he so wrought with them that he got them to change the order they had given for fighting with Giralomo into that of propounding unto him his departure out of Genoua his retiring unto Montobio which belonged to him and pardoning in consideration of him all the Conspirators provided they continued still in the City Pansa was chosen to make this proposition which was accepted and executed instantly So that the break of day arriving one would have said that the blood which was seen spilt on the ground the bodies of those that had been slain the houses that had been broken up and so many other disorders whereof the marks were evident had been the work of an invisible hand No Enemy appeared all the Tradesmâ—n were in their shops every man was in his house and Genoua was never in a greater tranquillity at leastwise as we were told afterwards For as for us as soon as we understood of the Counts death we went directly to his Palace to save his dear Leonora Doria's interest in Sophronia made him go thither with incredible speed and though he was Jannetin's kinsman yet having never affected him and been hardly used by Andrea his love met with no very mighty obstacle to overcome The French Marquess was carried thither by his own generosity and I by the desire I had to serve the Count in the person of Leonora At such time as we left Giralomo he had still some Soldiers about him so that beleeving him to be in safety enough we went to the Counts Palace fearing some violence would be offered to her there we met with Horatio come thither as well as we and at the same instant with a Gentleman from Ottobuono who after he knew of his brothers death had gotten with Baptista Verrin Raphaello Sacco and Vincentio Calcagna into the Counts Gally for to fly away but being moved with compassion for Leonora he sent this Gentleman to will her that she would get her self to be safely conducted to the Port where she might save her self with him We being then thus all encountred here together Sophronia who had heard of our repair thither left Leonora on her bed and came out unto us for she rightly imagined that it may be we had some dismal news to tell which was not fit for her to know She presently discerned by our looks the misfortune that was arrived unto as but it being no time to lament we arrested our tears and her sighs and declaring unto her the estate of things we represented unto her that we were not to suffer the Count to be outraged in the person of Leonora that her loss was undoubted if she stayed longer in this Palace that the people peradventure would come and set it on fire or it may be the Senate would cause it to be razed to the ground and that in fine it was requisite by flight to avoyd outrages worse then death that Julio Cibo her eldest brother hated them all that it would be glorious for her to make away with a brother of her husbands and in conclusion that it was for her to perswade Leonora to the taking of this resolution that for us we protested unto her that we would follow her fortune and that the Counts mother albeit the cause of his loss was notwithstanding to be set in a place of safety for the glory of her son for fear lest some extraordinary violence should be used against her Sophronia having mused a while said She was confident that Leonora if once she came to know the death of the Count would never think of preserving her life that the only fear of it had already put her into such a violent despair as it would be impossible to make her resolve for that which they desired of her when she should be assured of it Doria having heard this objection said that Leonora was to be beguiled and only told that the Counts enterprize having succeeded ill he was retired into his Gally whither he willed her to râ—pair having to that purpose sent us for her and for fear she should come to know the truth of the matter his mother also was to be beguiled in the same manner This advice being well approved of we entred into Leonora's chamber who no sooner saw us but she rose up and with a dismayed countenance and tears in her eyes she demanded of us whether the Count were dead we answered her as we had before resolved and declaring the business unto her with as many circumstances as we could to render it the more probable we so wrought with her that she believed us and constantly resolved for her flight We found not the same facility in the Counts mother What said she unto us doth he who promised me to vanquish or to dye prepare himself to fly Ah! base and inconsiderate cryed she I will go to find thee out not to fly away with thee but to oblige thee once more to fight and if I cannot do that I shall at leastwise have the satisfaction of reproaching thee for thy want of courage This said she marched foremost and I advanced to lead her Sophronia took a little casket wherein her sisters jewels were and unto her Doria lent his hand the French Marquess conducted Leonora as for Horatio he followed alone being very much grieved to abandon Hipolita But Fortune who was willing to favor him so ordered it that being arrived just before Doria's house we heard people coming in wonderful haste which without doubt were some of them that fled finding our selves then in so commodious a place for to let them pass by we entred into