shal be to their aduantage and comfort vsing such maner of fashions and doings towards hir vnto whom pitie and fatherly loue besides the title and the name of a King whereby you ought to be a mayntainer of right doing iustice to eache one hath bounde you And beleue me syr that it may happen worsse vnto you as wel for the il ensample that you giue the people as for the abundance of wéepings and hard lamentations of my Lady Oriane the which are before God requiring vengeance and so that if you take not héede the end of your raigne shall not ensue and folow the beginning therof in the which you haue prospered as muche as any other King or Prince that we know Syr I will say no more vnto you for I will go after these two Knights that haue taried very long for me Amadis Oration to those of the closed Isle shewing them the great wrong that King Lisuarde did to his daughter willing to marrie hir against hir will with other Princesses and Ladies of his countrie prouoking them to reuenge this wrong and iniurie In the .3 booke the .17 Chap. AS farre forth as I sée the things are much chaunged in England since we went and departed from thence and the King hathe an other manner of fantasie-than he had in times past for I haue seene him more prompt and ready to help to succor Ladies thaÌ„ to his own affaires And I now bee maruell what moueth him thus so fare with my Ladye Oriane seing there was neuer childe more obedient to father as she continually hath shewed hir self And now as Angriot and Brunâ—o do recite shew he hath against hir will and all the Knights of England ioyned hir to him whome in all the world she hateth aboue all other whereof I haue such pitie that if you wil beleeue me and help we shal succor and ayde hir and set hir at libertie But I will take nothing in hande without you al ye ought to remember the othe that Quéene Brisina caused you to make in the Citie of London We all did sweare not to suffer any wrong at any tyme to be done to anye Ladie or Damsell that required vs nowe then shall we suffer hir to be thus yll intreated and captiue of whome at other tymes we haue receyued so greate honour and fauour Shall the Damselles of hir companie be taken perforce and banished for euermore oute of theyr owne countrey by my God if we shoulde suffer it we were worthy to receiue blame without hauing of any meane or excuse to saue vs and we shall fall in the reputation of the increased number of the Knightes vnfortunate Therefore aduise you togither what you will that shall be done for as touching me I am well purposed to deferre and leaue off a voiage that I had taken in hand as I haue by Gidalin certified and told not long since my cousin Agraies Florestan and other And with these shippes that I haue founde in this HaueÌ„ to prepare me to breake the enterprise of king Lisuard and to saue these poore Damsels among whome I know not a more sorowfull except my Ladie Oriane thaÌ„ Olinda whom the King vsing his new cruelnesse will marrie with all constraint and violence to Salust Quide the whiche hath demaunded and required hir But I would faine know by what authoritie he will nowe thus intreate those which are not his subiects nor of his countries specially my cousin Mabile whom the King hir father sent into Englande not to be confederate at Rome but only to dwell with the Quéene and to kéepe Oriane companie the which loued hir so as two yong Princesses might beare familiar amitie togither and I maruell that all his countrie be not alreadie reuolted and turned against him or at the least wise that no knight hath set him selfe forth by armes to say against to resist this his foolish faÌ„tasie but there is none as yet that hath prepared to do it Therfore my friends I pray you al that folowing the auncient custome which hath ben diligently obserued amoÌ„g the wandering Knights to take héede that no man doe them so great wrong nor intreate them so euill Doing this we shal get honor prayse more than euer we gat before without the which in what sort soeuer it be we may be blamed Tell me therefore what you think herein that we folowing the conclusion which we shall take may set an order to execute the same Agraies Oration to his coÌ„panions wherwith he exhorteth them to cleaue to Amadis mynd conclusion In the .3 b. 17. cha I Cannot tell who he should be that would slacke so gentle an enterprise seing that
the which thing cannot be slacked if thou Emperoure to much hated of good fortune do not shewe thy selfe the most faintharted Prince that euer was borne of mother An exhortation of Mabile to Queene Sardamire to dispose hir to learne pacience in hir aduersitie nor to be astonied at fortunes inconstancie In the .4 booke the .1 Chapter IN good faith my Lady it becommeth as I estéeme a princesse so wise as ye haue bene alwayes reputed to fall into suche extremitie for the vertue of a wise person cannot be knowen but when tribulation commeth sodeinly vpoÌ„ him And further more you that doe beare the title of a Queene ought by good reason to be more constant than a simple damsell should be or any other person vnworthy of the place and kingdome that ye possesse Do ye not know that fortune is mutable and that she will take away hir fauor from whom it pleaseth hir and call it agayne when it seemeth good vnto hir So then séeing that the Emperoures armie is defeated and your selfe at this tyme to be in the handes of the knightes of the inclosed Iland it followeth well that ye should take this chaunce paciently and beare it wisely when that ye cannot amend it be you also assured that ye are in the power of those that shall do you all the honour seruice and good intreating that they may deuise And if the Prince Salust be deade what remedie ye cannot call him agayne with your wéeping these be the common turnes and chaunces of warre to those that séeke theÌ„ And therfore madame if it so please you be no more heauy but vsing your accustomed prudencie and wisedome take the things so as they may chance and come Queene Sardamires answer to Mabile declaring vnto hir that â—he hath a iust occasion to be heauie for the inconuenience that she is fallen in and that it may please hir to coÌ„sent to beare with hir in hir affection The .4 booke the .1 Chapter ALas quoth she it is eâ—sy to him that is in ioy to comfort as ye do the person that is ouerwhelmed with displeasure Neuerthelesse if ye selfe the heauinesse that presseth me ye would peraduenture lament me more than ye do yet I knowe that ye say the truth and that it is impossible for me so at this time to commaund and to rule my selfe to beléeue your counsell Therefore I pray you for the honor of God that excusing my imperfections ye will ayde me your selfe and all these other Ladies also to lament my euill houre and mischaunce irrecuparable The replicatioÌ„ of Mabile to Queene Sardamire declaring vnto hir that to be heauie for the thing that is happened is not the meane to help it In the .4 booke the .1 Chapter MAdame sayd Mabile if ye for our heauinesse of the thing that ye pray vs for might be the better I sweare vnto you by my faith that there is not she in this company as I thinke but would with good heart employ hir selfe but ye know that when the thing is dâ—ne the counsell is taken thus ye may know that of necessitie ye must make an ende of your wepings be it with the time or rather by your prudencie and wisedome Amadis Oration to his companions declaring vnto them the thing that he had vnderstood by Oriane whiche tendth to this that king Lisuard had changed the mind which he had to marry hir to the Emperoure furthermore praying him to prepare him selfe to succoure hir in hir great trouble In the .4 booke the .3 Chapter MY Lords yesterday my Lady Oriane seÌ„t vnto me praying me that we should fynd some meanes to restore hir to the good grace and fauour of the king hir father and to deliuer him if it were possible of the fantasie that he hathe to marrie hir to the prince of the worlde to whom she beareth little amitie or loue for otherwyse death shal be to hir more agreeable And therefore I thought it good after that I had spoken with some of this companâ— particularly to vnderstand generally of you al what ye thinke for séeing that we haue bene companions to set hir at libertie it is very reasonable we should be to maintein hir but first or euer we enter any further into this matter I pray you to haue before your eyes that euen now your renoume is so knowen thoroughout all the world bicause of the high chiualries that ye haue done that there is this day no King Prince nor Knight of whome ye are not fearâ—d and redouted knowing that to obtaine laude and praise immortall ye haue not only little regarded the great riches and good intreating that ye might haue had in your owne houses but also the bloude of your proper and own harts the which ye haue not spared to cause the most hardie and bold to féele the edge of your sword to the great danger of your persons Whereof the woundes that ye haue in diuers parts the markes and witnesses of your noble actes may giue suche faith and testimonie that fortune hirselfe is bound vnto you whereof she willing to recompence you hath put into your hands and gâ—uen you this glorious victorie that we haue had ouer the two greatest Princes of christendome Not that I will speake of the destruction of their people only being of little merite towards vs but for the succour that ye haue shewed to the most wise gentle and vertuous Lady of the earth the which was at the point most wrongfully to suffer a worse entreatment than may be thought And thus ye haue done right great agreable seruice vnto God executing the thing to the which ye arâ— expressely called that is to sucâ—oure and to help the afflicted from wrongs that men without reason cause them to suffer And if the Emperour and king Lisuard if it so like them will be angrie wroth seing that the right is ours God y which is iust will be with vs also and in such sort that if they of themselues know not what is reason and beléeue by theyr power to ouercome our force strength I promise my selfe hope well that we may so resist theÌ„ that as loÌ„g as the world shal be a world continue there shal be a memorie and a remembraÌ„ce therof Therefore aduise euery one of you what he shall â—hinke best to be done either to make an end of the war that is begon or to make a meane for peace deliuering my Lady Oriane to the king hir father euen as she desireth for as coÌ„cerning me ye shal vnderstaÌ„d that I will no nother thing but that which shal please you nor my fantasie in thys â—hal be no nother than yours knowing you to be such your vertue to be so great that to die for it ye would not go from the magnanimitie of your corages nor suffer the thing wherby our honor be it neuer so litle shuld be abased or diminished The OratioÌ„ of Quedragant to Amadis answering that
