the way passing through my country it was my hap to find him the most ouerthrowne man with griefe that euer I hope to see againe For still it seemed he had Erona at a stake before his eies such an apprehension he had taken of her daunger which in despite of all the comfort I could giue him he poured out in such lamentations that I was moued not to let him passe till he had made full declaration which by peeces my daughters and I haue deliuered vnto you Faine he would haue had succour of my selfe but the course of my life being otherwise bent I onely accompanied him with some that might safely guide him to the great Euarchus for my part hauing had some of his speeches so feelingly in my memory that at an idle time as I told you I set them downe Dialogue-wise in such manner as you haue seene And thus excellent Ladie I haue obeyed you in this storie wherein if it well please you to consider what is the straunge power of Loue and what is due to his authoritie you shall exercise therein the true noblenesse of your iudgement and doo the more right to the vnfortunate Historian Zelmane sighing for Eronaes sake yet inwardly comforted in that she assured her selfe Euarchus would not spare to take in hand the iust deliuering of her ioyned with the iust reuenge of his childrens losse hauing now what she desired of Basilius to auoide his further discourses of affection encouraged the shepheards to begin whom she saw allready ready for them The second Eclogues THE rude tumult of the Enispians gaue occasion to the honest shepheards to begin their Pastoralls this day with a daunce which they called the skirmish betwixt Reason and Passion For seuen shepheards which were named the reasonable shepheards ioined themselues foure of them making a square and the other two going a little wide of either side like wings for the maine battell and the seuenth man formost like the forlorne hope to begin the skirmish In like order came out the seuen appassionated shepheards all keeping the pase of their foot by their voice and sundry consorted instruments they held in their armes And first the formost of the Reasonable side began to sing R. Thou Rebell vile come to thy master yeeld And the other that met with him answered P. No Tyrant no mine mine shall be the field Reason Can Reason then a Tyraunt counted bee Passion If Reason will that Passions be not free R. But Reason will that Reason gouerne most P. And Passion will that Passion rule the rost R. Your will is will but Reason reason is P. Will hath his will when Reasons will doth misse R. Whome Passion leades vnto his death is bent P. And let him die so that he die content R. By nature you to Reason faith haue sworne P. Not so but fellow-like togither borne R. Who Passion doth ensue liues in annoy P. Who Passion doth forsake liues void of ioy R. Passion is blinde and treades an vnknowne trace P. Reason hath eyes to see his owne ill case Then as they approched nearer the two of Reasons side as if they shot at the other thus sang R. Dare Passions then abide in Reasons light P. And is not Reason dimme with Passions might R. O foolish thing which glory doth destroy P. O glorious title of a foolish toy R. Weakenes you are dare you with our strength fight P. Because our weaknes weakeneth all your might R. O sacred Reason helpe our vertuous toiles P. O Passion passe on feeble Reasons spoiles R. We with our selues abide a daily strife P. We gladly vse the sweetnesse of our life R. But yet our strife sure peace in end doth breede P. We now haue peace your peace we doo not neede Then did the two square battailes meete and in steed of fighting embrace one another singing thus R. We are too strong but Reason seekes no blood P. Who be too weake do feigne they be too good R. Though we cannot orecome our cause is iust P. Let vs orecome and let vs be vniust R. Yet Passions yeeld at length to Reasons stroke P. What shall we winne by taking Reasons yoke R. The ioyes you haue shall be made permanent P. But so we shall with griefe learne to repent R. Repent in deed but that shall be your blisse P. How know we that since present ioyes we misse R. You know it not of Reason therefore know it P. No Reason yet had euer skill to show it R. Then let vs both to heauenly rules giue place P. Which Passions kill and Reason do deface Then embraced they one another and came to the King who framed his prayses of them according to Zelmanes liking whose vnrestrained parts the mind eie had their free course to the delicate Philoclea whose looke was not short in well requiting it although shee knew it was a hatefull sight to her iealouse mother But Dicus that had in this time taken a great liking of Dorus for the good partes he foūd aboue his age in him had a delight to taste the fruites of his wit though in a subiect which he himselfe most of all other despised so entred to speach with him in the manner of this following Eclogue Dicus Dorus. Dicus Dorus tell me where is thy wonted motion To make these woods resound thy lamentation Thy sainte is dead or dead is thy deuotion For who doth holde his loue in estimation To witnes that he thinkes his thoughts delicious Thinks to make each thing badge of his sweet passion Dorus. But what doth make thee Dicus so suspicious Of my due faith which needs must be immutable Who others vertue doubt themselues are vicious Not so although my mettals were most