Doria's house and whereas Hipolita was exceedingly troubled both for her brother and her Lover she no sooner heard their two voyces mingled with some womens but she came down to us and understanding our design What said she to her brother will you abandon me I do not abandon you sister answered he but Love and Fortune do snatch me from you Hipolita's mother was deâ—d not long b fore so that having nothing to retain her at Genoua and not knowing withall what should become of her she made use of all these reasons to perswade her brother he would permit her not to abandon him or to speak more truly not to quit Horatio What said she unto him will you have me stay here that Andrea may revenge himself on me for the injury which he believes he hath received from you And having lost my mother and seeing my self forsaken of my brother shall I abide here without support and comfort I do not desire you to leave Sophronia but that you will permit me to follow her Hipolita spake this with so much grief that every one was touched with it And when as Horatio prayed Sophronia that she would oblige Doria to consent thereunto Doria imbraced his sister with a great deal of affection and told her that he was ravished with her generosity Hipolita having obtained her desire and we no longer
hearing any passing by we proceeded on in our way towards the Port where we arrived without any obstacle Ottobuono's Gentleman conducted us to the Count's Gally where we were received and Leonora put into the Captains Cabbin being told that the Count would come thither to her The Mother when shâ— was there asked of every one where the Count was I approached to her and told her that she should know ere it were long In the mean time we were no sooner got aboard but we propounded the sending to Giralomo that he might come to save himself with us Verrin without harkening thereunto commanded them to steer for Marseilles whereupon all the Slaves betaking them to their Oars the Gally made from the Port which was left free and open to the Turks who had abandoned their own Vessel and taken one of Doria's Galliâ—s named the Temperance They went away in this sort and could never be overtaken by two Gallies which were sent after them the next day The most part of the Gally-Slaves having knocked off their Irons stole all the Arms and all that they could lay hold of and getting away they alone enjoyed the liberty which the Count would have acquired for himself This while Madam we remained in the Gally of this illustrious infortunate man but with so much grief as never voyage had so sad a beginning Baptista Verrin was mad to see his enterprize broken Vincentio Calcagna upbraided him with being the cause of all this mischief Raphaello Sacco repâ—nted him for having counselled so unlucky a design and Ottobuâ—no without testifying his thoughts continued in a silence that would not permit us to know what they were As for the rest of us although we had all of us misfortunes which diversly regarded us yet the death of the Count prevailed over all our other sufferings and his loss in this occasion made up all our sorrow In the mean season Leonora not seeing him and perceiving the Gally make from the Port pressed Sophronia that she might see him and hearing her sister make her no precise answer she of her self knew the misfortune that was happened unto him And when as we entred into her chamber all at one time and that she saw him not amongst us she cryed out and said There is no longer doubt but that the Count it dead The Count dead said the Mother with a great deal of precipitation Yes Madam continued Vincentio Calcagna who was extreamly touched with this loss and dead by your commandment you enjoyned him to vanquish or to dye and he hath done both Madam for he is dead after the death of his Enemy We were very sorry that this man had delivered the matter so bluntly before the infortunate Leonora who unable to support so many sorrows at once swooned in the Arms of Sophronia As for the Count's Mother she entred into a rage that cannot be represented unto you the apprehensions of a Mother having re-assumed their place in her soul she said all that grief anger repentance fury and despair could make one say Oh! cryed she it is I that have layd the Count in his grave I am thinking of my safety and making from a place where it may be I should be punished for the crime I have commited Ah no no I must be carryed back to Land I must go and be torn in pieces by an enraged people I must acquaint them that I am the onely cause of the Conspiracy and so losing my life by their fury receive the punishment which I deserve But whil'st this ambitious woman repented her of her violence and punished her self for her own fault the unhappy Leonora came out of her swoon she had no sooner opened her eyes but turning her self to her sister she demanded of her where the Count's body was and pray'd her that at least-wise they would let her see it We thought then to the end her grief might not be renewed another time that it was bâ—st to tell her the truth of the matter and acquaint her that being drowned his body was not in our power This last circumstance of the Count's misfortune redoubled Leonora's affliction Could I not at least said she with a languishing voyce have had the