countenance they make they in a manner woulde be content that ye had the worse bycause ye followed not thryr fantasie notwithstanding that I doubt not but that there is none of them but wyll serue you faythfully Arcalaus Oration to King Arauigne inducing him to make war and to runne vpon King Lisuard and vpon Amadis in such suche places of theirs where they might be beste offended without succour and to make warre there where they be most letted and troubled In the .4 booke the .18 Chapter SYr a foure dayes past I certainely vnderstoode that King Lisuard and Amadis of Fraunce two the most greatest enimies that ye may haue are in such quarrell and strife that there is no hope that euer they shall haue peace together they gather greate companies of men to fighte and to giue battell whereof there cannot ensue and follow but the finall destruction of the one or other and peraduenture of both together And bicause the occasion doth nowe call you aswell to reuenge you of the losse that you haue had by them in times past as also to extende your limites borders making your selfe peaceable King of England I thinke ye should defer no longer to gather your people together and to call for all your friendes that whilest they be letted ye may easely enter into their countrey being far off from their aide and succour and if it chaunce that they méete together and fight then not gyuing the Uictor any leysure to refreshe his men ye must sodeâ—ly take him and geue him so sore a battell that neither of them both escape And ye shall vnderstand syr that the occasion of their enmitie doth procéede bicause that King Lisuard sent his eldest daughter to Rome giuyng hir in mariage to the Emperour but Amadis of Fraunce one of them that caused himselfe to be named in the battel that we lately lost the knight of the serpentes the which had if ye may remember it the gilded harneis with many other met the Romanes vpon the field whom they inuaded and finally destroyed and flew the Prince Salust Quide the Emperours nigh knisman the other taken prisoners with the Ladies and Damsels the which they haue caried and conueyed into the enclosed Iland where they retaine them as yet and yet I cannot well declare you the cause why they beganâ—e this warre but I am sure that King Lisuard to reuenge his iniurie prepareth the greatest armie that he can and that Amadis in like case hath sent into all partes to gather men to defende him if he be assayled And therefore Syr during this trouble ye shall haue if ye will a meane to giue them both the greatest ouerthrow of all the world taking them vnawares as I haue tolde you And to the end and intent that ye may at your eye know the victorie to be certaine I will doe so much that Bersimen Lord of Sanguese the sonne of him that the King caused to be burnt at London and likewise all those of the linage of Dardan the proude whom Amadis destroyde at Windesor shal come and helpe you with the King of the profounde and déepe I le and thus beyng with so great a number of good knightes ye shall not néede to doubte but that ye shall come to your intent and purpose King Arauignes answere to Arcalaus by the which he is purposed to follow his counsell In the .4 booke the .8 chapter My great friend quoth Arauignes ye tel me great things although that I had purposed not to tempt fortune any more shewing me so litle fauor in times past so it should be great fâ—lly as me thinketh to leaue those things which bâ— so many meanes offer themselues to augment my honour great profit for if in suche a case y enterprises guided by reason come to the issue that men desire he receiueth such fruit of his labor as he deserueth And if it chaunce otherwise meÌ„ at the least wayes do eâ—ecute the thing to the which vertue doth hind them to maintaine their authoritie the which ought not so greatly to esteme the misfortunes which are past that they when the houre presenteth it selfe shoulde delay to receiue it not losing their courage nor continuing all the rest of their life as fearefull faint hearted Seing therfore that I am in these termes I wil beleue you praying you whilest that I shall prepare my armie to order the rest to go to Barsinan and the other and to cause them to ioyne with vs. Agraies Oration to the knights of the inclosed Isle vpon the enterprise of the warre inciting them to shew themselues vertuous and strong in the businesse that doth offer it selfe In the fourth booke the .10 chapter MY lords I cannot tell how that we with honestie may delay to take vpon vs this warre seing the iust occasioÌ„ that we haue and that our enimie euen now maketh as though he would come to finde vs but yet who so wil beleue me he shall neither get nor obtaine the honor but yet let vs doe our diligence to assemble our strength and let vs go into his cuntrey and cause our selues to be knowne for such men as we be for once if we suffer them to come hyther we shal set theÌ„ in such a pride that he which of his nature is presumptuous shall thinke to haue already the vpper hand of vs and so we shal be in diuers maner of sorts yll estemed giuing occasion to many to doubt as much of our right as of my lady Orianes for whoÌ„ we are fallen into these matters As touching my selfe I sware vnto you vpon my honor that if it had not béen for the instant and great prayer and request that she made vnto me to haue peace I had neuer consented that they shoulde haue sente any Ambassadours into Englande béeyng so outrageously vsed as we be But feyng that our enimie doth declare so muche vnto vs I am quited of my promise and resolued neuer to enter into amitie or aliance with him vntill he hath felt howe greatly we may anoye him or helpe him séeing that we haue the wayes to recouer as warlikemen of warre as they be which he shall bryng with him Thus my maisters I am of this mind that we prepare our selues to war without any longer delaye and that we assone as our aide is aryued go straight to London if he come forwards to fight with vs to giue him battell Amadis Oration to Agraies vpon the resolution of the warre beyng readie to doe his duetie and to followe Agraies aduise In the .4 booke the .13 Chapter MY cousin I as yet haue séene none but that is ready to do that you haue said and if any haue â—ebated the inconueniences that may commonly chaunce in warre that is not yet to saye that they will exempt themselues but to prouide for the same as reason would they shoulde And as concerning that they thinke it good we shoulde enter into King Lisuardes land nor
be told you but for another reason syr the whych was hyd from you and manyfesâ— to mée agaynst the which by the law of God ye cannot say the contrarie That is how that my lady Oriane is already ioyned in mariage to another wherwith our Lorde hath béen wel conteÌ„ted it was his pleasure it should be so Syr this is it why I saide vnto you that the thing whyche was hid from you was manifest to me as I shall euen now declare vnto you for ye cannot knowe it of any other â—ut by me Syr the selfe same day that I by your commaundement was to séeke you in the forest where to giue the longer pleasure of hunting to the Ladies that were there with you ye caused your pauilions and tentes to be spred and set vp I brought vnto you I know not whether ye remember it the yoÌ„g Esplandian the which ye represented to the Lionesse that had giuen him sucke euen from the beginning and on the selfe same day I heard my lady Orians confession wherein she declared vnto me that she had promised Amadis to marie him when he deliuered hir from the handes of Arcalaus the enchaunter vnto whom ye had deliuered hir a little before that the Damsell by whom ye were enchaunted set you your estate in more danger thaÌ„ was possible froÌ„ the which Galaoâ— retired and deliuered you And beléeue syr that it is verye like that our Lorde God hath consented to this mariage for why EsplandiaÌ„ is come forth of whom Vrgande the vnknowâ— hath told so many maruels the which ye know And therfore ye ought not to be displeased séeing that Amadis is a Kingâ— sonne and estemed in al places one of the best and most gracious knightes of the worlde wherefore syr I counsell you shewing your selfe such as ye haue bene alwayes to saue the honor and conscieÌ„ce of my lady your daughter and that making an ende of this warre ye call hir againe and entreate hir from henceforth â—s reason would ye should thus doyngâ— the Lorde will be contented wyth you the which otherwyse may be angrye for the effusion of so muche humaine bloude the which ye hitherto caused to be shed without any occasion The Oration of Nascian the heâ—mit to Amadis wherein he admonisheth him to put al his affaires to God by whose meanes he hath auoyded so many daungers and euident periâ— and that he as much as he might should seeke for peace of King Lisuard In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY sonne before ye shall vnderstand perceiue the cause that hathe moued me to come and see you I will set before your eyes the great obligations for the which ye are indâ—tted to our Lord that from hencefoorth ye may be the more inclined to do the things that may be agreable and pleasante vnto him I beléeue ye haue oftentimes heard and assured it that from the first day that ye were borne ye were deliuered to the waters of the Sea and set in a little bote without any other defender or kéeper than God by whose goodnesse ye fell into the hands of such as afterwards haue so eleuated you that ye are come to be the most accomplished knighte that men do know at this present for why the Lord hath giueÌ„ you the power and force to fyght and to ouercome diuers Gyants monsters Tyrantes and very cruell beastes whereby your renoume is extended in all quarters of the earth And seing he hath prouided you of so great grace it is reason that ye should know him as the soueraigne Lord and to take payne to giue him thanks humbling your selfe before his face or else all