mutable Her beames haue wrought therein most faire impression To such a force some chaunge were nothing sutable Dicus The harte well set doth neuer shunne confession If noble be thy bandes make them notorious Silence doth seeme the maske of base oppression Who glories in his loue doth make Loue glorious But who doth feare or bideth muet wilfully Shewes guilty harte doth deeme his state opprobrious Thou then that fram'st both wordes and voice most skilfully Yeeld to our eares a sweet and sound relation If Loue tooke thee by force or caught thee guilefully Dorus. If sunnie beames shame heau'nly habitation If three-leau'd grasse seeme to the sheepe vnsauorie Then base and sowre is Loues most high vocation Or if sheepes cries can helpe the Sunnes owne brauerie Then may I hope my pipe may haue abilitie To helpe her praise who decks me in her slauerie No no no words ennoble selfe nobilitie As for your doubts her voice was it deceaued me Her eye the force beyond all possibilitie Dicus Thy words well voyc'd well grac'de had almost heaued me Quite from my selfe to loue Loues contemplation Till of these thoughts thy sodaine ende bereaued me Goe on therefore and tell vs by what fashion In thy owne proofe he gets so straunge
So that you must resolue if you will plaie your parte to anie purpose whatsoeuer peeuish imperfections are in that sexe to soften your hart to receiue them the verie first downe-steppe to all wickednesse for doo not deceiue your selfe my deere cosin there is no man sodainelie either excellentlie good or extremelie euill but growes either as hee holdes himselfe vp in vertue or lettes himselfe slide to vitiousnes And let vs see what power is the aucthor of all these troubles forsooth loue loue a passion and the basest and fruitlessest of all passions feare breedeth wit Anger is the cradle of courage ioy openeth and enhableth the hart sorrow as it closeth so it draweth it inwarde to looke to the correcting of it selfe and so all of them generallie haue power towardes some good by the direction of Reason But this bastarde Loue for indeede the name of Loue is most vnworthylie applied to so hatefull a humour as it is engendered betwixt lust and idlenes as the matter it workes vpon is nothing but a certaine base weakenes which some gentle fooles call a gentle hart as his adioyned companions bee vnquietnes longings fond comforts faint discomforts hopes ielousies vngrounded rages causlesse yeeldings so is the highest end it aspires vnto a litle pleasure with much paine before and great repentaunce after But that ende how endlesse it runes to infinite euils were fit inough for the matter we speake of but not for your eares in whome indeede there is so much true disposition to vertue yet thus much of his worthie effects in your selfe is to bee seene that besides your breaking lawes of hospitallitie with Kalander and of friendship with me it vtterly subuerts the course of nature in making reason giue place to sense and man to woman And truely I thinke heere-vpon it first gatte the name of Loue for indeede the true loue hath that excellent nature in it that it doth transforme the verie essence of the louer into the thing loued vniting and as it were incorporating it with a secret and inwarde working And herein do these kinde of loues imitate the excellent for as the loue of heauen makes one heauenly the loue of vertue vertuous so doth the loue of the world make one become worldly and this effeminate loue of a wōman doth so womanize a man that if hee yeeld to it it will not onely make him an Amazon but a launder a distaff-spinner or what so euer other vile occupation their idle heads can imagin and their weake hands performe Therefore to trouble you no longer with my tedious but louiug wordes if either you remember what you are what you haue bene or what you must be if you cōsider what it is that moued you or by what kinde of creature you are moued you shall finde the cause so small the effect so daungerous your selfe so vnworthie to runne into the one or to bee driuē by the other that I doubt not I shal quicklie haue occasion rather to praise you for hauing conquered it then to giue you further counsell howe to doo it But in Pyrocles this speech wrought no more but that hee who before hee was espied was afraide after being perceiued was ashamed now being hardly rubd vpon left both feare and shame and was moued to anger But the exceeding good will he bare to Musidorus striuing with it hee thus partly to satisfie him but principally to loofe the reines to his owne motions made him answere Cosin whatsoeuer good disposition nature hath bestowed vpon me or howsoeuer that disposition hath bene by bringing vp confirmed this must I confesse that I am not yet come to that degree of wisedome to thinke light of the sexe of whom I haue my life since if I be any thing which your friendship rather finds then I acknowledge I was to come to it born of a womā nursed of a womā And certēly for this point of your speach doth neerest touch me it is strāg to see the vnman-like cruelty of mākind who not content with their tyrānous ābition to haue brought the others vertuous patience vnder them like childish maisters thinke their masterhood nothing without doing iniury to them who if wee will argue by reason are framed of nature with the same partes of the minde for the exercise of vertue as we are And for example