consolation to be inclosed with him in the same Tomb scarcely had she ended those words but suddenly passing from one extremity to another she rose up with violence and intreated us that we would leave her on the shore there to spend her life in seeking for the body of her dear Husband And when as we resisted her intreaties she termed us ingrateful cruel and insensible nay she would have rid her self out of our hands to have gone and cast her self into the Sea but at length the excess of her grief and her weakness made her tumble down again into Sophronia's arms almost without any sense and after that as long as we were upon the Sea we never heard her speak but once onely which was the next day at night when as there arose so furious a tempest as we verily believed we should have suffered shipwâ—ach Leonora having observed by the cries of the Mariners that we were in danger seemed to receive some consolation from it then looking on Sophronia and Hipolita whom the fear of death which they believed to be so near possessed with strange unquietness Do not afflict your selves said she unto them I am too unhappy to suffer shipwrack and death will be sure not to succor me But not to weary you with so doleful a relation I shall tell you in few words that the tempest redoubled in such sort that it drove us to Albengua where Leonida having a house was gone thither a good while before We had no sooner cast anchor but having been advertised of the mishap of her dear friends she came to visit them and would so far take part with them in their afflictions that when we had furnished our selves with another Vessel at Albengua and were putting forth again to Sea she would not abandon them But I forget that it is not yet time to speak of our departure from Albengua you shall understand then that at such time as we arrived there Leonora suffered her self to be carried whither soever one would and without so much as demanding where we were so exceedingly was her Soul possest with sorrow As for the Counts mother the distemper whereinto she had put her self with her crying lamentations and repentance brought her to so violent a feaver as refusing all kind of remedies she dyed a little after And to make an end of telling you the whole sequel of the Counts Conspiracy you are to understand that which we learned at Albengua where we tarryed a good while which is that after we parted from Genoua and that Giralomo was retired to Montobio the Count's body was found and dead as he was remained still a terror to his Enemies Andrea would not suffer him to be exposed to the view of the people for fear lest so
which she understood perfectly and is common enough throughout all the Kingdoms of Fez Tunis and Marocco by reason of the neighborhood of Spain with this part of Affrica and of the Wars and Commerce which in former times they have had one with another especially before the Kings of Granado who were originally Moors were subdued by Ferdinando and Isabella And truly she was not deceived in her conjecture for there was not any of us but spake it well or at leastwise could make our selves be understood in it When as this Princess saw that her design had succeeded she testified as much joy for it as we did and having demanded of us whither we were going of whence we were and in what place we had been taken with the Tempest we told her all things as they had past without acquainting her nevertheless with the occasion that had caused us to part from Genoua and without telling her our names and falling at her feet we besought her to protect us for by the respect which was rendred to her and by her train we believed she was Queen of Marocco This excellent Princess made us rise up with a great deal of courtesie and being touched with the charms of those whom we conducted she took an affection to us and resolved to serve us as much as she could But whereas she was willing to observe in all things the respect which she owed to the King her brother she took up Sophronia Leonida and my sister into the Charet to her and commanding us to follow her she willed some of the Guard that attended upon her to lend us their horses We went in this manner to Abdalla's Palace whom we found alone with his Favorite called Ali-Ben Ducar a man of a great spirit but cruel and ambitious As soon as Mariama appeared and that the King saw heâ— followed by so many unknown persons and chiefly of three fair women if my sister can suffer me to put her in that number he was so surprized therewith that advancing presen ly towards her he said to her in her language as Mariama recounted unto us afterwards What adventure is befallen you from what War are you come what Conquest have you made and by what good hap have you met with so fair a Troop The Princess Mariama who had so much goodness as that she would not be suspected of us said unto him in Spanish for he understood it as well as she that Fortune having put so many afflicted persons into her hands she came to crave permission of him that she might take care of them protect them and restore them to their liberty Aly who understood this Tongue and that all the time of Mariama's discourse had eyed Hipolita as well as Abdalla with a great deal of attention and it may be already with a great deal of love approached