his fauors that he hath lent you shall turne to your shame and rebuke My sonne ye may sée howe old and how caduke I am so that nature doth almost fayle me and yet I feare not to take vpon me thys long iourney to come to you bycause I being in my hermitage haue perceiued the discord that is betwene you and king Lisuard with whome I haue spoken of late and do find him such as a good Prince should be the seruant and minister of God and prest if there be no let in you to gyue an eare to peace the whych ye should not refuse as well for the quietnesse and rest of your conscience as of your body And to the intent ye should not disguise youre fantasie I maye assure you that I knowe more of your affayres than ye thinke for my Lady Oriane hathe tolde me in confession the secretes of you both Amadis answer to Nascian the hermit wherein he recogniseâ—â— his fault with a promise to amende In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter MY Father if I serued the Lord after the graces that he hathe shewed me I shoulde be the fortunatest knight of the world but I a sinner as I am preferring sometimes my pleasure aboue his glory fall and do amisse as other men do whereof I am displeased and sory and hope knowing my fault to do better from hencefoorth thaÌ„ I haue done in times past praying you most humbly not to feare or to defer to tell me the thing that ye shall sée I ought to do to please him for in as much as I may possible I will obey you Nascian the hermits Oration to king Perion Amadis father solliciting him to procure peace In the .4 booke the .19 Chapter SYr I beséech you to beleue that considering the estate that I of long time am called vnto and the greate age that I am in I would not haue departed from my wood and forest to come among so many men of warre if it had not bin that my long tarying might haue caused an euill whereof the Lord might haue bin angrie not only with and against you and the people that is gathered togither in these two féelds but also against many other that could not do with this discord that is betwene you and king Lisuard with whome I haue spoken already and haue so well conuerted him to peace that he is ready as I haue told your sâ—nne Amadis to receiue it and hath remitted me wholly vnto you Therfore I beseech you sir giuing vp your passions to the profyte and â—ranquilitie of so many people not to disdayne the thing that is offered you and that you your selfe should purchase and labour for King Perions answer to Nascian where he â—heweth the greaâ—e â—ault committed by the king and yet that notwithstanding receyuing Oriane into the court with his fauour he is ready to mâ—ke peace prouiding that he marrie hir not agaynst hir will. In the same Chapter MY father quoth king Perion God â—e my witnesse of the displeasure that I haue had for the things that be past with the losse of so muche good people and how willingly I woulde haue taken another way if king Lisuard would haue perceiued it but he did alwayes at hand shewe him selfe so high that he whatsoeuer we sayd vnto him setting the matter
will send Nascian agayne to king Perion to pray him to returne and to remoue his campe one day more backwards and we shall depart from the towne Lubanie for the tyme that the communication of the peace shall endure and continue Amadis speaking to Arcalaus the prisoner that asked him mercie sayde that he had not deserued it seing he woulde not haue mercie vpon himselfe yet repenting him and renouncing the euill he woulde pardon him In the .4 booke and 23 Chapter MErcie quoth Amadis I cannot tell how thou woldst I should giue it thée considering that thou couldst neuer giue it to thy selfe for if it had bin so thou wouldst haue made an end long since of so many cruelties as thou hast done exercised Notwithstanding if thou wilt repeÌ„t thée with a good hart promis me to returne no more I wil pardon thée Arcalaus answer to Amadis the whiche sayde that his nature could not incline to repent if the necessitie that he is in coÌ„strayned him not In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter I Thinke quoth he that it should be for me too hard yea verely impossible for the custome hathe knowen so to ouercome me and accustomed me to take pleasure to do ill that now I cannot giue me to goodnesse but necessitie the whych is the hard and the rigorous bridle to chaunge all euill custome to vertue shall peradueÌ„ture constrayne my old yéeres séeing the state that I am in to haue that in them that my youth and libertie haue disdayned both in déede and in will. Arcalaus continuing his words and setting before his eyes king Arauigne prayeth him to be beneuolent to the poore afflicted that fall sometimes into the power of their enimies and that he gloâ—ifye not himselfe too much in his good fortune In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter I Pray thée Amadis behold this vnfortunate king the which was not long ago ready to be one of the greatest princes of the world and in a moment the selfe same fortune that shewed hirself to loue him hath vtterly cast him downe and destroyed him to whome thou shouldest giue good regard for thou and all other that aspire to greate thinges are subiect to suche and like diffame And bycause the victor and the pardoner haue commonly noble and couragious hearts intreate vs now so as thou wouldst that we being in the place that we be should intreat thée that hereafter thou be not reproched Amadis Oration to the Romaines that were prisoners vpon the treatie of peace In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter MY masters it cannot be but that ye haue knowen the end of the war moued in these countries by the meanes wherof al the princes in a maner of the West and the most parte of those of the East were in armes and bycause that we be now vpon the pointe of a perpetuall peace I thoughte it reasonable that nothing notwithstanding ye be my prisoners shoulde be concluded without your knowledge and as well for this occasion I haue caused you to come as also to praye you for my loue and fauoure to fynde and to thynke it good to choose and to accept Arquisil to your Emperoure for besydes that there shall not be found as I haue vnderstanded a more néerer to come to the Empire than he I knowe that he deserueth it and for thys cause I praye you moste affectuously And doing thys ye shall shall prepare and obtaine two great profitable good things the first calling to the gubernation of so excellent a Monarchie a sage wise and vertuous Prince well to kéepe it and to intreate you swéetely and amiably the other that for the loue of him I wâ—l giue you with libertie the raunsome that I shoulde haue of you remayning besides as long as I shall liue your particular friende Therefore aduise what answer ye will giue me that I of my part may afterwardes aduise me how to vse my selfe towards you The answere of Brandaiel the most auncient of the Romanes to Amadis the which declared vnto him that he was readie to obey his will and that conferring of this matter wyth Flamian with libertie to do so and other Romanes he assured him that all things shoulde be after the will of Amadis In the .4 booke the .23 Chapter MY Lorde true it is that we are your prisoners and wée knowe full well the honor that ye do vnto vs the good entreating that we haue had of you since the time that we ariued and came into the inclosed Iland therefore I wyll surely answere for my companions that there is not he among vs that will not employe himselfe most willingly to serue you but we can not resolue you of that that ye labour for the Lorde Arquisil before we haue spoken with Flamian and other captaines of Rome which are in this armie and therfore we pray you that we may conferre with them swering vnto you that we for our part shall so extend our hand that in all things your will shal be satisfyed The OratioÌ„ of King Lisuard to Amadis his sonne in law aduertising him to laude God for the fauour that he hath borne him in his great affaires and that he most recompence those that put their bodyes and their goods to succour him in his most great affaires And also that he remember the Ladyes that haue continually accompanied and comforted Oriane In the .4 booke the .25 Chapter MY sonne séeyng it hath pleased God that with so great honour ye haue ended your quarrells ye must referre the glorie wholly vnto him and that as long as ye shall lyue ye be thankefull â—o your friendes the which to succour you in such businesse haue not spared their own liues the which do binde you to loue them honor them moreouer to recompence theÌ„ the best ye may possible considering that without the aide that they haue holpen you withall it is most certain ye should haue béen in great doubt to léese not only your life but your honor the which is estéemed a hundred times more And therfore it is reason that euen as they haue béen partakers of the perils and daungers that they be now also of the pleasures and conteÌ„tations that ye haue receiued by theÌ„ So then aduise you to fauor them in all that ye shall know them to be affectionated vnto distributing vnto theÌ„ the pray that is in your hands hauing the Kings Arauigne Barsinan and other prisoners And furthermore to do so much for those whoÌ„ ye know to pretend any affection to the Ladies which are in the company of Oriane that they may haue like conteÌ„tation as ye haue marying theÌ„ to those that they do like and loue And for this cause I put into your hands your sister Melicia to giue hir vnto him that ye shal estéeme to deserue hir Ye haue also your cousin Mabile the Quéene Briolanie that hath so greatly bound you vnto hir Grasinde and the Quéene Sardamire the which haue had a