euen this estate of Amazons which I know for my greatest honor do seek to counterfait doth well witnes that if generally the sweetnes of their disposition did not make them see the vainnesse of these thinges which wee accōpt glorious they nether want valor of mind nor yet doth their fairnes take away their force And truely we men and praisers of men should remember that if wee haue such excellēcies it is reason to thinke them excellent creatures of whom wee are since a Kite neuer brought foorth a good flying Hauke But to tell you true as I thinke it superfluous to vse any wordes of such a subiect which is so praysed in it selfe as it needes no praises so withall I feare lest my conceate not able to reach vnto them bring forth wordes which for their vnworthines may be a disgrace to them I so inwardly honor Let this suffice that they are capable of vertue and vertue ye your selues say is to be loued I too truly but this I willingly confesse that it likes me much better when I finde vertue in a faire lodging then when I am bound to seeke it in an ill fauoured creature like a pearle in a dounghill As for my fault of being an vnciuill guest to Kalander if you coulde feele what an inward guest my selfe am host vnto ye would thinke it very excuseable in that I rather performe the dueties of an host then the ceremonies of a guest And for my breaking the lawes of friendshippe with you which I would rather dye then effectually doo truely I could finde in my hart to aske you pardon for it but that your now handling of me giues me reason to my former dealing And here Pyrocles stayed as to breath himselfe hauing beene transported with a litle vehemency because it seemed him Musidorus had ouer-bitterly glaunsed against the reputation of woman-kinde but then quieting his countenance aswell as out of an vnquiet minde it might be he thus proceeded on And poore Loue said he deare cosin is little beholding vnto you since you are not contented to spoile it of the honor of the highest power of the mind which notable mē haue attributed vnto it but ye deiect it below all other passions in trueth somewhat strangely since if loue receiue any disgrace it is by the company of these passions you preferre before it For those kinds of bitter obiections as that lust idlenes and a weake harte shoulde bee as it were the matter and forme of loue rather touch me deare Musidorus then loue But I am good witnesse of mine owne imperfections and therefore will not defende myselfe but herein I must say you
that mankind is not growen monstrous being vndoubtedly lesse euill a guiltie man shoulde escape then a guiltlesse perish so if in the rest they be spotlesse then is no farther to be remembred But if they haue aggrauated these suspitions with newe euills then are those suspitions so farre to showe themselues as to cause the other pointes to be thorowly examined and with lesse fauour wayed since this no man can deny they haue beene accidentall if not principall causes of the Kinges death Now then we are to determine of the other matters which are laide to them wherein they doe not deny the facte but deny or at leaste diminish the faulte but first I may remember though it were not first alleaged by them the seruices they had before done truely honourable and worthy of greate rewarde but not worthy to counteruaile with a following wickednes Rewarde is proper to well doing punishment to euill doing which must bee confounded no more then good and euill are to be mingled Therefore hath bene determined in all wisedomes that no man because he hath done well before should haue his present euils spared but rather so much the more punished as hauing shewed he knew how to be good woulde against his knowledge bee naught The facte then is nakedly without passion or partialitie to bee viewed wherein without all question they are equallie culpable For though he that termes himselfe Daiphantus were sooner disapointed of his purpose of conueying away the Lady Philoclea then he that perswaded the Princesse Pamela to flie her countrie and accompanied her in it yet seing in causes of this nature the wil by the rules of iustice standeth for the deed they are both alike to bee founde guiltie and guiltie of hainous rauishment For though they rauished them not from themselues yet they rauished them from him that owed them which was their father An acte punished by all the Graecian lawes by the losse of the head as a most execrable thefte For if they must dye who steale from vs our goodes how much more they who steale from vs that for which we gather our goodes and if our lawes haue it so in the priuate persons much more forcible are they to bee in Princes children where one steales as it were the whole state and well being of that people being tyed by the secret of a long vse to be gouerned by none but the next of that bloud Neither let any man maruaile our ancestours haue bene so seuere in these cases since the example of the Phenician Europa but especially of the Grecian Helene hath taught them what destroying fires haue growen of such sparckles And although Helene was a wife and this but a child that booteth not since the principall cause of marrying wiues is that we may haue children of our owne But now let vs see how these yong men truely for their persons worthy of pittie if they haue rightly pittied themselues do goe about to mittigate the