and said in Spanish that one must needs be very inhumane which would not protect such beautiful persons but continued he speaking to Mariama in her natural Tongue you may not Madam deprive these three fair creatures of the honor of being your Slaves Liberty cannot be so happy to them as this servitude and you will be cruel to them in using them otherwise Aly hath reason replyed the King in his language and to content you and them to I permit you to take care of them and to protect them and I do withall conjure you to retain them in your service You know that all the Christians are our Enemies so that to set them at liberty when we have them in our hands were to violate our Religion and to infringe our Laws wherefore accept of these fair strangers for your Slaves But whereas their beauty deserves a gentler usage then others give them no other said he smiling but cords of silk to retain them My Lord answered Mariama the greatest of all good things is Liberty and by consequence the greatest of all evils is servitude there are no chains that are not heavy and the less they be the more do they straiten him that wears them In fine my Lord either they do load him or they do wring him and both the one and the other is always grievous It was in this sort Madam that the Princess Mariama spake to obtain our liberty and that which carried her yet more to oblige us was because Aly whom she extreamly hated had at first opposed our deliverance with speeches of gallantry But at length seeing her persist too much in her demand he by an artificial discourse coloured the matter with the publique good and gave the King a pretext to follow his inclination by obliging Mariama to retain these three fair Slaves in her service It being so resolved then the King used them with a great deal of civility and having demanded of them what we were unto them they answered that we were their brothers and besought him that we might not be separated from them As for us seeing we might be understood we humbly requested the King to intreat us as free men and to consider that we had been driven into Marocco by a Tempest that howsoever if he would notwithstanding have a ransom of us we desired he would be pleased to set it down to the end we might seek out the means to satisfie him But thereunto he answered no otherwise but that the next day we should receive his pleasure and instantly we were conducted to a lodg ng which was in the outward Court of the Palace where we had a Guard set upon us In the mean time the Princess Mariama being moved with the tears and intreaties of these three afflicted ones permitted them to remain with us on condition that they should spend three or four hours of the day at her lodging praying them not to be grieved and to hope for all things from her assistance But Madam that you may the better comprehend the sequel of our History I am to relate unto you a part of Mariama's and acquaint you in what estate the Court of Marocco was at that time I will not stand for all that to tell you by what Artifices two Xeriffes that is to say amongst them two holy men and descended of the race of their Prophet Mahomet invaded the two Kingdoms of Marocco and Taradant but I will only tell you that these two Xeriffes though they were brothers could not content themselves with the partition they had made of their Conquests and after many breaches of promise on either side they came at last to Arms. Whil'st they were in good terms together Hamet who was the eldest and to whom the Kingdom of Marocco was fallen for his share had married Mariama daughter to Mahomet his brother King of Sus or Taradant to Muley Zidan the eldest of his sons so that when the War began between these two brothers the fair and vertuous Mariama found her self on the party of her fathers enemy and whatsoever she could do it was impossible for her to
and falling dovvn upon her brothers body she ceased to be ambitious in ceasing to live These conspirators being entred into the Palace and having learned from some of the Princess vvomen the cause of Ismaels death and likevvise that of Perca they redoubled their cryes and testified asmuch joy as if all their enemies had been defeated In the mean time the wisest and the most considerable of Sultania had begun to oppose the people although they loved not Perca but comming to understand the success of the business they held it not fit to incense them but rather in so strange an accident to make use of their zeal in favor of Mahamed and Axiamira After then that they had let them know how there was no further need of taking up armes since the object of their hate was no longer in an estate to hurt them after that for the calming of their fury they had removed the bodies of Ismael and Perca out of the way and after that they had promised speedily to settle a peace for them and call home their exiled Princes every one retyred to his own house and the Councell being set it was advised that it was no time any longer to defer the propounding of a peace because if the newes of this strange accident should be spread over the Provinces it might furnish them with a pretext to revolt and work the utter subversion of this Empire and that in fine it was better to yeeld something unto the enemy than to put in hazard the losing