that ye know that after I haue found him I may haue of him that I hope for and desire aboue all things Melies letter to the Emperour of Trebisonde auanting hir selfe to ouerrunne and wynne the Christians and to constraine them to beleeue the Pagans lawe In the .6 booke the .7 Chapter MElie lady aboue all Magicians enimie to the lawe of the Christians and curious to augment day by day the lawe of our gods Thou shalt know Emperour of Trebisonde that Constantinople shall be shortly besieged by thrâ—e score and seuen Princes of the Pagan faith Where I personally will be to take my pleasure to sée it burne and the euill men that doe possesse it and him likewise of whome all Christentiâ— shoulde hope to haue fauour as of his refuge and principall aide But it shall happen farre otherwise for she vnto whoÌ„ thy daughter is deliuered hath put hir in my power and in so sure kéeping that neither Amadis hir grandfather nor yet hir father Esplandian although they were vnbewitched shoulde haue no meane nor wayes to succour and to helpe hir And yet that is but little in respecte of the thing that I intend to doe for by little and little I shall haue the rest of you to dispose you after my owne will and pleasure constraining the ouerplus of the vulgar people be it by loue or by force to turne to our faith and haue you no doubt of this for all this shall chaunce and that easely Frandalo making reuerence to Perion doth offer him his seruice In the .6 booke the .12 Chapter SYr Cheualier I am wholly yours so that ye maye commaunde me as him that desireth to obey you for the honour of King Amadis Esplandian your brother whose friend and well affectioned seruant I am A cursed letter of the infant Melia to the Emperour of Constantinople foretelling him that he shall receiue much misfortune and destruction In the .6 booke the .12 Chapter MElia Infant the most cruellest enimie of Christianitie to the Emperour of Constantinople ruine and intyre malediction Know thou that shortly thou shalt feele misfortune the which by myne occasion is prepared for thée and such as neuer the like was spoken off for with thy owne eyes thou shalt see the death of thy people the destructioÌ„ of thy cuntrey a strange martyrdome of him whom thou louest best in this worlde and finally the end of thy life in miserie In witnesse whereof this sworde shal hang in the ayre ouer thy great Câ—â—tie vntill that a prophecie of Apolidon that remayneth to be fulfilled haue his effect Then it shall vanyshe awaye and shal be séene no more The Oration of Alquise to the Princesse Gricelleriaâ— from his Knight Lisuard from whom he presenteth hir a Prince and the children of the King of Hierusalem and doth praye hiâ— for his loue to intreate them well In the .6 booke the .14 Chapter MAdam your knight the which far passeth al other in valiantnesse and in greate goodnesse of armes doth salute you as hir whom he desireth to serue all his lyfe in witnesse whereof he doth sende you by me the thing that he hath conquered and gotten since the daye and time that he departed from you to his very great displeasure and heauinesse That is this gentleman a verie doutie Prince amoÌ„g the Pagans and of good right for he beyng at libertie maye commaundâ— in the countrey and land of Liquie no more nor lesse than the Emperour your father doth in his And these other are the King of Palestines children brother sister the which he doth praye you to receiue and dispose as your owne And also he charged me to assure you that intreating them graciously and as he estéemeth of your goodnesse he shall be singularly well pleased for and bycause of the place they are issued out of and the conquest that he hath done and had of them at his beginning The letter of Perion called the Knight of the Esphere to the Princesse Gricelleria certifying hir of the great loue that he beareth hir and also that he feeleth him selfe very fortunate that he was sent to a lady of so high a price vnto whom he is readie to obey In the .6 booke the .14 Chapter MAdam I knowe not how I may satisfye the great goodnessâ— that ye graunted mee vpon the day that ye accepted me for yours seyng that the best knight of the world should not thinke him sufficient to serue so great a ladye and Princesse And I then poore dum man that hath done as yet no acte of Chiualrie beyng come to suche honour is it any maruell then if my hearte hath desired to take things in hande wherof wyth reason it hathe esperance and hope to continue in thys hyghe place putting farre from hym all feare and perill of deathe by the continuall remembraunce that he hath of your good grace the whiche hath so captiuated my libertie that my eyes haue béene incheined with the bandes of your fortunable presence euen since the daye that they sawe the brightnesse of your diuine face But this prison is hidden in suche libertie that it causeth me to liue for the enuie that I haue to obey and serue you for euer assured that otherwyse my soule troubled bycause of your absence shoulde not remaine one houre in this body passioned and troubled for the great loue that he beareth you Thus Madam I beséeche you commaunde the thing that pleaseth you I should doe and hauing pitie vpon your poore slaue sende him by this Damsell which is faithful your will beleeuing hir as touching the ouerplus of the thing that she shall tell you From him that doth kisse the hands of your highnesse in all humilitie The answere of the Princesse Gricelleria to Perion called the the knight of the Esphere wherein she declareth that she is glad that she hath receiued his letters reuealing vnto him hir amorous passions and recommendeth vnto him the Damsell Lisuart praying him to bring hir out of danger In the â— booke the .21 Chapter THe great pleasure that I haue receiued with your letteâ—â— and the presents the which ye haue sent me by this damsell haue renued in my heauie heart the annoyance troubles the which my soule suffered through your long absence And beléeue me my friende that were it not for the continuall presence of your person the whiche I haue in the eyes of my vnderstanding it were impossible for me dayly to resist so many assaults the which loue deliuered vnto me euen the selfe same day that ye came mute and dumbe into this court not speaking one worde to me nor to no other but the hope that I haue that ye will shortly returne as this messanger hath assured me doth giue me a certaine force and strength to suffer this that I endure without any releasement Buâ— for a conclusion and to the entent that with more occasion ye may come to see me as I trust I pray you to keepe your selfe nigh vnto
vnto you that I speake not without reason ye shall vnderstande that the great God Iupiter Mars appeered one of these nights past to your good Prince Zair wherof the euill doth come that noth hold trouble him And they haue threatned him verie sore reproued him seing they called him not to such a highnesse to let the faith of the christians to increase and not to â—are for that in the which he liued And bicause he would not wholly fall into their indignation bad to commaund you incontinently to enterprise the conquest of Trebisonde or else that we and he should be so well chastened that prouing the rigorousnesse of fortune we should come late to repentance Thus if we will obey them executing their holy will we shall be sure of the victorie and Zair shall mary Onoloria the Emperours daughter of whom I spake vnto you of these two shal come so complet a knight that the sunne is not brighter among the starres than his renoume shal be from the Orient to the Occident among men And this is Princes and Lordes the cause for the which the Soudan your soueraigne King hath caused him to be called for this day purposing as touching his part not to shewe himself any other than most humble and most obedient to gods will trusting that of your parte ye wil not be tardife in so good a worke but cause your high valiantnesse and chiualrie that is in you to be knowne throughout all the world ye shall follow that is predestinate vnto you of the which I may beare witnesse for althoughe I be but a woman yet should I be very displeasant that so glorious an enterprise should passe out of my presence sighte Thus honourable Princes make ye together a resolution vpon this that your king intended to shew you with his own mouth if the euill that he féeleth had not forbydden and letted him to speake purposing wholly to ensue and follow the inspiration of Iupiter and your good aduise trusting in the faithfulnesse zeale that euery one of you hath as I thinke to the encreasement of his honour the which shall be your wealth and aduancement A letter from Abra in the name of Zair hir brother Soudan of Babylon to the Infant Onoloria of whom being very amorous he laboureth to haue hir good grace and fauour In the .8 booke the .7 Chapter MAdam I pray you as much as is possible reading thys letter to consider howe Zair the Soudan of Babilon the king of the Pagan Princes and the most mightie Monarch that is this day vpon the earth doth finde himselfe so beaten with the arrowes of the god of loue the which being enforced fréely to declare vnto you the paine that he indureth to be yours hath coÌ„ceiued this boldnesse to write this word vnto you to cause you to vnderstand that the seruitude that he beareth was diuinely motioned and by the inspiration of Venus sonne the which appearing one night among all other to me represented to me the excellencie of your beautie so liuely that he woulde me the ruler and Lorde of Lordes and that all my lyfe haue béene frée and withoute subiection to become seruaunt and slaue of your good grace the which thing I require you most humblye not to denie mée but waying the greatnesse of my estate and the noble bloude whereof I take my beginning to vse me as I deserue assuring you Madame that hauyng this fauour I shall estéeme it more than if the rest of the whole worlde toke me for theyr naturall Lord and yet more if I myghte receiue some Iuell or some sleue of you to weare ending the combattes that I haue set forth to vpholde your perfecte beautie the which far passeth all the most excellent that hath bene or maye be for euer kissing for the ouerplus a thousand and a thousande times your diuine and white handes with all reuerence The Oration of Abra Zair sister to the Infant Onoleria expouÌ„dyng vnto hir the vehemente loue that hir brother do the beare hir the whyche oughte to moue hir sweetely to intreate hym and to take pitie of his torment In the eyghte booke the .7 Chapter I Maruell Madam how it is possible that with so great beutie and wisedome that is in you rigour and disdaine maye haue any parte Ye haue as I haue vnderstanded slenderly regarded the letter that the Soudan my brother hath writteÌ„ vnto you and the euill that he suffereth in louing you so perfectly as he hath certified you I pray you for gods sake to coÌ„sider that his life if ye vse long such crueltie towards him will be short and that ye shall leese in léesing of him the best and the most affectionated seruant that euer ye shall