vehemencie of their errors Some of their excuses are common to both some peculiar onely to him that was the sheepeheard Both remember the force of loue and as it were the mending vp of the matter by their marriage if that vnbrideled desire which is intituled loue might purge such a sickenes as this surely wee shoulde haue many louing excuses of hatefull mischiefe Nay rather no mischiefe shoulde be committed that should not be vailed vnder the name of loue For as well he that steales might alleage the loue of mony he that murders the loue of reuenge he that rebells the loue of greatnesse as the adulterer the loue of a woman Since they do in all speeches affirme they loue that which an ill gouerned passion maketh them to follow But loue may haue no such priuiledge That sweete and heauenly vniting of the mindes which properly is called loue hath no other knot but vertue and therefore if it be a right loue it can neuer slide into any action that is not vertuous The other and indeed more effectuall reason is that they may be married vnto them and so honourably redresse the dishonour of them whom this matter seemeth most to touch Surely if the question were what were conuenient for the parties and not what is iuste in the neuer changing iustice there might much bee saide in it But herein we must consider that the lawes look how to preuent by due examples that such thinges be not done and not how to salue such things when they are doone For if the gouernors of iustice shall take such a scope as to measure the foote of the lawe by a show of conueniencie and measure that conueniencie not by the publike societie but by that which is fittest for them which offende young men stronge men and rich men shall euer finde priuate conueniences howe to palliate such committed disorders as to the publike shall not onely bee inconuenient but pestilent The marriage perchaunce might be fit for them but verie vnfit were it to the state to allowe a patterne of such procurations of marriage And thus much doe they both alleage Further goes he that went with the Princesse Pamela requireth the benefit of a councellor who hath place of free perswasion and the reasonable excuse of a seruant that did but waite of his mistres Without all question as councellors haue great cause to take heede how they aduise any thing directly opposite to the forme of that present gouernement especially when they doe it singly without publike alowaunce so yet is the case much more apparant since neither she was an effectuall Princesse her father being then aliue though he had bene deade she not come to the yeares of aucthoritie nor hee her seruant in such manner to obey her but by his owne preferment first belonging to Dametas and then to the Kinge and therefore if not by Arcadia lawes yet by housholde orders bounde to haue done nothing without his agreement Thus therefore since the deedes accomplished by these two are both abhominable and inexcuseable I doe in the behalfe of iustice by the force of Arcadia lawes pronounce that Daiphantus shal be throwne out of a hie tower to receaue his death by his fall Palladius shall bee behedded the time before the sunne set the place in Mantinea the executioner Dametas which office he shall execute all the dayes of his life for his beastly forgetting the carefull dutie he owed to his charge This saide he turned himselfe to Philanax and two of the other noble men commaunding them to see the iudgement presently performed Philâ—nax more greedie then any hunter of his praye went straite to laye holde of the excellent prisoners who casting a farewell looke one vpon the other represented in their faces asmuch vnappalled constancie as the most excellent courage can deliuer in outward graces Yet if at all there were any shewe of change in them it was that Pyrocles was somthing neerer to bashfulnes and Musidorus to anger both ouer ruled by
reason and resolution But as with great number of armed men Philanax was descending vnto them and that Musidorus was beginning to saye something in Pyrocles behalfe Beholde Kalander that with armes caste abroade and open mouth came crying to Euarchus holding a stranger in his haÌ„d that cried much more then he desiring they might be heard speake before the prisoners were remoued Euen the noble Gentleman Simpathus ayded them in it and taking such as hee coulde commaund stopped Philanax betwixt entreatie and force from carrying away the Princes vntill it were heard what new matters these men did bring So againe mounting to the Tribunall they hearkened to the straungers vehement speach or rather appassionate exclayming It was in deede Kalodulus the faithfull seruaunt of Musidorus to whome his maister when in despite of his best grounded determinations he first became a slaue to affection had sent the sheaphearde Menalcas to be arrested by the helpe of whose rayment in the meane time he aduaunced himselfe to that estate which he accompted most high because it might be seruiceable to that fancy which he had placed most high in his minde For Menalcas hauing faithfully performed his errand was as faithfully imprisoned by Kalodulus But as Kalodulus perfourmed the first part of his duety in doing the commaundement of his Prince so was he with abundance of sincere loyalty extremely perplexed when he vnderstood of Menalcas the straunge disguising of his beloued Maister For as the