of all After this they chose the most understanding amongst them to bee sent as Deputies to Ibrahim with an absolute power to treat of all things The grand Visior as I have said having received them in the presence of Vlama and they having acquainted him with this horrible adventure he that spake for all the rest added further that knowing his generosity they came to propound a peace unto him upon reasonable conditions and to demand Prince Mahamed the Princess Axiamira and Vlama of him for the restoring of them to the ranck which they ought to hold That if so be Soliman was their protector hee was to testifie it in this occasion that to draw an unjust advantage from these illustrious persons being in his power would bee the violating of the Law of Nations and naturall equity since they were there as those that fled to him for refuge and not as prisoners but to be contented with the glory of vanquishing and restoring of those to the Sophies Throne which might lawfully pretend unto it was to do a brave and famous action that there were more examples found of such as had conquered Empires than of such as had rendred up Kingdoms and that there were more which knew how to vanquish their Enemies than surmount their own ambition After that this man had said all that he believed was capable to advance the business which he propounded Ibrahim answered him that being thoroughly informed of all the Sultans intentions and having power to resolve on any thing without receiving new directions he could assure them that they should have cause to commend him that his grief was he could not keep Mahamed and Axiamira from receiving this peace with tears since they had so lamentable an occasion for it but whereas this affair directly concerned them they were to treat with them about it that in the mean time he held it requisite that one of them should return to Sultania to assure the people that ere long they should see their lawfull Princes again and that the rest should go to Bitilisa to do their duty to Mahamed and Axiamira that to comfort them for the grief which so dolefull an accident would bring them Ulama should take the pains both to conduct them thither and also to accompany the Prince Princess and Felixana back when they returned Ulama perceiving that Ibrahim in turning himself towards him seemed to demand his consent for that which he had spoken assured him that he was very ready to do it And whereas he was generous I doubt not said he but the Prince and Axiamira will be sensibly touched with this loss since I that am not obliged thereunto by so strict bonds and that have seen my self the object of the hatred and persecution of those whom I bewail cannot choose but be grieved at the accident which is befallen them After that Ulama had given sufficient proof of his generosity by his sorrow and that Ibrahim had commended him for so noble a resentment he gave him commission to take care of the Deputies of Sultania till the next day when he thought it fit they should depart for to go and fetch Mahamed which accordingly was executed Ulama parted with those that were to accompany him carrying Letters from Ibrahtm to the Princess one of the Deputies went to Sultania and the Grand Visier remained with a joy that cannot be exprest for whereas he was perswaded that the beginning of his felicity depended on the happy end of this war seeing the favourable means which fortune presented him with to terminate it speedily and with glory he could not render thanks enough to heaven for so advantagious a success And whereas he knew that the people generally desired peace he was assured that the treaty of it would be agreeable to every body not knowing that Soliman had any other interest in this war than that of the glory of his Arms. In this thought it might be said that never any Lover absent from his Mistress was so happy as he whilst he entertained himself with so sweet a hope In the mean time Ulama arrived at Bitilisa presented the Deputies to Prince Mahamed and the Princess Axiamira and delivering Ibrahim's letter to her and acquainting them with the loss they had sustained they being generous instantly forgot all the persecutions they had suffered and no longer remembred ought but that Tachmas was their father Ismael was their brother and Perca their sister in the thought whereof they were extremely afflicted with their loss But at length Ulama having imparted to them the generous designs of Ibrahim and how necessary their presence was to their people for their consolation against so many miseries as they had indured they set forth on their way As for Ulama the sight of his dear Felixana comforted him for the loss of his enemies and the Princes and Princesses sorrow was to both of them their greatest displeasure In the end after they had travelled with as much speed as the accommodation of Axiamira would permit they arrived at Ibrahims Camp who understanding that they were at hand went to receive them with three thousand of his own quarter and to testifie the more respect unto them he appeared that day in mourning and said so many generous and obliging things unto them as they were constrained to acknowledge that if fortune had done him right he should have been King of all the world When as Ibrahim had conducted them