get and me also the which hath merited more greater punishmente for the wrong that he hath done you in louing you if it may be cald wrong than you him for why he neuer thought but to obey and to please you and I for to find some remedy for his vnmeasurable passion the which hath bin the cause why I haue sent you by one of my women the thing that hathe somewhat better as she hath reported to me contented you The answer of Onoleria to Abra Zairs sister reprouing hir of hir foolish enterprise and that if hir brother make any further suite she will cause it to be reuenged In the .8 booke the .7 Chapter I Thinke Madame that it shoulde sufficiently ynough haue suffised you that ye haue done already without charging me a new and so that if I haue had some occasion of griefe or anoyance against your brother to haue bin on my part too much forgetfull Now where ye thinke to excuse him ye accuse him the more and do cause me to thinke that ye doubt that I féele not my self to be the daughter of so great an Emperoure and to be extract and to come of suche bloud that I had rather neuer to haue bin than for any thing to defile the least part of my honour And therfore assure him that causeth you to vse such wordes that I if he continue in this foolishe suite and you in your importunitie shall aduertise suche a one that in aduenging me shall complayne of you and of him euen as ye merit and deserue The Oration of the knight Birmâ—rtes to the Emperoure of Trebisond wherein he aduertiseth him of the will that he hath to fyght in the honor and fauor of my Lady Oriane whome he esteemeth the most perfect in all things that is in the rest of the world In the .8 booke the .9 Chapter RIght mightie and excellent prince the representation that I beare of hir that hath not hir péere in perfect beutie doth remoue the fault from me that I might haue receyued not doing at my comming the honor and reuerence vnto you that your highnesse merited And for to declare the cause that moued me to come to this your court ye shall vnderstand sir that I
moste certaine that there is no martyrdome nor no displeasure that tormenteth a man more than where fayth and true amitie make their habitation Alas my Amadis founde ye euer in me any other thing than affection and good will towarde you Did I euer thing were it neuer so little to cause you to be miscontent By my God ye doe me wrong The Oration of Abra to the Princes and people of Babilon complayning hir of the death of Zair their Prince incyting them to take armes as well for the death of Zair as to resist the Christians In the .8 Booke the .65 Chapter ZAir the last Sommer had enterprised a iourney to Trebisonde trusting with a perpetuall peace and amitie to take and to make an aliance and to marie the Emperours daughter But the euil houre succéeded so that the Souldan frustrated of his intentioÌ„ lost his life as it is manifest to euery man Therefore my Lordes there is not one of you vnto whome such an iniurie doth not redounde your Prince being so euill entreated and finally slaine and with his hande whom I my selfe had chosen and elected for my Lorde and spouse Truely the loue that I bare him hath béene euill recompensed plucking out the bloud out of the bellie of so noble a Prince of the Babilonians and of an infinite of other your friendes parents and kinsfolke And in such a sort that if you well considered how all is past it shall be founde that either your fathers or your brothers or your cousins in particular and general haue béene meate vnto the monsters of the sea their bodies being depriued of all honourable sepulture and buried among the waters of the déepe Abismes Shall this iniurie be forgotten at any time Shall the name of Babilon be made a fable vnto all those that shall heare men speake of their mischiefe Shall the iust veÌ„geance be ended without doing of any other thing Ah ah ye stoute Kings I adiure you by our high and mightie Gods that euerie one of you take his armure not onely to cause it to be knowne throughout all the worlde that ye be the dominators of all Princes that doth offende you but the scourge and chastisement of all nations The Christians as it is reported to me do assemble themselues cause a brute that they will come and finde vs and chasing vs out of our proper heritages proclaime Axiane the sonne of Zirphee Emperour of this Monarch But if ye will beleeue me we shall set them farre from their accountes and go to preuent them and to set them forwards entring into the Empyre of Trebisonde the which being sacked and destroyed we shall passe on to Constantinople where that fire and the edge of our swordes shal be the executours of our vengeance sparing neither king nor man woman nor childe being assured that if ye woulde set forth your ensignes and banners in the fielde that they should resist vs no more than straw agaynst fire And this is the cause Princes most excellent why I sent for you praying and commaunding you that in most greatest and most extréeme diligence ye may possible to cause the Drumme to sound throughout all your Countreyes and to assemble both horsemenn and footemen Galies Ships and other vessels as wel for warre as to carie vittayles that we our preparation being readie may finish and ende the rest of our enterprise so as I haue tolde you the which thing shall be vnto you verie honourable and profitable In the meane while I will sende to my friends and allies requiring and warning them to be fauourable vnto vs and to ayde vs considering that this déed and matter for the reason and cause that I haue declared vnto you doth touch them the Christians being willing to inuade as well theyr Countrey as this here if we will indure and suffer it Niquea preferring Amadis of Grece honour aboue the pleasure that she had of his presence doth suffer him to go and succour his father Lisuardâ— In the .8 booke the .74 Chapter MY Lorde the loue that I beare you is so perfite that vneasily I may giue you councell that shoulde be sounde and to me agréeable in this that ye demaund but yet greater is the force of your honour and renowne séeing that it hath béene the onely meane of the goodnesse that we haue the one of the other And for this cause ensuing and following reason and considering that no Emperour nor King shoulde make himselfe subiect if it were possible nor pay any tribute I thinke that you and I ought to neglect and forsake our pleasures to haue a respect to the thing that beséemeth you for the conseruation of you and of your estate Therefore I giue you if I shoulde so speake all the leaue that shall please you although that in veritie and truth it be due agaynst my will estéeming and holding it great glorie thus to captiuate my selfe to permit suffer you to haue such libertie by the which ye shall execute and cause to be knowne more and more the excellencie of your valiantnesse and high cheualrie The heauinesse of Lisuarde for the death of his wife Onoloria in the .8 booke the .73 Chapter ALas alas fortune what doth rest and remaine from henseforth to satisfie thée to trouble me Wilte thou haue my life a hundred a hundred times thou hast drawne me from the place where I had forsaken thée and yet for all that thou hast taken fro me to cause me to die a hundred tymes vpon a day my deare wife and spouse and hast by this euill houre and chaunce brought vnto me all the other that thou hast reserued and kept for me O God God eternall alas my friend my wife and my faythfull companion ye are all things considered wel at ease liuing in heauen and I remayning and dwelling among such and so great melancolies and heauinesses Pardon me I pray you if I lament wéepe for you too vndiscretely This is not for the good chaunce that ye haue but for sorrow that I do not follow you and accompanie you in your â—ases as ye haue fiftene or twentie yeares folowed me in the most part of my trauels Gradasilea doth comfort king Lisuarde shewing him that heâ— must be constant in his aduersitie and not to sorrow for death so much In the .8 Booke the .73 chapter HOw nowe my Lorde is this the magnanimitie of heart that is woont to be in you haue ye forgotten that you and I are borne to die Thinke ye to reuiue my Ladie againe by wéeping or thus tormenting your selfe she is certainly very fortunate and happie wherefore then do you lament hir so greatly She hath shewed you the way and doth tarie you in the place where one day if it please God we shall see hir Leaue these teares such exterior appearances to those that haue no hope in the second life comfort your self in the lord beséeching him to giue you the vertue of pacience
those that do require it of you Thus much Madame the high gods maintaine you dayly in their communication inspiring you with a will inclined to my iuste quarrell The same which is alwayes readie to serue your royall maiestie Lucidor of Vengeance Luâ—idor de Vengeurs letter to Florisel of Niquea In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter LVcidor the Vengeur the naturall Prince of Fraunce of Secilo Apolonia by aliaÌ„ce to thée Florisel of Niquea misfortune for all salutation I required thée not long since louingly to restore me my wife spouse Helen whom bothe agaynst God and reason thou hast taken from me in hir fathers house the which thing thou haste refused to doe against all diuine and humaine lawe by the meanes whereof I saie that thou hast done an acte of a brigant a ruffin a rauisher and of a wicked adulterer So I defie thée with fire and bloude thy friendes sautors and alies to bring thée with mine to suche reason that shortly thou shalt come to my mercie to receiue punishment after my contentation and pleasure The answere of Florisel to Lucidor the Vengeurs letter In the 10. booke the .6 Chapter LVcidor the Vengeur Florisel of Niquea Prince of two Empirs c. hath receiued thy presumptuous letter of defiaÌ„ce where vpon he doth answere thée that neuer did thing that a gentelman a louer of his honour ought not to do aduertising thée againe that Helen of Apolonia is my wife and spouse the which he shall defend against thée and all ether that for hir will quarrell with him with suche a charge that thou and thine shall curse the houre that euer ye girded sword against the Grecians for the wounde sake that shall bléede vpon all thy posteritie and confederates for by the vniust refuse of the conditions and offers vnto the which I submitted me thou hast