actes he and his Cosen Pyrocles had done in Asia had filled all the eares of the Thessalians and Macedonians with no lesse ioy then admiration so was the feare of their losse no lesse grieuous vnto them when by the noise of report they vnderstood of theyr lonely committing themselues to the Sea the issue of which they had no way learned But now that by Menalcas hee perceyued where he was gessing the like of Pyrocles comparing the vnusednes of this act with the vnripenesse of theyr age seeing in generall coniecture they could doe it for nothing that might not fall out dangerous he was somewhile troubled with himselfe what to doe betwixt doubt of theyr hurt and doubt of theyr displeasure Often he was minded as his safest and honestest way to reueale it to the king Euarchus that both his authority might preuent any domage to them and vnder his winges he himselfe might remaine safe But considering a iourney to Byzantium where as yet he supposed Euarchus lay would require more time then hee was willing to remaine doubtfull of his Princes estate he resolued at length to write the matter to Euarchus and himselfe the while to goe into Arcadia vncertayne what to doe when he came thither but determined to doe his best seruice to hys deare Maister if by any good fortune he might finde him And so it happened that being euen this day come to Mantinea and as warely and attentiuely as he coulde giuing eare to al reports in hope to hear some thing of them he sought he straight receyued a straunge rumor of these thinges but so vncertainely as popular reports cary so rare accidents But this by all men he was willed to seek out Kalander a great Gentleman of that Countrey who would soonest satisfie him of all these occurrents Thus enstructed he came euen about the midst of Euarchus iudgement to the desert Where seeing great multitudes and hearing vnknowen names of Palladius and Daiphantus and not able to presse to the place where Euarchus sate he enquired for Kalander and was soone brought vnto him partly because he was generallye knowen vnto all men and partly because he had withdrawen himselfe from the presse when he perceiued by Euarchus words whether they tended being not able to endure his guests condemnation Hee enquired forthwith of Kalander the cause of the assembly and whither the fame were true of Euarchus presence who with manye teares made a dolefull recitall vnto him both of the Amazon and sheepheard setting forth their naturall graces and lamenting their pittifull vndoing But his description made Kalodulus immediatly knowe the sheepheard was his Duke and so iudging the other to be Pyrocles and speedely communicating it to Kalander who he saw did fauour their case they brake the presse with astonishing euery man with their cryes And being come to Euarchus Kalodulus fell at his feete telling him those he had iudged were his owne Sunne and Nephewe the one the comforte of Macedon the other the onely stay of Thessalia With many such like words but as from a man that assured himselfe in that matter he shoulde neede smal speeche While Kalander made it knowen to all men what the prisoners were to whom he cried they should salute their father and ioy in the good hap the gods had sent them who were no lesse glad then all the people amazed at the strange euent of these matters Euen Philanax owne reuengefull hart was mollified when he saw from diuerse partes of the world so neere kinsemen should meete in such a necessitie And with all the fame of Pyrocles and Musidorus greatly drewe him to a compassionate conceite and had already vncloathed his face of all shew of mallice But Euarchus staide a good while vpon himselfe like a valliant man that should receaue a notable encounter being vehemently stricken with the fatherly loue of so excellent children and studying with his best reason what his office required At length with such a kind of grauitie as was neere to sorrow he thus vttred his mind I take witnes of the immortall gods saide he O Arcadians that what this daye I haue saide hath beâ—e out of my assured perswasion what iustice it selfe and your iuste lawes require Though straungers then to me I had no desire to hurt them but leauing a side all considerations of the persons I wayed the matter which you committed into my hands with most vnpartiall and farthest reach of reason And thereout haue condemned them to loose their liues contaminated with so manye foule breaches of hospitalitie ciuilitie and vertue Now contrarye to all expectations I finde them to be my onely sonne and Nephew such vpon whom you see what guiftes nature hath bestowed Such who haue so to the wonder of the worlde heretofore behaued themselues as might geue iuste cause to the greatest hopes that in an excellent youth may be conceaued Lastly in fewe wordes such in whome I placed all my mortall ioyes and thought my selfe now neere my graue to recouer a newe life But alas shall iustice halte Or shall she winke in ones cause which had Lynces eyes in anothers Or rather shall all priuate respectes geue place to that holy name Bee it so bee it so let my graye heares bee layde in the dust with sorrow let the small remnant of my life bee to mean inward and outward desolation and to the world a gazing stock of wretched misery But neuer neuer let sacred rightfulnes fall It is immortal and immortally ought to be preserued If rightly I haue