made of thy right thy wrong Wherby we haue God on our side the which by his iustice doth continually punishe the proude nor he shall not suffer thée to vsurpe the right of vengeance that is namely reserued to his diuinitie Florisel letter to the Soudan of Niquea demaunding helpe of him against Lucidor In the .10 booke the .6 Chapter MY Lord fortune hath willed and fauoured me so well to ioyne me in mariage with Helen the Princesse of Apolonia and although the forme maner be somewhat light through the force that I was compelled to vse and so bring hir to Constantinople so it is that to purge the foreset that men might pretend I afterwardes made them so many lawfull offers that the right remaineth on my side hauing offered the aliance of our house to Lucidor the Prince of Fraunce with whom there was some seeing of hir mariage in so muche that the thing done alreadie cannot be vndone Yet for all that he hath not ceased too importunately to trouble me vntill he sent to me my parents fautors and alies a letter of defiance of fire and bloud by sea and by lande pretending as he doth write not only to take my wife fro me but also my head wherof I was minded to aduertise your imperiall maiestie trusting that you will not faile me in this matter My Lorde I beséeche the creator to giue your highnesse a good and a long life Anaxartes writing to Princesse Orian doth complaine him of hir rigour doth pray hir to draw him out of the exile where vnto she sent him In the .10 booke .6 Chapter MAdame the selfe same doth present you health from whoÌ„ ye haue taken it desiring the fulnesse of the houres fortunes of this world to hir that hath cast him into the fountaine of all misfortunes the which he esteemeth lesse than the desperation of your good grace wherein ye haue plunged him through your last rigor the which if he felte that there were any offence in him that might give you any occasion to be rude and hard vnto him he would not onely go about to aske you mercie and forgiuenesse but he would reuenge you vpon himself doing more than the Pelicane for hir little ones but if this be his affection to measure this cause by your extreme beautie he hath neuerthelesse restrained it with the bridle of reason against nature And it he in so little accesse and conuersation that he hath had with you did not once twinckle with his eye to the interest and hurt of your highnesse much lesse he hath hazarde his tong to chaunge the face of his wery heart What reason can ye pretend thus to banishe him from the fruition of your sight for léesing that he séemeth to lyue in darknesse but that the continual flame of his heart cleareth him the which had béen burnt long since consumed to ashes if my ordinarie teares had not béen wherewith I mortifyed it May it please you then for all satisfaction that not I but loue hathe merited for mée to call me againe from this exile or at leastwyse to make me vnderstande euen by your owne hand the conception of your spirite and minde that which mine cannot comprehende if ye desire not the shortâ— death of him whose onelye thought of your excellencie doth sustaine him in a sorowfull life The Oration of the Prince Dom Florisel of Niquea to the Kings Princes Captaines and souldiers of his armie setting before their eyes the victories obtained by their predecessors against many nations and that they should vse modestly the victorie if it be giuen them and to consider that they haue to doe with a victorious nation In the .10 booke the 18. Chapter RIght mightie Emperours Kings Princes valiant captaines and souldiers if the time that is past had not lefte vs the memorie of the noble and vertuous actes of our predecessors and also of many that are yet aliue and present in this battel I would haue esteemed it reasonable ynough that I seing it hath pleased you to chose me the head of this armie notwithstanding I am vnworthy in price and comparison of diuers that are among you should haue made you an Oration to excite your hearts to magnanimitie and valiantnesse but youre vertue knowen already among the Troyans Romaines and Carthagiens the whiche haue oftentimes proued the strength of your armes doth excuse me of thys payne turneth my prayer to God beséeching him through his grace to maintaine audacitie and boldnesse in those from whom as yet it neuer departed Our victory if it so plese him is without doubt the which comming I pray you my Lords and friends to stand and persist in your ranges moderating the heat of your execution so that the rape and pray y which afterwardes cannot scape vs set no man out of his aray whereby we may léese that is certain and reuolt and turne fortune Furthermore I aduise you not to disprayse nor to contemne your enimies but to esteeme them as much as ye thinke your selues to be worth for of a troth the French meÌ„ with whome ye shall haue to doe
the gentle bastardes chéered of the father the which was so long vnknowen Thus came all these Lordes and Ladies into oure companie also the Princesse Oriana that was met withall vpon the sea and by a strange aduenture deliuered They honoured me for this presente Embassade There resteth nowe that I must returne vnto them to deliuer them into your handes to verifie my worde withall Phalanges dothe require of the Lordes and Ladyes beyng in Constantinople that Alastraxeree whome he hath loued long may be gyuen him in mariage In the tenth booke the 57â— Chapter RIght high mightie Lords the boldnesse of my thoughts the which heretofore haue ben giueÌ„ to a presumptuous diuinitie doth not abase hir wings knowing it to be turned into humaine linage exalted by heroike noble vertue aboue mortal fragilitie Also I faint not to attempt hir as before by the meanes of the aide that I newly finde in your maiesties by the reknowledging of hir kindred vnto whoÌ„ I haue long since vowed my heart my honour and my goods The which if ye iudge that I neuer deserued nothing of you and if ye estéeme not to much vnworthy to haue hir is the gentle Princesse Alastraxeree whom I require to my true and loyall spouse first suÌ„moning in this case the Prince Florisel to quite him towardes me for the duetie of mutuall loue giuing me like comfort and succor as he hath receiued of me as he well knoweth in his affaires A letter of credence of the Princesse Arlande In the .10 booke the .58 Chapter ARlande of Thrace disherited of hir landes bicause she made him heritor of hir hearte that had the propertie of hir libertie so greatly alienated that she can accept no part in his to Florisel of Niquea Prince of Fraunce Englande Apolonia and Rhodes salutatioÌ„ Fortune hath in such wise conspired against me that she hath giuen me no other ynke to write withal but bloud nor no other messenger but a childe nor hath sent me no succour but against the sonne of my mortall enemie for my brothers sake and yet more than this mortall enimie bicause I cannot be my owne friende Loke vpon me ye ladies that doe complaine you of the light turnes of hir customable inconstancie and take an example to hope in desperation She hath not left me as much as my surname the whiche I haue borowed bicause I would not too much astonishe you in the firste sight of the superscription of my letter missiue or in the salutation the whiche shée maie yll sende that hathe of long time hir heart captiue and afflicted as ye well knowe and not long since the body in prison I haue no great leisure with my hande to send my complaintes when that with my mouth I cannot cause them to be vnderstranded Praying you for the rest on my part to beleue this Damsell as reason would on your behalfe â—lorarâ—am doth count to Florisell of Niquea and to the other nobles being at Constantinople the cause of his comming and the imprisonment of the princesse of Thrace In the .10 booke the .58 Chapter MY Lorde the case is this In the time that my Lady had left you in the Isle of Rhodes and was at hir returning in my masters the kings Court she founde there the Duke Madasanill the tyrant of the next Ilandes a fierce Giant great and maruellous mightie accompanied with foure hundred of his cousins like vnto himselfe all they being issued of the linage of Furius Cornelius calling themselues the reuengers of his bloud This Duke required of the king a wife vnder the conditions of the vengeance that be vndertooke vpon Prince Amadis of Gâ—eâ—e for whome I was nourished and instructed if the obligation that came afterwardes had not defaced this cruell enmitie by the meanes of the succour that the Prince gaue him in his extreme businesse whom I loued and honoured and yet knew him not and was desirous with all my heart to serue him But the king perceyuing the newe reconciliation of my Ladie with him that had slaine his brother he deliuered hir quickly into the Dukes handes commaunding him to marrie hir He was euen then readie with the Duchesse Arhide whom he reteyned to come to your marriage Then hearing she should be sent to such other she answered the king beléeue not my Lorde that the trespasse and fault that I haue done to my highnesse in that I could not resist the strength of the loue of the sonne now I make it to the father assuring you that I will neuer haue other husbande than the sonne nor no greater enimie than him that shall purchase euill to the father vnto whome I haue sworne and giuen my fayth of peace and concorde The king was so irrited and chafed with hir answere that euen vpon the fielde he did disherite hir and caused an othe to be giuen to Madasanill the Prince of Thrace setting my Ladie in his power to lodge hir incontinently in the fortresse of the lake of foure pauements the which as men doe estéeme is one of the strongest places of the worlde So he gaue him the charge of hir and of the foure Pauementes to the Giantes his cousins commaunding them to keepe hir in prison a whole yeare if she applyed not hir will vnto him The which if she did not within the terme appoynted he woulde that hir head should be smitten off for the appoyntment that shée had made of his brother The fierce villaine fayled not to fulfill this ordenance moste diligently leading my Ladie wéeping and sobbing to the Castell where he enclosed hir alone with hir cousin Arlinda deliuering the keyes of the prison to a great and a vile Iayler reseruing the comming into the selfe same Castell to himselfe his cousins being established in the foure Pauements the which cause all those to sweare that come thither to be at the vengeance of the death of Furio if not that he will thrust them into déepe and cruell prisons At night they shutte in the Gates of their Pauements and by Caues made vnder the grounde they returne to the Castell béeing distant from the Laake two shottes of a Crossebowe of the which the Duke himselfe doth open and sparre the Gates Well I followed themâ— into the Castell where they suffered me â—o walke at my case but I enforced through sorrowe to sée hir in such estate not knowing howe to remedie it One day she putting out hir head at a little lattis window saw me beneath and sayde vnto me Florarlan prepare thy selfe by some meanes that thou mayst speake vnto me Incontinent I went vp leauing the Duke beneath with his men and I prayed Bocarell the Iayler to shewe me so much fauour as to let me speake a little to my Ladie the Princesse the whiche answered me that if I spake any more vnto him he woulde cast me from the height of the wall Oribaulde quoth I to him if I were weaponed as thou art I shoulde brydle thy snoute well ynough
to doe to thine For the assurance of those condicions I haue signed this letter with my name and sent it sealed with hir bloude in thy presence as innocent as thine is euill and without faulte The Oration of Dom Florisel of Niquea to the assistance in Constantinople where he excuseth him of the thing that Sidonia dothe accuse hym of and giueth assurance to all those that vpon this quarell be willyng to combatte and fight In the .10 booke the .65 Chapter IF moste nobâ—e Lordes manne ought not by the lawe of true amitie spare body nor goodes in any businesse of his fréende what may hée then reserue at the poynt of the extremitie of his owne lyfe into the whiche the Prince Phalangâ—s was runne by the rigorous lawes of the I le of Guinday if I had not sodainly succoured and holpen him although to the preiudice of the fayth that I firste owe vnto God and after to my deare Lady Helen of whome I hope for no lesse pardon than of the diuine maiestie in like offence The Quéene that accuseth me is indued with so great grace and perfection that she alone maye inforce all humayne heartes to hir will and pleasure and if she complayne of the too solemne bande of fained mariages the mishap that is chaunced muste be imputed to hir selfe through the constraint of hir owne ordinances and lawes For all that I doe for satisfaction of hir honour wherewith they will charge me I consent that this present portraiture be tâ—ed to a corde the which shal be set vp in the courte of this palace and the chances of these poore maydens in another that the facte may be the better published and that the knightes through ignorance fayle not hir at the enterpryse of this quarell for the whiche euen nowe I sweare and promis such assurance as is conuenient in such a defiance to all those that are nowe in this citie and will enter in campe for hir against me that if the vengeance be due vnto hir it be not delayed on my parte Certaine complayntes extract out of the Eleuenth booke the first Chaptâ—r in the whiche menne may see Queene Sidonia complayne hir inconstantly ynough of loue O True dissemblyng of him the whiche vnder the image and name of an other did gather the firste flowre of my youth what ioy shalte thou bring me giuing me the meanes to quench and to mortifie the fire of his loue by the vengeance that I purchace vpon him for the outrageous rauishment of my honour For I haue concluded and appoynted to giue thée with my realme to whosoeuer shall present the head of the Father to the Daughter the whiche thing I beséeche the immortall Gods to consent and graunt for the iuste punishment of this false Prince a Grecian and in witnesse of my chastitie by him fraudulently defilâ—d my will beyng nothing bespotted nor violated O deare Moraisel into what excesse of torment haste thou caste me to enforce my will so affectionated towardes thée to sweare and to prepare for thée an immortall vengeance as to sacrifice thy heade to my vigorous honour and afterwardes to offer vp my life to thy shadow who euer sawe suche a confusion of loue and hatred or twoo suche extremities to extinguishe the meane and the way of honestie An other complaynt of Queene Sidonia In the .11 booke the 1. Chapter O Gods why haue ye not fulfilled me with the like fortune to that of this lady in ioyfulnesse of so excellent a Lorde if ye will not shewe me so much grace and fauour what reason had he to cause me to feele and taste the swéetenesse of his perfections and afterwardes to leaue me a famished martirdome of the swéetenesse of voluptuousnesse Oâ— loue I would gladly complayne me of thée that hath so vnfaithfully intreated me if thou dydst not beare thine excuse by the priuiledge of thy naturall reason and therefore I should doe wrong to founde me in reason againste him that vseth none I am in peace and in mortall warre I feare I hope I burne being as colde as yce I flie to heauen beyng wholy in the earth and yet nothing is done in déede I embrace all I am in prison that doth nother open nor shutte they doe lace and vnlace me with one lace Loue dothe binde me togither and vnbindeth me giuing me his grace and afterwardes taking it fro me a good and an euill houre in my chace doe follow me I sée my wealth and to my hurte I doe runne I am equally bothe life and death yea I purchace both life and death and I woulde perish and I demaunde succour in this state I am for Florisel Florarlam prayeth Arlande to declare vnto him what she knoweth of his parents In the .11 booke the .5 Chapter MAdame I am inforced then to confesse you a heart breaking that dothe torment me of the thing that I haue as I consider receyued of your grace to haue bene hitherto so well intreated the obligation whereof doth charge me with a déede that can not well be borne in asmuche as I know not yet who I am nor who was my father nor my mother if I knew they were of base condition I would so much the more acknowledge that the liberall nourishment that ye gaue me was of your onely fauour without my deseruing or any of mine And in case they were other I woulde prepare me to pray them for the satisfaction that I am indewed vnto you for the great goodnesse and honour that yée shewe me Therefore madame I pray you to alighten me of my greate sorow that I beare and suffer and to certifie me of all that yée know Arlande dothe wryte subtilly to Dom Florisel the whiche doth sende him his sonne to make hym knight finally she prayeth God to rewarde him for his deceytfulnesse In the .11 booke the .5 Chapter MY Lorde I sende you a Iuell whereof in time paste I robbed you and yet tooke nothing of yours that was subiect to the common lawe of the citie and yet ye haue satisfied me with the greatest goodnesse yée may wishe for in this worlde I trust that the confession that ye make shall discharge me of this faulte seyng that the restitution dothe folowe As long as he was in my possession I kepte him very carefully for my parte that I had in him nowe reason would that ye shoulde take care for yours whereof I am constrayned to aduertise you bicause yée shoulde no longer pretende any cause of ignoraunce This bearer Florarlan the fayre damsell willyng to obtayne laude ensuing the trace of hir aunceters desireth to be made Knight at the handes of the Emperoure your father I pray you to doe so muche for your selfe for hir and for me as to present hir In the meane while I affectuously recommende me to your good grace without hauing of any hope praying God my Lorde to render you the rewarde of your deceytes in like measure as ye haue measured to other
beare thée O fortunate Damsell that by thy death hadst might to pay the thing thou diddest owe to my Diana for thy loue althoughe that hir mother coulde not doe so muche for hir owne O faint Moraisell howe arte then nowe well reuenged of mée and well satisfyed of the vengeance that I of so long time haue sought for O Gods immortall séeing that ye denie me iustice leauing me in this miserable life I will not refuse it nor denie it to my owne handes and I will kepe the priuiledge of my franke and frée will the which I haue receyued of you from the time that I was borne Well then and killing my selfe with my owne handes I giue my selfe life the which ye haue denyed me bicause ye promptly and readily ynough gaue me not to death The Oration of Daraide giuing and causing himselfe to bee knowne and taken of Diana for Agesilan of Colcbos â— In the 12. booke the .22 Chapter IF the great enterprises were not accompanyed with daunger beléeue this Madame that the prayse of those that shoulde chaunce to haue the victorie shoulde be verie little and for this reason and cause the greater that the perill is so much the more is the honour the glorie and the mortall renowne Thinke not the great thinges can be ended by small things nor with little trauayle men can not wynne muche prayse Thus Madame ye may knowe this that to conquere and get you must be put in aduenture séeing that I assaying nowe to winne you put my selfe in hazarde to léese you Alas sée this is the occasion that so greatly giueth feare vnto my wordes bycause that willing to haue and get a great gaine I am in daunger of a great losse and fearing that séeking you too muche that I léese you not the more for why to aduenture my selfe to léese my selfe in this praye I aduenture but little seeyng that it is nowe so long ago that I am left in youre loue althoughe yet that in parte of the worlde I haue not had so great gayne as in one fortunable losse The cause of my amorous passions is manyfest by the excellencye of your beautie The dolours past the which I haue suffered in your seruice doe giue you a sure testimonie of the regarde and reuerence that I haue had alwayes to youre highnesse The boldenesse that I nowe doe take doth sufficiently excuse it selfe by my payne and the prowdnesse of my thoughtes throughe my royall and noble lynage accompanyed wyth chaste and lawfull desyre wherewyth I haue alwayes kepte the reuerence due to youre honour and shall kéepe it all my lyfe wythoute desyring or praying you to gyue mee anye remedye for my anguyshes and paynes if it bée not vnder the tytle of faythfull maryage and kéeping in you youre chastitie euen suche as ye nowe maye haue it Or else Madame with these conditions it may please you to knowe that vnder the name and vnder the habite of Dariade ye haue in your presence Agesilan the sonne of the great Prince the prudent Phalanges of Astre and of the strong Princesse Alastraxeree Maruell not that I haue thus disguised me and couered my self with such armes to winne your good grace for in any other habite but in one like vnto yours I could not haue hazarded my selfe in an enterprise at least way so perilous with any hope of victory Ye know now Madame the thing that hitherto I haue continually kepte secrete from you ye sée the dolorous woundes wherewith in this cruell warre of loue your excellent beautie hath cruelly wounded me I haue nowe defended my selfe long inough couering me vnder the shielde of onâ— Daraide disguised nowe Madame I confesse that ye are victorious and to you I render my armes to set vp a triumphe at and in the strength force of your immortall beautie beséeching you to take me to mercie kéeping the fidelitie and reuerence that I owe vnto your highnesse and the which I promise you and do sweare by my immortall God to kéepe it all my life vnder the title of mariage But if by the rigour of your answere ye wil refuse and denie me the pitie that I require beleue Madame that very long ye cannot be rigorous vnto me and that shortly my pitifull death shall cause you sorow it to whome as long as he liued ye were so cruell So my vnfortunate soule shall hitherto comfort hir selfe after that the body be buried by your lamentations O I most fortunate that hath set my heart in so noble a place that the ioyfulnesse of my desires doe make me the most fortunatest of al the earth and the last of my misfortunes doe promise me yet a certaine consolation Nowe Madame ye haue hearde the litle that I can say of the great dolour that I suffer and the lest of the trauell whereof I féele that I haue trauelled But if I cannot sufficiently inough expresse vnto you the euill that I indure ye may easily comprehende it if yée estéeme it so great in me as your beauties and your excellencies he great in you seyng then that by this meane ye may know by your selfe the immortall anguishes that torment me and if yée cannot perceyue it by your selfe I beseeche you againe by the iuste pitie that the victor shoulde haue vnto him that is ouercome to receyue me to mercie seing that I â—oe yéelde me and to intreate me in your seruice as him whose death and life doth depende vpon your crueltie or vpon the fauours of your good grace The cruell answere of Diana to Daraida bycause shee was declared to be an other than a damsell In the .12 booke the .22 Chapter KNow Daraida that by chaunging your name ye haue also changed into hatred the loue of the whiche by your deceiptfulnesse ye haue had so long a pleasure and if the nexte parent that is betwéene you and my accustomed benignitie resisted not the execution of my courage I woulde cause you to be chastened with suche a torment as the deceyte wherewith yée haue abused me doth merite But to leaue no occasion to any man nor not to thinke that your proudenesse hath founde any fragilitie in me I will not vse vnto my honour the pitie that I owe vnto it to defende it by your death from the offence that yée haue committed for I will not â—haâ— men shoulde publishe that your temerarious â—oly shoulde by the onely sight of mee cause so greate glorye neyther I will that yée shall remayne without any punishment although that the payne be too much vnegall for your offence whereof yée shall excuse you And therefore I prohibite and forbidde you to be at any time in my presence wheresoeuer I be for my honour in asmuch as it cannot be done as Daraide and as Agesilan doth not suffer it The complaynte of Daraide In the twelfth booke the .22 Chapter O Swéete death why doest thou suffer me yet to returne to lyfe agayne O miserable lyfe why doest thou denie me
me might haue called himselfe the heade of your armes and Duke of Buillon wherof I haue so great dolor that I die a hundred times in a day And as concerning you his good parents I beleue certainly that nature doth so prieâ—â— you that your hart doth blede and that this wouÌ„d shal blede and continue as long as you or yours shall haue the name of gentlemen but yet if ye will follow mine aduise we shal not defer the time of vengeance so long but I shall giue you a meane to recouer our honor so greatly abased that shal turne you to glorie and great profite The curteous Oration of Branzahar Prince of Clarence to the knight Birmartes that would fight with him bicause he had slaine his people In the .7 booke the .54 Chapter KNight thou hast now gotten so great honor that the glory thereof shall remaine with thée for euer and althoughe this thing was against my will and minde and that my hart could not content it selfe for the losse of myne that I loued so well and whom thou hast slaine And although I am called to reuenge them yet considering that this their misfortune chaunced by thy onely valiantnesse doyng the thing that thou shouldest doe to get a name among wise men I could not refraine my selfe but to vse curtesie to thée wardes as reason commaunded me seyng thée to be wery without a sworde and a horse So that if I had the better hande of thee being prouided and wel horsed as I am such a victory shuld rather turne me to blame than to any glory By meanes whereof I loue much better to be on my féete and being equall in armes to let fortune rule and extende hir hande to whom of vs two it shall please hir Birmartes braue answere to Branzahar the Prince of Clareâ—â—â— where he prayseth more his curtesie than he doth wonder of his greatnesse and force but yet to auoyde blame it is expedient for to fight In the .7 booke the .54 Chapter PRince your curtesie hath more astonied me thaÌ„ the greatnesse of your body and the might of your members great and boystous for the magnanimitie of heartes doth not consist in the masse of the flesh but in the propernesse strength of the person the which doth loue honour and doth desire to make his remembrance perpetuall not by brauery pryde but doing his duetie with fewe and swéete wordes and rude execution in suche sort that I finding in you the one of these two poyntes that is curtesie I doubt not that the seconde be farre of considering that very syldome or neuer they leaue eche other no more than the fire the heate and the heate the fire Therfore if it were to me honourable or reasonable I would sooner and more willingly make amitie with you thaÌ„ passe ouer with aduantage to proue our persons one against the other but hauing no order neither you nor I cannot refuse the combat that is offered in so much as it should be an iniurie for you to leaue off the enterprise that ye haue begon and to me great blame not to follow the fortune that this beginning as euery man may sée hath giuen me So then let the victory be as it shall please fortune and him haue it that can get it A letter from the knight of the burning sworde to Magadan wherein he excuseth him of his departing without leaue and doth labour to enter into his grace and fauour seyng he was founde without faulte In the seuenth booke the .16 Chapter RIght highe right mightie and right excellent Prince if the things that be to come were present to men as they be vnknowen vnto them fewe men should finde themselues deceiued and fewer euil men that might by falsely reporting things vnto them deceiue them But such secretes being out of our power certes we should feare more the malice of men than death it selfe that causeth a man to die but once For the deathe that ensueth and followeth these traitours and euill men doth not onely take away life but the immortal honor that euery vertuous person mighte obtaine and get conuerting and turnyng hys good renoume to shame and blame wherewith they féede the eares of them that harken vnto them And of thys victorious King ye may now iudge much better than of any other beyng at the poynt to fall into the reputation of an vniust King beyng in wyll and mynde so wrongfully to put the Quéene to deathe throughe the false accusation that was reported to you of hir and of your faithfull subiecte and seruaunt the Knight of the burning sworde Not syr that I will excuse me of the faulte that I dyd absenting my selfe from your courte following the counsell that Maudan gaue mee for where my innocencie was payne coulde haue no place And furthermore not leauing my honour doubtfull by my flying awaye I shoulde rather haue submitted my selfe to your punishment knowyng your vertue and my iustice than fearing your furie and followyng the death the whyche I deserued not to render my selfe suspecte of the faulte But the gods as I vnderstand haue suffered the truthe afterwardes to be discouered by him that had charged it and that the Quéenes honour and mine was recouered by the inuincible valiantnesse of Amadis the King of England the which sustaining my right slew the traitor in the plaine fielde of battell before your maiestie And neuerthelesse syr if there yet doe reste any sparckle of euill will against your humble seruaunt I beséeche you to forget it and partly to take and to receiue me to your good grace fauour perceiuing that I haue a desire to returne to your excellencie to whom I would already haue come if it had not béene for the promise that I made to these thrée Kings assembled not to leaue theÌ„ vntill the warre taken in hande against two other traitors were ended Therfore it may please you to excuse me kissing the hands of your highnesse in all humilitie The Oration of Abra to hir brother Zair Soudan of Babilon demaunding wherof his anoyance doth procede to giue him a remedie In the .8 booke the .2 Chapter ALas my Lord from whence may this accident procéede I praye you not to hide the occasion any more from me swearing vnto you by the faith that I owe you that if there be any thing wherewith I may giue you any remedie I wil not spare my life for you for why it can not continue seeyng you suffer as ye doe The Oration of Abra to the Princes and Lordes being in the Soudans Zair hir brothers court declaring vnto them the vision of the foresayde Soudan and perswading them to take in hande the combat against the Christians In the .8 booke the .2 Chapter EXcellent Princes and great Lords it semeth that fortune doth present to you all one meane and way seruing our gods to augment their lawe and to make lesse diminishe that by the which they are misprysed And to declare